data_id
int64 1
1.12M
| id
stringlengths 32
138
| date
timestamp[s] | source
stringlengths 2
24
| title
stringlengths 12
203
| content
stringlengths 32
65.4k
⌀ | author
stringlengths 2
242
⌀ | url
stringlengths 27
244
| published
stringlengths 14
32
| published_utc
int64 1.55B
1.58B
| collection_utc
int64 1.57B
1.58B
| category_level_1
stringclasses 17
values | category_level_2
stringlengths 3
42
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
531,116 |
sputnik--2019-04-12--Dalai Lamas Reincarnation Must Comply With Chinese Laws Beijing Says
| 2019-04-12T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
Dalai Lama's Reincarnation Must Comply With Chinese Laws, Beijing Says
|
The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama “must comply with Chinese laws”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said when asked about the 83-year-old Buddhist monk’s physical condition following reports of his hospitalisation. “In China’s history, clear rules have been established concerning the reincarnation of the living Buddha. The 14th Dalai Lama himself was found and recognised following religious rituals and historical conventions and his succession was approved by the then central government. Therefore reincarnation of living Buddhas, including the Dalai Lama, must comply with Chinese laws and regulations and follow religious rituals and historical conventions”, Lu told reporters. According to these regulations, Buddhist institutions should apply to the Chinese government if they intend to reincarnate a monk. On Friday morning, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate was released from a New Delhi hospital after spending three days there, according to AFP. The Tibetan spiritual leader was reportedly diagnosed with a chest infection. “His Holiness was feeling some discomfort this morning in Dharamsala. As a precaution, we came down to Delhi”, his private secretary Tenzin Taklha was quoted as saying by local media. Back in 2011, the current Dalai Lama, who was identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor when he was two years old, said in a statement that it was inappropriate for the Chinese government to supervise his rebirth. “They say they are waiting for my death and will recognise a 15th Dalai Lama of their choice. It is clear from their recent rules and regulations and subsequent declarations that they have a detailed strategy to deceive Tibetans”, he said. The monk also reflected on what might happen after his death in an interview with Reuters last month: “In future, in case you see two Dalai Lamas come, one from here, in a free country, one is chosen by Chinese, and then nobody will trust, nobody will respect [the one chosen by China]. So that’s an additional problem for the Chinese. It’s possible, it can happen”. The 14th Dalai Lama, who was enthroned at the age of four after being discovered by a delegation of monks, has lived in India since his self-imposed exile from Tibet in 1959 following the formal Chinese takeover of the Tibetan capital Lhasa.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201904121074074052-dalai-lama-reincarnation-chinese-law/
|
2019-04-12 12:09:00+00:00
| 1,555,085,340 | 1,567,543,103 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
534,566 |
sputnik--2019-05-27--Dalai Lama Minimizes Activity While Recovering From Chest Infection PHOTO
| 2019-05-27T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
Dalai Lama Minimizes Activity While Recovering From Chest Infection (PHOTO)
|
The Dalai Lama was taken to a hospital in the Indian capital New Delhi with a chest infection last month. After spending a few days there, the Dalai Lama returned to Dharamshala and was said to be in a stable condition. READ MORE: Dalai Lama's Reincarnation Must Comply With Chinese Laws, Beijing Says "His Holiness Dalai Lama is doing his daily routine, although his activities are minimized after he came from the hospital after the illness," Dolma told Sputnik. According to the director of the Dalai Lama's office, Tsering Dhondup, the Tibetan spiritual leader is now "fit" but is still "not taking any strenuous work like preaching for long hours." He will not be leaving Dharamshala for some time, the director added. One of the senior Buddhist monks told Sputnik on the condition of anonymity that, "although the Dalai Lama is now free from his lung infection, he has become frail and he needs support for his daily chores." During their visit to Dharamshala, the Sputnik correspondent attended the Kalchakra Puja ritual, a special Buddhist prayer, at the Dalai Lama temple. During Kalchakra Puja, Buddhist monks prayed and recited verses. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is a spiritual leader of Tibet. After an uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, he was forced into exile in MacLeodganj, which is situated in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/world/201905271075381186-dalai-lama-infection/
|
2019-05-27 10:38:00+00:00
| 1,558,967,880 | 1,567,540,137 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
534,955 |
sputnik--2019-05-30--EXCLUSIVE Dalai Lama Says Russia is a Bridge Between East and West
| 2019-05-30T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
EXCLUSIVE: Dalai Lama Says Russia is a Bridge Between East and West
|
Tenzin Gyatso, known as the 14th Dalai Lama, an important figure who represents Buddhist values and traditions, believes that Russia is "a bridge between the East and the West." "Russia is a big nation and a bridge between Europe and Asia. I think you [Russia] can make some significant contribution to the promotion of peace of mind", he noted. "I think that Russia is a great nation, very powerful. Recent events showed that Putin as a leader of the Russian nation pays more attention to the issues in different parts of the world. I think that is good", he admitted. The whole world is facing a very difficult period, the Dalai Lama said in an apparent reference to numerous conflicts and arguments. "Today the world is passing through a critical period. In such a time President Putin should think very carefully, take into consideration a wider perspective and a long-term interest. That's important", he stressed. The policies of US President Donald Trump did not escape the attention of the foremost spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. "President Trump is the leader of the great nation and carries great responsibility. I think the leader should think of a wider perspective and long-term interest – that's important. He should not think just of immediate benefits", he said. READ MORE: Dalai Lama's Reincarnation Must Comply With Chinese Laws, Beijing Says "President Trump, of course, it is his work. I have no right to criticize, but he has sold billions of weapons to Saudi Arabia. I think this is wrong. He also withdrew from the Paris climate accord. This is unfortunate", he said. "A few days ago the Japanese emperor [Naruhito] acceded to the throne, and yesterday a new British prince was born [Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal baby]. I really feel that [monarchy] is outdated. Russian Bolshevik revolution eliminated the czarist rule, and the French Revolution also eliminated the king’s rule. I feel this is right. All these kings, queens are part of old thinking. In that system, there was too much emphasis on military power", he said. "Today time has come for democracy. The world belongs to seven billion human beings, each country belongs to people of that country. When people think properly, are educated, then I don't think they would be determined to kill each other. I don't think so", he said. The European Union can be an example of such a system, the Dalai Lama stated. "Take for example the European Union. In the previous century, the member states fought each other, killed each other. Then after World War II the very nations who were really involved in violence – France and Germany – they realized that now it’s much better to think about common interest rather than Germany’s interest, or France’s interest. This is a realistic approach. So the European Union was created, and in the last few decades there was no killing among its member states", he noted. He even suggested that Russia should once join the European Union. The Dalai Lama admitted that Buddhism has a special connection with Russia. "We can go side by side with modern science. In Russia, there are regions where people traditionally are Buddhists. These are republics of Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuwa. When I was in Tibet [before 1959], we had many top scholars and abbots of big monasteries who came from Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tyva", he added. He recalled that through centuries Russia already has had this knowledge and contacts with Buddhism. "So, therefore, I really feel Russian Buddhists should pay more attention to the study of Buddhism. You can take from the Buddhist literature knowledge about psychology, quantum physics, logic and study it in the academic context. It’ll be of benefit for all people – religious people and non-believers", he noted. He stated that many people from Mongolia and Buddhist regions of Russia are currently studying in Tibetan monasteries in India. The Dalai Lama admitted that all religions are like medicines that help the believers "achieve peace of mind." "I am a Buddhist. But I never say that Buddhism is the best religion. All major religious traditions are like medicine, they all help to achieve peace of mind. So we cannot pick up one medicine and then say this is the best for everybody. You cannot say this. The doctor first examines the patient's condition. Then he can recommend: for your case this medicine is the best. Similarly, among the believers there are so many different mental dispositions", he said. Tibet's spiritual leader stated that for different people different religions and religious practices can be effective.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/interviews/201905301075468869-dalai-lama-putin-attention/
|
2019-05-30 09:02:00+00:00
| 1,559,221,320 | 1,567,539,753 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
536,938 |
sputnik--2019-06-29--Dalai Lama Says Female Successor Should be Attractive Sparks Online Outrage
| 2019-06-29T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
Dalai Lama Says Female Successor Should be Attractive, Sparks Online Outrage
|
Ahead of his 84th birthday, the Dalai Lama has once again insisted that if his successor is a woman, she must be physically attractive, as he spoke with his typical quirky, down-to-earth humour in a BBC News interview on 27 June. "If a female Dalai Lama comes, she should be more attractive," the 14th Dalai Lama told the host. If not, "people, I think prefer, not see her, that face." When the host probed: "It's about who you are inside, isn't it?" the spiritual leader responded: "Yes, I think both. Real beauty is inner beauty, that's true. But we're human beings. I think the appearance is also important." This isn't the first time the Tibetan religious leader has brought up the physical beauty of a potential successor. In a 2015 BBC interview, he made similar comments, noting that a female Dalai Lama should be attractive, otherwise she would be of "not much use." His comments immediately sparked a response online, with some social media users outraged, while others claimed that the Dalai Lama implied that one needs to be more attractive to be accepted by society. The Dalai Lama "formally" stepped down from political responsibilities in 2011, yet continues to be the figurehead of the Tibetan people as their spiritual leader.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/world/201906291076097776-dalai-lama-says-female-successor-should-be-attractive-sparks-online-outrage/
|
2019-06-29 12:03:27+00:00
| 1,561,824,207 | 1,567,537,618 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
604,402 |
thedailycaller--2019-06-27--The Dalai Lama Slams Trumps America First Policy That Is Wrong
| 2019-06-27T00:00:00 |
thedailycaller
|
The Dalai Lama Slams Trump’s ‘America First’ Policy — ‘That Is Wrong’
|
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama criticized President Donald Trump on Thursday for a “lack for moral principle” and putting the interests of America before other countries. “One day he says something, another day he says something [else],” the Dalai Lama told BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan during an interview. “I think [there is a] lack of moral principle — or when he becomes president, he expressed America first, that is wrong.” “Frankly speaking, his emotion is a little bit too complicated,” he continued. (RELATED: Dalai Lama To Migrants: ‘Europe Belongs To The Europeans’) The Dalai Lama also revealed that despite previously expressing interest in meeting with the president, he has not had the opportunity and Trump has not reached out with him to do so. However, former President Barack Obama did not publicly meet with the Tibetan leader until 2015, well into his second term as the commander-in-chief. The Dalai Lama represents China’s suppressed Tibetan Buddhist community to the world and the Chinese government has repeatedly opposed recognizing the Dalai Lama or the Tibetan people. Moreover, the Chinese government has referred to him as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” who wishes to violently destabilize the country. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
|
Molly Prince
|
https://dailycaller.com/2019/06/27/dalai-lama-trump-moral-principle/
|
2019-06-27 20:23:45+00:00
| 1,561,681,425 | 1,567,537,933 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
696,828 |
theguardianuk--2019-04-10--Dalai Lama 83 taken to hospital with chest infection
| 2019-04-10T00:00:00 |
theguardianuk
|
Dalai Lama, 83, taken to hospital with chest infection
|
The Dalai Lama has been admitted to hospital in Delhi with a chest infection, an aide said, adding that the 83-year-old Buddhist monk was stable. The Tibetan spiritual leader, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, lives in exile in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala. Tenzin Taklha, his personal secretary, said the Dalai Lama “felt some discomfort and he was flown to Delhi for a check-up” on Tuesday. “Doctors have diagnosed him with a chest infection and he is being treated for that. His condition is stable now. He will be treated for two, three days here.” Many of the up to 100,000 Tibetans living in India fear their fight for a genuinely autonomous homeland would end with the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama said last month it was possible that once he dies his incarnation could be found in India, and warned that any other successor named by China would not be respected. China, which took control of Tibet in 1950, regards the Nobel peace laureate as a dangerous separatist and says its leaders have the right to approve the Dalai Lama’s successor, as a legacy inherited from China’s emperors. But many Tibetans – whose tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated in the body of a child on his death – suspect any Chinese role as a ploy to exert influence on the community.
|
Reuters
|
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/10/dalai-lama-hospital-india-chest-infection
|
2019-04-10 00:01:19+00:00
| 1,554,868,879 | 1,567,543,346 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
763,899 |
theindependent--2019-06-27--The Dalai Lama slams Trump for aposlack of moral principleapos
| 2019-06-27T00:00:00 |
theindependent
|
The Dalai Lama slams Trump for 'lack of moral principle'
|
The Dalai Lama has criticised Donald Trump for his "lack of moral principle" over the US administration's treatment of young children at the US-Mexico border. In an interview with the BBC, the Tibetan spiritual and political leader in exile expressed concerns over the president's "America First" policy, showing a stark contrast with his previous statement on Trump. "When I saw pictures of some of those young children, I was sad," the Dalai Lama said of the situation at the US-Mexico border. "America... should take a global responsibility." When Donald Trump got elected in 2016, the Dalai Lama showed little concern about what the Republican candidate said on the campaign trail. "Sometimes I feel during the election, the candidate has more freedom to express," he told reporters at the time, adding that once in power all presidents were forced to work with "reality." He even expressed a desire to meet with President Trump after his inauguration. However, the invitation never came, likely because of the US concerns over how it could affect the country's relationship with China, which is in a constant struggle against the Tibetan leader and tends to reprehend countries that meet with the spiritual superstar. The Dalai Lama also allegedly kept his distance from Trump in 2017 when the President became closer and closer to Xi Jinping. Even though Trump's relationship with China has worsened since then, the Tibetan leaders does not seem inclined to get any closer to the US in its current political turmoil. He was also disappointed when Mr Trump did not visit the Buddhist nation during his "religious tour" of Muslim, Christian and Jewish lands in 2017, according to Washington Examiner. The Dalai Lama has a history of getting along well with American presidents. He has met with the four latest presidents, and George W Bush presented him with the Congressional gold medal in 2007.
|
Stephanie Fillion
|
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/dalai-lama-trump-lack-moral-principle-a8978061.html
|
2019-06-27 16:28:00+00:00
| 1,561,667,280 | 1,567,537,847 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
764,748 |
theindependent--2019-07-02--Dalai Lama apologises for comments about women
| 2019-07-02T00:00:00 |
theindependent
|
Dalai Lama apologises for comments about women
|
The Dalai Lama has apologised for saying his successor would have to be attractive if they were a woman or they would be “not much use”. The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism had said: “If female Dalai Lama comes, then she should be more attractive.” He had been questioned in a recent BBC interview about previous comments he had made in 2015, when he said that a female successor would need to be “very, very attractive”, as otherwise she would be “not much use”. A statement issued by his office on Tuesday said: “His Holiness genuinely meant no offence. He is deeply sorry that people have been hurt by what he said and offers his sincere apologies.” It added: “His Holiness consistently emphasises the need for people to connect with each other on a deeper human level, rather than getting caught up in preconceptions based on superficial appearances.” His office said the spiritual leader opposed the objectification of women, supported equal rights, and had “frequently suggested that if we had more women leaders, the world would be a more peaceful place”. The statement added: “His Holiness, a monk now in his mid-eighties, has a keen sense of the contradictions between the materialistic, globalized world he encounters on his travels and the complex, more esoteric ideas about reincarnation that are at the heart of Tibetan Buddhist tradition. “However, it sometimes happens that off the cuff remarks, which might be amusing in one cultural context, lose their humour in translation when brought into another. He regrets any offence that may have been given.” The Dalai Lama office’s also claimed his original remarks, made in conversation with the then Paris editor of Vogue magazine, were intended as a joke. “He was at least partially responding to the unfamiliar ambience of working with a team whose prime focus was the world of high fashion.” The statement also attempted to clarify the Tibetan Buddhist leader’s remarks about the current refugee and migration crisis, which “may have been misinterpreted”. It explained: “He certainly appreciates that many of those who leave their countries may not wish or be able to return, and that Tibetans, who cherish the idea of returning home, would find their country irrevocably altered. “However, His Holiness also understands the uncertainties and difficulties of those in countries where refugees and migrants make their new homes.” Earlier this year, the Dalai Lama was admitted to hospital with a chest infection. The spiritual leader was flown from his residence to a hospital in the Indian capital of New Delhi for treatment.
|
Adam Forrest
|
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/dalai-lama-women-attractive-successor-female-not-much-use-a8984356.html
|
2019-07-02 12:46:00+00:00
| 1,562,085,960 | 1,567,537,189 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
819,914 |
theonion--2019-12-16--Dalai Lama Announces Before Reincarnating His Spirit Will Probably Fly To Moon And Hang Out For A Bi
| 2019-12-16T00:00:00 |
theonion
|
Dalai Lama Announces Before Reincarnating His Spirit Will Probably Fly To Moon And Hang Out For A Bit
|
MCLEOD GANJ, INDIA—Making the momentous announcement before gathered laity and priests from the Tibetan Buddhist community, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, revealed Monday that before reincarnating his spirit would fly to the moon so he can hang out there for a bit. “After my passing, I plan for my essence to shoot through space up to the moon, where I’ll just relax and spend a while exploring the lunar surface,” said His Holiness, noting that he had been so busy contemplating suffering and addressing the needs of the Tibetan people that he had forgotten to carve out time for himself, and that it would be nice to take a little breather by meditating in the Sea of Tranquility before diving back into things on Earth, refreshed and renewed. “I’ll return to you after a week or two up there, of course, but I’ve been reading a lot of books about the moon and this seems like a great opportunity to see it up close. I’m most excited to just jump really high in the air, leaping from crater to crater. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll get that old lunar roving vehicle running again and cruise around.” At press time, the Dalai Lama added that, depending on how things went, his spirit may also spend a few days at the bottom of the ocean searching for “those weird-ass-looking fish.”
|
The Onion
|
https://www.theonion.com/dalai-lama-announces-before-reincarnating-his-spirit-wi-1840465493
|
Mon, 16 Dec 2019 20:45:00 GMT
| 1,576,547,100 | 1,576,542,100 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
821,603 |
thepoke--2019-06-28--The Dalai Lama said any female successor would have to be attractive only 11 replies you need
| 2019-06-28T00:00:00 |
thepoke
|
The Dalai Lama said any female successor would ‘have to be attractive’ – only 11 replies you need
|
Just in case 2019 wasn’t, you know, 2019 enough already, the Dalai Lama has if he is succeeded by a woman she had better be an attractive woman. Why? Because otherwise people won’t want to look at her face, he told the BBC’s South Asia correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan. And these 11 responses pretty much say it all.
|
John Plunkett
|
https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2019/06/28/the-dalai-lama-said-any-female-successor-would-have-to-be-attractive-only-11-replies-you-need/
|
2019-06-28 16:08:17+00:00
| 1,561,752,497 | 1,567,537,690 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
969,004 |
thesun--2019-06-28--Dalai Lama sparks sexism outrage with joke about appointing good looking female successor day afte
| 2019-06-28T00:00:00 |
thesun
|
Dalai Lama sparks ‘sexism’ outrage with joke about appointing good looking female successor day after saying Europe ‘will become Muslim if refugees don’t leave’
|
THE Dalai Lama has been criticised for joking that a female successor would have to be attractive a day after saying that Europe would become Muslim if refugees didn’t leave. The 83-year-old was speaking at his home in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, where he has lived since fleeing Tibet in 1959. In an interview with the BBC on Thursday, he reiterated comments made three years ago, when he said that he was open to a female successor but that she "must be attractive, otherwise it's not much use". Asked whether he could see why a lot of women found the original comments upsetting, he laughed and said: "That is one time. "If female Dalai Lama comes, then she should be more attractive." Contorting his face, he added: “If a female Dalai Lama, I think, [people would] prefer not to see her — that face.” He then agreed with interviewer Rajini Vaidyanathan that character is also important. The Dalai Lama already sparked controversy yesterday by saying in the same interview that Europe would become Muslim if refugees didn't eventually leave. "European countries should take these refugees and give them education and training," he said. "And then aiming is... return to their own land". Asked whether refugees should be allowed to stay in Europe if that's what they would prefer, he added: "Limited number... OK. But whole Europe eventually become Muslim country? Impossible. He had previously made similar comments that were used in posters by the Leave campaign in the run up to Britain's referendum on its membership of the Europe Union. Reminded that he was himself a refugee, the Dalai Lama responded: "They themselves [the refugees], I think better in their own land. "Better. Keep Europe for Europeans." The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 in the wake of a failed uprising by guerrillas opposed to control of Tibet by China, which had been in force since 1951. He has lived in India ever since. Beginning in 2015, a large number of asylum seekers and economic migrants began arriving in Europe from the Middle East and Africa, sparking fierce debate about how many should be allowed to stay. The Dalai Lama also said in the interview that he was an "admirer of [the] spirit" of the EU, and that he thought it would be better for Britain to remain in the union. He went on to say he thought Donald Trump, who has campaigned on a platform of reducing the number of migrants and refugees coming to the US, had a "lack of moral principle", and that the president's America First platform was "wrong". "America, they should take the global responsibility," he said. The Noble Peace Prize winner also said in the interview that he backed women’s rights and calls for equal pay in the workplace. Recent years have seen women around the world come forward with thousands of allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace and elsewhere. President Trump was among those to face accusations amid what came to be known as the Me Too campaign. But responding to his comments, Vivienne Hayes of the Women’s Resource Centre campaign group said: “It’s disappointing any woman’s ability to take on a leadership role should be determined by her appearance. “We are concerned society is in fact going backwards in terms of women’s equality, and will keep tirelessly campaigning against this.” We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
|
Christy Cooney
|
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9397299/dalai-lama-sexism-female-successor-europe-muslim-refugees/
|
2019-06-28 18:05:09+00:00
| 1,561,759,509 | 1,567,537,711 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
969,790 |
thesun--2019-06-29--Who is the Dalai Lama and what are his opinions on Donald Trump
| 2019-06-29T00:00:00 |
thesun
|
Who is the Dalai Lama and what are his opinions on Donald Trump?
|
CHINESE authorities abhor the Dalai Lama but his many devotees – who consider him as a living Buddha of compassion – venerate their spiritual leader. Here, we look at the monk's background and how his opinions on Donald Trump have recently changed. The Dalai Lama, Tibet's current spiritual leader, is branded by Beijing as a dangerous separatist. Tenzin Gyatso – his spiritual name – was born as Lhamo Thondup in 1935 to parents who farmed buckwheat and barley in an isolated mountain hamlet, on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau, Taktser, in Qinghai province. He was acknowledged as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama when he was two years old. As a toddler, he recognised objects belonging to the 13th Dalai Lama, which resulted in lamas proclaiming him as celestial heir. Tibetan Buddhists believe that the Dalai Lamas are the manifestation of the Buddha of Compassion and are enlightened beings, who have chosen to take rebirth (reincarnation) in order to serve humanity. The first Dalai Lama was identified in the 15th century. At the age of just four, he was taken from his parents to start daily spiritual training at a monastery. When China’s Mao troops invaded Tibet in 1950, he was forced to assume political power even though he was aged 15. In the past, Dalai Lamas have also served as the political leaders of Tibet. But, in 1959, when Tibetans took to the street to publicly protest against the Chinese rule, thousands were killed by troops. With rumours circulating that he would be kidnapped or assassinated, the Dalai Lama fled to India on foot after the failed uprising. And he hasn't set foot in Tibet ever since. In occupied Tibet, any sign of loyalty to the Dalai Lama can be met with arrests, lengthy sentences, torture, violent crackdowns and "re-education" programmes. China says its leaders have the right to approve his successor, as a legacy from China's emperors. But the 83-year-old Nobel peace laureate monk, who lives in exile in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala, has said that his incarnation could be found in India after he dies, and that any other successor named by China would not be respected. He dreams of returning home to Tibet, but his life’s ambition is unlikely to fulfilled, as China has dismissed him as a "wolf in monk's robes". With the Dalai Lama approaching his 84th birthday on July 6, the BBC interviewed him at his home, high in the mountains. He said: “One Chinese official once called me a demon. When I first heard that, my response was, ‘yes, I’m a demon with horns’.” The Dalai Lama told the broadcaster he “pities China’s ignorance”, slamming the government’s political thinking as “very narrow-minded indeed”. When talk turned to American President Donald Trump, it soon appeared that he had done an about-turn on the leader, who three years ago said he had “no worries” about a Trump presidency. Now, though, Nobel Peace Laureate monk considers the US leader as displaying a “lack of moral principle” during his time in office. His change in attitude partly stems from Trump’s apparent snubbing of him as he’s never asked to meet the spiritual leader, who is chums with many a celebrity, including Richard Gere - a fellow Buddhist. He told the BBC: “When he became president he expressed America first. That is wrong.” Plus, he’s upset about the withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, and migrant kids being locked up, saying such images make him feel “sad”. "America, they should take the global responsibility," he said. He said that he backed women’s rights and called for equal pay in the workplace. In his interview with the BBC on June 27, he reiterated comments made three years ago, when he said that he was open to a female successor but, controversially, that she "must be attractive, otherwise it's not much use". Asked whether he could see why a lot of women found the original comments upsetting, he laughed and said: "That is one time. "If female Dalai Lama comes, then she should be more attractive." He then agreed with interviewer Rajini Vaidyanathan that character was also important. The Dalai Lama also sparked controversy by saying in the same interview that Europe would become Muslim if refugees didn't eventually leave. "European countries should take these refugees and give them education and training," he said. "And then [the aim] is... [for them to] return to their own land". Asked whether refugees should be allowed to stay in Europe if that's what they would prefer, he added: "Limited number... OK. But whole Europe eventually become Muslim country? Impossible.
|
Debbie White
|
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9401761/who-dalai-lama-what-opinions-donald-trump/
|
2019-06-29 17:51:30+00:00
| 1,561,845,090 | 1,567,537,582 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
970,196 |
thesun--2019-06-30--Who is the Dalai Lama and what are his opinions on Donald Trump
| 2019-06-30T00:00:00 |
thesun
|
Who is the Dalai Lama and what are his opinions on Donald Trump?
|
CHINESE authorities abhor the Dalai Lama but his many devotees – who consider him as a living Buddha of compassion – venerate their spiritual leader. Here, we look at the monk's background and how his opinions on Donald Trump have recently changed. The Dalai Lama, Tibet's current spiritual leader, is branded by Beijing as a dangerous separatist. Tenzin Gyatso – his spiritual name – was born as Lhamo Thondup in 1935 to parents who farmed buckwheat and barley in an isolated mountain hamlet, on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau, Taktser, in Qinghai province. He was acknowledged as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama when he was two years old. As a toddler, he recognised objects belonging to the 13th Dalai Lama, which resulted in lamas proclaiming him as celestial heir. Tibetan Buddhists believe that the Dalai Lamas are the manifestation of the Buddha of Compassion and are enlightened beings, who have chosen to take rebirth (reincarnation) in order to serve humanity. The first Dalai Lama was identified in the 15th century. At the age of just four, he was taken from his parents to start daily spiritual training at a monastery. When China’s Mao troops invaded Tibet in 1950, he was forced to assume political power even though he was aged 15. In the past, Dalai Lamas have also served as the political leaders of Tibet. But, in 1959, when Tibetans took to the street to publicly protest against the Chinese rule, thousands were killed by troops. With rumours circulating that he would be kidnapped or assassinated, the Dalai Lama fled to India on foot after the failed uprising. And he hasn't set foot in Tibet ever since. In occupied Tibet, any sign of loyalty to the Dalai Lama can be met with arrests, lengthy sentences, torture, violent crackdowns and "re-education" programmes. China says its leaders have the right to approve his successor, as a legacy from China's emperors. But the 83-year-old Nobel peace laureate monk, who lives in exile in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala, has said that his incarnation could be found in India after he dies, and that any other successor named by China would not be respected. He dreams of returning home to Tibet, but his life’s ambition is unlikely to fulfilled, as China has dismissed him as a "wolf in monk's robes". With the Dalai Lama approaching his 84th birthday on July 6, the BBC interviewed him at his home, high in the mountains. He said: “One Chinese official once called me a demon. When I first heard that, my response was, ‘yes, I’m a demon with horns’.” The Dalai Lama told the broadcaster he “pities China’s ignorance”, slamming the government’s political thinking as “very narrow-minded indeed”. When talk turned to American President Donald Trump, it soon appeared that he had done an about-turn on the leader, who three years ago said he had “no worries” about a Trump presidency. Now, though, Nobel Peace Laureate monk considers the US leader as displaying a “lack of moral principle” during his time in office. His change in attitude partly stems from Trump’s apparent snubbing of him as he’s never asked to meet the spiritual leader, who is chums with many a celebrity, including Richard Gere - a fellow Buddhist. He told the BBC: “When he became president he expressed America first. That is wrong.” Plus, he’s upset about the withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, and migrant kids being locked up, saying such images make him feel “sad”. "America, they should take the global responsibility," he said. He said that he backed women’s rights and called for equal pay in the workplace. In his interview with the BBC on June 27, he reiterated comments made three years ago, when he said that he was open to a female successor but, controversially, that she "must be attractive, otherwise it's not much use". Asked whether he could see why a lot of women found the original comments upsetting, he laughed and said: "That is one time. "If female Dalai Lama comes, then she should be more attractive." He then agreed with interviewer Rajini Vaidyanathan that character was also important. The Dalai Lama also sparked controversy by saying in the same interview that Europe would become Muslim if refugees didn't eventually leave. "European countries should take these refugees and give them education and training," he said. "And then [the aim] is... [for them to] return to their own land". Asked whether refugees should be allowed to stay in Europe if that's what they would prefer, he added: "Limited number... OK. But whole Europe eventually become Muslim country? Impossible.
|
Debbie White
|
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9401761/who-dalai-lama-what-opinions-donald-trump/
|
2019-06-30 12:53:30+00:00
| 1,561,913,610 | 1,567,537,484 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
494,360 |
sottnet--2019-01-08--Russian Patriarch Kirill warns humans enslavement by technology will facilitate their control by th
| 2019-01-08T00:00:00 |
sottnet
|
Russian Patriarch Kirill warns humans' enslavement by technology will facilitate their control by the 'Antichrist'
|
The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church has said that humans' dependence on modern technology will result in the coming of the Antichrist.In an interview with Russian state media, Patriarch Kirill explained he does not entirely oppose gadgets, but warned against "falling into slavery" to smartphones.Patriarch Kirill said that the"Control from a single point is a harbinger of the coming of the Antichrist," Kirill told the state-run Rossia-1 TV network on Orthodox Christmas Monday."The Antichrist is a personality that will be at the head of the world wide web controlling the entire human race. Thus, the structure itself presents a danger," he said.The church leader stressed that "if we don't want to bring the apocalypse closer, there should be no single [control and access] center."
| null |
https://www.sott.net/article/404417-Russian-Patriarch-Kirill-warns-humans-enslavement-by-technology-will-facilitate-their-control-by-the-Antichrist
|
2019-01-08 16:37:35+00:00
| 1,546,983,455 | 1,567,553,537 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
507,674 |
sottnet--2019-11-04--'We are one church now': Patriarch Kirill rejoices as Western European priests join Moscow Patriarch
| 2019-11-04T00:00:00 |
sottnet
|
'We are one church now': Patriarch Kirill rejoices as Western European priests join Moscow Patriarchate
|
The Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe has returned to the historic aegis of Moscow,, Patriarch Kirill proclaimed."We are one church now, there are no reasons to be outside of the ecumenical and people-to-people ties," Russia's Patriarch Kirill said on Monday before a grand mass to celebrate both churches' unification. "There are no grounds to lose this coveted and sacred unity that we strived for during decades," he stated.Governed by Metropolitan John, the Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe (AROCWE) historically belonged to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople until the late 20th century when it was granted broad autonomy. However, Constantinople changed its mind in late 2018, ordering AROCWE to dissolve.The AROCWE was officially formed in the early 1930s by the priests and faithful who fled the Russian Revolution of 1917.Last Friday, Kirill officially signed a charter on the reunification. One copy of the document was presented to John during a joyful Sunday liturgy, while the other one will be kept in Moscow.On Monday, Patriarch Kirill and Metropolitan John held a mass together, celebrating the reunification.It comes a year after the Russian Orthodox Church cut ties with the Constantinople Patriarchate traditionally regarded as the Orthodox faith's headquarters, citing its recognition of the schismatic Ukrainian Orthodox Church.The Moscow Patriarchate has at least 150 million followers worldwide, which - according to various estimates - could be more than half of all Orthodox Christians.
| null |
https://www.sott.net/article/423215-We-are-one-church-now-Patriarch-Kirill-rejoices-as-Western-European-priests-join-Moscow-Patriarchate
|
Mon, 04 Nov 2019 16:03:44 +0000
| 1,572,901,424 | 1,572,910,585 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
520,309 |
sputnik--2019-01-06--Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill Wishes Inner Peace to Believers
| 2019-01-06T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill Wishes Inner Peace to Believers
|
"The love of God, revealed in the Nativity of the Savior, brings true peace to people. This peace cannot be shaken either by everyday turmoil, social upheaval, political chaos or even armed conflict," Patriarch Kirill said in his annual speech, marking the Nativity. Greek Patriarch: Granting Autocephaly to Ukrainian Church Will Not Lead to Peace The Eastern Orthodox Church is preparing to celebrate Christmas on Monday, a day after Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew handed over a decree to a new church in Ukraine that declared it independent from the Moscow Patriarchate, a move compared to the legalisation of schism by the Russian clergy. Although no Orthodox church except for Constantinople has officially recognized the newly created structure, Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew handed over an independence decree — Tomos — to the head of the newly established Orthodox Church of Ukraine earlier on Sunday. READ MORE: Ukraine Has No Platform for Dialogue Between UOC-MP, 'New Church' — Archbishop Under the Tomos, the new church's jurisdiction will be restricted to Ukraine and it will not be authorized to appoint bishops and establish its parishes abroad, making it effectively dependent on Constantinople.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/society/201901061071259299-russia-patriarch-peace-believers/
|
2019-01-06 14:57:52+00:00
| 1,546,804,672 | 1,567,553,763 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
559,368 |
tass--2019-01-07--Patriarch Kirill wishes Russians on Christmas to stay on the light side
| 2019-01-07T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Patriarch Kirill wishes Russians on Christmas to ‘stay on the light side’
|
### Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia © Mikhail Djaparidze/TASS MOSCOW, January 7. /TASS/. Christmas is an important holiday for religious Russians, which gives people an opportunity to get together at the table and exchange gifts. However, the most important thing is that the Russians remain "on the side of the light" despite temptations, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said in a Christmas interview with Rossiya 1 TV channel. The patriarch said he hopes that "our people stay on the side of the light, despite all these temptations, all soul-destroying information flow that people are facing today. So that people can see the light and stay on the side of the light" he said. The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church also urged Russians not to abandon the feast and gifts, since this is also an important dimension of human life. "We know how good it is when the family gathers around the table, when close people visit, when there is an opportunity to communicate, support each other, rejoice together. Therefore, all this should remain," he added. According to the patriarch, educated political elites and a united society are able to respond to current challenges and tasks that Russia faces. "A very big responsibility lies with those who have power. It is not only about the president or the prime minister, it is about all those people who responsibly exercise power today, and not only about them. ... The future of the country is our common business. And if we are united in the implementation of it, if we have clear goals, that we want good for our people, we want Russia to be independent, strong, self-sufficient, we should act and think united," he said. According to the patriarch, cultural and spiritual foundation plays an important role in forming elites and consolidating society. He recalled that the united society should be built on spiritual and moral education, and not on consumer ideology. In other media
| null |
http://tass.com/society/1039077
|
2019-01-07 13:22:40+00:00
| 1,546,885,360 | 1,567,553,580 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
560,682 |
tass--2019-01-31--Patriarch Kirill vows Russian Church will never serve any political partys interests
| 2019-01-31T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Patriarch Kirill vows Russian Church will never serve any political party's interests
|
### Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia © Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) will never support any political forces, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said in an interview with reporters timed to the 10th anniversary of his enthronement. "Of course, one should not expect us to support some political programs or certain political forces, either pro-government or opposition ones," he said, stressing that the Church would "by no means turn into a political force serving the interests of part of our people and part of our society." The patriarch stressed that he opposed the society’s division into parties, describing the party system as "transforming the society into different parts with different political orientations." "Many believe that is good and right arguing that this is in line with the diversity of human choice. I will refrain from commenting on the issue, but I am not a proponent of dividing people into parties," he said. According to Patriarch Kirill, the Church, for its part, tries to reach a consensus on the most important issues for society openly speaking about its stance, in particular, on abortion. In other media
| null |
http://tass.com/society/1042608
|
2019-01-31 09:06:14+00:00
| 1,548,943,574 | 1,567,550,088 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
564,662 |
tass--2019-04-21--Patriarch Kirill congratulates heterodox Christians upon Easter
| 2019-04-21T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Patriarch Kirill congratulates heterodox Christians upon Easter
|
MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Patriarch Kirill, of Moscow and All Russia, has sent a message of congratulations to the heads of churches which celebrate Easter on April 21. His message was published on the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate on Sunday. "I cordially congratulate you upon the great and glorious feast of Easter and address you with the joyful greeting: Christ is Arisen! On this Bright Easter Day I wish you all joy and happiness, strength and God’s help in your ministry and your flock, peace and well-being," the website of the Russian Orthodox Church quotes Patriarch Kirill as saying. In 2019, the Christian churches that use the Gregorian Calendar celebrate Easter on April 21. Patriarch Kirill’s message was addressed to the heads of the Roman Catholic Church, Coptic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, and Armenian, Assyrian, Maronite, Malankara, Ethiopian and other churches. In other media
| null |
http://tass.com/society/1054820
|
2019-04-21 15:17:24+00:00
| 1,555,874,244 | 1,567,542,230 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
564,787 |
tass--2019-04-23--Patriarch Kirill congratulates Zelensky on winning Ukraines presidential election
| 2019-04-23T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Patriarch Kirill congratulates Zelensky on winning Ukraine’s presidential election
|
### Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia © Mikhail Tereshenko/TASS MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has expressed the hope that Vladimir Zelensky’s presidency would make it possible to overcome religious strife in Ukraine. "Please accept my congratulations on your election to your high and important position of Ukraine’s president. I express my sincere hope that the dark period of harassment and discrimination against Ukraine’s citizens, who are members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, will be over," the patriarch said in his message of congratulations made public on Tuesday. The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church stressed that Ukraine’s new president had a chance to go down in history as the one who unified the country. "The people of Ukraine who supported your candidacy are pinning high hopes on you related to a change for the better in their lives. You have a historic chance to cement the nation and make your personal contribution to solving economic and social problems in the country, to overcoming the existing disagreements and divisions," he wrote. The patriarch wished Zelensky God’s help in good deeds, wisdom and strength for the benefit of Ukraine’s people. Zelensky garnered 73.23% of the vote in the runoff election held on April 21, with 99.95% of the ballots processed, while incumbent President Pyotr Poroshenko secured 24.45%. ## Church crisis in Ukraine Since the February 2014 coup, Kiev has sought to create an independent church in Ukraine that would sever ties with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In April 2018, Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko wrote a personal letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople asking for autocephaly for the Ukrainian church. On December 15, 2018, Kiev hosted the so-called ‘unification’ council held under the supervision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and brokered by the Ukrainian authorities. The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church refused to take part in the event, stressing that both the ‘unification council’ and Poroshenko’s newly founded ecclesiastical establishment were illegitimate. Nevertheless, after the council, the Ukrainian president announced the establishment of a new church in the country, the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The Tomos of Autocephaly (a clerical decree on establishing an independent church) was handed over to its head, Metropolitan Epiphany, on January 6. In other media
| null |
http://tass.com/politics/1055150
|
2019-04-23 11:03:07+00:00
| 1,556,031,787 | 1,567,542,007 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
565,790 |
tass--2019-05-26--Patriarch Kirill consecrates All Saints Church in Strasbourg
| 2019-05-26T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Patriarch Kirill consecrates All Saints Church in Strasbourg
|
STRASBOURG, May 26. /TASS/. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, consecrated the All Saints Church in France’s Strasbourg on Sunday, a TASS correspondent reported. "Today a historic event is happening for the Orthodox people living in Strasbourg, the first Orthodox church has been consecrated," the patriarch said, voicing confidence that the new church will become another venue for cooperation between Orthodoxy and Catholicism in France. "We have great respect for the works of Pope Francis and the Catholic episcopate, and we are carefully watching the spiritual order of West Europe. I believe that we should jointly multiply our efforts towards evidence about the Christ. I hope very much that the church will be a house of prayers for Orthodox believers and a place of meeting with the Catholic community, a place of dialogue, which is much needed for Christians living in the conditions of a secularized civilization," the patriarch emphasized. The ceremony to consecrate the church was also attended by Strasbourg Mayor Roland Ries. "This is a significant event, which is part of the city’s policy to respect all confessions. There were no disputes and debates - the citizens of the neighborhood and I welcomed the construction of this beautiful church," he told reporters. After the service, Patriarch Kirill awarded him with the Order of Seraphim of Sarov of the third degree. The foundation stone for the Church of All Saints in Strasbourg was laid in 2014. In June 2017, the first liturgy was officiated at the cultural and religious center, which accommodated the parish of the All Saints Church until the construction is over. On December 23, 2018, the Lesser Blessing of the church was celebrated by Bishop Nestor of Kherson. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church arrived in France for a visit on Saturday. He is also scheduled to meet with representatives of the Catholic church and the leadership of the Council of Europe. In other media
| null |
http://tass.com/society/1060123
|
2019-05-26 12:41:56+00:00
| 1,558,888,916 | 1,567,540,161 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
565,836 |
tass--2019-05-27--Patriarch Kirill hopes Russia Europe will turn misunderstanding page
| 2019-05-27T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Patriarch Kirill hopes Russia, Europe will turn "misunderstanding page"
|
STRASBOURG, May 27. /TASS/. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has expressed the hope that Russia and Europe will turn "the page of misunderstanding." "The conversation [with Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland] today was positive and substantial. I don’t want to go into detail, because this is a political issue. I try to avoid such comments, but I do hope that Russia will take its place in the Council of Europe and will continue to cooperate with everyone," he told reporters on Monday summing up the results of his visit to Strasbourg. The patriarch added that the Council of Europe’s decisions were important for ordinary people living in Europe as well. "I hope that everything will resume its natural course, and this page of misunderstanding will be turned," he added. The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church arrived in France on a visit on May 25. On Sunday, May 26, he performed the rite of great consecration of the Church of All Saints in Strasbourg. Russia and PACE In April 2014, the Russian delegation to PACE was stripped of its key rights, including the right to vote and take part in the assembly’s governing bodies, over the developments in Ukraine and Crimea. The issue of restoring the Russian delegation’s rights was raised at PACE twice in 2015, but instead the sanctions were only tightened. In 2016-2018, Russia skipped the parliamentary assembly’s meetings due to the ongoing sanctions and did not renew its credentials in the wake of anti- Russian sentiment in Strasbourg. On 10 October 2018, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland told the PACE autumn session that the organization's Committee of Ministers will have to expel Russia from the Council’s decision-making bodies - the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly - if the country does not make any monetary contributions. In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed out that Russia would quit the Council of Europe in case opponents at the council insist on its expulsion. The PACE summer session, during which the Council of Europe's Secretary General is to be elected, will be held in Strasbourg on June 24-28. In other media
| null |
http://tass.com/society/1060277
|
2019-05-27 14:58:07+00:00
| 1,558,983,487 | 1,567,540,098 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
576,030 |
tass--2019-12-28--Patriarch Kirill may visit Vienna in 2020 — Russian ambassador
| 2019-12-28T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Patriarch Kirill may visit Vienna in 2020 — Russian ambassador
|
VIENNA, December 28. /TASS/. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia may visit Austria in 2020, Russian Ambassador to Vienna Dmitry Lyublinsky said on Friday at the New Year reception at the Russian Embassy in Austria. "At the end of May [2020], we will be happy to welcome Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Preparations for such visit [to Austria] are underway," Lyublinsky said. In February 2018, chairman of the Department of External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion visited the Russian Embassy in Austria. He discussed with Lyublinsky the agenda of the conference in Austria on the second anniversary of the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill in Havana. The conference focused mainly on the position of Christians in the Middle East. Metropolitan Hilarion then noted the high level of cooperation with the Catholic Church in Rome.
| null |
https://tass.com/society/1104495
|
Sat, 28 Dec 2019 03:25:43 +0300
| 1,577,521,543 | 1,577,492,835 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
1,107,196 |
windowoneurasiablog--2019-01-28--Patriarch Kirill Now Hostage to Political Circumstances Nezavsimaya Gazeta Says
| 2019-01-28T00:00:00 |
windowoneurasiablog
|
Patriarch Kirill Now ‘Hostage to Political Circumstances,’ ‘Nezavsimaya Gazeta’ Says
|
Staunton, January 27 – Ten years ago, when Kirill was elected patriarch, he entered that office as a reformer who would increase the role of the Moscow Patriarchate in Russian society both “quantitatively and qualitatively,” Nezavismaya gazeta says in a lead article. Today, it is clear he has failed and has been reduced to being “a hostage of political circumstances.” His church has become the victim of a transformation of religious life in Ukraine, the editors says. “As a result, there is now in the Orthodox world a global split, which would have seemed impossible even in the times of the iron curtain between West and East.” And that has a particular irony for Kirill himself. In one of the rare cases where he positioned the ROC MP at odds with the Kremlin, he has lost totally. In 2014, he refused to shift the Crimean bishopric from Ukraine’s canonical territory; but now, “if the UOC MP is forced to rename itself the ROC in Ukraine, the only principled action of Patriarch Kirill will turn out to be meaningless.” “It is possible,” of course, that Kirill is now simply going to be willing to follow “the logical of political events” and allow his patriarchate to become “a national church of Russia.” Indeed, he is acting more and more like that, attending government and military functions ever more often and supporting the Kremlin ever more servilely. Moreover, Kirill and his church are losing ground abroad. He has long been persona non grata in Ukraine. Last year he wasn’t allowed into Moldova, and there is more talk of autocephaly in Belarus. “Ten years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine” such an outcome with a church leader committed to maintaining his canonical territory in Soviet borders. And Kirill, criticized by many in Russia for his ecumenical contacts with Rome, suffered in that regard as well. His meeting with the pope in Havana was reduced from being a rapprochement of the leaders of two branches of Christianity to a political move by the Kremlin to overcome its international isolation, hardly what Kirill would have wanted. “Many consider,” the Moscow paper says, “that the Moscow Patriarch more clearly shows himself as a political actor rather than a spiritual leader.” But in fact, in the political realm, he has played only a supporting role rather than a leading one, making such conclusions more an expression of hope than reality. What Kirill has achieved by his increasingly close ties with the Kremlin is a strengthening of the church’s administrative possibilities and financial well-being. The patriarch and his representatives can be ensured of a hearing on many issues; and the church is wealthier than ever before. But that is hardly what Kirill appeared to want a decade ago. More to the point, Nezavisimaya gazeta says, “the actions of the Moscow patriarch are ever more limited by the possibilities of the state and the political will of the leadership of the country” -- hardly the division of powers that the founder of Kirill’s religion anticipated when He talked about rendering to God what is God’s and to Caesar what is Caesar’s.
|
paul goble ([email protected])
|
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2019/01/patriarch-kirill-now-hostage-to.html
|
2019-01-28 18:52:00.002000+00:00
| 1,548,719,520 | 1,567,550,537 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
6,833 |
adobochronicles--2019-12-16--Filipinos Offended By Pope Francis’ Comment Calling Them Smugglers
| 2019-12-16T00:00:00 |
adobochronicles
|
Filipinos Offended By Pope Francis’ Comment Calling Them Smugglers
|
MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Filipinos worldwide couldn’t be more proud when Pope Francis personally attended the “Simbang Gabi” orgnized by Filipinos in The Vatican. ”Simbang Gabi” is a Philippine tradition involving a nine-day novena where Catholics attend early dawn masses in preparation for Christmas. Francis, in his message during the Vatican Simbang Gabi, told Pinoys to be ‘smugglers of faith.’ That didn’t sit well with Filipinos in the Philippines and the entire diaspora. “There are smugglers amongst us, but not every Pinoy is a smuggler,” a Filipino now living in Rome told The Adobo Chronicles. Looks like the Pope hit a nerve. Or shall we say pinched a nerve.
|
Pol Pinoy
|
https://adobochronicles.com/2019/12/16/filipinos-offended-by-pope-francis-comment-calling-them-smugglers/
|
Mon, 16 Dec 2019 12:26:24 +0000
| 1,576,517,184 | 1,576,540,973 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
78,126 |
breitbart--2019-12-27--Analyst: Pope Francis Will Not Let Hong Kong Spoil His ‘Dream’ for China
| 2019-12-27T00:00:00 |
breitbart
|
Analyst: Pope Francis Will Not Let Hong Kong Spoil His ‘Dream’ for China
|
ROME — Pope Francis dreams of being the pontiff who will establish diplomatic relations with Beijing, and to achieve this goal he is willing to make “concessions,” asserts Vatican analyst Alban Mikozy. “Pope Francis is a prudent man,” Mikozy told French television. “He pursues a dream: to be the sovereign pontiff who will restore relations between China and the Vatican.” “In order to do this, he is ready to make a few concessions: say nothing about Hong Kong, do not get too excited when the Chinese leader talks about rewriting the Bible,” he added, in reference to announcements that the Chinese Communist Party intends to retranslate the Bible and other sacred texts to make them conform to socialist ideology. Observers were quick to notice the pope’s omission of Hong Kong in his long list of troubled situations around the world in his traditional Christmas “Urbi et Orbi” message Wednesday. Among the many held up for their suffering, the pope mentioned “the Middle East,” the “beloved Syrian people,” “the Lebanese people,” “Iraq,” “Yemen,” “the whole American continent,” “the beloved Venezuelan people,” “beloved Ukraine,” “the people of Africa,” “the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” “Burkina Faso,” “Mali,” “Niger,” “Nigeria,” along with three separate shout-outs to migrants. Yet Hong Kong, embroiled over the last six months in an ever more violent conflict between pro-democracy protesters and the Communist China-backed government forces, received no papal acknowledgment whatsoever. According to Mr. Mikozy, the pope’s silence reflects his overriding desire to go to China and his willingness to make compromises in order to avoid offending Xi Jinping. “A few months ago, the Chinese authorities sent the message that a meeting was possible,” Mikozy said. “The pope said he was ready for this possibility. For the moment, it is the hardliners of the Chinese regime who have held Xi Jinping back.” This interpretation seems to jibe with other recent actions by the pontiff. During an in-flight press conference returning from Asia in late November, for example, the pope reiterated his desire to visit China while dodging questions regarding the Hong Kong protests. “I would like to go to Beijing,” Francis said. “I love China.” Asked his opinion on the growing unrest in Hong Kong, the pope insisted that the situation was not unique and needed to be “relativized.” “It’s not just Hong Kong,” he said. “Think of Chile, think of France — the democratic France with a year of yellow vests — think of Nicaragua, think of the other Latin American countries, Brazil, which is struggling, and also any European country. It’s a generalized thing.” “There are several issues that have problems and I am not able to evaluate them right now,” he said.
|
Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.
|
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/breitbart/~3/AhCXwBth30U/
|
Fri, 27 Dec 2019 17:26:45 +0000
| 1,577,485,605 | 1,577,491,665 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
115,172 |
cnsnews--2019-09-17--Arbp Vigano Pope Francis is Provoking Schism Himself
| 2019-09-17T00:00:00 |
cnsnews
|
Arbp. Vigano: Pope Francis is 'Provoking' Schism 'Himself'
|
In response to Pope Francis's recent remarks that he is "not afraid of schism" in the church but prays for it not to happen, Archbishop Carlo Vigano, the former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States and a strong critic of the Pope's liberalism, said the Pope is "provoking" a schism "himself" because of his support for the October Amazon Synod in Rome. The working document for the syod has been denounced by several cardinals as heretical. “Pope Francis is saying that because he knows the Amazon Synod may provoke a schism," Archbishop Vigano told Inside The Vatican reporter Dr. Robert Moynihan on Sept. 11. "He is ready to say others are making the schism, but [by his actions in continuing to support the Amazon Synod] he is provoking it himself," said the archbishop. "Is this the attitude of a pastor who cares for the faithful? It is his own duty to prevent a schism.” On Sept. 10, while returning to Italy from Africa by airplane, Pope Francis was asked about his comment that "it's an honor when Americans attack me." This arose because of a new book, How America Wants to Change the Pope, which alleges there is a cabal of conservative American Catholics trying to undermine Pope Francis's liberal agenda. In relation to that opposition, Pope Francis said, “There always is the schismatic option in the Church. It’s a choice that the Lord leaves to human freedom. I am not afraid of schism.... I pray for them not to happen, as the spiritual health of many people is at stake.” “Today we have pockets of rigidity, which aren’t a schism, but they’re semi-schismatic ways of life that will end badly,” said Pope Francis. He added that clerics and lay people who are “rigid” in their beliefs lack the “health” of the Gospel, reported Cruxnow.com. Although Pope Francis suggests it is "rigid" Catholics who are leading the church into schism, Archbishop Vigano stressed that the Pope's liberalism and heterodox views are fueling schism and sparking orthodox opposition. In reference to the working document for the Amazon Synod, which takes place at the Vatican Oct. 6-17, Cardinal Walter Brandmuller has said it "contradicts the binding teaching of the Church in decisive points and thus has to be qualified as heretical." "Inasmuch as even the fact of divine Revelation is here being questioned [in the document], or misunderstood, one also now has to speak, additionally, of apostasy," said the cardinal in a June 27 statement. Cardinal Raymond Burke, the former chief justice of the highest court at the Vatican, said of the Amazon Synod document, "It cannot be. This document is an apostasy." "This cannot become the teaching of the Church," he added, "and God willing, the whole business will be stopped." Cardinal Gerhard Mueller has also criticized the synod document. For his part, Archbishop Vigano has said of the document, "The figure of Christ is absent. The synod working document testifies to the emergence of a post-Christian Catholic theology, now, in this moment. And this is very troubling. It is against everything I have worked for and believed for all my life.”
|
Michael W. Chapman
|
https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/arbp-vigano-pope-francis-provoking-schism-himself
|
2019-09-17 16:18:00+00:00
| 1,568,751,480 | 1,569,330,046 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
216,845 |
france24--2019-09-08--An estimated one million faithful turn out for Pope Francis mass in Madagascar
| 2019-09-08T00:00:00 |
france24
|
An estimated one million faithful turn out for Pope Francis mass in Madagascar
|
Tiziana Fabin AFP | Pope Francis led a Holy Mass at the Androhibe Soamandrakizay diocesan grounds in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on September 8, 2019. An estimated one million people gathered at Madagascar's Soamandrakizay stadium in the capital on Sunday to hear Pope Francis say mass on the second leg of his three-nation African tour. The massive crowd had waited patiently, stretching into the distance from the early hours, to see the pope, the first pontiff to visit in 30 years. "Organisers estimate there are around one million people," a Vatican spokesman said. Organisers had said earlier they expected around one million attendees. Some described it as the biggest public gathering in Madagascar's history. Many people wore pope-emblazoned white and yellow caps -- the colours of the Vatican, and they cheered as the pope-mobile made its way through wind-swept clouds of red dust picked up from the stadium floor. During the homily, the Argentine pontiff urged them "to build history in fraternity and solidarity" and "in complete respect for the earth and its gifts, as opposed to any form of exploitation". He spoke out against "practices that lead to the culture of privilege and exclusion" and criticised those who consider family "the decisive criterion for what we consider right and good". "How hard it is to follow him (Jesus) if we seek to identify the kingdom of heaven with our personal agenda or... abuse the name of God or of religion to justify acts of violence, segregation and even murder". After mass the pontiff will visit Akamasoa, a city founded by Argentian priest Father Pedro, who has lifted thousands of Malagasy waste-pickers out of poverty. Early Sunday morning, in Antananarivo's Andravoahangy church, pastor Jean-Yves Ravoajanahary had briefed 5,000 people on the two-hour trek they would have to make to get to Soamandrakizay stadium. "We are going to divide worshippers into groups of 1,000 because the road is very dangerous. At this time pickpockets and bandits are out to mug people," he told AFP. One by one the groups started the journey, huddled together in the cold and singing praise to the Virgin Mary. Traffic was gridlocked. Hery Saholimanana left his house in the early hours with three family members. "I'm afraid of arriving after the 6:00 o'clock entry limit," said the 23-year old IT student, walking briskly. Rado Niaina, 29, told AFP he left even earlier, at 2:00 am, for fear "of not finding space". Many had already set up tents on the outskirts of the city on Friday, festooned with posters of the pontiff. Prospere Ralitason, a 70-year-old farm worker, arrived with some 5,000 fellow pilgrims from the central eastern town of Ambatondrazaka, 200 kilometres (125 miles) away. "We are tired, but it's worth making all these sacrifices to see the pope with our own eyes and receive his blessing," he said. Thousands of young people -- mainly scouts -- gathered for a vigil at Soamandrakizay on Saturday, waiting hours in the heat for Francis to arrive. "I am here to ask for the pope's blessing to face the harsh realities of life, insecurity, poverty and corruption," said 17-year old student Njara Raherimana. "All this gives me hope for change in my country," echoed fellow student, Antony Christian Tovonalintsoa, who lives on the outskirts of the capital. During the vigil, Pope Francis lauded the "joy and enthusiasm" of the singing crowd. He encouraged the youth not to fall into "bitterness" or to lose hope, even when they lacked the "necessary minimum" to get by and when "educational opportunities were insufficient". Earlier on Saturday, Francis made an impassioned plea to Madagascans to protect the Indian Ocean's unique environment from "excessive deforestation". Weeks after a spike in fires in the Amazon, the Argentine pontiff told his hosts they should "create jobs and money-making activities which respect the environment and help people escape poverty". Madagascar -- famed for its immense diversity of flora and fauna -- is home to 25 million people, the vast majority of whom live in poverty on an income of less than two dollars a day. More than half of its young people are out of work, even if many have good qualifications. The last pope to visit Madagascar was John Paul II 30 years ago. Francis also visited Mozambique earlier in the week, and is due to travel to the island of Mauritius on Monday.
|
NEWS WIRES
|
https://www.france24.com/en/20190908-one-million-people-pope-francis-catholic-mass-madagascar
|
2019-09-08 09:59:43+00:00
| 1,567,951,183 | 1,569,330,836 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
217,643 |
france24--2019-11-24--In Hiroshima, Pope Francis denounces atomic bombs as 'immoral'
| 2019-11-24T00:00:00 |
france24
|
In Hiroshima, Pope Francis denounces atomic bombs as 'immoral'
|
Pope Francis traveled to Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Sunday to demand that world powers renounce their nuclear arsenals, declaring the use and possession of atomic bombs an “immoral” crime and a dangerous waste. Standing before survivors of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings, Francis denounced the steady erosion of arms control agreements and rejected the Cold War-era doctrine of deterrence that had been sanctioned by the Catholic Church for nearly three decades. In the rain of Nagasaki and the silent darkness of Hiroshima, he urged political leaders to accept that true peace and international security cannot be built in a climate of distrust, but rather solidarity. “The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral,” the pope declared during a nighttime prayer at Hiroshima’s peace memorial. He added off-the-cuff, “As is the possession of atomic weapons.” “We will be judged for this,” he warned. Francis visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the first full day of a three-day trip to Japan aimed at emphasizing his call for a global ban on atomic weapons. Nagasaki was the perfect place to begin, the birthplace of Christianity in Japan where he could honor innocents killed in war as well as Christian missionaries and martyrs killed for their faith. The mood there was somber, darkened by the downpour that drenched the terraced fields, the rice paddies and the hundreds of Japanese who came out in plastic raincoats to witness the second pope to pay his respects after St. John Paul II in 1981. The scene was equally as restrained in Hiroshima, where a brief round of applause when Francis arrived punctured an otherwise quiet night. After a gong signaled a moment of silence and Francis lit a candle of peace, two survivors offered their testimony about the “demonic” atom bomb. “No one in this world can imagine such a scene of hell,” said Yoshiko Kajimoto, who was 14 at the time and was working in a factory 2.3 kilometers (1.4 miles) north of ground zero when the blue light of the bomb tore through the windows, collapsing the building on top of her. Standing solemnly before Francis, she described what she saw along the evacuation route: “There were more and more people coming by. Their bodies were so burned and totally red. Their faces swollen to double size, their lips hanging loose, with both hands held out with burnt skin hanging from them. They no longer looked human.” Kajimoto had two-thirds of her stomach removed in 1999 because of cancer, and now suffers from leukemia. “I work hard to bear witness that we must not use such demonic atomic bombs again, nor let anyone in the world endure such suffering,” she said. “Do we still need nuclear even after you see all of this?” she asked. “Each one of us can only do so much.” Her testimony clearly had an impact on Francis, whose own emotional reaction to images of the Nagasaki aftermath prompted him last year to print up thousands of pocket-sized copies of a photograph of a young Nagasaki boy carrying his dead brother on his back that was taken by American military photographer Joe O’Donnel. Francis had the words “The fruit of war” printed on the image, and a poster-sized copy was on display in Nagasaki, where Francis met with the photographer’s son, Tyge, an invited guest. The Holy See was among the first countries to sign and ratify the new U.N. nuclear prohibition treaty, and Francis himself went further than any pope before him in saying in 2017 that not only the use, but the mere possession of atomic weapons is “to be condemned.” Up until Francis’ 2017 condemnation, the Catholic Church had held that nuclear deterrence could be morally acceptable in the interim as long as it was used toward mutual, verifiable nuclear disarmament. The Holy See, however, has seen that the deterrence doctrine has essentially resulted in a nuclear status quo, with arms control treaties collapsing. “Many liberals applauded and conservatives criticized the 2017 statement because they saw it as abandoning the prior teaching that deterrence can be morally acceptable if used as a step toward disarmament,” said Gerard Powers, director of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network at the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute. He said he viewed Francis’ 2017 statement as a “prudential moral judgment based on his reading of the nuclear signs of the time.” Francis essentially repeated his 2017 position in Hiroshima, saying the possession of nuclear weapons too was “immoral.” Tomohide Hirayama, a former Nagasaki resident who traveled from another prefecture to see the pope, said his religious faith was different but he fully supported Francis’ call for a nuclear-free world. "There were atomic attacks twice in history, and there should never be a third time,” he said. “I feel that strongly, and isn't that what the pope is saying?” The first U.S. atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, killing 140,000 people. The second one dropped three days later on Nagasaki and killed another 74,000 by the end of the same year. Many of the survivors have suffered the lasting impact of radiation and developed various forms of cancer. “In a world where millions of children and families live in inhumane conditions, the money that is squandered and the fortunes made through the manufacture, upgrading, maintenance and sale of ever more destructive weapons are an affront crying out to heaven,” Francis said. He lamented the “climate of distrust” that is eating away at nonproliferation efforts and the arms control framework, a reference to a series of violated treaties and the demise this year of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty, a landmark Cold War-era arms control agreement. The U.S. formally withdrew from the treaty in August, after accusing Moscow of developing a Russian missile system prohibited under it. Japanese who came out to see Francis were grateful for his message and his pilgrimage. “I think he is a person who can deliver the message of peace without inhibition,” said Fumiyo Negoro, a 62-year-old Christian from Osaka. Negoro waited for hours in the rain for Francis’ Mass earlier Sunday, celebrated in Nagasaki’s baseball stadium before a crowd of some 35,000 — and the remains of a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary rescued from a cathedral destroyed in the bombing. The statue, which was remarkably well preserved despite the blast, was featured on the altar. Francis’ visit to Nagasaki also gave him the chance to honor Christian missionaries and martyrs centuries after St. Francis Xavier first brought Christianity to the Japanese archipelago in 1549. He laid a second wreath of flowers at the memorial of 26 Nagasaki Martyrs, who were crucified in 1597 at the start of the two-century wave of anti-Christian persecution by Japanese rulers. The example of the missionaries and martyrs, and the Hidden Christians who kept their faith alive underground for generations, helped inspire a young priest named Jorge Mario Bergolio to be a missionary in Japan. “May we never forget their heroic sacrifice!” Francis said in remarks at the memorial.
|
NEWS WIRES
|
https://www.france24.com/en/20191124-pope-francis-orders-world-leaders-give-up-atomic-weapons-nagasaki-nuclear-bomb-japan
|
Sun, 24 Nov 2019 06:56:06 GMT
| 1,574,596,566 | 1,574,643,761 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
290,220 |
lifesitenews--2019-11-12--Nearly 100 priests, lay scholars call Pope Francis to repent for Pachamama idolatry at Amazon Synod
| 2019-11-12T00:00:00 |
lifesitenews
|
Nearly 100 priests, lay scholars call Pope Francis to repent for Pachamama idolatry at Amazon Synod
|
November 12, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – An international group of 100 priests and lay scholars published a statement today to protest the pagan worship of Pachamama that took place last month during the Amazon Synod in Rome with Pope Francis' active participation and apparent support. They called upon the Pope to “repent publicly and unambiguously of these objectively grave sins” and asked bishops’ around the world to “offer fraternal correction to Pope Francis for these scandals.” Titled “Protest against Pope Francis's Sacrilegious Acts,” the statement (read full below) highlights Pope Francis' personal responsibility for the worship of a pagan idol in Rome. Among the signatories are Professor John Rist, Professor Roberto de Mattei, Professor Claudio Pierantoni, Professor Josef Seifert, as well as Professor Anna Silvas. There are also to be found twenty priests and deacons, among them Father Brian Harrison and the outspoken critic of Pope Francis, Father Cor Mennen. The prominent German Catholic laywoman, Gloria Princess of Thurn und Taxis, also signed, in addition to authors such as Henry Sire, José Antonio Ureta, and Dr. Gerard J.M. van den Aardweg. The priests and scholars “protest against and condemn the sacrilegious and superstitious acts committed by Pope Francis, the Successor of Peter, in connection with the recent Amazon Synod held in Rome,” and they give detailed evidence of the different incidences of pagan worship during the Amazon Synod. Most prominently, Pope Francis hosted a pagan ceremony with Pachamama statues in the Vatican Gardens on Oct. 4 and even blessed one of the statues. Additionally, he prayed in front of the Pachamama statue at St. Peter's Cathedral on October 7 and then accompanied it in procession into the synod hall. As the statement points out, “Pope Francis himself confirmed that these wooden images were pagan idols. In his apology for the removal of these idols from a Catholic church, he specifically called them Pachamama, a name for a false goddess of mother earth according to pagan religious belief in South America.” The signers make it clear that pagan worship by Catholics is unacceptable. They state that “the rendering of worship to anyone or anything other than the one true God, the Blessed Trinity, is a violation of the First Commandment,” and that therefore “absolutely all participation in any form of the veneration of idols is condemned by this Commandment and is an objectively grave sin, independently of the subjective culpability that only God can judge.” The authors also quote Professor Josef Seifert with regard to Pope Francis' claim that these statues had been used “without idolatrous intentions.” Stated Seifert: “Even if there is no subjective idolatrous intention behind this, as Pope Francis affirms, the objective fact of putting idols in a Church, let alone in St Peter's, is an offence against God and an objectively sacrilegious act.” For the signers, the Pachamama worship that took place under Pope Francis' leadership “was anticipated by the statement titled 'Document on Human Fraternity', signed by Pope Francis and Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque, on February 4, 2019.” That document states that the “diversity of religions” is “willed by God.” “Pope Francis’ involvement in idolatrous ceremonies,” the signers continue, “is an indication that he meant this statement in a heterodox sense, which allows pagan worship of idols to be considered a good positively willed by God.” Additionally, the statement refers to the many cardinals and bishops who have already condemned the Pachamama veneration in Rome (among them Cardinals Burke, Müller, Brandmüller, Urosa; and Archbishop Viganò, as well as Bishops Eleganti, Voderholzer, and Azcona). And the statement also quotes a passage from Holy Scripture which makes clear that “the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God” and that “you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons” (St. Paul). “We respectfully ask all the bishops of the Catholic Church,” the signers conclude, “to offer fraternal correction to Pope Francis for these scandals, and to warn their flocks that, according to the divinely revealed teaching of the Catholic faith, they will risk eternal damnation if they follow the present examples in offending against the First Commandment.” Clergy and scholars are invited to add their signatures by going here. We the undersigned Catholic clergy and lay scholars protest against and condemn the sacrilegious and superstitious acts committed by Pope Francis, the Successor of Peter, in connection with the recent Amazon Synod held in Rome. These sacrilegious acts are the following: • On October 4, Pope Francis attended an act of idolatrous worship of the pagan goddess Pachamama. (1) • He allowed this worship to take place in the Vatican Gardens, thus desecrating the vicinity of the graves of the martyrs and of the church of the Apostle Peter. • He participated in this act of idolatrous worship by blessing a wooden image of Pachamama. (2) • On October 7, the idol of Pachamama was placed in front of the main altar at St. Peter’s and then carried in procession to the Synod Hall. Pope Francis said prayers in a ceremony involving this image and then joined in this procession. (3) • When wooden images of this pagan deity were removed from the church of Santa Maria in Traspontina, where they had been sacrilegiously placed, and thrown into the Tiber by Catholics outraged by this profanation of the church, Pope Francis, on October 25, apologized for their removal and another wooden image of Pachamama was returned to the church. (4) Thus, a new profanation was initiated. • On October 27, in the closing Mass for the synod, he accepted a bowl used in the idolatrous worship of Pachamama and placed it on the altar. (5) Pope Francis himself confirmed that these wooden images were pagan idols. In his apology for the removal of these idols from a Catholic church, he specifically called them Pachamama (6), a name for a false goddess of mother earth according to pagan religious belief in South America. Different features of these proceedings have been condemned as idolatrous or sacrilegious by Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Bishop José Luis Azcona Hermoso, Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer, and Bishop Marian Eleganti (7). Lastly, Card. Raymond Burke has given the same assessment of this cult in an interview. (8) This participation in idolatry was anticipated by the statement entitled “Document on Human Fraternity”, signed by Pope Francis and Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque, on February 4, 2019 (9). This statement asserted that: “The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings. This divine wisdom is the source from which the right to freedom of belief and the freedom to be different derives.” Pope Francis’s involvement in idolatrous ceremonies is an indication that he meant this statement in a heterodox sense, which allows pagan worship of idols to be considered a good positively willed by God. Moreover, despite privately advising Bishop Athanasius Schneider that “You [the Bishop] can say that the phrase in question on the diversity of religions means the permissive will of God…” (10), Francis has never corrected the Abu Dhabi statement accordingly. In his subsequent audience address of April 3, 2019 Francis, answering the question “Why does God permit that there are so many religions?”, referred in passing to the “permissive will of God” as explained by Scholastic theology, but gave the concept a positive meaning, declaring that “God wanted to permit this” because while “there are so many religions” they “always look to heaven, they look to God (emphasis added).” (11) There is not the slightest suggestion that God permits the existence of false religions in the same way He permits the existence of evil generally. Rather, the clear implication is that God permits the existence of “so many religions” because they are good in that they “always look to heaven, they look to God.” Worse, Pope Francis has since confirmed the uncorrected Abu Dhabi statement by establishing an “interfaith committee”, (12) which later received the official name of “Higher Committee,” (13) located in the United Arab Emirates, to promote the “goals” of the document; and promoting a directive issued by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue addressed to the heads of all the Roman Catholic institutes of higher studies, and indirectly to Catholic university professors, asking that they give the “widest possible dissemination to the document,” including its uncorrected assertion that God wills the “diversity of religions” just as He wills the diversity of color, sex, race and language. (14) The rendering of worship to anyone or anything other than the one true God, the Blessed Trinity, is a violation of the First Commandment. Absolutely all participation in any form of the veneration of idols is condemned by this Commandment and is an objectively grave sin, independently of the subjective culpability that only God can judge. (15) St. Paul taught the early Church that the sacrifice offered to pagan idols was not offered to God but rather to the demons when he said in his First Letter to the Corinthians: “What then? Do I say, that what is offered in sacrifice to idols, is any thing? Or, that the idol is any thing? But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. And I would not that you should be made partakers with demons. You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord, and the chalice of demons: you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons.” (1 Cor. 10:19-21) By these actions Pope Francis has incurred the reproach uttered by the Second Council of Nicaea: “Many pastors have destroyed my vine, they have defiled my portion. For they followed unholy men and trusting to their own frenzies they calumniated the holy Church, which Christ our God has espoused to himself, and they failed to distinguish the holy from the profane, asserting that the icons of our Lord and of his saints were no different from the wooden images of satanic idols.” (16) With immense sorrow and deep love for the Chair of Peter, we beg Almighty God to spare the guilty members of His Church on earth the punishment that they deserve for these terrible sins. We respectfully ask Pope Francis to repent publicly and unambiguously of these objectively grave sins and of all the public offences that he has committed against God and the true religion, and to make reparation for these offences. We respectfully ask all the bishops of the Catholic Church to offer fraternal correction to Pope Francis for these scandals, and to warn their flocks that according to the divinely revealed teaching of the Catholic faith, they will risk eternal damnation if they follow the present examples in offending against the First Commandment. 1. See the complete video of the pagan ritual on Vatican News: https://www.religionenlibertad.com/video/118451/Ritual-de-la-Madre-Tierra-en-el-Vaticano.html 3. See here a photo of the event: https://catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2019/10/12/amazon-synod-where-we-are-after-week-one/ 6. See the words of the Holy Father with an English Translation here: https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2019/10/francis-defiant-in-defense-of-pagan.html. 15. As explained by Professor Josef Seifert: “Even if there is no subjective idolatrous intention behind this, as Pope Francis affirms, the objective fact of putting idols in a Church, let alone in St Peter's, is an offence against God and an objectively sacrilegious act.” See: https://gloria.tv/post/nK8YgEUATNuj4WXBi9WrfBzPg See all the relevant biblical references in Bishop Schneider’s open letter: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/bishop-athanasius-schneider-issues-open-letter-condemning-pachamama-statue-as-new-golden-calf 16. Concilium Nicaenum II (787), in: Corpus Christianorum. Conciliorum Oecumenicorum Generaliumque Decreta, ed. G. Alberigo, I: The Oecumenical Councils. From Nicaea I to Nicaea II, Turnhout 2006, 295-345.
| null |
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/nearly-100-priests-lay-scholars-call-pope-francis-to-repent-for-pachamama-idolatry-at-amazon-synod
|
2019-11-12T11:00:00+00:00
| 1,573,574,400 | 1,573,560,160 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
348,570 |
newspunch--2019-04-19--Vatican Cardinal Warns Islam Will Invade the World If Pope Francis Has His Way
| 2019-04-19T00:00:00 |
newspunch
|
Vatican Cardinal Warns ‘Islam Will Invade the World’ If Pope Francis Has His Way
|
Pope Francis is pushing a “false” interpretation of the Bible, according to a top Vatican cardinal who has warned “Islam will invade the world” if Francis’ leftist ideology isn’t challenged and stopped before it leads to the downfall of Europe. Robert Sarah, a Vatican cardinal who serves as the head of the Vatican’s liturgy office, is often named in traditionalist circles as a leading candidate to succeed Pope Francis as pontiff. According to Cardinal Sarah, those who seek to use the Holy Bible to promote mass migration are pushing a “false” interpretation of the scriptures. He also branded mass migration a “new form of slavery” during the new interview with French publication Valeurs Actuelles. The cardinal has frequently made waves with his more conservative stances on liturgical practices, Islam, migration and other issues. Those positions were on full display during the interview, in which Cardinal Sarah, from Africa, blasted Pope Francis and other leftist priests and bishops who “say fuzzy things, vague, imprecise, to escape criticism, and they marry the stupid evolution of the world”. On Europe, Sarah said that the Church must not accept Pope Francis’ pro-migration position, as the leftist open borders ideology will lead to the fall of Europe, just as the Roman Empire was destroyed by invading barbarians. “All migrants who arrive in Europe are penniless, without work, without dignity… This is what the Church wants?” he asked. “The Church can not cooperate with this new form of slavery that has become mass migration. If the West continues in this fatal way, there is a great risk that, due to a lack of birth, it will disappear, invaded by foreigners, just as Rome has been invaded by barbarians.” “My country is predominantly Muslim. I think I know what reality I’m talking about”, he added. VoE reports: Sarah’s comments are in stark contrast to those from Pope Francis on the subject. Francis has repeatedly stressed the value of migration and has encouraged European countries, in particular, to open their border to flows of migrants coming from the third world. Last week, he spoke in Morocco, the main destination for sub-Saharan African migrants seeking to reach Europe via Spain, and frequently mentioned migration. “The issue of migration will never be resolved by raising barriers, fomenting fear of others or denying assistance to those who legitimately aspire to a better life for themselves and their families”, Francis said. Sarah is much more skeptical of whether the Church should be open to immigration. He cited the example of Poland, a Catholic country that has strict immigration policies, and said he had urged it not to sacrifice its Polish and Catholic identities “on the altar of a technocratic and stateless Europe”. “She is free to tell Europe that everyone was created by God to be placed in a specific place, with its culture, traditions, and history”, he told the paper. “This current desire to globalize the world by suppressing nations, specificities, is pure madness.” In the interview, he urged Europe to avoid embracing materialism and forgetting its Christian heritage, warning that it could lead to the extinction of Europe itself. “If Europe disappears, and with it the invaluable values of the old continent, Islam will invade the world”, Sarah said. “And we will totally change culture, anthropology, and moral vision.”
|
Baxter Dmitry
|
https://newspunch.com/vatican-cardinal-islam-invade-world-pope-francis/
|
2019-04-19 21:34:29+00:00
| 1,555,724,069 | 1,567,542,416 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
460,292 |
remnantnewspaper--2019-09-11--LOST SHEPHERD: How Pope Francis is Misleading His Flock
| 2019-09-11T00:00:00 |
remnantnewspaper
|
LOST SHEPHERD: How Pope Francis is Misleading His Flock
|
The other author is not as blunt, at least at the start. He begins thus: "Every day I pray for Pope Francis. And every day (I am exaggerating, but only slightly), the pope issues another reminder that he does not approve of Catholics like me." Philip Lawler, Lost Shepherd. (Regnery Gateway, 2018 196 pp.) – The authors of two recently published books critical of the current pontificate take very different initial approaches to their task. George Neumayr, author of The Political Pope (See my review: The Remnant, May 31, 2019) begins his critique of the pope with these words: "From the first moment I saw him, I knew that he was going to be a Modernist wrecking ball." Although their mindsets may be different, at least on the surface, in addressing the shortcomings of this pontificate, both authors are convinced that Pope Francis is doing serious damage to the Church. According to Lawler, "...I believed despite his sometimes-alarming remarks, Francis was not a radical, was not leading the Church away from the ancient sources of the Faith. But gradually, reluctantly, painfully, I came to the conclusion that he was." Hence, Neumayr's description of the pope as a “revolutionary," and Lawler's as a "radical" pontiff, really amount to a distinction without a difference. It should be stressed that Lawler openly admits that, at the beginning of the new pontificate, he "was one of millions," who had succumbed to the "Francis effect," which "captured the public imagination." As a positive sign of this trend, Lawler informs us that his friends and neighbors wanted to discuss the Faith and the meaning of the Gospel, not politics at the Vatican, or priestly scandals. But slowly, and at first, imperceptibly, Lawler began a reversal of his early faith in the pontiff: "The Roman pontiff should be a focus of unity in the Church. Francis, regrettably, has become a source of division." Lawler notes, and Neumayr would agree, that another disturbing aspect of the current pontiff's radicalism is his style of governance. Lawler: "..an autocratic style, which contrasts sharply with the promises of collegial and synodal governance, and the radical nature of the program that he is relentlessly advancing." Here both Neumayr and Lawler are reading from the same page. But these two Catholic laymen are not alone in noticing what is happening during Francis's pontificate: Sohrab Ahmari, an Iranian, who, in 2016, converted to Catholicism, wrote in The Wall Street Journal: "As with other recent disputes - communion for the divorced-and remarried; the status of the Latin Mass; Vatican engagement with China's Communist regime - conservatives are on one side and Pope Francis is on the other." Lawler makes a crucial point about this pope, who should not "be on one side" of disagreements within the Church. Then: "Whereas we expect President Trump to reverse policies of President Obama - just as Obama reversed the policies of President Bush - we expect the pope to preserve the decisions of his predecessors." (Emphasis mine) Clearly, this pope does not see his duty to do so; he does not see himself "conserving" the past; if anything, he has introduced "new teachings" that conflict, and are incompatible, with prior teachings of the Church. Lawler points to Amoris Laetitia as one such "new teaching," and in so doing, "violated the sacred trust that is given to Peter's successors." Again: is this outlook "revolutionary," or "radical?" Or both? The turning point of Lawler's growing skepticism about the pope's agenda came on February 24, 2017, "when something snapped inside me." The proximate cause of this event centered on another of the "new teachings;" in this case, Pope Francis, "turned the Gospel reading upside down." What was involved here was the pope's reinterpretation of the Church's teaching, based on Divine Revelation, on the sanctity of the marital bond in favor of his own view on divorce and remarriage. Lawler now was convinced that the pope, "...was engaged in a deliberate effort to change what the Church teaches." The remainder of this book seeks to demonstrate the truth of that statement. Before continuing, however, one could ask: Who is Philip Lawler? Lawler attended Harvard College, graduating in 1972 with honors in Government, and later did graduate work in political philosophy at the University of Chicago. As a journalist, he was the acting editor of Crisis magazine; later, he was the first layman to edit The Pilot, the Boston archdiocesan newspaper. In 1996, he founded Catholic World News: the first online Catholic news service. An author of five books, Lawler's, The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston's Catholic Culture, is a book I highly recommend for its description of the baleful impact of Vatican II on formerly faithful Catholics. Lawler begins his description of the Francis pontificate with a little known fact about the abdication of Pope Benedict, perhaps an omen of what was to follow: on February 11, 2013, the date Pope Benedict did something no pope had done in half a millennia - resign - lightning struck St. Peter's Basilica not once, but twice. Further, the pope's formal resignation was in Latin, so few among his audience had any idea what he was saying. At 85, and afflicted with serious arthritic problems, his closest friends and aides had noticed signs of the pope's inability to work after his morning duties. As to the serious crises that faced his pontificate, Lawler claims: "...Benedict had reached the conclusion that he, now an elderly man and by nature and training a scholar rather than an administrator, had neither the strength nor the talent that would be needed to resolve these internal crises." A younger prelate "with a firm administrative hand" was needed. The "Vaticanists," the corps of journalists who cover the Vatican, began pondering in print that, if Pope John Paul II had been the first non-Italian pope in centuries, perhaps a "non-European pope" among the "papabile" would reach his level of success. An Italian, Cardinal Scola of Milan, appeared to be the early and probable heir apparent, but an address by a cardinal from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jorge Bergoglio, was soon the talk of the conclave. The Argentine prelate, a Jesuit, called for the Church to "come out of herself and go to the peripheries," and that the failure to do so would lead to a Church that "...becomes self reverential and then gets sick." Whatever that meant, for no particulars were given. It should be remembered that Cardinal Bergoglio was the "runner-up" to Cardinal Ratzinger at the conclave in 2005 but did not exhibit any outward signs of being "a pope in waiting." But waiting or not, Cardinal Bergoglio was ready to respond to the question about the name he would give to his pontificate: "Francis." came the prompt reply. And so, it was. This article appeared in The Remnant Newspaper's September 15th edition. So did this Remnant Cartoon: See what it's all about--Click the pic to Subscribe to the E-Edition today! Lawler stresses that during the early days of his pontificate, Pope Francis I "captured the world's attention with his unconventional style." For example, he greeted enormous crowds speaking simply and without formality; he chose to live outside the papal apartments and moved permanently into St. Martha's House, the Vatican's guesthouse, and even placed his own phone calls! However, Lawler does mention one Vaticanist who claimed that journalists, "were leaving some potentially damaging stories unreported because they thought no one wanted to hear bad news about the pontiff." Among the more widely cited "non-reported" stories was the pope's relationship with the military junta during what is known as "the Dirty War" in Argentina. Neumayr reported that his fellow Jesuits had distanced themselves from Provincial Bergoglio because of his willingness to work with the military junta. "There is many a slip twixt the cup and the lip," and, as in the case of the new pontificate, the promises of "reform," both explicit and implied, in the early stages of the Francis pontificate did not materialize, despite the claim they would. In fact, Lawler actually describes situations where reforms, such as the first attempts under Pope Benedict to bring the Vatican's financial house in order, were begun and then stalled and/or discarded by Francis. The priestly scandals have been the major source of both public and Vatican attention - until the new pontificate - but Vatican finances also were in dire need of reform. Cardinal George Pell of Australia was appointed by Pope Benedict to oversee ways of reining in what was seen as the Vatican's "chaotic financial system," one in which Vatican "dicasteries" or Departments, "followed no standard accounting procedures." In 2015, internal resistance to Cardinal Pell's efforts became abundantly clear when, at a meeting of a worldwide consistory of cardinals, "heated arguments" erupted as Pell outlined his proposal to reform Vatican finances. The changes were accepted with very modest amendments and were approved by Pope Francis. But that breakthrough was short lived: the following year, the pope announced the audit of Vatican finances by Price Waterhouse Coopers, the first in history, had been suspended. No reasons were given, but "a compromise" soon followed allowing each dicastery to determine, "... how far the external auditors should delve into their records." Need I add that no "reforms" were instituted? In 2017, Pope Francis allowed what can only be described as a return to the old ways: those who believed that Cardinal Pell "...was asserting too much control in his bid to ensure financial accountability," had won the day. If financial reform now disappeared into the Vatican mists, the other major "reform" that the Francis pontificate promised to address would not go gently into the night, for it goes to the heart of the Church's current crisis, and revolved around, "...the handling of sexual abuse complaints" against priests worldwide. Many familiar with this on-going crisis may recall that Cardinal Ratzinger, when Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had requested and been given responsibility by Pope John Paul II to deal with what Ratzinger called, "the filth" of clerical misconduct. What may not be known is that in the years 2011-12, as Pope Benedict XVI. he "laicized" nearly four hundred (no typo) priests. The question of the neglect, or worse, by the hierarchy in dealing with sexual abuse cases is beyond cavil, but one cannot exclude papal fault in this area. Pope Francis promoted a prelate, Bishop Juan Barros, over the objections of Chilean Catholics who claimed that Barros had ignored their repeated complaints of the sexual predation of priests in his diocese. The pontiff called the Chilean protesters "stupid" for their actions, not a good way for a pontiff to make friends, a major objective of this pontificate. A committee under the aegis of Cardinal O'Malley of Boston, issued a report recognizing the seriousness of the situation, and offering suggestions to address the issue. That report was scrapped by Pope Francis, who later admitted he "was learning on the job," learning to accept a "zero tolerance" policy that had been in place for fifteen years. Other examples abound: the McCarrick/Wuerl fiasco does not offer much hope the Vatican's "hands off" policy in dealing with clerical abuse will change. In a recent development, New York State has granted a one-year grace period to those who claim that they were sexually abused by priests in the past and allowed them to begin legal action against the involved diocese. As of this writing, more than 500 charges have been leveled against priests accused of sexually abusing both boys and young men in New York State, and this is just the beginning of the yearlong window. It would be repetitive to continue to list the areas outlined in Lawler's book which describe the current pope's mindset, for much of it has been written about and discussed elsewhere. Yet, there are unfamiliar events as well that demonstrate papal manipulation that accompany that mindset which should be examined. One such event was the October 2014, Synod on the Family, including the "Mystery of the Purloined Volumes." The then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Gerhard Muller, had made a contribution to Remaining in the Truth of Christ, a compilation of essays restating Catholic teaching, in which he condemned Cardinal Kasper's proposal of offering communion for the remarried, which he had raised at the consistory. The publisher, Ignatius Press, sent copies of the book to the participating consistory cardinals through the Vatican's normally efficient postal system, but, mysteriously, they disappeared during their deliberations. Another example of the apparent manipulation of the Synod took place when four separate paragraphs on pastoral care for homosexuals appeared in the Synod's "interim report." That raised other questions, for of the 250 addresses given by the clerics during the consistory, only one focused on homosexuality. Although none of this discussion was included in the minutes of the conference, this "creative editing" appeared to be the work of Archbishop Bruno Forte, a close ally of the pope, and the secretary of the Synod's drafting committee. Cardinal Sarah, who has been a stalwart in his defense of the traditional Church, denounced the manipulation as, "... an attempt to push the Church (to change) her doctrine." Another example of an attempt to codify "the new teaching," and apparently with the support of the new pontiff. A concluding note about the Synod mentioned by Lawler should be very troublesome to Catholics: the bishops' final statement claimed the Synod fathers came together to "discern how the Church and society can renew their commitment to the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman." Lawler: "The Italicized words were omitted from the Vatican's official English translation." Neither Lawler nor I - and I imagine Neumayr - believe that was accidental. Lawler's skewering of the current Society of Jesus should not surprise anyone. What may, is when Lawler quotes a Jesuit priest who claims: "The Church as we know it is dying. I hope and pray that the Society (of Jesus) will help to facilitate this death and resurrection." I am reminded of the apparent inability of the late Fr. Peter Milward, S.J. who, in our conversation at the Jesuit House in Tokyo, sadly commented: "I don't understand many of my younger Jesuit colleagues today." For many, that inability would extend to the Throne of Peter. Philip Lawler has written a cogent and informative book about the decline of the Church under the current pope, including this pope's apparent indifference to the Church's past. "If a Catholic today is free to ignore the teachings of John Paul II, as Francis implies, then a Catholic tomorrow will be free to ignore the teaching of Francis....By that standard, the papacy of Francis has been a disaster for the Church." This book is a gold mine of information and should be read by "Trads" who wish to know just how detrimental Francis has been in leading the Faithful. As I've written before, this book is highly recommended, except for those with high blood pressure.
|
[email protected] (Vincent Chiarello | Remnant Columnist)
|
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRemnantNewspaper-RemnantArticles/~3/RwVAacYwtHQ/4601-lost-shepherd-how-pope-francis-is-misleading-his-flock
|
Wed, 11 Sep 2019 21:26:13 -0500
| 1,568,251,573 | 1,570,541,113 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
487,227 |
slate--2019-03-28--How an Uproar Over Pope Francis Refusing to Have His Ring Kissed Explains the Catholic Culture Wars
| 2019-03-28T00:00:00 |
slate
|
How an Uproar Over Pope Francis Refusing to Have His Ring Kissed Explains the Catholic Culture Wars
|
The ritual was customary: Pope Francis visited an Italian shrine on Monday, and afterward greeted worshippers who waited in line to meet him. This time, however, the reception went viral. A 30-second clip captured the pope cheerfully flicking his right hand away as some supplicants attempted to kneel and kiss the ring there. To the untrained eye, this behavior was at worst gently strange, and at best illustrated Francis’ unfussy approach to his office. This is a man who seems much more comfortable kissing other people’s feet (including inmates and refugees) than receiving their supplication. The Daily Show set the clip to a bleep-bloopy soundtrack, turning it into a video game call “Kiss the Ring”: Everyone was having fun! Everyone, that is, except some traditionalist Catholics. Francis’ critics saw the gesture as a symbol of disrespect toward the office he holds. Matthew Schmitz, a columnist at the Catholic Herald, lamented that Francis was “embarrass[ing] the faithful in the name of humility.” Others took it as a “rejection” or “rudeness.” The conservative LifeSite called the clip “disturbing,” noting that the pope seems perfectly comfortable with expressions of personal devotion like “selfies and hugs.” When a two-hour-long video capturing the pope’s full visit to the shrine emerged—and showed the pope had allowed some visitors to kiss the ring—it was analyzed like a Vatican version of the Zapruder film. “At the 50:50 mark, Pope Francis can be seen greeting priests and men and women religious, whom he allows to kiss his papal ring,” LifeSite wrote in an addendum to its initial post. “The Holy Father then begins to greet Catholic laity and begins pulling his hand away at 1:00:57.” The pope received his visitors warmly even if he seemed to reject this particular small gesture. Why did this tiny change in protocol read so offensively to people already skeptical of his orthodoxy? For one, because they took it as another example in what they view as a long line of attempts to discard tradition. Kissing a bishop’s ring was a commonplace sign of reverence until the mid-20th century, according to this explainer from America magazine. A bishop’s ring symbolizes his “marriage” to the diocese he oversees; as bishop of Rome, the pope wears a ring representing both his leadership and service of the church as a whole. The video has been analyzed like a Vatican version of the Zapruder film. But the gesture has origins in medieval European monarchies and over time has come to seem uncomfortably … royal. Pope Benedict XVI—revered by the same crowd that detests Francis—tried to end the practice of kissing the pope’s hand, “though no one followed the new protocol,” he lamented to journalist Peter Seewald in his 2010 book Light of the World. Francis, meanwhile, has blamed the Catholic Church’s ongoing sex-abuse crisis in part on an inappropriate deference to hierarchical authority. “To say ‘no’ to abuse is to say an emphatic ‘no’ to all forms of clericalism,” as he put it last summer. He has also promoted a “culture of encounter” whose emphasis on dialogue and equality is at odds with the kind of one-way reverence suggested by the ritual ring-kiss. This is the same pope, after all, who chose to live in a guesthouse rather than in the formal “Apostolic Palace.” As is so often the case, those hoping for clarity from Francis were left waiting. But the clip portended neither the destruction of Catholic tradition nor the announcement of a radically egalitarian future. The Vatican first told journalists that the pope sometimes accedes to the custom, and sometimes does not. On Wednesday, he was photographed allowing nuns and priests to kiss his ring at a smaller reception in St. Peter’s Square. And on Thursday, a spokesman offered an even simpler explanation: “The Holy Father told me that the motivation was very simple: hygiene,” Alessandro Gisotti said. “He wants to avoid the risk of contagion for the people, not for him.” It may have worked to stop the spread of actual germs. But the moment itself was too viral to contain.
|
Ruth Graham
|
https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/03/pope-francis-ring-kiss-catholic-church.html?via=rss
|
2019-03-28 15:12:55+00:00
| 1,553,800,375 | 1,567,544,835 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
505,704 |
sottnet--2019-09-05--Its an honor when Americans attack me Pope Francis jokes
| 2019-09-05T00:00:00 |
sottnet
|
'It's an honor when Americans attack me,' Pope Francis jokes
|
An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.
| null |
https://www.sott.net/article/419839-Its-an-honor-when-Americans-attack-me-Pope-Francis-jokes
|
2019-09-05 18:57:23+00:00
| 1,567,724,243 | 1,569,009,344 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
533,421 |
sputnik--2019-05-05--WATCH Pope Francis Holding Mass During Visit to Bulgaria
| 2019-05-05T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
WATCH Pope Francis Holding Mass During Visit to Bulgaria
|
The Orthodox Church, however, has rejected the idea of holding joint prayers with the pontiff. The head of the Catholic Church arrived in the Balkan region on Sunday in order to conduct a three-day visit to Bulgaria and North Macedonia. He also intends to honour the memory of Mother Teresa — the famous Catholic nun born in Skopje.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201905051074722826-pope-francis-bulgaria-mess/
|
2019-05-05 13:12:00+00:00
| 1,557,076,320 | 1,567,541,141 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
567,445 |
tass--2019-07-04--Putin Pope Francis discuss protecting Christians in the Middle East
| 2019-07-04T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Putin, Pope Francis discuss protecting Christians in the Middle East
|
ROME, July 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed with Pope Francis the issue of protecting the Christian population of the Middle East and humanitarian assistance for Syria, the Russian leader told a news conference after talks with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. "We discussed the issues of protecting the Christian population of the Middle East and humanitarian assistance in Syria. It is important that the positions of Russia and the Vatican coincide in the issues concerning traditional values, promoting inter-religious and inter-civilizational dialogue," the Russian leader said. Putin recalled that at the meeting with the pontiff the issues of developing relations between Russia and the Vatican were also discussed. The sides agreed on paying special attention to cooperation in the fields of culture, education and healthcare, he noted. The Russian president gave a positive assessment to the talks in the Vatican. "This was a very kind discussion. [We spoke about] some international issues and also about developing bilateral relations between Russia and the Vatican, including the spiritual aspect of this cooperation and humanitarian ties." Putin arrived on his sixth visit to Vatican City on Thursday to hold his third meeting with Pope Francis. During his visit to the Holy See in 2000 and 2003, Putin met with Pope John Paul II. In 2007, he met with Pope Benedict XVI. His previous meetings with Pope Francis took place in 2013 and 2015.
| null |
https://tass.com/russias-foreign-policy/1067180
|
2019-07-04 21:36:35+00:00
| 1,562,290,595 | 1,567,536,879 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
721,710 |
thehill--2019-05-01--Conservative Catholics accuse Pope Francis of heresy
| 2019-05-01T00:00:00 |
thehill
|
Conservative Catholics accuse Pope Francis of heresy
|
A coalition of conservative Catholic clergy and academics have accused Pope Francis of heresy, citing what they call overly liberal positions on topics like religious diversity, homosexuality and communion for divorced Catholics. “We take this measure as a last resort to respond to the accumulating harm caused by Pope Francis’s words and actions over several years, which have given rise to one of the worst crises in the history of the Catholic Church,” the coalition wrote in a 20-page letter to the College of Bishops, published Tuesday by the conservative Catholic site LifeSiteNews. The letter singles out the 2016 papal document “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love) for special criticism. In the document, Francis called for making the Catholic Church more welcome toward “imperfect” members, such as divorced Catholics who have remarried in civil ceremonies. Church law does not allow remarried divorced people who have not received an annulment to receive communion unless they abstain from sex with their current spouse. Francis called for flexibility on this doctrine, allowing priests and bishops to make case-by-case decisions. The letter also lambastes Francis for saying Martin Luther’s intentions in sparking the Protestant Reformation “were not mistaken,” and for signing a joint 2016 statement with Lutheran leaders expressing gratitude for the Reformation’s “theological gifts.” The group goes on to cite a statement this year between Francis and Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar Mosque, saying religious pluralism is “willed by God.” The letter was signed by 19 priests and scholars, the most prominent of which is Father Aidan Nichols, an English Dominican priest and theologian. The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
|
Zack Budryk
|
https://thehill.com/policy/international/441558-catholic-conservatives-say-pope-francis-is-a-heretic-causing-one-of-the
|
2019-05-01 14:57:13+00:00
| 1,556,737,033 | 1,567,541,575 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
830,103 |
therightscoop--2019-12-23--NO, Pope Francis is NOT saying Christians shouldn’t try and convert non-believers…
| 2019-12-23T00:00:00 |
therightscoop
|
NO, Pope Francis is NOT saying Christians shouldn’t try and convert non-believers…
|
Unfortunately Pope Francis has become the victim of ‘fake news’ regarding comments he made recently to a group of high school students in Rome. I’m not going to name names, but I do want to point out that articles saying things like Pope Francis told Christians not to try and convert nonbelievers are simply wrong. Instead of unpacking all the misinterpretations of what is being said about the Pope’s remarks, let’s just start with what the Pope actually said, via Bing translation: Good morning, Your Holiness, I wanted to ask you a question. If an atheist came to you and asked her for a fundamental reason to start believing what would she say to him? The first is everything. In front of a non-believer, the last thing I have to do is try to convince him. Never. The last thing I need to do is talk. I have to live consistent with my faith. And it will be my testimony that awakens the curiosity of the other who says, “But why do you do this?” And there I can speak. But listen, never, ever bring the gospel proselytizing. If someone says that he is a disciple of Jesus and comes to you with proselytism, he is not a disciple of Jesus. Proselytism is not done, the Church does not grow out of proselytism. Pope Benedict said it grows by attraction, by witness. Proselytism is done by football teams, this can be done, political parties, you can do it there but with faith no proselytizing. And if someone says to me, “But why?” Read, read, read the gospel, this is my faith. But no pressure. The first thing Pope Francis says here is that we should LIVE the love of Christ Jesus in our lives through action and deed, that we shouldn’t depend on convincing non-believers with words. He argues that it’s our actions and deeds that will arouse the curiosity of non-believers. Then, when someone asks why we do what we do, we have a strong basis on which to begin a dialogue. Now I admittedly don’t know exactly what he means by ‘proselytising’, per se. But it sounds to me that in the context of his remarks, the Pope believes that ‘proselytising’ is trying to pressure someone into believing in Jesus with words. Or as we say around here, to argue someone into the Kingdom. The Pope isn’t saying we shouldn’t dialogue with people about our faith. Rather, he’s simply saying that we should bring the Gospel of Christ to people through action and deed and not through argument and pressure. This is what the Bible calls us to do in passage after passage. We are called to let our light shine before men, to care for the widow and the poor. Not trying to beat people over the head with a Bible. That’s all the Pope is saying here as you can plainly see in his words. And remember, the Pope is talking to high school students who more than likely put a premium on their own words, as many of us did at that age. As the leader of the Church, he’s simply trying to show them that loving people through action and deed is far more effective than words.
|
The Right Scoop
|
https://therightscoop.com/no-pope-francis-is-not-saying-christians-shouldnt-try-and-convert-non-believers/
|
Mon, 23 Dec 2019 21:06:40 +0000
| 1,577,153,200 | 1,577,146,600 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
1,071,588 |
usatoday--2019-04-17--Trump calls Pope Francis to offer condolences for Notre Dame fire offers aposour great expertsap
| 2019-04-17T00:00:00 |
usatoday
|
Trump calls Pope Francis to offer condolences for Notre Dame fire, offers 'our great experts'
|
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump called Pope Francis to offer his condolences Wednesday for the Notre Dame fire and said the U.S. would offer "our great experts on renovation and construction" to help France rebuild the iconic cathedral. "Just had a wonderful conversation with @Pontifex Francis," Trump posted on Twitter, referring to Francis' Twitter account, "offering condolences from the People of the United States for the horrible and destructive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral." Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron a day earlier to discuss the blaze that roared 850-year-old house of worship on Monday. Donations to help rebuild Notre Dame neared the $1 billion mark Wednesday as recovery efforts ramped up. Engineers and historians are expected to put up a temporary roof to protect the cathedral from the elements, assess damage and salvage materials before beginning repairs that may take decades. Trump has had a complicated relationship with Francis. During the 2016 election, the Pope criticized tough immigration policies embraced by both Trump and several European leaders. Trump responded with a fiery post on Facebook suggesting that "if and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS’s ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President." More: As President Trump meets Pope Francis at the Vatican, a timeline of their history The two appeared to put aside their differences during a meeting in 2017, Trump's first visit with the Pope as president. "I leave the Vatican more determined than ever to pursue peace in our world," Trump tweeted after their encounter.
|
John Fritze, USA TODAY
|
http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~/600931428/0/usatodaycomwashington-topstories~Trump-calls-Pope-Francis-to-offer-condolences-for-Notre-Dame-fire-offers-aposour-great-expertsapos/
|
2019-04-17 17:10:32+00:00
| 1,555,535,432 | 1,567,542,659 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
199,025 |
fortruss--2019-06-30--WAR OF THE SCHISMATICS False Patriarch Filaret reveals SECRET about NATOs Fake OCU head Epiphanius
| 2019-06-30T00:00:00 |
fortruss
|
WAR OF THE SCHISMATICS: False Patriarch Filaret reveals SECRET about NATO’s Fake OCU head Epiphanius
|
KIEV – The false patriarch Filaret revealed the secret of the origin of the NATO backed head of the Ukrainian schismatic organization “OCU”, Epiphanius, who turns out to be the illegitimate son of one of the schismatic “bishops” close to Filaret. Earlier, a number of Ukrainian media wrote that Epiphanius was allegedly the son of Filaret himself. “Earlier there were rumors, but now we have evidence that this is the illegitimate son of Metropolitan Daniel,” Filaret said, answering the question of whether his family ties to Epiphanius. He also explained how the choice fell on Epiphanius as the head of “OCU”. “Nobody imposed it, I offered it to the president when preparations were made for the unifying Council on December 15, 2018. But there was a condition that Epiphanius would become the head of the church, and in fact I (Patriarch Filaret) would be leading the church in Ukraine. And Metropolitan Epiphanius would represent the Ukrainian church from the outside – in the Orthodox world. This was my agreement with the President and with Epiphanius. We did not sign any agreement, believed his word, but it turned out that his word cannot be trusted, ” Filaret said. Note that the “Metropolitan” Daniel (Chokalyuk) died in 2005, at 47 years old. He was one of the closest collaborators of the schismatic Filaret. Recall that on June 25, Filaret accused the dissenters of the OCU of seizing of the temples of the Kyiv Patriarchate. Previously the schismatics, the OCU deprived Filaret of the right to govern the diocese. A day earlier, Filaret asked Avakov for protection against the “OCU” from the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine . On June 20, the OCU declared the Kyiv Patriarchate banned. On the same day, Filaret restored the “Kyiv Patriarchate” and declared the creation of the “OCU” invalid. Both the so-called Kyiv Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine are held by the Russian Orthodox Church and the vast majority of Orthodox patriarchates around the world to be schismatic.
|
Joaquin Flores
|
https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/06/war-of-the-schismatics-false-patriarch-filaret-reveals-secret-about-natos-fake-ocu-head-epiphanius/
|
2019-06-30 14:21:54+00:00
| 1,561,918,914 | 1,567,537,524 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
200,409 |
fortruss--2019-12-26--MAJOR: Patriarch of Jerusalem was Pressured to Recognize OCU but did not Give in, Says Archbishop of
| 2019-12-26T00:00:00 |
fortruss
|
MAJOR: Patriarch of Jerusalem was Pressured to Recognize OCU but did not Give in, Says Archbishop of Cyprus
|
MAJOR: Patriarch of Jerusalem was Pressured to Recognize OCU but did not Give in, Says Archbishop of Cyprus NICOSIA – His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem was pressured to recognize the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” but did not give in, the primate of the Cypriot Orthodox Church said in a recent meeting with a hierarch of the canonical Ukrainian Church. And the other primates are unlikely to recognize Epiphany Dumenko and the OCU, His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II said in his meeting with His Eminence Metropolitan Sergius of Ternopil on Sunday, December 22, reports the Ukrainian Church’s Department for External Church Relations. Thus, the reports of pressure on the Patriarch coming from within the Jerusalem Patriarchate have been confirmed by his fellow Greek primate. Last month, it was reported that Pat. Theophilos has experienced pressure from representatives of the U.S. Democratic Party, such as Joe Biden. Pat. Theophilos successfully withstood the pressure to concelebrate with schismatics in January and he canceled a meeting with former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, instead hosting a delegation from the canonical Ukrainian Church the next day. While visiting Moscow last month, Pat. Theophilos stated that he invites the primates of all the Local Churches to convene in Jordan to discuss the preservation of Church unity in Eucharistic communion. Abp. Chrysostomos also assured Met. Sergius and the Ukrainian pilgrims of his continuing support for the canonical Ukrainian Church, noting that he is well aware of the truth of the situation in Ukraine. The delegation consists of clergy and faithful from churches that have been seized by the nationalist schismatics. He also expressed his hope that the Ukrainian Church issue will soon cease to be a subject of political influence, and that Patriarch Bartholomew will realize and admit his mistake. For his part, Abp. Chrysostomos sees his goal as telling the primates of the other Local Churches about the truth of the situation as much as possible. “I took the initiative,” he said. “I had communication with all the primates. We are waiting and hoping that the Patriarch of Constantinople will understand his mistake. Other primates are unlikely to recognize Epiphany. Although there were attempts to pressure the Patriarch of Jerusalem, he did not give in.” Abp. Chrysostomos earlier revealed that he dropped his mediatory talks with the other primates under pressure from Pat. Bartholomew. Met. Sergius concelebrated the Divine Liturgy and a memorial service for Archbishop Chrysostomos I with Abp. Chrysostomos II on Sunday before the meeting with the Cypriot primate. Abp. Chrysostomos also earlier revealed that while he disagrees with Constantinople’s actions in Ukraine, he also disagrees with the Russian Church’s response of breaking communion with the Patriarchate, and believes that Patriarch Kirill desires the place of primacy in the Church, which the Cypriot primate told him would never happen.
|
Drago Bosnic
|
https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/12/major-patriarch-of-jerusalem-was-pressured-to-recognize-ocu-but-did-not-give-in-says-archbishop-of-cyprus/
|
Thu, 26 Dec 2019 07:00:36 +0000
| 1,577,361,636 | 1,577,361,851 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
478,411 |
russiainsider--2019-05-21--Novel Solution Patriarch of Moscow Calls for End to Abortions to Boost Population
| 2019-05-21T00:00:00 |
russiainsider
|
Novel Solution: Patriarch of Moscow Calls for End to Abortions to Boost Population
|
The head of Russia’s Orthodox Church has proposed a national ban on abortion to boost the country's lagging population numbers. Russia legalized abortion in 1955 and has the second-highest abortion rate in the world after China. While Russia’s anti-abortion movement has largely failed to change the law, it has gained momentum in recent years, spurred by the rise of the Orthodox Church as a powerful political force. “We must first of all remove the topic of abortion to the extent that it exists,” Patriarch Kirill was quoted as saying at a pro-life event in Moscow on Sunday by Interfax. With an estimated 1 million fewer abortions per year, he projected population numbers could reach 156 million in the next decade and 166 million in 20 years. Russia has grappled with a demographic crisis in recent years, with its population declining for the first time in a decade last year to 146.8 million.
| null |
https://russia-insider.com/en/novel-solution-patriarch-moscow-calls-end-abortions-boost-population/ri27078
|
2019-05-21 13:05:30+00:00
| 1,558,458,330 | 1,567,540,239 |
religion and belief
|
religious leader
|
3,146 |
abcnews--2019-12-12--Official: Jersey City attack was 'fueled' by anti-Semitism
| 2019-12-12T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Official: Jersey City attack was 'fueled' by anti-Semitism
|
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The two killers who stormed a kosher market in Jersey City were driven by hatred of Jews and law enforcement, New Jersey's attorney general said Thursday, adding that the case is being investigated as domestic terrorism. Attorney General Gurbir Grewal also disclosed that the man and woman had five guns, including an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun that they were wielding when they burst into the store in an attack that left the scene littered with several hundred shell casings. They also had a pipebomb in their van. "The outcome would have been far, far worse” if not for the Jersey City Police, Grewal said. Authorities noted that a Jewish school is next to the market, and a Catholic school is across the street. The attackers killed three people in the store, in addition to a police officer at a cemetery about a mile away, before dying in an hourslong gunbattle with police Tuesday afternoon, authorities said. “The evidence points toward acts of hate. I can confirm that we're investigating this matter as potential acts of domestic terrorism fueled both by anti-Semitism and anti-law enforcement beliefs,” the attorney general said. He said social media posts, witness interviews and other evidence reflected the couple's hatred of Jews and police. Grewal noted that after killing three people in the store, the couple concentrated their fire on police and did not shoot at others who happened to be on the streets. Grewal said the attackers, David Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50, had expressed interest in a fringe religious group called the Black Hebrew Israelites, whose members often rail against Jews and whites. But he said there was no evidence so far that they were members, and added that the two were believed to have acted alone. The pair brought their cache of weapons in a U-Haul van they drove from Bay View Cemtery, where they shot and killed Jersey City Detective Joseph Seals, according to the attorney general. Anderson fired away with the AR-15-style rifle as he entered the store, while Graham brought a 12-gauge shotgun into the shop. They also had handguns with a homemade silencer and a device to catch shell casings. In all, they had five guns — four recovered in the store, one in the van — in what Grewal called a “tremendous amount of firepower.” Serial numbers from two of the weapons showed that Graham purchased them in Ohio in 2018, the attorney general said. The victims killed in the store were: Mindel Ferencz, 31, who with her husband owned the grocery; 24-year-old Moshe Deutsch, a rabbinical student from Brooklyn who was shopping there; and store employee Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, 49. A fourth person in the store was shot and wounded but managed to escape, authorities said. Members of New York's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community gathered Wednesday night for funerals for Ferencz and Deutsch. Thousands of people, mostly men, followed Ferencz's casket through the streets of Brooklyn, hugging and crying. The bloodshed in the city of 270,000 people across the Hudson River from New York City spread fear through the Jewish community and weighed heavily on the minds of more than 300 people who attended a vigil Wednesday night at a synagogue about a mile from where the shootings took place. In the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history, 11 people were killed in an October 2018 shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Last April, a gunman opened fire at a synagogue near San Diego, killing a woman and wounding a rabbi and two others. Sisak reported from New York. Associated Press writers Jim Mustian in New York and Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/fears-anti-semitisim-hang-jersey-attack-probe-67681879
|
Thu, 12 Dec 2019 17:27:25 -0500
| 1,576,189,645 | 1,576,195,550 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,155 |
abcnews--2019-12-13--6 killed in New Jersey gunbattle, including police officer
| 2019-12-13T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
6 killed in New Jersey gunbattle, including police officer
|
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Six people, including a police officer and three bystanders, were killed in a furious gunbattle Tuesday that filled the streets of Jersey City with the sound of heavy fire for hours, authorities said. The dead included the two gunmen, Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly said. The slain officer, Detective Joseph Seals, 40, was credited by his superiors with having led the department in the number of illegal guns removed from the streets in recent years, and might have been trying to stop an incident involving such weapons when he was cut down by gunfire that erupted near a cemetery, authorities said. The shooting then continued at a kosher supermarket about a mile away, where five more bodies were found, Kelly said. “It's a really tough day for the city of Jersey City,” Mayor Steven Fulop said. Seals “was one of the best officers for getting the most guns off the streets. He was a good cop.” Two other officers were wounded but were later released from the hospital, authorities said. The bullets started flying early in the afternoon in the city of about 270,000 people, situated across the Hudson River from New York City. Seals, who worked for a unit called Cease Fire, was shot around 12:30 p.m. The gunmen then traveled to another part of the city in a stolen rental van and engaged police in a protracted shootout. "Our officers were under fire for hours," the chief said. Inside the grocery store, police found the bodies of what they were believed were the two gunmen and three other people who apparently happened to be in the place when the assailants rushed in, authorities said. Police said they were confident that all those killed were shot by the gunmen and not by police. The kosher grocery is a central fixture in a growing community of Orthodox Jews who have been moving to Jersey City in recent years. Authorities were unable to say why the gunmen went there. City Public Safety Director James Shea said that authorities believe the bloodshed was not an act of terrorism but that it was still under investigation. The shooting spread fear through the neighborhood, and the nearby Sacred Heart School was put on lockdown as a precaution. SWAT teams, state police and federal agents converged on the scene, and police blocked off the area, which in addition to the school and supermarket included a hair salon and other shops. Dozens of bystanders pressed against the police barrier to capture the action on their cellphones, some whooping when bursts of fire could be heard. Video shot by residents recorded loud volleys of gunfire reverberating along one of the city's main streets and showed a long line of law enforcement officers pointing guns as they advanced, yelling to bystanders, “Clear the street! Get out of the way!” “ It's like firecrackers going off," said Andy Patel, who works at a liquor store about three blocks away. "They were shooting like crazy. ... The cops were clearing everyone off the streets.” Seals had been on the Jersey City Police Department since 2006. In addition to his work with the illegal guns unit, he was cited for heroism in a Christmas Eve 2008 incident in which he and another officer burst through the window of a home and stopped a sexual assault that was being carried out against a 41-year-old woman. Seventh grader Zamir Butler said his class was coming back inside from the playground at Sacred Heart, which sits across the street from the grocery store, when he heard the shots. At first he thought they were thunder, since it had rained earlier. “Everybody was running up the stairs to get to safety in the classroom,” he said. “A few of the kids were crying. They told us to stay behind the wall and stay down."
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/people-killed-jersey-shooting-including-officer-67721780
|
Fri, 13 Dec 2019 18:33:05 -0500
| 1,576,279,985 | 1,576,281,962 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,158 |
abcnews--2019-12-13--Funeral set for Texas sergeant amid anger over initial bond
| 2019-12-13T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Funeral set for Texas sergeant amid anger over initial bond
|
HOUSTON -- Funeral arrangements have been set for a Houston-area police sergeant who was killed this week while trying to arrest a suspect during a traffic stop, officials announced Friday. The details of Nassau Bay police Sgt. Kaila Sullivan’s funeral come as law enforcement agencies and police unions expressed anger the suspect charged in her death was initially given a bond following his arrest. That bond was later revoked as the charge was upgraded to capital murder. Sullivan’s funeral service has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Grace Church Houston. It is the same church where the funeral service was held on Thursday for Houston police Sgt. Christopher Brewster, 32. He was killed Dec. 7 while responding to a domestic violence call. Sullivan, 43, was trying to arrest Tavores Henderson during the Tuesday night traffic stop for an outstanding warrant for assault when he broke free. Authorities allege Henderson fled in his vehicle and struck Sullivan, running over her and dragging her body. She later died at a hospital. Henderson, 21, was arrested on Thursday following a nearly two-day search by authorities. Court records didn’t list an attorney for him. Henderson’s mother and her boyfriend have each been charged with hindering apprehension for allegedly helping Henderson flee authorities. When he was arrested, Henderson was initially charged with felony murder and a magistrate judge had set his bond at $150,000. Local law enforcement agencies, as well as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, expressed anger Henderson had been granted a bond. In a statement, the Texas Municipal Police Association — the state’s largest law enforcement association — called the initial bond given Henderson “an insult to every member of law enforcement and the good citizens we are charged with protecting.” The Harris County District Attorney’s Office said Friday there was never any chance Henderson would have been released from jail as his bond on another assault charge he is facing had been revoked, which meant he could not be released. When prosecutors upgraded the charge to capital murder, they asked that he be held without bond and that request was granted, said Dane Schiller, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office. “He is not going anywhere but a cell or courtroom, where he faces the possibility of life in prison or a death sentence,” Schiller said.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/funeral-set-texas-sergeant-amid-anger-initial-bond-67728662
|
Fri, 13 Dec 2019 22:12:03 -0500
| 1,576,293,123 | 1,576,325,139 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,168 |
abcnews--2019-12-13--State mounts largest crackdown on illegal pot shops in LA
| 2019-12-13T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
State mounts largest crackdown on illegal pot shops in LA
|
LOS ANGELES -- California regulators mounted dozens of raids against illegal marijuana retailers in Los Angeles this week, the largest crackdown to date against the city's thriving black market, officials announced Friday. The state has been under pressure from California's legal industry to do more to stop the underground pot economy, which in Los Angeles and other cities often operates in plain sight. According to some estimates, roughly 75% of sales in the state remain under the table, snatching profits from legal storefronts. Investigators from the state Bureau of Cannabis Control and the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Cannabis Enforcement Unit served search warrants at 24 unlicensed shops from Tuesday through Thursday. They seized $8.8 million in cannabis products, confiscated nearly 10,000 illegal vape pens and $129,000 in cash, the bureau said. The crackdown was praised by the United Cannabis Business Association, a Los Angeles-based industry group that has been urging the state to do more to shut down rogue operators. “For a long time we have been playing a game of whack-a-mole, targeting and shutting down a small handful of illegal shops at a time, only to have them reopen days later in the same location or down the street," said Jerred Kiloh, who heads the group. He called the raids “the type of systematic action required” to combat the vast illegal market. “Every day, illegal operators are distributing products that are not tested, taxed or tracked by the state, putting not only the ongoing vitality of the legal industry at risk, but also the health and well-being of Californians,” Kiloh said in a statement. California kicked off broad legal sales on Jan. 1, 2018. But the illegal market has continued a bustling business, in part because consumers can avoid steep tax rates by buying in unlicensed dispensaries. But there’s a trade off for saving a buck. Illegal products have not met strict state testing standards and could be tainted by mold, pesticides, heavy metals — even human waste. The state's top cannabis regulator, Lori Ajax, signaled that more was to come. “We look forward to working with local jurisdictions and law enforcement as we continue to shut down unlicensed operators,” she said.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/state-mounts-largest-crackdown-illegal-pot-shops-la-67725936
|
Fri, 13 Dec 2019 20:04:47 -0500
| 1,576,285,487 | 1,576,325,141 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,183 |
abcnews--2019-12-14--FBI recovers van it says may be linked to Jersey City attack
| 2019-12-14T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
FBI recovers van it says may be linked to Jersey City attack
|
ORANGE, N.J. -- Federal authorities have recovered a van that may be connected to the Jersey City shootings that killed four people and are now being investigated as domestic terrorism, the FBI said Saturday. The white van recovered Saturday morning in Orange, New Jersey, about 11 miles (17 kilometers) northwest of Jersey City, is being examined for any evidence related to the attack, the FBI said in a news release. A man and woman killed a police officer near a cemetery, three people in a kosher supermarket and then died in an hourslong gun battle with police Tuesday, authorities say. It was not clear how the van may be linked to the attack, and authorities did not release further details. Police in Ramapo, New York, close to New Jersey's northern border, had earlier said that FBI officials had told them they were trying to locate a white van in connection with Tuesday's events. People were urged not to approach the vehicle if it was spotted but to immediately contact local law enforcement authorities. New Jersey's attorney general said Thursday that the attackers were driven by hatred of Jews and law enforcement. The two were armed with a variety of weapons, including an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun, and a pipe bomb was also found in a stolen U-Haul van — a vehicle different from the white van recovered Saturday. The attackers, David Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50, had expressed interest in a fringe religious group called the Black Hebrew Israelites, whose members often rail against Jews and whites, but there was no evidence so far that they were members and they are believed to have acted alone, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said. The two shot and killed Jersey City Detective Joseph Seals in Bay View Cemetery, then killed Mindel Ferencz, 31, who owned the grocery with her husband; 24-year-old Moshe Deutsch, a rabbinical student from Brooklyn who was shopping there; and store employee Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, 49, Grewal said. A fourth person in the store was shot and wounded but managed to escape, authorities said. Anderson and Graham are also prime suspects in the slaying of an Uber driver found dead in a car trunk in nearby Bayonne the previous weekend, authorities have said. The killings in the city of 270,000 people across the Hudson River from New York City spread concern through the Jewish community.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/fbi-recovers-van-linked-jersey-city-attack-67735790
|
Sat, 14 Dec 2019 16:06:17 -0500
| 1,576,357,577 | 1,576,368,421 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,200 |
abcnews--2019-12-14--Shooting shows New Jersey's gun laws aren't stopping imports
| 2019-12-14T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Shooting shows New Jersey's gun laws aren't stopping imports
|
TRENTON, N.J. -- Officials from states with strong gun restrictions have called for stricter firearm control in places with weaker laws to thwart traffickers, but the fatal attack on a Jewish market in New Jersey shows how fruitless those efforts can be. Three civilians and a police officer were gunned down Tuesday by two killers with anti-Semitic and anti-law enforcement beliefs, the state's attorney general said. The attackers carried five firearms and a pipe bomb in the U-Haul van they drove to the Jersey City Jewish market before opening fire, officials said. Two of the weapons used by David Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50, were bought by Graham in Ohio last year, police said. It's unknown where they got the three other guns. New Jersey is among the states with the toughest gun restrictions in the country, and in the past two years, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has signed over a half-dozen new restrictions into law, including a lower bullet limit for gun magazines and a red flag law. He's also made a priority of highlighting the so-called iron pipeline of firearms from other states — particularly along the Interstate 95 corridor. Murphy, for example, is requiring state police to publish data monthly on guns recovered from crimes. The data shows nearly 80% of so-called crime guns are from out of state. Murphy says it's important to “name and shame” states with weaker gun laws that effectively import weapons into New Jersey. And in California, its Democratic governor and attorney general this year both criticized the continued ability to bring in illegal firearms from other states despite California’s strict gun laws. For years, Chicago officials have complained that street violence often comes from the muzzles of guns sold in states with less-stringent laws. Officials there and elsewhere have renewed demands for gun control at the federal level. "It keeps happening, over and over and over again, on their damn watch," California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said of federal politicians. “I can't put borders up in a neighboring state where you can buy this damn stuff legally.” “If we're being honest, New Jersey is not an oasis and that's why it's extraordinarily frustrating,” said Bill Castner. “We will continue to push and identify the most aggressive actions, but without a federal solution, it's extraordinarily challenging.” Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said her group is pressing ahead with state level gun control because of the political headwinds in Washington. “What we have to do until we have the right president and Congress is go state by state,” Watts said in an interview. “That’s what we have to do now because of the political makeup. Every state is only as safe as the closest state with the weakest gun laws.” Second Amendment advocates, though, push back on the need for tougher state and national laws. Scott Bach, the executive director of the New Jersey Association of Rifle and Pistol Clubs, an affiliate of the NRA, invoked a common criticism of tougher restrictions: criminals break laws, they don't follow them. “Criminals laugh at gun regulations — the only thing they understand is severe punishment for actual gun crime," Bach said. Officials are still investigating the Jersey City attack and have yet to release details about how the deceased attackers obtained their weapons. AP writer Don Thompson in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/shooting-highlights-difficulty-keeping-crime-guns-67732282
|
Sat, 14 Dec 2019 09:56:27 -0500
| 1,576,335,387 | 1,576,368,423 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,219 |
abcnews--2019-12-15--Two Georgia teenagers arrested in weekend mall shooting
| 2019-12-15T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Two Georgia teenagers arrested in weekend mall shooting
|
ATLANTA -- Two teenagers were arrested in connection with a shooting that wounded one man in a busy suburban Atlanta mall food court at the height of Christmas shopping season, police said Sunday. The Cobb County Police Department said surveillance footage and interviews helped identify the suspects as 18-year-old Zaire Dhanoolal and 19-year-old Joweer Ponce, both from Marietta. Dhanoolal was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, while Ponce was charged with reckless conduct and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, according to the law enforcement statement. Both suspects were being held at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, and county police said they were still investigating the mall shooting. The shooting happened Saturday around 1 p.m. and sent shoppers scrambling at the sound of gunfire that police said began with a verbal dispute. Officials said 18-year-old Ethan Green was shot in the neck and shoulder area and was taken to the hospital for treatment of what they described as “non-life threatening injuries.” The Cobb County Police Department said 21-year-old Anthony Ezell wasn't injured during the shooting, but was considered a victim of aggravated assault because a weapon was pointed at him before Green was shot. It wasn't immediately clear if either Dhanoolal or Ponce had a lawyer. Videos posted online showed people with shopping bags running in all directions from the food court after the shooting, with some hiding under counters and tables. Shoppers reported that store employees in some cases told them to hide in stockrooms. Police, upon arriving, evacuated people who were found hiding. Police said in statements that the shooting was “an isolated incident,” calling it a dispute between people who knew each other. The mall was closed for a time Saturday afternoon following the shooting, but later reopened. Cumberland Mall, in suburban Cobb County, has more than 1 million square feet (92,000 square meters) of retail space. It's in a busy suburban business district, near where major league baseball's Atlanta Braves play in their new stadium.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/georgia-teenagers-arrested-weekend-mall-shooting-67744422
|
Sun, 15 Dec 2019 16:39:06 -0500
| 1,576,445,946 | 1,576,454,779 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,229 |
abcnews--2019-12-16--Feds: Connecticut man wanted to fight for Islamic State
| 2019-12-16T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Feds: Connecticut man wanted to fight for Islamic State
|
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A Connecticut man who allegedly expressed interest in fighting for the Islamic State group in Syria was arrested as he prepared to leave the U.S. by boat, federal authorities said Monday. Ahmad Khalil Elshazly, 22, of West Haven, was arrested Sunday in the shoreline town of Stonington, where he expected to board a boat and begin a trip to Turkey, prosecutors said Sunday. He was ordered to be detained during a federal court hearing Monday in New Haven. Elshazly is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Federal authorities including Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham allege Elshazly, a U.S. citizen, began telling other people last year that he wanted to travel to Syria and the surrounding area to fight for the Islamic State. In October, he told others he wanted to kill 100 “kaffirs,” or infidels, prosecutors said. Authorities said Elshazly made numerous other statements including, “God willing! May this country (the U.S.) burn the same way they burned Muslims! May they burn in fire at the end!” Elshazly was worried about being stopped by law enforcement at an airport and arranged to travel by ship to Turkey, giving someone $500 to pay for a portion of his trip, prosecutors said.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/feds-connecticut-man-wanted-fight-islamic-state-67764893
|
Mon, 16 Dec 2019 17:42:02 -0500
| 1,576,536,122 | 1,576,541,142 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,254 |
abcnews--2019-12-16--Sheriff fires school resource officer who slammed student
| 2019-12-16T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Sheriff fires school resource officer who slammed student
|
HENDERSON, N.C. -- A North Carolina sheriff said Monday that he has fired a school resource officer seen on surveillance video violently slamming a middle school student to the ground twice and then dragging the boy off camera. Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame issued a statement Monday that the deputy is no longer employed by his office. The deputy hasn't been named. “We will ask that everyone remain patient while this investigation is ongoing,” Brame said in the news release. The officer had been on paid administrative leave since the video was reported last week. It wasn't clear if the deputy would face charges. The district attorney didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The State Bureau of Investigation is probing what happened at Vance County Middle School, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) north of Raleigh. Authorities haven't named the student but the sheriff said the child is under the age of 12. Anthony Jackson, Vance County Schools superintendent, said at a news conference Monday that the school was reviewing its agreement with the sheriff’s office and would likely make changes. “Most of all we want to express our apologies to our community that this has occurred. No student should every experience this in any way,” he said. The Southern Poverty Law Center issued a statement decrying what happened as “unconscionable” and saying it's part of a larger problem. “Law enforcement officers are frequently brought in to schools to handle routine school discipline and this far too often is the result—an outrageously excessive use of force on young children. This must end. Our children deserve better," said Karen Baynes-Dunning, interim CEO and president of SPLC. An earlier version of this report had an incorrect name for Vance County Middle School.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sheriff-school-resource-officer-slammed-student-fired-67758060
|
Mon, 16 Dec 2019 17:33:47 -0500
| 1,576,535,627 | 1,576,541,142 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,270 |
abcnews--2019-12-17--Convicted killer pardoned by Bevin declares innocence
| 2019-12-17T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Convicted killer pardoned by Bevin declares innocence
|
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A slew of last-minute pardons by former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin stirred new controversy Tuesday as a clemency recipient whose family raised campaign money for Bevin declared his innocence. Bevin, a Republican, issued hundreds of pardons between his electoral defeat on Nov. 5 and his final day in office last week. He said in a series of tweets defending the pardons on Friday that the vast majority went to people who were already out of prison or jail. But media outlets have reported on several pardons that went to people convicted of brutal crimes. And a former state cabinet official expressed reservations to Bevin about a handful of pardons that went to violent offenders. Among the most controversial pardons was one issued to Patrick Baker, a convicted killer whose family held a fundraiser for Bevin last year. Several state lawmakers have called for federal and state investigations into the Baker pardon. Baker appeared at a news conference in Lexington on Tuesday, and his attorneys said he's innocent of the 2014 slaying where he was convicted of posing as a law enforcement officer and killing Donald Mills in Mills' Knox County home. Baker's lawyers said they believe Kentucky State Police botched the investigation and the actual killer has not been brought to justice. “I did not kill Donald Mills and my family did not pay for my release,” Baker said in a statement. The state Court of Appeals reviewed Baker's case last year and ruled unanimously that there was “overwhelming" evidence to convict Baker. Another man pardoned by Bevin was serving life in prison for killing his infant son. The man, 35-year-old Kurt Robert Smith, was also charged in a prison riot while incarcerated, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. Smith had admitted during testimony to violently shaking the baby in 2001. The infant died of blunt trauma to the head. The newspaper reported Smith also was charged in a 2009 inmate riot at Northpoint Training Center near Danville. Several buildings were burned by inmates and some correctional officers were injured in the riot, which caused about $18 million in damage to the prison. At least one of Bevin's own cabinet chiefs pushed back on some of the pardons. The former head of the state's Justice and Public Safety cabinet wrote a Dec. 6 memo saying he had “serious reservations” about some of the pardons Bevin was considering, the Courier Journal reported. John Tilley outlined some violent offenses and said in the memo he could not “in good conscience" recommend pardons for those individuals. Those included Kurt Robert Smith's case; Delmar Partin, who was convicted of beheading an ex-lover and stuffing her body in a barrel; and Kathy Harless, who was sentenced to life in prison for throwing her newborn baby in a cesspool. Bevin pardoned all three.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/convicted-killer-pardoned-bevin-declares-innocence-67787729
|
Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:03:17 -0500
| 1,576,623,797 | 1,576,627,584 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,286 |
abcnews--2019-12-17--No bond for ex-Mexico security official charged with bribery
| 2019-12-17T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
No bond for ex-Mexico security official charged with bribery
|
DALLAS -- A judge in Texas ordered Mexico's former top security official to remain held without bond Tuesday as he awaits trial for allegedly accepting a fortune in drug-money bribes for letting the notorious Sinaloa cartel operate with impunity. Genaro Garcia Luna, 51, was indicted on three counts of cocaine trafficking conspiracy and a false statements charge. He waived his right to a detention hearing in Dallas a week after the federal case against him was made public in New York City. Magistrate Judge David Horan ordered Garcia Luna held in Texas until marshals could transfer him to New York, where Sinaloa kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was tried in 2018. Garcia Luna wore shackles during his appearance in a courtroom crowded with federal agents and Spanish-language journalists. His lawyer, Rose Romero, declined to comment following the brief hearing. Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested him in North Texas last Monday. During Guzman’s trial, a former cartel member testified that he personally paid Garcia Luna $6 million in bribes, secretly delivering him cash at a restaurant in Mexico between 2005 and 2007. Prosecutors have said other cooperating witnesses confirmed the Sinaloa cartel paid Garcia Luna tens of millions of dollars to clear the way for it to ship drugs to the U.S. Garcia Luna lived in Florida before his arrest. From 2001 to 2005, he led Mexico’s Federal Investigation Agency and from 2006 to 2012 served as Mexico’s secretary of public security before relocating to the U.S., authorities said. The Mexican government has promised to cooperate with U.S. officials in Garcia Luna’s case. But it’s unclear what further action the former security chief’s indictment in New York will prompt in Mexico. On Monday, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said his country will not investigate people who allegedly worked with Garcia Luna to help Sinaloa. He advised them, however, to work with American law enforcement. But Mexico’s current security secretary, Alfonso Durazo, said that García Luna could not have protected a cartel as big as Sinaloa alone. He said the administration is working on a “purging process” in the federal security forces.———
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/bond-mexico-security-official-charged-bribery-67782846
|
Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:11:47 -0500
| 1,576,624,307 | 1,576,627,582 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,290 |
abcnews--2019-12-17--Police: Boy, 13, says he handed off knife in Barnard killing
| 2019-12-17T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Police: Boy, 13, says he handed off knife in Barnard killing
|
NEW YORK -- A 13-year-old boy accused of aiding in the killing of a Barnard College freshman told police he picked up a dropped knife and handed it to another youth just before the fatal stabbing in a park near the school’s New York City campus, a detective testified Tuesday. The Dec. 11 confrontation, which ended with 18-year-old Tessa Majors staggering up a flight of stairs to street level from Manhattan's Morningside Park and collapsing in a crosswalk, was partially captured on security video, Detective Wilfredo Acevedo said. The video, though pixelated and dark, shows a scuffle involving several youths and one of them motioning toward the victim, Acevedo said at a hearing in family court. The boy is not accused of stabbing Majors, but a judge ruled that there is probable cause to proceed with felony murder and robbery charges against him. Judge Carol Goldstein ordered him detained at least through the end of the year. Another hearing is scheduled for Jan. 2. “The court finds there is a serious risk for reoffending,” Goldstein said, despite arguments from the boy's lawyer that he has a strong support system with his aunt and uncle at home, good school attendance and no behavioral problems. Police have said three youths were involved in Majors' death, which has troubled city and college leaders for its proximity to campus and its apparent randomness. But so far only the 13-year-old has been arrested. He is charged as a juvenile. Police say the youths were robbing Majors when she was killed. If convicted he could be sent to a detention facility until he is 21. The defense blasted police for questioning the boy without a lawyer present. The organization representing the boy, the Legal Aid Society, cautioned “against any rush to judgment that would only cause additional harm to the Harlem and Barnard communities." “Our client is a 13-year-old child who is presumed innocent with no juvenile record," the Legal Aid Society said in a statement. “History is full of examples of high profile cases tried in the media, rushing law enforcement to a wrongful arrest and conviction." Legal Aid lawyer Hannah Kaplan said the boy told Acevedo he did not know the other youths were robbing Majors and was too far away to hear what they were saying. She said security video of the incident doesn't show him with the knife, nor does it show him touching her or taking anything from her. Majors, from Charlottesville, Virginia, played in a rock band in New York, sported green hair and had told an editor from a newspaper internship in high school that she planned to take journalism classes in college. She was stabbed while walking in the park just before 7 p.m., two days before the start of final exams at Barnard, an all-women's school that is part of the Ivy League’s Columbia University. The city's medical examiner said Monday she died from wounds to the torso. Acevedo said the 13-year-old told police in a videotaped interview last Thursday that he and the two other youths went to the park looking to rob someone, first setting their sights on a man before turning their attention to Majors. At that time of night, the detective said, the park was “extremely dark," with none of the lamp posts lit up. Acevedo testified that the boy said he then picked up a red-handled knife that another one of the youths had dropped and that he handed it to one of them. They then approached Majors and announced they were robbing her, but she refused to hand over any property, the boy said, according to Acevedo. The boy said he witnessed what happened next from perhaps 10 feet away, Acevedo testified: One of the youths grabbing Majors from behind as the other stabbed her, causing feathers to billow from her jacket. A police officer responding to a radio call for a robbery in progress said she found Majors lying face down in the street. Officer Ena Lewis testified that Majors was wheezing for breath and had lacerations on her face and stab wounds to her body. Then Majors stopped breathing, Lewis said. The officer said she started CPR and kept at it until they got to a hospital, where Majors was pronounced dead.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/police-boy-13-handed-off-knife-barnard-killing-67789773
|
Tue, 17 Dec 2019 22:10:44 -0500
| 1,576,638,644 | 1,576,670,747 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,298 |
abcnews--2019-12-17--Washington state sues over courthouse immigration arrests
| 2019-12-17T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Washington state sues over courthouse immigration arrests
|
SEATTLE -- Washington state sued the Trump administration Tuesday seeking to stop its practice of arresting people at courthouses for immigration violations, saying it interferes with the state's authority to run its judicial system and endangers public safety. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle says that when Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection agents patrol courthouse hallways and parking lots it deters crime victims and witnesses from testifying and interferes with criminal prosecutions. Among the hundreds of people recently arrested at courthouses in Washington were an assault victim, a domestic violence survivor seeking a protection order and a married father of U.S.-citizen children with a pending application for legal permanent residency, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said at a news conference. “Federal immigration officials are arresting people with no criminal history at all. They are arresting people who are paying traffic tickets. They are arresting people who are crime victims,” Ferguson said. “As a result, and not surprisingly at all, individuals are refusing to participate in our justice system.” A similar lawsuit in Massachusetts resulted in a preliminary court order blocking immigration agents from making civil arrests — a decision Ferguson described as a “roadmap” for Washington's case. The Trump administration has appealed that order. Washington's lawsuit escalates tension between state and federal authorities over immigration enforcement. Federal authorities have insisted that state and local “sanctuary” policies limiting cooperation with immigration agents endanger the public by making it harder to deport dangerous criminals. Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts recently charged a judge there with obstructing justice by letting a defendant avoid an immigration arrest by slipping out a back door of the courthouse. In a statement emailed by spokeswoman Tanya Roman on Tuesday, ICE said it "will continue to carry out its mission to uphold public safety and enforce immigration law, and consider carefully whether to refer those who obstruct our lawful enforcement efforts for criminal prosecution.” “It is ironic that elected officials want to see policies in place to keep ICE out of courthouses, while caring little for laws enacted by Congress to keep criminal aliens out of our country,” she said. The Department of Homeland Security for years restricted what types of offenders it would target for immigration arrests, directing agents to focus on those who posed a threat to public safety or national security and to lay off crime victims and witnesses. In 2014, the Department of Homeland Security said only illegal immigrants who pose a threat to public safety or national security, or who were gang members or felons, should be targeted for arrest at courthouses. But President Donald Trump has ordered that immigration laws be fully executed “against all removable aliens.” In 2018, Homeland Security confirmed that it would make civil arrests in courthouses when necessary, and it noted that it could be safer to arrest people in courthouses because they've already been screened for weapons. Since then, officials in Washington and other states have described a dramatic increase in such arrests. Ferguson's lawsuit was accompanied by declarations from 40 people, including judges, prosecutors, lawyers, victim advocates and others who have observed the arrests and the chilling effect they have on immigrants who otherwise might agree to show up in court. The New York and Oregon court systems have adopted rules that attempt to bar ICE from arresting immigrants inside courthouses without a judicial warrant or order. Washington is considering a similar rule. In a letter to the supreme courts of Washington and Oregon last month, U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said they had no intention of honoring such policies. “Court rules that would purport to further restrict the lawful operations of federal law enforcement officials only serve to exacerbate sanctuary laws and policies that continue to place our communities at unacceptable risk,” they wrote. “They think their work is more important than ours, and I’m deeply offended by that,” Satterberg said.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/washington-sues-feds-courthouse-immigration-arrests-67782557
|
Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:21:35 -0500
| 1,576,624,895 | 1,576,627,584 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,303 |
abcnews--2019-12-18--Deputies want help IDing victim of confessed serial killer
| 2019-12-18T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Deputies want help IDing victim of confessed serial killer
|
GULFPORT, Miss. -- “Do you recognize me,” pleads a sketch of young black woman believed to be killed by confessed serial killer Samuel Little. Her mouth is drawn into a frown, her dark hair either short or pinned up in a hand-drawn sketch Little provided to law enforcement. Little began confessing to killings last year and has so far admitted to killing at least 93 people across the United States between 1970 and 2005. Five of those killings were of women he picked up near Gulfport, Mississippi, according to the Harrison County Sheriff's Office. Only three of the victims have been identified so far, and related arrest warrants have been issued. The sheriff's office shared the sketch Monday and asked for the public's help in identifying the woman, believed to have been in her early to mid-20s before she disappeared prior to December 1992. “My body was placed outdoors in a grassy area somewhere in Gulfport,” the sketch reads. The FBI considers Little to be the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history, and he's recounted his crimes in near-photographic detail, something that prompted him to create dozens of color portraits of the women he strangled. He preyed on women he didn't think would be missed; many of them were black, like Little himself, and many of their deaths were originally attributed to drugs or accidental or undetermined causes. Some bodies were never found. Authorities have said the former boxer would knock the women out with a punch and then strangle them. He would then dump their bodies and leave town .
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/deputies-iding-victim-confessed-serial-killer-67794894
|
Wed, 18 Dec 2019 07:04:16 -0500
| 1,576,670,656 | 1,576,670,746 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,325 |
abcnews--2019-12-19--Report: Washington lawmaker engaged in 'domestic terrorism'
| 2019-12-19T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Report: Washington lawmaker engaged in 'domestic terrorism'
|
SPOKANE, Wash. -- A Washington state lawmaker took part in “domestic terrorism” against the United States during a 2016 standoff at a wildlife refuge in Oregon and traveled throughout the West meeting with far-right extremist groups, according to an investigative report released Thursday. The report prepared for the state Legislature said Rep. Matt Shea, a Republican from Spokane Valley in eastern Washington, also found that he trained young people to fight a “holy war," condoned intimidating opponents and promoted militia training by the Patriot Movement for possible armed conflict with law enforcement. Shea was suspended from the state House Republican Caucus Thursday evening, and advised to resign, House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox tweeted. “He cannot use House Republican staff, he cannot meet with the caucus, his office will be moved,” Wilcox said. Shea will also be removed from his House committee assignments. The incoming House Speaker, Democratic Rep. Laurie Jinkins, said the report had been forwarded to federal prosecutors and the FBI. She said her caucus would continue to work with Republicans to explore options based on the report's findings. Both Democratic and Republican politicians had demanded Shea's resignation. Shea did not respond to phone and email messages requesting comment by The Associated Press on Thursday. Prior to the release of the report, Shea was defiant. “I will not back down,” Shea said. “I will continue to fight for our shared values that have made this country such a blessing to the rest of the world.” Shea said he has been denied any opportunity to review and respond to the report, prepared by an outside investigator. The report noted Shea declined to be interviewed as part of the probe. “Due process is the right of every citizen, and should be afforded to all members of the House regardless of their views or party affiliation,” Shea said. The investigative team, headed by a former FBI agent and a former law enforcement officer, was hired in July. The team's findings, first reported by the news website Crosscut, said: “Investigators obtained evidence that Representative Shea planned, engaged in, and promoted a total of three armed conflicts of political violence against the United States ... in three states outside the State of Washington over a three-year period to include 2014, 2015 and 2016." The report said Shea “participated in an act of domestic terrorism” when in 2016 he visited the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to support of its armed occupation by two sons of rancher Cliven Bundy. Shea "engaged in conversations with Ammon Bundy and other militia members in the planning and preparation of the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Oregon,'' the report said. He also issued a press release on Dec. 11, 2015, asking for patriot and militia groups near the takeover to rally against the U.S. government, according to the report. After the occupation of the wildlife refuge ended, Shea posted on his Facebook page: “After much prayer, I'm afraid violence might be necessary to take our country back," the report said. Shea also went to Cliven Bundy's Nevada ranch in 2014 during a standoff with FBI agents in a dispute over grazing rights. And in 2015, in Idaho, Shea resisted the planned removal of firearms from a military veteran who was not eligible to have them. The report also said that Shea in 2012 engaged in the intimidation when he posted a photo of himself on his Facebook page standing in front of a political opponent's home, and refused to remove the photo despite requests from his adversary, GOP officials and law enforcement. A 2017 online chat indicated the lawmaker joined a discussion in which others suggested violence against left-wing protesters. Reports of the chat surfaced in the Guardian earlier this year and were expanded by The Spokesman-Review newspaper. Based on chat transcripts, there's no indication Shea advocated violence himself, although he offered to do background checks on political opponents. The texts came after Shea, a lawyer who was first elected in 2008, attracted international attention over a document he wrote that laid out a ‘’biblical basis for war'' against gay marriage and abortion. He later said that the document was taken out of context. Shea has also pursued creation of a 51st state in eastern Washington that would be called Liberty and run on biblical principles. The Army veteran hosts a weekly show on the American Christian Network and in 2017 complimented members of Team Rugged, a group that one member said provides special-forces-type gun training for young men so they can be effective in Christian warfare. Shea last year lost a House leadership position after acknowledging he distributed the “biblical basis for war” document that also calls for killing non-Christian males who refuse to follow fundamentalist biblical law. Shea is popular in his very conservative district and was re-elected in 2018 with 58% of the vote.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/report-washington-lawmaker-engaged-domestic-terrorism-67838919
|
Thu, 19 Dec 2019 21:48:34 -0500
| 1,576,810,114 | 1,576,814,698 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,326 |
abcnews--2019-12-19--Reports indicate Michigan man may be baby abducted in 1964
| 2019-12-19T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Reports indicate Michigan man may be baby abducted in 1964
|
CHICAGO -- When a woman posing as a maternity-ward nurse snatched a newborn from its mother's arms more than 55 years ago, the case made headlines nationwide and led to a massive search by FBI agents and police. The mystery seemed solved two years later, when police found an abandoned child who appeared to be the missing boy and returned him to the parents, who raised him as their own. But 47 years after he came home, DNA tests showed that he was not related. Now recent media reports say a man living in rural Michigan may be the child of Chester and Dora Fronczak who was abducted on April 26, 1964, from a Chicago hospital. An FBI statement issued this week confirmed that the investigation remains open and agents continue to pursue leads. But the statement stopped short of confirming the reports — first by Las Vegas television station KLAS and then by Chicago's WGN-TV. The stations did not name the man or say where he lived in Michigan. And they did not elaborate about how he was identified as the kidnapped child, including whether DNA testing played a role. "We can tell you the adult Paul Fronczak is living in Michigan and has been made aware of his real identity," a Dec. 12 report on KLAS said. WGN went further in a report this week, saying it had spoken to the man. The man, who asked not to be identified, became aware several months ago of evidence pointing to him and was trying to come to terms with the revelations, WGN reported. In 1966, a boy was found abandoned in New Jersey, and law enforcement officials said at the time that he had ears shaped like those of the baby kidnapped in Chicago. The Fronczaks believed him to be their long-lost child. “That's my baby. It's Paul,” the mother was quoted as saying at the time. But in another cruel twist for the family, genetic tests that were not available in the 1960s revealed in 2013 that it was not him. If the recent reports are accurate, questions would quickly arise about whether the people who raised the man knew he had been kidnapped or were themselves involved in the abduction. It's unclear if anyone could still be subject to criminal charges. Messages left at a telephone number Thursday for a Dora Fronczak in suburban Chicago were not returned. Messages for a Paul Fronczak in Nevada also were not returned. “I’d like to know who I am, my birthday, how old I am? But more important: Is the real baby alive and still out there,” Paul Fronczak said in 2014, according to WGN. After the DNA test indicated the person she thought was her son was not him, Dora Franczak still seemed haunted by the abduction and by the prospect of experiencing the anguish all over again. “We went through this once, and we certainly don’t want to go through this again,” she said in a 2013 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times. The kidnapper took the baby from his mother, telling her the newborn had to be returned to the nursery for an examination. That was the last time Dora Fronczak saw the child. The woman dressed in white never came back. Fronczak, who was 28, had a stillborn son only the year before, her husband told reporters at the time. The kidnapper fled the hospital with the baby in her arms and wrapped in a receiving blanket, police said, citing witnesses. She then got in a taxi bound for the southwest side of Chicago. A week later, the FBI distributed an artist's rendition of the suspect, who newspapers referred to as "the mystery woman." Witnesses described her as around 40, standing 5-foot-4 with a ruddy complexion and black, graying hair. At least one nurse who bore a resemblance was detained, then released after an hour of questioning. More than 200 police officers, some with the drawing and a photo of the baby, went door to door in neighborhoods near where the taxi dropped the kidnapper off. The postmaster general even enlisted 175,000 mail carriers nationwide to help, asking them to report anything suspicious, including someone on their route suddenly having an unexplained baby. The kidnapped boy's father, who worked as a machinist, told reporters his wife was so distraught that she had been sedated. Chester Fronczak also issued a plea to the kidnapper to return the baby and, if she didn't do so immediately, to at least care for the child. At the father's behest, newspapers even ran a recipe for a baby formula with instructions to feed it to the newborn in 3-ounce portions every four hours. When the baby was abducted, police said blood type and ear shape were about the only leads they had because the boy had no blemishes or birthmarks. Some 10,000 babies were examined and tested by 1966 to see if they could be the boy. The AP Corporate Archives contributed to this report.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/reports-man-michigan-baby-abducted-1964-67834980
|
Thu, 19 Dec 2019 18:31:23 -0500
| 1,576,798,283 | 1,576,814,697 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,444 |
abcnews--2019-12-23--US awards immigration detention contracts in California
| 2019-12-23T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
US awards immigration detention contracts in California
|
SAN DIEGO -- The Trump administration awarded billions of dollars in contracts for private companies to operate immigration detention centers in California —- less than two weeks before a new state law takes effect to prohibit them. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill in October to ban contracts for for-profit prisons starting Jan. 1. Supporters hoped the law would force U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to look elsewhere after current contracts expire. A federal website posted long-term awards on Friday worth a combined $6.8 billion for detention facilities in San Diego, Calexico, Adelanto and Bakersfield. The sites will house about 4,000 detainees, with capacity to expand in the future. ICE said the contracts were not subject to the new state law, deflecting criticism that the timing was meant to circumvent it. Paige Hughes, an agency spokeswoman, said ICE believed the new contracts will limit transfers of detainees outside California, where they would be farther from family, friends and legal representatives. “State laws aimed at obstructing federal law enforcement are inappropriate and harmful," Hughes said. Vicky Waters, a spokeswoman for Newsom, said Monday that ICE was trying to get around the law, which she called a historic step to address excessive incarceration, including detention of immigrants and asylum-seekers. “For-profit prisons, including ICE-contracted facilities, run contrary to our values and have no place in California," Waters wrote in an email. “”This effort to circumvent California’s authority and federal procurement rules that safeguard the American taxpayers must be addressed by congressional oversight.” A state Senate analysis of Assembly Bill 32 said the Trump administration would likely sue to block the law, partly by arguing that is is preempted by federal immigration law. The analysis predicted the state would prevail in court. The GEO Group Inc. won two five-year extensions — one to operate the detention center in Adelanto, with capacity for 2,690 beds, and another to run the facility in Bakersfield, with capacity for 1,800 beds. The two contracts are worth more than $3.7 billion, GEO said Monday the contracts would provide more than $200 million in annual revenue and 1,200 jobs. CoreCivic Inc. won an extension worth $2.1 billion to operate an immigration detention center in San Diego, with capacity for 1,994 beds. Management & Training Corp. won a contract for $679 million to operate a facility in Calexico with capacity for 704 beds. California, with its large immigrant populations and border with Mexico, is a major priority for ICE, which has found itself increasingly unwelcome under state laws. As the number of ICE detainees nationwide topped 56,000 earlier this year, the agency held more people in central Louisiana.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-awards-immigration-detention-contracts-california-67902707
|
Mon, 23 Dec 2019 18:31:04 -0500
| 1,577,143,864 | 1,577,146,038 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,486 |
abcnews--2019-12-25--Nonstop violence as Baltimore nears record homicide rate
| 2019-12-25T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Nonstop violence as Baltimore nears record homicide rate
|
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore could wrap up 2019 with its highest per-capita homicide rate on record as killings of adults and minors alike for drugs, retribution, money or no clear reason continue to add up and city officials appear unable to stop the violence. Police recorded 338 homicides as of Tuesday, following a week of relentless gunfire that saw eight people shot — three of them fatally — in one day and nine others — one fatally — another day. That total is up from 309 in 2018 and four shy of the 342 killings tallied in 2017 and 2015, the year when the city's homicide rate suddenly spiked. With just over 600,000 residents, Baltimore's homicide rate would reach approximately 57 per 100,000 residents if the death toll reaches 342. That would eclipse the rate of 1993, when the city had a record 353 killings but was also much more populous. By contrast, New York City, with more than 8 million residents, had 306 homicides through Dec. 15. Police yellow tape and makeshift memorials with flowers, stuffed animals and balloons have become common in some neighborhoods of this deeply segregated city. Memorials can be found within blocks of each other at the same time. “It's a major concern for me, not just as a hopeful man but as a citizen of Baltimore who grew up in inner city Baltimore,” said Carmichael “Stokey” Cannady, a reformed drug dealer turned community activist who wants to be mayor. “I remember when a person had a conflict and would have a fight at best, now these young kids, at the age of 13, 14 years old, are finding handguns in their possession and they use them as toys ... The whole system needs to be revamped.” This is the fifth year in a row this Mid-Atlantic community dubbed “Charm City” has reported more than 300 killings. Before 2015, that number had generally been on the decline, but the trend reversed after civil unrest followed the death in police custody of a young black man, Freddie Gray. Reasons for the upward trend vary and are subject to interpretation. Many accuse police of taking a hands-off approach to crime fighting since six of their own were charged in connection with Gray's death. Others attribute it to the apparent free flow of illegal guns, the effects of a punishing opioid epidemic, social inequalities and a lack of decent jobs for many in disenfranchised neighborhoods. Some say political incompetence at City Hall also contributed. Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, who was tapped this year to fix a dispirited department and regain residents' trust, unveiled a five-year crime-fighting plan in July, that includes a goal of responding to calls within 10 minutes and prioritizing those threatening life or property. The plan also contains recruitment strategies, community engagement efforts and accountability measures. But the department lacks the personnel and resources to achieve all the goals, and Harrison has acknowledged that the city's deep-rooted “gun culture” also must be changed. “People can expect that number to go down, we are building capacity, but we need to have some type of effect on the poverty, the housing, the education, the addiction, the skills, the jobs and the lack thereof, together at the same time,” Harrison told The Associated Press. “All of that has to be addressed while prosecuting people who commit crimes and preventing other people from committing those crimes. Otherwise, it continues and then you ask the question, 'When does it stop?' without fixing the reason it starts.” Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice and members of the state's congressional delegation announced additional resources to help Harrison and federal law enforcement in Maryland track guns, hire additional police officers and beef up task forces. Harrison, in a reversal, agreed to allow three surveillance airplanes to fly above the city for up to six months as part of a pilot program. Law enforcement experts, however, warn it would be unfair to assume that law enforcement alone will reduce violent crime. “Let's not assume simply that by putting more officers, this is going to lead to greater closure of cases or will be a deterrent," Jeffrey Ian Ross, a criminologist at the University of Baltimore. "It may help families, it may put behind bars some more bad guys, but it doesn't mean it necessarily leads to a decrease in crime and homicides.”
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/nonstop-violence-baltimore-nears-record-homicide-rate-67923863
|
Wed, 25 Dec 2019 12:30:18 -0500
| 1,577,295,018 | 1,577,318,753 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,519 |
abcnews--2019-12-26--Police investigate killing of 4 on Christmas Day
| 2019-12-26T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Police investigate killing of 4 on Christmas Day
|
RIO RANCHO, N.M. -- Four people found dead on Christmas Day in a home in an Albuquerque suburb were members of the same family and the case is being investigated as a murder-suicide, authorities said Thursday. The victims were identified as Carlos Velasquez, 50; Marilyn Velasquez, 45; Roberto Velasquez, 22; and Adrian Velasquez, 14, police in the community of Rio Rancho said in a statement. “This is a tragic event for the family and for the people in our communities. Our officers and detectives understand the impact this incident has on our entire city,” Capt. Andrew Rodriguez said in the statement. He did not provide further details, saying the investigation is ongoing. Rose Varona told KRQE-TV that she’s related to the people who lived at the home and that her brother and mother found the bodies. She said the family of four that lived at the home stayed up late Tuesday to celebrate Christmas Eve. Varona said relatives on Wednesday started to become worried because they had not heard from the family, so her mother and brother went to the home and discovered the bodies. “We just try to draw the strength from God, even though we don’t understand what’s going on,” Varona said. Authorities cordoned off both ends of the residential street, where some homes were decorated with Christmas lights. The bedroom community has been mostly immune from the violence that has made headlines in neighboring Albuquerque and elsewhere around the state in recent years. New Mexico had the nation’s second highest violent crime rate and its highest property crime rate in 2018, according to federal data released in October. New Mexico's largest city, Albuquerque accounted for more than half of the state’s crime overall, despite reporting slight decreases in violent crime and property crime for the first time in years. Albuquerque this year marked a record number of homicides, even as the Democratic mayor and other politicians have been scrambling to curb the violence. U.S. Attorney General William Barr earlier this month announced Albuquerque would be among seven cities around the county where the Justice Department will intensify federal law enforcement resources in an effort to drive down violent crime. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also has promised to take up more gun-control legislation during the legislative session that begins in mid-January. Efforts last year drew criticism from nearly all of the state's sheriffs, prompting some counties to declare themselves sanctuaries for gun rights.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/mexico-police-investigate-killing-christmas-day-67934914
|
Thu, 26 Dec 2019 17:31:04 -0500
| 1,577,399,464 | 1,577,405,136 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,525 |
abcnews--2019-12-26--Sheriff blasts Amazon for not helping with probe into driver
| 2019-12-26T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Sheriff blasts Amazon for not helping with probe into driver
|
DAVENPORT, Fla. -- A sheriff's office in Florida said it caught an Amazon driver stealing a customer's package but got no help from the company during its investigation. The Polk County Sheriff's Office said Thursday in a statement that it had arrested 27-year-old Jose Campos after detectives tracked down the vehicle he was using from homeowners' association video and video from the Davenport, Florida residence where the package was stolen. Detectives had initially contacted Amazon at its logistics center in person, but they were told they needed a subpoena before the company would help them, according to the sheriff's office. A loss prevention manager told detectives Amazon would not cooperate with law enforcement and identify their driver unless the sheriff’s office served a subpoena for their records at their corporate headquarters in Delaware, according to the statement from the Polk County Sheriff's Office. "I’m not surprised by much anymore, but this lack of cooperation from Amazon floors me," said Sheriff Grady Judd. “This is just irresponsible on their part.” In a statement, Amazon said, “We work regularly and closely with law enforcement across the country and are working to understand what occurred here, to make it right and to reach out to Polk County Sheriff's Office to apologize.” There were no online court records for Campos so it was unknown if he had an attorney. He is facing charges of petit theft and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling. He was released on bail. Surveillance video from the house showed Campos walking up to the house, taking a confirmation photo of the package and then taking the package, detectives said.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sheriff-blasts-amazon-helping-probe-driver-67933148
|
Thu, 26 Dec 2019 14:21:19 -0500
| 1,577,388,079 | 1,577,405,137 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,544 |
abcnews--2019-12-27--Judge orders government to make changes to terror watchlist
| 2019-12-27T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Judge orders government to make changes to terror watchlist
|
FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- A federal judge is ordering the government to make changes to its watchlist of more than 1 million people whose inclusion marks them as known or suspected terrorists, but for now he's giving the government latitude to propose the changes as it sees fit. The order issued last week by U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga in Alexandria falls short of what a Muslim civil rights group had hoped for when it won a ruling earlier this year that the secret list violates the constitutional rights of those placed on it. The Council on American-Islamic Relations had asked Trenga to order specific, sweeping changes to the way the government places names on the list and providing a meaningful opportunity for those wrongly included to clear their names. Instead, Trenga simply told the government to craft its own remedies to bring the list into compliance and to submit those proposals to him for review. Trenga ordered the government to provide him a status report on its proposed revisions by early February. Gadeir Abbas, a lawyer for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he has little hope that the government will on its own propose any meaningful changes. “I don't think there's any doubt the government is going to take a cynical approach to any type of watchlist revision,” he said in a phone interview. “We expect the government will be focused on maintaining its illegal program.” Still, he said, Trenga's ruling holds some bright spots. Trenga indicated he will review the government's proposals to gauge whether they fix the specific due process problems he outlined earlier in the year: that the government refuses to confirm whether individuals are on the watchlist, that those on the list lack an opportunity to rebut the negative information that led to their inclusion, and that if they request a review of their status they are unable to learn its outcome or make any meaningful appeal. The watchlist, also known as the Terrorist Screening Database, is maintained by the FBI and shared with a variety of federal agencies. Customs officers have access to the list to check people coming into the country at border crossings, and aviation officials use the database to help form the no-fly list, which is a much smaller subset of the broader watchlist. As of June 2017, approximately 1.16 million people were included on the watchlist, according to government documents filed in the lawsuit. In 2013, the number was only 680,000. The vast majority are foreigners, but according to the government, there are roughly 4,600 U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents on the watchlist as of 2017. CAIR filed the lawsuit on behalf of more than 20 Muslim plaintiffs who said they were wrongly placed on the list and called the government's process for adding names overbroad and riddled with errors. The lawsuit argues that the watchlist does little to nothing to actually prevent terrorism, all while imposing a burden and suspicion on Muslims wrongly included on the list. The suit was filed in 2016 and has exposed previously unknown details about the list and how it is disseminated. In particular, government lawyers acknowledged after years of denials that more than 500 private entities are given access to the list. Government lawyers describe those private agencies as "law enforcement adjacent" and include university police forces, and security forces and hospitals, railroads and even animal-welfare organizations. The Justice Department and the FBI each declined comment Friday on Trenga's ruling.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judge-orders-government-make-terror-watchlist-67947844
|
Fri, 27 Dec 2019 14:36:18 -0500
| 1,577,475,378 | 1,577,491,562 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,553 |
abcnews--2019-12-27--NYC ups policing in Jewish areas after spate of attacks
| 2019-12-27T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
NYC ups policing in Jewish areas after spate of attacks
|
NEW YORK -- New York City is increasing its police presence in some Brooklyn neighborhoods with large Jewish populations after a string of possibly anti-Semitic attacks during the Hanukkah holiday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said after the latest episode happened Friday. Besides making officers more visible in Borough Park, Crown Heights and Williamsburg, police will boost visits to houses of worship and some other places, the mayor tweeted. “I feel pained that in this society, a place that is supposed to be of respect for everybody, a season when we’re supposed to be respecting everybody, we see hate rearing its very ugly head. We will not accept it," the Democrat said during a visit later Friday to Crown Heights, where he met with some representatives of the local Jewish community. Around the city, police have gotten at least six reports this week — and eight since Dec. 13 — of attacks possibly propelled by anti-Jewish bias. “It’s something that’s very alarming, and we treat it very seriously,” police Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said at a news conference Friday. The attacks have happened as Jewish communities in the New York City metro area were already on edge after a deadly Dec. 10 shooting rampage at a northern New Jersey kosher market. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said the attack was driven by hatred of Jews and law enforcement. “The persistent and violent anti-Semitic attacks on Jews in the New York area has reached a crisis level," Eric Goldstein, the CEO of UJA-Federation of New York, said Friday. The organization is a large Jewish charity. The latest incident happened around 12:40 a.m. Friday, when a woman slapped three other women in the face and head after encountering them on a Crown Heights corner, police said. The victims, who range in age from 22 to 31, suffered minor pain, police said. Tiffany Harris, 30, was arrested on a hate-crime harassment charge. She was awaiting arraignment Friday. It wasn't clear whether she had a lawyer who could comment on the charges, and no working telephone numbers for Harris could immediately be found. Her arrest came hours after a hate crime assault arrest in Brooklyn's Gravesend neighborhood. There, according to police and court documents, a woman was hit in the head with a bag by an attacker who jumped in front of her, made anti-Semitic comments and vowed that “your end is coming to you” Thursday afternoon. The victim, 34, was with her 3-year-old son. The suspect, Ayana Logan, 42, was freed on supervised release after being arraigned Friday. Her lawyer, Lauren Katzman, said she believed authorities were overreaching in casting the case as a hate crime. “Ms. Logan is not guilty, and I look forward to fighting the case for her in court,” Katzman said. On Monday, a Miami man was charged with hate-crime assault after police said he made an anti-Semitic remark and attacked a man in midtown Manhattan. The 65-year-old victim was punched and kicked, suffering cuts, police said. He had been wearing a yarmulke, according to former state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who has founded a group dedicated to combating anti-Semitism. Steven Jorge, 28, is being held without bail, and a judge ordered a psychiatric exam for him, court records show. A message was left Friday for Jorge's lawyer. Gov. Andrew Cuomo told a state hate crimes task force to help police investigate the attack, calling it “a horrific and cowardly act of anti-Semitism.” “It’s even more despicable that it occurred over the holidays,” the Democratic governor said in a statement Wednesday. Hanukkah began Sunday. The New York Police Department's Hate Crime Task Force is also investigating some other episodes this week as possibly motivated by anti-Semitism: — Officers were told that two boys, ages 6 and 7, were accosted by a group of people while getting off an elevator in a Williamsburg apartment building Monday night, and one of the boys was hit, Harrison said. The attackers fled. — A 25-year-old man told police he was walking on a Crown Heights street early Tuesday when a group of people started yelling anti-Semitic slurs at him and one threw a beverage at him. The suspects fled. — Later Tuesday in Crown Heights, a 56-year-old man said that a group of people approached him, and that one of them punched him, while he was walking. No arrests have been made. Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/nyc-ups-policing-jewish-areas-spate-attacks-67945229
|
Fri, 27 Dec 2019 17:39:02 -0500
| 1,577,486,342 | 1,577,491,562 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,634 |
abcnews--2019-12-30--Officer handed McDonald's coffee inscribed with expletive
| 2019-12-30T00:00:00 |
abcnews
|
Officer handed McDonald's coffee inscribed with expletive
|
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. -- McDonald's is disputing allegations that one of the restaurant's workers wrote an expletive and the word “pig” on a coffee cup that was given to a Kansas police officer who stopped there on his way to work. Dana Cook, the owner of a McDonald’s in Junction City, said in a written statement that the restaurant has security video that proves none of its employees wrote the words. Cook did not speculate about who may have written them before Herington's police chief posted a picture of the cup on . Chief Brian Hornaday's post about the cup has since been removed and he now says he's “looking further into this matter" with McDonald's. In the Facebook post, he said one of his officers was handed the cup Saturday when he went through the McDonald's drive-through in Junction City, which is near Fort Riley. "This behavior has been, is and always will be wrong," Hornaday said in his initial post. He didn't immediately return an email message Monday from The Associated Press. But he told WIBW-TV that his reaction after the initial report was based on believing that a police officer has integrity "and it would be foolish of any law enforcement agency or professional to not take the word of their police officer until they can be proven otherwise.” The officer involved in the incident has been with the department for only two months, but spent five years as a military police officer in the Army, Hornaday said. The chief said McDonald's and his department are working together to investigate. He asked for patience as the investigation continues. “Judgment is something that should be made at the end after all evidence and all facts have been gathered and presented,” he said. McDonald's corporate media didn't answer question, instead directing people to look at the owner's statement. “My McDonald’s have the utmost respect for all members of law enforcement and the military and were troubled by the accusation made," Cook wrote in the statement. “We thoroughly reviewed our security video from every angle, which clearly shows the words were not written by one of our employees. We look forward to working with Chief Hornaday as he continues his investigation.” This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the town's name to Herington instead of Herrington.
| null |
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officer-handed-mcdonalds-coffee-inscribed-expletive-67981645
|
Mon, 30 Dec 2019 17:38:02 -0500
| 1,577,745,482 | 1,577,750,735 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,659 |
activistpost--2019-01-03--Bipartisan Support for Gun Confiscation Is Growing
| 2019-01-03T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
Bipartisan Support for Gun Confiscation Is Growing
|
The 2018 midterm elections produced a with Democrats gaining control of the House and Republicans gaining seats in the Senate. The chattering DC classes are already speculating about the Democrats’ plans to Trump’s tax records and Senate Republicans’ moves to consolidate their hold of the . But amid the DC gossip, a new threat is being overlooked—red flag gun confiscation orders. The Guardian House Democrats’ desire to pass gun control legislation in the upcoming Congress: With the cries for gun control growing stronger, the federal government may finally give in to public pressure to “do something.” Red flag laws might just be the “come together” moment establishment politicians have been looking for. Red flag laws, or Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), are the euphemistic for the gun control push du jour blazing across the nation. Under red flag laws, law enforcement has the ability to confiscate an individual’s firearms if they are deemed a threat to themselves or others. A simple accusation from a family member, friend, or associate will suffice to seize someone’s firearms. These laws, mind you, operate in complete violation of due process. Individuals can take their accusers to court even though the defendant in question has never been charged with or convicted of a crime. Additionally, the defendant could have their weapons confiscated without even so much as a hearing before a judge. It could take months before a gun owner would have to appear in court to win back his gun rights. currently have red flag laws on the books, with dozens more filing their own versions. What started out as a state-level movement may have some legs at the federal level. Although it’s true that Congressional Democrats are making gun control a major theme of their legislative agenda, it’s naïve to think red flag laws are only relevant because “gun-grabbing” Democrats have taken power. As we’ll see below, red flag laws have a history of bipartisan support. And when any piece of legislation has Democrats and Republicans locking arms in agreement, you know trouble lies ahead. Despite their passionate campaign rhetoric, a significant portion of Republican politicians will change colors on gun rights once in DC. Several GOP members in the upcoming Congress stick out like a sore thumb when it comes to their gun control advocacy. Lindsey Graham: The South Carolina senator already introduced a red flag bill earlier this year. With the 116th Congress right around the corner, Graham will likely reach across the aisle with Democrat colleagues to move red flag legislation forward. Graham has opined that red flag legislation is the “place where we begin a long-overdue discussion about firearms and mental health. But we must start.” Marco Rubio: Following the Parkland shootings, Rubio joined the gun control chorus by sponsoring a bill along with Democrat Senators Joe Manchin, Bill Nelson, & Jack Reed. Rubio has even flirted with the of regulations on magazine clips, raising the minimum age to buy certain firearms like AR-15s, and tweaking the current background check system. Mitt Romney: The incoming Utah senator has an anti-gun record as governor of Massachusetts. As governor, Romney signed an into law in 2004. In political fashion, Romney obscured his anti-gun act by turning to pro-Second Amendment platitudes during both of his presidential runs in 2008 and 2012. In a 2007 statement, Romney that he does not “support any new gun laws including any new ban on semi-automatic firearms.” Nevertheless, the fallout from the recent Parkland shooting has made Romney the validity of enhanced background checks. Rick Scott: Former governor of Florida and Florida’s new senator, Rick Scott, poses an interesting threat to gun rights. Despite his ostensibly pro-gun , Scott signed , Florida’s most expansive gun control measure in recent history. Pressured by the outrage over the Parkland School shooting, Scott’s SB 7026 red flag provisions, raises the age to buy a firearm to 21, and imposes a three-day waiting period for all firearms purchases. Trump Administration: Even the executive branch is joining in on the red flag craze. The Trump Administration’s Commission on School Safety recently released a report recommending red flag laws as a means to “address school safety and violence.” It’s only a matter of time before legislation is introduced in either chamber of Congress now that the Trump administration has endorsed red flag laws. Even , the Republican governor of Maryland, kowtowed to anti-gun pressure. On April 24, 2018, Hogan signed a series of gun bills, one which included a red flag law. In October, the first month Maryland’s red flag law went into effect, there were 114 requests to confiscate individuals’ firearms. Maryland’s red flag law has not been without its fair share of controversy. At 5 am on Monday, November 5, two police officers came knocking on 61-year-old Gary Willis’ door to serve him a court order mandating that he turn over his guns. What seemed like a typical court order quickly turned deadly as one of the cops shot and Willis in a struggle that ensued. Quick to defend one of his own, Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy Altomare defended the cops’ action by callously they “did the best they could with the situation they had.” The tragic incident in Maryland is an ominous sign of what is to come should red flag laws gain more traction. Whether or not Republicans will support congressional iterations of red flag laws is anyone’s guess. The bigger problem at hand is an ideological one. When society’s ideological compass is off, government transgressions can come at any time. The passage of red flag laws could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. More than a century’s worth of Progressivism has normalized such as economic controls, big spending, never-ending wars, and now, gun control. Misguided conservatives can debate ad infinitum on the forums or their talk radio shows about how certain Republicans “sell out” or betray their movement. This, however, ignores how —rubber stamping big government, embracing globalism, and embarking on nation-building—has been the standard operating procedure for many conservatives throughout the last century. Gun rights will be no different. Gun owners will need to de-program and recognize that decentralization, not the winner-take-all electoral slugfest we see at the federal level every four years, is the best way to secure their gun rights. This article was reprinted from the Mises Institute and was sourced from FEE.org
|
Activist Post
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/01/bipartisan-support-for-gun-confiscation-is-growing.html
|
2019-01-03 00:36:43+00:00
| 1,546,493,803 | 1,567,554,033 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
3,665 |
activistpost--2019-01-04--The Dark Overlord Hackers Threaten To Release TOP SECRET Files of 911 Litigation Unless Paid In Bit
| 2019-01-04T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
The Dark Overlord Hackers Threaten To Release TOP SECRET Files of 9/11 Litigation Unless Paid In Bitcoin
|
A hacker group known as The Dark Overlord (Tdo) has announced it has breached a law firm handling cases related to the September 11th attacks and threatened to publicly release a large stockpile of internal files unless their ransom demands are met. The message from the group first posted on a Twitter account Tdo_h4ck3rs to a Pastebin has since been suspended as of this report. The group then said it moved to Reddit where it was also given the proverbial ban-hammer. The Pastebin post said the following before it was removed. Earlier in 2018, there was a fantastic and very brief article that was published about a global insurer being hacked. The hackers weren’t named and the story fell to the darkness shortly after it came about. No further mentions were made. You might guess who these hackers were. Hello world! What was that story? It was this one: http://www.globallegalpost.com/big-stories/us-law-firm-hack-hits-global-insurer-15490236/ What’s the takeaway? We hacked Hiscox Syndicates Ltd. And why didn’t Hiscox Syndicates Ltd make this more public? Well, keep reading on to find out! It wasn’t just Hiscox Syndicates Ltd that was put at risk, it was Lloyds of London as well as others. Another entity unnamed in this article is Lloyds of London and who we’ll attribute as also being involved. Hiscox Syndicates Ltd and Lloyds of London are some of the biggest insurers on the planet insuring everything from the smallest policies to some of the largest policies on the planet, and who even insured structures such as the World Trade Centers. At this point, the keen amongst you may finally be drawing conclusions at this point, but you’ll still be astonished at what’s to come. Keep reading. This also means that Silverstein Properties is involved, doesn’t it? Now things are getting more interesting. Most of you readers will not be privy to the processes and methods utilised by Fortune 500s to litigate high-impact cases, but we are, and thankfully for us, we’re going to let you in on this process. When major incidents like the WTC 911 incident happen, part of the litigation must involve SSI (Sensitive Security Information) and SCI (Special Compartment Information) from the likes of the FBI, CIA, TSA, FAA, DOD, and others being introduced into evidence, but of course this can’t become public, for fear of compromising a nation’s security, so they temporarily release these materials to the solicitor firms involved in the litigation with the strict demand they’re destroyed after their use and that remain highly protected and confidential to only be used behind closed doors. However, humans aren’t perfect and many of these documents don’t become destroyed, and when thedarkoverlord comes along hacking all these solicitor firms, investment banks, and global insurers, we stumble upon the juiciest secrets a government has to offer. What’s the takeaway? We hacked Lloyds of London and Silverstein Properties. This release of 911 Litigation Documents is highly exclusive and only available from thedarkoverlord! For a limited time only, we’re leaking the first few documents as proof of our trove on the famous dark web hacker forum ‘KickAss’. For those of you who are most interested in acquiring the entire set of documents, which counts at over 18.000 documents, to include .doc, .pdf, .ppt, .xls, .tif, .msg, and many other interesting formats (or just to acquire the most highly secret and confidential documents), the good news for you is that we’ll be selling these documents for a limited time. If you’re a terrorist organisation such as ISIS/ISIL, Al-Qaeda, or a competing nation state of the USA such as China or Russia, you’re welcome to purchase our trove of documents. You can easily contact us on the dark web hacker forum ‘KickAss’ or by e-mailing us at the e-mail found below. We’ll also sign our PGP key into this message so that you may use our PGP key to contact us if you prefer to be more discreet. What we’ll be releasing is the truth. The truth about one of the most recognisable incidents in recent history and one which is shrouded in mystery with little transparency and not many answers. What we’re offering to the world is the truth, exclusively from us, one of the planets premier hacking organisations dedicated to breaching leading targets and acquiring the most scandalous materials that we may use in our systematic extortion campaigns. If a full public release happens in the near future, we’ll guarantee that we’re going to withhold only the most highly confidential and sensitive documents for private sale. For the rest of you: don’t worry, there’s thousands of documents still to go around. If you’re one of the dozens of solicitor firms who was involved in the litigation, a politician who was involved in the case, a law enforcement agency who was involved in the investigations, a property management firm, an investment bank, a client of a client, a reference of a reference, a global insurer, or whoever else, you’re welcome to contact our e-mail below and make a request to formally have your documents and materials withdrawn from any eventual public release of the materials. However, you’ll be paying us. If you’re a member of the press and would like to make an enquiry, you may do so at our press e-mail which is well known by members of the press. You may acquire this from any reporters who’ve published our quotes, as they all have it and will accept this signed announcement as permission to share our press e-mail address with you. We’ve linked below sixteen images from a very few of the documents from the legal firm Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin, who is now Husch Blackwell. More details and files are available on the KickAss dark web hacker forum. We’re also releasing a small part of the larger archive of the 911 World Trade Center Litigation documents publicly. There’s thousands of files included in the archive. Everyone can freely have a copy of the archive and we would encourage it. However, the archive is completely encrypted using a very strong AES encryption and very strong master keys that will prevent anyone from decrypting the veracrypt containers until we publicly release the keys for each layer. The archive is split between five layers. Layer 1 being the most modest, and Layer 5 containing the most heavy hitting and impactful documents, with Layer 2, Layer 3, and Layer 4 containing ever-increasingly scandalous materials. We encourage everyone to obtain a copy of all five archives. As time goes on, we may publicly release keys for each of these containers if our requests from the involved companies are not met. The link to download the 10 GB archive is below. Stay tuned for the possible release of decryption keys. We may release these keys on our new official Twitter page (@tdo_h4ck3rs) and/or on the dark web hacker forum ‘KickAss’. Below is the link to the torrent file to download the archive. The magnet URL follows the PGP at the end of this release. And finally, a message to the companies directly involved to include the airlines, government agencies, the dozens of solicitor firms, the insurers, and the many others, this is a message directly to you: pay the fuck up, or we’re going to bury you with this. If you continue to fail us, we’ll escalate these releases by releasing the keys, each time a Layer is opened, a new wave of liability will fall upon you. You know our contact details. You’re welcome, heathens and what’s the final lesson? When you’re a client of ours and you’ve accepted an agreement of ours: follow it to the letter. We’re not motivated by any political thoughts. We’re not hacktivists. We’re motivated only by our pursuit of internet money (Bitcoin). Stay tuned on PasteBin for future announcements related to this leak. We’ll always sign all of our releases for verification of authenticity. Subsequent announcements may include this original announcement.
|
Aaron
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/01/dark-overlord-hackers-threaten-release-top-secret-files-911-litigation-unless-paid-bitcoin.html
|
2019-01-04 00:54:05+00:00
| 1,546,581,245 | 1,567,553,881 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
4,439 |
activistpost--2019-04-10--Ancestry Websites Giving FBI Access to DNA Data WikiLeaks Reveals CODIS Database Gifted To Other Co
| 2019-04-10T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
Ancestry Websites Giving FBI Access to DNA Data; WikiLeaks Reveals CODIS Database Gifted To Other Countries; DHS Rolling Out Rapid DNA Nationwide
|
The FBI is abusing ancestry genealogy websites by tapping into their DNA data. What’s worse, these companies are giving up users’ data under presumed consent that is buried in their terms and conditions, according to several reports. FamilyTreeDNA is the first company known to be cooperating directly with the FBI to give its agents access to its genealogy database, according to a BuzzFeed report. A FamilyTreeDNA spokesperson told BuzzFeed that FamilyTreeDNA’s agreement with the FBI gives the agency the ability to search more than a million genetic profiles — the majority of which were given by their customers without knowledge of the company’s relationship with the FBI. As part of the arrangement, FamilyTreeDNA has further agreed to test DNA evidence and identify the remains of deceased individuals in violent crimes for the FBI in its own laboratory. In a statement, FamilyTreeDNA said that customers have the ability to opt out of matching features in their account settings. Doing so would prevent law enforcement from accessing their genetic information, but it also means a user would be unable to find potential family members through the service. According to Gizmodo, the company also seems to admonish those who choose to opt out by suggesting that it could be a “moral responsibility” to give up their private health information to the FBI. However, the fact of genealogy companies are being subpoenaed by law enforcement isn’t a secret. In fact, it’s in the disclosures on their websites — FamilyTreeDNA, AncestryDNA, and 23andMe. Forensic magazine reports that the FBI had previously had access to FamilyTreeDNA’s database before the partnership with the FBI. After news broke that the FBI was accessing user data, FamilyTreeDNA announced that it would allow its customers to bar law enforcement from accessing their data, Engadget reported. As an interesting corporate connection to make, one of the co-founders of 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, is married to Google’s Sergey Brin. Unsurprisingly, Google Inc. also backs the DNA analysis company. Last year, Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline invested US$300 million in the DNA-testing company in a deal that should raise eyebrows. A drug company working together with a DNA database company … what could possibly go wrong? Under the deal, GSK has exclusive rights for four years to use 23andMe’s DNA database to develop new medicines using human genetics. Activist Post reported last year Houston police launched a pilot program with the company ANDE to test a machine called Rapid DNA that runs DNA tests in under two hours. As part of the test program, proper protocol for using the technology has been to swab each piece of evidence twice. First, the Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC) takes an official sample for the lab, then Houston police take a second sample for the trial machine. Rapid DNA results can’t be used in court, and the technology is only used for investigations in Houston, according to the news outlet. The technology has some forensic scientists worried about whether it should be used at crime scenes, warning about the accuracy of the technology. However, further research shows that Houston isn’t the only city using rapid DNA, police departments across the country—have rolled out their own pilot programs to test these miniature portable DNA lab machines that originate from the DHS. “Rapid DNA, a newly commercialized technology developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), addresses these challenges by greatly expediting the testing of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that is the only biometric that can accurately verify family relationships. This technology can be used on the scene of mass fatality events, in refugee camps around the world, or at immigration office,” the DHS’s website reads. Police departments in Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Florida, Utah, Arizona, Texas, California and in Delaware are or will be using DHS’s Rapid DNA. An article in ProPublica warns that “over the last decade, collecting DNA from people who are not charged with — or even suspected of — any particular crime has become an increasingly routine practice for police.” Congress enacted the “DNA Identification Act of 1994” authorizing the FBI to maintain a centralized, national DNA database and to develop a software system to allow for the sharing of information within and between states for law enforcement. By 2004, the resulting system – the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) – connected the databases of all fifty states, which at that time were limited to profiles from those convicted of serious, violent crimes. Signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 30, 2004, the “Justice For All Act” greatly expanded the CODIS system, allowing collection of DNA from all federal felons and further enabling states to upload to CODIS profiles from anyone convicted of a crime according to a secret congressional WikiLeaks document entitled: “DNA Evidence: Legislative Initiatives in the 106th Congress.” On January 5, 2006, a barely noticed piece of legislation entitled the “DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005” was also signed into law by President George W. Bush, that severely expanded the government’s authority to collect and permanently retain DNA samples. The bill slipped through virtually unnoticed because the law was, buried in the back of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill. Unbeknownst to the public, the bill granted the government authority to obtain and permanently store DNA from anyone who is arrested as well as non-U.S. citizens detained under federal authorities like Border Control and DHS. In December of 2015 nearly 10 years later, results from a rapid DNA device were submitted as evidence in a successful murder prosecution for the first time attempted murder case in Richland County, South Carolina. (That article now has been curiously deleted from Reuters and is only available on archive.org) A bill before Congress, introduced on December 2015 by Sen. Orin Hatch, R-Utah, called for profiles collected by Rapid DNA devices to be connected to the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, the software and national database that stores DNA profiles from federal, state and local forensic laboratories. During a Senate committee hearing on the Rapid DNA Act of 2015, disgraced former FBI Director James Comey said that passage of the bill “would help us change the world in a very, very exciting way. It will allow us, in booking stations around the country, if someone’s arrested, to know instantly—or near instantly—whether that person is the rapist who’s been on the loose in a particular community before they’re released on bail and get away or to clear somebody, to show that they’re not the person.” In 2017, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) introduced “the SECURE Act” (S. 2192) on December 5th. The bill largely borrows from two other federal bills—H.R. 3548 and S. 1757 The Rapid DNA Act of 2017, S.139 and HR.510 passed last year, amended the DNA Identification Act of 1994, allowing previous hurdles to be surpassed by the new technology. The bill was sponsored by U.S. Senate sponsor Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and lead co-sponsor Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) as well as House sponsor Congressman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and lead co-sponsor Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA), along with 12 Senate and 24 House co-sponsors for their support, Business Wire reported. In 2017, President Trump signed into law the Rapid DNA Act, which, enables police booking stations in several states to connect their Rapid DNA machines to CODIS, the national DNA database. But CODIS isn’t only shared by the states. We learn from a Plus D WikiLeaks release, that the DNA information processing and telecommunications system was gifted to Argentina in 2009 by U.S. Ambassador Earl Wayne, according to a cable. The system was gifted to “help the province solve crimes and exonerate innocent suspects.” “On the very topical issue of crime and personal security, the Ambassador helped launch the province’s participation in the Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS). CODIS, an automated DNA information processing and telecommunications system, was donated by the FBI,” the cable reads. Meanwhile, another WikiLeaks Plus D cable talks about “specialized training and state of the art equipment donations enabling Colombian forensic labs to investigate human rights violations more effectively. These donations included the enhancement of DNA analyzers and the CODIS database; upgrading of the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS); updating of forensic imaging and document analysis systems; upgrading of the automated fingerprint identification system; and the design and installation of a wireless network providing inter-agency connectivity and information sharing,” according to the cable, entitled: “SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY: THE U.S. RECORD IN COLOMBIA 2004-2005.” This leads us to several questions. First, how many more countries were given access to the CODIS system; is this DNA database shared amongst countries in an agreement similar to the Five Eyes spying arrangement, or did the U.S. sell the software similar to the infamous PROMIS software? And, like PROMIS (Inslaw scandal), does this software have a backdoor for U.S. intel agencies to access other countries’ DNA data? These are all questions we should find ourselves asking. Even the DHS is looking into using the Rapid DNA technology for immigration purposes to stop adults fleeing with kids and ensure that they are their actual relatives. But later the DHS postponed the technology in 2015 to develop a stricter protocol for its use, Nextgov reported.
|
Aaron
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/04/ancestry-websites-giving-fbi-access-to-dna-data-wikileaks-reveals-codis-database-gifted-to-other-countries-dhs-rolling-out-rapid-dna-nationwide.html
|
2019-04-10 23:30:21+00:00
| 1,554,953,421 | 1,567,543,260 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
4,446 |
activistpost--2019-04-10--Oregons SB-978 Gun Control Bill Is So Hysterically Restrictive That PEPPER SPRAY Is a Felony
| 2019-04-10T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
Oregon’s SB-978 Gun Control Bill Is So Hysterically Restrictive That PEPPER SPRAY Is a Felony
|
A new gun control bill introduced in the Oregon State Legislature added 45 pages of draconian amendments the night before the vote. SB978 passed the Judiciary Committee yesterday and now heads to the Oregon Senate. It’s a good thing that some parts of this state have vowed to be 2A sanctuaries because Oregonians are going to need them. If the gun owners – and even pepper spray owners – in other parts of the state hope to defend themselves, they could be facing a vast new array of felony charges. The battle for the right to bear arms is rapidly spreading across the country. In February, the House of Representatives passed two sweeping national bills. New Mexico has passed 6 outrageous new laws that sheriffs are refusing to enforce, and sheriffs in Washington state are also rebelling. On the other stand, two states have introduced invasive laws requiring would-be gun owners to hand over access to years of personal social media. What’s in the unconstitutional bill, you ask? They want to raise the minimum age to buy a gun to 21 in certain cases. Residents will be required to keep their guns locked up at all times that they are not being carried. These rules will render guns all but useless in the event a person needs to access them to protect themselves and their family. A person who owns or possesses a firearm shall, at all times that the firearm is not carried by or under the control of the person or an authorized person, secure the firearm: “(A) With an engaged trigger lock or cable lock that meets or exceeds the minimum specifications established by the Oregon Health Authority under section 10 of this 2019 Act; “(B) In a locked container, equipped with a tamper-resistant lock, that meets or exceeds the minimum specifications established by the Oregon Health Authority under section 10 of this 2019 Act; or “(C) In a gun room. “(b) For purposes of paragraph (a) of this subsection, a firearm is not secured if a key, combination or other means of opening a lock or container is readily available to a person the owner or possessor has not authorized to carry or control the firearm. Failure to follow these rules is a Class C Felony. Also, don’t get excited about the phrase “gun room” because your bedroom doesn’t count. I know that the time I had to protect my daughter with a gun, if my firearm locked up, had on a trigger lock, and had to be loaded, it would have delayed my potential to do so to a horrific degree. If your gun/guns are stolen, you must report it. Failure to do so is a Class B felony per weapon. And if the thief hurts or kills someone with the stolen firearm, the owner is liable for two years. Any adult who transfers a firearm to a minor is responsible for any actions taken by that minor with the firearm. And if you want to take your kids shooting or hunting, they must be “directly supervised.” And if a young person gets a hold of a parent’s gun, the parent is liable for the young person’s action. If the gun isn’t secured as per the rules above, then the adult is charged with even more crimes. The next section deals with “ghost guns.” Pages 11-19 offer a lengthy list of rules, restrictions, requirements, and record-keeping for the transfer of antique guns, gun parts, and much more. If you have them, you’ll be a felon upon the passage of this bill. And as everyone knows, registration is only one step away from confiscation. Here’s an article by Selco, explaining how gun confiscation could go down. If this passes, gun owners who are not concealed-carry permit holders will have to jump through all sorts of hoops to transport a firearm in a vehicle, including locking it in a box in a “secure” area of the vehicle. The next section deals with CC permits and the related fees, increasing them in another effort to put an undue burden on law-abiding citizens. In this bill can find a massive list of restrictions regarding having a gun on the premises of or “near” public buildings. To me, this is the scariest part because it’s so incredibly arbitrary. In section 25, Local Authority to Regulate Firearms in Public Buildings,” airports, ports, hospitals, schools, colleges, universities probate courts, city halls, homes of officials, and other “public buildings” – and even their grounds – can restrict not only guns but also the following: Public places as defined in the bill need only to “post a sign, visible to the public, identifying all locations where the affirmative defense described in ORS 166.370 (3)(g) is limited or precluded.” And if you ignore the sign and get caught? You’re guilty of a Class C felony. Even if your gun is unloaded. Any person who intentionally possesses a loaded or unloaded firearm or any other instrument used as a dangerous weapon, while in or on a public building, shall upon conviction be guilty of a Class C felony. Go here to read the insanity in detail. Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford’s anti-gun foundation was delighted with the bill even before the super-secret amendments were added. In a statement, spokeswoman Robin Lloyd said: “Gun violence hurts hundreds of Oregon families each year. The proposed provisions in the bills heard today are the critical next steps that Oregon should take to save lives. For example, homemade, untraceable ghost guns pose serious threats to law enforcement and communities impacted by gun violence. A commitment from lawmakers to stem the flow of these firearms will ensure criminals aren’t able to easily get their hands on an undetectable weapon. Today’s hearings highlight a serious commitment by the legislature to reduce the epidemic of gun violence in Oregon. I applaud Attorney General Rosemblum [sic] and the Oregon legislature for prioritizing these lifesaving measures.” SB 978-1 includes commonsense efforts to reduce gun violence like requiring safe storage of firearms, holding gun owners accountable to make sure kids don’t get their hands on a gun, requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms, and providing increased regulation of 3D-printed guns and unfinished frames or receivers, parts used to produce ghost guns. (source) If it passes, it will spread. Gun control laws are like a virus – if they pass in one place they’ll spread to other places. And there’s little reason to believe that in this era of anti-gun hysteria, the legislature will strike down this unconstitutional bill. Thankfully, 13 of 36 Oregon sheriffs have already vowed to make their counties Second Amendment sanctuaries. But heaven forbid an Oregonian gets caught driving out of their 2A sanctuary county with a usable firearm. Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, gun-toting blogger who writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, voluntaryism, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, The Organic Prepper, where this article first appeared. She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site, PreppersDailyNews.com. Daisy is the best-selling author of 4 books and lives in the mountains of Virginia with her two daughters and an ever-growing menagerie. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
|
Activist Post
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/04/oregons-sb-978-gun-control-bill-is-so-hysterically-restrictive-that-pepper-spray-is-a-felony.html
|
2019-04-10 15:16:33+00:00
| 1,554,923,793 | 1,567,543,260 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
4,448 |
activistpost--2019-04-10--The Los Angeles Department of Transportations Ride Tracking Pilot is Out of Control
| 2019-04-10T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s Ride Tracking Pilot is Out of Control
|
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) is about to make a bad privacy situation worse, and it’s urgent that Los Angeles residents contact their city council representatives today to demand they put the brakes on LADOT’s irresponsible data collection. The agency plans to scoop up trip data on every single e-bike and scooter ride taken within the city and, left unchecked, it will do so in the absence of responsible and transparent policies to mitigate the privacy risks to Los Angeles riders. Tell The City Council To Put The Brakes on LADOT’s Rider Surveillance Program Location data is among the most sensitive forms of information related to a person’s privacy. Collected over time, people’s movements from place to place reveal a good deal about them: where they work, where they play, where they worship, their political leanings, and even personal and familial relationships. While the U.S. Supreme Court and California’s State Legislature are in agreement on the sensitivity of location data, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation appears to be much less convinced. EFF and OTI have called on LADOT to start taking the privacy of Los Angeles residents seriously and cease moving forward with its invasive data collection plans until it has real policies in place to protect the data. Make your voice heard, too. In September, after the streets of Los Angeles were overwhelmed with dockless e-bikes and scooters, the Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance calling for the creation of a Shared Mobility Device Pilot Program. In part, the ordinance called on LADOT to issue permits and set guidelines aimed at reducing sidewalk interference and regulating vehicle speed. LADOT’s Mobility Data Specification (MDS), part of which went into effect shortly after the ordinance passed in September, gives the agency the ability to request massive amounts of information about Los Angeles riders and their day-to-day travels. Specifically, the MDS requires dockless mobility permit holders like LimeBike and Bird to provide LADOT access to a provider-side application processing interface (API), allowing the agency to demand granular trip data for dockless bicycle and scooter rides. This trip data includes extremely precise, time-stamped, location data from the beginning to the end of each trip. The problem? LADOT has not grappled with the serious privacy and civil liberties issues implicated by such a massive data collection campaign. Months later, despite requests from EFF and the Open Technology Institute; and the Center for Democracy and Technology, LADOT still fails to acknowledge the raw trip data it collects through its MDS is personal data pertaining to real movements of real individuals. More importantly, it has failed to set out basic privacy protections for the sensitive location data it collects every time Los Angeles residents take a dockless scooter or e-bike ride through their city. Now, despite their lack of a clearly articulated plan to protect Los Angeles residents from the potential harms that could result from the exposure of this data, LADOT plans to make a bad situation worse. Beginning on April 15, LADOT will require dockless mobility operators to push trip data for each and every e-bike and scooter ride taken within the City directly to LADOT, and its for-profit partner Remix, through a new agency-side API as well. In our letter to the Los Angeles City Council, EFF and OTI have called on the Council to put the brakes on these additional data sharing requirements before the April 15 deadline. LADOT should by no means be moving forward with increased data demands when it has yet to address the privacy and civil liberties concerns raised by earlier stages of the MDS. So far, LADOT has issued only high-level “Data Protection Principles,” which amount to a list of aspirations and buzz words you would want to see in a strong policy: ‘de-identification,’ ‘data minimization,’ ‘aggregation.’ But they provide no meaningful, enforceable restrictions to protect the privacy of Los Angeles residents. These “principles” are a far cry from the transparent, actionable, and enforceable data privacy policies we would expect of any city agency demanding this level of sensitive information about Los Angeles residents. Furthermore, LADOT’s failure to limit law enforcement access to raw trip data through anything less than a warrant signed by a judge is in seeming opposition to the Supreme Court’s holding in Carpenter v. United States, which held that “the Government must generally obtain a warrant supported by probable cause before acquiring” location records. In its ruling, The Court recognized that time-stamped location data “provides an intimate window into a person’s life, revealing not only his particular movements, but through them his familial, political, professional, religious, and sexual associations.” The Supreme Court’s analysis of the sensitivity of location data was echoed by the California State Legislature when it passed the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)—explicitly listing geolocation information as personal information and affirming that “any information that can be reasonably linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer should be considered “personal information.” Part of the problem is LADOT’s failure to acknowledge the sensitive nature of trip information, claiming that the MDS requires “no personally identifiable information about users directly.” (emphasis added). But even with names stripped out, location information is notoriously easy to re-identify—particularly for habitual trips. To demonstrate the process through which this information could be re-identified, EFF Staff Technologists—in a cursory analysis of publicly available data from New York City’s rideshare program, CitiBike—identified what is likely a single rider regularly leaving home between 7:30 am and 8 am each morning and returning home just after 6 pm each evening. Unlike New York’s public rideshare program, which requires riders to pick-up and return bikes at docking stations dispersed throughout the city, LADOT’s program applies to dockless bikes and scooters, so the location data acquired through Los Angeles’ dockless mobility program is even more unique to each rider. Yet, even with the data available through CitiBike, one need only wait for our rider’s regular routine to begin one morning in order to confirm his identity. This may seem innocuous, but what if our rider was a domestic violence survivor at risk of being stalked by their assaulter? Or, instead of a regular commute to and from work or school, the data showed our rider taking regular trips to attend Jummah prayer at a local mosque or meetings of a local political organization? The potential threat to their safety as well as religious and political freedom makes it easy to see how critical it is that LADOT and the City Council act to protect this sensitive personal information. LADOT’s GitHub Repository and June 2018 press release announcing “A New Digital Playbook for Mobility” make it clear the department has no intention of stopping at dockless e-bikes and scooters. At the same time, LADOT’s General Manager Seleta Reynolds, in her capacity as an official within the National Association of City Transportation Officials, also seems intent on spreading this methodology to other cities across the U.S. The people of Los Angeles and cities across the country deserve safe streets. They also deserve the freedom to move about those streets without undue risks to their privacy and physical well-being through unchecked vehicle surveillance. With the April 15 compliance deadline for the next phase in Los Angeles dockless mobility program quickly approaching, it’s urgent that Los Angeles residents contact their City Council representative today, and demand that they put the brakes on LADOT’s irresponsible data collection. As EFF’s Grassroots Advocacy Organizer, “nash” works directly with community members and organizations to take advantage of the full range of tools provided by access to tech, while engaging in empowering action toward the maintenance of digital privacy and information security. Having witnessed the results of aggressive and militarized policing in the United States, Honduras, and Palestine; and as a target of racial profiling, biased broken windows policing, and police brutality in his own life; nash has worked extensively to help activists and communities mitigate the damage of harmful interaction with law enforcement. nash co-founded the Black Movement Law Project and is a founding member of Just Info, a 24-hour hot-line providing no-cost legal information in New York City. As a member of Mutant Legal, nash organized training’s in Ferguson, New York, and other cities on how to document police conduct, exercise legal rights, counteract state repression and actively participate in one’s legal defense.
|
Activist Post
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/04/the-los-angeles-department-of-transportations-ride-tracking-pilot-is-out-of-control.html
|
2019-04-10 15:14:40+00:00
| 1,554,923,680 | 1,567,543,260 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
4,537 |
activistpost--2019-04-24--FBI Fails Privacy And Accuracy Tests On Its Facial Recognition Tools According To GAO Report While
| 2019-04-24T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
FBI Fails Privacy And Accuracy Tests On Its Facial Recognition Tools According To GAO Report, While A.I. Police State Advances
|
The FBI has failed to assuage concerns of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on its use of facial recognition technology according to a new report. Numerous issues were raised three years ago after the congressional watchdog urged the FBI to improve its practices in order to meet privacy and accuracy standards expected. Since 2015, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have used the Next Generation Identification-Interstate Photo System, which uses facial recognition software to link potential suspects to crimes, pulling from a database of more than 30 million mugshots and other photos, Nextgov reported. The organization then proposed six changes to be made to the FBI’s practices. All of those concerns have been failed to be addressed according to the report. One of the recommendations made by auditors to the FBI was to ensure annual tests to guarantee the highest levels of accuracy and effectiveness of its facial recognition technology. The report slams the FBI for its failure to moderate its use of facial recognition software. This comes as the Bureau increases its use of the technology, currently trialing Amazon’s Facial Rekognition software, which has had its accuracy questioned in the past numerous times. Save Independent Media for as Little as $1 Per Month The Government Accountability Office (GAO) further found the FBI is failing to test the accuracy of some of its facial recognition tools developed by third parties such as those programmed by state and federal law enforcement agencies. This was deemed unnecessary by the FBI as “no users have expressed concerns” with the system, it claimed. Auditors responded by stating that annual assessments are mandatory under FBI, Justice Department and Office of Management and Budget policy and are not discussable. I guess the FBI missed the report when the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California tested Amazon’s facial Rekognition software and the program erroneously and hilariously identified 28 colored members of Congress as people who have been arrested for crimes. Activist Post previously reported on another test of facial recognition technology in Britain which resulted in 35 false matches and 1 erroneous arrest. So the technology is demonstrated to be far from foolproof. In 2018 it was reported that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies were using this same Amazon Facial Rekognition technology to sift through surveillance data. Amazon employees who are against the company selling facial recognition technology to the government have protested the company’s decision. Over 20 groups of shareholders have sent several letters to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos urging him to stop selling the company’s face recognition software to law enforcement. One letter was sent in June of last year signed by 20 groups of Amazon shareholders sent to Bezos, urging him to stop selling the company’s face recognition software to law enforcement. Another letter was just sent in January 2019, organized by Open Mic, a nonprofit organization focused on corporate accountability, and was filed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood both letters warned the technology poses “potential civil and human rights risks.” Numerous civil rights organizations have also co-signed a letter demanding Amazon stop assisting government surveillance; and several members of Congress have expressed concerns about the partnerships. Several lawmakers have even chimed in to voice concerns about Amazon’s facial recognition software, expressing worry that it could be misused, The Hill reported. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) obtained hundreds of pages of documents showing Amazon offering the software to law enforcement agencies across the country. In a 2018 report, the ACLU called Amazon’s facial recognition project a “threat to civil liberties.” Amazon responded by essentially shrugging off the employees’ and shareholder concerns by the head of the company’s public sector cloud computing business, stating that the team is “unwaveringly” committed to the U.S. government. “We are unwaveringly in support of our law enforcement, defense and intelligence community,” Teresa Carlson, vice president of the worldwide public sector for Amazon Web Services, said July 20th at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, FedScoop reported. Amazon has since released an update claiming to fix all of the problems with lighting that caused inaccuracy to its systems according to the company. Meanwhile, facial recognition technology is being pushed as a new means for an A.I. police state without human involvement — a frightening thought to say the least. Defense One reports that “AI-Enabled Cameras That Detect Crime Before it Occurs Will Soon Invade the Physical World” are in the works and on display at ISC West, a recent security technology conference in Las Vegas. Activist Post has previously reported in its own way that the rise of facial recognition technology is inevitable and, as a result, the death of one’s privacy is sure to come with it. This writer has focused on facial recognition technology. From Amazon helping law enforcement with its Facial Rekogntion software, DHS wanting to use it for border control, to the Olympics wanting to use the tech for security. Even retail is pushing for the technology as an anti-theft mechanism to be introduced in a number of stores using biometric facial recognition software FaceFirst to build a database of shoplifters, as Activist Post reported.
|
Aaron
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/04/fbi-fails-privacy-and-accuracy-tests-on-its-facial-recognition-tools-according-to-gao-report-while-a-i-police-state-advances.html
|
2019-04-24 21:45:57+00:00
| 1,556,156,757 | 1,567,541,862 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
4,543 |
activistpost--2019-04-24--Police State Madness Cops In DUI Vans Drawing Motorists Blood
| 2019-04-24T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
Police State Madness: Cops In DUI Vans Drawing Motorists’ Blood
|
Halloween is less than six months away but that has not stopped law enforcement from taking people’s blood. In fact, police officers want our blood so bad that they are purchasing blood draw vans … sorry, I meant DUI vans like the one pictured above. Last year, I wrote an article about police officers forcing hospitals to draw a drunk or drugged suspect’s blood. But what I could never have imagined is that within a year, police officers would be physically drawing motorists’ blood. Save Independent Media for as Little as $1 Per Month A recent article in Pew Charitable Trusts revealed that police DUI vans in Arizona and California are drawing people’s blood. What makes this story so disturbing is that typically a person must be a certified phlebotomist or healthcare professional who is trained to draw blood from a patient in a safe and sanitary manner. But as you can imagine that is not what is happening. I will eat my hat if law enforcement claims their vans and police departments are sanitary. Alleging that police officers should be treated like healthcare professionals and be allowed to physically draw blood from a person is obscene. As the article reveals, the real reason why police officers want our blood is to “save money because they don’t need to pay phlebotomists and hospitals for blood draws.” I cannot possibly discuss all the different things that could go wrong with police officers drawing blood, so I will only focus on two. When a police officer calls a DUI blood van to forcibly draw a person’s blood based on a hunch that they might be on drugs or drunk, we no longer have a Bill of Rights to protect us. As attorney John Whitehead said, forced blood draws make a mockery of the Fourth Amendment. The act of merely driving on state-owned roads should not mean that we give up our rights. In Massachusetts, judges are starting to question so-called Drug Recognition Expert police officers who claim to have special senses that can detect if a person is impaired. What sort of country refers to forcibly taking Americans blood as a “game-changer?” The International Association of Police Chiefs, which is the mouthpiece of law enforcement, cannot wait for vampire cops to draw motorists’ blood. When law enforcement has judges on-call to issue e-warrants within minutes, it is like having a fellow cop on-call authorizing the shredding of our rights. Attorney Ramsell is correct; having judge’s on-call to OK e-warrants without second guessing a police officer’s hunch will have major civil rights implications. If the public meekly accepts this invasive and horrific practice of allowing police to conduct forced blood draws, then forced DNA swabs cannot be far behind. As a teenager, I watched hundreds of horror movies but I never once had nightmares that police would FORCIBLY take blood from Americans! But times have changed and it won’t be long before Hollywood makes a law enforcement reality blood draw TV show. Here are a few names for their new show. Instead of calling it Hawaii Five-O why not call it Hawaii Type O or call the The First 48, The First Blood Draws. Last but not least, why not rename Blue Bloods the Blood Suckers? As I said before, allowing police officers to conduct their own blood draws is a monumentally bad idea that will have major civil rights implications for everyone. You can read more at the MassPrivateI blog, where this article first appeared. Provide, protect and profit from what is coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.
|
Activist Post
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/04/police-state-madness-cops-in-dui-vans-drawing-motorists-blood.html
|
2019-04-24 12:45:20+00:00
| 1,556,124,320 | 1,567,541,862 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
4,567 |
activistpost--2019-04-30--Cities Are Tracking Everyones Cell Phone Signal
| 2019-04-30T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
Cities Are Tracking Everyone’s Cell Phone Signal
|
If ever you needed a reason to turn off your cell phone, then maybe this story this will convince you. The Palm Beach Post recently revealed how the City of Palm Beach, Florida wants to track everyone’s cellphones: The idea is to analyze where downtown visitors go — what shops, what public places, and at what time — and how they get there. The city could use it to study traffic flow and gauge the impact of changes it makes to the streetscape, while merchants could use the data to strategize to improve business. Big Brother and businesses are frothing at their mouths in anticipation of tracking everyone. According to Jason Hallstrom, professor in FAU’s Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, “the research is possible because 80 percent of the U.S. population owns network-connected smartphones, whose signal can be tracked with precision.” Leaving your cell phone on all the time, allows corporations and Big Brother to know your exactly who and where you are. “Whether you use the device or not, it is constantly chattering,” sending out a “hello beacon which says, ‘I would like to connect to a network.’ Within that message is a unique code, etched in the silicon. It is constantly being broadcast as you walk around with that device,” Hallstrom said. A recent Bloomberg investigation revealed that retailers are using location analytics hidden in apps to determine where you are and where you sleep. A NY Times article titled “Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night, and They’re Not Keeping It Secret,” revealed that tracking our cell phones is a $21 billion dollar industry. Palm Beach law enforcement has also been secretly using Stingray devices to intercept everyone’s phone calls and text messages for years. So it really should not surprise anyone to find out that cities want to do the same. What is surprising, though, is finding out that the Knight Foundation is giving Palm Beach $300,000 to track everyone. The Knight Foundation, which claims to “believe in freedom of expression and in the values expressed in the First Amendment,” apparently does not think that tracking everyone’s cell phones is un-American. But tracking everyone’s cell phone signal, apparently fits right into the Knight Foundation’s goal of “capitalizing on communities.” Unfortunately, spying on everyone’s cell phone signal is not limited to Florida. Cities like Loveland, Colorado, Seattle, Washington and Mesa, Arizona have been tracking people’s cellphones for years. Two years ago, Miami’s Department of Public Works considered purchasing WiFi readers and surveillance cameras to capture speeders. Big Brother’s appetite for spying on everyone is now focused on our children. The Martin County Sheriff’s office has a course designed to encourage parents to spy on their kid’s social media. “We are here tonight to find out what your children are doing online,” said Corporal Brian Broughton with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. An article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel reveals, that Palm Beach law enforcement has been secretly using GeoFeedia to spy on kid’s social media accounts for years. How do we know that law enforcement lies about spying on our cell phones and social media accounts? Because law enforcement has turned obfuscation into an art form, as attorney Stephanie Lacambra of the EFF Foundation explained. “There’s nothing that prevents law enforcement from lying,” she said. “They are protected, they can lie to your face and most people don’t know or expect that.” This story shows that cities and law enforcement are no longer hiding their desire to spy on everyone … and that is frightening. You can read more at the MassPrivateI blog, where this article first appeared.
|
Activist Post
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/04/cities-are-tracking-everyones-cell-phone-signal.html
|
2019-04-30 14:57:20+00:00
| 1,556,650,640 | 1,567,541,582 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
5,060 |
activistpost--2019-07-24--New Arkansas Law Ends Civil Asset Forfeiture
| 2019-07-24T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
New Arkansas Law Ends Civil Asset Forfeiture
|
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (July 24, 2019) – Today, a bill that reforms Arkansas’ asset forfeiture laws to prohibit the state from taking a person’s property without a criminal conviction in most situations went into effect. Arkansas has already taken a step to shut a loophole that would allow state and local police to circumvent the more stringent state asset forfeiture process by passing cases off to the feds. Sen Bart Hester (R-Cave Springs) sponsored Senate Bill 308 (SB308). The new law specifically ends civil asset forfeiture in most Arkansas cases and replaces it with a criminal procedure. Under the law, prosecutors cannot proceed with forfeiture without a criminal conviction in all but a handful of cases. The Institute for Justice gave Arkansas former forfeiture laws a D- grade, calling them “awful.” The House passed SB308 by a 93-0 vote. The Senate approved the measure 35-0. With Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s signature in March, the new law went into effect July 24. While some people believe the Supreme Court “ended asset forfeiture,” the recent opinion in Timbs v. Indiana ended nothing. Without further action, civil asset forfeiture remains. Additionally, as law professor Ilya Somin noted, the Court left an important issue unresolved. What exactly counts as an “excessive” in the civil forfeiture context? Going forward, opponents of civil asset forfeiture could wait and see how lower federal courts will address this “over the next few years,” or they can do what a number of states have already taken steps to do, end the practice on a state level, and opt out of the federal equitable sharing program as well. While the current asset forfeiture process in Arkansas desperately needed reforming, the state had already taken a step toward withdrawing from a federal program that allows state and local police to circumvent the state process. This is key now that SB308 has become law. And it’s particularly important in light of a policy directive issued in July 2017 by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions for the Department of Justice (DOJ). A federal program known as “Equitable Sharing” allows prosecutors to bypass more stringent state asset forfeiture laws by passing cases off to the federal government through a process known as adoption. The DOJ directive reiterates full support for the equitable sharing program, directs federal law enforcement agencies to aggressively utilize it, and sets the stage to expand it in the future. Law enforcement agencies can circumvent more strict state forfeiture laws by claiming cases are federal in nature. Under these arrangements, state officials simply hand cases over to a federal agency, participate in the case, and then receive up to 80 percent of the proceeds. However, when states merely withdraw from participation, the federal directive loses its impact. Until recently, California faced this situation. The state has some of the strongest state-level restrictions on civil asset forfeiture in the country, but state and local police were circumventing the state process by passing cases to the feds. According to a report by the Institute for Justice, Policing for Profit, California ranked as the worst offender of all states in the country between 2000 and 2013. In other words, California law enforcement was passing off a lot of cases to the feds and collecting the loot. The state closed the loophole in 2016. Arkansas law prohibits the transfer of property to the feds without judicial approval. (1) No state or local law enforcement agency may transfer any property seized by the state or local agency to any federal entity for forfeiture under federal law unless the circuit court having jurisdiction over the property enters an order, upon petition by the prosecuting attorney, authorizing the property to be transferred to the federal entity. (2) The transfer shall not be approved unless it reasonably appears that the activity giving rise to the investigation or seizure involves more than one (1) state or the nature of the investigation or seizure would be better pursued under federal law. As the Tenth Amendment Center previously reported the federal government inserted itself into the asset forfeiture debate in California. The feds clearly want the policy to continue. We can only guess. But perhaps the feds recognize paying state and local police agencies directly in cash for handling their enforcement would reveal their weakness. After all, the federal government would find it nearly impossible to prosecute its unconstitutional “War on Drugs” without state and local assistance. Asset forfeiture “equitable sharing” provides a pipeline the feds use to incentivize state and local police to serve as de facto arms of the federal government by funneling billions of dollars into their budgets.
|
Activist Post
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/07/new-arkansas-law-ends-civil-asset-forfeiture.html
|
2019-07-24 16:16:33+00:00
| 1,563,999,393 | 1,567,535,912 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
5,084 |
activistpost--2019-07-26--Military Will Use Facial Recognition Goggles to Help Soldiers Identify People Through Weapons System
| 2019-07-26T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
Military Will Use Facial Recognition Goggles to Help Soldiers Identify People Through Weapons Systems
|
Public resistance in the United States has finally begun to mount against the use of facial recognition systems due to privacy issues as well as documented inaccuracies. Even police departments have begun to dump the use of biometrics, particularly in the area of pre-crime algorithms that also have demonstrated the failures of artificial intelligence to be accurate enough for use in law enforcement. Also Read: Amazon Facial Rekognition Software Trial In Orlando Canceled After 15 Months Nevertheless, the military is firmly embracing both uses as the Army aims to roll out facial recognition goggles that would enable soldiers to “see through the eyes” of any weapons system and highlight people for further investigation … and presumably to be targeted for elimination. “Very soon” U.S. soldiers could be able to identify enemies, suspects, or any persons of interest they’re seeking just by looking through the goggles on their head. U.S. Army officials are testing a new headset that will—potentially—allow soldiers looking through them to recognize the faces of individuals in a crowd, and much more, including translate foreign language street signs into English, see through the eyes of nearby flying bug drones, and train anywhere in a semi-virtual environment, all through the same lens. “We’re going to demonstrate very, very soon, the ability, on body — if there are persons of interest that you want to look for and you’re walking around, it will identify those very quickly,” said Col. Chris Schneider, project manager for IVAS, at a U.S. Army Futures Command demonstration in Virginia. This plan would seem to take the military one step closer toward their long-held vision to build a full-scale matrix of (smart) war that has been labeled the Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBT). This latest development appears to be an extension of a project called MUSIC that I covered back in 2011. It was part of Future Combat Systems to integrate unmanned and manned aircraft across all branches of military, and would include a variety of autonomous systems, including drone swarms. Once the pieces on the battlefield are interconnected, the next logical step is to integrate the soldier into the information feed. This was clearly laid out in a 2017 Army solicitation that defined its goals: Profit outside the rigged system! Protect yourself from tyranny and economic collapse. Learn to live free and spread peace! - Trends & Strategies for Maximum Freedom The ability of the Army to understand, predict, adapt, and exploit the vast array of internetworked things that will be present of the future battlefield is critical to maintaining and increasing its competitive advantage. The explosive growth of technologies in the commercial sector that exploits the convergence of cloud computing, ubiquitous mobile communications, networks of data-gathering sensors, and artificial intelligence presents an imposing challenge for the Army. These Internet of Things (IoT) technologies will give our enemies ever increasing capabilities that must be countered, but commercial developments do not address the unique challenges that the Army will face in using them. The Internet of Battlefield Things would look something like this: All of the concerns already expressed about facial recognition systems and the use of biometrics as predictive tools down here at the civilian level will be amplified once they are fully integrated into warfare, and the consequences could be far more grave than a mistaken arrest. Soldiers literally will be going in functionally blind as the Army admits in details about the first step of the program that will be enhanced night vision goggles:
|
Activist Post
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/07/military-will-use-facial-recognition-goggles-to-help-soldiers-identify-people-through-weapons-systems.html
|
2019-07-26 23:05:55+00:00
| 1,564,196,755 | 1,567,535,668 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
5,746 |
activistpost--2019-10-01--Octopus PROMIS The Conspiracy Against INSLAW Software And The Murders To Cover Up A Scandal Bigger
| 2019-10-01T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
Octopus PROMIS: The Conspiracy Against INSLAW Software, And The Murders To Cover Up A Scandal Bigger Than Watergate
|
This article has been months in the making working with several sources to tell the tales buried in history of “The Octopus” — the INSLAW PROMIS software scandal and those killed in the wake of its tentacles. For the first time ever, new details will be revealed on the decade-old murders of two journalists: a CIA intelligence operative, an NSA whistleblower; and the imprisonment of another CIA whistleblower, in this series aptly titled: “Octopus PROMIS.” This series will explore the theft of a sophisticated computer software, assassinations, cover-ups involving the DOJ and CIA and compartmentalized commercialized treason against the American people by the hidden underbelly dark world of intelligence. A conglomerate cabal accountable to absolutely no one, known today as the Deep State formed “within the highest councils of government” as Senator Daniel Inyoue said, during the hearings on the infamously known scandal Iran-Contra. PROMIS is said to be the forerunner to the NSA’s PRISM software that was disclosed by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. PROMIS has also been forked into various different softwares over the years used for a myriad of applicable uses within government, which this writer will discuss later. PROMIS stands for Prosecutor’s Management Information System and was software first used by the U.S. Department of Justice, and later numerous intelligence agencies domestic and foreign. The software was stolen from Bill and Nancy Hamilton of INSLAW corporation, and then bugged by Earl Brian (who was at the time one of President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush’s envoys to Iran,) and Rafi Eitan, whom was director of Israeli intelligence agency LAKEM. PROMIS was then distributed to allies and enemies alike backdoored with Signal Intelligence (SIGNIT) surveillance technology accessible to U.S. and Israeli intelligence services remotely through encrypted telecommunication signals, according to sources. This was done primarily through Brian’s company Hadron, and Systematics Inc run by Jackson Stephens, as well as by Mossad-linked super spy media mogul Robert Maxwell who was also said to have been involved with the Russians then-Soviets, at the time. Besides Hadron and Systematics Inc, there were others involved in the theft and sale of the software including the following individuals — Adnan Khashoggi, Richard Armitage, and Manucher Ghorbanifar to name a few, according to a letter sent to then United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division William F. Weld discussing conspiracy to sell PROMIS to Sheik Klahid Bin Malfouz as a “gift.” The letter doesn’t only show that the DOJ was involved in the plot against INSLAW as early as May 1st 1985, more specifically it shows conspiracy with CIA-linked persons of interest that were all involved with the famous Iran-Contra debacle. In 1999, British BBC journalist and author, Gordon Thomas, published an authorized history of the Israeli Mossad entitled Gideon’s Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad in which he included very detailed admissions by Rafi Eitan about his initial meeting with Earl Brian in Iran in the 1970s. Earl Brian disclosed his determination to find a way to profit personally from the sale of INSLAW, Inc.’s PROMIS software; Brian’s subsequent success was in getting the Reagan Administration to give copies of PROMIS to Rafi Eitan. Eitan then recruited British publisher Robert Maxwell to sell copies of PROMIS equipped with a Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) “back-door” to the intelligence and law enforcement agencies of friendly and adversarial governments worldwide. This was so that Israel and the NSA could steal other countries’ intelligence secrets. Maxwell succeeded in the sale of more than half a billion dollars of unauthorized, copyright-infringing versions of PROMIS, while the amount of sold copies by Khashoggi, Armitage, Ghorbanifar, Eitan and likely others are unknown. Gordon Thomas interviewed Rafi Eitan because he had served as the Mossad’s Deputy Director for Covert Operations for almost a quarter of a century. Eitan would become the Director of LAKEM Scientific and Technical Intelligence Agency in the Israeli Ministry of Defense early during the first term of the Reagan Administration around the same time that Eitan had obtained PROMIS software, then recruited Robert Maxwell, and began selling the software to make his profit. INSLAW Counsel Elliot Richardson passed away on the last day of 1999. In 2000, INSLAW obtained two sworn statements, (which are included in the documents provided) from Gordon Thomas on the circumstances and content of Rafi Eitan’s disclosures regarding Earl Brian and PROMIS. INSLAW also prepared a lengthy memorandum (approximately 45 pages) of evidence the company had pieced together over the years which appeared to corroborate significant elements of Rafi Eitan’s PROMIS admissions to Gordon Thomas. (DOCUMENTS) Further, according to testimony of former Mossad agent Ari Ben-Menashe, Brian provided a copy of PROMIS to Israel’s military intelligence through Rafi Eitan, who used the alias Joseph Ben-Orr. Israel then contacted an Israeli American programmer, Michael Riconosciuto, who modified the software at Cabazon Indian Reservation near Indio, California. CIA and Israeli intelligence operatives then proceeded to sell the stolen copies and work together to build a more sophisticated version of Main Core, which this author will discuss in a future article in more detail, but will briefly touch on the subject in the third section of this story. Brian first attempted to buy out INSLAW and PROMIS and then use the company to sell the bugged version of the software. However, his venture was unsuccesful and blocked, so he then turned to Attorney General at the time Edwin Meese whose Justice Department refused to make payments to INSLAW, despite stipulation under a $9.9 million contract with the government for the company to install PROMIS as the Justice Department’s case management software in 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices. In other words, using the software entirely for free, which INSLAW and the Hamiltons have claimed for decades was theft from the company. Meese’s role in that decision may have been influenced by his own personal friendship with Brian, and the fact that his wife was a major investor in Brian’s businesses. Ironically, the first refused payment to INSLAW was one month after the Hamiltons refused to sell the company to Meese’s friend Brian. Meese, like Brian, was allegedly connected to affairs such as Iran-Contra and Reagan’s October Surprise. The DOJ stopped paying the Hamiltons in 1983, claiming they weren’t fulfilling their obligations on the contract, and eventually INSLAW went bankrupt and sued the Justice Department. A key fact that most miss is that the person assigned by the Department to manage the contract, C. Madison Brewer, had previously been fired by INSLAW for unknown reasons. Just one month after the contract was signed, Brewer (a disgruntled employee) recommended that the DOJ terminate the agreement even though INSLAW was performing its duties without a single failed delivery. As a result, INSLAW hired former Attorney General Elliot Richardson as their attorney. Richardson filed a civil suit claiming that the company had been the victim of a conspiracy by the Justice Department. In 1987 a federal judge, George F. Bason Jr, for the bankruptcy court ordered the government to pay INSLAW $6.8 million; the order was later overturned on a technicality. The court also found that the DOJ run by Meese “took, converted, stole” the software through “trickery, fraud and deceit.” The DOJ withheld documents on the INSLAW affair from Congress, then appointed Nicholas John Bua as Special Counsel to address the matter with an independent investigation. Meese wasn’t the only corrupt DOJ head according to Rodney Stich in Defrauding America, “by misusing the power of their office…three U.S. attorney generals in the Reagan-Bush administrations, Edwin Meese, Richard Thornburgh, and Vice President George H.W. Bush’s man William Barr, misappropriated, or aided and abetted, the theft of the software called PROMIS.” However, Stich missed mentioning an official of the DOJ William F. Weld whom the letter above implicates in the conspiracy to steal and resell PROMIS software. The scandal became too noisy after several Congressional investigations concluded wrongdoing by the Justice Department and called for the appointment of a special prosecutor, who ended up being former CIA operative and current Attorney General under President Donald Trump, William Barr. Barr previously served under the Bush administration as Assistant Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, and Attorney General. “I started off in Washington at the Central Intelligence Agency and went to law school at night while I was working at CIA,” William Barr said during an oral history event in 2001. As a former AG, Barr got to work helping aid the cover-up of INSLAW, just as he did for the CIA protecting the agency from Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) and BNL investigations, the Church Committee as a part of the CIA’s Office of Legislative Council (OLC) from 1973 to 1977, and ongoing scandals today walking through a revolving door. After INSLAW owner Bill Hamilton distributed a report on the INSLAW scandal to each member of the House Judiciary Committee dismissing Bua’s report, Congressmen Jack Brooks (D-TX) and Charlie Rose (D-NC) tried to enact a bill that would force an investigation of the Justice Department and the death of journalist Danny Casolaro, as well as pay reparations to the owners of INSLAW. Among the allegations of criminal statutes the bill and Committee accused the DOJ of included: The bill, H.R. 4862 was introduced in the House on July 29, 1994, but died without any action by the Democratic leadership in the waning days of the 103rd Congress. There is also the fact that one week after giving an affidavit to INSLAW regarding the PROMIS software in 1991, CIA spook Riconosciuto was arrested on trumped-up drug charges that he had built a meth lab. The Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case attempted to cover up Riconosciuto’s intelligence background by claiming to the jury the CIA agent and programmer was “delusional.” (More on Riconosciuto and his importance later.) Riconosciuto had been introduced to Hamilton by Jeff Steinberg, a longtime top aide in the Lyndon LaRouche organization in May of 1980. Riconosciuto stated that he was involved with the October Surprise, asserting “that he and Earl Brian had traveled to Iran in 1980 and had paid $40 million to Iranian officials to persuade them not to let the hostages go before the presidential election.” After the two met, Riconosciuto was later introduced to Casolaro who began his investigation into the Octopus in the 1990s. Casolaro dubbed Riconosciuto “Danger Man” for many reasons that will be made apparent in this series, if the former CIA agent being still locked up in an unknown prison for whistleblowing various truths isn’t evidence enough. In 1992, one year later the U.S. Supreme Court denied an application made by INSLAW, to hear its case. The application had been filed the previous year (see October 9, 1991), as INSLAW sought to overturn an adverse ruling by an appeals court in its dispute with the Justice Department. In 1998, a U.S. Federal Court ruled that INSLAW owned the copyright to PROMIS software, and that if the U.S. Government had used PROMIS illegally, then royalties should be paid to the company. However, that effort has been consistently stalled and INSLAW has never received a single penny in royalties. As the story goes from a source, three years later in March 2001, then CIA Director George Tenet was arranged to read two affidavits together with INSLAW’s summary of the corroborative evidence (provided in the document dump) that had been obtained. After reading the documentation, Tenet made a phone call to a mutual friend of Hamiltons and said in that conversation that if the information was accurate, what the government had done to the Hamilton family “was unconscionable” and the “INSLAW case needed to be settled.” Tenet further stated that he did not understand why Attorney General John Ashcroft was failing to settle the INSLAW case but that he was prepared, if necessary, to settle the CIA’s part of the case. Tenet also allegedly added that he had ordered the CIA General Counsel to report to him by Wednesday the following week on the matter of the CIA’s legal liability to INSLAW for payment of compensatory damages. One week later, however, CIA Director Tenet again called that same friend to inform that the CIA General Counsel had advised him not to become involved in the INSLAW Affair. This may be because, we now know, that a memo shows that the Agency was offered a government copy of PROMIS as early as 1981, thanks to a FOIA request by Michael Best who wrote: Not long thereafter during the same spring of 2001, Bill Hamilton contacted retired four-star Admiral Daniel Murphy for the first time since 1991, when they had first met through Elliot Richardson former Secretary of Defense under President Nixon. Murphy had served under Richardson as his Military Adviser so he was considered trusted and loyal by INSLAW’s lawyer. Murphy later served as Deputy Director of the CIA during the Ford Administration; as Under-Secretary of Defense for Intelligence during the Carter Administration; and as Chief of Staff to Vice President Bush during the first term of the Reagan Administration (when the Reagan Administration’s misappropriation of PROMIS for intelligence projects began). After hearing Hamilton’s account of the abrupt turn around by CIA Director Tenet regarding his willingness to settle the CIA’s part of the INSLAW Affair, and reading the two sworn statements of Gordon Thomas along with the INSLAW memorandum summarizing evidence corroborative of significant elements of Rafi Eitan’s PROMIS-related admissions, Admiral Murphy vowed to help INSLAW. According to sources, in August 2001 Murphy introduced Hamilton to former FBI Director and former CIA Director William Webster believing the man could help. The three then met for three hours discussing the INSLAW case. Three days later, Webster phoned Murphy declining to take on INSLAW as a client because he stated “that he was not confident that the George W. Bush would be willing to settle the INSLAW case.” In 2001, the FBI arrested an FBI Agent, Robert Hanssen, who was accused for almost two decades of spying for the Soviet Union and, after its fall, later for Russia, NY Times reported. However, in June 2001, the Washington Times published a front-page article reporting that sources familiar with the government’s then-ongoing security debriefing of Robert Hanssen had leaked to the Washington Times the fact that Hanssen, a computer software-savy FBI agent, had sold the Soviet KGB copies of various versions of INSLAW’s PROMIS software that the U.S. Government had misappropriated for intelligence applications, including the FBI’s PROMIS-derivative FOIMS investigative case management system and database systems used by other U.S. intelligence and defense entities. Soon after the FBI’s arrest of Robert Hanssen, Attorney General John Ashcroft appointed none other than William Webster to conduct a security review of the FBI on the account of Hanssen’s two decades of espionage against the United States. In September 2001 Admiral Murphy met with C. Boyden Gray, who agreed to represent INSLAW in seeking a settlement. When Murphy was Chief of Staff to Vice President Bush, he hired Gray as the Vice President’s legal counsel and after serving as legal counsel to Vice President Bush for the two terms of the Reagan Administration, Gray became White House Counsel under President George H.W. Bush. In a separate telephone conversation with Hamilton at the approximate time as the meeting with Gray, Admiral Murphy told Hamilton he had been thinking about what was told to him months earlier regarding the reactions of CIA Director George Tenet in March 2001. Admiral Murphy replied that he had a “hunch” that there was “another PROMIS application INSLAW had not yet discovered, and that the additional PROMIS application involves something so seriously wrong that money alone cannot cure the problem.” Murphy added that the government might never compensate INSLAW unless and until the Company “discovered that additional use of PROMIS.” Murphy then stated that he was confident that Hamilton would figure out the additional PROMIS use and volunteered to serve as INSLAW’s “intelligence guru,” as well as attend Gray’s meetings with government officials to “keep them honest.” Murphy further told Hamilton what he expected to say to Attorney General Ashcroft when he and Gray met with Ashcroft; “John, let’s cut the crap. This case needs to be settled and here is how to settle it.” Unfortunately, in late September 2001, Admiral Murphy died unexpectedly. Then the George W. Bush Administration stonewalled INSLAW Counsel Gray for the next two years, the same way previous Republican and Democratic administrations blocked INSLAW Counsel Elliot Richardson prior. PROMIS was forked into many reported use cases for the U.S. government, including an intelligence application onboard nuclear submarines of the United States and Great Britain, and the use by both the U.S. Government and certain Allied Governments for inventory tracking of nuclear materials and long-range ballistic missiles. But the most bizarre and frightening use was to keep track of dissident Americans under Main Core. The Main Core database isn’t just a rumor or conspiracy theory, PROMIS software was used by Iran-Contra fall guy then-National Security Council, Lt. Col. Oliver North to create the dissidents list for Rex-84 that would later evolve to Main Core. North used PROMIS software in 1982 in the Department of Justice, and at the White House, to compile a list of American dissidents to invoke if the government ever needed to do so under Ronald Reagan’s Continuity of Government (COG) program as a liaison to FEMA. In 1993, Wired described North’s use of PROMIS in compiling the Main Core database: This Main Core database of individuals was given to a handful of individuals, meaning most government officials had no knowledge of the program ever existing. The database was passed off from administration to administration through National Security channels, according to sources. Enter in the picture former CIA spook, imprisoned whistleblower and INSLAW witness Michael Riconosciuto. Riconosciuto warned about Main Core’s database and the dissident round-up program, he also stated that he was the programmer who backdoored INSLAW PROMIS software. Riconosciuto specifically testified that PROMIS “was stolen as a favor to software-company executive Earl Brian, a friend of Meese’s, for Brian’s help in persuading the Iranian government to hold on to the embassy hostages until the 1980 election was over.” This means that in the 1990s, Riconosciuto described exactly what intelligence officials would discuss years later in Salon and Radar. Riconosciuto also whistle-blew regarding the development of alleged ethnic bioweapons by Wackenhut and the Bio-Rad corporation, the Lockerbie incident and Wackenhut’s ties to the CIA, which is now G4S security. Riconosciuto additionally spoke about drug smuggling across various parts of the U.S., according to the book The Last Circle by Cheri Seymour, written at the behest of Congress to understand what had been uncovered by Casolaro which he deemed “The Octopus.” Somewhere along the line this all became a tongue-in-cheek paranoid joke, and a conspiracy theory instead of a known fearful fact. Within high-reaching intelligence circles it’s one of the most well-kept secrets that the U.S. maintains a list of “marked” individuals considered dissidents to round up and bring to camp FEMA in case of “Martial Law” or a deemed “emergency” event, which isn’t clearly defined. In 2008, Salon ran an article shedding some light, detailing Main Core software and its evolution. Investigative journalist Tim Shorrock reported the alleged disturbing domestic surveillance activities following 9/11 used by the Bush administration to spy on Americans. Which is ironic as the original non-forked backdoored PROMIS software was used to spy on American and foreign communications prior to 9/11 with Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) technologies implanted by the Israelis and another separate software iteration by the CIA. Shorrock cited “several former U.S. government officials with extensive knowledge of intelligence operations,” who stated “a vast amount of personal data on Americans, including NSA intercepts of bank and credit card transactions and the results of surveillance efforts by the FBI, the CIA and other agencies” was included in the new and improved code of Main Core software. Although, PROMIS is one key to 9/11, a subject too vast for full analysis in this piece. PROMIS software and Michael Riconosciuto’s own ties to 9/11 will be included in a future article by this author. This article serves as background introducing the reader to the PROMIS INSLAW affair and its many characters and twists and turns which all roads seem to lead back to the DOJ, NSA and CIA. Another government official with a high-ranking security clearance spoke to the tabloid Radar the same year, corroborating Riconosciuto and other officials’ claims that Main Core is: This database had as much as 8 million American names in it, according to Journalist Christ Ketcham who reported the massive number of U.S. citizens “marked” in 2008. The number of names now in Main Core’s database according to a former intelligence source is believed to be in the “high double digit millions, heading for the triple digits millions” spanning across the political spectrum. The other use of Main Core’s system since its creation under Reagan is using its detailed access into anyone’s life for political blackmail of members of Congress and other influential people, according to a source. Through extensive research and the aid of several sources, this author was able to track down the evolution of Main Core which will be expanded on in a later article. Main Core after Ronald Reagan was developed further at a base in North Carolina where sophisticated artificial intelligence was inserted in the code, and later advances at a Guatemalan military base with help of the Israelis. We will also discuss the Main Core feeder systems and suspected agencies that are involved with the database. This writer has spoken to several sources over the course of months. Ted L. Gunderson, one of this reporter’s only sources who will be made public for this article since he is now dead, first told this author about INSLAW PROMIS software almost a decade ago. Ted was a close friend of Riconosciuto and Casolaro, and may have been mutual friends with Ian Spiro, who was also a friend of the “CIA wiz kid.” Danny Casolaro kept a transcript of a May 1991 meeting attended by Alan Boyak, a lawyer and former CIA operative, Ted L. Gunderson former LA and Dallas head of the FBI, and former CIA, Michael Riconosciuto. Boyak was representing Riconosciuto and Ted was one of the investigators involved with looking into the case to exonerate his friend. Many remain unaware but Riconoscuito and Gunderson were very connected to intelligence and helped broker a deal for Ronald Reagan and CIA dir. Bill Casey by assisting in setting up the Mujaheddin with unassembled Chinese 107 MM rocket systems at a meeting with Tim Osman (Osama Bin Laden) and Ralph Olberg, in 1986. This was done by Riconoscuito using his contacts in the Chinese industrial and military group Norinco. These systems could then be reconfigured into portable anti-aircraft guided missile systems, and produced in Pakistan at a facility called the Pakistan Ordnance Works to fire at the Soviets in Afghanistan (Pakistani ISI). So when Danny Casolaro was put into contact with former CIA spook Riconosciuto, former FBI LA and Dallas head Ted L. Gunderson, NSA Army whistleblower Alan Standorf and possibly even Alan Boyak, it was a significant catalyst. Although, there may have been more people involved in helping Casolaro expose the criminal aspects of “The Octopus,” these were the names that multiple sources all corroborated, with the addition of Ian Spiro, a businessman who got “caught up with the wrong crowd” and a friend of Riconosciuto who held documents for him. For each of their own reasons, both Spiro and Casolaro tried to tell the tale of PROMIS and the then Octopus (deep state) that used Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). Information flowed to Casolaro from former CIA whistleblower Michael Riconosciuto, former FBI senior agent Ted L. Gunderson and NSA whistleblower Alan Standorf, as well as their own sources. Spiro was directly involved in various operations under Eitan. Both men were met with fatal ends due to their pursuits: Spiro for his selfishness and later attempts to protect himself and his family — Casolaro for his drive to muckrake the truth, no matter what the cost. According to a source, Rafi Eitan may have been responsible for the death of Casolaro and the deaths of Spiro’s family hiring a hitman Joseph Cueller who will be discussed later in this article. Eitan at the time had stated a threat to a friend of Casolaro stating that Danny should “mind his own business.” This was prior to Casolaro slitting his wrist an estimated 12 times; the cuts on the right wrist extended to the tendons, and the cuts on the left hit tendons. Danny was found dead in his bathtub a bloody mess in Sheraton Hotel in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The exact scene seen by investigators mirrored the death of another reporter in Guatemala, Anson NG Yonc, who was also found dead in his bathtub; the only thing different was one was dead from a single gunshot, the other was dead from slit wrists, the Associated Press reported. Danny had come to Martinsburg two days earlier to meet new sources including William Turner, a former employee of Hughes Aircraft; he also met another source behind the IRS building, who was an unidentified U.S. Army Special Forces covert intelligence officer, presumably Joseph Cueller, according to a source knowledgeable about Casolaro’s final investigation. These sources Casolaro believed would contribute to his year-long investigation into “The Octopus” and, in his words, the evidence that would “bury the Justice Department.” In Casolaro’s view this massive conspiracy encompassed the alleged theft of PROMIS by Justice Department officials; an effort by a former CIA operative (Riconosciuto) to use a California Indian reservation as a front for supplying weapons to the Nicaraguan Contras (Iran-Contra, Operation Pseudo Miranda); the shady connections between the Wackenhut Corporation and the CIA; the prolific BCCI scandal, S&L debacle; Pan Am 103 and the October Surprise. This may explain in part why he went to the IRS building prior to his death to attempt to follow the missing or additional money with an audit trail. However, unbeknownst to Danny, that last meeting may have been a set up on the intrepid reporter’s life, as this article illustrates. “Dan dealt in this nebulous, shadowy world,” Dick O’Connell, a friend of Casolaro’s and publisher of Washington Crime News Services said. “He was saying ‘they’ took that INSLAW software and sold it overseas and took the profits from that and turned it into arms for the Contras,” O’Connell told the Associated Press. “That’s what he was working on and he told me he thought BCCI was the conduit for all of these money transactions.” At about 5:30 p.m. the night before his death Casolaro happened to meet a man named Mike Looney who rented the room next to Casolaro’s Room 517. They chatted on two occasions — first at about 5:30 p.m. and then again at about 8:00 p.m. Looney later explained, “[Casolaro] said he was there to meet an important source who was going to give him what he needed to solve the case.” According to Looney, Casolaro claimed that his source was scheduled to arrive by 9:00 p.m., “But as the appointed hour came and went Casolaro became embarrassed.” Casolaro left Looney, explaining that he had to make a telephone call. He returned a few minutes later and admitted that his source might have “blown him off.” Casolaro and Looney talked until about 9:30 p.m according to sources who are familiar with the story. At around 10.00 p.m., Casolaro was last seen purchasing a coffee at a nearby convenience store. That was the last time anyone reported seeing Danny Casolaro alive according to the case documents. Following the death of Casolaro, INSLAW Attorney Elliot Richardson called for an investigation. “It’s hard to come up with any reason for his death, other than he was deliberately murdered because he was so close to uncovering sinister elements of what he called ‘The Octopus,'” Richardson said. In its Addendum to INSLAW’s ANALYSIS and REBUTTAL of the BUA REPORT, dated February 14, 1994, Inslaw notes the Justice Department’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI): “OSI’s publicly- declared mission is to locate and deport Nazi war criminals. The Nazi war criminal program is, however, a front for the Justice Department’s own covert intelligence service, according to disclosures recently made to INSLAW by several senior Justice Department career officials . . . According to written statements of which INSLAW has obtained copies, another undeclared mission of the Justice Department’s covert agents was to insure that investigative journalist Danny Casolaro remained silent about the role of the Justice Department in the INSLAW scandal by murdering him in West Virginia in August 1991.” As Casolaro worked on his Octopus story, he came to rely increasingly on an individual named Robert Booth Nichols as a source, and as a friend. Casolaro also relied heavily on Riconosciuto. Danny even flew to Seattle to serve as Riconosciuto’s volunteer pretrial investigator when he was arrested in March 1991 on drug charges, one year after he began his investigation. In time, however, Casolaro became more skeptical of Riconosciuto’s stories which included bizarre alien retrievals by black helicopters to gun smuggling and bioweapons; and within a few months he was refusing to accept his collect calls from jail. But Casolaro had not abandoned his own investigation into The Octopus. (You can read Casolaro’s notes here.) In July 1991, after Nichols visited Casolaro in Washington, D.C., Danny began to suspect that Nichols was far more sinister than he’d imagined, and began to investigate his past activities. This may be because Casolaro had learned just a few months before his death that Riconosciuto was the source he should have trusted. In the transcript meeting mentioned above in May 1991 with Gunderson and Boyak, Riconosciuto described an occasion where Nichols wanted to deliver a message to a mobster from Chicago. “He hung the man upside down on a hoist in an airplane hangar in front of a prop plane, then started the engine of the plane and revved it up, so that the man hanging on the hoist was sucked toward the propellers.” According to Riconosciuto, “By the time Bob got finished with him, he wanted to die.” Three days before Casolaro died, he called Thomas Gates, who worked in the bureau’s L.A. office. As Gates testified before the House Judiciary Committee, Casolaro told Gates that Nichols had warned or threatened him after his last visit on July 7th, “If you continue this investigation, you will die.” Approximately a month later in August, Danny was found dead. According to an affidavit sworn by Agent Gates during the course of a 1987 investigation into mob activities in Hollywood, Nichols was identified by the FBI as early as 1978 as a drug trafficker and money launderer. If that’s not enough, it turns out Nichols was head of Meridian Arms, which in turn joined up with a tiny California Indian tribe the Cabazon Band of Indians and the CIA-connected Wackenhut Corporation in a scheme to manufacture arms on the Indians’ reservation to then be sent to the Contras along with the production of bioweapons sold to the U.S. military and later Japan according to Riconosciuto. Casolaro had become too trusting despite the nature of his investigation. On August 9th, William Turner said he delivered “two packets of documents” to Casolaro in Martinsburg. In a sworn statement, Turner explained Casolaro planned “to swap some info to his source for more information on INSLAW.” Turner stated the documents included “computer printouts and other documents Casolaro had received from Alan Standorf, Michael Riconosciuto and unnamed sources, relating to the sale of modified PROMIS software . . . to Canada, Australia and Israel to name a few countries.” Casolaro told Turner that the meeting with a source in Martinsburg “had been arranged by Joseph Cuellar” according to a March 14th, 1994 affidavit by Turner, provided in the documents. In 1992, Hamilton began receiving information from a never-identified U.S. intelligence source through a third party, a retired Army Criminal Investigation Division officer. “My intelligence source claimed that Danny was murdered by U.S. Army Special Forces Intelligence Major Joseph Cuellar in the course of a covert intelligence operation,” Hamilton stated. “The objective of the operation was to recover every copy of computer printouts from a Defense Intelligence Agency PROMIS-based domestic surveillance database system called Main Core, acquired through the assistance of National Security Agency employee Alan Standorf.” Despite the fact that FBI agent Scott Erskine misconstrued Hamilton’s words, in his notes taken during their meeting about Casolaro’s death stating Danny became “embarrassed” by his own investigation. Erskine let slip a key fact that the Martinsburg Police had a witness who claimed she saw an unknown man leaving Casolaro’s room the morning of his murder that matched the description of the man he met at the bar the night before who was “impatient.” Hamilton wonders whether Cuellar was the man an unnamed Sheraton Inn maid told the Martinsburg Police she saw leaving Casolaro’s room the morning of his death on August 10th, provided documents indicate. “A male in his 30s, with an excellent sun tan, wearing a fashionable tee-shirt, dark slacks, and deck shoes,” according to the unknown maid and Charles Work a lawyer for INSLAW wrote in a letter to then Assistant Associate Attorney General John C. Dwyer deputy of Attorney General William Hubbell. According to sources, this is due to a claim by a retired FBI agent, who was working for INSLAW at Business Risks International (BRI) where Cuellar was then working as well, who said the maid may have misconstrued Cuellar’s Hispanic complexion for the sun tan she described. The retired FBI agent secretly observing Cueller further stated that the maid’s description of the man’s expensive sports clothes matched the way he usually dressed. However, this information was covered up by authorities, and the DOJ at the time ordered the notes to be sealed. Despite the fact that the description matches the same exact man Casolaro met at the bar the night before his death, INSLAW lawyer Charles Work wrote in a 1994 letter provided to this writer by INSLAW INC. months ago. Further, the INSLAW lawyer states that INSLAW had confidential sources tell them that Casolaro had been found with ethyl alcohol absolut in his system, but not just anywhere — injected into his spine to “deaden the nerves below his head.” INSLAW was also provided the inventory lot number according to Charles which he stated was: “6810-00-242-3645.” A forensic pathologist Dr. Kit Green who worked for almost a decade at the CIA claimed the inventory number indicates the poison came from a U.S. Army inventory. According to INSLAW’s counsel Charles Work, Danny was even warned through Hamilton after receiving a threat or warning relayed from CIA Charles Hayes not to go to DC and meet a source behind a certain facility. INSLAW suspects that building was a townhouse on Jackson Place just behind Blair House used during both the Reagan and Bush administrations for White House “dirty tricks.” The property was used by former CIA employees equipped with computer equipment and encrypted communications. It was also used for “very sensitive U.S. government intelligence, law enforcement and national security databases on U.S. citizens.” In other words, the townhouse was likely an operation HQ of the Main Core database, which Casolaro had just obtained printouts from Alan Standorf. Allegedly, Casolaro obtained Standorf’s documents from William Turner who passed off copies to Casolaro according to a source who helped this writer tell this mysterious tale. Hayes was a former longtime clandestine contractor with Division D of the CIA which was comprised of CIA clandestine service officers and NSA engineers. Division D was apparently the predecessor organization to the stand-alone joint NSA/CIA agency known as the Special Collection Service (SCS). Division D of the CIA allegedly had a major role within the CIA on the illicit intelligence uses of PROMIS. So the “warning” coming from Hayes alleged by Hamilton, looks much more like one of many threats that were given to Casolaro before the end of his life. However, Hayes caused the resignation of several corrupt politicians in his time until he was thrown in prison on suspicious charges like Riconosciuto. Hayes was also dubbed on the internet as the Angel Of Death because he was the head and public representative of the Fifth Column, a group of hackers who tracked political payoffs through money-laundering channels. On an interesting note the Angel Of Death was quoted stating: “I don”t want another Danny Casolaro on my hands,” when speaking about why the Fifth Column was necessary. Further, Hayes testified in favor of INSLAW in a a Chicago grand jury in 1992 and later in 1996 he was deposed by Department of Justice, Beth Cook. On both occasions Hayes accused the DOJ of “lying, cheating, and stealing.” Beyond that Hayes is who came up with the crafty name “The Octopus” for the web of people that surrounded scandals of the 1980s, which according to Orlingrabbe Hayes was also a source who worked with Casolaro. So its far more likely that Hayes was sending a warning than a threat before Danny lost his life. Hayes was later arrested in 1996 and jailed after he was accused of hiring a $5,000 hit on his son by an unknown FBI agent as testified by FBI agent David R. Keller who alleged the incident. The timing of that event was suspicious in that it occurred after Hayes assisted then Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr in drafting indictments against Hillary and Bill Clinton. Turner also went to jail to serve time for a bank robbery that many believe he committed to avoid being killed by the same forces that killed Danny Casolaro, and Alan Standorf. Such a scenario seems nonsensical to this writer. If someone in a position of power wants to have one killed, the last place one would want to be is behind four walls with no escape. But maybe Turner felt safer behind bars? A source claim that could not be confirmed stated that Turner entered into FBI witness protection after the robbery. If true, this may indicate that Turner did the robbery to get the FBI’s attention, which would make more sense then to simply just go to prison. Spy Magazine reported the horrific bizarre murder scene of Danny Casolaro, observed by Barbara Bittinger, the assistant head housekeeper of the Sheraton Inn in Martinsburg, West Virginia that further contradicts that Danny committed suicide. “Under the sink, lying more or less flat, were two bloody towels. It looked like someone tried to wipe up the blood on the floor and slid the towels under the sink,” said Bittinger, who was only interviewed by police briefly the day the body was found and never by any journalists before speaking to Spy. “It looked like someone” – not the maid, Bittinger tells us – “threw the towels on the floor and tried to wipe the blood up with their foot, but they didn’t get the blood, they just smeared the floor,” Spy Magazine wrote. According to the Bua Report, included in this document dump, Casolaro began reporting death threats “during the last few weeks of his life,” with only a single report of a death threat told to the police by Olga Mokros, an Arlington, Virginia neighbor the Monday before Casolaro’s death. According to the Bua Report, “Mokros could not recall any other specific occasions on which Mr. Casolaro received such a call, even though she was at his house nearly every day.” This statement is contradicted by the notes in a police interview with Mokros, in which it’s expressed that she had answered Casolaro’s phone months before his death only to hear threats to kill him and “cut him into pieces.” Less than an hour later, a different man hissed in the phone to Olga: “Drop dead.” Then there was a third call…, but Olga remembered only that no one spoke and that she heard only music as though a radio were playing in the same room as the caller. “Don’t call him no more,” she said hanging up the phone. A fourth call was the same as the third, and a fifth came later that night. “No music…and no one spoke.” After this she slammed the receiver down. Olga’s statements contradict the official claims and conclusions of the Justice Department and the Special Counsel investigation led by Judge Nicholas John Bua in the infamous Bua Report, providing another sliver of proof that Danny Casolaro didn’t commit suicide, according to a Muckrock FOIA request. Casolaro himself documented the threats, telling his brother Tony, “I have been getting some very threatening phone calls. If anything happens to me, don’t believe it was accidental.” Tony was also skeptical because, “none of his notes on the case were found with his body.” It turns out that Tony wasn’t the only person Danny had told that he might be in danger; he’d also told Gates, a special agent of the FBI. As previously written, Casolaro had uncovered that one of his sources, Robert Booth Nichols, had secrets. It turned out that Nichols was an international money launderer and an associate of the Gambino organized crime family. This information was derived by Danny from his other sources, including Gates and Richard Stavin, who corroborated Riconosciuto’s claims about the man. Stavin was a former special prosecutor for the Justice Department who had been assigned to the MCA case, another case Casolaro had later eyed. In his investigation of the MCA case, it turns out Stavin unearthed documents about Nichols, who was also a target of his probe. On July 31, 1991, Casolaro had a conversation with Stavin. It was in this conversation that Stavin told Danny that Nichols had been a money launderer and that he was connected to the Gambino crime family and the Yakuza through Harold Okimoto an associate of Frank Carlucci (who served as Secretary of Defense and Deputy Director of the CIA before becoming Chairman of The Carlyle Group). But then Stavin told Danny something that he regretted in an interview years later. Stavin expressed to Danny that Nichols had offered his services as an informant to several U.S. Government agencies. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told him,” said Stavin. In Stavin’s opinion: “It seemed like a cover-your-ass situation.” It was during this period of Danny’s investigation that he had learned the secret hidden from many: that organized crime rings and the mafia had infiltrated intelligence agencies and government in general. Casolaro was now on borrowed time living on a thread. One of this writer’s sources also disclosed that Eitan had been seen by a maid/witness known only as Paula at Ian Spiro’s home in the San Diego area at the time of his and his family’s murders in the fall of 1992. Spiro’s 40-year-old wife, Gail, daughters, Sara, 16, and Dina, 11, and son Adam, 14, were allegedly killed during the incident. Spiro was then found in his car miles away dead of cyanide poisoning. Ari Ben Menashe, mentioned earlier in this article, also claimed that in approximately May 1993, Eitan met him at a hotel in Montreal and warned there would be “consequences” if both Menashe and Hamilton were to continue speaking about Israeli intelligence’s role with PROMIS software, according to Hamilton’s notes. Menashe further claimed that Ian Spiro had served as a courier to the Middle East for Eitan of documents stolen by Jonathan Pollard and had freelanced in some way for his personal financial gain from the documents, which accounted for his murder in San Diego. It is publicly known that Pollard had access to a massive trove of classified material which was very appealing to Israeli intelligence and Eitan. Over the years, Pollard is said to have handed over thousands of files to Israel. The U.S. government eventually caught on to Pollard’s activities and arrested him in 1985. It took years before Israel acknowledged its ties to Pollard but the Zionist state eventually admitted its connection to his espionage against the U.S. The Israelis gave some of Pollard’s Top Secret documents to the Russians in exchange for Moscow expediting Jewish immigration to Israel. Israel also granted Pollard citizenship in 1995, despite the man being imprisoned for his crimes. In autumn 2015, just a few years ago, U.S. authorities caved to Zionist pressure and released Pollard from prison under parole. Pollard is said to remain in New York City under round-the-clock surveillance in fear that he might escape and flee to Israel, The New York Times reported. Another source whom wished to remain entirely anonymous including their former profession who seemed quite knowledgeable about Spiro corroborated Menashe stating: The source wouldn’t confirm or deny but seemed to hint at Spiro and Eitan both being involved in Iran-Contra together. That information got this writer digging. Surprisingly, it is apparently public information that Ian Spiro was involved with the Iran-Contra weapons for Western hostages deal in Lebanon and aided Terry Waite. This fact was documented in a book by BBC journalist Gavin Hewitt and according to Oliver North’s Notes. In other words, the evidence at hand suggests that Mossad may have been involved with the clandestine sale of guns, and trade off of guns for drugs smuggling going on in Iran-Contra and beyond (Operation Pseudo Miranda), since the two men worked so closely together. A report by Haartez in 2010, discloses an Israeli operation called ‘Tipped Kettle,’ in which weapons stolen by Israel from the PLO in Lebanon were transferred to the Contras; and the bigger kicker here is to “anti-American elements in Iran” during the 1980s. So it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Eitan was also involved with Spiro and his connections. This time period paints a picture of a lot of secret aggression against the U.S. by Israel from espionage, to arming anti-Americans in Iran. A report by San Diego Magazine with a quote from one of the hostages corroborates even further: “Former hostage Peter Jacobsen confirmed to the media that Spiro was indeed involved in the release of hostages in the Middle East,” San Diego Magazine wrote. However, Ian Spiro is much more important to INSLAW, because according to court documents filed shortly after the murders, Spiro was holding computer equipment essential for Michael Riconosciuto to prove a Justice Department conspiracy to steal the sophisticated computer software. Just like Casolaro, Spiro started receiving threatening phone calls prior to his own death.
|
Aaron
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/09/octopus-promis-the-conspiracy-against-inslaw-software-and-the-murders-to-cover-up-a-scandal-bigger-than-watergate.html
|
2019-10-01 01:32:13+00:00
| 1,569,907,933 | 1,570,221,805 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
5,793 |
activistpost--2019-10-07--FBI Data Shows 5 Times More People Killed by Knives Than Rifles Last Year
| 2019-10-07T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
FBI Data Shows 5 Times More People Killed by Knives Than Rifles Last Year
|
On September 30, the FBI issued a press release noting they have published their 2018 crime statistics. Most notable about the report is the fact that despite constant fear mongering by the mainstream media and the government that crime is running rampant, the number of violent crimes decreased 3.3 percent as compared to the previous year. Also contained in the report were the numbers and causes of deaths in murder cases. Although the FBI did not make the comparison themselves, when reading the data we can see the number of murders carried out with knives or cutting devices was five times higher than the number of murders carried out with rifles. This comparison is particularly important given the current gun climate in America. Before we go on, it is important to mention that handguns were responsible for the majority of firearms deaths. It is also important to point out that all firearms deaths combined made up the majority of all murders in the United States. Of the 14,123 murders in 2018, 10, 265 of them involved firearms—a 7 percent drop from the previous year. That being said, the number of rifle deaths is extremely important given that this is the weapon most often targeted by gun grabbers. “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47,” Democratic presidential candidate Beta O’Rourke recently said to a crowd in Houston, Texas. “We’re not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore.” But as the statistics show, it really isn’t being used against that many Americans. In fact, far more Americans are dying by knives. According to the FBI data, 1,515 were stabbed, cut, or maimed to death by a knife or other cutting instrument. This is a number 5 times higher than those killed by rifles, which sits at just 297. What’s more, twice as many people were beaten to death with hands, fists, and feet (672) than were killed by rifles. And, nearly 150 more people (443) were bludgeoned to death with hammers and other blunt objects than killed with rifles. The weapon most often targeted by gun grabbers appears to play a rather tiny role in the majority of murders carried out in the United States. This is in spite of Americans owning around 16 million AR style rifles. Another important fact is that the FBI data does not differentiate as to what kind of rifle was used in the murder—meaning that it is not likely that all 297 rifle deaths were caused by AR type rifles. The FBI data includes all rifles — including bolt action, pump or lever action rifles — not just AR-15s. If we were to compare stabbings to just AR-15 rifle deaths, that disparity would more likely than not be even greater. Knowing these facts about rifles makes the gun grabbers calls for taking your AR-15s that much more hollow. Even if they were able to disarm all Americans of their AR-15 rifles, this would have little to no effect on the number of total murders. Perhaps this is the reason the right has joined the left in pushing for red flag gun laws which “take the guns first” and “go through due process second,” as Donald Trump famously said last year after the Parkland shooting. But would grabbing guns from people deemed a risk by the state actually have any effect on mass violence? Not likely. Stronger background checks would have little to no effect on mass shootings as most of the mass shooters acquire their guns legally and pass the background checks. As Reason points out: But what about red flag laws that take guns from people deemed a risk? Citizens who are targeted by these laws will be deemed guilty first and only after their guns are taken, will they have a chance to defend themselves in court. This is the de facto removal of due process. As Reuters reports, under the legislation, a family member or law enforcement officer could petition a judge to seize firearms from a person they think is a threat to themselves or others. The judge could then hold a hearing without the targeted person being present and grant a temporary order for 14 days. Under the fifth and fourteenth amendments, due process clauses are in place to act as a safeguard from arbitrary denial of life, liberty, or property by the government outside the sanction of law. In spite of what officials and the media claim, when a person is stripped of their constitutional rights, albeit temporarily, without being given the chance to make their own case based on what can be entirely arbitrary accusations, this is the removal of due process. And, it doesn’t work. We’ve seen this play out before already. Earlier this year, a tragedy unfolded in California as a deranged gunman, Kevin Douglas Limbaugh, walked up on an innocent woman, officer Natalie Corona, pulled out his guns and began shooting her repeatedly until she died. Limbaugh then fired several more shots at others before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life. Had more people been nearby, Limbaugh would’ve likely carried out a mass shooting. Limbaugh’s case is important to bring up due to the fact that — before he killed a cop — he was subject to California’s “red flag” laws in 2018. Limbaugh was given a high-risk assessment that ordered him to turn in his registered weapons to police, the only one being a Bushmaster AR-15. On November 9, Limbaugh turned in the weapon. Despite being banned from possessing a weapon, he still obtained one illegally and used it to commit murder. Perhaps this push for taking AR-15s from law abiding citizens is a strategical one. Despite being used in very few murders, the AR-15 is an extremely effective deterrent against tyranny. The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subjugated races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subjugated races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty. So let’s not have any native militia or native police. — Adolf Hitler, Hitler’s Table Talk, 1941-1944: Secret Conversations Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project, where this article first appeared. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter, Steemit, and now on Minds. Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Follow us on Minds, Twitter, Steemit, and SoMee. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.
|
Activist Post
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/10/fbi-data-shows-5-times-more-people-killed-by-knives-than-rifles-last-year.html
|
Mon, 07 Oct 2019 15:28:55 +0000
| 1,570,476,535 | 1,570,492,217 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
5,794 |
activistpost--2019-10-07--FBI Says They Are Closely Monitoring Social Media Posts About “Joker”
| 2019-10-07T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
FBI Says They Are Closely Monitoring Social Media Posts About “Joker”
|
According to a recent joint FBI and Department of Homeland Security bulletin, federal law enforcement agencies are monitoring social media posts about the film Joker, in search of threatening comments. The film has been the topic of opinion pieces in the news for months, with many pundits suggesting that it could provoke angry or mentally ill people to carry out acts of violence. Fans of the film say that the violence is intended to make a statement about the consequences of child abuse and the mistreatment of the mentally ill. The film has been massively popular in its opening days, breaking several box office records with a $93.5 million opening weekend. While there have been plenty of violent movies that have managed to avoid controversy, Joker has some themes that are especially sensitive in today’s political climate. The fact that a mass shooting has taken place during a Batman film in 2012, likely contributed to the hyper-vigilance about this film. Most theaters throughout the country banned any type of masks or cosplay costumes for opening weekend. Luckily, there was no violence on opening weekend, although there was one particularly awkward encounter in New York, where a drunk and belligerent man was kicked out of a theater and detained for loudly clapping and cheering during the film’s murder scenes. “About halfway through when Joker started killing people and monologuing about how society is evil he started clapping really loudly and incessantly for a good minute. People started yelling for him to shut up, but he kept clapping and cheering like mad,” one witness, Nathanael Hood, told reporters. Some people in the theater rushed for the exits because he made them feel uncomfortable, and he reportedly yelled and spit at them as they left. Police seem to be on high alert about the film. A statement from the FBI, obtained by The Hill, said, The FBI also claims that they have been receiving anonymous tips about “unspecific mass shootings” related to the film since May. “Credible sources indicate a known extremist group may be behind the threat,” an FBI spokesperson said, noting that, “no specific threat is identified.” The New York Police Department has reportedly stationed undercover police officers in screenings of the film, and other jurisdictions are taking similar measures as well. Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Follow us on Minds, Twitter, Steemit, and SoMee. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.
|
Activist Post
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/10/fbi-says-they-are-closely-monitoring-social-media-posts-about-joker.html
|
Mon, 07 Oct 2019 01:39:50 +0000
| 1,570,426,790 | 1,570,492,220 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
6,217 |
activistpost--2019-12-10--Police Use Surveillance Zones To Monitor Private Internet Purchases Or Swaps
| 2019-12-10T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
Police Use Surveillance Zones To Monitor Private Internet Purchases Or Swaps
|
Police departments across the country are creating “Safe Exchange Zones” in front of police stations or inside them to monitor internet purchases or swaps 24/7. According to Newsweek, police have been encouraging the public to conduct internet purchases or swaps at police-run Internet Exchange Zones since at least 2016. If I have learned anything in my nearly 10 years of blogging, it is the mass media’s penchant for stoking the public’s fear. Last year NJ.com’s article titled, “Found an internet deal? Here’s the only place you should meet the seller,” starts out warning the public about the dangers of selling or exchanging items on the internet. And then it claims the only place one should sell or exchange items is in front of a police station. Another article in WRDW Channel 12 spews the same rhetoric saying, “crimes related to internet exchanges happen every couple of months in our area.” A recent article in The Metro West Daily News reveals that police departments want people to conduct their exchanges inside police stations. According to this logic, if someone is afraid to sell or exchange something in front of or inside a police station, then they should be viewed with suspicion. Welcome to America 2019, where even private transactions are considered suspicious. Police are excited to use CCTV cameras to monitor private purchases Police in Natick, Mass are also thrilled to use CCTV cameras to identify people and monitor internet exchanges. “We certainly welcome anyone needing a safe place to conduct this type of transaction to use our lobby to do so,” she said. “We are open 24/7/365 and our doors are always open. We do not have signage such as I have seen elsewhere, but it is not uncommon for people to use the lobby or front of the station for this,” Natick police spokeswoman Lt. Cara Rossi said. As Newsweek noted, police-run Safe Exchange Zones are everywhere. How can police identify people making internet purchases or swaps? Below is a list of six devices police departments commonly use to identify people: None of those news articles mentioned anything about the loss of anonymity that occurs when letting law enforcement monitor everyone’s online purchases or exchanges. Big Brother’s latest public safety sales pitch is designed around the possibility of theft, kidnapping or murder, and using that fear to justify more surveillance cameras. According to a recent study, America needs less surveillance cameras not more. The US already has the largest number of surveillance cameras per person in the world. The study found found that the US tops the list when it comes to the number of surveillance camera installations per capita, with 50 million CCTVs monitoring the entire US population of over 327 million people. We all need to wake up to the fact that our fears of terror and crime are being used as an excuse to create a national CCTV surveillance network. You can read more at the MassPrivateI blog, where this article first appeared. Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month at Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, Flote, Minds, Twitter, and Steemit. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.
|
Activist Post
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/12/police-use-surveillance-zones-to-monitor-private-internet-purchases-or-swaps.html
|
Tue, 10 Dec 2019 16:19:21 +0000
| 1,576,012,761 | 1,576,022,799 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
6,296 |
activistpost--2019-12-17--Virginia Activates Official Militia in Response to Gun Confiscation Threats. Lawmakers Want To Make
| 2019-12-17T00:00:00 |
activistpost
|
Virginia Activates Official Militia in Response to Gun Confiscation Threats. Lawmakers Want To Make This a Felony.
|
As Virginia lawmakers prepare to pass a draconian gun control bill that would make most guns in the state illegal, Tazewell County has formed an official active militia as per the Second Amendment to the Constitution. To all of those who like to mock gun owners and ask if they’re going to fight tyranny in a militia, Virginia’s answer is a clear and adamant “yes.” That’s exactly what they’re planning to do. A Quick Recap of What’s Happened So Far Here’s a little bit of background on the proposed weapons ban from my last article. Unsurprisingly, a lot of Virginians are outraged by the idea of this and discussion of a “grandfather clause” that allows you to keep your semi-autos as long as you register them has done nothing to assuage the ire of gun owners. Counties across the state quickly organized into Second Amendment sanctuaries – as of Dec. 16, 89 counties, cities, or municipalities have passed “sanctuary” resolutions and 6 have passed resolutions to protect the Second Amendment rights of citizens, but refuse to use the word “sanctuary.” Other locations are still debating their stances. Then to really stir the pot, State Representative Donald MacEachin had the bright idea of calling up the National Guard to squelch the rebellion. As you can imagine, that didn’t go over well. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia’s National Guard responded rather vaguely via Twitter. Based on the responses in the Twitter thread, folks found Maj. Gen. Williams’ lackluster response less than comforting. So now, a militia is forming in Virginia Tazewell County is taking this threat to the Second Amendment very seriously. Not only did they pass a Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution, but they’ve also officially begun to form a militia. Law Enforcement Today reports: County Administrator Eric Young explained why the county has opted to form a militia. This article explains the extensive training being offered by Tazewell County to its citizens in order to make sure everyone is acting safely and responsibly. I suspect Tazewell County will not be the only one that forms an official militia. The legislature of Virginia may have bitten off more than it can chew when they decided to come after the guns of rural citizens. “Coincidentally,” there’s an anti-paramilitary bill on the table. It’s probably no coincidence that at the same time militias are forming, there’s also a bill to make them illegal. SB64 has caused a huge hullabaloo. Here’s some of the text of that bill. A person is guilty of unlawful paramilitary activity, punishable as a Class 5 felony if he: 1. Teaches or demonstrates to any other person the use, application, or making of any firearm, explosive, or incendiary device, or technique capable of causing injury or death to persons, knowing or having reason to know or intending that such training will be employed for use in, or in furtherance of, a civil disorder; 2. Assembles with one or more persons for the purpose of training with, practicing with, or being instructed in the use of any firearm, explosive, or incendiary device, or technique capable of causing injury or death to persons, intending to employ such training for use in, or in furtherance of, a civil disorder; or 3. Assembles with one or more persons with the intent of intimidating any person or group of persons by drilling, parading, or marching with any firearm, any explosive or incendiary device, or any components or combination thereof. (source) Obviously, this is not a coincidence. They predicted how rural Virginians would respond to their gun-grabbing shenanigans. The plan all along was to confiscate guns and turn any organized resistance into a felony. There could hardly be anything more unconstitutional than SB64. I know I already quoted this, but just as a refresher for any legislator that might happen to be reading this: Our guiding doctrines are the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. At this point, everything the laughable Virginia Congress is proposing is an affront to the principles upon which this nation was founded. Another reminder – this is the pledge these legislators swore: Every person in the government who has sworn this oath yet supports these unconstitutional bills should be immediately recalled and possibly even tried criminally to set an example that we will no longer tolerate the systematic dismantling of our rights. (Congressional privilege from arrest is only applicable in civil court, not in criminal court.) This strategy was orchestrated by someone with a lot of money and power. This is something that has been thought through, perhaps even by gun control advocate and presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg. The reason I’m suggesting Bloomberg specifically is that his PAC donated millions and millions of dollars to turn the legislatures of 24 states to a Democrat majority. His millions worked in 21 of those cases, and Virginia is one of them. Packing the state legislatures with allies would help his agenda should he actually become the next president. Bloomberg is rabidly anti-gun and has said that ending “the nationwide madness of U.S. gun violence” is the impetus behind his run for the White House. If he were to be elected, may God help America, because he will destroy everything for which our nation has ever stood. Here’s the summary on what’s happening in Virginia Let’s look at all these facts together. • With Michael Bloomberg’s help, the Democrats took over the Virginia state congress. • There’s an anti-paramilitary bill that would disallow armed people to gather or teach others how to use firearms or any technique that could cause injury or death. • Nearly the entire state (aside from the highly populated areas that elected these yahoos) has balked and formed Second Amendment sanctuaries. • A legislator threatened the sanctuaries with the National Guard. • The sanctuaries responded by activating an organized militia. The only real way to prevent bloodshed and save face for the congress and governor is for these bills not to pass. That would be difficult, though, given the fact that Bloomberg dumped millions of dollars into getting people elected who promised to pass strict gun control bills. If they suddenly vote against the bill, they will have to face their angry constituents and the wrath of Bloomberg. Rural Virginians seem unlikely to back down and are willing to fight. They have another month to get organized to defend their communities. Remember that in situations such as these, the rumor mill works overtime. There are a lot of reports that are exaggerated. The truth is bad enough that we don’t need to add far-fetched theories to the mix. This article is a very good, common-sense breakdown of fact vs. fiction, although some vehemently disagree with the assessment that the government will not turn off communications and power for the sanctuary areas. It’s certainly not impossible to imagine that drastic measures could be taken. What will happen next remains to be seen, but it is no exaggeration to say that the future of our country is now riding on the response of Virginians, should these unconstitutional laws pass. Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, globe-trotting blogger who writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, voluntaryism, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, The Organic Prepper, where this article first appeared. She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site, PreppersDailyNews.com. Daisy is the best-selling author of 4 books and runs a small digital publishing company. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month at Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, Flote, Minds, Twitter, and Steemit. Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.
|
Activist Post
|
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/12/virginia-activates-official-militia-in-response-to-gun-confiscation-threats-lawmakers-want-to-make-this-a-felony.html
|
Tue, 17 Dec 2019 17:08:46 +0000
| 1,576,620,526 | 1,576,627,623 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
8,013 |
aljazeera--2019-01-12--FBI investigated Trumps Russia ties after Comey firing NYT
| 2019-01-12T00:00:00 |
aljazeera
|
FBI investigated Trump's Russia ties after Comey firing: NYT
|
FBI agents were so concerned about Donald Trump's behaviour that they investigated whether the US president was working on behalf of the Kremlin, a report in the New York Times has said, citing former law enforcement officials. The probe followed Trump's decision to fire FBI chief James Comey, but reportedly came amid a backdrop of suspicions dating back to his successful 2016 campaign for the presidency. Comey, who was sacked in May 2017, had opened an FBI investigation into whether Russia meddled in the 2016 election and whether the Kremlin officials colluded with the members of Trump's team. After his dismissal, Trump faced accusations of obstruction of justice, which loudened after he fired FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe the following year. McCabe said he believed Comey was fired because he refused to give in to Trump's requests to kill the probe. Comey has since condemned Trump as 'morally unfit' to hold the office of president, and said there was "certainly some evidence of obstruction of justice". Friday's New York Time's report said the intelligence officials had to consider whether the president's actions had constituted a "threat to national security". The report says no evidence has publicly emerged that Trump was in contact with or took direction from Russian officials, and FBI officials refused to comment on the alleged investigation. Trump on Saturday slammed the NYT piece on Twitter, writing that an investigation was opened "for no reason and with no proof". "Wow, just learned in the Failing New York Times that the corrupt former leaders of the FBI, almost all fired or forced to leave the agency for some very bad reasons, opened up an investigation on me, for no reason & with no proof, after I fired Lyin’ James Comey, a total sleaze!" Trump wrote. Bruce Fein, former US associate deputy attorney general and a constitutional lawyer, told Al Jazeera that Trump could expect subpoenas regarding this investigation as early as next week. "Even though this wasn't a crime necessarily, it certainly bares on the fitness of the president for office which means impeachment covers actions that are short of criminal activity," Fein said. "I can guarantee you that the house government affairs and oversight committee will probably issue subpoenas on Monday to get to the bottom of this - why did the FBI think that the evidence was credible enough to suggest that Mr. Trump was actually spying on the country on behalf of Russia?" The investigation into alleged Russian meddling was taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller, himself a former director of the FBI, after Comey's firing. His investigation has resulted in criminal prosecutions and indictments of several former Trump aides, including his ex-campaign chair Paul Manafort, ex-NSA Michael Flynn and former lawyer Michael Cohen, among others. Trump has dismissed the probe as a "witch-hunt" and many critics fear that he is paving the way to fire Mueller. The US president has not yet addressed Friday's New York Times report yet but his lawyer, former New York City Mayor, Rudolph Guiliani, said that the fact no findings had been published "means they found nothing".
| null |
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/fbi-investigated-trump-russia-ties-comey-firing-nyt-190112054128496.html
|
2019-01-12 19:38:12+00:00
| 1,547,339,892 | 1,567,552,809 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
8,354 |
aljazeera--2019-01-18--Chicago cops acquitted of alleged coverup in black teens killing
| 2019-01-18T00:00:00 |
aljazeera
|
Chicago cops acquitted of alleged coverup in black teen's killing
|
Activists and relatives of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager in the United States who was killed by a white police officer more than four years ago, have decried a court ruling that acquitted three current and former Chicago officers of conspiring to protect a white colleague by lying about the circumstances around the fatal shooting. The October 2014 killing of 17-year-old McDonald, which was captured on police video, triggered months of protests and became emblematic of longstanding police abuse in Chicago, the country's third-largest city. On Thursday, Judge Domenica Stephenson acquitted officers Joseph Walsh and Thomas Gaffney and detective David March of trying to cover up the shooting, dismissing as just one perspective the shocking dashcam video of McDonald's killing that also led to a federal investigation of the police department and the rare murder conviction of an officer. In casting off the prosecution's entire case, the judge seemed to accept many of the same defence arguments that were rejected in October by jurors who convicted officer Jason Van Dyke of second-degree murder and aggravated battery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, facing up to 20 years in prison for the second-degree murder conviction and up to 30 years for each of the 16 counts of aggravated battery, one for each shot he fired at McDonald, who was carrying a knife. The judge said the video showed only one viewpoint of the confrontation and that there was no indication the officers tried to hide evidence. "The evidence shows just the opposite," she said. She singled out how they preserved the graphic video at the heart of the case. McDonald's family questioned how the two cases could produce such different decisions. His great uncle, the Reverend Marvin Hunter, told reporters that the verdict means "that if you are a police officer you can lie, cheat and steal", adding that it proved the city's legal system was "corrupt". "This is not justice," he said. "To say that these men are not guilty is to say that Jason Van Dyke is not guilty," Hunter added, describing the verdict was a step backward for the black community's struggles for justice. "It is a sad day for America." Karen Sheley, of the ACLU of Illinois, said in a statement: "The court's decision does nothing to exonerate a police department so rotten that a teenager can be murdered - on video - by one of its officers." The case has provoked periodic street protests since 2015, when the video came to light, and the acquittals could renew that movement. Eric Russell, executive director of Tree of Life Justice League, a police accountability advocacy group from Chicago's West Side, said he and other leaders expected hundreds to protest the verdict on Friday before Van Dyke's sentencing. "We will be down here tomorrow by the hundreds, and we will cry out for justice for Laquan," Russell said. Special prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes said she hoped the verdict would not make officers reluctant to come forward when they see misconduct. Her key witness, officer Dora Fontaine, described how she had become a pariah in the department and was called a "rat" by fellow officers. The trial was watched closely by law enforcement and critics of the department, which has long had a reputation for condoning police brutality. Walsh, Gaffney and March were accused of conspiracy, official misconduct and obstruction of justice. All but Gaffney have since left the department. They asked the judge, rather than a jury, to hear the evidence. After the verdict, Walsh would say only that the ordeal of being charged and tried was "heart-breaking for my family, a year and a half". In her ruling , the judge rejected prosecution arguments that the video demonstrated officers were lying when they described McDonald as moving and posing a threat even after he was shot. "An officer could have reasonably believed an attack was imminent," she said. "It was borne out in the video that McDonald continued to move after he fell to the ground" and refused to relinquish a knife. The video appeared to show the teen collapsing in a heap after the first few shots and moving in large part because bullets kept striking his body for 10 more seconds. The judge said it's not unusual for two witnesses to describe events in starkly different ways. "It does not necessarily mean that one is lying," she said. The judge also noted several times that the vantage points of various officers who witnessed the shooting were "completely different." That could explain why their accounts did not sync with what millions of people saw in the video. Both Van Dyke's trial and that of the three other officers hinged on the video, which showed Van Dyke opening fire within seconds of getting out of his police SUV and continuing to shoot the teenager while he was lying on the street. Police were responding to a report of a male who was breaking into trucks and stealing radios on the city's South Side. Prosecutors alleged that Gaffney, March and Walsh, who was Van Dyke's partner, submitted false reports about what happened to try to prevent or shape any criminal investigation of the shooting. Among other things, they said the officers falsely claimed that Van Dyke shot McDonald after McDonald aggressively swung the knife at the officers and that he kept shooting the teen because McDonald was trying to get up still armed with the knife. McDonald had used the knife to puncture a tire on Gaffney's police vehicle, but the video shows that he did not swing it at the officers before Van Dyke shot him and that he appeared to be incapacitated after falling to the ground. Attorneys for Gaffney, Walsh and March used the same strategy that the defence used at Van Dyke's trial by placing all the blame on McDonald. It was McDonald's refusal to drop his knife and other threatening actions that "caused these officers to see what they saw", March's attorney, James McKay, told the court. "This is a case about law and order (and) about Laquan McDonald not following any laws that night." City Hall released the video to the public in November 2015 - 13 months after the shooting - and acted only because a judge ordered it to do so. The charges against Van Dyke were not announced until the day of the video's release. The case cost the police superintendent his job and was widely seen as the reason the county's top prosecutor was voted out of office a few months later. It was also thought to be a major factor in Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's decision not to seek a third term. The accusations triggered a federal investigation, resulting in a blistering report that found Chicago officers routinely used excessive force and violated the rights of residents, particularly minorities. The city implemented a new policy that requires video of fatal police shootings to be released within 60 days, accelerated a program to equip all officers with body cameras and adopted other reforms to change the way police shootings are investigated. According to the Washington Post's Fatal Force database, at least 995 people have been killed by the police in the US in 2018. The Post found that more than 980 people were killed by police the previous year. Nearly a quarter of those killed by police in 2016 were African Americans, although the group accounted for roughly 12 percent of the total US population. According to watchdog group The Sentencing Project, African American men are six times more likely to be arrested than white men. These disparities, particularly the killing of African Americans by police, has prompted the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, a popular civil rights movement aimed at ending police violence and dismantling structural racism.
| null |
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/chicago-cops-acquitted-alleged-coverup-black-teen-killing-190118030811804.html
|
2019-01-18 03:59:31+00:00
| 1,547,801,971 | 1,567,551,906 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
10,427 |
aljazeera--2019-02-27--Exclusive Amid unrest in Ferguson police used text burner app
| 2019-02-27T00:00:00 |
aljazeera
|
Exclusive: Amid unrest in Ferguson, police used text burner app
|
Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit has obtained documents that reveal the wider use of encrypted "self destruct" messaging systems by US law enforcement agencies, raising serious questions about accountability and transparency. The documents, obtained through public record requests, show Missouri State Highway Patrol equipped their officers in 2014 with a secret messaging application called "Silent Phone" which systematically destroys text messages. Their patrol officers were on the front line, policing the public unrest that shook the town of Ferguson, near St Louis, after the shooting of an unarmed African American by a white police officer. Following the protests in Ferguson, Black Lives Matter became internationally recognised for its campaign against the killing of African-Americans by police. "It's particularly alarming that any police entity would, in a systemic and organised manner, use a burner app for their communications," explained Mark Pedroli, a lawyer with the Missouri Sunshine and Government Accountability Project. "Police particularly are in a position of significant public trust, and it erodes that trust when we learn they burn their messages to one another." Al Jazeera revealed the use of a similar disappearing text app called Tiger Text by the Long Beach Police Department in California last year. Long Beach police ceased using the app following the publication of the Al Jazeera report. Silent Phone, like Tiger Text, destroys messages that are sent between users. The "burn functionality" can be set anywhere between one minute and 90 days, after that they are gone forever. They can also be burned on demand. A request to the Missouri State Highway Patrol for the content of messages sent and received since January 1, 2014, turned up no responsive documents, suggesting the messages haven't been archived. "The use of a messaging application that cannot retain messages beyond 90 days violates the states open records act and retention laws," said Pedroli. He said this could "constitute evidence of knowing and purposeful violation of the law". The latest documents obtained by Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit establish the purchase of Silent Phone - marketed by the company Silent Circle - by law enforcement in Missouri. In its response, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesperson Captain John J Hotz stated, "The silent circle app was utilised by the Patrol to protect and encrypt sensitive operational information during high risk operations such as the law enforcement response in Ferguson and following the Stockley verdict in St. Louis." The agency wouldn't comment on how many text messages have been sent via the platform. The primary role of the Missouri State Highway Patrol is to oversee the state's highways but it also carries out sensitive operations such as criminal investigations. It has more than 1,000 troopers and over 1,000 civilian personnel. "This is the software application that originated with a request by Col. Karsten during the St. Louis protest," wrote a procurement officer in December 2017. Sandra Karsten was an assistant superintendent with the Missouri Highway Patrol before being promoted to lead the Missouri Department of Public Safety, which manages the Highway Patrol. A spokesperson for the agency didn't reply to a request for comment. The St Louis protests referenced in the email are referred to as the Stockley protests. Jason Stockley was a white St Louis police officer who was charged with first-degree murder after he killed an African American suspect in a high-speed car chase in 2011. He was acquitted of the charge in 2017 and protesters took the streets. Representative Bruce Franks is a Missouri Democrat who was arrested during the Stockley protests. He pointed out to the Kansas City Star that four St Louis police officers were indicted last year for an incident in which they attacked a protester. Federal prosecutors obtained text messages sent between the officers expressing excitement about beating up protesters. "Imagine if these officers used this app, where we would have no record of any of the egregious things they said," noted Franks. "Imagine if they used disappearing texts to boast about beating up protesters. That's horrible." Al Jazeera discovered last year that the Long Beach Police Department distributed Tiger Text to over 100 police officers who used the application for years destroying hundreds of thousands of messages in the process. In an email, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office stated the Justice System Integrity Division is still evaluating the matter.
| null |
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2019/02/exclusive-unrest-ferguson-police-text-burner-app-190227061159743.html
|
2019-02-27 12:20:16+00:00
| 1,551,288,016 | 1,567,547,155 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
11,668 |
aljazeera--2019-04-05--Man who said he was missing US boy charged by prosecutors
| 2019-04-05T00:00:00 |
aljazeera
|
Man who said he was missing US boy charged by prosecutors
|
Federal prosecutors in the United States have charged a 23-year-old former convict with making false statements after he claimed to be Illinois teen Timmothy Pitzen, who went missing in 2011 after his mother committed suicide, a US lawyer said. Brian Michael Rini was charged with lying to federal agents after he appeared on Wednesday in Newport, Kentucky, outside Cincinnati and claimed he was 14-year-old Pitzen. Rini was found "wandering the street and looking confused and in need of assistance", according to the six-page affidavit from FBI agent Mary Braun. After identifying himself as Pitzen, Rini complained of abdominal pain and was taken to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Emergency Room, the affidavit said. He told federal agents he had escaped an eight-year ordeal at the hands of sex traffickers. Pitzen was last seen when he was six years old. Rini refused to be fingerprinted on Wednesday and Thursday but agreed to a DNA test which on Thursday identified him as Rini, according to Braun. Even after Rini was advised of his rights and warned against making false statements, he continued to insist he was Pitzen and that he had escaped from a hotel where he had been forced to have sex with men against his will, the affidavit said. Rini finally acknowledged his identity after being confronted with the DNA results and said he had watched a story about Pitzen on ABC's 20/20 news programme, and had wanted to get away from his family, according to Braun. "Law enforcement confronted him with the DNA results, and at that point the person immediately stated that he was not Timmothy Pitzen, and of course law enforcement knew by virtue of the DNA analysis that he was in fact Brian Rini," said US Attorney Benjamin Glassman briefing reporters. Rini appeared in federal court on Friday morning and is being held without bail until his detention hearing on Tuesday. He faces up to eight years in prison if found guilty, Glassman said. Rini's lawyer, Karen Savir, did not immediately return calls seeking comment on the charges against her client. Rini had twice before claimed to be a child sex trafficking victim, according to federal prosecutors. He was released from Ohio's Belmont Correctional Institution on March 7 where he had been serving 14 months for burglary and vandalism, according to public records. "False reports like this can be painful to the families of missing children and also divert law enforcement resources in order to investigate these untruthful claims," said Herb Stapleton, acting special agent in charge of the FBI in Cincinnati. Pitzen was last seen in May 2011 with his mother, who pulled him out of school in Aurora, Illinois, a far-west suburb of Chicago, took him on a trip to a zoo and a water park, and then committed suicide in a motel room, leaving behind a cryptic note on her son's whereabouts. "Tim is somewhere safe with people who love him and will care for him," she wrote in the note, according to reports by ABC7 Chicago. "You will never find him." In Pitzen's hometown of Aurora, Illinois, police sergeant Bill Rowley said that over the years his department has received thousands of tips about the boy, including false sightings. "We're always worried about copycats, especially something that has a big national attention like this," Rowley said. Pitzen's family members said they were heartbroken at the latest twist. "It's devastating. It's like reliving that day all over again, and Timmothy's father is devastated once again," said his aunt Kara Jacobs. The boy's grandmother Alana Anderson said, "It's been awful. We've been on tenterhooks, hopeful and frightened. It's just been exhausting." She added, "I feel so sorry for the young man who's obviously had a horrible time and felt the need to say he was somebody else."
| null |
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/man-missing-boy-charged-prosecutors-190405173414568.html
|
2019-04-05 17:56:34+00:00
| 1,554,501,394 | 1,567,543,912 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
11,913 |
aljazeera--2019-04-10--US Democrats say Barr should retract spying statement
| 2019-04-10T00:00:00 |
aljazeera
|
US Democrats say Barr should retract spying statement
|
US Attorney General William Barr sparred with Democrats on Wednesday over whether "spying" occurred on President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign in the United States, and said that a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the election would be out next week. During questioning by senators, Barr said "spying" on Trump's campaign was carried out by US intelligence agencies, but he later rephrased his comments saying it was "unauthorised surveillance". Initially using language echoing Trump's attempts to discredit Mueller's probe, Barr pulled back under questioning by Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, who said the use of the term "spying" was "unnecessarily inflammatory". Barr, a Trump appointee, said, "I want to make sure there was no unauthorised surveillance", modifying his language. Barr was testifying for a second day at a congressional budget hearing that was dominated by questions about Special Counsel Mueller's Trump-Russia investigation. He said the Department of Justice (DOJ) would release a redacted version of the Mueller report next week. "I'm landing the plane right now," Barr said at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. "I've been willing to discuss my letters and the process going forward, but the report is going to be out next week and I'm just not going to get details of the process until the plane's on the ground." Democrats called on Barr to immediately "disavow and retract" his comments, saying "there is no evidence of spying". "It's an unfathomable and irresponsible remark," Senator Richard Blumenthal told Al Jazeera. "He is acting in effect as Trump's lawyer," he said. "He's a political actor and doing the president's bidding, effectively." House Judiciary Committee Chairman Representative Jerrold Nadler reacted on Twitter saying Barr's "comments directly contradict what DOJ previously told us. I've asked DOJ to brief us immediately. In the meantime, the AG still owes us the full Mueller report." Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, also called on Barr to retract the comments, saying if not, he needs to produce specific evidence to back it up. "AG Barr admitted he had no evidence to support his claim that spying on the Trump campaign 'did occur'," Schumer tweeted. "AG Barr must retract his statement immediately or produce specific evidence to back it up. Perpetuating conspiracy theories is beneath the office of the Attorney General." And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she believes Barr's comments undermine his independence as the nation's top law enforcement officer. The California Democrat said in an interview with The Associated Press news agency she was "very concerned" about Barr's handling of Mueller's Trump-Russia investigation report and accused Barr of doing Trump's political bidding. "He is not the attorney general of Donald Trump. He is the attorney general of the United States," Pelosi said. "I don't trust Barr, I trust Mueller." Barr, appearing before a Senate panel, did not say what "spying" had taken place but seemed likely to be alluding to a surveillance warrant the FBI obtained on a Trump associate. Barr told the committee that he would review all the intelligence activities directed at Trump's 2016 campaign. Barr noted much of this has been done already, both in Congress and by the Justice Department inspector general, but that he will pull it all together to see if there may be "remaining questions to be addressed". With additional reporting by William Roberts in Washington, DC.
| null |
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/democrats-barr-retract-spying-statement-190410211558232.html
|
2019-04-10 22:34:01+00:00
| 1,554,950,041 | 1,567,543,340 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
15,486 |
aljazeera--2019-08-29--What are Russian special operations forces doing in Idlib
| 2019-08-29T00:00:00 |
aljazeera
|
What are Russian special operations forces doing in Idlib?
|
In mid-July, as fighting was raging on in southern Idlib and northern Hama provinces in Syria's northwest, Reuters reported that Russia has deployed its special forces in the area. Quoting sources from the Syrian opposition, the news agency said that the Russian troops were sent in after Syrian regime forces failed to advance against the rebels. The Russian defence ministry predictably denied the involvement of Russian "ground forces" and "special forces" in the hostilities in Idlib, calling the report "fake news". The military pointed out that in line with the Russian-Turkish agreements of 2017, Russian military police is manning observation posts set up around the perimeter of the Idlib de-escalation zone. Whether Russia has indeed deployed special forces on the ground to fight in northwest Syria is difficult to determine with absolute certainty, but it is quite clear that the defence ministry has had to boost Russian presence on the ground in recent months. Whenever reports on the alleged presence of Russian special forces operating in Syria appear, they tend to be highly speculative and based on data that is semi-official or hard to verify, often posted on blogs and social media. The details of Russian military presence are seldom officially disclosed for operational reasons. Identifying Russian security personnel has also proven difficult for one more reason: They often tend to be confused with contractors from private military companies (PMCs). The rumours about the presence of Russian special forces on the ground in northwest Syria started in May, when, photos and footage of Russian armed men making their way through al-Ghab plain between the Hama and the Idlib provinces were circulated on social networks and media outlets. Some speculated that those were Russian mercenaries and not members of the Russian military. Then, a few days later, the ANNA News Agency, a Russian media outlet that covers the operations of the Syrian troops with strong pro-Assad bias, reported that Russian special forces actively engaged in fighting in al-Ghab. They reportedly directed aircraft to targets and countered enemy fire with sniper rifles, anti-tank missiles and mortars on their own by using counter-battery radars. The media outlet added that Russian special forces made a "major contribution" towards the "weakening" of the opposition's defence in the plain but that it was not covered by the media "for security reasons". Shortly after the defence ministry denied the Reuters report, ANNA News did a u-turn on its "reporting" and claimed that the Russian military presence in Syria was limited to the air force. The same day, Russia's Nezavisimaya Gazeta noted that Russian mercenaries, with whom "the Russian Ministry of Defense has, in fact, nothing to do", are helping the Syrian forces in their fight against the opposition in Hama and Idlib. This statement is at the very least misleading: It is unthinkable that any employees of a Russian PMC could carry out any tasks close to the battlefield - or even train local units at the rear - without coordinating their activities with Russian national security, defence and law enforcement agencies. As Novaya Gazeta, a Russian newspaper known for its criticism of the Kremlin, has reported, PMCs like "Shchit" (Shield), which the media first reported on in 2018, are directly linked to Russian generals and the 45th Spetsnaz (Special Forces) Airborne Brigade. There appears to be enough evidence to confirm that Russian fighters - whether members of the Russian military or a PMC - are present at the front lines in Idlib and Hama and are taking part in the fighting. Since 2015, when Moscow launched its military campaign in Syria, personnel from nearly every existing intelligence unit of the Russian armed forces has participated in operations, including the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (GRU) and Special Operations Forces, police and army units of the National Guard of Russia working undercover. The presence of military police and military advisors, which Moscow officially acknowledges, has provided a cover for other forces to operate, including special operations. It has also been known that Russian officers have staffed Syrian army units devastated by desertion, including the 5th Corps which has now been deployed to Hama and Idlib. Russian troops have repeatedly used this scheme at different phases of the Syrian war. In the battle of Aleppo, for example, official records show that only Russian military advisers took part in the military operations, but unofficially, reports have circulated that various components of the Russian military also took part, including military engineers. Although in December 2017 President Vladimir Putin announced "victory" in Syria and the withdrawal of Russian troops, except for "advisors", it is clear that Russian military presence on the ground has continued (whether they be regular soldiers, special ops or mercenaries). Currently, the Assad regime seeks to establish control over the M4 and M5 highways running through Idlib so that it can open the flow traffic between Aleppo, Damascus and Latakia. To counter that plan, Turkey redeployed opposition forces from northern Aleppo to Idlib and pushed reinforcements to surveillance points. For weeks on end the advance of the pro-governmental troops was quite slow, accompanied by major losses of troops. This not only motivated Russian commanders to consent to a greater military role of Iran-backed militias and the 4th Armoured Division led by Maher al-Assad, the brother of the Syrian president, who is close to Tehran, but also the use of Russian reinforcements in the more challenging operations against the opposition. Information on their presence has been purposely kept secret not only because of counterintelligence considerations but also because of possible domestic sensitivities. If their presence in Syria is revealed, this could anger the Russian public, which in its majority wants the country to end its military involvement in Syria. The ultimate goal of the Kremlin is to help regime forces (with aerial cover and Russian reinforcements) advance against the opposition and to try to corner and fragment it while appearing to negotiate truces with Turkey. At the same time, it is trying to gain more influence and say within the regime and its security structures, so at the end of this conflict, it emerges as the kingmaker in Syria. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
| null |
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/russian-special-operations-forces-idlib-190828144800497.html
|
2019-08-29 07:26:32+00:00
| 1,567,077,992 | 1,567,543,585 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
15,690 |
aljazeera--2019-09-05--US judge Terrorist watchlist violates constitutional rights
| 2019-09-05T00:00:00 |
aljazeera
|
US judge: 'Terrorist' watchlist violates constitutional rights
|
The United States government's watchlist of more than one million people identified as "known or suspected terrorists'" violates the constitutional rights of those placed on it, a US federal judge ruled on Wednesday. The ruling from District Judge Anthony Trenga in Virginia grants summary judgement to nearly two dozen Muslim US citizens who had challenged the watchlist with the help of the civil-rights group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). But the judge is seeking additional legal briefs before deciding what remedy to impose. The plaintiffs said they were wrongly placed on the list and that the government's process for adding names is overly broad and riddled with errors. The watchlist is disseminated to a variety of US government departments, foreign governments and police agencies. In a statement, CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri described the decision as a "victory". "CAIR has a half-dozen other watchlist cases pending in federal courts across the country, and this opinion will pave the wave for our continued victories," she said. The FBI declined to comment on the ruling on Wednesday. In court, the FBI's lawyers argued that the difficulties suffered by the plaintiffs pale in comparison to the government's interests in combatting "terrorism". Gadeir Abbas, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, called the ruling a victory. He said he would be asking the judge to severely curtail how the government compiles and uses its list. "Innocent people should be beyond the reach of the watchlist system," Abbas said. "We think that's what the constitution requires." Trenga also wrote in his 31-page ruling that the case "presents unsettled issues." Ultimately, Trenga ruled that the travel difficulties faced by plaintiffs - who say they were handcuffed at border crossings and frequently subjected to invasive secondary searches at airports - are significant, and that they have a right to due process when their constitutional rights are infringed. He also said the concerns about erroneous placement on the list are legitimate. The watchlist, also known as the Terrorist Screening Database, is maintained by the FBI and shared with a variety of federal agencies. Customs officers have access to the list to check people coming into the country at border crossings, and aviation officials use the database to help form the so-called no-fly list, which is a much smaller subset of the broader watchlist. The watchlist has grown significantly over the years. As of June 2017, approximately 1.16 million people were included on it, according to government documents filed in the lawsuit. In 2013, the number was 680,000. The vast majority are foreigners, but according to the government, there were roughly 4,600 US citizens and lawful permanent residents on the watchlist as of 2017. Abbas argued at a court hearing earlier this year that the intrusions imposed on those listed amounted to naught and that the list was worthless in terms of preventing "terrorism". He noted that Omar Mateen, the man who shot and killed 49 people at an Orlando nightclub in 2016, was on the list at one time, but then removed from it. Others who have committed ""terrorist acts" acts' have never even been included. The suit was filed in 2016, and has exposed previously unknown details about the list and how it is disseminated. In particular, government lawyers acknowledged after years of denials that more than 500 private entities are given access to the list. Government lawyers describe those private agencies as "law enforcement adjacent" and include university security teams, police forces, security forces and hospitals, railway companies and even animal-welfare organisations.
| null |
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/judge-terrorist-watchlist-violates-constitutional-rights-190905020002782.html
|
2019-09-05 03:48:56+00:00
| 1,567,669,736 | 1,569,331,277 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
17,424 |
aljazeera--2019-11-15--Mekong countries and the UN join forces to fight drug scourge
| 2019-11-15T00:00:00 |
aljazeera
|
Mekong countries and the UN join forces to fight drug scourge
|
Five Southeast Asian countries, China, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) agreed on Friday to improve intelligence sharing and law enforcement operations to fight drug trafficking in the region by transnational crime groups. Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle - northern Myanmar and parts of Thailand and Laos - has long been a hub of illicit drug production and trafficking. • Has the decade-old war on drugs in Asia succeeded? While opium cultivation and heroin refining have fallen in the past decade, the area is now at the heart of the Asia-Pacific methamphetamine trade, which the UNODC estimates to be worth as much as $61.4bn in 2018, up from an estimated $15bn just five years earlier. The trafficking operations are also being driven by increasingly sophisticated criminal groups, like the Sam Gor syndicate, that can funnel tonnes of drugs from the Golden Triangle to countries stretching from Japan to New Zealand with the ability to adapt to law enforcement methods and able to shift trafficking routes to evade authorities. "The challenge posed by Sam Gor is massive ... they traffick drugs out using multiple borders at any one time. They are laundering money through various businesses across the Mekong," said Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC's chief in Southeast Asia. Ministers from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam agreed at the meeting in Bangkok on Friday to regular intelligence sharing and conducting more integrated cross-border investigations and anti-trafficking operations together. "Before, cooperation at the operation level has been pretty ad hoc but now we hope it will be more organised, systematic, and efficient," Douglas told Reuters, adding that these cross-border operations will also be better monitored with regular reports every year. "We have to be on top of the situation. That means good intelligence and good information are necessary," said Deputy Commissioner of China's National Narcotics Control Commission Andy Tsang Wai-hung. The governments also agreed to work on improving health services, preventive education and to intercept and keep up with the chemicals that are being used as precursors for the production of methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs.
| null |
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/mekong-countries-join-forces-fight-drug-scourge-191115160605494.html
|
Fri, 15 Nov 2019 21:21:29 GMT
| 1,573,870,889 | 1,573,863,928 |
crime, law and justice
|
law enforcement
|
58,202 |
birminghammail--2019-03-15--Christians hand out flowers at Birmingham mosque in support for New Zealand shooting victims
| 2019-03-15T00:00:00 |
birminghammail
|
Christians hand out flowers at Birmingham mosque in support for New Zealand shooting victims
|
Two Christians say they gave out flowers at a Birmingham mosque in a show of support for the victims of shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. James Lynch and Marcus Kapers of Riverside Church gave out flowers to worshippers as they left Birmingham Central Mosque after the terror attack that killed 49 people and injured at least 20 others. Mr Lynch said: "We were just really devastated this morning to hear the news, like a lot of people were, and we just thought there's got to be a way of making a gesture to our friends here at the mosque, so we just wanted to let people to know that we love them, and we're sorry for what happened." Right-wing extremist Brenton Tarrant, 28, has been charged with murder after opening fire on worshippers attending Friday prayers. World leaders have sent messages of condolence to the victims and their families. The Queen stated that she had been "saddened by the appalling events". The country's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, described the killings as "one of New Zealand's darkest days", adding: "What has happened here is an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence." In a separate show of support, a fundraiser for the victims of the shooting at two mosques in Christchurch raised more than 380,000 New Zealand dollars (£197,000) within hours of the tragedy. Created by New Zealand charity Victim Support, the appeal had over 6,000 donors at 2am local time, after a press release was issued at around 9.40pm the previous night. Mr Lynch said: "It's just a gesture of friendship and acceptance... It's just a flower really but hopefully it means a bit more than that." Another of the city's mosques issued a statement on the shooting. Officials at Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre in Small Heath said they were "saddened and shocked to hear of the terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand today." A statement sent to Birmingham Live said: "This is an extraordinarily twisted act of violence. It is rooted in an extremist ideology that stretches around the world through the far right and is very prominent now in Western Europe and America. It is a hatred for diversity and culturalism. "The risk from far right extremists has been on the rise for years now. Governments need to ensure that they address the issue properly. This form of extremism has fallen under the radar in many aspects, including the media. The threat from the far right is very serious and growing and we cannot ignore it." It continued: "We are well aware of the concerns around this at GLMCC. Only a few years ago in 2013, one of our congregation members (Mohammed Saleem) was murdered by far right extremist Pavlo Lapshyn. "Our response to such heinous crimes is to show unity rather than allowing the terrorists to cause division. Care and compassion for each other is the best way to counter such evil acts. Community members and a church group have already contacted the mosque showing their solidarity with us. "GLMCC is working closely with the West Midlands Police and there will be a more visible Police presence today to reassure the community. The general message to the community is to stay calm but vigilant."
|
David Bentley
|
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/christians-give-out-flowers-birmingham-15982777
|
2019-03-15 20:04:26+00:00
| 1,552,694,666 | 1,567,546,070 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
58,223 |
birminghammail--2019-03-15--Green Lane Mosque asks police for extra security after 49 killed in New Zealand shootings
| 2019-03-15T00:00:00 |
birminghammail
|
Green Lane Mosque asks police for extra security after 49 killed in New Zealand shootings
|
Security is being stepped up outside Birmingham's mosques to reassure worshippers following the terror attack in New Zealand. Police officers plan to be visible outside Green Lane Mosque and Community Centre - and almost certainly other key mosques in the city - on Friday afternoon for afternoon prayers. Patrols will be supporting the Muslim congregation amid fears about copycat incidents. A message sent to the congregation on Friday by Kamran Hussain, the mosque's general manager, condemned the "extraordinarily twisted act of extremism" that claimed 49 lives at mosques in Christchurch. He said: "Green Lane Mosque and Community Centre is saddened and shocked to hear of the terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand today. "This is a barbaric act against the Muslim community and people of New Zealand. "We strongly condemn these terrorist attacks, which are an extraordinarily twisted act of extremism in a place of worship. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the deceased and wounded. We pray that God gives patience to their families through these difficult times and guides the people of New Zealand through this tragedy . "For those that may be worried about attending Friday prayers at the Masjid today, we have contacted the police for additional security this Friday. We are expecting additional presence from them. The general message to the community is to stay calm but vigilant. "We seek Allah's help and protection in all matters. Please pray for the martyred, the wounded and their families." Mr Hussain said the mosque was contacted on Friday morning by concerned Muslims anxious about their safety. "People have a lot of questions and we want to ensure they feel safe," he said. "We have spoken this morning to a counter terrorism officer at West Midlands Police and they hope to be able to provide additional officers this afternoon for prayers. We hope it will help people feel a bit safer. "It is absolutely shocking and is a reminder that far right extremism and Islamaphobia remains a critical concern. We have been ignoring it for some time because of other issues taking precedence but this horrific incident shows it cannot be ignored." Assistant Chief Constable Matt Ward today reassured Muslim communities in the city that there was no "increased threat" but officers would be "engaging with key religious buildings" to reassure families. He said: "For us the focus now is the protection of those we serve in the West Midlands. As we are all very aware we face a sustained and determined threat to our security." "As always we ask our communities to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the Anti Terror Hotline on 0800 789 321 or, in an emergency, dial 999."
|
Jane Haynes
|
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/green-lane-mosque-asks-police-15977977
|
2019-03-15 10:06:48+00:00
| 1,552,658,808 | 1,567,546,070 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
61,787 |
birminghammail--2019-05-04--Midlands mosque charity dissolved for facilitating condoning and supporting terrorism
| 2019-05-04T00:00:00 |
birminghammail
|
Midlands mosque charity dissolved for 'facilitating, condoning and supporting terrorism'
|
A charity responsible for running a mosque in the Midlands has been dissolved amid claims it was "facilitating terrorism". The Fazal Ellahi Charitable Trust was found to be "condoning" - and "supporting" - terror, it has emerged. A probe into the Trust, which ran a mosque in Tunstall, Staffordshire, was opened last year. It was launched in 2018 by the regulator after Kamran Hussain preached hate. The radical Imam was later convicted of six charges of encouraging terrorism and two of encouraging support for a proscribed organisation – the Islamic State. The two trustees Fazal Ellahi and his son Isbar Ellahi have now been barred from running a charity. The move from the Charity Commission comes after they "failed to properly manage, administer and protect the trust and its resources, resulting in it being used to facilitate terrorism offences". It was found the trust did not have a viable future leading to its dissolution with £132,000 funds split between five charities in Stoke-on-Trent which have similar objectives, reports StokeonTrentLive , our sister title. Michelle Russell, the commission's director of investigations, monitoring and enforcement, said: “What has happened at this charity is unacceptable and a clear failing on the part of the charity’s trustees as custodians for their charity. "Our actions will reassure the public that abuse of this kind will not be tolerated. "Whilst instances of abuse of charities for terrorism are rare, such links undermine public trust and confidence in charities, and the vital work that charities do. It is right that those responsible have been held to account for their actions.” The Fazal Ellahi Charitable Trust was set up in 2003 with the aim of 'educating all people, particularly children and young people, in the Muslim religion and Urdu language and the advancement of the Muslim religion through collective prayer meetings and otherwise'. As part of the investigation, the Charity Commission carried out an unannounced visit and scrutinised material seized by the police including bank statements. The report reads: "The inquiry found that the charity’s premises had been misused, by the Imam, to encourage terrorism and encourage support for a proscribed organisation, namely Islamic State. "The fact that the sermons delivered by the Imam which resulted in his conviction were delivered over a number of months compounds the failure on the part of the charity’s trustees to ensure that the charity and its property were not used for criminal purposes. "Trustee A [Fazal Ellahi] advised that he was not aware of what the Imam had said and that there had been no complaints made about him by those in attendance at the Mosque. "It is unclear whether the trustees were present for some or all of the Imam’s sermons between June A and September 2017 which resulted in his conviction; irrespective of whether or not either or both of the trustees were present, the inquiry found that the trustees failed to manage the charity’s resources appropriately and that their failure to do so facilitated their use for terrorist purposes." Hussain, aged 40, of Knightsbridge Way, Tunstall, was sentenced to six-and-half years in jail at the Old Bailey after telling children as young as three that martyrdom was better than school. His arrest came after anti-terror police planted an undercover officer in the mosque at 229 High Street over four months. The officer recorded 17 sermons and six were found to have ‘crossed the line’ by encouraging terrorism and two encouraged support for IS or Daesh. The court heard he would often he would deliver his speeches in front an ISIS flag and laud the values of terrorist groups. In one he told the congregation: “Inshallah...we will see the black flag rise over Big Ben and Downing Street.” The preacher supported the virtues of killing, martyrdom and violent jihad and endorsed the efforts of those who had undertaken such acts. And he told worshippers the UK government funded far-right groups to attack Muslims. He said: "The kuffar (unbeliever) will attack you and kill you. "Stand up and be ready to sacrifice, be ready to stand in the face of the elements of Shaytan (Satan), be ready to spill blood and have your blood spilt." It is not yet clear what the charity's dissolution means for the mosque, which had around 40 worshippers.
|
Hayley Parker, James Rodger
|
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/midlands-mosque-charity-dissolved-facilitating-16225179
|
2019-05-04 08:43:39+00:00
| 1,556,973,819 | 1,567,541,162 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
169,200 |
eveningstandard--2019-03-23--Sixth mosque vandalised in Birmingham just two days after others had windows smashed
| 2019-03-23T00:00:00 |
eveningstandard
|
Sixth mosque vandalised in Birmingham just two days after others had windows smashed
|
Another Birmingham mosque has been targeted by vandals, days after five others in the city had their windows smashed. Police are examining CCTV after criminal damage was caused to a window of the building in Cromer Road, Balsall Heath, around 6.30am on Saturday. Detectives do not believe the incident is linked to five other attacks on mosques in the city. An investigation involving counter-terrorism officers was launched after five mosques had their windows broken with a sledgehammer in the early hours of Thursday morning. Officers received reports of vandalism at Al Habib Trust in Birchfield Road at 2.32am and then attended a second attack at the Ghousia Mosque in Slade Road, Erdington, at 3.14am. Patrols then started in areas with mosques and police came across further damage to Witton Islamic Centre in Witton Road, Aston, and Masjid Madrassa Faizal Islam on Broadway in Perry Barr. At 10.04am, officers responded to a smashed window at Jamia Mosque on Albert Road, Aston, after pictures were circulated on social media. West Midlands Police said a 34-year-old man arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage after handing himself into a city police station on Friday has been detained under the Mental Health Act. No-one else is being sought in relation to the first five incidents and detectives do not believe the suspect was part of an organised group, although the investigation is ongoing. A 38-year-old man from Yardley, who was arrested after being detained by members of the community on Friday afternoon, has been released without charge and will face no further action. Outside the mosque on Albert Road on Thursday, Deputy Chief Constable Louisa Rolfe described the attacks as "an abhorrent, despicable act that is clearly designed to create fear in our communities who are actually cherished in Birmingham". Assistant Chief Constable Matt Ward said: "We continue to work in partnership with mosques and local communities around the West Midlands. "There will be a visual police presence at key locations to offer reassurance to our communities. "It is incredibly important that we unite together against those who seek to create discord, uncertainty and fear."
|
Megan White
|
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/sixth-mosque-vandalised-in-birmingham-just-two-days-after-others-had-windows-smashed-a4099341.html
|
2019-03-23 18:13:00+00:00
| 1,553,379,180 | 1,567,545,086 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
187,301 |
eveningstandard--2019-10-17--William and Kate follow in Diana's footsteps as they meet faith leaders during Lahore mosque vi
| 2019-10-17T00:00:00 |
eveningstandard
|
William and Kate follow in Diana's footsteps as they meet faith leaders during Lahore mosque visit
|
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed in Diana's footsteps today as they talked with religious leaders about "interfaith harmony" during a visit to a mosque in Lahore. Kate wore an emerald green headscarf with a matching shalwar kameez by Maheen Khan during the couple's visit to Badshahi Mosque, the second-largest mosque in Pakistan. Her outfit was similar to that worn by Princess Diana when she visited the mosque in September 1991. The duke wore a cream linen suit and black socks with his shoes off, while the duchess went bare-foot. The couple travelled on RAF Voyager from Islamabad to the capital of Punjab for the fourth day of their Pakistan tour. Their first stop was an SOS Children’s Village, which provides a home for more than 150 orphans. They joined a birthday party for three children, with Kate drawing applause when she addressed them in Urdu. The duchess also made her first speech of the tour, saying: “We have been really moved by what we have seen, and by the happy home you have made. I’m aware that many of you have experienced extremely difficult times in your lives. But it is inspiring to see how you have used your strength and positivity to help transform the lives of so many young children here.” William asked one little boy: “How old do you think I am?” The child replied: “21.” The day aimed to showcase the best of Pakistani culture, from its architecture, its commitment to charity — and its love of cricket. The couple’s second engagement was at the National Cricket Academy, where they took part in a game with children participating in the British Council’s Dosti programme. Dosti means friendship in Urdu. Kate swapped her heels for trainers, and wore a white shalwar kameez by Gul Ahmed. William hit a six, while Kate was caught out twice. The last stop was an emotional visit to the children’s ward of the hospital visited by the Prince’s mother Diana in February 1996, the year before her death. New: Daily podcast from the Evening Standard Listen and subscribe to The Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or your chosen podcast provider. New episodes every weekday from 4pm.
|
Robert Jobson, Royal Editor
|
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/william-and-kate-meet-faith-leaders-during-visit-to-mosque-in-lahore-a4264026.html
|
Thu, 17 Oct 2019 10:31:00 GMT
| 1,571,322,660 | 1,571,318,070 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
225,395 |
frontpagemagazine--2019-04-16--Fake News Media Equates Small Fire in Mosque Guard Room to Notre Dame Burning
| 2019-04-16T00:00:00 |
frontpagemagazine
|
Fake News: Media Equates Small Fire in Mosque Guard Room to Notre Dame Burning
|
Newsweek was concerned that the fire in Notre Dame was getting too much attention leading to this embarrassing headline. (Though technically any Newsweek headline is embarrassing.) "Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque Fire Burns at the Same Time As Flames Engulf Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris". This is ridiculously fake news, even by Newsweek standards (though none of the media's fact checkers will ever challenge it, nor will Facebook intervene to stop its viral spread). Here's what [actually](https://www.jpost.com/OMG/Fire-breaks-out-near-mosque- on-Temple-Mount-586985) happened. > The Fire broke out in the guard's room outside the roof of the Marwani Prayer Hall," according to the Wafa news agency. The fire was quickly put out by the Waqf with no injuries or interior damage reported. To put it bluntly, there's absolutely no parallel here. But the media has an agenda. And it is often an Islamist one.
|
Daniel Greenfield
|
https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/273497/fake-news-media-equates-small-fire-mosque-guard-daniel-greenfield
|
2019-04-16 19:27:44+00:00
| 1,555,457,264 | 1,567,542,890 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
225,812 |
frontpagemagazine--2019-08-09--Muslim Brotherhood Mosque Advises German Muslims to Beat Their Wives
| 2019-08-09T00:00:00 |
frontpagemagazine
|
Muslim Brotherhood Mosque Advises German Muslims to Beat Their Wives
|
I'm as shocked as you are that a [mosque is quoting the Koran](https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2019/08/04/german-islamic-community- recommends-men-hit-unruly-women/). > The Islamic community in Munich issued guidelines on its website that encourage men to assault their wives or female partners if they are “unruly.” > > The Bavarian Broadcasting 24 outlet published the shocking report on Saturday, writing, “In the case of a marriage in great difficulty or when the partner is ‘unruly,’ the Islamic Center Munich [IZM] invokes the Koran. Accordingly, the husband should comply with three steps: First, reprimand. Second, separation in the marriage bed. And third, beating.” > > Visitors of IZM’s website have been informed about the permissible beating of women for 15 years, according to the Bavarian Broadcasting 24 journalists Sabina Wolf and Joseph Röhmel, who first reported the story.... > > The Islamic Center Munich has ties to the Islamic Community of Germany association. German authorities say the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood plays a role in the Islamic Community of Germany organization. Egypt classifies the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist entity... > > The Islamic Center Munich told Bavarian Broadcasting 24 that it plans to modify its website within two weeks. Apparently it takes two weeks to upload a new page to your site. German media and politicians are[ comically shocked and offended ](https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article197984913/Islamisches- Zentrum-Muenchen-Schlagen-von-Frauen-hat-symbolischen-Charakter.html)at the Koran quote from a mosque linked to the Brotherhood. > Members of the Munich city council, who were confronted with the statements on the website, expressed shock to BR. > > SPD City Councilor Cumali Naz, spokesman for migration, said: "If IZM claims that violence is a legitimate means of resolving marital conflicts, it is fundamentally contrary to the values of our society." The Koran is contrary to the values of your society. You can either change your values, the Koran, or pretend there's no conflict.
|
Daniel Greenfield
|
https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/274572/muslim-brotherhood-mosque-advises-german-muslims-daniel-greenfield
|
2019-08-09 04:42:00+00:00
| 1,565,340,120 | 1,567,534,552 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
228,958 |
globalresearch--2019-04-17--A Cathedral and a Mosque Engulfed in Fire One Ravages the Past the Other Threatens the Future
| 2019-04-17T00:00:00 |
globalresearch
|
A Cathedral and a Mosque Engulfed in Fire; One Ravages the Past, the Other Threatens the Future
|
The world reacted with shock to the fire that engulfed the Notre Dame Cathedral. A symbol of Paris, this 13th Century architectural marvel is home to precious historical religious relics and artwork; made even more famous throughout the world by Victor Hugo’s famous novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. World leaders were quick to react to the tragedy of this fire. News headlines around the world brought this disastrous incident to every living room around the globe and nations commiserated with the French. The inaudible sigh of relief was palpable when the structure was saved and with it, the history that laid within the walls. The past was not lost. But another fire may well stop the future. Concurrent with the fire that ravaged Notre Dame, another historical place of worship, the al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem fell victim to a fire of an unknown origin. The Mosque which was completed in 705 CE, is the third holiest site in Islam. But its fate is not shared by Moslems alone – it touches us all. The world can be forgiven for their ignorance of this tragedy – and the importance of al Aqsa. The media simply dismissed it, as it does with all things that must be kept from the general public. This is not the first fire that was left unmentioned by mainstream media (MSM). A previous fire set to the Mosque by a zealous Australian Christian in 1969 failed to capture headlines. Indeed, the threats to al Aqsa Mosque have accelerated over the years to a point of no return. Given that the fate of this Mosque holds the fate of us all, how can the media be forgiven for their deafening silence? In 2006, the Israeli government began work on an exact replica of the Hurva synagogue on its original site. The rebuilding of the Hurva is designed to usher in the rebuilding of the Third Temple. Rabbis were tailored for the special kind of garments they would be wearing in a “rebuilt temple” – the ‘end of time’. But the Mosque still stands in the way of building the Third Temple – for now.[i] It took four years to complete the work on Hurva. When presidential candidate, Barack Obama promised AIPAC an undivided Jerusalem in 2008, the building of the Hurva synagogue was well on the way – which signaled continued future attacks on the al-Aqsa Mosque to make way for construction of the Third Temple. In 2009, Israeli news headlines reassured Israelis that “Netanyahu would build the Third Temple”. Soon after, in 2010, JTA reported that “Our Land of Israel” party had put posters on 200 city buses in Jerusalem showing an artist’s rendition of the Third Temple on the al-Aqsa Mosque site with the slogan, “May the Temple be built in our lifetime.” Donald Trump deliverance on Obama’s promise has made these fanatics more hopeful. How could they not be with Senator Broxon telling a cheering crowd And how do we ignore Benjamin Netanyahu taking ownership of Jerusalem stating that the Bible, the holy book for Jews and Christians, had justified it. Should we then be surprised that rabbis sent a letter of gratitude to Trump, praising him for “fulfilling prophecies”. In March, as Israeli elections were approaching, it was reported that “The Israeli Third Temple” party had gained traction. And while the mainstream media can ignore the latest fire that broke out at the al Aqsa mosque on April 15, can we afford to ignore the blazing headlines of the same day: “END OF THE WORLD: Jerusalem third temple ‘fulfills Biblical prophecy’ of the end times” and other Israeli news ushering in the building of the Third Temple and the ‘end of times’? Some may take comfort in the fact that this is all sheer madness, but one cannot ignore the insanity of which we were warned of by Warner D. Farr, LTC, U.S. Army who in 1999 reported his findings in the “Counterproliferation papers, Future Warfare Series No. 2, USAF Counterproliferation Center”. This fascinating report, among other things, sounded the alarm over the probability of Gush Emunim, a right- wing religious organization, or others, hijacking a nuclear device to “liberate” the Temple Mount for the building of the third temple. This is powerful insanity with insane powers enabling it. Is the world ready to embrace this madness and accept this fate at this juncture? Are you? Note to readers: please click the share buttons below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc. Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is an independent researcher and writer with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and the role of lobby groups in influencing US foreign policy. [i] Tom Mountain. Preparing for the Third TempleJewish Advocate. Boston:Aug 22, 2008. Vol. 199, Iss. 34, p. 9 (1 pp.)
|
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
|
https://www.globalresearch.ca/cathedral-mosque-fire-one-ravages-past-threatens-future/5674654
|
2019-04-17 06:55:33+00:00
| 1,555,498,533 | 1,567,542,657 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
229,800 |
globalresearch--2019-06-26--In Israel the Push to Destroy Jerusalems Iconic Al-Aqsa Mosque Goes Mainstream
| 2019-06-26T00:00:00 |
globalresearch
|
In Israel the Push to Destroy Jerusalem’s Iconic Al-Aqsa Mosque Goes Mainstream
|
This ancient site that dates back to the year 705 C.E. is being targeted for destruction by extremist groups that seek to erase Jerusalem’s Muslim heritage in pursuit of colonial ambitions and the fulfillment of end-times prophecy. The iconic golden dome of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque, located on the Temple Mount or Haram el-Sharif, is the third holiest site in Islam and is recognized throughout the world as a symbol of the city of Jerusalem. Yet, this ancient site that dates back to the year 705 C.E. is being targeted for destruction by increasingly influential extremist groups that seek to erase Jerusalem’s Muslim heritage in pursuit of colonial ambitions and the fulfillment of end-times prophecy. Some observers may have noticed the growing effort by some Israeli government and religious officials to remove the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque from the Jerusalem skyline, not only erasing the holy site in official posters, banners and educational material but also physically removing the building itself. For instance, current Knesset member of the ruling Likud Party, American-born Yehuda Glick, was also the director of the government-funded Temple Institute, which has created relics and detailed architectural plans for a temple that they hope will soon replace Al-Aqsa. Glick is also close friends with Yehuda Etzion, who was part of a failed plot in 1984 to blow up Al-Aqsa mosque and served prison time as a result. “In the end we’ll build the temple and it will be a house of prayer for all nations,” Glick told Israeli newspaper Maariv in 2012. A year later, Israel’s Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel stated that “[w]e’ve built many little, little temples…but we need to build a real Temple on the Temple Mount.” Ariel stated that the new Jewish Temple must be built on the site where Al-Aqsa currently sits “as it is at the forefront of Jewish salvation.” Since then, prominent Israeli politicians have become more and more overt in their support for the end of Jordanian-Palestinian sovereignty over the mosque compound, leading many prominent Palestinians to warn in recent years of plans to destroy the mosque. In recent years, a centuries-old effort by what was once a small group of extremists has gone increasingly mainstream in Israel, with prominent politicians, religious figures and political parties advocating for the destruction of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque in order to fulfill a specific interpretation of an end-times prophecy that was once considered fringe among practitioners of Judaism. As Miko Peled, Israeli author and human-rights activist, told MintPress, the movement to destroy Al-Aqsa and replace it with a reimagined Temple “became notable after the 1967 war,” and has since grown into “a massive colonial project that uses religious, biblical mythology and symbols to justify its actions” — a project now garnering support from both religious and secular Israelis. While the push to destroy Al-Aqsa and replace it with a physical Third Temple has gained traction in Israel in recent years, this effort has advanced at a remarkably fast pace in just the past few weeks, owing to a confluence of factors. These factors, as this report will show, include the upcoming revelation of the so-called “Deal of the Century,” the push for a war with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and the Trump administration’s dramatic lenience in regards to the activity of Jewish extremist groups and extremist settlements in Israel. These factors correlate with a quickening of efforts to destroy Al-Aqsa and the very real danger the centuries-old holy site faces. While the U.S. press has occasionally mentioned the role of religious extremism in dictating the foreign policy of prominent U.S. politicians like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, it has rarely shone a light on the role of Jewish extremism in directing Israel’s foreign policy — foreign policy that, in turn, is well-known to influence American policies. When taken together, the threats to Al-Aqsa are clearly revealed to be much greater than the loss of a physical building, though that itself would be a grave loss for the world’s Muslim community, which includes over 1.8 billion people. In addition, the site’s destruction would very likely result in a regional and perhaps even global war with clear religious dimensions. To prevent such an outcome, it is essential to highlight the role that extremist, apocalyptic interpretations of both the Jewish and Christian faiths are playing in trends that, if left unchecked, could have truly terrifying consequences. Both of these extremist groups are heavily influenced by colonial ambitions that often supersede their religious underpinning. In Part I of this two-part series, MintPress examines the growth of extremist movements in Israel that openly promote the destruction of Al-Aqsa, from a relatively isolated fringe movement within Zionism to mainstream prominence in Israel today; as well as how threats to the historic mosque have grown precipitously in just the past month. MintPress interviewed Israeli author and activist Miko Peled; Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of Neturei Karta in New York; Imam and scholar of Shia Islam, Sayed Hassan Al-Qazwini, of the Islamic Institute of America; and Palestinian journalist and academic Ramzy Baroud for their perspectives on these extremist groups, their growing popularity, and the increasing threats to the current status quo at Haram El-Sharif/Temple Mount. The second part of this series will detail the influence of this extremist movement in Israeli politics as well as American politics, particularly among Christian Zionist politicians in the United States. The ways in which this movement’s goal have also influenced Israeli and U.S. policy — particularly in relation to the so-called “Deal of the Century,” President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and the push for war against Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah — will also be examined. Two centuries in the cross-hairs Though efforts to wrest the contested holy site from Jordanian and Palestinian control have picked up dramatically in recent weeks, the Al-Aqsa mosque compound had long been targeted prior to Israel’s founding and even prior to the formation of the modern Zionist movement. For instance, Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Kalisher — who promoted the European Jewish colonization of Palestine from a religious perspective well before Zionism became a movement — expounded on an early form of what would later be labeled “religious Zionism” and was particularly interested in the acquisition of Haram el-Sharif (i.e., the Temple Mount) as a means of fulfilling prophecy. As noted in the essay “Proto-Zionism and its Proto-Herzl: The Philosophy and Efforts of Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalisher” by Sam Lehman-Wilzig, Professor of Israeli Politics and Judaic Studies at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, Kalisher sought to court wealthy European Jews to finance the purchase of Israel for the purpose of resettlement, particularly the Temple Mount. In an 1836 letter to Baron Amschel Rothschild, Kalisher suggested that the eldest brother of the wealthy banker family use his abundant funds to bring Jewish sovereignty to Palestine, specifically Jerusalem and the Temple Mount: Kalisher’s request was met with a noncommittal response from Baron Rothschild, leading Kalisher to pursue other wealthy European Jewish families, like the Montefiores, with the same goal in mind. And, though Kalisher was initially unsuccessful in winning the support of the Rothschild family, other notable members of the wealthy European banking dynasty eventually did become enthusiastic supporters of Zionism in the decades that followed. Kalisher was also influential in another way, as he was arguably the first modern Rabbi to reject the idea of patiently waiting for God to fulfill prophecy and proposed instead that man should take concrete steps that would lead to the fulfillment of such prophecies, a belief that Kalisher described as “self help.” For Kalisher, settling European Jews in Palestine was but the first step, to be followed by other steps that would form an active as opposed to a passive approach towards Jewish Messianism. These subsequent steps included the construction of a Third Temple, to replace the Second Temple destroyed by the Romans around the year 70 C.E., and the reinitiation of ritual animal sacrifices in that Temple, which Kalisher believed could only be placed on the Temple Mount, where Al-Aqsa then sat and still sits. Kalisher wasn’t alone in his views, as his contemporary, Rabbi Judah Alkalai, wrote the following in his book Shalom Yerushalayim: Though Kalisher wasn’t the lone voice promoting these ideas, his beliefs — aside from promoting the physical settlement of European Jews in Palestine — remained relatively fringe for decades, if not more than a century, as secular Jews were hugely influential in the Zionist movement after its official formation. However, prominent religious Zionists did influence the Zionist movement in key ways prior to Israel’s founding. One such figure was Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who sought to reconcile Zionism and Orthodox Judaism as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Palestine, a position he assumed in 1924. Yet, Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of Neturei Karta, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group based in New York that opposes Zionism, told MintPress that many religious Zionists have since latched onto Kalisher’s ideas, which were widely rejected during his lifetime, in order to justify neocolonial actions sought by secular Zionists. “This rabbi, at the time, other rabbis ‘roared’ against him and his beliefs weren’t accepted,” Rabbi Weiss stated, “But now, the ones who are talking about building this Third Temple….these are Zionists and they have found some rabbi whose ideas benefit them that they have been using to justify Zionist acts” that are not aligned with Judaism “and make them kosher.” Weiss further expanded on this point, noting that the participants of the modern religious Zionism movement that seek to build a new Jewish temple where Al-Aqsa currently stands are, at their core, Zionists who have used religious imagery and specific interpretations of religious texts as cover for neo-colonial acts, such as the complete re-making of the Temple Mount. “It’s like a wolf in a sheepskin…These people who want to incorporate the teachings of this rabbi [Rabbi Kalisher] are proudly saying that they are Jewish, but are doing things Jews are forbidden from doing,” such as ascending to and standing upon the Temple Mount, which Rabbi Weiss stated was “a breach of Jewish law,” long forbidden by that law according to a consensus among Jewish scholars and rabbis around the world that continued well beyond the formation of the Zionist movement in the 19th century. Rabbi Weiss noted that, for this reason, the Muslim community that has historically governed the area where Al-Aqsa mosque stands never had any problems with the Jewish community in relation to the Temple Mount, as it has been known for centuries that Jews cannot ascend to the area where the mosque currently sits and instead prayed only at the Western Wall. He also stated that the prophetic idea of a Third Temple was, prior to Zionism, understood as indicating not a change in physical structures on the Temple Mount, but a metaphysical, spiritual change that would unite all of mankind to worship and serve God in unison. Rabbi Weiss asserted that the conflict regarding Al-Aqsa mosque started only with the advent of Zionism and the associated neo-colonial ambition to fundamentally alter the status quo and structures present at the site as a means of erasing key parts (i.e., Palestinian parts) of its heritage. “This [the use of religion to justify ascending to and taking control of the Temple Mount] is a trap for conning other people into supporting them,” concluded the Rabbi. Nonetheless, Kalisher’s impact can be seen in today’s Israel more than ever, thanks to the rise and mainstream acceptance within Israel of once-fringe elements of religious Zionism, which were deeply influenced by the ideas of rabbis like Kalisher and have served in recent decades as an incubator for some of Israel’s most radical political elements. Meanwhile, as the debate within Judaism over the Temple Mount has changed dramatically since the 19th century, its significance in Islam has remained steadfast. According to Imam Sayed Hassan Al-Qazwini, “Al-Aqsa is the third holiest mosque in Islam…it is considered to be the place where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven and has been mentioned in the Qoran, which glorifies that mosque and identifies it as a blessed mosque. All Muslims, whether they are Sunni or Shia, revere that mosque” — a fact that has remained unchanged for over a millennium and continues to today. The modern rise of the religious Zionist movements that promote the destruction of Al-Aqsa mosque and its replacement with a Third Jewish Temple is most often traced back to the Six Day War of 1967. According to Miko Peled, who recently wrote a piece for MintPress Newsregarding the threats facing Al-Aqsa, “religious Zionism” as a political force became more noticeable following the 1967 war. Peled told MintPress: Peled further noted that this model, employed by the religious extremist groups that founded illegal West Bank settlements like Kiryat Arba, “has been used successfully since then and it is now used by the groups that are promoting the new Temple in place of Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.” He continued, pointing out that “whereas 20-30 years ago they were considered a fringe group, this year they expect more than 50,000 people to enter the compound to support the group and their goals. Religious Israeli youth who opt out of military service and choose national service instead may work with the [Third] Temple building organizations.” Extremist settlers escorted by Israeli after they stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on July 22, 2018. Mostafa Alkharouf | Anadolu Dr. Ramzy Baroud — journalist, academic and founder of The Palestine Chronicle — agreed with Peled’s sense that the Third Temple movement or Temple Activist movement has grown dramatically in recent years and has become increasingly mainstream in Israel. Baroud told MintPress: However, Rabbi Weiss disagreed with Peled and Baroud that this faction presents a real threat to the mosque, given that the mosque’s destruction is widely rejected by Diaspora Jewry (i.e., Jews living outside of Israel) and that destroying it would not only cause conflicts with the global Muslim community but also numerous Jewish communities outside of Israel. Weiss argued that many of these religious Zionists in Israel that are pushing for a new Temple “do not follow Jewish law to the letter and don’t come from the very religious communities, including the settlers…They don’t go to expressly religious schools, they go to Zionist schools. Their whole view is built on Zionism and [secondarily] incorporates the religion,” as opposed to the reverse. As a result, the destruction of the Al-Aqsa mosque, in Weiss’ view, could greatly alienate the state of Israel from these more religious and ultra-orthodox communities. In addition, Rabbi Weiss felt that many Jewish and secular Israelis would also reject such a move because it would create even more conflicts, which many Israelis do not want. He described the Temple Activists as “a vocal minority” that represented a “fringe” among adherents to Judaism and a group within Zionism that has tried to use the Temple Mount “in order to be able to excuse their occupation and to try to portray this [the occupation of Palestine] as a religious conflict,” with the conflict surrounding the Temple Mount being an extension of that. Weiss believed that the push to take over the Temple Mount was a “scare tactic” aimed at securing the indefinite nature of the occupation, and noted that many Israelis did not want a spike in or renewal of conflict that would inevitably result if the mosque were to be destroyed. He also added that he did not think there was a “real threat” of the mosque being targeted because international rabbinical authorities have stood fast in their opposition to the project promoted by the Temple Activists. “Tomorrow might be too late” It is hardly a coincidence that the growth of Temple Activism and associated movements like “neo-Zionism” have paralleled the growth in threats to the Al-Aqsa mosque itself. Many of these threats can be understood through the doctrine developed by Rabbi Kalisher and others in the mid-19th century — the idea that “active” steps must be taken to bring about the reconstruction of a Jewish Temple at Haram El-Sharif in order to bring about the Messianic Age. Indeed, during the 1967 war, General Shlomo Goren, the chief rabbi of the IDF, had told Chief of Central Command Uzi Narkiss that, shortly after Israel’s conquest of Jerusalem’s Old City, the moment had come to blow up the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock. “Do this and you will go down in history,” Goren told Narkiss. According to Tom Segev’s book 1967, Goren felt that the site’s destruction could only be done under the cover of war: “Tomorrow might be too late.” Goren was among the first Israelis to arrive at the then-recently conquered Old City in Jerusalem and was joined at the newly “liberated” Al-Aqsa compound by a young Yisrael Ariel, who now is a major leader in the Temple Activist movement and head of the Temple Institute, which is dedicated to constructing a Third Temple where Al-Asqa mosque currently stands. Narkiss rejected Goren’s request, but did approve the razing of Jerusalem’s Moroccan quarter. According to Mondoweiss, the destruction of the nearly seven centuries old Jerusalem neighborhood was done for the “holy purpose” of making the Western Wall more accessible to Jewish Israelis. Some 135 homes were flattened, along with several mosques, and over 700 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed as part of that operation. Following the occupation of East Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa has come under increasing threat, just as extremist movements who seek to destroy the site have grown. In 1969, a Christian extremist from Australia, Daniel Rohan, set fire to the mosque. Rohan had been studying in Israel and, prior to committing arson, had told American theology student Arthur Jones, who was studying with Rohan, that he had become convinced that a new temple had to be built where Al-Aqsa stood. Then, in 1984, a group of messianic extremists known as the Jewish Underground was arrested for plotting to use explosives to destroy Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. Ehud Yatom, who was a security official and commander of the operation that foiled the plot, told Israel’s Channel 2 in 2004 that the planned destruction of the site would have been “horrible, terrible,” adding that it could provoke “the entire Muslim world [into a war] against the state of Israel and against the Western world, a war of religions.” One of those arrested in 1984 in connection with the bomb plot, former Jewish Underground member Yehuda Etzion, subsequently wrote from prison that his group’s mistake was not in targeting the historic mosque, which he called an “abomination,” but in acting before Israeli society would accept such an act. “The generation was not ready,” Etzion wrote, adding that those sympathetic to the Jewish Underground movement “must build a new force that grows very slowly, moving its educational and social activity into a new leadership.” “Of course I cannot predict whether the Dome of the Rock will be removed from the Mount while the new body is developing or after it actually leads the people,” Etzion stated, “but the clear fact is that the Mount will be purified [from Islamic shrines] with certainty…” Upon his release from prison, Etzion founded the Chai Vekayam (Alive and Existing) movement, a group that Al Jazeera’s Mersiha Gadzo described as aimed at “shaping public opinion as a prerequisite for building a Third Temple in the religious complex in Jerusalem’s Old City where Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are located.” Gadzo also notes that “according to messianic belief, building the Third Temple at the Al Aqsa compound — where the First and Second Temples stood some 2,000 years ago — would usher the coming of the Messiah.” Six years later, another group called the Temple Mount Faithful, which is dedicated to building the Third Temple, provoked what became known as the Al-Aqsa massacre in 1990 after its members attempted to place a cornerstone for the Third Temple on the Temple Mount / Haram El-Sharif, leading to riots that saw Israeli police shoot and kill over 20 Palestinians and wound an estimated 150 more. This was followed by the riots in 1996 after Israel opened up a series of tunnels that had been dug under Al-Aqsa mosque that many Palestinians worried would be used to damage or destroy the mosque. Those concerns may have been well-founded, given the involvement of then- and current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Third Temple activist groups in creating the tunnels and in subsequent excavations near the holy site, which were and continue to be officially described as “archaeological” in nature. During the 1996 incident, 80 Palestinians and 14 Israeli police officers were killed. Some Israeli archaeologists have argued that these tunnels have not been built for archaeological or scientific purposes and are highly unlikely to result in any new discoveries. One such Israeli archaeologist, Yoram Tseverir, told Middle East Monitor in 2014 that “the claims that these excavations aim at finding scientific information are marginal” and called the still-ongoing government-sponsored excavations under Al-Aqsa “wrong.” When those “archaeological” excavations at Al-Aqsa resulted in damage to the Western Wall near Al-Aqsa last year, a chorus of prominent Palestinians, including the spokesman for the Fatah Party, claimed that Israel’s government had devised a plan to destroy the mosque. Since 2000, Al-Aqsa mosque has been the site of incidents that have resulted in new state crackdowns by Israel against Palestinians both within and well outside of Jerusalem. Indeed, the Second Intifada was largely provoked by the visit of the then-Likud candidate for prime minister, Ariel Sharon, who entered Al-Aqsa mosque under heavy guard. Then-spokesman for Likud, Ofir Akounis, was later quoted by CNN as saying that the reason for Sharon’s visit was “to show that under a Likud government it [the Temple Mount] will remain under Israeli sovereignty.” That single visit by Sharon led to five years of heightened tensions, more than three thousand dead Palestinians and an estimated thousand dead Israelis, as well as a massive and still continuing crackdown on Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and in the blockaded Gaza Strip. Dr. Ramzy Baroud told MintPress that Sharon’s provocation in particular, and subsequent provocations, are often planned and used by Israeli politicians in order to justify crackdowns and restrictions on Palestinians. He argued: While there have long been efforts to destroy the historic Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, recent weeks have seen a disturbing and dramatic uptick in incidents that suggest that the influential groups in Israel that have long pushed for the mosque’ s destruction may soon get their way. This reflects what Ramzy Baroud described to MintPress as how support for the construction of the Third Temple where Al-Aqsa currently sits is now “greater than at any time in the past” within Israeli society. Earlier this month on June 2, a religious adviser to the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Al-Habbash, took to social media to warn of an “Israeli plot against the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” adding that “If the Muslims don’t act now [to save the site]… the entire world will pay dearly.” Al-Habbash’s statement was likely influenced by a disturbing event that occurred that same day at the revered compound when Israeli police provided cover for extremist Israeli settlers who illegally entered the compound during the final days of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Israeli police used pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse Palestinian worshippers who had gathered at the mosque during one of Islam’s most important holidays while allowing over a thousand Israeli Jews to enter the compound. Forty-five Palestinians were wounded and several were arrested. Though such provocative visits by Jewish Israelis to Al-Aqsa have occurred with increasing frequency in recent years, this event was different because it up-ended a long-standing agreement between Jordan’s government, which manages the site, and Israel that no such visits take place during important Islamic holidays. As a consequence, Jordan accused Israel’s government of “flagrant violations” of that agreement by allowing visits from religious nationalists, which Jordan described as “provocative intrusions by extremists.” Less than a week after the incident, Israel’s Culture and Sports Minister, Miri Regev, a member of the Netanyahu-led Likud Party, called for more settler extremists to storm the compound, stating: “We should do everything to keep ascending to the Temple Mount … And hopefully, soon we will pray in the Temple Mount, our sacred place.” In addition, Regev also thanked Israel’s Interior Security Minister, Gilad Erdan, and Jerusalem’s police chief for guarding the settler extremists who had entered the compound. In 2013, then-member of the Likud Party Moshe Feiglin told the Knesset that allowing Jewish Israelis to enter the compound is “not about prayer.” “Arabs don’t mind that Jews pray to God. Why should they care? We all believe in God,” Feiglin — who now heads the Zehut, or Identity, Party — stated, adding, “The struggle is about sovereignty. That’s the true story here. The story is about one thing only: sovereignty.” In other words, Likud and its ideological allies view granting Jewish Israelis entrance to “pray” at the site of the mosque as a strategy aimed at reducing Palestinian-Jordanian control over the site. Feiglin’s past comments give credibility to Rabbi Weiss’ claim, referenced earlier on in this report, that the religious underpinnings and religious appeals of the Temple Activists are secondary to the settler-colonial (i.e., Zionist) aspect of the movement, which seeks to remove Palestinian and Muslim heritage from the Temple Mount as part of the ongoing Zionist project. Feiglin, earlier this year in April, called for the immediate construction of the Third Temple, telling a Tel Aviv conference, “I don’t want to build a [Third] Temple in one or two years, I want to build it now.” The Times of Israel, reporting on Feiglin’s comments, noted that the Israeli politician is “enjoying growing popularity.” Earlier this month, and not long after Miri Regev’s controversial comments, an event attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Leon, used a banner that depicted the Jerusalem skyline with the Dome of the Rock noticeably absent. Though some may write off such creative photo editing as a fluke, it is but the latest in a series of similar incidents where official events or materials have edited out the iconic building and, in some cases, have replaced it with a reconstructed Jewish temple. US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman poses with a picture of the ‘Third Temple,’ May 22, 2018. Israel Cohen | Kikar Hashabat The day before that event, Israeli police had arrested three members of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound’s Reconstruction Committee, which is overseen by the government of Jordan. Those arrested included the committee’s head and its deputy head, and the three men were arrested while performing minor restoration work in an Al-Aqsa courtyard. The Jordan-run authority condemned the arrests, for which no official reason was given, and called the move by Israeli police “an intervention in their [the men’s] reconstruction work.” According to Palestinian news agency Safa, Israeli police have also prevented the entry of tools necessary for restoration work to the site and have restricted members of the authority from performing critical maintenance work. In addition, another important figure at Al-Aqsa, Hanadi Al-Halawani, who teaches at the mosque school and has long watched over the site to prevent its occupation by Israeli forces, was arrested late last month. Arrests of other key Al-Aqsa personnel have continued in recent days, such as the arrest of seven Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, including guards of the mosque, and their subsequent ban from entering the site. The Palestinians were arrested at their homes last Sunday night in early morning raids and the official reason for their arrest remains unclear. So many arrests in such a short period have raised concerns that, should the spate of arrests of important Al-Aqsa personnel continue, future incidents at the site, such as the mysterious firethat broke out last April at Al-Aqsa while France’s Notre Dame was also ablaze, may not be handled as effectively owing to staff shortages. Soon after those arrests, 60 members of a settler extremist group entered the al-Aqsa compound under heavy guard from Israeli police. Safa news agency reported that these settlers have recently been accompanied by Israeli intelligence officials in their incursions at the site. All of these recent provocations and arrests in connection with the mosque come soon after the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, publicly stated in late March that he had recently come under great pressure to relinquish Jordan’s custodianship of the mosque and the contested holy site upon which it is built. Abdullah II vowed to continue custodianship over Christian and Muslim sites in Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa, and declined to say who was pressuring him over the site. However, his comments about this pressure to cede control over the mosque came just days after he had visited the U.S. and met with American Vice President Mike Pence, a Christian Zionist who believes that a Jewish Temple must replace Al-Aqsa to fulfill an end times prophecy. In May, an Israeli government-linked research institute, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, wrote that Abdullah II had nearly been toppled in mid-April, just weeks after publicly discussing external pressure to relinquish control over Al-Aqsa. The report stated that Abdullah II had been a target of a “plot undermining his rule,” which led him to replace several senior members of his government. That report further claimed that the plot had been aimed at removing obstacles to the Trump administration’s “Deal of the Century,” which is supported by Israel’s government. Last year, some Israeli politicians sought to push for a transfer of the site’s custodianship to Saudi Arabia, sparking concern that this could be connected to plans by some Third Temple activists to remove Al-Aqsa from Jerusalem and transfer it piece-by-piece to the Saudi city of Mecca. On Thursday, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs published an article asserting that “tectonic shifts” were taking place in relation to who controls Al-Aqsa, with a Saudi-funded political group making dramatic inroads that could soon alter which country controls the historic mosque compound. Sayyed Hassan Al-Qazwini told MintPress that, in his view, the current custodianship involving Jordan’s government is not ideal, as control over the Al-Aqsa mosque “should in the hands of its people, [and] Al-Aqsa mosque belongs Palestine;” if not, at the very least, a committee of Muslim majority nations should be formed to govern the holy site because of its importance. As for Saudi Arabia potentially receiving control over the site, Al-Qazwini told MintPress that “the Saudis are not qualified as they are not even capable of running the holy sites in Saudi Arabia itself. Every year, there has been a tragedy and many pilgrims have died during hajj time [annual Islamic pilgrimage].” The threat to Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock compound, the third holiest site in Islam and of key importance to three major world religions, is the result of the dramatic growth of what was once a fringe movement of extremists. After the Six Day War, these fringe elements have fought to become more mainstream within Israel and have sought to gain international support for their religious-colonialist vision, particularly in the United States. As this article has shown, the threats to Al-Aqsa have grown significantly in the past decades, spiking in just the past few weeks. As former Jewish Underground member Yehuda Etzion had called for decades ago, an educational and social movement aimed at gaining influence with Israeli government leadership has been hugely successful in its goal of engineering consent for a Third Temple among many religious and secular Israelis. So successful has this movement been that numerous powerful and influential Israeli politicians, particularly since the 1990s, have not only openly promoted these beliefs, and the destruction of Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, but have also diverted significant amounts of government funding to organizations dedicated to replacing the historic mosque with a new temple. As the second and final installment of this series will show, this movement has gained powerful allies, not just in Israel’s government, but among many evangelical Christians in the United States, including top figures in the Trump administration who also feel that the destruction of Al-Aqsa and the reconstruction of a Jewish Temple are prerequisites for the fulfillment of prophecy, albeit a different one. Furthermore, given the influence of such movements on the Israeli and U.S. governments, these beliefs of active Messianism are also informing key policies of these same governments and, in doing so, are pushing the world towards a dangerous war. Note to readers: please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc. Whitney Webb is a MintPress News journalist based in Chile. She has contributed to several independent media outlets including Global Research, EcoWatch, the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire, among others. She has made several radio and television appearances and is the 2019 winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism
|
Whitney Webb
|
https://www.globalresearch.ca/israel-push-destroy-jerusalems-iconic-al-aqsa-mosque-goes-mainstream/5681794
|
2019-06-26 13:12:38+00:00
| 1,561,569,158 | 1,567,537,985 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
317,308 |
mintpressnews--2019-04-17--A Cathedral and a Mosque Engulfed in Fire One Ravages the Past the Other Threatens the Future
| 2019-04-17T00:00:00 |
mintpressnews
|
A Cathedral and a Mosque Engulfed in Fire; One Ravages the Past, the Other Threatens the Future
|
The world reacted with shock to the fire that engulfed the Notre Dame Cathedral. A symbol of Paris, this 13th Century architectural marvel is home to precious historical religious relics and artwork; made even more famous throughout the world by Victor Hugo’s famous novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. World leaders were quick to react to the tragedy of this fire. News headlines around the world brought this disastrous incident to every living room around the globe and nations commiserated with the French. The inaudible sigh of relief was palpable when the structure was saved and with it, the history that laid within the walls. The past was not lost. But another fire may well stop the future. Concurrent with the fire that ravaged Notre Dame, another historical place of worship, the al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem fell victim to a fire of an unknown origin. The mosque which was completed in 705 CE, is the third holiest site in Islam. But its fate is not shared by Muslims alone – it touches us all. The world can be forgiven for their ignorance of this tragedy – and the importance of al Aqsa. The media simply dismissed it, as it does with all things that must be kept from the general public. This is not the first fire that was left unmentioned by mainstream media (MSM). A previous fire set to the mosque by a zealous Australian Christian in 1969 failed to capture headlines. Indeed, the threats to al Aqsa Mosque have accelerated over the years to a point of no return. Given that the fate of this mosque holds the fate of us all, how can the media be forgiven for their deafening silence? In 2006, the Israeli government began work on an exact replica of the Hurva synagogue on its original site. The rebuilding of the Hurva is designed to usher in the rebuilding of the Third Temple. Rabbis were tailored for the special kind of garments they would be wearing in a “rebuilt temple” – the ‘end of time’. But the mosque still stands in the way of building the Third Temple – for now. It took four years to complete the work on Hurva. When presidential candidate, Barack Obama promised AIPAC an undivided Jerusalem in 2008, the building of the Hurva synagogue was well on the way — which signaled continued future attacks on the al Aqsa Mosque to make way for construction of the Third Temple. In 2009, Israeli news headlines reassured Israelis that “Netanyahu would build the Third Temple.” Soon after, in 2010, JTA reported that “Our Land of Israel” party had put posters on 200 city buses in Jerusalem showing an artist’s rendition of the Third Temple on the al Aqsa Mosque site with the slogan, “May the Temple be built in our lifetime.” Donald Trump deliverance on Obama’s promise has made these fanatics more hopeful. How could they not be with Senator Broxon telling a cheering crowd “Now, I don’t know about you, but when I heard about Jerusalem — where the King of Kings where our soon coming King is coming back to Jerusalem, it is because President Trump declared Jerusalem to be capital of Israel”. And how do we ignore Benjamin Netanyahu taking ownership of Jerusalem stating that the Bible, the holy book for Jews and Christians, had justified it. Should we then be surprised that rabbis sent a letter of gratitude to Trump, praising him for “fulfilling prophecies”? In March, as Israeli elections were approaching, it was reported that “The Israeli Third Temple” party had gained traction. And while the mainstream media can ignore the latest fire that broke out at the al Aqsa Mosque on April 15, can we afford to ignore the blazing headlines of the same day: “END OF THE WORLD: Jerusalem third temple ‘fulfills Biblical prophecy’ of the end times” and other Israeli news ushering in the building of the Third Temple and the ‘end of times’? Some may take comfort in the fact that this is all sheer madness, but one cannot ignore the insanity of which we were warned of by Warner D. Farr, LTC, U.S. Army who in 1999 reported his findings in the “Counterproliferation papers, Future Warfare Series No. 2, USAF Counterproliferation Center”. This fascinating report, among other things, sounded the alarm over the probability of Gush Emunim, a right-wing religious organization, or others, hijacking a nuclear device to “liberate” the Temple Mount for the building of the third temple. This is powerful insanity with insane powers enabling it. Is the world ready to embrace this madness and accept this fate at this juncture? Are you? Top photo | Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke filled the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is fell on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. Thibault Camus | AP Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is an independent researcher and writer with a focus on US foreign policy and the role of lobby groups in influencing US foreign policy. She is a peace activist, essayist and public speaker. Soraya has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC), and has a master’s degree in Public Diplomacy – a joint program offered by USC Annenberg for Communication and USC School of International Relations. Her writings are published by various national and international websites.
|
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
|
https://www.mintpressnews.com/notre-dame-al-aqsa-engulfed-fire-one-ravages-past-threatens-future/257505/
|
2019-04-17 16:15:29+00:00
| 1,555,532,129 | 1,567,542,645 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
317,462 |
mintpressnews--2019-06-24--In Israel the Push to Destroy Jerusalems Iconic Al-Aqsa Mosque Goes Mainstream
| 2019-06-24T00:00:00 |
mintpressnews
|
In Israel the Push to Destroy Jerusalem’s Iconic Al-Aqsa Mosque Goes Mainstream
|
The iconic golden dome of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque, located on the Temple Mount or Haram el-Sharif, is the third holiest site in Islam and is recognized throughout the world as a symbol of the city of Jerusalem. Yet, this ancient site that dates back to the year 705 C.E. is being targeted for destruction by increasingly influential extremist groups that seek to erase Jerusalem’s Muslim heritage in pursuit of colonial ambitions and the fulfillment of end-times prophecy. Some observers may have noticed the growing effort by some Israeli government and religious officials to remove the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque from the Jerusalem skyline, not only erasing the holy site in official posters, banners and educational material but also physically removing the building itself. For instance, current Knesset member of the ruling Likud Party, American-born Yehuda Glick, was also the director of the government-funded Temple Institute, which has created relics and detailed architectural plans for a temple that they hope will soon replace Al-Aqsa. Glick is also close friends with Yehuda Etzion, who was part of a failed plot in 1984 to blow up Al-Aqsa mosque and served prison time as a result. “In the end we’ll build the temple and it will be a house of prayer for all nations,” Glick told Israeli newspaper Maariv in 2012. A year later, Israel’s Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel stated that “[w]e’ve built many little, little temples…but we need to build a real Temple on the Temple Mount.” Ariel stated that the new Jewish Temple must be built on the site where Al-Aqsa currently sits “as it is at the forefront of Jewish salvation.” Since then, prominent Israeli politicians have become more and more overt in their support for the end of Jordanian-Palestinian sovereignty over the mosque compound, leading many prominent Palestinians to warn in recent years of plans to destroy the mosque. In recent years, a centuries-old effort by what was once a small group of extremists has gone increasingly mainstream in Israel, with prominent politicians, religious figures and political parties advocating for the destruction of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque in order to fulfill a specific interpretation of an end-times prophecy that was once considered fringe among practitioners of Judaism. As Miko Peled, Israeli author and human-rights activist, told MintPress, the movement to destroy Al-Aqsa and replace it with a reimagined Temple “became notable after the 1967 war,” and has since grown into “a massive colonial project that uses religious, biblical mythology and symbols to justify its actions” — a project now garnering support from both religious and secular Israelis. While the push to destroy Al-Aqsa and replace it with a physical Third Temple has gained traction in Israel in recent years, this effort has advanced at a remarkably fast pace in just the past few weeks, owing to a confluence of factors. These factors, as this report will show, include the upcoming revelation of the so-called “Deal of the Century,” the push for a war with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and the Trump administration’s dramatic lenience in regards to the activity of Jewish extremist groups and extremist settlements in Israel. These factors correlate with a quickening of efforts to destroy Al-Aqsa and the very real danger the centuries-old holy site faces. While the U.S. press has occasionally mentioned the role of religious extremism in dictating the foreign policy of prominent U.S. politicians like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, it has rarely shone a light on the role of Jewish extremism in directing Israel’s foreign policy — foreign policy that, in turn, is well-known to influence American policies. When taken together, the threats to Al-Aqsa are clearly revealed to be much greater than the loss of a physical building, though that itself would be a grave loss for the world’s Muslim community, which includes over 1.8 billion people. In addition, the site’s destruction would very likely result in a regional and perhaps even global war with clear religious dimensions. To prevent such an outcome, it is essential to highlight the role that extremist, apocalyptic interpretations of both the Jewish and Christian faiths are playing in trends that, if left unchecked, could have truly terrifying consequences. Both of these extremist groups are heavily influenced by colonial ambitions that often supersede their religious underpinning. In Part I of this two-part series, MintPress examines the growth of extremist movements in Israel that openly promote the destruction of Al-Aqsa, from a relatively isolated fringe movement within Zionism to mainstream prominence in Israel today; as well as how threats to the historic mosque have grown precipitously in just the past month. MintPress interviewed Israeli author and activist Miko Peled; Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of Neturei Karta in New York; Imam and scholar of Shia Islam, Sayed Hassan Al-Qazwini, of the Islamic Institute of America; and Palestinian journalist and academic Ramzy Baroud for their perspectives on these extremist groups, their growing popularity, and the increasing threats to the current status quo at Haram El-Sharif/Temple Mount. The second part of this series will detail the influence of this extremist movement in Israeli politics as well as American politics, particularly among Christian Zionist politicians in the United States. The ways in which this movement’s goal have also influenced Israeli and U.S. policy — particularly in relation to the so-called “Deal of the Century,” President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and the push for war against Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah — will also be examined. Though efforts to wrest the contested holy site from Jordanian and Palestinian control have picked up dramatically in recent weeks, the Al-Aqsa mosque compound had long been targeted prior to Israel’s founding and even prior to the formation of the modern Zionist movement. For instance, Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Kalisher — who promoted the European Jewish colonization of Palestine from a religious perspective well before Zionism became a movement — expounded on an early form of what would later be labeled “religious Zionism” and was particularly interested in the acquisition of Haram el-Sharif (i.e., the Temple Mount) as a means of fulfilling prophecy. As noted in the essay “Proto-Zionism and its Proto-Herzl: The Philosophy and Efforts of Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalisher” by Sam Lehman-Wilzig, Professor of Israeli Politics and Judaic Studies at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, Kalisher sought to court wealthy European Jews to finance the purchase of Israel for the purpose of resettlement, particularly the Temple Mount. In an 1836 letter to Baron Amschel Rothschild, Kalisher suggested that the eldest brother of the wealthy banker family use his abundant funds to bring Jewish sovereignty to Palestine, specifically Jerusalem and the Temple Mount: Kalisher’s request was met with a noncommittal response from Baron Rothschild, leading Kalisher to pursue other wealthy European Jewish families, like the Montefiores, with the same goal in mind. And, though Kalisher was initially unsuccessful in winning the support of the Rothschild family, other notable members of the wealthy European banking dynasty eventually did become enthusiastic supporters of Zionism in the decades that followed. Kalisher was also influential in another way, as he was arguably the first modern Rabbi to reject the idea of patiently waiting for God to fulfill prophecy and proposed instead that man should take concrete steps that would lead to the fulfillment of such prophecies, a belief that Kalisher described as “self help.” For Kalisher, settling European Jews in Palestine was but the first step, to be followed by other steps that would form an active as opposed to a passive approach towards Jewish Messianism. These subsequent steps included the construction of a Third Temple, to replace the Second Temple destroyed by the Romans around the year 70 C.E., and the reinitiation of ritual animal sacrifices in that Temple, which Kalisher believed could only be placed on the Temple Mount, where Al-Aqsa then sat and still sits. Kalisher wasn’t alone in his views, as his contemporary, Rabbi Judah Alkalai, wrote the following in his book Shalom Yerushalayim: Though Kalisher wasn’t the lone voice promoting these ideas, his beliefs — aside from promoting the physical settlement of European Jews in Palestine — remained relatively fringe for decades, if not more than a century, as secular Jews were hugely influential in the Zionist movement after its official formation. However, prominent religious Zionists did influence the Zionist movement in key ways prior to Israel’s founding. One such figure was Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who sought to reconcile Zionism and Orthodox Judaism as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Palestine, a position he assumed in 1924. Yet, Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of Neturei Karta, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group based in New York that opposes Zionism, told MintPress that many religious Zionists have since latched onto Kalisher’s ideas, which were widely rejected during his lifetime, in order to justify neocolonial actions sought by secular Zionists. “This rabbi, at the time, other rabbis ‘roared’ against him and his beliefs weren’t accepted,” Rabbi Weiss stated, “But now, the ones who are talking about building this Third Temple….these are Zionists and they have found some rabbi whose ideas benefit them that they have been using to justify Zionist acts” that are not aligned with Judaism “and make them kosher.” Weiss further expanded on this point, noting that the participants of the modern religious Zionism movement that seek to build a new Jewish temple where Al-Aqsa currently stands are, at their core, Zionists who have used religious imagery and specific interpretations of religious texts as cover for neo-colonial acts, such as the complete re-making of the Temple Mount. “It’s like a wolf in a sheepskin…These people who want to incorporate the teachings of this rabbi [Rabbi Kalisher] are proudly saying that they are Jewish, but are doing things Jews are forbidden from doing,” such as ascending to and standing upon the Temple Mount, which Rabbi Weiss stated was “a breach of Jewish law,” long forbidden by that law according to a consensus among Jewish scholars and rabbis around the world that continued well beyond the formation of the Zionist movement in the 19th century. Rabbi Weiss noted that, for this reason, the Muslim community that has historically governed the area where Al-Aqsa mosque stands never had any problems with the Jewish community in relation to the Temple Mount, as it has been known for centuries that Jews cannot ascend to the area where the mosque currently sits and instead prayed only at the Western Wall. He also stated that the prophetic idea of a Third Temple was, prior to Zionism, understood as indicating not a change in physical structures on the Temple Mount, but a metaphysical, spiritual change that would unite all of mankind to worship and serve God in unison. Rabbi Weiss asserted that the conflict regarding Al-Aqsa mosque started only with the advent of Zionism and the associated neo-colonial ambition to fundamentally alter the status quo and structures present at the site as a means of erasing key parts (i.e., Palestinian parts) of its heritage. “This [the use of religion to justify ascending to and taking control of the Temple Mount] is a trap for conning other people into supporting them,” concluded the Rabbi. Nonetheless, Kalisher’s impact can be seen in today’s Israel more than ever, thanks to the rise and mainstream acceptance within Israel of once-fringe elements of religious Zionism, which were deeply influenced by the ideas of rabbis like Kalisher and have served in recent decades as an incubator for some of Israel’s most radical political elements. Meanwhile, as the debate within Judaism over the Temple Mount has changed dramatically since the 19th century, its significance in Islam has remained steadfast. According to Imam Sayed Hassan Al-Qazwini, “Al-Aqsa is the third holiest mosque in Islam…it is considered to be the place where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven and has been mentioned in the Qoran, which glorifies that mosque and identifies it as a blessed mosque. All Muslims, whether they are Sunni or Shia, revere that mosque” — a fact that has remained unchanged for over a millennium and continues to today. The modern rise of the religious Zionist movements that promote the destruction of Al-Aqsa mosque and its replacement with a Third Jewish Temple is most often traced back to the Six Day War of 1967. According to Miko Peled, who recently wrote a piece for MintPress News regarding the threats facing Al-Aqsa, “religious Zionism” as a political force became more noticeable following the 1967 war. Peled told MintPress: Peled further noted that this model, employed by the religious extremist groups that founded illegal West Bank settlements like Kiryat Arba, “has been used successfully since then and it is now used by the groups that are promoting the new Temple in place of Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.” He continued, pointing out that “whereas 20-30 years ago they were considered a fringe group, this year they expect more than 50,000 people to enter the compound to support the group and their goals. Religious Israeli youth who opt out of military service and choose national service instead may work with the [Third] Temple building organizations.” Dr. Ramzy Baroud — journalist, academic and founder of The Palestine Chronicle — agreed with Peled’s sense that the Third Temple movement or Temple Activist movement has grown dramatically in recent years and has become increasingly mainstream in Israel. Baroud told MintPress: However, Rabbi Weiss disagreed with Peled and Baroud that this faction presents a real threat to the mosque, given that the mosque’s destruction is widely rejected by Diaspora Jewry (i.e., Jews living outside of Israel) and that destroying it would not only cause conflicts with the global Muslim community but also numerous Jewish communities outside of Israel. Weiss argued that many of these religious Zionists in Israel that are pushing for a new Temple “do not follow Jewish law to the letter and don’t come from the very religious communities, including the settlers…They don’t go to expressly religious schools, they go to Zionist schools. Their whole view is built on Zionism and [secondarily] incorporates the religion,” as opposed to the reverse. As a result, the destruction of the Al-Aqsa mosque, in Weiss’ view, could greatly alienate the state of Israel from these more religious and ultra-orthodox communities. In addition, Rabbi Weiss felt that many Jewish and secular Israelis would also reject such a move because it would create even more conflicts, which many Israelis do not want. He described the Temple Activists as “a vocal minority” that represented a “fringe” among adherents to Judaism and a group within Zionism that has tried to use the Temple Mount “in order to be able to excuse their occupation and to try to portray this [the occupation of Palestine] as a religious conflict,” with the conflict surrounding the Temple Mount being an extension of that. Weiss believed that the push to take over the Temple Mount was a “scare tactic” aimed at securing the indefinite nature of the occupation, and noted that many Israelis did not want a spike in or renewal of conflict that would inevitably result if the mosque were to be destroyed. He also added that he did not think there was a “real threat” of the mosque being targeted because international rabbinical authorities have stood fast in their opposition to the project promoted by the Temple Activists. It is hardly a coincidence that the growth of Temple Activism and associated movements like “neo-Zionism” have paralleled the growth in threats to the Al-Aqsa mosque itself. Many of these threats can be understood through the doctrine developed by Rabbi Kalisher and others in the mid-19th century — the idea that “active” steps must be taken to bring about the reconstruction of a Jewish Temple at Haram El-Sharif in order to bring about the Messianic Age. Indeed, during the 1967 war, General Shlomo Goren, the chief rabbi of the IDF, had told Chief of Central Command Uzi Narkiss that, shortly after Israel’s conquest of Jerusalem’s Old City, the moment had come to blow up the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock. “Do this and you will go down in history,” Goren told Narkiss. According to Tom Segev’s book 1967, Goren felt that the site’s destruction could only be done under the cover of war: “Tomorrow might be too late.” Goren was among the first Israelis to arrive at the then-recently conquered Old City in Jerusalem and was joined at the newly “liberated” Al-Aqsa compound by a young Yisrael Ariel, who now is a major leader in the Temple Activist movement and head of the Temple Institute, which is dedicated to constructing a Third Temple where Al-Asqa mosque currently stands. Narkiss rejected Goren’s request, but did approve the razing of Jerusalem’s Moroccan quarter. According to Mondoweiss, the destruction of the nearly seven centuries old Jerusalem neighborhood was done for the “holy purpose” of making the Western Wall more accessible to Jewish Israelis. Some 135 homes were flattened, along with several mosques, and over 700 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed as part of that operation. Following the occupation of East Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa has come under increasing threat, just as extremist movements who seek to destroy the site have grown. In 1969, a Christian extremist from Australia, Daniel Rohan, set fire to the mosque. Rohan had been studying in Israel and, prior to committing arson, had told American theology student Arthur Jones, who was studying with Rohan, that he had become convinced that a new temple had to be built where Al-Aqsa stood. Then, in 1984, a group of messianic extremists known as the Jewish Underground was arrested for plotting to use explosives to destroy Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. Ehud Yatom, who was a security official and commander of the operation that foiled the plot, told Israel’s Channel 2 in 2004 that the planned destruction of the site would have been “horrible, terrible,” adding that it could provoke “the entire Muslim world [into a war] against the state of Israel and against the Western world, a war of religions.” One of those arrested in 1984 in connection with the bomb plot, former Jewish Underground member Yehuda Etzion, subsequently wrote from prison that his group’s mistake was not in targeting the historic mosque, which he called an “abomination,” but in acting before Israeli society would accept such an act. “The generation was not ready,” Etzion wrote, adding that those sympathetic to the Jewish Underground movement “must build a new force that grows very slowly, moving its educational and social activity into a new leadership.” “Of course I cannot predict whether the Dome of the Rock will be removed from the Mount while the new body is developing or after it actually leads the people,” Etzion stated, “but the clear fact is that the Mount will be purified [from Islamic shrines] with certainty…” Upon his release from prison, Etzion founded the Chai Vekayam (Alive and Existing) movement, a group that Al Jazeera’s Mersiha Gadzo described as aimed at “shaping public opinion as a prerequisite for building a Third Temple in the religious complex in Jerusalem’s Old City where Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are located.” Gadzo also notes that “according to messianic belief, building the Third Temple at the Al Aqsa compound — where the First and Second Temples stood some 2,000 years ago — would usher the coming of the Messiah.” Six years later, another group called the Temple Mount Faithful, which is dedicated to building the Third Temple, provoked what became known as the Al-Aqsa massacre in 1990 after its members attempted to place a cornerstone for the Third Temple on the Temple Mount / Haram El-Sharif, leading to riots that saw Israeli police shoot and kill over 20 Palestinians and wound an estimated 150 more. This was followed by the riots in 1996 after Israel opened up a series of tunnels that had been dug under Al-Aqsa mosque that many Palestinians worried would be used to damage or destroy the mosque. Those concerns may have been well-founded, given the involvement of then- and current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Third Temple activist groups in creating the tunnels and in subsequent excavations near the holy site, which were and continue to be officially described as “archaeological” in nature. During the 1996 incident, 80 Palestinians and 14 Israeli police officers were killed. Some Israeli archaeologists have argued that these tunnels have not been built for archaeological or scientific purposes and are highly unlikely to result in any new discoveries. One such Israeli archaeologist, Yoram Tseverir, told Middle East Monitor in 2014 that “the claims that these excavations aim at finding scientific information are marginal” and called the still-ongoing government-sponsored excavations under Al-Aqsa “wrong.” When those “archaeological” excavations at Al-Aqsa resulted in damage to the Western Wall near Al-Aqsa last year, a chorus of prominent Palestinians, including the spokesman for the Fatah Party, claimed that Israel’s government had devised a plan to destroy the mosque. Since 2000, Al-Aqsa mosque has been the site of incidents that have resulted in new state crackdowns by Israel against Palestinians both within and well outside of Jerusalem. Indeed, the Second Intifada was largely provoked by the visit of the then-Likud candidate for prime minister, Ariel Sharon, who entered Al-Aqsa mosque under heavy guard. Then-spokesman for Likud, Ofir Akounis, was later quoted by CNN as saying that the reason for Sharon’s visit was “to show that under a Likud government it [the Temple Mount] will remain under Israeli sovereignty.” That single visit by Sharon led to five years of heightened tensions, more than three thousand dead Palestinians and an estimated thousand dead Israelis, as well as a massive and still continuing crackdown on Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and in the blockaded Gaza Strip. Dr. Ramzy Baroud told MintPress that Sharon’s provocation in particular, and subsequent provocations, are often planned and used by Israeli politicians in order to justify crackdowns and restrictions on Palestinians. He argued: While there have long been efforts to destroy the historic Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, recent weeks have seen a disturbing and dramatic uptick in incidents that suggest that the influential groups in Israel that have long pushed for the mosque’ s destruction may soon get their way. This reflects what Ramzy Baroud described to MintPress as how support for the construction of the Third Temple where Al-Aqsa currently sits is now “greater than at any time in the past” within Israeli society. Earlier this month on June 2, a religious adviser to the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Al-Habbash, took to social media to warn of an “Israeli plot against the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” adding that “If the Muslims don’t act now [to save the site]… the entire world will pay dearly.” Al-Habbash’s statement was likely influenced by a disturbing event that occurred that same day at the revered compound when Israeli police provided cover for extremist Israeli settlers who illegally entered the compound during the final days of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Israeli police used pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse Palestinian worshippers who had gathered at the mosque during one of Islam’s most important holidays while allowing over a thousand Israeli Jews to enter the compound. Forty-five Palestinians were wounded and several were arrested. Though such provocative visits by Jewish Israelis to Al-Aqsa have occurred with increasing frequency in recent years, this event was different because it up-ended a long-standing agreement between Jordan’s government, which manages the site, and Israel that no such visits take place during important Islamic holidays. As a consequence, Jordan accused Israel’s government of “flagrant violations” of that agreement by allowing visits from religious nationalists, which Jordan described as “provocative intrusions by extremists.” Less than a week after the incident, Israel’s Culture and Sports Minister, Miri Regev, a member of the Netanyahu-led Likud Party, called for more settler extremists to storm the compound, stating: “We should do everything to keep ascending to the Temple Mount … And hopefully, soon we will pray in the Temple Mount, our sacred place.” In addition, Regev also thanked Israel’s Interior Security Minister, Gilad Erdan, and Jerusalem’s police chief for guarding the settler extremists who had entered the compound. In 2013, then-member of the Likud Party Moshe Feiglin told the Knesset that allowing Jewish Israelis to enter the compound is “not about prayer.” “Arabs don’t mind that Jews pray to God. Why should they care? We all believe in God,” Feiglin — who now heads the Zehut, or Identity, Party — stated, adding, “The struggle is about sovereignty. That’s the true story here. The story is about one thing only: sovereignty.” In other words, Likud and its ideological allies view granting Jewish Israelis entrance to “pray” at the site of the mosque as a strategy aimed at reducing Palestinian-Jordanian control over the site. Feiglin’s past comments give credibility to Rabbi Weiss’ claim, referenced earlier on in this report, that the religious underpinnings and religious appeals of the Temple Activists are secondary to the settler-colonial (i.e., Zionist) aspect of the movement, which seeks to remove Palestinian and Muslim heritage from the Temple Mount as part of the ongoing Zionist project. Feiglin, earlier this year in April, called for the immediate construction of the Third Temple, telling a Tel Aviv conference, “I don’t want to build a [Third] Temple in one or two years, I want to build it now.” The Times of Israel, reporting on Feiglin’s comments, noted that the Israeli politician is “enjoying growing popularity.” Earlier this month, and not long after Miri Regev’s controversial comments, an event attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Leon, used a banner that depicted the Jerusalem skyline with the Dome of the Rock noticeably absent. Though some may write off such creative photo editing as a fluke, it is but the latest in a series of similar incidents where official events or materials have edited out the iconic building and, in some cases, have replaced it with a reconstructed Jewish temple. The day before that event, Israeli police had arrested three members of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound’s Reconstruction Committee, which is overseen by the government of Jordan. Those arrested included the committee’s head and its deputy head, and the three men were arrested while performing minor restoration work in an Al-Aqsa courtyard. The Jordan-run authority condemned the arrests, for which no official reason was given, and called the move by Israeli police “an intervention in their [the men’s] reconstruction work.” According to Palestinian news agency Safa, Israeli police have also prevented the entry of tools necessary for restoration work to the site and have restricted members of the authority from performing critical maintenance work. In addition, another important figure at Al-Aqsa, Hanadi Al-Halawani, who teaches at the mosque school and has long watched over the site to prevent its occupation by Israeli forces, was arrested late last month. Arrests of other key Al-Aqsa personnel have continued in recent days, such as the arrest of seven Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, including guards of the mosque, and their subsequent ban from entering the site. The Palestinians were arrested at their homes last Sunday night in early morning raids and the official reason for their arrest remains unclear. So many arrests in such a short period have raised concerns that, should the spate of arrests of important Al-Aqsa personnel continue, future incidents at the site, such as the mysterious fire that broke out last April at Al-Aqsa while France’s Notre Dame was also ablaze, may not be handled as effectively owing to staff shortages. Soon after those arrests, 60 members of a settler extremist group entered the al-Aqsa compound under heavy guard from Israeli police. Safa news agency reported that these settlers have recently been accompanied by Israeli intelligence officials in their incursions at the site. All of these recent provocations and arrests in connection with the mosque come soon after the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, publicly stated in late March that he had recently come under great pressure to relinquish Jordan’s custodianship of the mosque and the contested holy site upon which it is built. Abdullah II vowed to continue custodianship over Christian and Muslim sites in Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa, and declined to say who was pressuring him over the site. However, his comments about this pressure to cede control over the mosque came just days after he had visited the U.S. and met with American Vice President Mike Pence, a Christian Zionist who believes that a Jewish Temple must replace Al-Aqsa to fulfill an end times prophecy. In May, an Israeli government-linked research institute, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, wrote that Abdullah II had nearly been toppled in mid-April, just weeks after publicly discussing external pressure to relinquish control over Al-Aqsa. The report stated that Abdullah II had been a target of a “plot undermining his rule,” which led him to replace several senior members of his government. That report further claimed that the plot had been aimed at removing obstacles to the Trump administration’s “Deal of the Century,” which is supported by Israel’s government. Last year, some Israeli politicians sought to push for a transfer of the site’s custodianship to Saudi Arabia, sparking concern that this could be connected to plans by some Third Temple activists to remove Al-Aqsa from Jerusalem and transfer it piece-by-piece to the Saudi city of Mecca. On Thursday, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs published an article asserting that “tectonic shifts” were taking place in relation to who controls Al-Aqsa, with a Saudi-funded political group making dramatic inroads that could soon alter which country controls the historic mosque compound. Sayyed Hassan Al-Qazwini told MintPress that, in his view, the current custodianship involving Jordan’s government is not ideal, as control over the Al-Aqsa mosque “should in the hands of its people, [and] Al-Aqsa mosque belongs Palestine;” if not, at the very least, a committee of Muslim majority nations should be formed to govern the holy site because of its importance. As for Saudi Arabia potentially receiving control over the site, Al-Qazwini told MintPress that “the Saudis are not qualified as they are not even capable of running the holy sites in Saudi Arabia itself. Every year, there has been a tragedy and many pilgrims have died during hajj time [annual Islamic pilgrimage].” The threat to Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock compound, the third holiest site in Islam and of key importance to three major world religions, is the result of the dramatic growth of what was once a fringe movement of extremists. After the Six Day War, these fringe elements have fought to become more mainstream within Israel and have sought to gain international support for their religious-colonialist vision, particularly in the United States. As this article has shown, the threats to Al-Aqsa have grown significantly in the past decades, spiking in just the past few weeks. As former Jewish Underground member Yehuda Etzion had called for decades ago, an educational and social movement aimed at gaining influence with Israeli government leadership has been hugely successful in its goal of engineering consent for a Third Temple among many religious and secular Israelis. So successful has this movement been that numerous powerful and influential Israeli politicians, particularly since the 1990s, have not only openly promoted these beliefs, and the destruction of Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, but have also diverted significant amounts of government funding to organizations dedicated to replacing the historic mosque with a new temple. As the second and final installment of this series will show, this movement has gained powerful allies, not just in Israel’s government, but among many evangelical Christians in the United States, including top figures in the Trump administration who also feel that the destruction of Al-Aqsa and the reconstruction of a Jewish Temple are prerequisites for the fulfillment of prophecy, albeit a different one. Furthermore, given the influence of such movements on the Israeli and U.S. governments, these beliefs of active Messianism are also informing key policies of these same governments and, in doing so, are pushing the world towards a dangerous war. Feature photo | Israeli police stand next to the Dome of the Rock mosque at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, July 27, 2017. Mahmoud Illean | AP Whitney Webb is a MintPress News journalist based in Chile. She has contributed to several independent media outlets including Global Research, EcoWatch, the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire, among others. She has made several radio and television appearances and is the 2019 winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism
|
Whitney Webb
|
https://www.mintpressnews.com/israel-jerusalem-al-aqsa-third-temple/259926/
|
2019-06-24 17:46:20+00:00
| 1,561,412,780 | 1,567,538,266 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
348,291 |
newspunch--2019-03-17--Swedish Democrat Proposes Building Mosque Muslim Center To Attract Immigrants
| 2019-03-17T00:00:00 |
newspunch
|
Swedish Democrat Proposes Building Mosque & Muslim Center To Attract Immigrants
|
A right wing Swedish politician is facing expulsion from his party after suggesting his municipality build a mosque and cultural center to attract “enterprising” immigrants to the city. Mark Collins, a 63-year-old member of the populist, anti-immigration party – Sweden Democrats (SD) – said that drawing immigrants to Kramfors, a small coastal municipality in the north, could help benefit the community. Collins told the Local: “My idea is that if you have a mosque and a cultural center, then you empower the Muslims to be responsible for our town and the area up here”. RT reports: Kramfors, a town of 6,000 people, has been losing around 100 residents a year, and the newcomers would breathe new life into the area, Collins said. “Hopefully we will get a lot of them to come up and stay,” he said, defying what his right-wing, anti-immigration party typically stands for. Adding insult to injury, he complained that there are no incentives to stay even for immigrants who settled there amid the 2015 refugee crisis. “They left as well, and I don’t blame them,” Collins stated, adding that “very cosmopolitan” immigrants “don’t want to sit in a cabin watching snowflakes fall.” The Sweden Democrats, which distanced itself from its white nationalist roots in the early 1990s, strongly rejects multiculturalism and advocates a major overhaul of their country’s refugee and immigration policy. SD has always demanded that the government severely limit immigration, but that seems to make little sense for Collins. “Who else is going to come up here?” he asked. Enterprising immigrants will turn Kramfors into a thriving place, he said, “because there are opportunities galore up here, but there’s just not enough people.” The enthusiastic proposal, however, was met with little praise from SD leaders. A local party office said it has no clue about the mosque-building project, while Henrik Gustafsson, an SD spokesperson, called Collins’ reasoning “distressing.” “He did not take a minute to either read our program or double-check with fellow party members on the matter, which is strange,” he told Swedish media. Collins himself is an immigrant – he moved to Sweden from the United States in 1974. He joined the SD because it was the only party “that I felt was honest to me during the great immigration rush.” However, the Sweden Democrats, who hold 49 seats in the 349-member parliament, are losing the race for popular support, he said. “They lost the debate on immigration. They [the immigrants] are here. So we can’t just sit around whining about it.”
|
Niamh Harris
|
https://newspunch.com/swedish-democrat-proposes-building-mosque-muslim-center-to-attract-immigrants/
|
2019-03-17 18:58:42+00:00
| 1,552,863,522 | 1,567,545,894 |
religion and belief
|
religious facilities
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.