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Finley: America's hate crime surge is a hoax

Nolan Finley
The Detroit News
Sat, 06 Apr 2019 17:04 UTC
Jussie Smollett
© Getty images
Before actor Jussie Smollett’s whopper unraveled, it was wildly parroted by a media too eager to believe anything that confirms its conviction that America is boiling with hate, Finley says.
It's been repeated so often it's taken as fact: Hate crimes have soared over the past two years, and the blame rests with President Donald Trump and supporters inspired by his hateful rhetoric.

It's a compelling story, supported by statistics that show an increase of 17% in the number of hate crimes reported to the FBI during the Trump presidency.

But it isn't true. The surge has little to do with Trump and his red hat brigade. This according to Will Reilly, a Kentucky State University associate professor, who extensively researched hate-fueled violence in America for his book Hate Crime Hoax.

"Almost all of that surge is due to the simple fact that in 2017 the number of police departments reporting hate crimes to the FBI increased by 1,000," says Reilly. "The surge narrative is pretty dishonest."

Comment: See also: The Jussie Smollett Hate-Crime Hoax is Nothing New in Trump's America

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Yoda

WikiLeaks calls for release of unredacted Mueller report


RT
Fri, 19 Apr 2019 16:45 UTC
Assange embassy
© Reuters / Peter Nicholls
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange addresses a crowd from London's Ecuadorian embassy, 2016
WikiLeaks has called for the US Justice Department to remove some of its redactions to the Mueller report, claiming that the blanked-out sentences only fuel conspiracy theories about WikiLeaks' role in Trump's election.

"WikiLeaks has always been confident that this investigation would vindicate our groundbreaking publishing of the 2016 materials, which it has. We disapprove of the large redactions which permit conspiracy theories to abound. Full transparency please," WikiLeaks tweeted on Thursday.

Some observers wondered whether WikiLeaks disputes Mueller's claim - expounded in the report - that 'Russian hackers' had stolen Democratic National Convention emails in 2016. Large chunks of text concerning the supposed hacking operation are left blank in Mueller's report, to protect the investigative techniques used.
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Russian Flag

With all due respect: Stalin-approving Russians don't want to live in his time - poll


RT
Fri, 19 Apr 2019 16:50 UTC
stalin
© Sputnik / Ilya Pitalev
Although a majority of Russians say they approve of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's role in history, according to recent polls, just a tiny portion of them would have liked to have lived under his rule, a new survey reveals.

Earlier this week a Levada Center poll, which revealed that over 50 percent (the highest ever) of Russians view Joseph Stalin positively, made headlines in Russia. It sparked another heated debate about the role of the controversial Soviet leader.

However, a new survey by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM), showed that only 5% of Russians would want to live in Stalin's era during the times of mass repressions, industrialization and WWII.

Political analysts explain that the rising approval rating of Stalin shows society's attitude to the mythical image of the Soviet leader - a symbol of order and a champion of the oppressed - rather than the actual historical figure of Stalin.

Unsurprisingly, 40% said they prefer living in modern Russia. Meanwhile, almost the same amount (37%) would prefer to go back to the times of the rule of Leonid Brezhnev. The Brezhnev period, spanning over more than two decades from 1964 to 1986 is often referred as Era of Stagnation in Russian history, associated with low economic growth, as well as social and economic stability.

Comment: That's an important qualifier you never see in Western 'serious analyses' of Russians' respect for Stalin. Just cause they respect the man, doesn't mean they want to return to Life Under Stalin.

See also:

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Pocket Knife

Indian man 'chops off finger' after voting for wrong party by mistake


RT
Fri, 19 Apr 2019 15:01 UTC
Finger
© Reuters/Adnan Abidi
A man gets his finger inked before casting his vote in India's general election.
An Indian man who accidentally voted for the wrong party in the country's general election says he was so disgusted with himself that he chopped off his index finger to atone for the mistake.

In a video that has gone viral in India, Pawan Kumar says he accidentally ended up voting for the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) because he was confused by the symbols on the voting machine.

Indian voting machines use symbols beside the names of candidates so that people who cannot read are still able to vote. The 25-year-old cast his vote in the second phase of polling in the general election in Bulandshahr in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

In the video, Kumar explains that he wanted to vote for the Bahujan Samaj Party, which has a lot of support in Uttar Pradesh, but instead of pressing the BSP's elephant button, he pressed the button with the lotus, which represents the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP.

Comment:
Indian Politics Supporters fighting


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Whistle

Veterans Affairs whistleblower 'protection' office being investigated for retaliation against whistleblowers

Eric Katz
Government Executive
Fri, 19 Apr 2019 16:20 UTC
Department of Veterans Affairs
© Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
The Veterans Affairs Department's watchdog is investigating a new office created by President Trump early in his administration that was designed to protect whistleblowers from reprisal but is now facing allegations of aiding retaliation against them.

VA's Office of Inspector General is leading the investigation from its new Office of Special Reviews, which the IG created to conduct "prompt reviews of significant events" and examine allegations of senior VA employee misconduct, an IG spokesman said. The new IG office is looking into activities at the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection as part of an ongoing review of the implementation of the 2017 law that created OAWP.

Trump created OAWP by executive order in 2017 and later codified it when he signed the 2017 VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act into law. The office was mostly celebrated, with advocates hopeful that the focus on the rights and protections for whistleblowers would reverse a culture infamous for intimidation and reprisal. That optimism has largely soured, however, leading to hotline tips to the inspector general and bipartisan scrutiny from Congress.

Comment:

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No Entry

NYC proposes ban on glyphosate as public awareness of its toxicity grows

Carey Gillam
Environmental Health News
Fri, 19 Apr 2019 16:07 UTC
Central Park
© Hector Argüello Canals/flickr
Two New York City council members introduced legislation today that would ban city agencies from spraying glyphosate-based herbicides and other toxic pesticides in parks and other public spaces.

The move is the latest in a groundswell of concern over pesticide use, particularly exposures to weed killing products developed by Monsanto, which is now a unit of Bayer AG. Cities, school districts and suppliers across the U.S. are increasingly halting use of the pesticides.

It is also a further sign that a growing number of people - consumers, educators, business leaders and others - are rejecting assurances from Monsanto and Bayer that glyphosate herbicides such as Roundup are safe for widespread use.

Bayer has recently taken out large advertisements in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times and has been running television and Internet ad campaigns to defend the safety of its weed killing products. But concerns continue to mount.
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Pistol

Man gets six gunshots after breaking into family's home and undressing

Lexie Ratterman
WDRB
Mon, 15 Apr 2019 16:00 UTC
Donald Oliver

Donald Oliver during a court appearance in Louisville, Ky. on April 15, 2019.
The mother of a 12-year-old girl says her daughter did everything right when a man broke into their home and began undressing in the girl's bedroom over the weekend.

Donald Oliver, 38, was in court Monday morning, a day after he was shot while allegedly breaking into the home in the 1200 block of Homeview Avenue, near Taylor Blvd.

According to court documents, it happened around 7 a.m. on April 14. That's when Tina Burton she says her next door neighbor broke into her house, entered her 12-year-old daughter's room and started undressing.

"He got undressed in my daughter's room," Burton said. "Like, what was your intentions? ... You are sick."

Despite the danger, Burton says her daughter didn't panic.
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Bad Guys

Fourteen passengers murdered when unidentified attackers ambush bus in southwestern Pakistan


RFE/RL
Thu, 18 Apr 2019 06:04 UTC
Gunmen ambush bus southwestern Baluchistan

Gunmen wearing Pakistani police and paramilitary uniforms ambushed a bus before dawn Thursday and killed 14 people after going through their ID cards and forcing them out on a remote part of a coastal highway in restive southwestern Baluchistan province.
Fourteen passengers have been killed after unidentified attackers halted their bus on a remote coastal highway in the restive southwestern Balochistan Province, officials said.

Hours after the ambush on April 18, a new separatist group claimed responsibility for the killings. The attack sparked national outrage, with Prime Minister Imran Khan calling it "an act of terror."

Officials and local media said the gunmen forced passengers off the bus, which was traveling from Karachi to Gwadar.

Survivors told police the gunmen selectively killed the passengers after going through their identities. The motive behind the killings is not known.

Comment: Some background on the troubled Balochistan province:

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Attention

Widening the divide: Leading member of South Africa's ruling party tells blacks not to vote for white candidates


RT
Fri, 19 Apr 2019 07:30 UTC
ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule
© Reuters/Rogan Ward
ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule speaks during a rally in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, January 28, 2018.
A leading member of South Africa's ruling party has stirred controversy as he called on the country's black population not to vote for white candidates. RT has asked a local politician and activist to weigh in.

With even members of his own party condemning the decision to "campaign along race lines," the pressure is mounting against African National Congress secretary-general Ace Magashule. He has already found himself at the wrong end of a number of corruption scandals and has now been slammed for his "racist" remark.

A few weeks shy of the 25th anniversary of the end of apartheid, racial tensions remain an undeniable part of life in modern South Africa. And some in South Africa support Magashule's sentiment.
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Black Cat 2

Man attacked by bobcat on Connecticut golf course


ABC News
Thu, 18 Apr 2019 03:12 UTC
Bobcat
A bobcat that attacked a golfer in Connecticut was beaten off by golf clubs before environmental police tracked it down and killed it, authorities said.

The bobcat attacked the golfer at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday on the Mohegan Sun Golf Course in the Baltic section of Sprague, according to a statement from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

General manager Philip Krick Jr. a foursome was near a fairway bunker on the seventh hole when the cat jumped on one mans back. Krick and police said the man in his 60s and another golfer in his group used their clubs to beat the cat away.

Comment: See also: 'I wasn't dying today:' Grandmother kills rabid bobcat with her bare hands

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