Society's Child

Fired Pentagon adviser charges $3k to govt credit card at strip clubs, DOD averages 5000 charges $1M+ per year

RT
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 19:52 UTC

© OSD Deputy Secretary of Defense / Flickr
Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter speaks with Regional East deputy commander Brigadier General Ron Lewis.

A two-star general who was previously fired from a top post at the Pentagon and demoted in rank misused his government credit card at strip clubs and had "inappropriate interactions" with female subordinates, a Defense Department report has concluded. Misuse of government credit cards at strip clubs and casinos has been an ongoing problem for the Pentagon. Department of Defense employees, both civilian and military, racked up 5,000 charges at casinos and strip clubs totaling more than $1 million over the course of a year.

Now it appears that such charges extend all the way up the chain of command to almost the very top: Major General Ron Lewis, the former senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Ash Carter. Lewis was fired from his post in November after the DOD announced he was under investigation for undefined "misconduct allegations." He was transferred to serve as a special assistant to Lieutenant General James McConville, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel matters, and demoted in rank to a two-star general.

We have now learned what that misconduct was: Accusations that Lewis "misused his government travel charge card for personal expenses; made false official statements regarding his government travel card misuse; and engaged in other inappropriate behavior," Kathie Scarrah, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon's Office of the Inspector General (IG),told AP.

Comment: US tax dollars at work (and play). Outrageous.

Two cops lose their jobs after being caught making racial slurs and plotting to target black drivers

Claire Bernish
The Free Thought Project
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 19:50 UTC

"It's supposed to rain tomorrow. Might not get too many niggs."— said the racist cop.

One Georgia sheriff's deputy has now been fired and a second resigned abruptly after an investigation disclosed a bevy of racist and sexist posts to social media and an apparent pattern of targeting African Americans for traffic stops.

McIntosh County Sheriff's Department deputies Brant Gaither and Jeremy Owens patrolled Interstate 95 between Savannah and Brunswick as part of a special traffic unit, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

A supervisor stumbled onto the two cops' Facebook Messenger exchanges, initiated an internal investigation, and terminated Gaither on July 25. Owens — responsible for the quote at the beginning of this article — resigned the following day.

Racial slurs peppered their messages, as did overtly racist stereotypes and denigrating comments about women, the Journal-Constitution found. In one example, renowned civil rights and peace activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech became the subject of abject mockery.

"I have a dream," Gaither wrote. "That one day my people will not act like animals."

Owens replied, "Lol. That'll never happen."

Other exchanges included quips about domestic violence and something unspecified concerning a black pregnancy test and fried chicken.

New Jersey gas explosion collapses duplex; second explosion in two days

Kevin Shea
NJ.com
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 13:52 UTC

Two houses were badly damaged and two residents injured in an apparent explosion in Trenton Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

Residents reported hearing a "boom" sound and came outside to see the Wayne Avenue duplex collapsing and debris strewn in the street.

Two people were taken to a local hospital from the scene of the 3:20 p.m. explosion, on a side street between Calhoun Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

One other person was near the explosion, but not injured, officials said. City firefighters first on scene did not enter the structure, waiting for all the utilities to be shut off. Shortly before 4 p.m., the strong smell of natural gas permeated the block in North Trenton.

A PSE&G spokeswoman said utility crews shut off the gas to the two homes, and the cause of the incident was under investigation.

Comment: Gas explosion destroys two homes in New Jersey

Putin the Peacemaker

Natalie Musumeci
New York Post
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 14:30 UTC

A giant flag of Russian President Vladimir Putin was draped along the side of the Manhattan Bridge Thursday. The massive flag featured the Russian leader in a suit and tie along with the word "peacemaker" at the bottom. People quickly took to social media and posted photos of the mysterious flag.

"2 dudes just hung a giant Vladimir Putin 'Peacemaker' flag of the manhattan bridge," Twitter user @FAMOUSCLASS tweeted.

Dept. of Justice opens investigation into Alabama treatment of male prisoners

RT
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 18:28 UTC

The US Department of Justice has launched a statewide investigation into the conditions of Alabama's prisons for men. The probe will look at whether prisoners are protected from other prisoners and correctional officers, and into the living conditions.

The DOJ will focus on claims of physical and sexual violence by inmates on each other and accusations of excessive force and sexual abuse by prison guards and other staff members. On top of that, the agency will look into whether the prisons are sanitary, secure and safe, the Justice Department said in a statement.

"Our obligation is to protect the civil rights of all citizens, including those who are incarcerated," said US Attorney Joyce White Vance of the Northern District of Alabama. "This investigation provides us with an opportunity to work collaboratively with the state of Alabama to assess current conditions and ensure constitutionally sufficient conditions exist for all prisoners."

The DOJ Civil Rights Division's Special Litigation Section and the three US Attorney's Offices in Alabama will conduct the investigation.

'I can't breathe': Texarkana father of four assaulted by jail guards, dies after begging for help

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 17:34 UTC

Only 48 hours after he made a Facebook post thanking God for his kids, a 35-year-old father of four, Michael Sabbie, would die in a concrete cage. His last moments alive were caught on a jail's surveillance cameras as he uttered the all-too-familiar phrase 'I can't breathe' — 19 times.

Sabbie was violently subdued and repeatedly pepper sprayed by guards at the Bi State Prison on the borders of Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana.

As the assault on this father began, five officers swarmed Sabbie and piled on top of him as he shouted, "I can't breathe." Then, a sixth guard, equipped with a body camera, joined the group and began spraying Sabbie in the face while accusing him of resisting.

"Get your hands behind your back or you'll get it again!" the guard yelled.

"I can't breathe, sir," Sabbie said, as officers propped him up against the wall outside of the nurse's office. "Please, please. I got pneumonia."

The nurse examined him and then released him, noting that his symptoms were normal for someone who'd just been pepper sprayed. However, Sabbie had those symptoms before he was sprayed. "Please, please," Sabbie begged for water, but was denied. He was then brought to the shower to wash off the spray and thrown in his cell.

Something is very wrong with society: 10-year-old boy set on fire by another child while playing in Texas field

RT
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 17:17 UTC

One Texas juvenile has been arrested by Kerrville police and charged with first-degree arson for reportedly setting a 10-year-old boy with special needs alight, causing him serious injury.

Comment: Arson? What about attempted murder!

Kayden Culp is seriously ill after he was allegedly intentionally set on fire when playing in a field on Sunday. The boy was reportedly doused in gasoline by one boy and set on fire by another.

He remained in an induced coma at San Antonio University Hospital Wednesday where he's receiving treatment for severe burns which cover more than 20 percent of his body "from his ears to his bellybutton", San Antonio Express News reports.

Culp exhibits autistic behavior, although he has never been formally diagnosed, and was often picked on by kids for a speech disorder linked to hearing impairment, according to relatives.

"This was no accident!" wrote the boy's mother Tristyn Hatchett on her Facebook page Tuesday. "The other boys who were there have been telling kids at school that it was not an accident, that it was intentional," said Hatchett to the San Antonio Express.

All-women's aid boat hijacked, commandeered by Israeli pirates on its way to Gaza - "We don't know where our friends are"

Allison Deger
Mondoweiss
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 17:11 UTC

A boat and its 13-woman crew sailing toward the shores of occupied Gaza was taken into custody by the Israeli navy this afternoon, ending a month-long sea voyage to "break the siege on Gaza." The Israeli military said the vessel - organized by the international activist group the Women's Boat to Gaza - was still in international waters, around 35 nautical miles from the Israeli port of Ashdod, at the time of the "uneventful" seizure.

"We do not know where our friends are," the Women's Boat to Gaza said in a statement in the hours after they lost communication with the sailors, "The U.S. embassy confirmed that the boat was intercepted."

According to the Israeli military, the all-female activist ship was warned they were nearing Gaza's shores and told to change course. The ship did not reroute.

"Following their refusal the Navy visited and searched the vessel in international waters in order to prevent their intended breach of the lawful maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip. The visit and search of the vessel was uneventful," the Israeli military said.

Comment: The IDF are bullies, plain and simple, and the Israeli government is a criminal enterprise.

Comment: The boat is registered in the Netherlands. Therefore, according to former head of the Maritime Section of the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office Craig Murray, Israel is guilty of aggression against the Netherlands:

"In this case this is an act of aggression by Israel against a ship from the Netherlands state. Whatever happened on board is governed by Netherlands law. The Dutch authorities have a duty to react to Israeli military seizing people on what was in effect Dutch territory. The role of the Dutch government is going to be very important."

"If Israel were in a state of war it would arguably have the authority to enforce a blockade under the San Remo convention. But Israel in general, doesn't accept it's in a state of war," Mr. Murray told Sputnik.

"In any event, even if you were to accept Israel was at war, the San Remo convention does not allow you to blockade food and essential supplies from the civilian population. This particular ship wasn't carrying any cargo at all. So really, there is absolutely no blockade argument for preventing it passing.

"Plainly this was just an act of illegal aggression on the high seas," Mr. Murray added.

Have we come to expect anything less from the Israeli regime?

Trump effect? President Rodrigo Duterte's popularity soars with Philippine crime war

France 24
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 16:49 UTC

© AFP/File | Philippine President Rodrigo
Duterte holds up a certificate showing a Glock 30 handgun, awarded to him by a Philippine firearms importer for his fight against illegal drugs, in Manila on October 4, 2016

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's popularity has soared during his first three months in office, an independent survey showed Thursday, in an apparent endorsement by Filipinos of his brutal war on crime.

Defence ally the United States, the United Nations and the European Union have led global condemnation of Duterte's unprecedented crime crackdown, which has left more than 3,000 people dead and raised fears of mass extrajudicial killings.

However 76 percent of Filipinos polled by Social Weather Stations said they were "satisfied" with Duterte's performance, with just 11 percent reporting being "dissatisfied" and the rest undecided.

The Manila-based polling group surveyed 1,200 adults nationwide from September 24-27, asking them simply about Duterte's performance as president without reference to the drug war.

Duterte won the May elections in what was considered a landslide, but still with just 37.6 percent of the votes. In the Philippines, the presidential election is decided simply by whoever gets the most votes, and his nearest rival secured 22.6 percent.

Molotov cocktails, grenades - French police clash with Corsican nationalists

RT
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 16:00 UTC

Dozens of masked nationalists took to the streets of Bastia, northern Corsica, throwing Molotov cocktails at police and setting garbage on fire to protest the trial of three fellow nationalists charged with attacking a sub-prefecture on the island.

Four officers were injured in the skirmishes with partially masked Corsican nationalists on Wednesday evening, RT France reports.

Some 20 people marched through the city rallying against the resumed trial against three activists of Corsican youth separatist movement Ghjuventù Indipendentista (Youth independence).

A car was reportedly set ablaze by protesters and partially burned down. A small group of rioters attempted to break through the police cordons to the central Place du Marché before it was dispersed by security forces.

Comment: See also: Corsica: Violent brawl injures 4, cars aflame, clashes between locals and N. Africans (August 14)

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Society's Child

Fired Pentagon adviser charges $3k to govt credit card at strip clubs, DOD averages 5000 charges $1M+ per year

Two cops lose their jobs after being caught making racial slurs and plotting to target black drivers

New Jersey gas explosion collapses duplex; second explosion in two days

Putin the Peacemaker

Dept. of Justice opens investigation into Alabama treatment of male prisoners

'I can't breathe': Texarkana father of four assaulted by jail guards, dies after begging for help

Something is very wrong with society: 10-year-old boy set on fire by another child while playing in Texas field

All-women's aid boat hijacked, commandeered by Israeli pirates on its way to Gaza - "We don't know where our friends are"

Trump effect? President Rodrigo Duterte's popularity soars with Philippine crime war

Molotov cocktails, grenades - French police clash with Corsican nationalists

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