Welcome to Sott.net
Mon, 08 Nov 2021
The World for People who Think

Society's Child
Map

Pistol

Newly released footage shows DEA agents murder four innocent people on a water taxi during a drug bust

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 20:05 UTC
DEA murder
In the federal government's relentless and futile pursuit to control what Americans can and cannot put into their own bodies, all too often, innocent people become the victims of state-sponsored violence. Since its inception during the Nixon years, the drug war has not only failed at its task but it's served to create a massive opioid epidemic and eviscerated rights-all while fostering corruption and violence within the government. At the head of this violent and corrupt beast is the government office known as the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA.

A scathing new report out of ProPublica has just shined some light on the DEA's dark and violent history. This new evidence, accompanied with a video, shows that for the past five years, the DEA has been lying about an incident that resulted in them killing four innocent civilians, including two women and a child.

The incident happened in Honduras during an operation carried out under the cover of darkness in one of many futile attempts to stop people from selling arbitrary substances.

According to the report from ProPublica:
      Read More...
Heart - Black

5 teens charged with murder after throwing rock from highway overpass killing father of four

MINYVONNE BURKE
NY Daily News
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 18:31 UTC
teens throw rocks arrested
© GENESEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
(L-R): Kyle Anger, Mikadyn Payne, Alexander Miller, Mark Sekelsky and Trevor Gray were charged with murder
Five teenagers from Michigan who tossed rocks from a highway overpass killing a father of four on his way home from work have been charged with murder.

The teen boys range in age from 15 to 17, but will be charged as adults with second degree murder, malicious destruction of property and conspiracy.

They have been identified as Alexander Miller, Mikadyn Payne, Trevor Gray, Mark Sekelsky and Kyle Anger.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton told WXYZ that Anger is the one who tossed the six pound rock that crashed through the windshield of the van Kenneth White was in.
      Read More...
People 2

Operation Cross Country XI: Recovery of underage sex trafficking and prostitution victims


FBI.gov
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 16:52 UTC
three girls
© YouTube
Operation Cross Country, the FBI's annual law enforcement action focused on recovering underage victims of prostitution and drawing the public's attention to the problem of sex trafficking at home and abroad, has concluded with the recovery of 84 sexually exploited juveniles and the arrests of 120 traffickers.

Now in its 11th iteration, Operation Cross Country has expanded beyond the United States, with Canada, the United Kingdom, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Thailand undertaking similar operations. Their efforts were coordinated with the FBI and its local, state, and federal law enforcement partners-along with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)-during the four-day law enforcement action that ended October 15.

"We at the FBI have no greater mission than to protect our nation's children from harm," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. "Unfortunately, the number of traffickers arrested - and the number of children recovered - reinforces why we need to continue to do this important work."



Comment: With more information on child trafficking surfacing daily, the prevalence of child victim recoveries so far indicates just the beginning phases in addressing a global epidemic of exploitation and deviant behaviors.

See also:

      Read More...
Calendar

Eight month delay in Iraqi Kurdistan elections


RFE/RL
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 13:35 UTC
burning kurd flag
© Reuters
Parliament in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region says elections for the regional presidency and parliament, initially scheduled for November 1, have been delayed by eight months.

The announcement on October 24 comes a day after the electoral commission said political parties failed to present candidates for both elections amid tensions with the federal government in Baghdad over an independence referendum held in the region last month.

People living in areas under Kurdish control in norther Iraq overwhelmingly backed secession in the September 25 referendum that the Baghdad government rejected as illegal.

Following the vote, Iraqi government troops and allied Shi'ite militia fighters moved into disputed areas that previously were held by Kurdish Peshmerga forces, dealing a severe blow to the regional president, Masoud Barzani.

Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), has held the post since 2005. Parliament was elected in 2013.

The loss of Kirkuk prompted calls from Gorran, the Kurdish region's main opposition party, for Barzani and his deputy Kosrat Rasul to resign.

Comment: The delay will allow a pause in the snowball attempt by the Kurds to autonomously claim territory as their new state, and their champion's goal to exacerbate a crisis and continue involvement in the region.

      Read More...
Snakes in Suits

DOJ priority: Dismantle MS-13 international crime gang


RT
Mon, 23 Oct 2017 20:42 UTC
MS-13 guys
© Florida International University
By designating MS-13 a priority for the Justice Department's organized crime unit, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has directed officials to pursue a roster of possible charges during prosecutions, including racketeering, gun and tax law violations.

"MS-13 threatens the lives and well-being of each and every family and each and every neighborhood that they infest," Sessions said Monday before a gathering of police chiefs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "They leave misery, devastation and death in their wake. They threaten entire governments."

According to the attorney general, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) should look into all laws in its investigative and prosecutorial efforts, including drug laws, gun laws, tax laws, RICO, and anything else that will cripple the gang. "Now they will go after MS-13 with a renewed vigor and sharpened focus," Sessions said.

Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, has become a prime target of President Donald Trump's administration and its broader crackdown on immigration. Federal prosecutors have gone after MS-13 before, but say they've recently seen a resurgence.

MS-13 is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California in the 1980s, and grew its membership among the prison population. The gang engages in kidnapping, small-time drug trafficking, running brothels, money-laundering and contract killings. Its recruits are middle and high school students, predominantly in immigrant communities. The gang has spread to many parts of the US, Canada, Mexico, and Central America, and is active in urban and suburban areas including New York City, Boston, Charlotte, Houston and Washington, DC. Most members are of Central American origin, mainly from El Salvador.

Comment: As looks would have it, it shouldn't be too hard to spot these guys.

      Read More...
Question

The 'sexsomnia' defense: Man accused of raping woman 100s of times blames sleep disorder


RT
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 19:44 UTC
feet in bed
© Sabrina Vani / Global Look Press
A man accused of raping a woman "hundreds of times" has claimed he was suffering from "sexsomnia," a condition in which a person engages in sexual activities while asleep. He told the woman the sleep disorder "made him do it."

Lawrence Barilli, 35, is on trial at Glasgow High Court after being charged with assaulting and raping the woman between September 2011 and October 2012. The incidents are said to have occurred in a number of locations.

His alleged victim told jurors that such incidents had occurred "a couple of hundred times" and when she confronted him, he said he had "no memory" of it.

"He said it was sexsomnia. I would wake up with him having sex with me," she told the court. "I did not really know what to think. I thought it was something that he was trying to spice up the relationship. It was silent throughout ... I did not like it."

Comment: Strange. How did the defendant manage to rape the woman hundreds of times in different locations over a year? Was she his prisoner?

      Read More...
Arrow Down

Black former student charged with spray-painting 'KKK' and racist graffiti on Michigan campus


RT
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 19:36 UTC
Eddie Curlin
© Mississippi Department of Corrections
Eddie Curlin
Police have charged a former Eastern Michigan University student over three incidents of vandalism that targeted African-Americans, including the spray-painting of 'KKK' and 'n*gger,' and the command to "leave" the school.

On Tuesday, the university was shaken when police announced the suspect was Eddie Curlin, an African-American. A preliminary hearing is set for November 9.

"To know that it was a person of color is hurtful," Jaiquae Rodwell told the Eastern Echo, the university newspaper. "As a black student, to know that another black person is using the N-word in a negative way is embarrassing."

Curlin was arraigned on three counts of malicious destruction of property, four counts of identity theft, and one count of using a computer to commit a crime, all related to vandalism incidents that took place on the Eastern Michigan University campus in the fall of 2016.
      Read More...
Camcorder

'Hell on earth': 80% of Raqqa destroyed, covered with road mines left by ISIS


RT
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 20:37 UTC
Raqqa
© Bulent Kilic
Raqqa October 21, 2017
Up to 80 percent of Raqqa, the Syrian city that was captured from jihadists by US-backed militias last week, is destroyed and covered with road mines left behind by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

A Radio France correspondent described the scene as "Hell on Earth" as he posted horrific images of the destroyed city on social media."The situation here is relatively calm. The fighting has stopped, though some sporadic shots can be still heard, including those celebrating IS' defeat. There's a huge number of road mines here."

"Between 70 and 80 percent of Raqqa is mined. There are teams of de-mining experts to neutralize land mines left by Islamic State militants in their de facto capital," Omar Ouahmane said on Sunday.


      Read More...
Take 2

Women in Hollywood - Is Harvey Weinstein just a part of a bigger problem?

Ilana Mercer
The Ludwig von Mises Centre For Property and Freedom
Sun, 22 Oct 2017 17:36 UTC
weinstein
I'd like to better understand the American conservative media's orgy over Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced and disgraceful Hollywood film producer and studio executive who used his power over decades to have his way with starlets.

To listen to conservative talkers, the women affronted or assaulted by Weinstein were all Shakespearean talent in the making - female clones of Richard Burton (he had no match among women) - who made the pilgrimage to Sodom and Gomorrah in the Hollywood Hills, for the purpose of realizing their talent, never knowing it was a meat market. Watching the women who make up the dual-perspective panels "discussing" the Weinstein saga, it's hard to tell conservative from liberal.

"Conservative" women now complain as bitterly as their liberal counterparts about "objectification."

However, the female form has always been revered; been the object of sexual longing, clothed and nude. The reason the female figure is so crudely objectified nowadays has a great deal to do with ... women themselves. By virtue of their conduct, women no longer inspire reverence as the fairer sex, and as epitomes of loveliness. For they are crasser, vainer, more eager to expose all voluntarily than any male. Except for Anthony Weiner, the name of an engorged organism indigenous to D.C., who was in the habit of exposing himself as often as the Kardashians do.

Comment: There are some really good points in this article about the role women play in their over-sexualization in society, but it does seem that she has swung a little too far the other way on the pendulum by calling all the women involved in the Weinstein scandal who were put through a terrible experience "hos". Are they naive and innocent? Most are not, and some, who knows how many, probably had no issue with giving Harvey what he wanted to further their careers. That was probably why he continued to behave as he did - it worked on some women (by all accounts, many women). Some of those young women new to the Hollywood world probably are "naive and innocent". They have not sold their body for fame and fortune yet, so we shouldn't shrug off Weinstein's behavior and essentially say all the women had it coming.

The author makes a fair point that the actions of women in today's society will prompt reactions from men that are to be expected. Creeps like Weinstein have always existed, and always will. In that sense, the feigned shock and outrage has been just a tad over-the-top. At the very least, post-Weinstein, those "naive, innocent young things" will have a better idea of what to watch out for in the industry. It may come down to a choice: your career or your dignity.

      Read More...
Megaphone

Former Weinstein assistant breaks NDA to speak up about sexual harassment and assault cover ups

Chris Gardner
Hollywood Reporter
Mon, 23 Oct 2017 18:19 UTC
weinstein
© Getty
Zelda Perkins, who worked as Weinstein's assistant in Miramax's London office, claims in a new interview with Financial Times that her boss sexually harassed her and assaulted her female colleague, leading them to a settlement and strict NDA.

Dozens of women have come forward in recent weeks with claims against Harvey Weinstein, accusing the veteran film mogul of sexual assault, harassment, misconduct and rape. Many of their stories carry the same details - from hotel rooms and manipulative behavior to intimidation tactics and aggressive cover-ups - while provoking the same questions: How much did his assistants know, how tightly wound were their non-disclosure agreements and where are they now?

Zelda Perkins, who worked for Weinstein during his tenure running Miramax Films, has just answered all three in a bombshell of an interview with Financial Times. In doing so, Perkins becomes the first former staffer to come forward and publicly denounce an NDA, shedding light on how Weinstein relied on a network of lawyers to help prevent staffers from speaking out about his alleged bad behavior. She also claims that there were clauses in her contract that could have led to Weinstein's dismissal nearly two decades ago.
      Read More...
Amazon Smile
Revolt! T-shirts