Society's ChildS


Attention

Protests erupt after Minneapolis officers who killed Thurman Blevins are not charged


RT
Tue, 31 Jul 2018 21:08 UTC
Thurman Blevins
© Minneapolis PD / YouTubePolice bodycam footage of the chase that resulted in the death of Thurman Blevins.
Activists are protesting the decision not to charge two Minneapolis, Minnesota police officers who shot and killed Thurman Blevins. Authorities said the African-American man was armed and dangerous, but protesters disagree.

Protests interrupted the press conference of Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman on Monday, before he could announce that he would not be charging Officers Ryan Kelly and Justin Schmidt.

"These cases tear apart our community. No one wins today: A young man is dead, our officers face increasing criticism and scrutiny, and the community is devastated," Freeman said.

Blevins's relatives insist he was not a threat to either the officers or the community.

"He didn't deserve to die," his cousin Sydnee Brown told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "He wasn't a threat when [the officers] approached him. They didn't view him as a human being."

Comment: See also: Police releases video of Thurman Blevins shooting in Minneapolis that sparked mass protests (warning: graphic)

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Brick Wall

Turkey moving away from US and towards BRICS


TomLuongo.me
Mon, 30 Jul 2018 12:00 UTC
putin erdogan
© Umit Bektas / Reuters
This year's BRICS Summit was a big show. No question. The main event was provided by Turkish President cum Dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan wants to a a "T" to the acronym, making them the BRICTS.

Erdogan also made it very clear Turkey's shift away from the West will proceed faster if the bullying and marginalization continue. For months now, Turkey has struggled with a crashing Lira and sovereign bond market.

The poster child for the unfolding sovereign debt crisis.

The Trump Administration knows that Turkey is slipping from its grasp. Do you ever wonder why certain countries' currencies get trashed when others with worse balance sheets or balance of trade don't?

You should. Because asking that simple question will lead you to asking "Why X? Why Now?"

Comment: The time has come for Turkey to pick a side and it seems fairly obvious with whom its future lies:

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TV

Propaganda alert! PBS series "Inside Putin's Russia" full of half-truths and outright falsehoods

Rick Sterling
Global Research
Tue, 31 Jul 2018 19:13 UTC
PBS News hour russia
© PBS NewsHour
The US government supported Public Broadcasting System (PBS) recently ran a five part series dubbed "Inside Putin's Russia". With a different theme each night, it purports to give a realistic look at Russia today. The image conveyed is of a Russia that is undemocratic with widespread state repression, violence and propaganda. Following are significant distortions and falsehoods in the five part documentary.

Episode 1: "How Putin Redefined what it means to be Russian"

In this episode, the documentary:
  • Claims that Russian identity is based on "projection of power". In reality, "projection of power" characterizes the US much more than Russia. For the past two centuries the United States has expanded across the continent and globe. The last century is documented in the book Overthrow: American's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. The US currently has nearly 800 foreign military bases in over 70 countries. In contrast, Russia has military bases in only two countries beyond the former Soviet Union: Syria and Vietnam.
  • Ignores crucial information about events in Ukraine. Russian involvement in eastern Ukraine and Crimea are presented as examples of "projection of power". However, basic facts are omitted from the documentary. There is no mention of the violent February 2014 coup in Kiev nor the involvement of neoconservatives such as Sen McCain and US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland. In a December 2013 speech, Nuland outlined her intense involvement in Ukraine including US "requirements" that Ukraine choose a "European future" since the US had "invested $5 billion to assist". Days before the coup in February 2014 Nuland was captured on audio planning the composition of the coup leadership.
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USA

Sacha Baron Cohen dupes Roy Moore in 'pedophile detector' prank


RT
Tue, 31 Jul 2018 19:06 UTC
Roy Moore and Cohen
© Jonathan Bachman/Reuters (L)/ Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters (R)Senate nominee Roy Moore and Cohen as his character Admiral General Aladeen
Hoping for an easy interview on Alabama's 'strong connection' with Israel, the Donald Trump-endorsed-but-failed Senate nominee Roy Moore was the latest dupee of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, falling foul of a 'pedophile detector.'

Former Alabama Chief Justice Moore was unwittingly filmed as part of Cohen's new show, 'Who is America?' Moore's 2017 bid for the Senate was hampered after a slew of sexual misconduct allegations were made against him, the youngest alleged victim being 14 at the time of the incident.

Moore, who has continued to be plagued by the allegations in the media, faced questions from his "Israeli interviewer" - none other than actor Sacha Baron Cohen, widely known for his characters 'Borat' and 'Ali G.'

Posing as "terror expert" Colonel Erran Morad, Cohen asked Moore why there was such a "strong connection" between Alabama and Israel. The right-wing politician responded by lauding the state's values of freedom and liberty.
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Arrow Up

Judges give go-ahead for Trump supporters to bring lawsuit against San Jose police

Morgan Gstalter
The Hill
Sun, 29 Jul 2018 06:48 UTC
Judge Gavel
© Getty Images
A group of California supporters of President Trump scored a victory on Friday when a panel of judges agreed to allow their lawsuit against the San Jose Police Department to proceed.

Three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Juan Hernandez has grounds for a lawsuit against the San Jose police following a 2016 rally, CBS San Francisco reported.

The suit was brought forth by 19 Trump supporters who claim that after they left a rally officers led them into the middle of a crowd of angry counterprotesters, The Associated Press reported.
"San Jose PD lead us right into the protesters," Hernandez told CBS San Francisco. "Someone needs to be held accountable for what happened. So it's awesome - a huge step - to know that they will be held accountable for the lack of planning and the stand-down order that they received."
Police reportedly stood by for 90 minutes before they intervened to break up the fights and make arrests.

The panel of judges agreed and rejected the city's motion to dismiss the case.

The judges wrote that the officers acted with "deliberate indifference to the danger" by "shepherding" the Trump supporters near the counterprotesters.

Comment: See also:
Protecting and serving: Police stand by and watch during Trump rally violence

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Attention

Tajikistan: Car-ramming incident that killed 4 foreign cyclists condemned as a terror attack


RT
Tue, 31 Jul 2018 18:56 UTC
car ramming
© Ozodivideo / YouTube
A terrorist attack is being considered as a possible motive behind the deadly ramming of foreign cyclists in Tajikistan, police have said. A gruesome video of Sunday's incident appears to confirm it was intentional.

"We are looking into all versions - accident, robbery... including a terrorist act," Tajik Interior Minister Ramazon Rakhimzoda said during a briefing on the investigation of the incident, in which two Americans, a Dutch man and a Swiss citizen were killed.

"Although the investigation into the incident is still going on, there is proof that it was a deliberate attack," the Information Officer at US Embassy in Dushanbe, Jeff Ridenour, told Asia-Plus.

"We condemn this severe act and we realize that the assailants do not represent the hospitable people of Tajikistan," Ridenour added.

A video from the scene of the ramming, a rural area 90 kilometers southeast of Dushanbe, released by Radio Liberty, showed a black sedan making a U-turn seemingly after already hitting a group of cyclists and running them over once again.

Comment: Tajikistan originally blamed the IRPT for the attack, though they offered no proof:
The Tajik government has accused the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) of being behind an attack that killed four foreign cyclists, prompting a swift denial from the group.

The IRPT leadership called the allegation "baseless and irrational" in a statement on July 31, and the Islamic State (IS) group stepped up its claim of responsibility by releasing a video of what it said were the attackers pledging allegiance to the extremist organization.

A Central Asia analyst said that the assault, which killed two Americans, a Dutchman, and a Swiss citizen, appeared to have been "the first attack by IS in Tajikistan."

The deadly attack on a group of foreign cyclists on a remote mountain road on July 29 drew attention to Tajikistan, the poorest of the five former Soviet republics in Central Asia.

The Interior Ministry said in a July 31 statement that the attackers were led by an "active member" of the IRPT, citing what it claimed was the confession of a detained suspect.

The ministry identified the alleged leader as Hussein Abdusamadov, 33, and said that he "underwent training in Iran." It said the attackers planned to flee to Afghanistan.

Tajik authorities offered no immediate proof of the claims, which appeared to contradict a claim of responsibility issued by IS a day earlier.


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Bad Guys

Spanish beachgoers stunned as migrant boat lands on shore

Alex Christoforou
The Duran
Tue, 31 Jul 2018 17:13 UTC
migrant boat Spain beach
Europe's migrant problems see no end in sight.

Ever since Italy turned away large vessels of migrants seeking entrance into the European Union, and Spain decided to take in the boats, more and more migrants are splashing onto Spanish beaches and scattering into EU towns and cities.

Dozens of videos are making the rounds on social media showing the moment migrants boats land on a packed beach in Cadiz, Spain, and sprint up the sand as stunned tourists look on.

The extraordinary scenes from these videos occurred on Saturday at a beach in Zahora in the province of Cadiz, near to the headland of Cape Trafalgar, Spain.

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Eye 2

People who habitually defend the powerful against the weak? Watch them with suspicion

Caitlin Johnstone
Medium
Sun, 29 Jul 2018 17:01 UTC
Ahed Tamimi
© Haim ShwarczenbergWho is David and who is Goliath? Ahed Tamimi faces down a soldier in Nabi Saleh.
Teenage Palestinian civil rights icon Ahed Tamimi has been released from an Israeli prison today. Viral images of Tamimi standing up to the Israeli armed forces who've brutalized her family have made her a powerful symbol of the greater Palestinian struggle for justice against a vastly more powerful oppressor.

The Palestinian issue is not complicated, and it is not difficult to see who is in the wrong in the debate about it. Anyone who says otherwise is advocating for the powerful against the disempowered.

In addition to being an extremely well-funded military and nuclear power whose immense network of allies includes the United States, which has the most deadly military force the world has ever seen, the Israeli government also enjoys support from virtually all mainstream political and media voices in the western world. And what do the Palestinians have? Kites. Kites and rocks.

Comment: Good advice, but it must be applied with discernment. The SJW types present themselves as defenders of the powerless, but that only masks their own will to power. Best to lend support to those whose goal is supporting individual freedoms and rights. Some really good advice on how to really change the world:



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Arrow Up

Russian authorities apologize to prison inmate beaten in captivity, arrest guards in question


RFE/RL
Tue, 31 Jul 2018 16:50 UTC
Yaroslavl prison
A video published by the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta last week showed Yevgeny Makarov being beaten by officers at another prison in the Yaroslavl region.
A group of inmates in a Russian prison where a convict who was severely beaten by guards at another penitentiary is now serving his term have started a hunger strike, local authorities say.

Also on July 31, a senior Russian prison official apologized to the man whose beating came to light after a video was posted on the Internet, saying he was "ashamed" of those who carried it out.

The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) said that the hunger-striking inmates in punitive confinement at Corrective Colony No. 8 in the Yaroslavl region, northeast of Moscow, were demanding better prison conditions.

Regional ombudsman Sergei Baburkin said he planned to visit the prison to assess the situation.

One of the inmates at the prison is Yevgeny Makarov, whom a video published by the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta last week showed being beaten by officers at another prison in the Yaroslavl region.

At least seven prison guards allegedly involved in the beating, which caused an outcry, have been detained and jailed or placed under house arrest.

Comment: Russia has been steeped in corruption for generations. Luckily that has steadily been changing over the past 20 years, thanks to having an actual statesman in power and not the thugs and crooks of the Soviet era and the 90s. The guards in question may not have been civilized, but Maksimenko's response shows what direction Russia is going: that of real civilization. American prisons are no better. They may even be worse: Stun-gun abuse in Ohio jails prompts call for inquiry from politicians

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Pistol

Innocent homeowner murdered by police after defending his family against an armed intruder

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Tue, 31 Jul 2018 00:00 UTC
homeowner killed by police
When an armed intruder broke into a family's home early Monday morning, and reportedly began harming a juvenile inside, the homeowner did what he was supposed to do. He armed himself, called 911, and defended his home-and he was successful. However, after he'd successfully fended off the home invader-by killing him-police then showed up and killed the innocent homeowner.

According to police, they received a call from the homeowner notifying them that a man had broken into the home. When officers arrived, the scene was chaotic, according to police.

"Officers arrived to a very chaotic and violent scene," Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz wrote in a news release issued Monday afternoon.

Police say they heard gunshots inside the home and when they ran inside, they found an armed man. The armed man was the homeowner and they killed him.

Comment: Police state Amerika: Call the cops at your peril

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