Man charged in shooting death of Rioter during protests over Ex-Cons Shot By Officers

Charlotte police announced the arrest of a suspect in Wednesday’s fatal shooting of a protester, a killing witnesses initially insisted was carried out by police.

Rayquan Borum, 21, was charged Friday morning in shooting death of Justin Carr, who died a day after being shot during protests in Trade Street, Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Chief Kerr Putney said.

Putney said surveillance footage supplied by buildings in the area helped identify the suspect. The shooting occurred Wednesday night, and Charlotte police initially said the man had died, although he survived on life support until Thursday. Witnesses gave conflicting accounts about who shot him, with some insisting they saw police gun him down with rubber bullets, while others said he was killed by a fellow protester.


“I am very pleased to see someone in custody”, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said Friday. I’m convinced… that no one in law enforcement was involved at all”

The incident came as police clashed with rioters on the second night of demonstrations in the wake of a police officer’s shooting of a black man. The night began with a prayer vigil but then erupted with violence and police firing tear gas at angry protesters. McCrory declared a state of emergency in the city.

“There are groups that are coming into our state that are here to cause anarchy” McCrory said. “We will not accept it. We will not tolerate it.”

Seven police officers required medical treatment after Wednesday night's rioting. Video posted online showed rioters kicking and beating a white man in a parking garage, and shouting racial epithets.

Carr, 26, was shot as police in riot gear massed to bar protesters from storming an upscale downtown hotel. The protesters had gathered after Tuesday’s shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott. Scott was shot by Police officer Brently Vinson after he disregarded repeated demands to drop his gun,
Related Image

rayquan-brown-mugshotExpand / Contract
Sept. 23, 2016: A mugshot of Rayquan Borum, arrested in the murder of 26-year-old Justin Carr. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office)
The shooting has exposed racial tensions, although Vinson is African-American.

Two police videos, one from dashboard camera and the other from an officer's body camera, show Scott's death. Police allowed Scott's family to view the videos Wednesday but have not released them publicly.

Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts said during a news conference Friday she believes the video of the shooting should be released publicly, but added that it's a matter of when.

Putney echoed her remarks, saying the video's release is "a matter of when, it's a matter of sequence."

Putney added that he cannot release more information about the shooting because his department is not leading the investigation, which is being conducted by the State Bureau of Investigation.

Protests Thursday night were mostly peaceful.

“Last night was what a lawful demonstration looks like,” Mayor Jennifer Roberts said Friday. "We are working to return to normalcy.”

Two major employers in downtown Charlotte -- Duke Energy and Wells Fargo -- had their employees back at work Friday, but Bank of America told its workers to stay home again.

Charlotte police also released details Friday on charges against five people in the protests earlier in the week.

Police spokeswoman Cindy Wallace said in a statement that 19-year-old Ian Bowzer is charged with kicking in doors of the Hyatt Hotel downtown Thursday. Bowzer was arrested and charged with injury to real property.

Forty-nine-year-old Daniel Baker is accused of breaking into a downtown restaurant. Baker was arrested and charged with breaking and entering and larceny after breaking and entering.

It wasn't known if the men have attorneys.

Officers have warrants for two other people in that restaurant break-in. They are also charged with breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering and conspiracy. Another man faces similar charges for a break-in at another downtown restaurant Tuesday.

Meanwhile, organizers are planning weekend protests in Atlanta as a response to the police shooting deaths of Terence Crutch in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Scott in Charlotte.

On Friday, the Georgia NAACP is holding a rally and sit-in. According to the Georgia NAACP Facebook page, the group will meet downtown and march at 7 p.m. to the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical site, before marching to an undisclosed location to rally and sit-in.

The "ATL Silent Protest" is planned for Saturday. Organizer Steven Chatman tells WXIA-TV that instead of chanting and yelling as they did at July protests, protesters will remain silent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ex-Cons Shot in N.Carolina and Tulsa Had Violent Arrest Records

Terence Crutcher was shot and killed on Sept. 16 in an officer-involved shooting in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since then, the media have tried to push a false narrative that Crutcher had his hands up when he was shot — but video evidence, as it often does in these cases, disproved the media’s theory.

There’s also more information that the mainstream media conveniently left out.

Crutcher had a hefty criminal record before he was shot. In fact, he had just been released in May after nine years in prison for drug trafficking, He also had a history of resisting arrest. Behold the rap sheet:

1996 Shooting with intent to kill — Dismissed
2001 Petit larceny — Conviction
2004 Driving while suspended — Conviction
2005 Driving while suspended, resisting officer — Conviction
2006 Driving while suspended — Conviction
Driving with open container — Dismissed
2006 Trafficking in illegal drugs — Conviction. (He was also charged in that incident with assault on a police officer and resisting, but that was dismissed.)
2011 Public intoxication (while in prison for drug trafficking) — Conviction
2012 Public intoxication — Conviction
Obstructing an officer — Conviction
2013 DUI — Conviction
Resisting officer — Conviction
Open Container — Conviction
Failure to wear seatbelt — Conviction
Speeding — Conviction

But even all of that was not all.


Take a look at the numerous open warrants for Crutcher. There were 30 warrants active at the time of his death.

They included things like DUI, resisting, drug trafficking and public intoxication.


The media are actively pushing the narrative that Crutcher had his hands up and that the police shot him anyway.

We’ve heard this lie peddled by the media before, in the Michael Brown case, and clearly the obtuse media didn’t learn a thing.
Now, you watch that video and listen to the commentary. Did it look to you like Crutcher was following commands? You can hear an officer say that Crutcher was “still walking” and that he wasn’t “following commands.” Another officer said that he “could be on something.”

As you can see, Crutcher was not shot with his hands up. He was clearly flouting officer orders, and at the time of his shooting he lowered his right hand toward his waistband.

Oh, and by the way, the media have run with the story that Crutcher was unarmed, but didn’t seem too interested in the PCP that was found in his car and that the Tulsa Police Department officer who shot Crutcher, Betty Shelby, was trained to spot PCP abuse, according to Bearing Arms.

In any of these cases, the legal system should be given time to do its job, but the media have decided to run false narratives that fit their agenda without all the facts and, in some cases, despite the facts.

As you can see above, there’s clearly more to the story.

Keith Scott is was also an Ex-Con with a violent criminal past.

Report: Charlotte’s Keith Scott Had History of Violence Including Arrest for Shooting At Police…

Posted on September 22, 2016 by sundance

According to a story in The Christian Times, who they claim verified with The Charlotte Observer, Keith Lamont Scott had a two decades long history of gun violence, including an arrest/conviction for shooting at police officers in Texas.   The New York Times has previously reported on his troubled past but not the 2005 shooting at police incident:

(Via NYT) […] According to court records, Mr. Scott was born in South Carolina, was about six feet tall and weighed 230 to 250 pounds. While living in South Carolina in the 1990s, he was charged with a number of offenses including check fraud, aggravated assault and carrying a concealed weapon. Later, he moved to Texas where he shot and wounded a man in San Antonio in 2002, for which he was convicted and sentenced, in 2005, to seven years in prison. He was released in 2011. (link)

The Charlotte Observer also reported on Scott’s extensive criminal career –SEE HERE– and we did independently identify a criminal record in Texas – SEE HERE – which aligns with all of these reports.

(Via Christian Times) Keith Scott had a long police record that included gun violations. Christian Times Newspaper has learned,and it has been confirmed by the Charlotte Observer, that Scott was convicted in April 2004 of a misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon charge in Mecklenburg County, and other charges were dismissed: including felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, assault on a female, and communicating threats.  Scott was also charged with assault with intent to kill in 1995.  

The most shocking find in Scott’s record, however, is what occurred in Bexar County, Texas in 2005.  In March of that year, Scott was sentenced to 15 months in state prison for evading arrest, and in July, he was consecutively sentenced to seven years on a conviction of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Sources are now coming forward and alleging that those two separate convictions are in fact related, and they both have to do with a confrontation between Scott and Bexar County Police in early 2005.

One source, who asked CTN to refrain from using her name to protect her identity, told reporters that Scott fired a handgun at San Antonio police officers when they attempted to detain him in February 2005 after noticing that he was driving erratically.  (Scott had a history of drunk driving, according to court records).

Allegedly, as the officers approached Scott’s black Ford sedan, he fired two rounds from the driver’s seat and then sped away.  Neither of the officers was hit, and they proceeded to give chase and detain Scott several blocks away.

While Scott did leave the gun in his passenger’s seat when he attempted to run on-foot, he did, according to our source, assault one officer by punching him in the face.

Scott was released from Texas state prison in 2011. In April 2015 in Gaston County Court, Scott was found guilty of driving while intoxicated.

In 1992, Scott was charged in Charleston County, S.C., with several different crimes on different dates, including carrying a concealed weapon (not a gun), simple assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He pleaded guilty to all charges.

Scott also was charged with aggravated assault in 1992 and assault with intent to kill in 1995. Both charges were reduced, but the disposition of the cases is unclear.

According to Bexar County, Texas, records, Scott was sentenced in March 2005 to 15 months in a state jail for evading arrest. In July of that year, records show, he was sentenced to seven years in prison on a conviction of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. A Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman said Scott completed his sentence and was released from prison in 2011.  (more)

An initial sentence of 15 months (March 2005) that gained an additional sentence of 7 more years (July 2005), that took until 2011 to complete, definitely aligns with a much more serious set of charges.

A long history of gun violence – HERE and HERE – including shooting at police?

If accurate, those reports when combined with the eye witness who took pictures of the handgun dropped by Keith Scott when shot by police officers (see above and below), the account of the Charlotte police department appears to be validated..

.

Idiocy Matters

A cop makes an error?
Put him in prison with armed robbers and child molesters and rapists.
Although most blacks are killed by black criminals, headlines of hundreds of blacks killed by other black people (yawn) just don't have the impact of a criminal being shot by a Police officer.
Why can't the police at least wait until a criminal puts the gun to an Officer's head before they over react?
When a Cop does make a mistake, that is, shoots an armed criminal, or a criminal that the Officer THINKS is armed, well, everyone knows the proper response, right? Set your neighbor's house on fire, burn your neighbor's car, burn down the places where your neighbors work, that will make things better, that 'll show them Cops!
In this video from Chris Rock he puts forth the ridiculous notion that obeying the law and following Police orders can prevent some violence between criminals and the Police.

I don't know about you, but I would feel a lot safer having people who scream "What do we want? Dead Pigs!" and "
Pigs in a blanket, Burn them up!" protecting my neighborhood than Cops, a tiny minority of whom (.001%) mistakenly shoot criminals that don't follow lawful commands and "appear" to present a threat to others.

Why Do Cowards Deny Israel's Right to Self Defense?

Respectable opinion knows which side wears the black hats in this conflict.
What is it about Israel that arouses so much anger? Is it because it’s a theocratic state, committed to destroying its neighbour, which uses civilians as human shields, tortures and kills its political opponents, persecutes homosexuals, and holds freedom of speech and the rule of law in contempt?

No, hang on, that’s Hamas. No matter how appallingly they treat their own people and how many innocents they blow up, shoot or kidnap, nothing can damage their image in the left's eye.
 Israel can’t even protect its own people without drawing criticism. Israel is like the older brother who is expected to know better. His younger siblings can run riot, because they’re held to different standards, but big bro should sit there quietly, no matter how many times he takes a kicking.

Not that the media does much reporting on the kicking Israel receives. It would much rather lament the significantly higher Palestinian losses, as if they automatically put Israel in the wrong and let Hamas off the hook for striking the first blow. Israel, it seems, should show restraint that no one would realistically expect of Hamas if it possessed the same military might. The relativists who see no moral difference between a liberal democracy and a terrorist regime have no problem expecting the two sides to behave differently.

One thing’s for sure, if it was just another flyblown Islamic hellhole, Israel would get a much easier ride on the world stage. More blood is typically shed each year in Somalia, Pakistan and Nigeria than in Gaza, but outrage at those horrors pales beside the indignation Israel’s actions provoke. Heads are buried, standards doubled and blind eyes turned to provide an excuse for bashing the country everybody loves to hate.

So is this just about anti-Semitism? It is certainly rife in the Arab world, and long-standing critics of Israel probably pick up a little Jew-hatred along the way. But I don’t think it’s at the heart of Western, liberal antipathy. If anti-Semitism were to blame, it would be directed at Israel wherever it was in the world. Yet it’s hard to imagine it having as much trouble with its neighbours, or attracting as much hatred, if it were a European state. The chances are it would be another Switzerland, and would arouse the same amount of ill-feeling.

The fact is that when it comes to Israel, nobody seems to be interested in the truth. No one cares that it gave up the lands it seized during the Yom Kippur War, in the hope of securing peace. Nor that it gifted the Palestinians 3,000 greenhouses, opened border crossings and encouraged trade. Nor that the Gazans responded by destroying the greenhouses and electing a government committed to eradicating the Jews, which has fired thousands of rockets into Israel, and digs tunnels under Israeli territory from which to launch surprise attacks.

No one cares that Israel gives Gazans advance warning of raids, while Hamas deliberately targets Israeli civilians. Nor that Hamas places its weapons in schools, mosques, hospitals and private homes, to maximise the chance of civilian casualties. Nor that Israel arrested those guilty of murdering a Palestinian youth, and offered reparations to the victim’s family, while Hamas did nothing to capture or punish the killers of three Israeli teenagers. Nor that no Israeli soldiers are actually based in Gaza, despite talk of an ‘occupying force’ by Hamas apologists

No one takes these facts into account because they are unhelpful to the narrative propagated by the pro-Palestinian Left – namely, that this is a battle between a strong, macho oppressor and a weak, downtrodden underdog, which leftists can feel virtuous about supporting.

Israel is a distillation of everything leftists hate about Western nations: capitalist, conservative and fiercely patriotic. It is a projection of their own prejudices about the supposed injustices of societies that cherish the ‘wrong’ values and the ‘wrong’ people. They don’t share the Palestinians’ spiritual beliefs, but they share a common enemy. Indeed, if Israel was removed from the equation, its critics would have little good to say about Gaza or Hamas. Theirs is a marriage of convenience.

The Left’s use of the Israeli-Arab situation as a platform for moral preening, and as a metaphor for its own hang-ups, blinds it to the evils of Hamas and the rest of the Muslim Brotherhood. It seems oblivious to the ideological conflict between Islamic fundamentalists and Western progressives, because it persists in regarding the former as pet victims of the latter. It may discover the hard way that it is giving comfort to an enemy that makes no distinction between liberal hand-wringers and any other infidels.                    

By Russell Taylor

The Left Hate Israel Because It Is Everything They Despise: Capitalist, Conservative and Patriotic

Pulse nightclub killer's mosque torched in possible revenge for Islamist killings

The Islamic Center of Fort Pierce is known as a rather typical mosque, stirring up Mohammedans and advocating Jihad against Jews and other 'infidels'.
Omar Mateen, the man who federal authorities say killed dozens of people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, went to the mosque. He was killed by police in a shootout after the mass shooting in June. A few weeks after the nightclub murders, a man was beaten outside the mosque, according to Sheriff Ken J. Mascara. Early on July 2, deputies were called by a man who said someone was trying to burglarize a vehicle. Arriving deputies found a man bleeding from the mouth who told them he was approached by someone who "asked him what he was doing and then punched him several times in the face and head."
 A man in a truck had stopped outside the mosque earlier that day and made comments, including, "you Muslims need to get back to your country."

Moner Mohammad Abu Salha, the traitor who was termed the American Taliban, who became a suicide bomber in Syria, also went to the mosque.
Michael F. Blackburn, Sr.



FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WPEC) -- An overnight fire heavily damaged the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, a mosque once-attended by the Pulse nightclub killer and another American terrorist.
Mosque officials have previously said the facility has received threats following the "Jihad" by the member of the Fort Pierce mosque who butchered dozens of unarmed civilians at the popular night club in Orlando.
Fire officials suspect the cause of the fire is arson. They believe one person is involved and expect to release video of the incident soon.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said it's too early to tell whether it's a case of arson, but authorities are expected to provide more information at around 6:30 a.m. (ET) Monday.
The first crews on scene reported seeing flames shooting through the roof of the mosque on Midway Road. Authorities said no injuries were reported.
Mosque leaders said the center was expecting over 100 people to attend a special event planned for this morning before the fire damaged the building. They said the planned to move the event to an outside location.
Leaders also told WPEC in June they had been receiving threats. Some threatened to burn it down. Security was stepped up back then.
Omar Mateen, the man who federal authorities say killed dozens of people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, went to the mosque. He was killed by police in a shootout after the mass shooting in June.
Moner Mohammad Abu Salha, the American Taliban who became a suicide bomber in Syria, also went to the mosque.
The FBI twice investigated Mateen for terrorist ties, including connections to Abu Salha. The FBI said it determined the connection between Mateen and Abu Salha to be "minimal" and not a "substantive relationship or threat at that time."
Mateen lived in Fort Pierce and once worked for a security firm in Palm Beach Gardens. Just last week, the state of Florida fined G4S Secure Solutions $151,400 for falsely listing psychological testing information on forms that allowed employees to carry guns, according to The Associated Press. One of the forms belonged to Mateen.
The center plans to move the festival to another location.
The arson is under investigation with help from the St. Lucie County Fire District, the Florida State Fire Marshal's Office, the BATF and the FBI.
Early Monday, Maj. David Thompson of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office declined to speculate on whether the Sunday anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks played a role in the fire.
Multiple agencies, including the State Fire Marshal's Office, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI, are investigating. Sheriff's officials said they will be releasing the video and asking for the public's help in identifying the person responsible for the fire.
It's not the first time the mosque has seen trouble since the Orlando attack.
A few weeks after the nightclub shooting, a man was beaten outside the mosque, according to Sheriff Ken J. Mascara. Early on July 2, deputies were called by a man who said someone was trying to burglarize a vehicle. Arriving deputies found a man bleeding from the mouth who told them he was approached by someone who "asked him what he was doing and then punched him several times in the face and head."
The man was stopped by deputies and arrested a short time later.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement that a man in a truck had stopped outside the mosque earlier that day and made slurs, including, "you Muslims need to get back to your country."
Mateen's father is among the roughly 100 members that attend the mosque.

by Gary Detman

Kate Upton Chastises Celebrities For Disrespecting Our Flag and Supporting Hate groups on 9/11

If you know anything about Islam, you knew it was just a matter of time before Kaepernick expressed his hatred of America. He has said that he believes that the U.S., which has a multitude of laws protecting minorities, a black President and thousands of black lawmakers across the country, oppresses Black people.
He has also said that he supports the hate group Black Lives Matter, a group which openly calls for the murder of Police Officers and white people, or as they put it "Crackers".  Kate Upton, the supermodel, has some choice  words for those who despise our country.











In my opinion, the national anthem is a symbolic song about our country. It represents honoring the many brave men and women who sacrifice and have sacrificed their lives each and every single day to protect our freedom. Sitting or kneeling down during the national anthem is a disgrace to those people who have served and currently serve our country. Sitting down during the national anthem on September 11th is even more horrific. Protest all you want and use social media all you want. However, during the nearly two minutes when that song is playing, I believe everyone should put their hands on their heart and be proud of our country for we are all truly blessed. Recent history has shown that it is a place where anyone no matter what race or gender has the potential to become President of the United States. We live in the most special place in the world and should be thankful. After the song is over, I would encourage everyone to please use the podium they have, stand up for their beliefs, and make America a better place. The rebuilding of battery park and the freedom tower demonstrates that amazing things can be done in this country when we work together towards a common goal. It is a shame how quickly we have forgotten this as a society. Today we are more divided then ever before. I could never imagine multiple people sitting down during the national anthem on the September 11th anniversary. The lessons of 911 should teach us that if we come together, the world can be a better and more peaceful place #neverforget.
A photo posted by Kate Upton (@kateupton) on Sep 11, 2016 at 4:12pm PD

Human Rights Watch: Governments of West Bank and Gaza Routinely Commit War Crimes

The Human Rights Watch organization recently condemned Hamas and Fatah for committing "serious violations of international humanitarian law, in some cases amounting to war crimes" in their Murder of Innocent Civilians.
It also took the Islamic Jihad and the Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades to task for an incident in which gunmen used a jeep bearing "TV" insignias to allow them to approach and attack an IDF post in southern Israel, calling it a "serious violation of the laws of war."
"In internal Palestinian fighting over the years, both Fatah and Hamas military forces have summarily executed captives, killed people not involved in hostilities, and engaged in gun battles with one another inside and near Palestinian hospitals," the organization said in a statement.
It cited a number of summary executions as particular examples of violations of the rules of warfare, including the case of Muhammad Swairki, 28, a cook for Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's presidential guard, who was thrown to his death, with his hands and legs tied, from a 15-story apartment building in Gaza City.
"These attacks by both Hamas and Fatah constitute brutal assaults on the most fundamental humanitarian principles," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch. "The murder of civilians not engaged in hostilities and the willful killing of captives are war crimes, pure and simple."
The group denounced the armed Palestinian groups for carrying their fight to a number of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, stating that international humanitarian law "provides special protection to medical personnel and hospitals. Military and civilian hospitals and medical units must be protected and respected in all circumstances."
Human Rights Watch also cited the attack on the IDF post in which gunmen had used a jeep with "TV" markings to disguise themselves as journalists. "Using a vehicle with press markings to carry out a military attack is a serious violation of the laws of war, and it also puts journalists at risk," Whitson said.
The organization added that "customary international humanitarian law provides that journalists not taking direct part in hostilities in armed conflict zones 'shall be considered as civilians."
"The deliberate abuse of this protected status in order to breach the confidence of an adversary in an attempt to kill, injure or capture them, would amount to an act of perfidy, a serious violation of .......
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/human-rights-watch-condemns-hamas-fatah-for-war-crimes-1.223006

I want to stop the pedophile, Donald Trump, who raped me when I was 13, from becoming president

By Emily Sugarman
@esugarman

I know four things for certain: Trump has a history of assaulting women; Epstein, Trump's close associate, is a known sex offender; a woman is accusing both men of sexually assaulting her as a minor; and hardly any media outlet is covering it.      

Trumps relationship with Epstein is no secret or conspiracy. And the fact Trump acknowledged Epstein liked young GIRLS means he at the VERY least turned a blind eye to a pedophile to protect a friend and or business interest.

In April 2016, a woman named Katie Johnson filed a lawsuit accusing Trump and financier Jeffrey Epstein of raping her in 1994, when she was 13 years old. She says she has been "subjected to daily painful reminders of the horrific acts". She says that Mr. Trump "initiated sexual contact" with her on four separate occasions in 1994. On the fourth alleged incident, she says Trump tied her to a bed and forcibly raped her, in a "savage sexual attack", while she pleaded with him to stop. She says Trump violently struck her in the face. She says that afterward, if she ever came forward, Trump threatened that she and her family would be "physically harmed if not killed". Another witness, going by the pseudonym "Tiffany Doe", said, "I personally witnessed four sexual encounters that the Plaintiff was forced to have with Mr. Trump during this period, including the fourth of these encounters where Mr. Trump forcibly raped her despite her pleas to stop". Tiffany Doe herself says that she is in mortal fear of Epstein and Trump to this day. She stated, "I am coming forward to swear to the truthfulness of the physical and sexual abuse that I personally witnessed of minor females at the hands of Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein . . . I swear to these facts under the penalty for perjury even though I fully understand that the life of myself and my family is now in grave danger".

 The original lawsuit was dismissed due to technical filing errors. Johnson later filed the lawsuit again in June 2016 under the pseudonym "Jane Doe".^{[4][5][8][10]}Judges Ronnie Abrams and James C. Francis IV will preside over the case against Trump and Epstein.^[126] 

Trump is also being sued for sexual assault by Jill Hart, who seems very credible in this Youtube video:

https://youtu.be/q82LZEF63uI

Watch this space, TO BE CONTINUED

What We Got Wrong

Hitler and the Leader of the Arabs (Mufti of Jerusalem) discussing murdering the Middle East's Jews.

“Terrorism, the Skorzeny Syndrome, is flourishing in the modern world, a reminder that Hitler and Nazism are still taking their toll more than three decades after the Third Reich collapsed.”
— Glenn B. Infield, biographer of Nazi commander Otto Skorzeny

On November 28, 1941, Adolf Hitler and Arab leader Mohammed Amin al-Husaini had a pivotal 90-minute meeting. New research has revealed that Hitler and the Mufti verbally cemented a pact to exterminate the Jewish population in Europe and in the Middle East.


Adolf Hitler and Mohammed Amin al-Husaini meet in Berlin, 1941
This critical meeting changed the course of history, and it likely represents the dawn of modern-day terrorism, according to the riveting book by Barry Rubin and Wolfgang Schwanitz Nazis, Islamists, and the Making of the Modern Middle East.

ISIS’s dream of a border-melting Islamic State echoes Hitler’s efforts to create a Third Reich in Europe. The escalating terror attacks in Orlando, Turkey, Dhaka, the Medina and Baghdad in response to ISIS’s recent loss of territory are reminiscent of terrorist tactics the Nazis resorted to as their dream was crushed near the end of World War II.

Shortly after al-Husaini and Hitler met, Hitler and his inner circle began to plan at the Wannsee Conference how they would carry out the genocide of Europe’s Jews. The alliance between al-Husaini and Hitler would eventually culminate in Nazi leaders relocating to the Middle East after World War II. There, they would spread their socialist and genocidal ideologies while training Arab jihadists in terrorist tactics.

The Nazi Origins Of Modern-Day Terrorism

During the final months of World War II, Hitler saw his dreams for a Third Reich crumble as Allied Forces turned the tides of war. Hitler became increasingly desperate for results and for propaganda wins to maintain morale. He sought counsel from Otto Skorzeny, the leader ofOperation Greif, which used German soldiers to infiltrate their opponents by adapting enemy languages, uniforms and customs. Skorzeny was the twisted genius who had dressed Nazi soldiers in American uniforms in an effort to spread rumors of Eisenhower’s assassination and demoralize the Allies. In 1943, Skorzeny led the rescue mission that freed Benito Mussolini from prison. In 1944, he organized a secret unit of German suicide bombers.

As the Nazi war effort failed, Hitler designated Skorzeny to create a new secret underground resistance movement—a terrorist unit calledWerwolf. The Werewolves’ sole purpose would be to attack the Allies after the war was over. They were to perform random acts of violence around Europe, sabotage rebuilding efforts, and destabilize governments in a guerrilla effort to build the Third Reich.

Many of the Werewolves were captured by the Allied Forces or abandoned their posts before unleashing much terror on Europe, but some fled to the Middle East.

Skorzeny Sets Up Shop In The Middle East

In Infield’s 1981 biography, Skorzeny: Hitler’s Commando, Infield describes how Skorzeny went to Egypt, where he recruited a staff of former SS officers to mask themselves as converted Muslims and train elite young Mujahideen and the Egyptian Army in terrorist tactics. Infield knew and interviewed Skorzeny, and uncovered a great deal of information relevant to the terrorism we are fighting today.

It was Skorzeny who trained Arab volunteers in guerrilla warfare tactics to use against the British troops stationed in the Suez Canal zone. Palestinian refugees also received commando training, and Skorzeny planned their initial strikes into Israel via the Gaza Strip in 1953-1954.

One of these young Palestinians was Yasser Arafat, who went on to become the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PLO was formed by Palestinian refugees seeking to claim land rights. It was their terrorist arm, Black September, that carried out the horrific kidnapping and murder of eleven Israeli athletes and coaches at the 1972 Olympics in Municg

In his biography, Infield writes of the relationship between Skorzeny and Arafat and how Skorzeny advised the PLO and al-Fatah, the PLO’s military wing, from his base in Cairo.

An equal opportunity terrorist and mercenary, Skorzeny was eventually recruited by the Israeli Mossad and is believed to have carried out hits for them on German targets.

Skorzeny Spreads His Guerrilla Warfare Tactics Across The World

While Nazis were training aspiring jihadists in the Middle East, their methods were also proliferating elsewhere around the world. In West Germany, the Baader-Meinhof Group used Skorzeny’s civilian kidnapping and political disruption tactics to disrupt the West German state.

Skorzeny lived in Ireland from 1959-1969 and is suspected of training IRA militants in guerilla warfare and domestic terrorism tactics involving explosives, kidnapping, and sabotage, according to Nazis, Islamists, and the Making of the Modern Middle East.

Further afield, Rubin and Schwanitz report, the Weather Underground and the Symbionese Liberation Army both read up on Skorzeny’s methods when they were building their own movements.

We Need A Better Dialogue

The Nazi link to Islamic extremism and terrorist tactics is clear.Nazis, Islamists, and the Making of the Modern Middle East also explores the Nazi political influence on radical Islamic political organisations, including the Muslim Brotherhood (founded in Egypt in 1928) and the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party of Syria founded in 1947. Former Nazis not only trained Islamic extremists in terror tactics, they also encouraged a nationalistic, socialist and genocidal political agenda in them.

I felt appalled as I read about this hidden history. Why isn’t the Nazi origin of modern-day terrorism discussed in the media? Why aren’t our leaders talking about this?

Terrorism has already taken many lives in the 21st century. We won’t be able to fight it effectively until we understand its root causes and origins.

By Steve Mariotti

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/what-we-got-wrong-about-n_b_10864118

Steve Mariotti
Founder of Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Author of An Entrepreneur’s Manifesto

Here's Why Facebook Removing That Vietnam War Photo Is So Important

The social network needs to admit its responsibilities as a media entity.
Facebook is more than just a site where people share photos of their children or pets. It has become a crucial way in which hundreds of millions of people get information about the world around them.

And the tension between those two things is becoming difficult to ignore.

In the latest controversy involving the giant social network’s news judgement, Facebook  FB -1.81%  removed an iconic photo from the Vietnam War: A picture of a young Kim Phuc running naked down a road after her village was hit by napalm.

When a Norwegian newspaper editor—who posted the photo as part of a series on war photography—tried to re-post it, along with a response from Phuc herself, his account was suspended.

The editor-in-chief of Aftenposten‎, Espen Egil Hansen, then wrote an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticizing him for doing so, entitled, “Dear Mark. I am writing this to inform you that I shall not comply with your requirement to remove this picture.”

“First you create rules that don’t distinguish between child pornography and famous war photographs. Then you practice these rules without allowing space for good judgement,” Hansen wrote. “Finally you even censor criticism against and a discussion about the decision – and you punish the person who dares to voice criticism."

After the open letter was published, a number of prominent Norwegians posted the Phuc photo in support of the newspaper, including the conservative prime minister of the country, Erna Solberg. Her post, which was also critical of Facebook’s decision, was deleted.

“I appreciate the work Facebook and other media do to stop content and pictures showing abuse and violence,” the prime minister wrote. “But Facebook is wrong when they censor such images.” Removing such photos, the Norwegian PM said, is a curb on freedom of expression and amounts to the social network “editing our common history.”

In his open letter, Hansen described Zuckerberg as “the world’s most powerful editor,” and that is exactly what Facebook has become.

The social network’s size and influence—particularly for younger users who increasingly get their news there—means it plays a huge role in determining what people see or read about the world around them.

In effect, it has taken over the role that newspaper editors used to play in deciding what photos to show and which headlines to include.

The problem is that Facebook isn’t driven by the kind of news judgement or journalistic principles by which most newspapers and other traditional media outlets are driven. So far, it refuses to admit that it has any such responsibilities.

Because it sees itself as mostly a place where people share photos with their friends, Facebook removes violent or disturbing images as part of its “community standards.” And what if those images are newsworthy? In most cases, the site’s desire to maintain a friendly and non-threatening atmosphere takes precedence.

In a response to a Norwegian news outlet, a Facebook spokesman said: “While we recognize that this photo is iconic, it’s difficult to create a distinction between allowing a photograph of a nude child in one instance and not others.”

Why the Napalm Girl issue is relevant today: Imagine it were a Syrian girl running from chlorine bombs in Aleppo.

This problem didn’t start with a Norwegian newspaper editor posting a Vietnam war photo. Facebook has been removing disturbing or violent images of the war in Syria and in Iraq for some time now, as well as imagery from Turkey and elsewhere.

Investigative journalist Eliot Higgins called out the social network in 2014 for removing crucial details about the Syrian government’s attacks on its own people, by deleting pages posted by rebel groups.

Facebook controls what users see in two fundamental ways: Its news-feed filtering algorithm decides how to rank various kinds of content to make the feed more appealing, and a team of human beings flags and/or removes posts when they appear to be offensive or disturbing.

Both of these methods can break down, or have adverse effects on how we see the world. For example, the algorithm can hide or down-rank important content because of a built-in bias, as some accused the network of doing after a black man was shot in Ferguson, Mo. in 2014 after attacking a police Officer.


The human approach can also be gamed if users repeatedly flag something they disagree with as offensive. Facebook also removes content when asked to do so by governments.

Of course, the social network is a corporation controlled by its shareholders (primarily Mark Zuckerberg), and therefore it isn’t subject to the free-speech dictates of the First Amendment. But it arguably plays a stronger role in information dissemination and consumption than any media outlet has in the history of modern media.

There’s an assumption when reading a newspaper that the editors in charge are interested in informing people about what’s happening in the world, even if that information is disturbing or offensive to some. But there’s no such assumption with Facebook because it denies that it is a media entity or that it has any duty to inform.

That position is becoming increasingly untenable, however, as the impact of its removal of certain kinds of content—or even the way it ranks information in its trending topics section, which has also been the source of controversy—continues to escalate.

Some have suggested that Facebook should have a “public editor,” the way media outlets such as the New York Times  NYT -2.73%  do, or an advisory board of journalists who can help it make such decisions. But that would require the company to admit that it has some responsibilities as a media company, and so far it seems reluctant to do so.

by  Mathew Ingram  @mathewi

The Surge Of Trump-Fueled Anti-Semitism Is Hitting Jewish Reporters Who Cover Him

Granted, the Republican nominee for president has long insisted that his is not himself anti-Semitic, and regularly points out that his daughter is a Jewish convert. Yet Trump has done little to quell a rising tide of anti-Semitism among his supporters since launching his campaign last year: Trump initially refused to disavow anti-Semitic Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, a Trump surrogate implied at a rally that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders should convert from Judaismand “meet Jesus,” prominent anti-Semites went on radio shows to encourage their supporters to “get out and vote” for Trump, and a man was filmed leaving a Trump rallyshouting in Cleveland shouting “Go to fucking Auschwitz.”

To make matters worse, anti-Semitic white supremacists recently announcedthat they view Trump’s relative silence on the issue “as an endorsement.”

This surge of anti-Semitism has been unsettling to many, but is hitting one group especially hard: Jewish political reporters who cover Trump, many of whom who say they are regularly subject to anti-Semitic harassment by his supporters online.

When Jewish journalist Julia Ioffe published a lengthy profile of Donald Trump’s wife Melania in April, for instance, her computer was reportedly flooded with an avalanche of angry, anti-Semitic tweets in response. Ioffe began retweeting the attacks to highlight their unsettling intensity, such as photoshopping a Jewish star used by the Nazi regime onto her clothing or digitally inserting her face into an image of a person detained the Auschwitz concen

When DuJour magazine asked Melania Trump about the incident weeks later, she condemned the tweets but turned the blame back on Ioffe, implying the attacks were her fault because she “provoked” the hateful commenters.

“I don’t control my fans,” she said, “but I don’t agree with what they’re doing. I understand what you mean, but there are people out there who maybe went too far. She provoked them.”

Donald Trump was also asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to comment about the situation but demurred, saying he didn’t know much about it before adding, “You’ll have to talk to them about it.”

Ioffe declined to be interviewed for this story, telling ThinkProgress via email that she thinks her work and the Trumps’ response “speak for themselves.”

A similar fate befell New York Times editor Jonathan Weisman earlier this month, who reportedly received a rash of anti-Semitic tweets simply forposting an opinion piece critical of Trump entitled “This is how fascism comes to America.” Weisman was promptly “outed” as Jewish by Twitter user “CyberTrump,” and others soon began tweeting anti-Jewish slurs and threatening retribution.    The online hate doesn’t appear beholden to any political ideology, targeting seemingly any prominent writer that blasts Trump — both liberal and conservative. In late April, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro recountedthe anti-Semitic backlash he received for criticizing Trump, saying, “I have never received the amount of anti-Semitic hate I currently do each day for the crime of criticizing The Great Trump.” Two weeks later, Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic received an email from someone saying that he will be “sent to a camp” if Trump wins the presidency.

As the number of incidents grew, so too did calls for the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) — which includes Trump backer Sheldon Adelson — to speak out. They finally released a statement on Tuesday condemning any and all attacks on Jewish reporters, but declined to hold Trump supporters uniquely accountable.

“We abhor any abuse of journalists, commentators and writers whether it be from Sanders, Clinton or Trump supporters,” the statement read. “There is no room for any of this in any campaign. Journalists, regardless of their race, religion or ethnicity should be free to do their jobs without suffering abuses, anti-Semitic or otherwise.”

As the Washington Post pointed out, the statement’s attempt to lump Sanders and Clinton supporters in with the wave of anti-Semitism rang hollow to many Jewish reporters, who argue the vitriol is emanating primarily from Trump fans. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which studies and tracks hate groups, acknowledged that anti-Semitism is especially common among Trump’s digital devotees.

ThinkProgress’ own reporting staff has also been impacted by the phenomenon. Kira Lerner and Alice Ollstein — both political reporters and both Jewish — say they have encountered anti-Semitic remarks online while covering Trump.

“I immediately blocked them,” Ollstein said. She pointed out that the attacks were unique to this election season, noting, “I’ve been reporting in Washington, DC for six years, and this is the only time it’s ever happened to me — either in person or online.”

The same is true for Bryce Covert, ThinkProgress’ economics editor. Covert says she received a deluge of anti-Semitic tweets in May after she published an op-ed in the New York Times decrying Trump’s policy agenda as disproportionately benefiting white men. The tweets personally attacked her for being Jewish and referenced her family — even though she never mentioned her Jewish heritage (she’s half-Jewish) in the story.

“The Trump supporters had to really dig deep to figure out that I’m Jewish,” Covert said. “They unearthed this tweet of mine from months ago referencing my Jewish grandma.”

“I haven’t gotten any anti-semitism in my mentions for writing about any other candidate,” she added.

One of the anti-Semitic tweets Covert received in response to her op-ed. CREDIT: Screenshot

One of the anti-Semitic tweets Covert received in response to her op-ed. CREDIT: Screenshot

Indeed, this ThinkProgress reporter — who is Presbyterian — also received anti-Semitic tweets simply for putting out a call for help with this story. One commenter appeared to deny the Holocaust and mock the Hebrew language, and another awarded the author with a “gold star” — meaning the yellow Star of David used by the Nazis to identify Jews.

The connection between Trump and internet-based anti-Semitism has gotten so bad that The Donald’s name and image are now brandished as an excuse to unleash insults whether or not he is being discussed. In mid-May, a Twitter account sporting an image of Trump attacked a Jewish reporter at the Charleston Post and Courier for commenting on shifting opinions regarding the Confederate flag, tweeting, “I guess daddy didn’t love her enough to get her a nosejob for her Bar Mitzvah.” The account’s bio notes that liberals should be sent “straight to the ovens.”The growing culture of hate shows few signs of slowing down, and reporters are increasingly concerned the vitriol won’t stop so long as Trump refuses to condemn the attacks — and stop attacking reporters himself.

“I’m not surprised that Trump supporters feel comfortable assaulting journalists on Twitter,” Lerner said. “Trump is leading by example.”

The Surge Of Trump-Fueled Anti-Semitism Is Hitting Jewish Reporters Who Cover Him

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop in Indianapolis. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/DARRON CUMMINGSDonald Trump has an anti-Semitism problem.

Granted, the newly minted Republican nominee for president has long insisted that his is not himself anti-Semitic, and regularly points out that his daughter is a Jewish convert. Yet Trump has done little to quell a rising tide of anti-Semitism among his supporters since launching his campaign last year: Trump initially refused to disavow anti-Semitic Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, a Trump surrogate implied at a rally that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders should convert from Judaism and “meet Jesus,” prominent anti-Semites went on radio shows to encourage their supporters to “get out and vote” for Trump, and a man was filmed leaving a Trump rallyshouting in Cleveland shouting “Go to fucking Auschwitz.”

To make matters worse, anti-Semitic white supremacists recently announcedthat they view Trump’s relative silence on the issue “as an endorsement.”

This surge of anti-Semitism has been unsettling to many, but is hitting one group especially hard: Jewish political reporters who cover Trump, many of whom who say they are regularly subject to anti-Semitic harassment by his supporters online.

When Jewish journalist Julia Ioffe published a lengthy profile of Donald Trump’s wife Melania in April, for instance, her computer was reportedly flooded with an avalanche of angry, anti-Semitic attacks.

 She also received death threats by phone and email, prompting Ioffe to solicit the help of the Anti-Defamation League and file a police report alleging that the hateful messages included a “threat to kidnap or injure a person.”

https://thinkprogress.org/media/a15bb888d08ecb37777d1bce18a4e5

Donald Trump has an anti-Semitism problem.

Granted, the Republican nominee for president has long insisted that his is not himself anti-Semitic, and regularly points out that his daughter is a Jewish convert. Yet Trump has done little to quell a rising tide of anti-Semitism among his supporters since launching his campaign last year: Trump initially refused to disavow anti-Semitic Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, a Trump surrogate implied at a rally that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders should convert from Judaismand “meet Jesus,” prominent anti-Semites went on radio shows to encourage their supporters to “get out and vote” for Trump, and a man was filmed leaving a Trump rallyshouting in Cleveland shouting “Go to fucking Auschwitz.”

To make matters worse, anti-Semitic white supremacists recently announcedthat they view Trump’s relative silence on the issue “as an endorsement.”

This surge of anti-Semitism has been unsettling to many, but is hitting one group especially hard: Jewish political reporters who cover Trump, many of whom who say they are regularly subject to anti-Semitic harassment by his supporters online.

When Jewish journalist Julia Ioffe published a lengthy profile of Donald Trump’s wife Melania in April, for instance, her computer was reportedly flooded with an avalanche of angry, anti-Semitic tweets in response. Ioffe began retweeting the attacks to highlight their unsettling intensity, such as photoshopping a Jewish star used by the Nazi regime onto her clothing or digitally inserting her face into an image of a person detained the Auschwitz concen

When DuJour magazine asked Melania Trump about the incident weeks later, she condemned the tweets but turned the blame back on Ioffe, implying the attacks were her fault because she “provoked” the hateful commenters.

“I don’t control my fans,” she said, “but I don’t agree with what they’re doing. I understand what you mean, but there are people out there who maybe went too far. She provoked them.”

Donald Trump was also asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to comment about the situation but demurred, saying he didn’t know much about it before adding, “You’ll have to talk to them about it.”

Ioffe declined to be interviewed for this story, telling ThinkProgress via email that she thinks her work and the Trumps’ response “speak for themselves.”

A similar fate befell New York Times editor Jonathan Weisman earlier this month, who reportedly received a rash of anti-Semitic tweets simply forposting an opinion piece critical of Trump entitled “This is how fascism comes to America.” Weisman was promptly “outed” as Jewish by Twitter user “CyberTrump,” and others soon began tweeting anti-Jewish slurs and threatening retribution.    The online hate doesn’t appear beholden to any political ideology, targeting seemingly any prominent writer that blasts Trump — both liberal and conservative. In late April, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro recountedthe anti-Semitic backlash he received for criticizing Trump, saying, “I have never received the amount of anti-Semitic hate I currently do each day for the crime of criticizing The Great Trump.” Two weeks later, Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic received an email from someone saying that he will be “sent to a camp” if Trump wins the presidency.

As the number of incidents grew, so too did calls for the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) — which includes Trump backer Sheldon Adelson — to speak out. They finally released a statement on Tuesday condemning any and all attacks on Jewish reporters, but declined to hold Trump supporters uniquely accountable.

“We abhor any abuse of journalists, commentators and writers whether it be from Sanders, Clinton or Trump supporters,” the statement read. “There is no room for any of this in any campaign. Journalists, regardless of their race, religion or ethnicity should be free to do their jobs without suffering abuses, anti-Semitic or otherwise.”

As the Washington Post pointed out, the statement’s attempt to lump Sanders and Clinton supporters in with the wave of anti-Semitism rang hollow to many Jewish reporters, who argue the vitriol is emanating primarily from Trump fans. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which studies and tracks hate groups, acknowledged that anti-Semitism is especially common among Trump’s digital devotees.

ThinkProgress’ own reporting staff has also been impacted by the phenomenon. Kira Lerner and Alice Ollstein — both political reporters and both Jewish — say they have encountered anti-Semitic remarks online while covering Trump.

“I immediately blocked them,” Ollstein said. She pointed out that the attacks were unique to this election season, noting, “I’ve been reporting in Washington, DC for six years, and this is the only time it’s ever happened to me — either in person or online.”

The same is true for Bryce Covert, ThinkProgress’ economics editor. Covert says she received a deluge of anti-Semitic tweets in May after she published an op-ed in the New York Times decrying Trump’s policy agenda as disproportionately benefiting white men. The tweets personally attacked her for being Jewish and referenced her family — even though she never mentioned her Jewish heritage (she’s half-Jewish) in the story.

“The Trump supporters had to really dig deep to figure out that I’m Jewish,” Covert said. “They unearthed this tweet of mine from months ago referencing my Jewish grandma.”

“I haven’t gotten any anti-semitism in my mentions for writing about any other candidate,” she added.

One of the anti-Semitic tweets Covert received in response to her op-ed. CREDIT: Screenshot

One of the anti-Semitic tweets Covert received in response to her op-ed. CREDIT: Screenshot

Indeed, this ThinkProgress reporter — who is Presbyterian — also received anti-Semitic tweets simply for putting out a call for help with this story. One commenter appeared to deny the Holocaust and mock the Hebrew language, and another awarded the author with a “gold star” — meaning the yellow Star of David used by the Nazis to identify Jews.

The connection between Trump and internet-based anti-Semitism has gotten so bad that The Donald’s name and image are now brandished as an excuse to unleash insults whether or not he is being discussed. In mid-May, a Twitter account sporting an image of Trump attacked a Jewish reporter at the Charleston Post and Courier for commenting on shifting opinions regarding the Confederate flag, tweeting, “I guess daddy didn’t love her enough to get her a nosejob for her Bar Mitzvah.” The account’s bio notes that liberals should be sent “straight to the ovens.”The growing culture of hate shows few signs of slowing down, and reporters are increasingly concerned the vitriol won’t stop so long as Trump refuses to condemn the attacks — and stop attacking reporters himself.

“I’m not surprised that Trump supporters feel comfortable assaulting journalists on Twitter,” Lerner said. “Trump is leading by example.”

 T