Newsletter Text V805

Liberty In Peril

... Formerly

The Llano Ledger

Newsletter Text V805 ©2023 All Rights Reserved
January 6, 2023

Scroll Down About A Quarter Of The Way For The Latest Material:

Publisher's Note: This publication receives no financial support through advertising. Although shaken down, looted, and abused by corrupt government, area businesses remain unwilling to stand up. Locals are too gutless to donate financially, cowardly fearing retribution. For this publication to survive, national readers need to contribute. Liberty In Peril is, has been, and will always remain beholden to NO ONE. -- Precisely why there is no financial assistance. ... From day of launch and certainly a no-brainer to this very day, firmly resolved to walk away first rather than compromise principle. -- To the chagrin of many and delight of few. T.C. (5-7-13).

For new readers: Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

No matter what, no matter where, this publication will remain up and running. For it to remain centered here, however, financial and/or material support must be provided. Status quo, unsustainable. Time to step up. Now.

5-25-18

... Hey, Sheriff? Is it true Llano County Attorney Becky Lange has advised you to stay out of the "Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764" fiasco? That right, Bill? Isn't that obstruction of justice? Also true your deputies have advised the Bolens to accept the status quo and not force the no-trespassing issue with Greene? If so, isn't that also obstruction and official oppression? When will you do your job, Bill? As an elected official, you answer to the public, forget? -- No honor? ... No honor at all? If the foregoing allegations are indeed true, didn't you swear an oath to uphold the law and Constitution? Why aren't you doing so? No guts?

Your deputy has been accused of abusing authority. What action have you taken other than ignore the complaint? Why aren't both Rodriguez and the County Attorney under criminal investigation? The County Attorney appears to be obstructing justice, accepting the word of Greene in lieu of two surveyor companies who strongly assert otherwise. Both the County Attorney and District Attorney have ignored complaints. Par for the course in Llano County, isn't it? Failed to do their jobs. No surprise there, right, Bill? Both receiving 'special consideration' up to and/or including a bribe from Greene? Regardless, clearly, no justice in Nazi Llano County. Bottom line? Desperate need for an outside criminal investigation. Conveniently, forget? This County is ruled by men, certainly not rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Precisely, why there is desperate need for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, and prosecute criminal law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose only mandate would be to adjudicate such cases. Total independence. Until that happens, the criminal bastards who falsely believe they run and own this hell hole County will continue to do as they please.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril

Some salient quotes occurring later on in this edition vis a vis unfinished business County officials continue to ignore:

... "No justice. Precisely, why there is desperate need for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, and prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court that would adjudicate only these cases. Total independence. The only way to rein in these criminals, particularly the murderers in blue.

Sadly, the achingly clueless bastards in law enforcement don't need a legitimate reason to kill. Enjoy carte blanche to murder on the job. Nearly always, with impunity. ... Right, Sheriff? Sue the living shit out of the jackbooted motherf--kers, the department, and the city. Any officer engaged in, or threatening this kind of unnecessary violence needs to be criminally prosecuted. Not protected and coddled. Not put on paid leave, -- no more than a paid vacation. Not sent home without pay to catch up on his beauty sleep.

Firing is egregiously insufficient. How can the law enforcement community be trusted? No foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than the criminal jackbooted bastards in law enforcement. ... Right, Sheriff? Madam County Attorney? "Sonny Boy?"

These are extremely dangerous times for our formerly great country. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming. -- As our legislators and other government officials figuratively 'fiddle while Rome burns.'

Not good enough. Nowhere near. Short of an unwanted dreaded second American revolution, only one way for these atrocities to end. Again, time for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose sole function would be to adjudicate such cases. Total independence.

Local and state authorities are egregiously incapable of handling these cases. Tend to protect their own. ... Right, Sheriff? Goes with the territory, doesn't it, Bill? Precisely, why there is no faith or trust in your criminal jackbooted bastards. Local authorities here in Nazi Llano County have their heads figuratively, securely lodged so far up their clueless ass their eyeballs are turning inside out. Protect and coddle your clueless, out of control officers. Imagine that.

Unadulterated, blatant ongoing horse shit. ... Right, Bill? F--k these jackbooted bastards. Aren't worth a crap. Continually abrogate their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution. ... Right, Sheriff? Includes not only deputies, but the brass as well. No principles. No honor. Lying, conniving, abusive, murderous jackbooted thieving thugs. The American Civil Liberties Union needs to step up and represent the victims of abusive law enforcement.

To say nothing of innocent civilians all across our formerly great country who are victimized by abusive police. Need far better representation than a public defender. Forget? It's how the bastards in government line government coffers. All too often, looting the innocent. Those on the bottom of the food chain. ... Right, Sheriff?

No justice. The American Way. Nazi America. When is this shit finally going to end? All of it. Wake up, Sheriff. Again, where is dashcam video of the killing of Jeffrey Gray Wise, 52, of Austin by DPS and the Llano County Sheriff's Office? Three hundred fifty weeks, now. A goddamned disgrace.

Why are you still sitting on this information? What are you hiding, Sheriff? What is the identity of the officers who killed Wise? Too gutless to release this information to the public that pays your salary and that of your goons? Reportedly, there were three officers involved in the shooting. Who the hell are they?

When will the goddamned 'law' 'enforcement' community finally stop making excuses for engaging in outrageous criminal activity including blatant murder, violent assault, sexual assault, theft, drug trafficking, etc.? List can go on and on. Protecting its own no matter what it does or doesn't do? Convenient, isn't it, Sheriff? Again, no foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than all branches and levels of government, -- including law enforcement.

Corruption within law enforcement remains an existential threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. So what else is new? ... Right, Bill? Same old duplicitous, aggressively stupid shit occurs right here in Nazi Llano County. ... Doesn't it, Sheriff?

Think it'll change any time soon? Don't hold your breath, readers. Not how things work in Nazi America, right, Sheriff? Highly reminiscent of how your goons operate though, isn't it, Bill? Forget? 'Stupid is as stupid does.' F--ked up is f--ked up no matter where, no matter how. Problem throughout all law enforcement.

Including right here in Nazi Llano County, right, Sheriff? Too many officers clearly have their heads securely lodged where the sun seldom shines. Egregious insanity continues to be perpetrated by the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. Ongoing issue. All over our formerly great country.

Not just in Dallas as in the Guyger case, but all over the nation. No end to it. Surprised? Why? In today's increasingly national socialist climate anything goes, right, Bill? Live in a de facto fascist police-state, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. Certainly, a problem here in Nazi Llano County, isn't it, Sheriff? Your goons, however, aren't held accountable when they egregiously f--k up. Ever.

Precisely why you refuse to release information on your deputies to the long-suffering public? That is, employment history, criminal background, results of drug testing, etc.. ... Got to protect your criminal jackbooted thugs preying on the citizenry with virtual impunity, right, sir?

Equally pointedly, why hasn't Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 been held criminally accountable for egregious abuse of power involving denial of property rights to a Kingsland property owner? To say nothing of consequent resultant physical damage done to a motor home on that property. Why are you protecting this clueless son of a bitch, Sheriff?

Why hasn't he been prosecuted for official oppression? Where is financial compensation for the damage this jackbooted piece of human excrement is responsible for? Ferociously pointedly, why are the District Attorney and the County Attorney continuing to protect this jackbooted piece of shit? He and others like him present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.

Equally to the point, why are your jackbooted pieces of human excrement refusing to enforce Berardi's property rights? Your goons have failed to take action against Theresa Ahrens when she tore down a no trespassing sign and barrier on Berardi's property. Have you, your goons, and/or Madam County Attorney been bribed by Johnny Greene?

Ahrens frequently drives all the way through Berardi's property. Coup de grace? When Berardi complained to Llano County Deputy Idle about the trespassing, the officer's response was insane. Said the Sheriff told him to tell Berardi since Ahrens believes she owns his property she can't be charged with trespassing. Perfect Catch-22, right, Sheriff? You're not fit for office, Bill. Bribed by Johnny Greene?

Why is Theresa Ahrens allowed by your goons to dictate what vehicles can and cannot be parked on Berardi's property? Ahrens claims she has proof the property belongs to her where the vehicle was parked. Has failed to produce it. Surveyors say otherwise. Back up Berardi. Yet, your jackbooted bastards refuse to enforce Berardi's property rights. Why? Somebody lining somebody's pockets, Sheriff?

Ms. Ahrens micro-mini portable 'house' is parked on an unused unmarked Llano County road. Imagine that. Madam County Attorney well-aware. Has done nothing. Shit squat. Egregiously ignored her oath of office. Someone bribing you, Becky? Lining your pockets, Counselor? Paying you not to sell the unused unmarked County road to Berardi? Doesn't the County want and need the sale money, to say nothing of the resultant tax income?

No question, County and State agencies remain determinedly, concertedly, achingly incapable of criminal investigation of their own. Precisely, why a new federal agency desperately needs to be created whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose sole function would be to adjudicate only such cases. Total independence. Certainly, go a long, long way to cleaning up this cess pool County. Rein in the outrageously corrupt, abusive, achingly inept, self-serving assholes who run and own this hell hole.

Sheriff, you falsely claim the Kingsland County Commissioner has the authority to resolve this ongoing property rights issue. Clearly, doesn't. You, Madam County Attorney, and "Sonny Boy" are certainly an egregious impediment, continue to determinedly stonewall. Someone's pockets are being lined. Again, where's financial compensation for the damage Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 is directly responsible for to the Pace Arrow? Why hasn't he been prosecuted for this damage, to say nothing of infringement of Berardi's property rights? -- Just getting started, Sheriff. Far more to come.

-- You're not doing your jobs, Sheriff. You've got a loose vicious dog problem in Kingsland, Bill. When will you and the troops finally do something about this ongoing issue? Certainly, a recurring problem on Skyline, particularly on occasion at the intersection of Odessa. Pedestrians, runners, and cyclists are at risk. Too busy lining County coffers with bogus tickets?"

... Hey, Sheriff? Reportedly, promote Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 to Sergeant? If true, yet another classic example of survival of the unfittest in the law enforcement community. Readers are reminded this is the very same idiot, clueless asshole responsible for thousands of dollars of damage to the Pace Arrow as reported in each edition of this publication. Far more to Kingsland property owner James Berardi in a property dispute. -- A dispute engineered by Johnny Greene, apparently financed by a bribe to the former County Attorney, current District Attorney, and Sheriff. A federal investigation of Llano County government and the aforementioned allegedly corrupt and abusive bastards in this ongoing fiasco is desperately needed. Tim Chorney.

... Small sampling of what's to come in this edition. Read on.

The following email was sent to the District Attorney:

Wiley B. "Sonny" McAfee
District Attorney
33rd and 424th Judicial Districts
Llano, TX 78643

March 9, 2018

Re: Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764

Counselor:

The enclosed emails were sent to the Llano County Attorney and Sheriff, respectively, vis a vis the above matter. Remain unanswered. The County Attorney appears to be protecting and defending the deputy at behest of Kingsland property owner Johnny Greene. May have received some consideration from Greene up to and including a bribe. Are the County Attorney, Greene, and the Deputy under criminal investigation? If not, why not?

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

c. Liberty In Peril

*********************************

Rebecca Lange, Llano County Attorney
Llano County Attorney's Office
Llano, Texas 78643

February 9, 2018

Re: Berardi Property Rights Denial-Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764

Counselor:

As you're well aware, we have an outrageously corrupt, abusive, achingly inept Llano County Sheriff's Office here in Nazi Llano County. Worse, you and your office aid and abet these SS jackbooted bastards in black. The issue at the moment is the same it's been the last six months.

How is it two surveyor companies, the Appraisal District, the Tax Office, the Precinct 3 Commissioner, even the goddamned Sheriff himself now states Kingsland resident James Berardi owns the lots in contention all these months?

Yet, you ludicrously assert that's not the County's legal position. It's not? Why not? You claim you're not a real estate expert. Rather than accept the advice of two surveyor companies, the Precinct 3 Commissioner, the Appraisal District, the Tax Office, and even the Sheriff himself, you've inexplicably chosen to follow the advice of property owner Johnny Greene, -- who conveniently happens to be reportedly in the oil industry.

Question to be asked. Could you have received any 'consideration' in return, -- up to and including a bribe? Only way to know for sure is for the District Attorney to conduct a criminal investigation. Apparently, there has been none. If not, why not?

Equally pointedly, why hasn't Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 been held criminally accountable for egregious abuse of power involving denial of property rights to this Kingsland property owner? To say nothing of consequent resultant physical damage done to a motor home on that property.

Our achingly useless, worthless, gutless Sheriff has ignored an email vis a vis the damage this jackbooted thug is responsible for. Interestingly, his fellow officers believe him to be an idiot. Yet, the Sheriff continued to defend this piece of human excrement until he realized this entire fiasco would not be swept under the carpet.

Rodriguez is indeed an idiot. Would you believe this piece of crap ordered the motor home to be moved on to an unmarked unused Llano County road? That motor home has indeed been moved back to where it was parked before Rodriguez forced it to be moved. Why hasn't the County paid for the cost of moving it back? To say nothing of the damage.

Equally pointedly, why is it the County has allowed Theresa Ahrens to park and live in her tiny cottage on that very same road? Why hasn't she been evicted by the County? Why was she assessed taxes on an adjacent improvement she doesn't own?

Why is it, Counselor, Johnny Greene is paying for the attorney retained by Ms. Ahrens? Is Greene attempting to make this all go away by bribery? Greene has also informed Berardi he is going to sue. For what? Has Greene lost his mind?

What about Wells who installed a $4500 septic system on a lot turns out he does not own as a result of Greene, an outrageously inept County, to say nothing of the Llano County Attorney who remains equally determinedly clueless?

How about Bolen who hasn't a pot to piss in, but was nonetheless f--ked over by Greene to say nothing of an egregiously inept County, to say nothing of you and your goddamned equally incompetent office?

None of this is going away, Counselor, -- any time soon. Will not be swept under the carpet as all the other crap going on in this hell hole County. Not a chance. Expect a full expose in this publication whether or not this outrageous fiasco finally gets resolved. Including full public exposure of both the Sheriff and his jackbooted thug.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

c. Liberty In Peril

*******************

Bill Blackburn, Sheriff
Llano County Sheriff's Office
2001 N. State Hwy. 16 Suite A
Llano, Texas 78643

August 23, 2017

Re: Damage To Pace Arrow-Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764

Sheriff:

Archive and retain all reports vis a vis damage to the Pace Arrow resulting from egregious abuse of authority perpetrated by Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764, on the Berardi property in Kingsland on 8-16-17.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
www.libertyinperil.com
P.O. Box 151
Buchanan Dam, Texas 78609

c. Liberty In Peril

Wake up, Sheriff. Again, where is dashcam video of the killing of Jeffrey Gray Wise, 52, of Austin by DPS and the Llano County Sheriff's Office? Three hundred fifty weeks, now. A goddamned disgrace. Why are you still sitting on this information? What are you hiding, Sheriff? What is the identity of the officers who killed Wise? Too gutless to release this information to the public that pays your salary and that of your goons? Reportedly, there were three officers involved in the shooting.

Who are they, Sheriff? Their past history? An ongoing investigation remains a lame bullshit excuse. How can you and your goons be trusted when you refuse to disclose information? Three hundred fifty weeks. Especially, your egregious failure to disclose the identity of the officers who pulled the trigger. To cover your sorry ass, Sheriff? Those of your thugs? The people have a right to know what happened, how it went down. You don't understand that, Sheriff? Sadly, clearly, you answer to no one. Including taxpayers. Especially, taxpayers.

Until you and your goons come clean, doubt will remain this was indeed a good shoot. The longer you drag your feet, the greater the doubt. Think not? Wake up. Your credibility has tanked. Isn't getting any better as this bullshit continues unabated. Three hundred fifty weeks. Still no identification of the officers involved ... Can't get your stories straight? In line? Discrepancy between LCSO and DPS? Wake up, Sheriff. The public no longer buys the bullshit. No longer trusts you. On this and many, many other issues. You have no credibility. Absolutely, none.

Readers, this is but one of about four other highly questionable killings by law enforcement in Llano County in the last decade or so. There was one within the City of Llano, another in a field near Fuzzy's Corner, Buchanan Dam, yet another in Point Tella, Buchanan Dam, still another in Tow. If there are any others I may have neglected to mention, kindly email.

It's time the public be fully informed. -- Know what we're dealing with here and how 'law' 'enforcement' operates in this hell hole County. If these jackbooted bastards are not reined in, the life lost could be many others courtesy of a law enforcement system that is no longer accountable to anyone. ... Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

The Sheriff seems to have no clue the people who pay him and his goons are entitled to know whom is killing whom and why. This shit always seems to be swept under the carpet. Ignored. The attitude of these jackbooted sons of bitches is trust us. They can't be. They've lied too many times. Refuse to be accountable to anyone. We live in a goddamned fascist police-state where law enforcement does as it pleases. Usually, with impunity. This has to change.

The Texas Rangers have become rubber stamp to atrocities committed by law enforcement. This also has to change. No one is holding law enforcement accountable any longer. No one. No one in state or federal government. This is precisely why Ferguson triggered such an uproar. There was no justice there. None here. None anywhere. Officers are abusive, corrupt, inept.

Falsely ticket and arrest the innocent to line County coffers. Court fees charged continue to be horrendous. -- Aren't taxpayers already looted to pay these costs? Aren't you not only double f--king those falsely accused, but taxpayers also hellaciously looted to pay the very same costs? Yet, the criminal bastards in power in Llano continue to pile on the fees. This is nothing more than goddamned bullshit. This money finds its way into the pockets of the corrupt, abusive bastards who falsely believe they run and own this hell hole.

Would you believe the last time the Sheriff's Office happened to be 'audited' during the Garrett regime, reportedly, auditors couldn't figure out what went where and why? Yet, surprise, surprise. Nothing was done. There has to be transparency. There is none. Why would these thieving bastards want any? ... Right, Sheriff? TL? How else could they so easily steal and loot with virtual impunity? Worse, this reinforces jackbooted power in this goddamned, godforsaken hell hole County.

The public has a right to know the histories of the Sheriff's goons. Clearly, the Sheriff doesn't think so. That is, where they came from. Why they left where they were. What is happening here is the Sheriff is using 'personnel matters' as a convenient excuse to deny the public access to the history of outrageously corrupt, abusive, inept officers who are no more than criminals themselves.

He's protecting his outrageously corrupt, abusive, inept jackbooted bastards. Worse, the standards imposed by sheriff's offices statewide with the exception of metropolitan counties are well below those of DPS and city police departments. Why? So the corruption, abuse, ineptness, and outright stealing can continue unabated? This has to change. ... Can't have that, can we? Sheriff? TL?

The public should understand Llano County authorities have it all sewn up. Did you know the Texas Attorney General does not have the authority to investigate and prosecute County authorities on his own? The District Attorney has to call for an investigation by the Texas Rangers. Then, the State can prosecute if it so chooses.

Consequently? Guess what? Nothing will happen. Nothing ever does. The goddamned corruption continues unabated until you, the public, pressure authorities. Precisely, why we all enjoy the 'best' government money can buy. Literally. Without question, the corrupt, abusive, inept sons of bitches are all bought and paid for. Firmly clamped to the taxpayer tit. Dependent on money looted from innocent citizens caught in their web. Phony fines and court costs cleverly designed to f--k the innocent and enrich the pieces of shit who falsely believe they run and own Llano County. Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

Interestingly, the former Sheriff and District Attorney were reportedly forced to retire after an outrageous scandal involving a drunk driving police officer from out of town. Including special treatment of the drunken son of a bitch that no other citizen caught doing the same would have been afforded. An honest, honorable Llano County Deputy suffered the consequences. Forget? Great officers do not last in this hell hole County. ... Right, Sheriff? TL? "Sonny Boy?" Madam County Attorney?

With all ongoing abuse in this goddamned County, one thing remains for damned sure. We're just getting started, Sheriff. You will continue to be exposed for whom and what you and your corrupt, abusive, inept jackbooted bastards have become, truly are, not what you phonies purport to be, that is, how you continue to f--k over a public you've falsely sworn to protect and defend. -- Exposure, the only way short of an unwanted dreaded revolution to force desperately needed change in a goddamned fascist police-state. The Fourth Reich.

Have your jackbooted thugs been tested for steroids, Sheriff? If you've nothing to hide, Bill, release the results of all drug testing. 'Personnel matters?' Bullshit. Looted taxpayers have the right to know. They're footing the bill for all this goddamned corruption, abuse, ineptness. When will you and the boys end the shakedowns? Looting of the innocent to line County coffers? No honor at all?

Where are your swastika armbands, you fascist son of a bitch? You and your thugs remain out of uniform. Once again, Sheriff, and ad nauseum, did you and/or your goons pressure Schilling to exit the race? Did you steal the election? If so, an aggressively stupid, achingly gutless public gets what it truly deserves. One of the most corrupt, abusive, inept 'law' 'enforcement' agencies in our formerly great country.

While the business and church communities stood tall during the recent Kingsland flood catastrophe, there was one glaring exception. On 10-17-18, the Antlers Coffee Shop closed due to storm-related failure of the Kingsland water system. Patrons, however, are routinely allowed to get online outside even when the shop is closed.

A long-term coffee shop customer entered the hotel lobby to ask the desk clerk whether wifi was still up and running after the catastrophe. She said it was and told the patron he could get online inside the closed shop. She then asked him to have another regular customer who had just arrived outside to come in and get out of the cold as well.

Antlers co-proprietor Rick apparently quickly got wind of both customers, made quite a jackass of himself emulating the petulant narcissist currently occupying the Oval Office. Aggressive stupidity at a time the Kingsland business community is indeed suffering, can least afford it. Further proof positive of the old adage 'can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.'

Why would, why should both customers put up with this? Think this hasn't happened to others?

TC 10-19-18

8-30-19

Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.

Llano County DA "Sonny Boy" is in the news. Received an award. The DailyTrib reports:

"The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission recognized District Attorney Wiley “Sonny” McAfee on August 22 for his efforts in prosecuting natural and cultural resource violations as well as environmental crimes. The commission named the 33rd and 424th district attorney the 2019 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Prosecutor of the Year. McAfee serves Burnet, Llano, Blanco, and San Saba counties. Elected in November 2012 and taking office on January 1, 2013, he has been instrumental in a number of high-profile cases involving Texas game wardens and Texas State Park police officers."

The District Attorney has ignored a complaint filed earlier by this publication regarding special treatment accorded Texas oil man Johnny Greene by the Llano County Attorney and Sheriff vis a vis a property dispute involving a local banker, three other local property owners with homes encroaching on land they don't own, one of which is on an unused Llano County road. To say nothing of damage to a Pace Arrow motorhome on that property. All a result of egregious abuse of authority by Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764. The circumstances of this fiasco can be found above in each and every edition of this publication since this happened two and a half years ago. The Sheriff, the County Attorney, and the District Attorney have all determinedly, concertedly ignored this ongoing, unresolved fiasco raising one ferociously pointed question. How much were they bribed?

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.

Newsletter Text 805
January 6, 2023

Happy New Year!

Uncommon Valor. During a deadly storm. CBS News reports:

"As the Buffalo area continues to dig out from a "devastating" winter storm, stories of survival and strangers helping each other are emerging. One woman is being called an "angel" for likely saving a 64-year-old man's life. Sha'Kyra Aughtry brought Joe White into her Buffalo home on Christmas Eve after hearing him screaming for help outside in the freezing conditions. She called 911, but first responders didn't come. Aughtry used a blow dryer to melt the ice off White's hands, which were red and blistered, she said in a video she posted on Facebook in which she pleaded for help getting him medical attention. Good Samaritans later came to drive White and Aughtry to a hospital. White's sister, Yvonne White, told CBS News on Wednesday that if it weren't for Aughtry, her brother may not have survived. "My brother's mental capacity is that of an 11-year-old child," she said. "If it wasn't for this angel, if it wasn't for this wonderful, wonderful human being, he would've perished and he would've been another statistic in this storm."

Would you have taken the risk to open the door to a total stranger, -- a man screaming for help? Uncommon Valor.

"Yvonne said her brother is in stable condition at the hospital. "We're just praying to God that his hands and fingers will be okay," she said. What Aughtry did was "amazing," Yvonne said, adding that she and her brother now "have an extended family member." In another heroic story, National Guardsman Matthew Waldman helped a couple get to the hospital to deliver their fourth child after their car got snowed in. "In my mind, I was just hoping that she was okay and I would be able to get her to the hospital for her to deliver the baby and the baby would be able to recover from the delivery safely," Waldman told CBS News."

Sadly:

"Other people unfortunately haven't been as lucky. The death toll from the storm in Erie County rose to 34, with the majority of those residing in Buffalo, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said Wednesday. As the effort to clear all the roads in Buffalo continued, the National Guard was going door-to-door to check on residents in neighborhoods that lost power, Poloncarz said. "We are fearful that there are individuals who may have perished, living alone," he said."

Another example of Uncommon Valor during the deadly storm. ABC News reports:

"The Buffalo storm hero who police have dubbed "Merry Christmas Jay" has been identified and is speaking out to ABC News. Police in the town of Cheektowaga, just outside of Buffalo, credit 27-year-old Jay Withey with saving the lives of two dozen people during the deadly storm by rescuing strangers from cars trapped in the snow and bringing them into a school for shelter. "I feel 100% that Jay's actions were heroic and 100% saved lives," Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Gould said."

Indeed, Uncommon Valor.

"It all began when Withey went to pick up a friend who was stranded. But with only a quarter of a tank of gas left, his car quickly became stuck in the whiteout conditions. Soaking wet and freezing, Withey decided to seek shelter inside a local school and broke a window to get inside. But instead of hunkering down and resting, he ventured back out into the dangerous conditions to help others who were stranded. "I can see there's a couple other vehicles stuck in the vicinity of the school. So I go to them and tell them I've broken into the school and that there’s heat in there," Withey said. "It was a matter of survival. It was just a very scary situation to be in," he said. "I thought we were going to die," said Sabrina Andino, one of the trapped drivers. "It was scary and unforgettable. But seeing Jay ... and getting us in the school really saved us."

Indeed, stood tall. ... Would you?

"After Withey gathered the stranded drivers inside the school, he pried open the kitchen door so they could find some food. He also went to the school nurse's office for blankets and water. He left the school's front door open overnight so anyone looking for safety could join them. "We all came together," Andino said. And now that group of strangers is planning a reunion for the summer. Police found a note Withey left at the school, apologizing for breaking in. "I’m terribly sorry about breaking the school window & for breaking in the kitchen … I had to do it to save everyone and get them shelter," the note said. It was signed: "Merry Christmas, Jay."

Uncommon Valor. Top of the line.

Further details of this most remarkable story. NBC News reports:

"After a motorist who got stranded in the deadly winter storm in upstate New York found a safe place to ride it out, he went to great lengths to lead dozens of others to it, too, in what officials are hailing as a lifesaving and heroic rescue effort. Jay Withey, 27, of Kenmore, New York, made sure 24 people who were stuck on the side of the road during the brutal storm got out of harm’s way, police said. The blizzard stranded Withey in Cheektowaga, just east of Buffalo, on Friday. When he started running low on fuel Saturday morning, he decided to leave his car and head for Pine Hill School, where he broke a window so he could get inside. But he didn’t stay inside long. He soon set back outside, looking for other stranded motorists he could direct to the school. “My mission was just to keep going out and grabbing as many people as I can and to just keep going,” Withey said. “I just kept walking, and I walked until I cried and I couldn’t walk any further. I was just beat.” Inside the school, he pried open the kitchen door to gather essentials to help feed the group. He also found the nurse’s office and collected blankets and water. Withey said he left the school’s front door open overnight so others could join the group. They were stuck in the school for about 24 hours or so, he said."

None would have likely survived had it not been for shelter in the school. This remarkable young man, however, was not done:

"Once it appeared safe to leave Sunday morning, Withey said, he found a snowblower in the school and helped everyone dig out their cars so they could drive home. “I just couldn’t ask for more better people to get stuck with,” he said. But he felt bad about the busted window and tried to fix it on his way out but had no luck. Withey left a note for officers to find, apologizing for the shattered glass window and for scavenging for supplies. “I’m terribly sorry about breaking the school window and for breaking in the kitchen,” he wrote. “I had to do it to save everyone and get them shelter and food and a bathroom.” He signed it “Merry Christmas Jay” but gave no last name. So when the Cheektowaga Police Department found it, they weren’t sure whom to thank. They posted the note and security images on social media asking for people to help identify the good Samaritan. “We watched the video surveillance and witnessed people taking care of people,” the police department said in a statement. “This group of amazing people took care of each other and the building they found shelter in. We want to identify ‘Jay’ and have him recognized for his going above and beyond actions that saved lives.” Family and friends who saw the police post knew whom officials were looking for. “He’s a very selfless person and was in no way doing what he did for any sort of recognition,” his cousin Vincent Consiglio said. “That’s just who he is. Always helping people.” Withey said the police chief has thanked him and commended him for the way he helped take care of others. Chief Brian Gould said the entire department is grateful for Withey’s actions and wants the community to use his story to help them grieve after the storm. “We know that due to the actions of many people like Jay, there are many families who were fortunate enough to be reunited with their loved ones,” Gould said. Police said they don’t expect the school to file any charges. The storm is blamed for at least 40 deaths in New York, most of them in Buffalo. Authorities warned that the death toll could climb as the National Guard conducts door-to-door checks. This Christmas is one that Withey won’t forget. “I hope people realize it’s important to be kind and to do the right thing to help one another,” he said."

Indeed, Uncommon Valor.

Another case of Uncommon Valor at great personal risk. Courageously standing up to racism. The Washington Post reports:

"Workers in bright yellow vests circled up in the morning chill. Some clutched cups of Starbucks coffee, a last comfort before beginning the hard work of dismantling a statue of Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill in the middle of an intersection. As a small group of Confederate heritage defenders assembled nearby — at least one of them armed — city safety coordinator Miles Jones lectured the work crew on wearing hard hats and eye protection. And who, he asked, would be the site supervisor? A bearded man in Ray-Ban sunglasses and a Norfolk State University sweatshirt stepped forward. “What’s your name, sir?” Jones asked. “Devon Henry.” “Devon Hen—” Jones began, then dropped his voice respectfully. “Oh, Mr. Henry. Of course.” The name carries weight in Richmond these days."

For damned good reason.

"Over the past three years, as the former capital of the Confederacy has taken down more than a dozen monuments to the Lost Cause, Henry — who is Black — has overseen all the work. He didn’t seek the job. He had never paid much attention to Civil War history. City and state officials said they turned to Team Henry Enterprises after a long list of bigger contractors — all White-owned — said they wanted no part of taking down Confederate statues. For a Black man to step in carried enormous risk. Henry concealed the name of his company for a time and long shunned media interviews. He has endured death threats, seen employees walk away and been told by others in the industry that his future is ruined. He started wearing a bulletproof vest on job sites and got a permit to carry a concealed firearm for protection."

Sadly, racism is alive and well in this country.

"The drama interrupted Henry’s careful efforts to build his business. But after removing 24 monuments in Virginia and North Carolina, Henry, 45, has grown more comfortable with his role in enabling a historic reckoning with social injustice across the South. The threats haven’t let up; Henry has simply learned to live with them."

Uncommon Valor.

“My head’s in a different place now,” he said. “It’s like, I’m not scared to cross the street, but I’m always going to look both ways, right? So I’m not totally oblivious to who I am and what I’ve done, but I’m just not letting fear kind of drive what I do.”

Uncommon Valor.

"Over and over, history-minded friends directed Henry to the words of John Mitchell Jr., the civil rights pioneer and editor of the Richmond Planet, a groundbreaking African American newspaper. In 1890, the year the state erected an enormous statue of Robert E. Lee on what would become Monument Avenue, Mitchell wrote about the resilience of the Black person in society. “The Negro … put up the Lee monument,” Mitchell wrote, “and should the time come, will be there to take it down.”

Indeed.

"The call that changed Henry’s life came in the middle of a business meeting in early June 2020. He ignored it, at first. But his phone kept going off, and finally a friend texted — you might want to pick up. On the line was Clark Mercer, the chief of staff for then-Gov. Ralph Northam, with a wild proposition: Would Henry’s construction company be willing to oversee the dismantling of the giant statue of Lee on state-owned property along Monument Avenue? Such a thing was nowhere on Henry’s radar screen. His company was experienced at building things, and at preparing sites for construction. Outside of work, though, change was in the air. Partly in reaction to the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017, the General Assembly had passed a bill early in 2020 to allow localities to take down Confederate statues. That May, the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police touched off nationwide racial justice protests that in Richmond focused on Monument Avenue and its iconic memorials. Northam, a Democrat, decided it was time to act. Protesters and police were clashing every night. He wanted to move fast. Mercer and Henry had met some time before at an event at Norfolk State, Henry’s alma mater and where he sits on the board of visitors. Now Mercer confessed that he was reaching out because he was desperate. Everyone else had turned him down. “I was pretty forthcoming that we hadn’t been able to find anybody to take on the job,” Mercer said in an interview. In fact, the responses from other contractors were “pretty overtly racist,” he said, including language that he found threatening. “Devon seemed to understand the magnitude of what I was asking him.”

Courageously, rose to the occasion. Indeed, Uncommon Valor.

"For a Black man to destroy such a symbol would put his life, his family, his livelihood on the line. Henry knew that in Louisiana, a White contractor withdrew from the job of removing four Confederate monuments after receiving death threats. Someone torched the man’s car. But Henry saw this as a powerful chance to give a bit of justice to the souls represented by the memorial to enslaved people. He wanted to talk with his family and his team at the company before committing. Mercer told him to take a few hours. Henry immediately went home and rounded up his wife and teenage daughter and son. He explained that he had an opportunity that would be somewhat controversial, and described it. “My son was like, well Dad, look, you’re going to always be my hero so it doesn’t really matter,” Henry said. “But this would be really cool.” His wife and daughter agreed. At work, some employees “really didn’t like the idea of it at all and were not in favor of us moving forward,” he said. “Some were more about security, safety. Some just didn’t believe in the work.” A few who were opposed eventually left the company. But Henry called Mercer back and agreed to do it. Once on board, he pushed to act quickly, without warning the public. But as soon as Northam called a news conference to announce that the statue was coming down, a handful of local residents filed a lawsuit to stop him. Court proceedings put the project on ice for more than a year."

Outrageous. Racism. Blatant.

"Within just a few weeks, though, Henry got another call. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney wanted to take down a whole series of monuments on city property. Bob Steidel, a deputy city administrator tasked with making it happen, had run into the same problem as Mercer trying to find a contractor. Then someone with the state suggested Henry. “He was the only one to step up, and I give him all respect for that because in June of 2020 it was a difficult decision to be made,” Steidel said in an interview. “Personally, professionally — he had everything at stake, and he still did it.”

Risking violence directed against himself and loved ones. At great personal expense. Report goes on and on in great detail about all the problems this man and his company faced and successfully overcame. Indeed, Uncommon Valor.

A change in thinking? Could it be? NBC News reports:

"The Idaho police chief who led the high-profile investigation into the slayings of four students at the University of Idaho in November, said he regretted not being more open with the public after the November homicides."

If indeed true, quite a desperately needed change in thinking.

"I took the responsibility at the very beginning for not getting out into the press and talking about it. That would be a thing I would change in the future. It's a learned lesson," Moscow Police Chief James Fry told NBC News on Saturday during an emotional sit-down interview in which he teared up. Fry said getting a message out earlier could have reduced some public anxiety and fear."

No question. Not only that, would have increased badly needed trust in law enforcement.

"A more transparent approach, Fry said, would "give a little bit of assurance to people that we've locked the scene down. We're getting search warrants. We got the state police coming. We got the FBI coming. I think that gives a little bit of calm."

Especially true in other cases where law enforcement needs to quickly react to one of its own who's accused of abuse, unnecessary violence, or other malfeasance.

"Fry and the department were heavily criticized during the nearly two-month investigation for a lack of transparency and for sending mixed messages about the case. The shocking crimes have captivated the nation, generating about 19,000 tips from the public that police said were crucial to the probe. Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, a resident of Pullman, Washington, was apprehended in Albrightsville in northeastern Pennsylvania, about 2,500 miles from the Idaho campus, officials announced Friday. He’ll be charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary, for allegedly breaking into the Moscow, Idaho, home with the intent to commit a felony, authorities said. DNA evidence played a key role in linking the murders to Kohberger, two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News. Kohberger was arrested by the Pennsylvania State Police seven weeks after four students were stabbed to death in their beds — an event that stunned residents in tiny Moscow, perplexed police and prompted a nationwide manhunt."

An arrest of the suspect is certainly a positive development. Hopefully, they got the right guy.

"Fry apologized Saturday to the families of the victims for their heartache. He said he hoped the suspect's arrest leads to some closure for the families and noted investigators will do everything possible to provide them with answers. "We care. We've always cared and we'll continue to work hard to give them the answers they need. We can give them answers and we can give them some closure to understand. That's what we're here to offer. That's what we're here to accomplish."

If indeed true, quite remarkable, isn't it? Hopefully, it's not just empty, hollow, meaningless rhetoric.

"Kohberger appeared to have a keen interest in crime. He was listed as a Ph.D. student in the department of criminal justice and criminology at Washington State University (WSU), which is 10 miles west and just across the state line from the University of Idaho. A Pennsylvania judge in Monroe County, north of Allentown, on Friday ordered that Kohberger be extradited to Idaho next month, court records showed. Killed in the Nov. 13 attack were Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho. Authorities have not released a motive in the slayings and Fry has said he's shielded by law in what he can disclose to public. A probable cause affidavit, with details supporting Kohberger’s arrest, is sealed and cannot be made public until he sets foot in Idaho and is served with those papers in court, authorities said. Fry said Saturday despite all the criticism his department faced, he tried not to listen to it. Authorities have said investigators didn't want to disclose key details of the investigation in order not to compromise a potential conviction and so a suspect wouldn't be tipped off."

It is quite understandable that some information has to remain sealed so as not to compromise prosecution. At the same time, it remains outrageous law enforcement uses this very same tactic, that is deliberate lack of transparency, to protect and coddle officers who abuse authority, engage in unnecessary violence, or other criminal activity.

Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve. Forfeiture of liberty. At the hands of outrageously corrupt and abusive government.

No doubt, a true assessment. ... Sad, isn't it? Read on. NBC News reports:

"The House sergeant at arms, who was the head of the D.C. National Guard during the attack on the Capitol, told the Jan. 6 committee that the law enforcement response would have looked much different had the rioters been Black Americans. “I’m African American. Child of the sixties. I think it would have been a vastly different response if those were African Americans trying to breach the Capitol,” William J. Walker told congressional investigators, in an interview transcript released Tuesday. “As a career law enforcement officer, part-time soldier, last five years full but, but a law enforcement officer my entire career, the law enforcement response would have been different.”

No doubt. Certainly, appears to be a problem throughout the entire country.

"His testimony echoed the observations of many Americans, including President Joe Biden, who noted the stark difference in the law enforcement response to protests in Washington following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd and the lax security at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. William J. Walker, the head of the D.C. National Guard during the insurrection, also indicated he thought more people in the crowd would have died if the mob had been largely Black instead of overwhelmingly white. “You know, as a law enforcement officer, there were — I saw enough to where I would have probably been using deadly force,” he said. “I think it would have been more bloodshed if the composition would have been different.”

Quite an admission. Remarkable.

"Walker, a former Drug Enforcement Administration official who became the House sergeant at arms in April 2021, also described his personal experiences with discriminatory law enforcement stops, and discussed having “the talk” with his five children and his granddaughter about surviving police encounters as a Black American. “You’re looking at somebody who would get stopped by the police for driving a high-value government vehicle. No other reason,” Walker said. The D.C. National Guard was not authorized to assist at the Capitol on Jan. 6 until after a delay of 3 hours and 19 minutes that the House committee's report pins on a "likely miscommunication between members of the civilian leadership in the Department of Defense." Walker told investigators that it was clear to him beforehand that Jan. 6 was going to be a "big deal" just from being aware of what was happening in the world. "I'm an intelligence officer ... to me, the intelligence was there that this was going to be a big deal," he said, citing the civil unrest in November and December when Trump supporters came to Washington. "You don't need intelligence. I mean, everybody knew that people were directed to come there by the president. November was a run-up, December was practice, and January 6th was executed," Walker said."

Remarkable to see some honesty and straight talk from law enforcement. About time. Desperately needed.

"I personally, William Joseph Walker, not General Walker, thought that it was just vastly different," he said, comparing the unrest of summer 2020 to the unrest after the election. "National Guard is not called in December. National Guard is not called in November. And I watched on television the difference between people coming to the Capitol in November. And if you watch the film, and if these same groups came back in December, better prepare. Better prepare."

Sadly, they weren't.

"As NBC News first reported last month, the Jan. 6 committee made a decision to focus its final report on former President Donald Trump, and not as much on the law enforcement and intelligence failures and other issues that committee staffers investigated."

A mistake. A big mistake. Needed to do all of it. The public deserved nothing less.

"Part of the panel's investigation into intelligence failures was ultimately relegated to an appendix, though the report did note that “Federal and local law enforcement authorities were in possession of multiple streams of intelligence predicting violence directed at the Capitol prior to January 6th." A spokesman for Jan. 6 panel member Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., told The Washington Post last month that committee staffers had “submitted subpar material for the report that reflects long-held liberal biases about federal law enforcement” and that she would not “sign onto any ‘narrative’ that suggests Republicans are inherently racist or smears men and women in law enforcement.”

That's a crock of shit not borne out by reality. A Republican bias of racism and pernicious support of law enforcement no matter what the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue do in violation of the law.

"Still, the testimony of Walker — a highly decorated commanding general and a long-serving DEA special agent who rose to top leadership positions at the agency before becoming the first Black House sergeant at arms — underscores some of the systemic issues that went unaddressed in the committee's final report."

Quite true. Certainly, put the Republicans to shame for not exposing law enforcement failure and racism, -- and the Democrats for gutlessly allowing this to happen.

Massive security failure at the Capitol 1-6-21 exposed. The Washington Post reports:

"In a new firsthand account of the frantic efforts of Capitol Police officers to protect Congress and themselves from an armed mob on Jan. 6, 2021, the department’s former chief blames cascading government failures for allowing the brutal melee. The federal government’s multibillion-dollar security network, built after 9/11 to gather intelligence that could warn of a looming attack, provided no such shield on Jan. 6, former Capitol Police chief Steven A. Sund writes in a new book. The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and even his own agency’s intelligence unit had been alerted weeks earlier to reams of chilling chatter about right-wing extremists arming for an attack on the Capitol that day, Sund says, but didn’t take the basic steps to assess those plots or sound an alarm. Senior military leaders, citing political or tactical worries, delayed sending help. And, Sund warns in “Courage Under Fire,” it could easily happen again. Many of the factors that left the Capitol vulnerable remain unfixed, he said. The Washington Post obtained an advance copy of the book, which will be published Jan. 3. In his account, Sund describes his shock at the battle that unfolded as an estimated 10,000 protesters inflamed by President Donald Trump’s rally earlier in the day broke through police lines and punched, stabbed and pepper-sprayed officers, outnumbering them “58 to 1.” Sund said his shock shifted to agony as he unsuccessfully begged military generals for National Guard reinforcements. Though they delayed sending help until it was too late for Sund’s overrun corps, he says that he later discovered that the Pentagon had rushed to send security teams to protect military officials’ homes in Washington, none of which were under attack. Sund reserves his greatest outrage for those Pentagon leaders, recounting a conference call he had with two generals about 2:35 p.m., 20 minutes after rioters had broken into the Capitol and as Vice President Mike Pence and other lawmakers scurried to hiding places. Sund writes that Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt told him he didn’t like the optics of sending uniformed Guard troops to the Capitol, but could allow them to replace police officers at roadside checkpoints. Listening incredulously and trying to explain that he needed help to save officers’ lives, Sund said, he felt both “nauseated” and “mad as hell.” “It’s a response I will never forget for the rest of my life,” Sund writes. While on the call, Sund recalls hearing the frantic voice of an officer being broadcast into the command center: “Shots fired in the Capitol, shots fired in the Capitol.” Sund’s anger boiled over and he shouted the report of gunfire into the conference call: “Is that urgent enough for you now?” Then Sund hung up to deal with this new crisis."

Report goes on and on in great detail. More on this as the story develops.

What took so long? In follow-up to a case covered repeatedly here and elsewhere, NBC News(AP) reports:

"Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison charged a former Minneapolis police officer Wednesday with beating a man during protests over George Floyd’s death. Justin Stetson, 34, faces one felony count of third-degree assault in connection with the May 30, 2020, beating of Jaleel Stallings. He would face up to five years in prison if convicted. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Stetson has an attorney. A Minneapolis city attorney who represented him and other officers in a federal lawsuit Stallings filed against them didn’t immediately respond to an email inquiring if she knew if Stetson has a criminal defense attorney. According to the criminal complaint, Stetson was among a group of officers enforcing a city-wide curfew that night when his group spotted four people in a parking lot. One of them was Stallings. The officers opened fire on the group with rubber bullets. One hit Stallings in the chest, causing him severe pain, according to the complaint. Stallings fired three live rounds at the officers’ unmarked van but didn’t hurt anyone. He argued that he thought civilians had attacked him, and he fired in self-defense. He was acquitted in September 2021 of a second-degree attempted murder charge related to that shooting."

Here's what happened:

"The officers rushed the civilians. When Stallings realized they were police, he dropped his gun and lay on the ground. Stetson then kicked him in the face and in the head, according to the complaint. He also punched Stallings multiple times and slammed his head into the pavement, the complaint said. Stetson went on hitting him even after he had obeyed Stetson’s command to place his hands behind his back. A sergeant finally told Stetson to stop. Stallings suffered a fracture of his eye bone. Ian Adams, a former law enforcement officer who is now a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina, reviewed the case and concluded that Stetson’s use of force was unreasonable and excessive and “violated the most basic norms of policing,” the complaint said. The complaint noted that Stetson had been a Minneapolis police officer since at least 2011 and had received about 1,200 hours of training, including training on how to de-escalate situations. The city of Minneapolis paid Stallings $1.5 million this past May to settle his federal lawsuit. He alleged Stetson and other officers violated his constitutional rights."

Again, why did it take so long to prosecute this son of a bitch? Why are criminal officers protected and coddled nearly always?

Why is racist law enforcement tolerated? NBC News reports:

"The presence of police in schools actively jeopardizes the safety of Black students compared to their counterparts of other races, according to a report published this month. Black students were subjected to more than 80% of the incidents of police violence accounted for in the survey, which analyzed more than 285 incidents over a decade. At least 60% of police assaults on students resulted in serious injury to the students, including broken bones, concussions and hospitalizations. The report also cited 24 cases of sexual assault on students and five student deaths as a result of police force in schools. It was published by the Advancement Project, a civil rights organization, and the Alliance for Educational Justice, a coalition of groups working toward equity in public schools."

Racism is a problem throughout all law enforcement across this country.

“It’s not just the fact that school policing is ineffective and a major waste of public funds. It is also harmful to the physical and emotional safety and health of students of color throughout the United States,” said Tyler Whittenberg, the deputy director at the Advancement Project. The groups rounded up every identifiable reported incident of police violence in schools from 2011 to 2021, but the organizations concede their data is likely to be based on an undercount. The report is named “#AssaultAtSpringValley, after a 16-year-old Black girl attending Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina, was placed in a headlock and flipped over in her desk, then dragged and thrown across her classroom by a school police officer in 2015. It was in response to allegations that she was being disruptive and refusing to give up her phone and leave the classroom."

Outrageous, isn't it?

"The school district fired the officer; two years later, a Justice Department investigation determined there was insufficient evidence to pursue federal charges."

Give me a break. The 'Justice' Department dropped the ball. Did shit squat.

"Former Spring Valley student Niya Kenny was 18 when she witnessed her classmate being dragged. She encouraged other students to record the incident and later was arrested and charged with disturbing a school. The charges were dropped, but she never returned to the high school and opted instead to get her general equivalency diploma. “I remember not wanting to go back to Spring Valley,” Kenny said. “I was confused, puzzled and terrified why a police officer was using that much force on a young student.”

Clearly, how the bastards get their cookies off.

"Janel George, the director of the Racial Equity in Education Law and Policy Clinic at Georgetown Law School, said it’s hard for students who both experience and witness policing in schools to re-engage with the classroom."

For damned good reason. Abusive law enforcement remains an ongoing threat.

"Whittenberg said: “In general, Black students are often viewed as the problem and as needing some sort of disciplinary treatment in order to act correctly. It is flat-out racism that now we can quantify with studies like this.” Police violence in school is much more likely to affect Black girls specifically. Black girls are four times more likely than their white peers to be arrested, three times more likely to be referred to the police and twice as likely to be physically restrained, according to the report. A heavy police presence has also been linked to the school-to-prison pipeline, which refers to policies and practices that indirectly push students into the criminal legal system, among them harsh and strict punishment like arrests and expulsions. "When they attend schools where they’re seen as a threat and are targeted by police officers as they walk to and from their classes, what else would they take away from that other than this system is really not meant for me?” Whittenberg said. He said suspensions and expulsions alienate students from their peers and remove them from pro-social relationships. Whittenberg said the use of police officers in schools that mainly serve communities of color creates the idea that students of color need to be controlled and dominated to act properly."

Worse? Get this:

"The report also revealed that officers generally face few to no consequences for assaulting students. In the 10% of cases in which officers faced consequences for assaulting students, firings or criminal charges were rare. Instead, they usually faced only internal reviews or reassignment or being placed on leave." “That’s not surprising, because, unfortunately, this has been occurring for such a long time, and the research has long demonstrated how Black students are disproportionately targeted for this kind of policing,” said George, who once worked to reform discriminatory school discipline practices at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Whittenberg said he hopes the report creates change in the conversation surrounding removing police from schools. “I hope that this report can be used to demonstrate that it’s not a one-off incident and that this is actually a systemic issue that will continue to happen as long as police are present in schools,” he said, “especially those schools serving Black and other students of color.”

Another apparently senseless shooting by the jackbooted bastards in blue. ABC News(AP) reports:

"Two Indianapolis police investigations are underway after three officers shot a man who appeared to have been sleeping in his car, authorities said. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's Critical Incident Response Team is conducting a criminal investigation of the shooting early Saturday on the city's northeast side, and police Internal Affairs has begun an administrative investigation. Also, the civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will conduct a mandatory hearing for any attempted use of deadly force against a person. The man is hospitalized in stable condition. The officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave."

A paid vacation?

"Officers were dispatched on a report of a suspicious vehicle in a driveway around 4 a.m., police said. They found a man who appeared to be sleeping in the driver’s seat armed with a gun. An officer knocked on a car window and announced, “Police. Hands up,” Indianapolis police said said. It wasn't clear what prompted the officers to open fire, but police said detectives found a handgun in the driver’s seat."

Was it planted?

"Several police body cameras were activated during the shooting, the department said. Police haven't released the names of the injured man or the officers."

No transparency? No credibility.

More on this as the story develops.

First-round U.S. House Speaker vote fails. The Associated Press reports:

"Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was dealt a historic defeat in first-round voting Tuesday to become House speaker, vowing to try again but sending the new Congress into opening day tumult as conservative colleagues opposed his leadership. McCarthy had pledged a “battle on the floor” for as long as it takes to overcome right-flank fellow Republicans who were refusing to give him their votes. But it was not at all clear how the embattled GOP leader could rebound after becoming the first House speaker nominee in 100 years to fail to win the gavel from his fellow party members on the initial vote. McCarthy strode into the chamber, posed for photos, and received a standing ovation from many on his side of the aisle after being nominated by the third-ranking Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik, who said he “has what it takes” to lead House Republicans. “No one has worked harder for this majority than Kevin McCarthy,” said Stefanik, R-N.Y. But a challenge was quickly raised by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a conservative former leader of the Freedom Caucus, who was nominated by a fellow conservative as speaker. In all, 19 Republicans peeled away, denying McCarthy the majority as they cast votes for Biggs or others in protest. The mood was tense, at least on the Republican side, as lawmakers rose from their seats, in a lengthy first round of in-person voting. Democrats were joyous as they cast their own historic votes for their leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the first Black person to lead a major American political party."

Trouble in paradise? Interestingly:

"McCarthy emerged from a contentious closed-door meeting with fellow House Republicans unable to win over detractors and lacking the support needed to become speaker. He vowed to fight to the finish — even if it takes multiple tries in a public spectacle that would underscore divisions in his party and weaken its leadership in the first days of the new Congress. A core group of conservatives led by the Freedom Caucus and aligned with Donald Trump’s MAGA agenda were furious, calling the private meeting a “beat down” by McCarthy allies and remaining steadfast in their opposition to the GOP leader. “There’s one person who could have changed all this,” said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., the chairman of the Freedom Caucus and a leader of Trump’s effort to challenge the 2020 presidential election. The group said McCarthy refused the group’s last-ditch offer for rules changes in a meeting late Monday at the Capitol. “If you want to drain the swamp you can’t put the biggest alligator in control of the exercise,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. “He eagerly dismissed us,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo."

... 'Can't we all just get along?' LOL.

"The chaplain opened with a prayer seeking to bring the 118th Congress to life. But first, House Republicans had to elect a speaker, second in succession to the presidency. Even with an endorsement from former President Trump, McCarthy fell short. Democrats enthusiastically nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-.N.Y., who is taking over as party leader, as their choice for speaker — a typically symbolic gesture in the minority but one that took on new importance as Republicans were in disarray. “A Latino is nominating in this chamber a Black man for our leader for the first time in American history,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the third-ranking Democrat, in nominating his colleague. The morning meeting of House Republicans turned raucous ahead what’s traditionally a celebratory day as newly elected members arrive to be sworn into office. Families in tow, the members of the new Congress prepare to be sworn into the House and Senate for the start of the two-year legislative session. A new generation of Trump-aligned Republicans led the opposition to McCarthy. They don’t think McCarthy is conservative enough or tough enough to battle Democrats. It’s reminiscent of the last time Republicans took back the House majority, after the 2010 midterms, when the tea-party class ushered in a new era of hardball politics, eventually sending Speaker John Boehner to an early retirement. “Nothing’s changed,” said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va. “The problem is Kevin McCarthy.” Typically it takes a majority of the House’s 435 members, 218 votes, to become the speaker. With just 222 GOP seats, McCarthy could afford to lose only a handful of their votes. A speaker can win with fewer than 218 votes, as Pelosi and Boehner did, if some lawmakers are absent or simply vote present. But McCarthy has failed to win over a core — and potentially growing — group of right-flank Republicans led by the conservative Freedom Caucus, despite weeks of closed-door meetings and promised changes to the House rules. Nearly a dozen Republicans have publicly raised concerns about McCarthy."

More to come. Stay tuned. LOL.

The Associated Press reports:

"House Republicans flailed through a second day of multiple balloting Wednesday, unable to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker or to come up with a new strategy to end the political chaos that has tarnished the start of their new majority. For a fifth time, Republicans nominated McCarthy as their speaker as the House plunged deeper into disarray. That came moments after the fourth vote showed 20 conservative holdouts still refusing to support him, unchanged from the previous time around. He fell far short of the 218 votes typically needed to win the gavel. “Let cooler, more rational heads prevail,” said Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, a conservative aligned with the far-right Freedom Caucus who nevertheless nominated McCarthy. The California Republican vowed to keep fighting despite losing in multiple rounds of voting that threw the new majority into tumult a day earlier. Animated private discussions broke out on the chamber floor between McCarthy supporters and detractors searching for an endgame.

"Early Wednesday, Trump publicly urged Republicans to vote for McCarthy: “CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY,” he wrote on his social media site. He added: “REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT.”

"The disorganized start to the new Congress pointed to difficulties ahead with Republicans now in control of the House. Tensions flared among the new House majority as their campaign promises stalled out. Without a speaker, the House cannot fully form — swearing in its members, naming its committee chairmen, engaging in floor proceedings and launching investigations of the Biden administration. Not since 1923 has a speaker’s election gone to multiple ballots, and the longest and most grueling fight for the gavel started in late 1855 and dragged out for two months, with 133 ballots, during debates over slavery in the run-up to the Civil War."

More to come. Stay tuned. LOL.

Egregious fallout from the six Republican nazis on the U.S. Supreme Court. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter. Seatbelts on. NPR reports:

"Kaitlyn and Landon Joshua were worried for Kaitlyn's health when she started to bleed heavily and had labor-like pains early in her pregnancy. But two different emergency rooms she went to wouldn't confirm she was miscarrying or explain her treatment options."

How about that? No problems with this? None?

"When Kaitlyn Joshua found out she was pregnant in mid-August, she and her husband, Landon Joshua, were excited to have a second baby on the way. They have a 4-year-old daughter, and thought that was just the right age to help out with a younger sibling. At about six weeks pregnant, Joshua, 30, called a physicians' group in Baton Rouge. She wanted to make her first prenatal appointment there for around the eight-week mark, as she had in her first pregnancy. But Joshua says the woman on the line told her she was going to have to wait over a month. "They specifically said, 'We now no longer see women until they're at least 12 weeks,'" Joshua recalls. "And I said, 'Oh Lord. Is this because of what I think? And they said, 'Yes.'" She remembers the woman on the phone saying that since the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and with what the woman called a gray area in Louisiana's law, the group was delaying the first prenatal appointment with patients."

Wake up. Women are being denied access to necessary medical care ultimately due to the perverse religious views of the nazi element in our formerly great country.

"Joshua remembers her saying that many women miscarry in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and they didn't want to be liable for an investigation."

How about that? No problems with this? None?

"Louisiana's near-total abortion ban, which took effect on Aug. 1, has raised fears among physicians that they could potentially be investigated for treating a miscarriage, since the same treatments are also used for abortion."

Who the hell is the nazi element in our formerly great country to force its perverse religious views on the rest of us?

"During those early weeks of pregnancy, Joshua experienced symptoms she hadn't dealt with in her first pregnancy: mild cramping and spotting. Without access to a doctor, though, Joshua felt like she had nowhere to go for answers. "How in the world can we have a viable health care system for women, especially women of color, when they won't even see you for 12 weeks?" she says."

Good question. Time to wake up.

"Joshua, who works as a community organizer, knew pregnancy can be dangerous, especially for Black women like herself. She also knew about Louisiana's dismal maternal health statistics: The state has one of the highest maternal death rates in the country, and Black women are at higher risk than white women, according to reports from the state's health department."

Surprised?

"So Joshua booked an appointment weeks away with one of the few OB-GYNs she could find who was a woman of color. Then, when she was between 10 and 11 weeks pregnant, she started bleeding heavily, passing clots and tissue. She says the pain was worse than when she'd given birth. Her husband was at work, so Joshua drove herself to the emergency room at Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge. There, staff took her vitals, drew blood, performed a physical exam, and gave her an ultrasound. They told her the ultrasound showed that her fetus had stopped growing, she recalls. It was measuring seven or eight weeks gestation, not 10 or 11 weeks. Her medical records show her pregnancy hormone levels to be abnormally low. She recalls being told her fetus had only a faint heartbeat. Joshua understood that she was miscarrying. But hospital staff wouldn't definitively confirm it and didn't explain what treatment options she'd have if she was having a miscarriage. Joshua remembers one nurse telling her: "'It appears that you could be having one. But we don't want to say that's what it is. So let's just keep watching it. You can continue to come back. Of course, we're praying for you.'"

How about that? No problems with this? None?

"Joshua is Christian. She spends Sunday mornings at church. But she says the comment felt like an insult. "Folks need answers, not prayers. And that's exactly what I was looking for in that moment," she says. The next day, her bleeding and pain were worse. Landon, her husband, was afraid for her life. By the evening, Joshua was pacing her bathroom floor, bleeding and cramping, when she felt more blood and tissue come out of her body. "It literally felt like I had almost birthed a child," she says. "And so I was like, 'No, I have to go somewhere, like now.' " She didn't want to return to the first ER, so she called her mother and husband and told them to meet her at Baton Rouge General in nearby Prairieville. There, a security guard put her in a wheelchair. Her jeans were soaked through with blood. Staff gave her another ultrasound, and the technician told her she'd lost a lot of blood. A doctor came in to talk about the ultrasound results. She told Joshua it looked like a cyst, not a pregnancy, and asked if she was positive she'd been pregnant — a question that made Joshua angry. Joshua remembers the doctor then said that if she was indeed miscarrying, she should go back home and wait, then follow up with her OB-GYN in two to three days. Joshua asked the doctor for treatment to alleviate her pain and speed up the process. There are two standard options for managing a confirmed miscarriage, other than letting it pass on its own: a procedure called dilation and curettage, to remove pregnancy tissue; or medication, which can help clear the uterus more quickly. Both of the latter treatments are also used for abortions. The doctor told her, "'we're not going to do that,'" Joshua recalls. "I just remember her saying, 'We're not doing that now.'"

Gets worse. Get this:

"The doctor also said she wouldn't refer Joshua somewhere else for miscarriage treatment, Joshua recalls, nor give her discharge papers stating she was having a miscarriage, known in medical terminology as a spontaneous abortion. "She stated that they're not going to put anywhere 'spontaneous abortion' because that would then flag an investigation on them," Joshua says. Landon Joshua, Kaitlyn's husband, says he had the impression that the doctor was afraid to confirm his wife's miscarriage. "She would not look me in the eye to tell me what was happening," Kaitlyn says. Frustrated and scared, the Joshuas went home. Both Women's Hospital and Baton Rouge General said in statements to NPR that their pregnancy care has not changed since Louisiana's abortion ban passed. Baton Rouge General said its care of Kaitlyn Joshua was appropriate. NPR contacted the provider who Joshua originally called for a prenatal appointment, and it denied that it had changed the timing of first appointments. Although she couldn't comment directly on Joshua's situation, Dr. Jenny Villavicencio, a D.C.-based OB-GYN, says that delaying a first prenatal visit until the 12-week mark, while not outside the recommended window for care, is later than ideal."

Think the following tolerable in what is supposed to be a free country that believes in liberty?

"In September, at a Louisiana Department of Health meeting, Dr. Joey Biggio, the chair of maternal and fetal medicine with Ochsner Health, Louisiana's largest health system, said some OB-GYN doctors were afraid to provide routine care. "There has now been such a level of concern created from the Attorney General's office about the threat to them both criminally and civilly and professionally, that many people are not going to provide the care that is needed for patients, whether it's ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, ruptured membranes, you know, hemorrhage," Biggio said. "And we need to figure out a way to be able to provide some clear, unequivocal guidance to providers, or we're going to see some unintended consequences of all of this."

That's right. Women denied necessary care will die for no reason.

"Miscarriages can be dangerous – they can cause hemorrhaging and infections that lead to sepsis – and it makes sense that patients would seek answers and treatment options from health care providers, says Monica McLemore, a registered nurse and the interim director for the Center for Anti-Racism in Nursing at the University of Washington. Miscarriage treatment is also time-sensitive, McLemore added. She says that, ideally, a patient like Joshua would have had OB-GYN care even before she got pregnant so that she had more consistent care, which could have helped give her more autonomy over how to treat her miscarriage. "As a health care provider, I feel very strongly that we need to apologize for the harms that we've committed. It's really sad that the care that she sought for herself was not provided to her," McLemore says.

"Ellie Schilling, a lawyer with Lift Louisiana, a reproductive justice organization that challenged Louisiana's law in state court, says that while the law allows for miscarriages to be treated, it is written in legal language that doesn't translate easily into medicine, or necessarily line up with an individual patient's set of circumstances. And this puts doctors in a very difficult situation. "They're trying to interpret specific language and pair it up to specific patients to do some sort of calculation about, you know, have we reached this threshold yet? Or have we not?" she says. Doctors also have to consider whether someone else might later disagree with their decision, she adds. "How is somebody else going to interpret that later? How is law enforcement or a prosecutor potentially going to interpret that later?" She argues that the law needs to be clarified. "It puts providers and patients in a really dangerous situation," she says. "And to abdicate all responsibility for making the laws, before drafting the laws in a way that will work for physicians on the ground, is just irresponsible."

Clearly, matters not to the nazi element in our formerly great country.

"In the week after Joshua's last ER visit, the heavy bleeding and piercing pains continued. While mourning the loss of what would have been her new baby, she remained worried for her own health. She feared getting worse and wondered how bad she would need to get in order to get treatment. Her overall feeling from both ER visits was that she hadn't been taken seriously. "Just complete and total abandonment and just completely being written off by physicians that we saw," she says. Joshua blames Louisiana's anti-abortion law for the care she received. "For me to have to navigate so many different channels to get health care should not be happening," she says. "This has to change. There needs to be clarity within the abortion ban" so that physicians are not confused or afraid to provide care and support. Joshua also wondered how much being a Black woman had impacted her care. "I was just wondering if white women get turned away like this," she says. Monica McLemore, the nurse who researches racism and maternal health at the University of Washington, says research shows that Black patients are less likely to be listened to and believed. "So you can't tell me that that's not always in the mix, because it is," McLemore says. And that can fuel distrust of the health system. People who don't like how they were treated during pregnancy can be less willing to seek care in the future, she added."

Here's the bottom line:

"It took weeks, but Joshua was able to pass the pregnancy at home. If she had been given a choice, she would have chosen care that made the experience faster, less painful, less scary, and less risky, especially as a Black woman. "This experience has made me see how Black women die. Like this is how Black women are dying," she says. It also has made Kaitlyn and Landon Joshua rethink their plans for more children. "I love my kid. And so, she constantly makes me want another her. But in this moment, it's just too dangerous to get pregnant in the state of Louisiana," Kaitlyn says. "I don't think it's worth risking your life for a baby right now." She wonders how many other women in Louisiana are now feeling the same."

Time to wake up. We now live in a de facto fascist police-state, democratic republic in name only. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

In follow-up to the Santos fiasco, NBC News reports:

"George Santos, the congressman-elect from New York who's admitted to "embellishing" his resume, is being investigated by a New York prosecutor. "The numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-Elect Santos are nothing short of stunning. The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the third district must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress," Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said in a statement regarding her fellow Republican on Wednesday. "No one is above the law and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it.”

Hopefully, that's the case. -- To date another congenital liar, the Trump nazi, has eluded prosecution by the 'Justice' Department. ... Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

Readers will recall:

"Santos was the subject of a bombshell investigation published by the New York Times earlier this month that found much of Santos’ background appeared manufactured, including claims that he had worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and had graduated from Baruch College."

Translation? He lied.

"The story also raised questions about how he was able to lend his campaign $700,000 after claiming on a campaign finance form in 2020 that he was making $55,000 per year."

Good question. ... Think there isn't a problem here?

"The probe was first reported by Newsday. Brendan Brosh, a spokesperson for Donnelly, said only, “We are looking into the matter.” A rep for Santos did not immediately respond to a request for comment."

Not possible to credibly defend the indefensible.

The Associated Press reports:

"It should be a time of triumph for Republicans ready to take back control of the House in the new Congress next week, but their leaders are struggling with an embarrassing distraction about one of their own: What to do about George Santos?"

Why should this be an issue? Time for Republicans to wake up. How can a congenital liar be trusted? ... Whether it's the Trump nazi or this piece of shit? Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"Weeks after winning a district that helped Republicans secure their razor-thin House majority, the congressman-elect is under investigation in New York after acknowledging he lied about his heritage, education and professional pedigree as he campaigned for office. The top House Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, and his leadership team have kept silent about Santos, who is set to take the oath of office Tuesday, even after he publicly admitted to fabricating swaths of his biography."

Clearly, McCarthy is gutless. Won't stand on principle, only raw partisanship. Sad, isn't it?

"The now-embattled Republican [Santos] has shown no signs of stepping aside, punting the decision to hold him accountable to his party and to the Congress, where he could quickly face a House ethics committee investigation once sworn into office."

Truly think that likely to happen with McCarthy in charge, -- unless the public reacts and demands it?

"Representatives for McCarthy, who is running to become the next House speaker, did not respond when asked what action he may take relating to Santos."

Surprised?

"On Tuesday, Santos was asked on Fox News about the “blatant lies” and responded that he had “made a mistake.” Democrats, who will be in the minority during the upcoming session, are expected to pursue several avenues against the 34-year-old Santos, including a potential complaint with the Federal Election Commission and introducing a resolution to expel him once he’s a sitting member of Congress, according to a senior Democratic aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. “We need answers from George Santos. He appears to be a complete and utter fraud. His whole life story is made up,” the incoming House Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, told reporters last week. “He’s gonna have to answer that question: Did you perpetrate a fraud on the voters of the 3rd Congressional District of New York?” Questions were first raised about Santos earlier this month when The New York Times published an investigation into his resume and found a number of major discrepancies. Since then, Santos has admitted lying about having Jewish ancestry, lying about working for Wall Street banks and lying about obtaining a college degree."

Get this:

"Santos has yet to address other lingering questions, including the source of a personal fortune he appears to have amassed quickly despite recent financial problems, including evictions and owing thousands in back rent. Santos in November won a seat in the Long Island area represented by Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, making headlines as the first non-incumbent, openly gay Republican to be elected to Congress. If Santos assumes office, he could still face an investigation by the House ethics committee, which is responsible for reviewing allegations of misconduct by lawmakers. The committee, evenly decided between the parties, has the authority under the chamber’s rules to subpoena members for testimony or documents, and lawmakers are required to comply. Tom Rust, a committee spokesman, declined to comment this week on whether the committee can or would investigate Santos. Despite his actions occurring before joining the House, the committee has over the years held that it may investigate matters that violated laws, regulations or standards of conduct during an initial campaign for the House."

Clearly, needs to do so.

"But an ethics complaint may end up being the least of Santos’ problems."

Certainly, appears to be the case:

"Federal prosecutors in New York have started to examine Santos’ background and his financial dealings, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday. The person, who cautioned the review was in its early stages, said prosecutors were specifically interested in earnings that Santos accrued and are reviewing campaign finance filings. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing review and spoke on condition of anonymity. The district attorney in Nassau County, New York, announced on Wednesday an investigation into the fabrications Santos made while campaigning to represent the state’s 3rd district, which includes some Long Island suburbs and a small part of the New York City borough of Queens. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, a Republican, said the fabrications and inconsistencies were “nothing short of stunning.” “The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the third district must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress,” she said. “If a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it.” And on Thursday, the Queens County district attorney’s office said it was looking into whether any laws were broken by Santos. “We are reviewing whether Queens County has jurisdiction over any potential criminal offenses,” said a spokesperson for the agency, who did not want to be named because they were speaking about an open investigation."

At least, some Republicans are beginning to wake up:

"Rep.-elect Nick Lalota, a Republican whose district borders Santos’, issued a statement Wednesday calling for an ethics investigation into the allegations. “New Yorkers deserve the truth and House Republicans deserve an opportunity to govern without this distraction.”

ABC News reports:

"More discrepancies are emerging about New York Rep.-elect George Santos' background, adding to a growing list of fabrications and exaggerations that the incoming congressman has told about his life -- some of which have drawn the attention of prosecutors. In addition to having falsely said he attended Baruch College, which he has since admitted, another part of his education has now been challenged. On an archived version of his 2020 congressional website, Santos said he went to the elite private school Horace Mann in New York City but did not graduate due to financial difficulties for his family. He said he went on to obtain his GED. But a spokesperson for the school on Thursday confirmed to ABC News -- and other outlets -- that he never attended Horace Mann. An attorney for Santos, Joseph Murray, initially pushed back on scrutiny of his background as "defamatory," claiming it was a biased smear. Murray has since referred ABC News to Santos' press team, who has not responded to requests for comment."

Fascinating, isn't it? Not possible to credibly defend the indefensible.

"Another apparent contradiction in Santos' biography surrounds the death of his mother, Fatima Devolder. Santos' wrote in a tweet in 2021 that "9/11 claimed my mother's life…" In an archived version of his campaign website, he said that his mother worked in the South Tower of the World Trade Center and survived the terror attack but died "a few years later." Today, his website states that his mother died from cancer but does not disclose if it was related to 9/11 and being exposed to Ground Zero. Santos has seemingly revised the timeline of his mother's death as well. In a tweet from December 2021, he wrote that the date marked the five-year anniversary of his mom dying -- which would have been 2016 -- despite previously saying her death was a "few years" after 9/11. An obituary for his mother states that she died on Dec. 23, 2016, which matches Santos' tweet last year, but it's unclear how old she was when she died. The obituary said she was born in 1962, which means she would have been 54, but the obituary states that she was 64."

How can you trust anything a congenital liar claims?

"Santos has admitted to fabricating some parts of his background, including his education and employment history, and also exaggerating his Jewish ancestry. But he's insisted in interviews that he's "not a criminal," suggesting he was guilty merely of "embellishing."

A lie is a lie.

"I think humans are flawed, and we all make mistakes," Santos said during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. "I think we can all look at ourselves in the mirror and admit that once in our life we made a mistake. I'm having to admit this on national television for the whole country to see."

... And bullshit is bullshit.

"But Santos seemed to backtrack on some of his admissions of actual falsehoods on his resume during the Fox News interview, saying that his claim that he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup is "debatable" as Link Bridge, a firm he served as vice president for, did "extensive" business with the two Wall Street giants."

Surprised? ... Coming apparently from a congenital liar? Get this:

"Both Goldman and Citigroup have said they have no record he was employed there."

How about that?

"Santos, a Republican, has said he intends to take his House seat despite the controversy and "be effective" as a lawmaker, as he told The New York Post this week. He has been facing a growing chorus of criticism from Democrats and some fellow Republicans, including calls that he resign and be investigated by the House Ethics Committee. Local, state and federal prosecutors are also looking at some of the claims regarding Santos' background, including his financial disclosures, ABC News reported. He has not been accused of any crimes. Santos has allegedly been telling local Republican leaders he will not seek reelection in 2024, according to the Nassau County Republican chairman. In response to that information, Nassau County Republican Committee Chairman Joseph Cairo said, "I don't know what party would endorse him as a candidate. This Republican committee will not support George Santos in 2024." In Nassau County, in the district where Santos was elected last month, Courage for America and Unrig our Economy on Thursday held a press conference at the courthouse along with community leaders demanding Congress open an investigation."

Get this:

"Linda Beigel Schulman, who said she lived on Long Island her entire life, went after Santos for his false and unsubstantiated statements, such as previously saying in a news interview that he lost employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida. The New York Times reported that it could find no links between the identified Pulse victims and businesses associated with Santos. Beigel Schulman's son, Scott Beigel, was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting; he was a geography teacher at the school. "How dare he try to score political points or gain sympathy by lying about losing employees?" she said. "I know all too well and all too deep, the sense of loss and grief about someone you know or someone you love, who was killed by gun violence," she said. Beigel Schulman also said she took issue with Santos' exaggerations about his Jewish ancestry, with an earlier version of his biography saying his maternal grandparents fled persecution during World War II and resettled in Brazil. He has said his mother was Jewish. But The Forward, a Jewish news outlet, reviewed genealogical information and found that Santos' maternal grandparents were born in Brazil."

Surprised?

"During the New York Post interview, Santos said he's "clearly Catholic" but maintained that his grandmother told stories about being Jewish and later converting to Catholicism. "I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was 'Jew-ish,'" Santos said. "Santos' lies are insulting and demeaning to every child of a Holocaust survivor. How do I know because I am a child of a Holocaust survivor," Beigel Schulman said on Thursday. "Outright, blatant lying and fabrication by those who want to be our representatives should not be accepted by any of us."

Imagine the pain this woman is enduring.

"Santos' Democratic rival in the November election, Robert Zimmerman, spoke at the event, too. "We demand that Congress conduct a House ethics investigation into George Santos," Zimmerman said. "This moment is not about Democrat or Republican politics. This moment is about protecting our democracy, standing up for justice, and standing together in unity."

Without question. Sad, isn't it? This, the legacy the Trump nazi has left the Republicans? Certainly, does not appear to be the party of the late, great Sen. John McCain. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

Trump saga continues. NBC News reports:

"A House committee on Friday made public six years of former President Donald Trump's tax returns, which showed he paid relatively little in taxes in the years before and during his presidency."

Surprised? ... Is that why he fought so hard all those years to keep them from the public? Readers are reminded disclosure is the norm for occupants of the Oval Office. Without question, modern precedent.

"The House Ways and Means Committee had voted to make the thousands of pages of returns public in a party-line vote last week, but their release was delayed while staffers redacted sensitive personal information like Social Security numbers from the documents. Friday's release, the culmination of years of legal wrangling and speculation, included both personal and business records. Trump on Friday blasted the release in a statement and on his Truth Social platform, saying “the Democrats should have never done it, the Supreme Court should have never approved it, and it’s going to lead to horrible things for so many people." He also maintained the returns he fought to keep hidden — despite modern precedent that presidents make their returns public — "show how proudly successful I have been and how I have been able to use depreciation and various other tax deductions as an incentive for creating thousands of jobs and magnificent structures and enterprises.”

That right? Think so? Believe prosecutors will agree?

The following is abject bullshit. Simply, not true:

"The panel’s top Republican, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, called the release of the documents “unprecedented,” and said Democrats had unleashed “a dangerous new political weapon that reaches far beyond the former president, overturning decades of privacy protections for average Americans.” “This is a regrettable stain on the Ways and Means Committee and Congress, and will make American politics even more divisive and disheartening. In the long run, Democrats will come to regret it,” Brady said."

What a crock of shit. Certainly, demonstrates lack of any sense of principle over partisanship by the nazi element in the Republican Party. Not to neglect to mention the egregious paucity, indeed lack of moral turpitude of these die hard partisans who continue to express allegiance to a demonstrable, congenital liar.

"The returns confirm much of what was contained in a 39-page report from the Joint Committee on Taxation released last week, including summaries from Trump’s personal tax forms and business entities. For example, in 2020, Trump appeared to owe nothing in taxes, the report showed. That was thanks to Trump claiming $15 million in business losses, which resulted in him having negative $4 million in adjusted gross income. Trump then claimed a $5 million refund. That same year, Trump reported zero charitable donations, the returns show. That was an outlier for Trump during his time in office — he reported $1.8 million in charitable giving in 2017, and just over $500,000 in charitable donations in 2018 and 2019, the returns show. There was also some surprising income in 2020. Trump reported earning $133,173 from an unspecified book, but paid a ghost writer $44,201, leaving him about $89,000 in income. Melania Trump, meanwhile, reported earning $3,868 from modeling in 2020, with expenses of $3,868 completely offsetting the income."

Fascinating, isn't it?

"Trump reported millions in negative income in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020, and he paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017. In 2019, Trump and his wife, Melania, reported significant losses of more than $16.4 million but reported a total income of $4.4 million. The returns also show Trump had numerous foreign bank accounts between 2015 and 2016, including in China, the United Kingdom, Ireland and St. Martin. The existence of the China account was first reported by The New York Times in 2020. Trump Organization lawyer Alan Garten told the paper then that the company had “opened an account with a Chinese bank having offices in the United States in order to pay the local taxes” after opening an office “to explore the potential for hotel deals in Asia.” The other accounts were in countries where Trump had properties. His 2018 through 2020 returns only note having an account in the U.K. “I have many bank accounts and they’re all listed and they’re all over the place,” Trump said during an Oct. 2020 presidential debate. “I was a businessman doing business.”

That all?

Get this:

"The committee report also listed several overarching issues it believed the IRS should have investigated. For example, Trump claimed large cash donations to charities, but the report said the IRS did not verify them. The report also said that while Trump’s tax filings were large and complicated, the IRS does not appear to have assigned experts to work on them. The Ways and Means Committee separately released a 29-page report summarizing its investigation into an IRS policy that mandates audits of returns filed by presidents and vice presidents. The committee found that the IRS had largely not followed its own internal requirements, beginning to examine Trump’s returns only after the House panel inquired about the process. Just one year of Trump’s returns was officially selected for the mandatory review while he was in office, and that audit of Trump's 2016 taxes was not complete by the time he left the White House, according to the report."

Why not?

"An audit of Trump's 2015 taxes was started shortly before the 2016 audit in 2019 — the same day the Ways and Means committee asked for information on the mandatory audits. Neither the 2015 audit nor audits of Trump's 2017-19 taxes that began after he left office were marked as being part of the audit program, and as of last month, none had been marked as completed either, the committee said. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., a member of the House Oversight Committee, told MSNBC Friday, "I’m not thrilled about anyone’s tax returns being made public," but said Trump's case shows "the presidential audit program was completely broken." He said that the Ways and Means investigation showed "the IRS is just not equipped to deal with sophisticated taxpayers like Donald Trump. I think the internal records have revealed that the IRS didn’t feel like it could properly audit the 400 sub-returns that were indicated on Trump’s main 1040 tax return, and so I think it all speaks to the need for the IRS to get the resources they need to audit sophisticated taxpayers like Trump."

Think so? ... Or, is it time to simplify the tax code and eliminate all special tax breaks the wealthy top of the food chain enjoys by statute?

Readers are reminded:

"The committee obtained Trump's tax returns in November, following a yearslong court fight for documents that other presidents have routinely made public since the 1970s. The dispute ended up at the Supreme Court, which rejected Trump’s last-ditch plea to block the release of his tax records to House Democrats in a brief order handed down just before Thanksgiving. Trump's refusal to release his returns led to a swirl of suspicions about what he might be trying to hide — foreign business dealings, a smaller fortune than he'd claimed publicly or paying less in taxes than the average American. During the 2016 campaign, Trump maintained that he couldn't release his returns because they were under audit, and that he would make them public when it was completed — a vow he walked away from after he took office. Information about his taxes has dripped out over the years. In October 2016, The New York Times published some of Trump's 1995 state taxes and reported that he'd declared a $916 million loss that year. Three tax experts hired by the paper said the size of the loss and tax rules governing wealthy filers at the time could have allowed Trump to legally pay no federal income taxes for 18 years."

Report goes on and on in great detail. More on all this as the story develops.

NBC News reports:

"A federal judge indicated Wednesday that then-President Donald Trump's remarks on Jan. 6, 2021, telling a crowd to "fight like hell" before the Capitol attack could have signaled to his supporters that he wanted them "to do something more" than just protest."

You think?

"In a court order in the case against Jan. 6 defendant Alexander Sheppard, U.S. District Judge John Bates ruled that Sheppard could not raise the "public authority" defense at trial after his lawyer argued Trump had authorized his client's actions at the Capitol that day. Bates, who was appointed to the court by President George W. Bush, rejected that argument, ruling that "President Trump neither stated nor implied that entering the restricted area of the Capitol grounds and the Capitol building or impeding the certification of the electoral vote was lawful" and that therefore a public authority defense was not viable. "These words only encourage those at the rally to march to the Capitol — nothing more — and do not address legality at all. But, although his express words only mention walking down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol, one might conclude that the context implies that he was urging protesters to do something more — perhaps to enter the Capitol building and stop the certification," Bates wrote. In a footnote, Bates noted that his ruling was not out of step with the Jan. 6 committee's final report, which concluded that Trump acted "corruptly" because he knew stopping the certification was unlawful."

Why all the foot-dragging, special treatment, delay in prosecution of the very top of the food chain? Why no equal treatment?

"His ruling was the first to cite the House panel's report since it was made public last week. Bates further said phrases cited by the committee, such as “fight like hell,” could "signal to protesters that entering the Capitol and stopping the certification would be unlawful." "Thus, the conclusions reached here — that even if protesters believed they were following orders, they were not misled about the legality of their actions and thus fall outside the scope of any public authority defense — is consistent with the Select Committee’s findings," Bates wrote. He went on to say there was "simply no indication" that Trump informed the crowd that going into the Capitol would be legal. "His speech simply suggests that it would be an act of 'boldness' to 'stop the steal,'" Bates wrote. Several other defendants have tried to raise the public authority defense, including Danny Rodriguez, the MAGA-hatted Jan. 6 rioter who drove a stun gun into the neck of Michael Fanone, then a Washington, D.C., police officer. The strategy of blaming Trump has not proven effective at trial. Dustin Thompson, who was convicted on all counts, had told a jury that he was seeking Trump's "approval" and that he thought he was "following presidential orders." Thompson was sentenced to three years in federal prison for stealing a coat rack and a bottle of liquor as he was storming the Capitol."

Got what he deserved.

"In a filing in the Sheppard case this month, the Justice Department argued it was "objectively unreasonable to conclude that President Trump or any other Executive Branch official could authorize citizens to engage in violent or assaultive conduct toward law enforcement officers and interfere with the Electoral College proceedings that were being conducted," and it said Trump's speech did not advise Sheppard that his conduct was legal."

Time to charge and prosecute the kingpin who incited the insurrection. ... Well past due.

Uncommon Valor. By a Republican who stood tall at great personal cost. NBC News reports:

"Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said Sunday that he believes the Justice Department will charge former President Donald Trump after the House Jan. 6 committee concluded its investigation detailing his pressure campaign to overturn the election. “If this is not a crime, I don’t know what is. If a president can incite an insurrection and not be held accountable, then really there’s no limit to what a president can do or can’t do,” Kinzinger, a member of the committee, said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

No question.

“I think the Justice Department will do the right thing. I think he will be charged, and I frankly think he should be,” he continued, pointing to the findings of the committee’s formal report from its 18-month investigation into the deadly Capitol riot in 2021. Kinzinger said he believes Trump should be charged and convicted based on the evidence the committee uncovered. “If he is not guilty of a crime, then I frankly fear for the future of this country, because now every future president of this country can say here’s the bar — do everything you can to stay in power,” he said. Kinzinger, who decided against seeking re-election, was one of two GOP lawmakers on the Jan. 6 committee. The panel is set to dissolve when Republicans take over the House in the new Congress. The committee released its final report, spanning more than 800 pages, late last month after a final public meeting when all nine members voted to recommend that the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against Trump as he makes another bid for the White House in 2024. The full report details the committee’s arguments that largely blame Trump and his false claims of widespread election fraud for the Jan. 6 attack. Trump has repeatedly accused the committee of being driven by partisan politics. At the time of the criminal referrals, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung responded by repeating a statement the campaign has used previously, calling the panel a “Kangaroo court” that “held show trials by Never Trump partisans who are a stain on this country’s history.”

What a crock of shit. The true stain is the treasonous, traitorous Trump nazi. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

In follow-up to the Israeli aggressor-Benjamin Netanyahu fiasco covered earlier in this publication and elsewhere, NPR(AP) reports:

"Benjamin Netanyahu's incoming hard-line Israeli government put West Bank settlement expansion at the top of its priority list on Wednesday, vowing to legalize dozens of illegally built outposts and annex the occupied territory as part of its coalition deal with ultranationalist allies. The coalition agreements, released a day before the government is to be sworn into office, also included language endorsing discrimination against LGBTQ people on religious grounds, contentious judicial reforms, as well as generous stipends for ultra-Orthodox men who prefer to study instead of work. The package laid the groundwork for what is expected to be a stormy beginning for the country's most religious and right-wing government in history, potentially putting it at odds with large parts of the Israeli public, rankling Israel's closest allies and escalating tensions with the Palestinians. "What worries me the most is that these agreements change the democratic structure of what we know of as the state of Israel," said Tomer Naor, chief legal officer of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a watchdog group. "One day we'll all wake up and Netanyahu is not going to be prime minister, but some of these changes will be irreversible." The guidelines were led by a commitment to "advance and develop settlement in all parts of the land of Israel," including "Judea and Samaria," the biblical names for the West Bank."

Readers will recall:

"Israel captured the West Bank in 1967 along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem — territory the Palestinians seek for a future state. Israel has constructed dozens of Jewish settlements home to around 500,000 Israelis who live alongside around 2.5 million Palestinians. Most of the international community considers Israel's West Bank settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians. The United States already has warned the incoming government against taking steps that could further undermine hopes for an independent Palestinian state."

An issue dating back decades.

"In response to a request for comment, the Palestinian leadership emphasized that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be resolved only through the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital. Without a negotiated two-state solution, "there will be no peace, security or stability in the region," said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas."

Will certainly exacerbate violence in the region.

"Netanyahu, who served 12 years as prime minister, is returning to power after he was ousted from office last year. His new government is made up of ultra-Orthodox parties, a far-right ultranationalist religious faction affiliated with the West Bank settler movement and his Likud party. In the coalition agreement between Likud and its ally, the Religious Zionism party, Netanyahu pledged to legalize wildcat settlement outposts considered illegal even by the Israeli government. He also promises to annex the West Bank "while choosing the timing and considering the national and international interests of the state of Israel." Such a move would alienate much of the world, and give new fuel to critics who compare Israeli policies in the West Bank to apartheid South Africa. The deal also grants favors to Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right politician who will be in charge of the national police force as the newly created national security minister. It includes a commitment to expand and vastly increase government funding for the Israeli settlements in the divided West Bank city of Hebron, where a tiny ultranationalist Jewish community lives in heavily fortified neighborhoods amid tens of thousands of Palestinians. Ben-Gvir lives in a nearby settlement. The agreement also includes a clause pledging to change the country's anti-discrimination laws to allow businesses to refuse service to people "because of a religious belief."

Sadly, the Israeli aggressor is at least partially emulating the tactics of its Second World War oppressors, -- Adolf Hitler and the German Nazis. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"The legislation drew outrage earlier this week when members of Ben-Gvir's party said the law could be used to deny services to LGBTQ people. Netanyahu has said he will not let the law pass, but nonetheless left the clause in the coalition agreement."

Stunning, isn't it? Gets worse. Get this:

"Netanyahu and his allies also agreed to push through changes meant to overhaul the country's legal system — specifically, a bill that would allow parliament to overturn Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority of 61 lawmakers. Critics say the law will undermine government checks and balances and erode a critical democratic institution. They also say Netanyahu has a conflict of interest in pushing for the legal overhaul because he is currently on trial for corruption charges. "Since (the new government's) intention is to weaken the Supreme Court, we're not going to have the court as an institution that would help guard the principles of freedom and equality," Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank, told reporters. Two of Netanyahu's key ministers — incoming interior minister Aryeh Deri and Ben-Gvir — have criminal records. Deri, who served time in prison in 2002 for bribery, pleaded guilty to tax fraud earlier this year, and Netanyahu and his coalition passed a law this week to allow him to serve as a minister despite his conviction. Ben-Gvir was convicted in 2009 of inciting racism and supporting a terrorist organization. Israel's figurehead president, Isaac Herzog, on Wednesday expressed "deep concern" about the incoming government and its positions on LGBTQ rights, racism and the country's Arab minority in a rare meeting with Ben-Gvir, one of the coalition's most radical members. Herzog urged Ben-Gvir to "calm the stormy winds."

Will take far more than empty, hollow, meaningless rhetoric to do so.

"The government platform also mentioned that the loosely defined rules governing holy sites, including Jerusalem's flashpoint shrine known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, would remain the same. Ben-Gvir and other Religious Zionism politicians had called for the "status quo" to be changed to allow Jewish prayer at the site, a move that risked inflaming tensions with the Palestinians. The status of the site is the emotional epicenter of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In an interview with CNN published Wednesday, King Abdullah II of Jordan warned that his country would respond if Israel crossed red lines and tried to change the status of the sacred Jerusalem site, over which Jordan has custodianship. "If people want to get into a conflict with us, we're quite prepared," he said."

Time to wake up. Before too late.

NBC News(AP) reports:

"Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn into office Thursday, taking the helm of the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in Israel’s history and vowing to enact policies that could cause domestic and regional turmoil and alienate the country’s closest allies. Netanyahu took the oath of office moments after parliament passed a vote of confidence in his new government. His return marks his sixth term in office, continuing his more than decade-long dominance over Israeli politics. His new government has pledged to prioritize settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, extend massive subsidies to his ultra-Orthodox allies and push for sweeping reform of the judicial system that could endanger the country’s democratic institutions. The plans have sparked an unprecedented uproar from across Israeli society, including the military, LGBTQ rights groups, the business community and others. Netanyahu is the country’s longest serving prime minister, having held office from 2009 until 2021 and a stint in the 1990s. He was ousted from office last year after four deadlocked elections by a coalition of eight parties solely united in their opposition to his rule. Despite his political comeback, he remains on trial for charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three corruption cases. He denies all charges against him, saying he is the victim of a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media, police and prosecutors."

Sounds remarkably like the Trump nazi, doesn't he? Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.

"The diverse yet fragile coalition that toppled Netanyahu collapsed in June, and Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies secured a clear parliamentary majority in November’s election. “I hear the constant cries of the opposition about the end of the country and democracy,” said Netanyahu after taking the podium in parliament ahead of the government’s formal swearing-in on Thursday afternoon. His speech was interrupted repeatedly by heckles and jeers from opposition leadership, who at times chanted “weak.” “Opposition members: to lose in elections is not the end of democracy, this is the essence of democracy,” he said."

In the case of raw nazism? Get this:

"Netanyahu heads a government comprised of a hard-line religious ultranationalist party dominated by West Bank settlers, two ultra-Orthodox parties and his nationalist Likud party. His allies are pushing for dramatic changes that could alienate large swaths of the Israeli public, deepen the conflict with the Palestinians and put Israel on a collision course with some of its closest supporters, including the United States and the Jewish American community. Netanyahu’s government platform says that “the Jewish people have exclusive and indisputable rights” over the entirety of Israel and the Palestinian territories and promises to advance settlement construction in the occupied West Bank. That includes legalizing dozens of wildcat outposts and a commitment to annex the entire territory, a step that would draw heavy international opposition by destroying any remaining hopes for Palestinian statehood and add fuel to calls that Israel is an apartheid state if millions of Palestinians are not granted citizenship. Netanyahu’s previous administrations have been strong proponents of Israel’s West Bank settlement enterprise, and that is only expected to be kicked into overdrive under the new government."

No question.

"Israel’s new government has also raised concerns about the rollback of minority and LGBTQ rights. Outside parliament, several thousand demonstrators waved Israeli and rainbow Pride flags. “We don’t want fascists in the Knesset!” they chanted. Earlier this week, two members of the Religious Zionism party said they would advance an amendment to the country’s anti-discrimination law that would allow businesses and doctors to discriminate against the LGBTQ community on the basis of religious faith. Those remarks, along with the ruling coalition’s broadly anti-LGBTQ stance, have raised fears that the new administration would jeopardize their limited rights. Netanyahu has tried to allay those concerns by pledging no harm to LGBTQ rights. Yair Lapid, the outgoing prime minister who will now reassume the title of opposition leader, told parliament that he was handing the new government “a country in excellent condition, with a strong economy, with improved defensive abilities and strong deterrence, with one of the best international standings ever.” “Try not to destroy it. We’ll be back soon,” Lapid said."

Think so?

The effort to expose Wells Fargo egregious deceptive trade practices continues. Several years ago to determinedly apply renewed pressure on our truly worthless, egregiously self-serving Texas Attorney General, now Governor, an excoriating email was sent to the bastard. Copies of which were also passed on to both offending Wells Fargo officers. A copy was also sent to the Davis campaign and others at the time.

Voters did have a right to know as Attorney General, the GOP candidate for Governor apparently selectively investigated, or not, bona fide complaints filed by citizens against banks too big to fail. Possibly, Wells Fargo could have lined his pockets in some fashion. That has yet to be determined.

The bastard and his office, no matter what, failed to respond to the complaint originally snail mailed several years ago. This material, figuratively targeting Wells Fargo and the governor 'wannabe' now Governor, had been posted and can be found by scrolling all the way down and clicking on the links well below. ... Governor? Wells Fargo bribe you to look the other way?

Will continue to do all I can to publicly expose this to all, both in this publication and elsewhere. Have done precisely that with the following email sent to Matt Turner, Matt Turner Video Services, Marble Falls, TX. A copy of it was also sent to Wells Fargo officer Amanda Wright. She has, indeed, been promoted branch manager. Reverse Darwinism. Survival of the unfittest.

This young woman has indeed been rewarded by the Wells Fargo corporate management suite for engaging in criminal deceptive trade practices and her undying loyalty to her corporate masters. The process to update those already informed of this fiasco has finally been completed. This latest material can be found by clicking onWells Fargo Deceptive Trade Practices Salvo 240, 2-8-19 .

The name of this publication was changed some fifteen years ago from The Llano Ledger to Liberty In Peril. The reason? Simple. Cowardly failure of this community to stand up to tyranny that has only exponentially worsened the last decade and a half. Clearly, demonstrated as well by the cowardly failure of businesses to financially support this publication. Either through advertising or other financial support. Too afraid doing so would enrage the bastards who run and own this hellhole County.

-- Despite the fact these businesses were, and are, being egregiously f--ked by these very same bastards. Tough, isn't it? Impossible to entertain any sympathy for cowardice, however. Especially in view of the fact this writer has placed himself in great jeopardy taking on these corrupt, abusive, inept criminal bastards. Alone.

Exactly, why you see no investigative material highly critical of these sons of bitches in other local rags. Sadly, cowardly, all advertising income immediately dries up. Consequently, the bastards continue their criminal chicanery with impunity. On a rampage. Thus, you get what you truly deserve. Always. Precisely, why this earlier name change to Liberty In Peril remains appropriate. -- Despite the fact this writer has not yet left the area. Ten years after originally intending to do so. Thirty years in this goddamned godforsaken hellhole.

This writer, then and now, remains primarily interested in state, federal, and international issues. Another reason for this publication name change. Despite the fact I stupidly cluelessly remain here, local issues must be addressed. Can't be ignored. That's where you come in dear readers. Have the courage to inform this writer of local abuse, corruption, ineptness you are aware of, have personally experienced.

... Information these criminal bastards do all they can to conceal, cover up. Otherwise, how can they effectively sustain the charade and intended result? Loot confiscation through a boot heel on the throat of the citizenry.

The only way, short of an unwanted dreaded second American revolution, to force badly-needed change is to expose all this to the light of day. These bastards are beginning to understand they have a problem. No question, the growing rage of those they've abused, looted, egregiously f--ked. It's time to stand up. Expose this corruption to glaring sunlight. Otherwise, as fools, cowards, you will remain under their thumb. From the loftiest business owner to those on the bottom of the food chain. Wake up. Grow a pair.

Still don't think that likely to happen. After all, you're bought and paid for. Owned. Not only by your government masters, but their masters. The corporate management suite. Your employers. Think not? Wake up. You're human chattel. Corporate-owned, bought and paid for. Precisely, why you cowardly, compliantly, literally bare your asses for corporate inspection by the company doctor. Willingly, compliantly, cowardly piss in a cup under employer supervision. To sit in front of a keyboard or stock shelves all day. You have no control of your lives. You're owned. Forget? For a measly salary, no job security, reduced to no benefits. At a time of record corporate profits and cash reserves.

Then, you gallingly complain about the oppression as you tolerate egregious theft of your labor. Not only by your corporate masters, but their bought and paid for government lackeys. Too cowardly to stand up, allow disclosure of your identity when you rightfully complain to this publication of being mercilessly f--ked. Some of you falsely arrested, criminally assaulted, bogusly fined for 'offenses' you did not commit. To line County coffers. Keep the peasants in line and under control. A fascist police-state. Nazi America.

Again, yet another reason why this publication is called Liberty In Peril. Most galling? Nothing changes if you fail to step up and challenge corrupt, abusive, inept authority. Too afraid, cowardly compliant to let the bastards know who you are. Did it ever occur to the cowards out there if the identity of the accuser is kept under wraps the bastards will falsely claim it's all made up by this publication? Thus, conveniently killing all credibility. Wake up.

Cowardice is unbecoming, unworthy of our formerly great country. Insult to injury? There are the hopelessly deranged who believe the chicanery reported here to be manufactured anyway. No matter the effort. No matter the research. No matter the proof. Wake up. This writer cannot do it alone. Snowball's chance in hell. Then again, cowardice, delusion is always amply, justly rewarded. Always. You continue to 'enjoy' the very best government money can buy. Literally.

Tim Chorney

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
Formerly,
The Llano Ledger
United States Of America

Cannot do it alone. Impossible. Not sustainable. This publication needs your financial and material support. Both. Time to step up.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril
... Formerly
The Llano Ledger

Previous Newsletter
Next Newsletter
Back To Home Page
Tim Chorney, Publisher
libertyinperil@protonmail.com