U.S. Supreme Court Sotormayor’s Dissent, Focus on Color

Posted on June 20, 2016June 20, 2016 by Denise Simon

Sotomayor Dissent Reads Like ‘A Black Lives Matter Manifesto’

Kevin Daley/DailyCaller: U.S. . Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor submitted a racially-charged dissent in a Fourth Amendment case on Monday, which commentators hailed as a “Brown/Black Lives Matter manifesto.”

The case, Utah v. Strieff, was occasioned when police stopped Salt Lake City man Edward Strieff on leaving a house suspected to quarter drug activity. The state of Utah concedes the initial stop was illegal, as the officers in question had no probable cause to seize and search Strieff.

During the course of the stop, officers discovered Strieff had an outstanding warrant for a small traffic violation, and methamphetamine in his pocket. The Court was asked to decide whether the exclusionary rule — which prohibits police and prosecutors from using evidence obtained illegally — applies when an officer learns during an illegal stop that there is a warrant for an individual’s arrest, and finds additional contraband while executing the arrest on said warrant.

The High Court ruled 5-3 that the arrest, and the evidence obtained during the arrest, were legitimate, even if the initial stop was not. Justice Thomas wrote the majority opinion, joined by the Chief Justice, and Justices Kennedy, Breyer, and Alito.

Sotomayor filed a peppery dissent, joined in part by Justice Ginsburg.

“The white defendant in this case shows that anyone’s dignity can be violated in this manner,” she wrote. “But it is no secret that people of color are disproportionate victims of this type of scrutiny. For generations, black and brown parents have given their children ‘the talk’— instructing them never to run down the street; always keep your hands where they can be seen; do not even think of talking back to a stranger—all out of fear of how an officer with a gun will react to them.”

“We must not pretend that the countless people who are routinely targeted by police are ‘isolated,’” she continued. “They are the canaries in the coal mine whose deaths, civil and literal, warn us that no one can breathe in this atmosphere.”

Elsewhere in the dissent, she characterizes the United States as a “carceral state,” and pillories the “civil death” endured by those subject to arrest, a process she describes in vivid terms. She also accuses the Court of treating minority communities as “second class citizens.”

The dissent’s citations are as interesting as the text itself, which read like a survey of the American black literary tradition. At various points, she cites “The Souls of Black Folk,” by W. E. B. Du Bois, Michelle Alexander, a law professor who has written extensively on over incarceration, and the more radical works of James Baldwin and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Sotomayor has written passionately on racial issues before. Liberal commentators were effusive in their praise of her dissent in Schuette v. Coalition To Defend Affirmative Action, among the most widely read of the Court’s opinions in recent years.

“Race matters to a young woman’s sense of self when she states her hometown, and then is pressed, ‘No, where are you really from?’, regardless of how many generations her family has been in the country,” she wrote. “Race matters to a young person addressed by a stranger in a foreign language, which he does not understand because only English was spoken at home. Race matters because of the slights, the snickers, the silent judgments that reinforce that most crippling of thoughts: ‘I do not belong here.’”

Liberals observers lionized the dissent within minutes of its publication. Lawyer and journalist Glenn Greenwald said the opinion is a “perfect illustration of why diversity matters.” Adam Bonin, a Philadelphia attorney and DailyKos blogger, called it “epic and important.” “It’s a Brown/Black Lives Matter manifesto,” he added.

WH Ignoring Law Banning Russian Arms to Iran

Posted on June 20, 2016June 20, 2016 by Denise Simon

Obama Admin Under Scrutiny for Ignoring U.S. Law Banning Russian Arms Sale to Iran

White House stalls congressional inquiry into its failure to invoke law

FreeBeacon: The Obama administration is stalling a congressional inquiry into its ongoing refusal to uphold a U.S. law that would sanction Russia for selling advanced missile systems to Iran, according to recent communications between the State Department and Congress exclusively obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

President Obama has the authority under U.S. law to designate as illegal Russia’s recent sale to Iran of the advanced S-300 missile system, a long-range weapon that would boost the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities.

The administration has so far declined to exercise its sanction authority under law and has been stalling attempts by Congress to discern the rationale behind this decision, prompting accusations that the administration is ignoring U.S. law and “acquiescing” to the sale in order to preserve last summer’s comprehensive nuclear deal.

Rep. Steve Chabot (R., Ohio), who first launched an inquiry challenging the administration’s reluctance to sanction the sale in early April, told the Free Beacon that the White House is continuing to punt questions from lawmakers, jeopardizing efforts by Western nations to block the arms sale.

The administration informed Chabot on June 8—more than two months after his initial request—that it has not reached a determination as to whether it will move forward with sanctions as specified under the law.

Obama administration officials reiterated this stance when contacted by the Free Beacon late last week.

“Frankly, I’m disappointed in the administration’s response to my letter requesting a quick determination that Russia’s transfer of the S-300 missile system to Iran is progressing their efforts to acquire advanced conventional weapons systems,” Chabot told the Free Beacon. “Unfortunately, the administration’s abysmal response indicates that they are more than reluctant to provide a determination on this case—which is exceptionally disconcerting considering the administration admits they have been trying to persuade Russia not to proceed with the weapon transfer.”

U.S. officials continue to avoid specifying whether the president will use current U.S. laws to designate the sale as illicit and place sanctions upon Russia.

This power, granted under the Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Act of 1992, allows the president to sanction any sale of “advanced conventional weapons” to Iran by other nations.

Obama administration officials have not explained why the law is still not being followed months after Russia announced it had made good on the multi-million dollar arms sale to Iran.

“We regret the delay in responding to your inquiry,” the State Department informed Chabot in its most recent communication, according to a copy viewed by the Free Beacon.

While the administration remains “concerned” about the S-300 sale, it is not prepared to take action, according to the State Department, which was ordered by the White House to provide Chabot’s office with a response.

“We remain concerned about this and have strongly urged Russia not to proceed with the sale of an S-300 system to Iran, as the transfer of these surface-to-air weapons systems to Iran would add to tension in the region and be clearly inconsistent with our common nonproliferation goals,” the State Department wrote to Chabot.

“The Department will continue to implement, as required, the various sanctions authorities we have to support our non-proliferation priorities,” the letter adds.

A State Department official further told the Free Beacon it has not yet decided how to react to the sale.

“We’re continuing to closely follow reports concerning the delivery of the S-300 missile system from Russia to Iran,” said the official, who was not authorized to speak on record. “We have not yet made any determination as to whether this delivery, if and when complete, would trigger any actions under U.S. authorities.”

Lawmakers, as well as reporters, have been trying for months to obtain answers from the administration about the sale. So far, U.S. officials have declined to provide a rationale as to why the administration has not exercised its sanction authority.

“These systems would significantly bolster Iran’s offensive capabilities and introduce new obstacles to our efforts to eliminate the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon. I believe existing U.S. sanctions should be used to deter Russia from transferring this or other dangerous weapons systems to Iran,” Chabot wrote in his initial inquiry to the White House.

Obama administration officials are fighting against enforcing U.S. laws designating the sale in order to keep Iran from breaking its commitments under the nuclear agreement, according to one foreign policy adviser who works intimately with Congress on the issue.

“The Obama administration seems willing to let Iran get away with anything, up to and including acquiring destabilizing weapons that will remake the military balance in the Middle East, just to preserve the nuclear deal,” the source said. “It’s difficult to imagine what would ever trigger U.S. action, if importing these missiles that make Iran immune from outside pressure isn’t enough. Critics of the Iran deal predicted a lot of this, but the collapse on S-300s is worse than many of them imagined.”

What the DoJ Wont Tell you About Mateen’s Father

Posted on June 20, 2016June 20, 2016 by Denise Simon

IPTNews: by Abha Shankar

The father of Orlando mass shooter Omar Mateen has longstanding connections to prominent Islamist groups in the U.S., a document discovered by the Investigative Project on Terrorism shows. Seddique Matin is listed as president of a then-new American Muslim Alliance (AMA) chapter in Fort Pierce in a July 1997 announcement archived by the IPT.

The AMA sponsored several radical conferences in the U.S. and its leader, Agha Saeed, has spoken in defense of convicted terrorists, including Aafia Siddiqui (a.k.a “Lady al-Qaida”), Palestinian Islamic Jihad board member Sami Al-Arian, and Pakistani intelligence lobbyist Ghulam Nabi Fai.

The Fort Pierce chapter is among 10 new AMA chapters opened, the announcement in an AMA bulletin says.

AMA was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in California in 1994 “to educate the Muslim community and others on the history and laws of the United States and on affirmative participation in civic activities on a non-partisan basis.” AMA’s political activist wing, the American Muslim Political Coordinating Council (AMPCC), includes leading Islamist organizations in the U.S. including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), and the American Muslim Council (AMC).

AMA no longer exists as a registered nonprofit and it last filed tax returns in 2010. But the organization continues to maintain an active Facebook account. In its posts, the AMA refuses to consider any Islamist motivation for the attack and lays the blame for Omar Mateen’s massacre which killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub solely on the country’s lax gun laws.

The organization has a history of working with radical Islamist groups and has issued statements in support of several terrorists later convicted in the U.S. The FBI cut off outreach communication with CAIR, for example, after uncovering evidence placing the organization and its leaders in a U.S.-based Hamas-support network.

In October 2000, AMA co-sponsored a rally in Washington’s Lafayette Park where AMC’s then-executive director Abdurahman Alamoudi announced his support for Hamas and Hizballah.

In 2004, Alamoudi was sentenced to 23 years in prison for illegal financial dealings with Libya. He also confessed to taking part in a Libyan plot to assassinate then-crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

In 2003, Saeed testified on Al-Arian’s behalf, describing the man who ran “the active arm” of Palestinian Islamic Jihad as “my friend and during the last ten years we have worked together to mainstream American politics. We have worked together to replace the culture of despair with culture of hope and the culture of bullet with the culture of ballot.” AMA’s website also featured a section entitled “Valiant Civil Rights Struggle of Dr. Sami Al Arian.”

Saeed also penned an op-ed along with CAIR’s then-national board chairman Parvez Ahmed that called for Al-Arian’s release from prison during a subsequent contempt case. The op-ed criticized U.S. counterterrorism efforts claiming “the saga of Dr. Sami Al-Arian is a repeat of past incidents in American history in which our government targeted individuals using unconstitutional and un-American tactics.”

Saeed advocated “armed resistance” at a 1999 Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) in Chicago: “United Nations has a resolution…which says… people in Palestine have the right to resist their oppression by using all means including armed resistance….” Saeed was featured as a guest speaker at Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) conventions. Evidence unearthed in a Hamas-financing trial in Dallas, showed IAP served as a propaganda machine for the terrorist group in the U.S.

At AMA’s 7^th Annual National Convention in October 2002, Agha Saeed indirectly blamed the U.S. for the 9/11 attacks. Osama bin Laden was contemptible, he said. “But I would like to say very respectfully, who brought Osama bin Laden from Saudi Arabia to Afghanistan? Who gave him million[s] of dollars? Who trained him in [the] science of war, death and destruction, deception and deceit? Who gave protection to his cause and diplomatic coverage to his enterprise? Was it not President Reagan, when he had to see mujahideen at the White House, he said, ‘When I meet you I feel as if I am in the company of the founding fathers of this country?'”

Years after working with AMA and its Islamist allies, the senior Mateen, who hosts the Durand Jirga Show from California on the YouTube channel Payam-e-Afghan, has been reported to be an ideological supporter of the Taliban. He can be seen in one video declaring his candidacy for the Afghan presidency. In another video, Mateen can be seen praising the Afghan Taliban and referring to the terrorist group as “our warrior brothers,” the Washington Post reports.

While little information is known about Seddique Mateen’s work with the AMA, the 1997 newsletter shows the Orlando shooter’s father has worked for years with some of the most visible and radical Islamists in the United States.

DoJ Released Censored 911 Calls from Orlando Attack

Posted on June 20, 2016June 20, 2016 by Denise Simon

Afternoon update: Fortunately, the emergency service call centre records all their calls using Transcription Services. From this, although the FBI are under great pressure, they release the full transcript of ONE call.

Transcript of Orlando Police Department 911 Calls, June 12, 2016

2:35 a.m.: Shooter contacted a 911 operator from inside Pulse. The call lasted approximately 50 seconds, the details of which are set out below:

(OD)   Orlando Police Dispatcher

(OM)   Omar Mateen

OD:     Emergency 911, this is being recorded.

OM:     In the name of God the Merciful, the beneficent [Arabic]

OD:     What?

OM:     Praise be to God, and prayers as well as peace be upon the prophet of God [Arabic]. I wanna let you know, I’m in Orlando and I did the shootings.

OD:     What’s your name?

OM:     My name is I pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of the Islamic State.

OD:     Ok, What’s your name?

OM:     I pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may God protect him [Arabic], on behalf of the Islamic State.

OD:     Alright, where are you at?

OM:     In Orlando.

OD:     Where in Orlando?

[End of call.]

From the FBI: Release full summary.

All the additional important facts of war, terror and national security are redacted and or omitted. Sigh..

Omar was in an active exchange of gunfire with law enforcement until he barricaded himself in the bathroom with hostages. At this time, an estimated 3 hours, several things were going on, he was calling media outlets, he was searching the internet and mostly law enforcement were taking his words and statements as facts including have several suicide vests, a vehicle with explosives and he would kill the hostages. Law Enforcement brought in a negotiation team and actively engaged Omar. During this time, other resources were deployed including efforts to obtain live inside the club video, reaching hostages and to determine how and where a ‘bearcat’ would be used to rescue those held inside. Once the breach was made the second live fire exchange took place and Omar was eventually killed.

FBI Releases Transcripts of 911 Calls from Orlando Massacre

NBC: The FBI on Monday began releasing transcripts of 911 calls from the Orlando nightclub massacre.

Orlando Police Dispatcher (OD): Emergency 911, this is being recorded.

Shooter (OM): In the name of God the Merciful, the beneficial [in Arabic]

OD: What?

OM: Praise be to God, and prayers as well as peace be upon the prophet of God [in Arabic]. I let you know, I’m in Orlando and I did the shootings.

OD: What’s your name?

OM: My name is I pledge of allegiance to [omitted].

OD: Ok, What’s your name?

OM: I pledge allegiance to [omitted] may God protect him [in Arabic], on behalf of [omitted].

OD: Alright, where are you at?

OM: In Orlando.

OD: Where in Orlando?

[End of call.]

News Release from the FBI:

www.fbi.gov/Tampa @FBITampa www.facebook.com/FBI Follow us at:

NEWS RELEASE

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Tampa Field Office

FBI Media Representative:

Special Agent Amy Pittman

Phone Number: (813) 253-1000

For Immediate Distribution: June 20, 2016

Investigative Update Regarding Pulse Nightclub Shooting

ORLANDO – In order to provide an update on the progress of the investigation into the Pulse nightclub shooting, the FBI is releasing an excerpt from the timeline of events inside the Pulse nightclub during the early morning hours of Sunday, June 12, 2016. Out of respect for the victims of this horrific tragedy, law enforcement will not be releasing audio of the shooter’s 911 calls at this time,nor will law enforcement be releasing audio or transcripts of the calls made by victims at the Pulse nightclub during the incident. Furthermore, the name of the shooter and that of the person/group to whom he pledged allegiance are omitted.

The following is based on Orlando Police Department (OPD) radio communication (times are approximate):

2:02 a.m.: OPD call transmitted multiple shots fired at Pulse nightclub.

2:04a.m.: Additional OPD officers arrived on scene.

2:08 a.m.: Officers from various law enforcement agencies made entrance to Pulse and engaged the shooter.

2:18 a.m.: OPD S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons & Tactics) initiated a full call-out.

2:35 a.m.: Shooter contacted a 911 operator from inside Pulse. The call lasted approximately 50 seconds, the details of which are set out below:

Orlando Police Dispatcher (OD) Shooter (OM)

OD: Emergency 911, this is being recorded.

OM: In the name of God the Merciful, the beneficial [in Arabic] OD: What?

OM: Praise be to God, and prayers as well as peace be upon the prophet of God [in Arabic]. I let you know, I’m in Orlando and I did the shootings.

OD: What’s your name? OM: My name is I pledge of allegiance to [omitted]. OD: Ok, What’s your name?

OM: I pledge allegiance to [omitted] may God protect him [in Arabic], on behalf of [omitted].

OD: Alright, where are you at? www.fbi.gov/Tampa @FBITampa www.facebook.com/FBI Follow us at:

OM: In Orlando.

OD: Where in Orlando?

[End of call.]

(Shortly thereafter, the shooter engaged in three conversations with OPD’s Crisis Negotiation Team.)

2:48 a.m.: First crisis negotiation call occurred lasting approximately nine minutes.

3:03 a.m.: Second crisis negotiation call occurred lasting approximately 16 minutes.

3:24 a.m.: Third crisis negotiation call occurred lasting approximately three minutes.

In these calls, the shooter, who identified himself as an Islamic soldier, told the crisis negotiator that he was the person who pledged his allegiance to [omitted], and told the negotiator to tell America to stop bombing Syria and Iraq and that is why he was “out here right now.” When the crisis negotiator asked the shooter what he had done, the shooter stated, “No, you already know what I did.” The shooter continued, stating, “There is some vehicle outside that has some bombs, just to let you know. You people are gonna get it, and I’m gonna ignite it if they try to do anything stupid.” Later in the call with the crisis negotiator, the shooter stated that he had a vest, and further described it as the kind they “used in France.” The shooter later stated, “In the next few days, you’re going to see more of this type of action going on.” The shooter hung up and multiple attempts to get in touch with him were unsuccessful.

4:21 a.m.: OPD pulled an air conditioning unit out of a Pulse dressing room window for victims to evacuate.

(While the FBI will not be releasing transcripts of OPD communication with victims, significant information obtained from those victims allowed OPD to gain knowledge of the situation inside Pulse.)

4:29 a.m.: As victims were being rescued, they told OPD the shooter said he was going to put four vests with bombs on victims within 15 minutes.

(An immediate search of the shooter’s vehicle on scene and inside Pulse ultimately revealed no vest or improvised explosive device.)

5:02 a.m.: OPD SWAT and OCSO Hazardous Device Team began to breach wall with explosive charge and armored vehicle to make entry.

5:14 a.m.: OPD radio communicationstated that shots were fired.

5:15 a.m.: OPD radio communication stated that OPD engaged the suspect and the suspect wasreported down.

Based on OPD radio communications, there were no reports of shots being fired inside Pulse between the initial exchange of gunfire between responding officers and shooter, www.fbi.gov/Tampa @FBITampa www.facebook.com/FBI Follow us at:

and the time of the final breach. During this time, the shooter communicated with an OPD 911 operator and an OPD crisis negotiator, and OPD radio communications reported that victims were being rescued.

The FBI urges the public to provide information about the shooter and any contact they may have had with him. Since the release of the FBI’s Seeking Information poster, the FBI has received thousands of tips. The FBI will investigate every tip.

To provide a tip, please call1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Islamic State Threatens U.S. Military Bases

Posted on June 20, 2016June 20, 2016 by Denise Simon

S. Korea beefs up security after Islamic State threatens US bases

Stripes: SEOUL, South Korea— The South Korean government said Monday it will step up security measures against potential terrorist threats after U.S. air bases and a South Korean civilian reportedly appeared on a list of targets circulated by a pro-Islamic State group of hackers.

Gen. Vincent Brooks, U.S. Forces Korea commander, and Gen. Lee Soon-jim, of the South Korean joint chiefs of staff, receive a briefing at the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone Thursday, May 12, 2016. The South Korean government reported Monday that U.S. bases and a South Korean civilian appeared on a list of targets circulated by pro-Islamic State hackers.

U.S. Forces Korea said the alert levels at military installations on the divided peninsula have not changed but stressed it is ready to respond “at any time to any emerging threats.”

Concern was raised over the weekend when South Korea’s state spy agency said Islamic State has called for attacks by revealing the locations of 77 U.S. and NATO air force installations, including Osan and Kunsan air bases, on messaging services. A South Korean employee of a welfare organization also was listed, the agency said.

The list included targets in several countries and was a troubling reminder that South Korea faces possible threats beyond its longtime rival to the north. The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty. Some 28,500 American servicemembers are stationed in the South.

The National Intelligence Service statement warned that “terror against South Korean citizens and foreigners in this country is becoming a reality.”

The spy agency apparently was referring to a so-called kill list released earlier this month by a pro-ISIS hacking group known as the United Cyber Caliphate with the names, addresses and email addresses of more than 8,000 people. It was not clear how or why the individuals were selected.

The group also published satellite images showing U.S. air bases around the world, although the same images can be found on Google Earth, according to Vocativ, a media and technology company that reported on the list on June 8.

NIS said it had told the U.S. military and South Korean military and police agencies to be on guard and to provide sufficient protection for the facilities mentioned by the group.

USFK said it takes the safety of the installations very seriously and remains committed to ensuring the highest degree of security on the peninsula.

“Through constant vigilance and regular exercises with our South Korean counterparts, we remain prepared to respond at any time to any emerging threats,” it said in an emailed statement.

South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Monday that the government will come up with measures to prevent terrorist attacks, the Yonhap news agency reported. He said the nation’s counterterrorism center also will increase investigations and take every possible step to protect the public.

“The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has been citing South Korea as a potential target for its attacks since last September,” Hwang was quoted as saying.

**** From SCMagazine in April:

Several ISIS hacking groups announced on social media that they have joined forces to form a mega hacking group called United Cyber Caliphate (UCC).

Last week, threat actors in the group posted the names and addresses of 3,602 of the “most important citizens” of #NewYork and #Brooklyn and called for ISIS sympathizers to use the information to carry out lone wolf attacks, according to Techworm.

The list includes about 3,000 ordinary New Yorkers who have no specific ties to the government. The majority of the people on the list live in Manhattan and Brookly and each will receive a visit from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the NYPD to discuss the issue, according to NBC4 New York.

During the same time, the group reportedly defaced the website of a Michigan church, leaving behind ISIS propaganda as part of a larger campaign using the “#KillCrusaders” hashtag.

UCC also claimed to have launched a cyberattack against the U.S. State Department that resulted in the leaked the data of about 50 employees, and defacement campaigns that targeted multiple Australian websites and the Russian Federal Customs Service.

The group also took credit for an attack that leaked the data of 18,000 Saudi Ministry of Defense and Aviation employees.

Update 4/27: UCC this week published a new kill list featuring names linked to the U.S. State Department, the DHS and other federal agencies, according to a report from Vocativ.