Conservative Blogger
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Trump calls Kate Steinle verdict 'disgraceful,' says 'no wonder' people are 'angry with illegal immigration'
“A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case!” Trump tweeted after the jury rejected possible charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder. “No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration.”
Early Friday, Trump reaffirmed his support for the border wall and warned Democrats they will pay a "big price" in future elections for being "weak" on crime.
Jim Steinle, who was walking with his 32-year-old daughter when she was killed, echoed Trump’s sentiments, telling the San Francisco Chronicle the family was saddened and shocked by the verdict.
"There's no other way you can coin it. Justice was rendered, but it was not served," he said in what he called the last interview he would do about the case.
A jury earlier Thursday found Jose Ines Garcia Zarate not guilty in Steinle’s killing on a San Francisco pier during the presidential primary campaign in 2015.
U.S. immigration officials said they will deport Garcia Zarate, who had been deported five times and was wanted for a sixth deportation when Steinle was fatally shot in the back while walking with her father.
The killing touched off a fierce national immigration debate, and was used by then-candidate Trump to push for a wall on the Mexican border.
"From Day 1 this case was used as a means to foment hate, to foment division and to foment a program of mass deportation. It was used to catapult a presidency along that philosophy of hate of others," defense attorney Francisco Ugarte said after the verdict. "I believe today is a day of vindication for the rest of immigrants."
The case spotlighted San Francisco's "sanctuary city" policy, which limits local officials from cooperating with U.S. immigration authorities.
Politics, however, did not come up in the month-long trial that featured extensive testimony from ballistics experts. Defense attorneys argued that Garcia Zarate was a hapless homeless man who killed Steinle in a freak accident. Prosecutors said he meant to shoot and kill her.
Garcia Zarate did not deny shooting Steinle and said it was an accident.
Jurors did find him guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, meaning he knowingly had a firearm but there was no intent for him to hurt or shoot anyone. Public Defender Jeff Adachi said the count carries a potential sentence of 16 months to three years behind bars.
The family did not attend the reading of the verdict. Jurors left without comment and the judge sealed their names.
Before the shooting, Garcia Zarate finished a federal prison sentence for illegal re-entry into the United States and had been transferred to San Francisco's jail in March 2015 to face a 20-year-old charge for selling marijuana.
New York Dems Cuomo, de Blasio still seem at odds
It’s difficult to say what’s colder in New York
these days – the winter weather or the frosty feud between the state’s
two most prominent Democrat office holders.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was sworn in for a second term on New Year’s Day, in a frigid 14-degree outdoor ceremony, with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders imported from Vermont to officiate.
Where was New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo? He was out on Long Island, swearing in a suburban county executive.Odd couple
Though members of the same party, de Blasio and Cuomo have long been the Democrats’ odd couple.
In September, for example, Cuomo refused to endorse any candidate in New York’s mayor’s race, the New York Post reported, even though progressive de Blasio was a solid favorite to win re-election.
Then in November, the pair seemed to be fighting over who should be considered more “anti-Trump,” the Post reported, citing a fundraising letter in which the more centrist Cuomo urged his supporters to protest outside a Dec. 2 Trump fundraising event in Manhattan.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, left, administers the oath of office
as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is sworn in for a second term, in
New York City, Jan. 1, 2018.
(Associated Press)
Joke from Clinton
The long-running tiff was even a source of public mockery from then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at a New York political dinner just prior to the 2016 presidential election.
Her Republican rival, Donald Trump, was also in attendance.
“Your eminence,” Clinton said to the evening’s host, Roman Catholic Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan, “you do deserve great credit for bringing together two people who've been at each other's throats — mortal enemies, bitter foes.
“I've got to ask: How did you get the governor and mayor here together tonight?”
De Blasio won re-election in November, becoming the first Democrat to return to City Hall in New York since Edward Koch won a third term in 1985."I've got to ask: How did you get the governor and mayor here together tonight?"
Hillary Clinton joked about the Cuomo-de Blasio feud during the 2016 presidential campaign.
(Associated Press)
Why was Sanders the choice to swear in de Blasio? Perhaps because Sanders stumped for de Blasio during the mayoral campaign, where he referred to de Blasio as “the opposite” of President Donald Trump – a characterization undoubtedly popular with de Blasio’s progressive base.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has called New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio "the opposite" of President Donald Trump.
Aside from being ideological allies, Sanders and de Blasio also each have ties to Brooklyn. Sanders was born in the New York City borough, and de Blasio has called it home for many years.
With new year, California becomes 'sanctuary state'
California became a "sanctuary state" Monday, as a
bill that Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law in October
officially took effect.
The law bars police in the nation's
most populous state from asking people about their immigration status or
participating in federal immigration enforcement activities in most
cases, Fox News reported.
The Golden State is home to an estimated 2.3 million illegal immigrants.“These are uncertain times for undocumented Californians and their families, and this bill strikes a balance that will protect public safety, while bringing a measure of comfort to those families who are now living in fear everyday,” Brown said on the day he signed the bill.
But the measure has drawn a rebuttal from an unidentified source, as signs mocking the law have appeared below the "Welcome to California" signs that greet motorists as they enter from Arizona and Nevada.
"OFFICIAL SANCTUARY STATE," the signs declare. "Felons, Illegals and MS13 Welcome! Democrats Need The Votes!"
California passed the bill just as the Trump administration was pledging to crack down on sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Trump repeatedly pointed to the case of Kate Steinle, a woman who was fatally shot July 1, 2015, on a San Francisco pier by an illegal immigrant. The defendant went on trial for murder, but was acquitted in November 2017.
“No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration," the president tweeted after the verdict, which he labeled "disgraceful."
Other members of the Trump administration spoke out against the California proposal.
“The bill risks the safety of good law enforcement officers and the safety of the neighborhoods that need their protection the most,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in September, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Added Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: “By passing this bill, California politicians have chosen to prioritize politics over public safety.
“Disturbingly, the legislation serves to codify a dangerous policy that deliberately obstructs our country’s immigration laws and shelters serious criminal alien offenders," Homan's statement continued.
Prior to Brown's approval, California's Legislature passed the measure in September.
Leaked meeting notes show how panicked Iranian regime considered stopping deadly protests: 'God help us'
A leaked report provided to Fox News shows how
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with political leaders
and heads of the country's security forces to discuss how to tamp down
on the deadly nationwide protests.
The report covered several meetings
up to December 31 and was provided to the National Council of Resistance
of Iran (NCRI) from what it said were high level sources from within
the regime.
The meeting notes, which have been translated into
English from Farsi, said the unrest has hurt every sector of the
country's economy and “threatens the regime’s security. The first step,
therefore, is to find a way out of this situation.”The report added, “Religious leaders and the leadership must come to the scene as soon as possible and prevent the situation (from) deteriorating further.” It continued, “God help us, this is a very complex situation and is different from previous occasions.”
As the protests continue to spread, the total number dead rose Monday to at least 13, including a police officer shot and killed with a hunting rifle in the central city of Najafabad.
According to NCRI sources and reports from within Iran, at least 40 cities across Iran witnessed protests Monday, including in the capital city of Tehran. These reports state that slogans heard included “Death to the dictator,” and “the leader lives like God while the people live like beggars.”
The regime's notes claimed protesters “started chanting the ultimate slogans from day one. In Tehran today, people were chanting slogans against Khamenei and the slogans used yesterday were all against Khamenei.”
The notes added that the intelligence division of the feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is “monitoring the situation” and “working all in coordination to prevent protests.”
It says that a “red alert” has not yet been declared, which would lead to direct military intervention in the protests. But it then predicted that sending IRGC or the Bassij forces would “backfire” and would further “antagonize the protesters.”
Messages of support for the protesters from President Trump and other administration officials were also mentioned in the report. “The United States officially supported the people on the streets.” The notes continued by saying the U.S. and the West “have all united in support of the Hypocrites,” the regime’s pejorative description of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) which is one of the groups making up the NCRI.
The meeting notes that the leader of the NCRI, Maryam Rajavi, and the “Infidels,” which the translation says refers to "the West," “are united for the first time.” It continued, “Maryam Rajavi is hoping for regime change,” saying the protests are “definitely organized,” and “the security forces report that the MEK is very active and is leading and directing them.”
The notes also warn that all those affiliated with leadership “must be on alert and monitor the situation constantly,” continuing, “the security and intelligence forces must constantly monitor the situation on the scene and conduct surveillance and subsequently report to the office of the leadership.”
Monday, January 1, 2018
With new year, California's recreational pot laws take effect
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| Real Classy |
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| Real Classy |
The new year in California brings broad
legalization of recreational marijuana – a much-anticipated move two
decades after the state was the first to allow the use of the drug for
medicinal purposes.
California joins states such as
Colorado -- as well as Washington, D.C. -- where pot is permitted for
recreational purposes even as the federal government continues to regard
the drug as a controlled dangerous substance, like LSD and heroin.
Legalized marijuana is expected to become a $3.7
billion business in California in 2018 and grow to $5.1 billion in 2019
-- comparable to the revenue generated by beer sales, Business Insider reported.The boost to California's economy could generate more than $1 billion in tax revenue for the state each year, the Hill reported.
National trend
Twenty-nine states have adopted medical marijuana laws, while seven other states have legalized recreational use of pot.
Marijuana will now be legal in California for adults age 21 and older, and people will be permitted to grow up to six plants and possess an ounce of pot.
The new state laws -- approved by voters in 2016 with the passage of Proposition 64 -- were met with joy by some Californians who swapped their champagne glasses for blunts of pot on New Year's Eve.
“This is something we've all been waiting for,” said Johnny Hernandez, a tattoo artist, who celebrated the arrival of 2018 by smoking “Happy New Year blunts" with his family members.
"It is something that can help so many people and there's no reason why we should not be sharing that,” he added, hoping that the new laws will remove the stigma surrounding the marijuana use.
"People might actually realize weed isn't bad. It helps a lot of people,” he said.
Unintended consequences?
But authorities remain tense amid the legalization, saying the more liberal attitude toward the drug might bring about problems such as stoned drivers, negatively impact young people, increase the cost of policing and prop up the existing black market – as taxes and fees could raise the retail pot price by as much as 70 percent.
"There's going to be a public-health cost and a public-safety cost enforcing these new laws and regulations," said Jonathan Feldman, a legislative advocate for the California Police Chiefs Association. "It remains to be seen if this can balance itself out."
Despite the legalization, it will take time until non-medical pot will be widely available across California. Only 90 businesses so far have acquired a state license to sell pot, most located in San Diego, Santa Cruz, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Palm Springs area.
License lag
Residents of Los Angeles and San Francisco will not be able to find recreational pot Jan. 1 as local regulations were not approved in time, so neither city has issued the licenses needed to get state permits for selling recreational pot.
Fresno, Bakersfield and Riverside, meanwhile, have banned the sale of recreational pot.
As part of regulations paving the way to recreational pot in California, other strict laws will take effect on the strains known as Sweet Skunk, Trainwreck and Russian Assassin.
Some business owners are also concerned that once the state starts fully regulating the industry, there could be a shortage of state-approved cannabis in California.
Jamie Garzot, founder of a cannabis shop in Northern California's Shasta Lake, said she is worried that once the current cannabis crop dries up, there will be a shortage of pot that meets the regulations.
”Playing in the gray market is not an option," she said. "California produces more cannabis than any state in the nation, but going forward, if it's not from a state-licensed source, I can't put it on my shelf. If I choose to do so, I run the risk of losing my license."
Hillary Clinton backer paid $500G to fund women accusing Trump of sexual misconduct before Election Day, report says
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| Image captured Hillary Clinton holdings hands with close friend and Esprit Clothing founder Susie Tompkins Buell. |
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| Esprit Clothing founder Susie Tompkins Buell, liberal political donor. |
One of Hillary Clinton’s wealthy pals paid $500,000
in an unsuccessful effort to fund women willing to accuse President
Trump of sexual misconduct before the 2016 election, The New York Times reported Sunday.
Susie Tompkins Buell, the founder of
Esprit Clothing and a major Clinton campaign donor for many years, gave
the money to celebrity lawyer Lisa Bloom who was working with a number
of Trump accusers at the time, according to the paper’s bombshell
report.
Bloom solicited donors by saying she was working with
women who might “find the courage to speak out” against Trump if the
donors would provide funds for security, relocation and possibly a “safe
house,” the paper reported.Former Clinton nemesis turned Clinton operative David Brock also donated $200,000 to the effort through a nonprofit group he founded, the paper reported in an article entitled, “Partisans, Wielding Money, Begin Seeking to Exploit Harassment Claims.”
Bloom told the Times that the effort was unproductive. One woman requested $2 million then decided not to come forward. Nor did any other women.
Bloom said she refunded most of the cash, keeping only some funds for out-of-pocket expenses accrued while working to vet and prepare cases.
The lawyer told the paper she did not communicate with Clinton or her campaign “on any of this.”
She also maintained that she represented only clients whose stories she had corroborated and disputed the premise that she offered money to coax clients to come forward, the paper reported.
“It doesn’t cost anything to publicly air allegations,” Bloom said. “Security and relocation are expensive and were sorely needed in a case of this magnitude, in a country filled with so much anger, hate and violence.”
The Times article said it learned of Buell and Brock's connection to Bloom from two Democrats familiar with the financial arrangements who also said Bloom’s law firm kept the money from Brock's nonprofit group but refunded the $500,000 that Buell contributed.
Brock declined comment, according to the paper.
Clinton campaign representatives said they were unaware of his work with Bloom.
Buell would not comment on the financial arrangement, according to the Times.
Still, she claimed she was frustrated that Trump had escaped the repercussions that have befallen many other powerful men accused of similar misconduct.
The Times article expanded on a report in The Hill two weeks ago that said that worked with campaign donors and tabloid media outlets during the final months of the presidential election to arrange compensation for the alleged Trump victims and a commission for herself, offering to sell their stories.
In one case Bloom reportedly arranged for a donor to pay off one Trump accuser’s mortgage and attempted to score a six-figure payout for another woman.
The woman with the mortgage ultimately declined to come forward after being offiered $750,000, The Hill reported.
The paper reported reviewing one email exchange between one woman and Bloom that suggested political action committees supporting Hillary Clinton were solicited, without naming which ones.
Bloom, who is the daughter of famous attorney Gloria Allred and, like her mother, specializes in representing women in sexual harassment cases, worked for four women who were considering accusing Trump. Two went public, and two declined.
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