In an alley in Denver, police gunned down a 17-year-old girl
joyriding in a stolen car. In the backwoods of North Carolina, police
opened fire on a gun-wielding moonshiner. And in a high-rise apartment
in Birmingham, Ala., police shot an elderly man after his son asked them
to make sure he was okay. Douglas Harris, 77, answered the door with a
gun.
The three are among at least 385 people shot and killed by
police nationwide during the first five months of this year, more than
two a day, according to a Washington Post analysis. That is more than
twice the rate of fatal police shootings tallied by the federal
government over the past decade, a count that officials concede is
incomplete. “These shootings are grossly underreported,” said
Jim Bueermann, a former police chief and president of the
Washington-based Police Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated
to improving law enforcement. “We are never going to reduce the number
of police shootings if we don’t begin to accurately track this
information.”
Of course many of them are justifiable shootings where the deceased had a gun and even shot at the officers.
(CNSNews.com) – Testifying on Capitol Hill this week, the State Department’s top official for Africa defended the decision not to designate Boko Haram as a “foreign terrorist organization” (FTO) – but then used the term “terrorist organization” in reference to the Nigerian Islamist group.
A Nigerian Christian leader criticized the move, saying failure to designate Boko Haram as an FTO emboldened the group and signaled that its targeting of Christians was acceptable.
The administration on June 21 listed three Boko Haram leaders as “specially designated global terrorists” (SDGTs) but stopped short to designating the group as an FTO under U.S. law, a step some Republican lawmakers have long been urging.
Individuals and entities listed as SDGTs have any assets they may hold in the U.S. frozen, and Americans are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. [...]
“To an outside observer it may appear as though Boko Haram is not a monolithic group, that it is fragmented and disorganized, but I am here today to give you the Nigerian perspective,” Oritsejafor said. “Since its creation, the Boko Haram network has never hidden its agenda or intentions.
“Boko Haram has openly stated that they reject the Nigerian state and its constitution and seek to imposeshari’a law,” he continued. “To this end, Boko Haram has waged a systematic campaign of terror and violence.”
“They seek an end to Western influence and a removal of the Christian presence in Nigeria,” he added.
Oritsejafor, a Pentecostal pastor, said by not designating Boko Haram as an FTO, the U.S. was sending “a very clear message” to the Nigerian government and the rest of the world that the killing of innocent Christians as well as Muslims who reject the group’s ideology is acceptable.
“It is hypocritical for the United States and the international community to say that they believe in freedom and equality, when their actions do not support those who are being persecuted,” Oritsejafor said.
At least 37 people have been killed in South Sudan during a shoot-out at a peace meeting aimed at ending recent violence, officials said.
Officials from three states and the UN had met for talks in the remote town of Mayendit in Unity state in an effort to reduce inter-ethnic tensions.
Those killed in the gun battle included civilians, but most were police.
The talks were called after a series of clashes, including one in which 74 people died earlier this week.
Thousands of people have been displaced in the violence.
According to the UN, Friday's incident occurred after a row broke out at the meeting. Four trucks arrived filled with gunmen, who opened fire indiscriminately.
The gunmen included policemen from different units, soldiers and security guards, according to AFP news agency.
(Politico)- Progressive standard bearer MoveOn is opposing the Senate bill and asking its millions of members to sign a petition calling on liberal Sens. Bernie Sanders, Roland Burris, and Russ Feingold to block the bill's passage until it can be strengthened.
From the email:
The latest Senate health care bill has no public option. No expansion of Medicare. And it does too little to guarantee that uninsured Americans will actually be able afford the coverage they'll be required to purchase.1
Former insurance executive Wendell Potter put it best: the bill is "a big bailout to the [healthinsurance] industry."2
But it's not too late to fix the bill. And as Joe Lieberman has shown, just one senator willing to stand in the way can force legislation to be changed dramatically.
The recent Muslim convert who attacked an Arkansas recruiting station admits the crime, but he does not think he did anything wrong because Islam justifies his murderous act. He also warns of other attacks.
Arkansas Jihadist Speaks-- Says He Was Justified in Killing US Soldier at Recruiting Station (video)
The Arkansas jihadist Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad says he was justified in killing US soldier Private William Long in cold blood at the Arkansas recruiting station last week. He said it was Allah's will. Muhammad also said he looked for other jihadist attacks in the US.
