UConn Study says Police in [white liberal] Connecticut Use Force on Black People More Often than Whites. Although Blacks Account for Only 34% of All Arrests, 41% of all Force Incidents Involved Blacks

From [HERE] A new report shows that police appear to use force more often on Black people during arrests than on white arrestees, according to one of its authors.

The report by the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at the University of Connecticut also shows it is unusual for police to use force in Connecticut, and that a small group of departments may be responsible for most of it, said Ken Barone, the institute’s associate director.

The 74-page report is the result of the second statewide use-of-force study produced under a state law. It is based on an analysis of 1,516 use-of-force incidents reported by 83 police agencies across the state. The study period was from July 1, 2022 through Dec. 31, 2023.

The study looked at race and saw a disparities when comparing the number of times force was used on Black people when compared to how many Black people were arrested during the 18-month time period: Black individuals represented 41% of all subjects in use-of-force incidents, but only 34% of arrests, the study found. 

With white people, it was just the opposite, with Caucasians making up 56% of people on whom force was used, compared to 63% of those arrested.

“What that says is force is used more frequently on a Black person who is arrested than on a white person who is arrested,” Barone said. But he said more study is needed on the race issue.

More than half of the cases in which force was used involved the same 10 police departments, the report stated.

The 10 cities and towns that used force the most during the study period were New Haven, with 124 incidents; Hartford, 109; Waterbury, 108; East Hartford, 100; Norwalk, 63;  Meriden, 55; Manchester, 45; Stamford, 40; and New London and West Hartford, which both said they had 36 incidents of force during the study period. [MORE]

Another Contrived Gov Tale Sold to Racists: A 'Black Career Criminal' Cut a “Ukrainian Refugee,” Yet There's No Blood on Her Body and White Women Always Avoid Black Men like DeCarlos Brown in Public

AUTHORITIES ARE FUCKING WITH OUR SENSES AND DOGMATIC BELIEFS. As a general rule in all public places in an urban environment, particularly trains, buses, elevators and public streets white women generally go out of their away to avoid Black men who look like DeCarlos Brown. If you have not noticed this then you have missed reality. In general, where there are open seats on uncrowded public buses and trains, entering passengers evaluate each open seat and choose the one that appears most comfortable, safe or convenient to them.

In this matter, a blonde white woman entered a train that appeared to be 1/3 full and without scanning the train for a seat she immediately sat down in front of DeCarlos Brown, a Black man with long dreadlocks wearing a hoody. He looks sketchy, possibly out to murk - he also is the only person not on a phone. As such, her entrance on the train and seating in close proximity, directly in front of him with her back to him with her headphones on was unusual because most white women avoid black men in public places - especially when there appeared to have been several other seats open and other white folks on the uncrowded train.

Additionally, the white woman is not bleeding after her throat is allegedly slashed by the Black man. In the full second video no blood is present on her neck, face, hands or clothing. In the second video, after she falls to the floor, blood is inexplicably seen on the train seat where she had been sitting. But it makes no sense that her lower half or bottom would be bleeding after only her neck was cut. Also, as observed by Mr. Trumptastic before the incident, the black man appears to open and then close the pocket knife before the assault, which would render it incapable to slash her throat. That is, the black man seems to attack her with a closed knife. However, clearer video may explain this.

As with most false flags, although the incident happened less than 48 hours ago the government and media have already supplied the public with bios of the participants, family album photos, a full confession, partial government video, in an open and closed case. In the overwhelming vast majority of assaults and murder cases the government takes months to provide such information. Undoubtedly, the media will move on in less than 36 hours in order to avoid any scrutiny of details. As with most false flags there will probably be no contested trial and independently verifiable autopsy. Also, look for Brown’s alleged family members or neighbors to pop up with more inculpatory hearsay statements he made - since there is probably no “manifesto” or crimes confession diary, as in other government hoaxes.

Similar to other false flaggotry this episode has a narrative tailored to a particular groups of believers. Here, Neuropeons are provided a story that is told in accordance with racist dogma, predispositions and fears. Namely, its “the Black career criminal” vs "‘the blonde Ukraine Refugee who Sought Safety’ in an urban city in the US. No reason is provided for the attack except that ‘he is crazy and Black and out to kill.’ Such a non-explanation fits well in the racist ego. As explained by Dr. Amos Wilson, “In the context of White American domination there is no innocent Black male, just Black male criminals who have not yet been detected, apprehended or convicted. Their mere presence inspires in White Americans, fears of being assaulted, raped, robbed, or some other indefinable dread of being criminally victimized. Fantasies of the sexual molestation of White females by rapacious Black males are common to the White American male and female consciousness, and are frequent themes of their literary, cinematic, and pornographic productions.”

Despite the facts that 1) nearly 99% of crimes committed against whites are committed by whites and 2) white people are unaffected by most street crime involving Black people, the dependent media nevertheless projects white people as the most frequent victims of street crime. A recent study by the Sentencing Project found that White Americans overestimate the proportion of crime committed by people of color, and associate people of color with criminality. Exaggerated crime rates are part of “white propaganda” which Dr. Blynd explains as a game two can play—which consists simply in repeating '"I am better than you" and "you are utterly unlike (opposite to) me" over and over again; despite the historical record to the contrary.” As explained by Wilson, the myth of black violence serves important roles in justifying and rationalizing white supremacy and in supporting the white American ego and personality (fabrications).

Wilson explains, 

"Alleged Black criminality, while evoking White American fear and loathing, reassures them of their vaunted self-worth, their assumed innately superior moral standing, of their self-congratulatory self-constraint in contrast with presumed Black American unworthiness, innate inferior moral standing, inherent criminality, lack of self-constraint and self-control.

White America's self-appreciation is enhanced as it insatiably feeds on overblown reports about Black criminality while denying its own incomparable criminal record, and its own racist-imperialist incubation and giving birth to the very same criminal forces which now threaten to destroy it.

Black criminals function as a negative reference group vital to maintaining the White American self-image.”  [MORE]

Additionally, unless you are a coincidence theorist, it is most unusual that the incident occurred the day after Trump’s fake DC crime emergency expired and his paper boat plans to fight urban crime using military troops in “blue cities” began to fall out of the news cycle. Said clearly unlawful, racist theater played to the same group of lathered-up, hyper-alert Neuropeons always ready to consume anything to confirm their delusions. It also comes at a time when elites seek to boost support for spending billions on their Ukraine war.

Due to the contrived nature of the evidence this insta-terror case feels synthetic and should be suspected as a false flag operation conducted by the government and media until proven otherwise. If Crimethinc would create fake vaccines for the purpose of genthanasia and biocide then surely It would have no problem fake stabbing a woman on a train.

Why would the government do such a thing? Many reasons -but mostly because sheeple will believe it and use their imaginations to fill in the missing details in accord with their beliefs and dogma. As undeceiver Larken Rose explains, authorities terrorize or create great fear in the citizenry in order convince them to voluntarily give authorities more control, more power over them and their lives. Authorities and their Dependent Media must constantly misrepresent reality so citizens always have a bogey-man or a perceived unsolvable problem to fear. Rose states, elites “must pound into [citizens] heads, day in and day out, that the world is full of horrors and injustices , and that only the government authorities can make their lives bearable and that is necessary for them to have enormous power in order to do so.” Specifically, under the ostensible purpose of crime fighting, its actual purpose is mission creep to continue expanding the power of the executive and planting the idea in sheeple’s mind that military occupation of US cities is lawful, normal and emergency rule may be imposed by authority based on arbitrary criteria.

The great rebel, the Buddha said: "All beliefs are dangerous. You should not believe, you should see.”

Osho Rajineesh stated, "a mind filled with belief always goes on projecting things in the world, it sees things which are not there. This is the problem. The mind which believes is always vulnerable and always provides an opportunity to be exploited by the cheaters - and the cheaters are all around."

According to FUNKTIONARY:

Hoax - a mirage that appears as believable, popular (and marketable) as Jesus, as tempting as sin, and as captivating as a sweet taboo---without its consequences and side-effects too. The illusion of truth seems real--the "reality" of the reel (the Passing Show)--the surreal. The two most pervasive hoaxes we put over on ourselves is ego and money--neither have any existence. (See: Passing Show, Mirage, Rolling Mirror, Objectivity, Ego, Money, Utopia, Kansas & Alice in Wonderland)

Belief- the psychological calm of imagined certitude safely beyond de-stabilizing doubt and troublesome reality-entanglement. 2) a construction of approximate truths, absolute truths, mass truths and primary myths, based on genetic predisposition, and environmental and socio-psychological conditioning. 3) the institutionalization of the unknowable, i.e., a conviction that is not necessarily based upon any empirical, direct-mind or experiential knowledge. 4) a non-physical surviving thought-form. 5) any conclusion based on a fundamental assumption; the evidence of things not seen, no longer actively sought. 6) an intellectual
rationalization surrounded by (based on) "'proofs," reasons and arguments. 7) that which springs out of cultural ideology. 8) the greatest fiction. 9) a trick of the mind to repress doubt. 10) a mental doubt-suppression tactic. A suppressed doubt is neither faith nor even trust. 11) repressed doubt. 12) an explicit or implicit assent to dogmatic propositions (with or without overgrown religious foliage) on someone else's authority. 13) reverential blindness that thwarts fresh perception and intuitive apperception. 14) a prejudice without any experience to support it. 15) a peculiar blend of fatiloquent assertion on one hand and adamant
denial on the other. 16) a manic flirtation with the terminally unprovable. 17) certainty based in the unknown. 18) having another "see" it for you while seeing him see it (for you)—in effect being for another. 19) a conclusion without the verification of direct experience—make-believe made real. 20) the inability or unwillingness to master the requisite logic or reason to counterbalance (or overcome) the willingness to be misled. [MORE]

With "Trump's Blessing" IsrAlien Warplanes Blew Up a Residential Building in Qatar, a sovereign nation, ‘b/c Hamas was Meeting for Peace Talks’

From [HERE] The Israeli military launched airstrikes in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday in an attempt to target Hamas political leadership, marking a major Israeli escalation in the region that dims any hope of a ceasefire in Gaza.

A source told Al Jazeera that the attack occurred while Hamas officials were gathered to discuss a ceasefire proposal from the US. Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said that Hamas’s leadership survived the attack, while the son of acting Hamas political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya was killed, along with several of his aides. Qatar’s Interior Ministry said that a Qatari security officer was also killed in the attack.

Hamas later issued a statement that said none of its political leaders were killed in the attack. It said a total of six people were killed, including al-Hayya’s son, four office staff, and the Qatari officer.

According to Israeli media, Israeli warplanes dropped more than 10 bombs on a residential building where Israel believed Hamas leaders were gathering, an area of Doha near schools and embassies. Qatar has hosted a Hamas office since 2012, a step it took at the request of the US.

Sources told Middle East Eye President Trump “blessed” the attack on Qatar, which his a major non-NATO ally of the US and hosts about 10,000 US troops, although US officials speaking to other media outlets claim that the US was notified while Israeli warplanes were in the air.

Israeli Channel 12 reported, citing an Israeli official, that US President Donald Trump gave the green light for the Israeli occupation to launch airstrikes on Hamas leadership in Qatar. The channel added that Washington maintains control over Qatari airspace, requiring “Israel” to coordinate with the US before carrying out such operations.

In an official statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as a “cowardly Israeli attack” targeting residential compounds in Doha where members of Hamas’ political bureau were residing. The ministry stressed that Qatar would not tolerate any act undermining its security and sovereignty. [MORE]

At Least 19,400 Children Murdered in Gaza by Israel Authorities as Genocidal Holocaust Marks 700th Day

From [HERE] Children in Gaza account for more than 30 percent of deaths since Israel began its genocide nearly two years ago, as the besieged enclave remains the "most dangerous place to be a child".

According to the latest figures from the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, at least 19,424 children have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023 - the equivalent of one child every 52 minutes. Among them are 1,000 infants under the age of one.

An additional 42,011 people have been wounded in ongoing Israeli shelling, accounting for 26 percent of the total wounded population of 161,583.

Meanwhile, women (10,138) and the elderly (4,695) constitute 23 percent of the overall death toll. Men make up 46.7 percent of casualties (29,975).

The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) communications manager Tess Ingram said that the "suffering of children in the Gaza Strip is not accidental".

Malnutrition and famine are weakening children’s bodies as displacement strips them of shelter and care, and bombardments threaten their every move," Ingram said. 

She noted that Palestinian life is being "dismantled" under escalating Israeli attacks, lack of necessities and soaring malnutrition among children and their families. Ingram stressed that even so-called "safe zones" have posed a grave danger for civilians, noting that the "unthinkable" is unfolding in Gaza City.

The Israeli military has repeatedly targeted Israeli-designated "humanitarian zones" across the Gaza Strip since the start of the genocide.

At least 64,300 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. Over 83 percent of those killed are civilians, according to the Israeli military's own data. 

Ingram warned that the latest Israeli operation in the city could bring further catastrophe for families residing in the area, adding that the north "is fast becoming a place where childhood cannot survive".

"It is a city of fear, flight and funerals," she added. 

KKKexit: On the Last Day of Trump’s Unlawful and Involuntary Rule Over DC, 80% of Residents Tell Globocop to 'Please Get the Fuck Out!'

About 8 in 10 D.C. residents oppose Trump taking control of D.C. police and federal troops patrolling the streets, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll. Compared with last year, significantly fewer D.C. residents say that they worry about being a victim of carjacking, theft, home burglary or assault.

ON Sept 6 Thousands march in D.C. against law enforcement takeover [MORE]

From [HERE] Parts of President Donald Trump’s so-called “emergency” takeover of Washington, D.C., may be winding down, but the federal presence in the nation’s capital appears far from over.

As D.C. residents brace for the possibility that National Guard soldiers and federal agents could become a permanent fixture in the city, congressional Republicans are gearing up to clamp down even harder on the municipal government with a massive tranche of new legislation.

In August, Trump invoked a rarely used provision of the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act, letting the White House seize control of the city’s police during “special conditions of an emergency nature.” He also ordered in the National Guard and about 500 federal agents, leading to thousands of arrests.

The administration’s authority over Metro Police, however, is limited by law to 30 days — a window set to close this week.

Trump has suggested that he would need “long term” control over D.C. police and has contended that he would not need congressional approval to extend that power. Congress would almost certainly need to greenlight such action.

But, for now, it appears unlikely that the president will attempt to seize extended control over D.C.’s police force.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser established a joint emergency operations center last week to coordinate local government efforts with federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The move was seen as paving the way for a long term or even indefinite federal presence in the capital city.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Tuesday that Congress hadn’t been asked to weigh in on Trump’s D.C. takeover and suggested Bowser’s order made action unnecessary.

“I think if you have an agreement — I understand it as an agreement — between the White House and local leadership, I’m not sure Congress has any necessity to do anything,” he said. “So, we’ll see.”

Trump’s control of D.C.’s police is set to expire, but lawmakers are preparing a broad legislative overhaul of the city’s criminal justice system, including how local judges are selected. On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee is set to take up more than a dozen Republican-led bills expanding congressional oversight of D.C. governance.

Among those measures is one that would give Congress a 60-day window to review any law passed by the D.C. council and would speed existing mechanisms for lawmakers to overrule legislation approved by the municipal government.

The panel will also weigh bills boosting penalties for certain crimes in D.C., capping “youth offender” status at 18 and letting prosecutors seek adult charges for offenders as young as 14 for some offenses.

Another measure would remove D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb and replace him with a presidential appointee. Voters have elected the city’s top local prosecutor since 2010.

House Republicans are also pushing to amend the Home Rule Act to eliminate D.C.’s judicial nominations commission, which for decades has recommended candidates for the city’s superior and appellate courts to the White House. The panel currently includes attorneys representing the president and the D.C. mayor, as well as members of the city council, the D.C. Bar and the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for D.C.

Under the proposed bill, the authority to appoint judges to the capital’s municipal court system would lie solely with the president.

Democrats blasted the Republicans’ push as an attack on D.C.’s tradition of self-governance. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.’s nonvoting House delegate, called it an “escalation in the current wave of extreme attacks on D.C. home rule.” [MORE]

FreeDumb Loving GOP Puppeticians Eager for Bush-Trump to Expand Military Use on US Soil

From [HERE] National Guard troops patrolling the streets of U.S. cities. Weapons of war deployed against international gangs suspected of drug trafficking. Military bases and resources redirected to mass immigration enforcement operations.

President Donald Trump is swiftly implementing his vision of the military as an all-powerful tool for his policy goals. It’s ground that presidents have hardly ever crossed outside of times of war, and experts say it’s remaking the role of the most powerful military in the world and its relationship with the American public.

Yet as Trump has dramatically stepped up his use of military force, fellow Republicans in Congress — where authorization for such actions is supposed to originate — have done little but cheer him on. That’s giving the president significant leeway as he raises plans to send troops next to Chicago, Baltimore and New Orleans.

“If I were one of those mayors, I’d be glad to have the help,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, speaking from a Capitol building where National Guard troops were patrolling the surrounding city. “I think the big city Democrats are really making a mistake. I think they’re being tone deaf.” [MORE]

Destroying Freedom to Make us Safe: Drones and Robotic Cameras are Flying All Over Maryland, Surveilling Law Abiding People for "public order" [the will of agents operating on behalf of elites]

Since 2019, dozens, if not hundreds, of law enforcement agencies across the country have adopted similar Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs, using the technology to put eyes on a situation sooner and, sometimes, in a clearer way.

But as drones reach more areas, including Baltimore County, concerns over privacy and surveillance often follow.

Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, has urged lawmakers for years to issue guardrails for DFR programs. Daring success stories may justify a program’s beginning, but Stanley said with expansions and new uses, “it’s important not to make policies based on anecdotes.”

“You don’t want a world where, from the minute you walk out of your front door in the morning until you get home at night, you’re constantly aware that there are flying robotic police cameras … that could be focused on you at any time,” Stanley told The Baltimore Sun. “You have no way of knowing. That’s just not a way for free people to live.” [MORE]

Black Homeownership Rate Drops to Lowest Level Since 2021, Latino Homeownership Increased

The Black homeownership rate fell to 43.9% in the second quarter—the lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2021. That’s down from 45.3% a year earlier, marking the largest year-over-year decline since the third quarter of 2021. 

By comparison, the Hispanic homeownership rate inched up slightly (to 48.8% from 48.5% a year earlier), and there were small declines in both the non-Hispanic white homeownership rate (to 74% from 74.4%) and the Asian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander homeownership rate (to 62.1% from 62.8%).

“Rising unemployment is one likely reason the homeownership rate for Black families has dropped recently,” said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. “The recent wave of federal layoffs hit Black households badly because government jobs have historically been an avenue of upward mobility for Black workers. DEI programs have also been dismantled in workplaces across the private and public sectors, which may have resulted in fewer Black employees being hired or promoted.” [MORE]

Black Unemployment Rose to 7.5% and has Increased for 3 Months Straight. It is Double the Rate for Whites, which Remains Unchanged at 3.7%

The racial gap in the labor market is widening. The unemployment rate for Black Americans rose to 7.5% in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday. That’s up from a seasonally adjusted 7.2% in July and 6.0% in May.

Black women’s unemployment rate rises to 6.3%. [MORE]

Meanwhile, the white unemployment remained unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 3.7% in August and was slightly lower than in May. [MORE]

While the overall unemployment rate rose just 0.1 per cent over the past year, Black unemployment jumped 1.4 per cent. In contrast, unemployment rates for white and Asian Americans decreased slightly compared to the previous year.

Bush-Trump's So-Called Deadly Boat Attack is an Act of Murder and a Violation of International law, But Hard to Prove It Actually Occurred (like most false flags) Without Authenticated Evidence

Experts are condemning the U.S. military strike that killed 11 people on a boat in the Caribbean last Tuesday, saying that the bombing was in violation of international law.

The Trump administration has claimed — without providing evidence — that the casualties of the strike were members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuela-based gang that it has designated a foreign terrorist organization.

“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, following the attack.

“Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!”

The White House posted an image on social media of Trump looking at a phone showing footage of the boat being hit. “TERRORISTS ELIMINATED. ADIÓS,” the post says, with an emoji of a person placing items in the trash. 

In another post, the White House said: “ON VIDEO: U.S. Military Forces conducted a strike against Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists. The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in international waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the U.S. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action.”

The Trump administration has circulated a brief black and white video that it says shows the fatal strike. AP reports that the White House “did not immediately explain how the military determined that those aboard the vessel were Tren de Aragua members.”

The outlet also noted that the video “is not clear enough to see if the craft is carrying as many as 11 people” and “did not show any large or clear stashes of drugs inside the boat.”

Experts say the administration’s deadly strike violated international law.

“Labeling someone a terrorist and deploying the military does not make them a military target,” Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said in a statement to Truthout. “These actions amount to an extra-judicial killing, a violation of international law, which should raise extraordinary concerns.”

“Using military forces to kill alleged drug traffickers is an act of murder, not war.”

“Without clear limitations on presidential and military authority, we may find this administration claiming that it can execute alleged drug dealers at home without any judicial process as happened under the Duterte regime in the Philippines,” Warren continued. [MORE]

Taxation w/o Representation: DC Rep Eleanor Holmes Norton (88 Yr) Running for Re-election Despite Being Physically Compromised and Unable to Stop Trump’s Involuntary Rule, Opposed by 80% Residents

The oldest member of the House of Representatives believes she is capable of serving for at least another three years despite widespread concerns about her health and calls for her to retire. 

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Democratic non-voting member from Washington, D.C., currently in her eighteenth consecutive term, intends to run for re-election in 2026.

She is 88 years old and has served in Congress since the early 1990s. A D.C. native and civil rights champion who grew up in a segregated capital, Norton has pushed legislation to help district residents, including passing tax credits for college and first-time home purchases.

Her stature looms large on Capitol Hill, where she is a familiar face. But she increasingly looks frail, feeble and unable to navigate herself without assistance.

The delegate doubling down on running for office next year comes just days after she was seen struggling to walk at a public speaking engagement at the Capitol.

‘Are you OK on your own?’ an aide for the D.C. delegate asked the aging member in a hot-mic moment while walking the octogenarian to the speaking podium.

‘I’ll be right here,’ the aide reassured Norton before letting go of her arm and shuffling to the background of the news conference.

Despite these physical challenges, she’s not ready to hang up the trappings of elected office. [MORE]

McNegro Wes Moore: ‘I’m not running for President’ in 2028

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has again ruled out running for president in 2028, saying Sunday that he will serve a full second term if reelected governor next year.

“Yes, I’ll be serving a full term. I’m excited about reelection,” Moore told anchor Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning. “I’m excited about what I’m going to be able to do for the people of Maryland.”

As Moore has not formally launched his 2026 gubernatorial campaign, Welker then asked if he would “completely rule out” running for president. The governor responded that he is “so excited” about Maryland’s progress on unemployment and violent crime.

“We’ve had amongst the fastest drops in violent crime anywhere in the United States of America,” Moore said. “Our population is growing, Maryland is moving, and so I’m really excited about going back in front of the people of my state and asking for another term.” [MORE]

Massa Media Finds Little Wrong with GloboCop Trump Playing Judge, Jury and Executioner in his Unconstitutional Drug-War Murders of Some Non-White People in a Boat in the Caribbean

From [HERE] Apparently taking a page out of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug-war playbook, President Trump is taking credit for the intentional military killings of eleven people in international waters near Venezuela.

Duterte is on trial right now before the International Criminal Court for allegedly ordering his drug-war goons to kill accused drug-war offenders on sight — that is, without arrest, prosecution, trial, and due process of law.

That’s what Trump just did. He ordered his military drug-war goons to blow a boat out of the water that was traveling in international waters near Venezuela, killing, Trump proudly claimed, eleven people in the process.

No stopping of the boat to search it. No arrests. No grand-jury indictments. No trials in federal district court. None of that. On Trump’s orders, his military drug-war goons dutifully, loyally, and obediently fired military projectiles at the boat knowing full well that they would be killing all of the boat’s occupants.

Donald Trump and Rodrigo Duterte.

In my opinion, that’s just murder, pure and simple. Sure, it’s legalized murder. After all, there is no chance whatsoever that Trump’s Justice Department will seek criminal charges against Trump and his military killers. Even if it did, there is no possibility whatsoever that the U.S. Supreme Court would permit the charges to stand, given the extreme deference that the Court has always paid to the U.S. national-security establishment. The International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction over U.S. officials and even if it did, there is no doubt that Trump and his military drug-war goons would ignore any criminal proceeding against them anyway. [MORE]

Chris Hedges: Gaza & Fake War Reporting by the Dependent Media

From [HERE] There are two types of war correspondents. The first type does not attend press conferences. They do not beg generals and politicians for interviews.

They take risks to report from combat zones. They send back to their viewers or readers what they see, which is almost always diametrically opposed to official narratives. This first type, in every war, is a tiny minority.

Then there is the second type, the inchoate blob of self-identified war correspondents who play at war. Despite what they tell editors and the public, they have no intention of putting themselves in danger.

They are pleased with the Israeli ban on foreign reporters into Gaza. They plead with officials for background briefings and press conferences. They collaborate with their government minders who impose restrictions and rules that keep them out of combat.

They slavishly disseminate whatever they are fed by officials, much of which is a lie, and pretend it is news. They join little jaunts arranged by the military — dog and pony shows — where they get to dress up and play soldier and visit outposts where everything is controlled and choreographed.

The mortal enemy of these poseurs are the real war reporters, in this case, Palestinian journalists in Gaza. These reporters expose them as toadies and sycophants, discrediting nearly everything they disseminate. [MORE]

The Gun-Free School Zones Act is Doubly Dubious and Another Unconstitutional Attempt to Disarm People

Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.) last week reintroduced a bill that would repeal the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act (GFSZA), which he says jeopardizes student and teacher safety by prohibiting armed defense against violent intruders. As I explain in my new book Beyond Control, that law is also problematic for two constitutional reasons.

The GFSZA, which Congress originally enacted in 1990, makes it a felony to possess a gun within 1,000 feet of an elementary or secondary school. In 1995, the Supreme Court said the law was not a valid exercise of the federal government's power to regulate interstate commerce.

"The Act neither regulates a commercial activity nor contains a requirement that the possession be connected in any way to interstate commerce," Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote. "If we were to accept the Government's arguments, we are hard pressed to posit any activity by an individual that Congress is without power to regulate."

Rehnquist also noted that the law "contains no jurisdictional element which would ensure, through case-by-case inquiry, that the firearm possession in question affects interstate commerce." The following year, Congress sought to address that concern by amending the GFSZA so that it applied only to "a firearm that has moved in or that otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce."

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit thought Congress had cured the problem identified by Rehnquist. Because the law "contains language that ensures, on a case-by-case basis, that the firearm in question affects interstate commerce," the appeals court ruled in 1999, it is "a constitutional exercise of Congress's Commerce Clause power."

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit concurred in 2005. It noted that "incorporating a jurisdictional element into the offense has traditionally saved statutes from Commerce Clause challenges."

Congress, in short, initially forgot it was supposed to be regulating "interstate or foreign commerce." But after the Supreme Court reminded it, the invocation of that phrase supposedly was enough to fix the law, even though nothing of substance had changed.

In addition to relying on a highly commodious understanding of the Commerce Clause, the GFSZA raises questions under the Second Amendment. Although the Supreme Court has said schools themselves qualify as "sensitive places" where guns can be banned, that does not necessarily mean zones extending a fifth of a mile in every direction from school grounds fall into the same category.

Because schools are scattered throughout communities across the country, those zones cover a lot of territory. In most cities, it would be difficult for someone to travel without traversing one or more of them. [MORE]