No trial date yet for Racist Springfield Cop in Criminal Case for Videotaped Flashlight Beating of Unarmed Black Man

Officer Asher drove away from the court in a white sedan with a broad smile, a cigar in his mouth and giving thumbs-ups to a half-dozen protesters who stood outside the building holding signs that read: "Asher is guilty" and "Stop police brutality

From [HERE] CHICOPEE - Dogged by a clutch of civil rights protesters, retired Springfield police officer Jeffrey Asher appeared in court on Friday, though a judge declined to set a trial date.

Asher was charged in connection with the alleged 2009 beating of a motorist during a traffic stop. Asher was caught on amateur videotape [HERE] stomping and beating Melvin Jones III with a police flashlight on the hood of a car during an arrest on Rifle Street. Jones was beaten unconscious, sustained broken facial bones, nose, teeth, and was at least partially blinded in one eye. Jones claims that he was struck at least 15 times with the flashlight. Officers also allegedly called him nigger during the assault. He was pulled over by police for having a faulty muffler. [MORE] 

Jones and his lawyers contend Jones was unconscious for most of the alleged beating, while Asher and his lawyer have argued he used necessary force to subdue Jones, who made a grab for an officer's gun during a struggle. A witness told the FBI he saw Jones slump to the ground after the first couple of blows. [MORE] and [MORE] 

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Black Teen Disfigured for life by Oakland Police Awarded $550,000 in Settlement

The story agreed upon by both sides is that L.S. was leaving a liquor store with an unidentified person when Officer Alan Leal and his partner say they saw him stuffing what they thought were drugs into his mouth. When the officers approached, L.S. ran on foot, throwing into the street a gun he had been carrying.

As the teen ran through a nearby backyard, he and Leal crossed paths and Leal confronted him. Police said at the time of the shooting that Leal ordered the boy to stop several times and then, when the boy reached for his waistband, Leal thought he was grabbing a second gun and fired on him.

However, Pointer said the boy had turned to run when he was shot in the back of the neck. Further, Pointer said, not only did toxicology reports prove he had consumed no drugs -- and was probably just eating a snack from the store -- but no weapons or drugs were found on his body at all after he was shot.

"Essentially, it was a kill shot," Pointer said. "He nearly lost his life. In the course of trying to keep him alive, doctors had to have his sternum, his chest bone, taken out of his chest.

"Now you have a guy, the rest of his life he cannot participate in any type of contact sports. He can't pick up heavy things, things you and I would take for granted. I'm lugging around a heavy briefcase today. He can't do that."

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More Make Believe: 'Al Qaeda' Attacked us because “they hate us for our freedoms”

From [HERE] and [HERE] Despite its ostensible “victory,” (the announced killing of Emanuel Goldstein — er, Osama Bin Laden ) the United States has experienced a moral defeat by abandoning everything it stood for and becoming what it hated.

The World Since 9/11:

• The U.S. has engaged in 2 wars. By the end of Obama’s first term, we’ll probably top 6,000 dead U.S. troops in those two wars, along with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans. The cost for both wars is also now well over $1 trillion.
• The U.S. has detained people without trial and tortured them at “black sites” overseas, rendered them to other countries to be tortured, 
• claimed a right to detain American citizens without trial, 
• barred those who turned out to be innocent from legal redress in the American courts for their detention and torture, 
• refused compensation to hundreds of innocent people detained at Gitmo, prohibited detainees from talking about their detention and torture, 
• turned the Fourth Amendment’s “search and seizure” provisions into toilet paper with USA PATRIOT and illegal wiretaps, 
• The current president has also claimed the power to execute U.S. citizens, off the battlefield, without a trial, and to prevent anyone from knowing about it after the fact.

• The Congress approved, the president signed, and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a broadly written law making it a crime to advocate for any organization the government deems sympathetic to terrorism. This includes challenging the “terrorist” designation in the first place.
• American Muslims, a heartening story of success and assimilation, are now harassed and denigrated for merely trying to build houses of worship.
• Without a warrant, the government can search and seize indefinitely the laptops and other personal electronic devices of anyone entering the country.
• further militarized local police forces, and set up what amounts to a system of internal passport checkpoints in the airports.  [HERE] and [HERE]

Two Muslim Men Kicked Off Airplane, Were Going To Conference About Tolerance

From [HERE] Last night, two Muslim men were removed from a plane departing from Tennessee and set to arrive in Charlotte, North Carolina. Both the men were dressed in traditional Muslim garb, which made the pilot uncomfortable and caused him to refuse to fly them to their destination:

Masudur Rahman and Mohamed Zaghloul were wearing the traditional Muslim attire, CNN affiliate WCNC reported. The irony is, both men, as a local news affiliate reported, were on their way to Charlotte to attend “a conference of imams, where they would be discussing ‘Islamophobia,’ the fear of Islam.”

Local station WBTV’s interviewed the men about their predicament. One of them compared his situation to African Americans who were refused seats on public buses. Watch the station’s report about the incident:

According to WBTV, the US Attorney’s office and the Department of Justice are both planning to get involved in the case, and both men have hired a local attorney to also investigate the event.

Eric Holder said Killing of Bin Laden Lawful because he was Responsible for 9/11

Obama Approval Rallies Six Points to 52% After Bin Laden Death [MORE] 

[JURIST] US Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that the killing of Osama Bin Laden by US forces on Sunday was lawful and justified . Testifying before the US Senate Judiciary Committee , Holder said that the shooting of Bin Laden was "consistent with our values," and that the soldiers who killed him "conducted themselves totally appropriately." In a prepared statement, Holder said:

Three days ago—thanks to many dedicated military and civilian leaders; intelligence and law enforcement officers; diplomats and policymakers; investigators, prosecutors and counterterrorism experts—the decade-long manhunt for Osama bin Laden came to a successful end. This historic achievement was a tremendous step forward in attaining justice for the nearly 3,000 innocent Americans who were murdered on September 11, 2001. And I hope it will inspire a renewed commitment to collaboration - across party lines, branches of responsibility, and agencies—so that we can effectively address the most pressing challenges facing the American people.

Republicans Opposed to Withdrawing Troops from Afghanistan

From [HERE] Democratic and Republican Members of Congress are sharply divided on whether the U.S. should pull troops out of Afghanistan faster after the Navy Seals mission that killed Osama bin Laden, according to this week's National Journal Congressional Insiders Poll. Democrats overwhelmingly supported a quicker withdrawal while Republicans were even more strongly opposed.

In light of the successful military action that killed Osama bin Laden should the U.S. accelerate the timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan?
Democrats (31 votes) Republicans (31 votes) Yes 74% 7% No 23% 90% Not relevant (volunteered) 3% 0% Too soon to tell (volunteered) 0% 3%

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Citizens Bank to pay $3.6M in housing aid to settle Racial Discrimination Suit in Detroit

From [HERE] and [HERE] DETROIT—Federal law-enforcement officials reached a $3.6 million settlement with Citizens Republic Bancorp over allegations that branches of its banks discriminated against Detroit's black residents by improperly favoring white residents in southeastern Michigan.

The Justice Department alleged in court papers that branches of Republic Bank and Citizens Bank, which are now owned by Citizens Republic Bancorp, "essentially provided its services in a horseshoe" around Detroit, engaging in redlining "intended to deny and discourage, or have the effect of denying or discouraging, an equal opportunity to the residents of the majority-black neighborhoods" in Detroit.

"This is a case about the systematic and discriminatory denial of access to credit for qualified borrowers in majority African-American communities in Detroit and a number of surrounding areas," Thomas Perez, assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights, said at a news conference in Detroit.

"The American dream of home ownership should be accessible to all qualified home borrowers," he added.

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Media Ignoring Donald Trump's Record of Racism

 

• Racist Landlord. Salon's Justin Elliot (4/28/11) traced Trump's racism back to the 1970s, when the Justice Department repeatedly alleged racial discrimination by Trump Management Company, where Trump served as president. According to a New York Times report (10/16/73) about the federal case: The government contended that Trump Management had refused to rent or negotiate rentals "because of race and color." It also charged that the company had required different rental terms and conditions because of race and that it had misrepresented to blacks that apartments were not available.

 After Trump agreed in a 1975 deal to integrate Trump properties, in 1978 the Justice Department charged Trump Management with failing to live up to the agreement. As Elliott reports, "in 1983, a fair-housing activist cited statistics that two Trump Village developments had white majorities of at least 95 percent." (See New York Times, 10/16/83.)

• Said Blacks are Lazy. In his 1991 book Trumped!, the former president of Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino, John R. O'Donnell, recalled Trump declaring that "laziness is a trait in blacks," and exclaiming: "Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day." Trump acknowledged in a Playboy interview (5/97; cited Huffington Post, 4/29/11), "The stuff O'Donnell wrote about me is probably true."

• Racist Simpleton. Trump injected himself into a racial controversy in 1989 when, after a white female jogger was raped in Central Park, he took out full-page newspaper ads calling for the executions of the five people arrested--all minors aged 14 to 16 years old, four of them African-American and one Latino. All five were later exonerated after being convicted on the basis of what turned out to be false confessions, the crime actually having been committed by a lone serial rapist (New York Times, 12/8/02, 12/9/03).  

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Nation's largest union asks members to back Obama’s reelection

From [HERE] The National Education Association (NEA) has asked its members to support President Obama’s bid for a second term in the White House. The move by the NEA — the country's largest union, with more than 3 million members — shows that labor, a traditional ally of Democrats, is gearing up for the 2012 election.

Labor support will be critical for Obama and for several Senate Democrats who are expected to face tough reelection campaigns.  NEA’s political action committee approved a recommendation Thursday to support Obama's reelection bid. The union’s representative assembly will meet in Chicago in July to vote on the PAC’s recommendation.

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Troy Davis Execution Date Expected Anytime

From [HERE] Troy Davis has been on Georgia's death row for nearly 20 years, but the case against him has fallen apart. No physical evidence, no murder weapon, 7 out of 9 eyewitnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony, many alleging police coercion. Yet Troy has never been allowed to present the evidence of his innocence in a court of law.

Almost all of the witnesses were vulnerable for one reason or another. One witness was illiterate, others were minors that were questioned without their parents or supportive adults, some had criminal histories, and most were African American.

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Feds won't prosecute Miles case: No Justice for Unarmed Black Man Assaulted by Pittsburgh Police

Police Chief Nate Harper: "There is no question that Mr. Jordan Miles sustained physical injuries, but there is no evidence to show it was the result of wrongful conduct by the officers."

Jordan Miles, 18, a former student at the city's Creative and Performing Arts high school, said he was brutally attacked by three undercover white police officers on a cold night in January as he walked between his mother's and grandmother's houses in Homewood.

The officers said they confronted Mr. Miles because he appeared to be "sneaking around" a house in the 7900 block of Tioga Street, with a heavy object in his coat that they thought was a concealed weapon. When he was approached by the officers he ran away, but the officers soon caught up with him and beat him into submission by delivering violent blows that left his face swollen and distorted. Police also used a stun gun and pulled out a chunk of his hair. He is  5-foot-6 and 150 pounds and was unarmed.

They charged him with a string of frivilous crimes that a district judge later dismissed.

"The U.S. Attorney's Office, the Civil Rights Division and the FBI, working together, conducted an exhaustive review of the incident, which included interviews of more than 40 witnesses, some on multiple occasions, visits to the scene and careful review of all police reports, medical records, photographs, laboratory reports, cell phone records and other documentation related to the incident," the Justice Department wrote in a statement. "After a lengthy, independent, and thorough review consuming hundreds of hours of agent and prosecutor time, federal officials determined that the evidence was insufficient to prove a federal civil rights violation, beyond a reasonable doubt, against any of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police officers."

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The Bin Laden Mind Shampoo: Majority of Americans Feel Safer

From [HERE] PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans express mixed views on how Osama bin Laden's demise will affect U.S. national security, according to a Monday night USA Today/Gallup poll. A slight majority (54%) believe bin Laden's death will make the U.S. safer from terrorism, nearly double the 28% who fear it will make it less safe.

Despite this optimism about the broad impact of bin Laden's death on U.S. national security, more Americans believe an act of terrorism is imminent than have said so at any time since the start of the Iraq war in 2003. Overall, 62% think an act of terrorism is either "very" or "somewhat likely" to occur in the U.S. in the next several weeks, with 17% considering it very likely. The current results indicate Americans are slightly more likely to be worried about a terrorist incident occurring than they were shortly after the London bus and subway bombings in July 2005, but are less worried than at the start of the Iraq war as well as immediately after 9/11.

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U.S. Tale Keeps Changing: Now, Osama Was ‘Unarmed'

• Obama watched Bin Laden die on live video as shoot-out beamed to White House [MORE] 
• Islamic scholars criticize bin Laden's sea burial [MORE]
• White House Revises Account Of Bin Laden's Final Moments [MORE] 
• "al Qaeda" is a term made up by the U.S. government to be applied to anyone killed during in the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. [MORE] 
• Rush Limbaugh Gives Obama Dap: "Congratulations, Mr. President, for Continuing Bush Anti-Terror Policy" [MORE]  

From [HERE] A number of the details surrounding the Obama Administration’s initial account of the Sunday slaying of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan have been revised by officials today. The most noteworthy of these is the claim that bin Laden was killed in an intense firefight, and that officials really hoped to take him alive. 

Despite emphasizing this in their initial account, officials are now confirming that there was no firefight in the room in which bin Laden was killed, and that the al-Qaeda founder was entirely unarmed when he was shot in the head by Navy SEALs.

Officials had previously insisted the SEALs were instructed to attempt to take him alive if he “didn’t pose a threat.” Though officials claim he was resisting at the time of his killing, one wonders how much of a threat the aging, sickly terror leader could have posed to a team of soldiers when he was unarmed.

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Boo! The Long Legend of Osama Bin Laden

"We have nothing to sell but fear itself."

Back in the day, on 9/23/2001 Former Secretary of State Colin Powell promised that the Bush administration would release evidence that Osama bin Laden masterminded the attacks Sept. 11, as part of an effort to convince the world that a military response is justified. "I am absolutely convinced that the al-Qaida network, which he heads, was responsible for this attack. "He is a murderer." Powell said the government would "put before the world, the American people, a persuasive case that ... it is al-Qaida, led by Osama bin Laden, who has been responsible." He said the evidence will embrace new information gathered by law enforcement and intelligence agents on the attacks, as well as material used in indictments against bin Laden in the bombing of U.S. embassies in east Africa in 1998. No such information was ever released.[MORE] and [MORE] 

From [HERE] I have one question about the so-called killing of Osama bin Laden...have you, in 10 years, seen one sample of proof connecting him to the events of 911? The FBI most wanted list did not mention 911 under his entry. The FBI's response to the questions posed about this was clear, they had no proof of his involvement in the event.

Once again we have a dead man who can tell no tales, or truths, when it comes to the official history of war. Osama joins a long line of mythical villains who die before they can speak to the public or to the courts under verifiable conditions. Every one of Osama's tapes was questionable. There were several face types seen on these tapes and it could not be verified that it was him.

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Congresswoman Barbara Lee Calls for End to Afghan War After Killing of Osama bin Laden

From [HERE] In September 2001, Rep. Barbara Lee was the only lawmaker in either chamber of Congress to vote against the 2001 resolution authorizing the use of force in Afghanistan. Today she is a leading advocate for the immediate withdrawal of troops and for repealing the authorization that grants a president the authority to use force without a formal declaration of war issued by Congress. “While the head of al-Qaeda is no longer around, we have to really address the root causes of terrorism and understand that we have to refocus our resources and our strategy in a way that begins to get us out of Afghanistan,” Lee says. 

In 2001, four days after the September 11th attacks, Congressmember Lee was the only lawmaker in either chamber of Congress to vote against the 2001 resolution authorizing the use of force in Afghanistan.

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