The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

A Reason to Riot, or a Pretext?

Posted on | June 5, 2020 | 1 Comment

 

Heather Mac Donald explains the relevant facts:

In 2019 police officers fatally shot 1,004 people, most of whom were armed or otherwise dangerous. African-Americans were about a quarter of those killed by cops last year (235), a ratio that has remained stable since 2015. That share of black victims is less than what the black crime rate would predict, since police shootings are a function of how often officers encounter armed and violent suspects. In 2018, the latest year for which such data have been published, African-Americans made up 53% of known homicide offenders in the U.S. and commit about 60% of robberies, though they are 13% of the population.
The police fatally shot nine unarmed blacks and 19 unarmed whites in 2019, according to a Washington Post database, down from 38 and 32, respectively, in 2015. The Post defines “unarmed” broadly to include such cases as a suspect in Newark, N.J., who had a loaded handgun in his car during a police chase. In 2018 there were 7,407 black homicide victims. Assuming a comparable number of victims last year, those nine unarmed black victims of police shootings represent 0.1% of all African-Americans killed in 2019. By contrast, a police officer is 18½ times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male is to be killed by a police officer.

Are we clear about this? Is it not apparent that, however much we deplore racism or police brutality in general, the specific facts of the George Floyd case are anomalous, and not typical? A statistically rare event has been falsely portrayed as representing a larger truth about “systemic racism,” when in reality the evidence contradicts that representation. People claiming to speak on behalf of “the black community” have been paid to promote this false belief, and the media have irresponsibly helped propagate a dangerous mythology. We have seen this before:

James Scurlock was a criminal. David Dorn was a cop. The two men never met, but the cause of their deaths — Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska, and Dorn in St. Louis, Missouri — was related. Both were killed this past week as a result of the dangerous storm of violence that most media outlets describe euphemistically as “protests” or “unrest.”
Americans are being told by intellectuals, politicians, and TV pundits that this deadly chaos is about “systemic racism,” to quote Joe Biden, but what we are actually witnessing is the return of a dangerous belief system that Manhattan Institute scholar Fred Siegel called “the riot ideology.” People are being killed, businesses are being looted, and the fundamental basis of a free society is being jeopardized because this irresponsible mentality has been promoted as a solution to racial inequality, when in fact it is a major cause of the problem. The deaths of James Scurlock and David Dorn illustrate the damage done by the riot ideology. . . .

Read the rest of my column at The American Spectator.


 

 

Category: American Spectator, Crime

Muslim Immigrant Attacks Police

Posted on | June 5, 2020 | 2 Comments

 

Is it OK to stop calling this “mostly peaceful” yet?

Authorities are looking into whether the Wednesday night stabbing of an NYPD officer in Brooklyn was a terror-inspired attack, law enforcement sources said Thursday.
One officer was stabbed in the neck and two others were shot during the confrontation in the Flatbush neighborhood. All three officers are expected to recover, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said at an early Thursday press conference. The suspect was shot eight times and is in critical condition at a hospital.
Three senior law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Dzenan Camovic, 20, an immigrant from the Balkan region. One senior source said Camovic had recently shared anti-police sentiments on his social media feeds.
Camovic had not been on police radar, the sources said, but is associated with “individuals of concern.” Terrorism, however, is just one theory for what happened, they said, and nothing has been ruled in or out.

Can we rule it out? I don’t think so:

The man suspected of stabbing an NYPD cop in the neck without warning is a “practicing Muslim” whose family is from Bosnia — but he’s “absolutely not a terrorist,” a relative who was interviewed by federal terrorism investigators said Thursday.
The relative also said that Dzenan Camovic, 20, never expressed any anti-police sentiment to him and questioned the official account of Wednesday night’s incident in Brooklyn.
‘“I’ve known him since he was 6-inches tall. That this is a terrorism, it’s illogical,” said the middle-aged man, who declined to give his name.
“He was raised here, [English] is his only language … He was as good of a child as a child could be.”

Oh, a “practicing Muslim” from Bosnia would never commit terrorism.

Ace of Spades makes the obvious point: Why are we importing such people? Do we have a shortage of cop-haters in America, so that in order to keep the cop-hating industry functioning at full capacity, we have to bring in cop-haters from foreign countries? The fact that this particular cop-hater is white helps illustrate what’s wrong with the frequent claim that anyone who opposes the open-borders agenda is “racist.”

While we may stipulate (and it would be dishonest to deny) that racism is a factor in concerns about immigration, does admitting something like a million foreigners a year do anything to reduce racism? For all we know, this Dzenan Camovic character was radicalized because he couldn’t adjust to the ethnic diversity of Brooklyn. And there are plenty of similar examples of immigrants (or children of immigrants) who underwent a similar process of radicalization. It is difficult enough for any American-born kid, whatever their race, to adjust to adult life in this complex and confusing postmodern culture. When you add immigration to the mix of influences, you increase the potential number of factors that may contribute to psychological alienation. And this is true whether the immigrant is from Sweden or Somalia or Surinam.

Reduce legal immigration, build a wall to keep out illegals, and give America a generation or two to assimilate all the immigrants we have taken in for the past 50 years. Then maybe in about 2075 — when my grandchildren are reaching retirement age — you can reconsider.


 

 

Category: Crime, Immigration, Islam, Racism

Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes

Posted on | June 4, 2020 | 2 Comments

 

All those “dumb blonde” jokes? They’re not jokes:

A 22-year-old Michigan woman faces up to 15 years behind bars for allegedly inciting riots by destroying property and encouraging other looters to ransack stores during her Facebook Live broadcast.
Alexandria “Ally” Lyons of Grand Rapids was arrested after reportedly damaging businesses last weekend in Grand Rapids. She allegedly goaded fellow rioters to wreck retail locations by looting and throwing bricks at buildings. Lyons livestreamed video on Facebook of her kicking and shattering the glass window of a store. The riots left more than 100 businesses damaged, according to MLive.com.
Lyons and her friends went on a stealing spree where they stole beers from Mojo’s Dueling Piano Bar and Restaurant, looted a jewelry store, and stole merchandise from a clothing store, authorities said. Lyons and her friends uploaded photos and videos of their actions to social media.
“Defendant could be heard telling her friends to get her a gold bracelet because she already has silver ones,” Grand Rapids police Detective Matt DeJong wrote in a probable-cause affidavit of Lyons instructing others during a robbery of a jewelry store.
“She is heard multiple times encouraging her friends and others to throw bricks or other objects at windows of multiple businesses downtown and at one point picks up a brick herself and mentions heading ‘back to the courthouse,'” the affidavit said.
In one video, Lyons allegedly instructed her friends to break into an ATM.
Lyons shared footage of her having a party at her house, where she was reportedly seen wearing stolen clothing from F. David Barney Clothiers.
Police tracked Lyons down after receiving numerous tips and people sharing social media posts of her looting and destroying businesses.
Lyons was charged with the malicious destruction of a building (between $1,000 and $20,000) in one case and inciting a riot in a companion case, according to Law & Crime.

Because I’m not a racist, I want this white criminal to be punished to the maximum extent of the law. In fact, I consider it unfortunate that she did not get shot, or at least beaten, while resisting arrest. Stupid white people like her are giving the rest of us white people a bad reputation. And some of them might even vote for Joe Biden in November.


 

Category: Crime, Michigan

In The Mailbox: 06.03.20

Posted on | June 3, 2020 | 1 Comment

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Finished Jerry Pournelle’s last novel, Mamelukes, last night. Didn’t suck. Longer review this weekend.

OVER THE TRANSOM
Pagan Vigil: Protests Vs. Riots & Looting
Ninety Miles From Tyranny: The 90 Miles Mystery Box, Episode #1006
Red Pilled Jew: Wednesday Whittle
357 Magnum: Defending Your Business From Looters In Chicago
EBL: Losers – Antisemite Valerie Plame In New Mexico, Steve King In Iowa
Twitchy: NBC News Declines To Comment On Its Camera Crew Being Accosted By Mostly Peaceful Protesters In DC
Louder With Crowder: Idiots show Support To Rioters With Thumbs Up, Rioters Break Their Windows
Vox Popoli: Extricate Yourself, also, The Whole Thing Is Fake

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
Adam Piggott: Our Greatest Enemy, also, Black Out Tuesday? Goodbye
American Conservative: Trump’s Finger On The Martial Law Trigger
American Greatness: George W. Bush Celebrates Protests, Accuses America Of Systemic Racism
American Thinker: Was It Ever Really About The Virus? also, Democrats Using Antifa To Foment Revolution
Animal Magnetism: Animal’s Hump Day News (with bionic boobs)
Babalu Blog: Leftist Rioters In DC Vandalize Memorial To Victims Of Communism
BattleSwarm: Scenes From The Antifa/Black Lives Matter Riots
Cafe Hayek: Be Careful With This Exception
CDR Salamander: Beware The Ides Of June
Da Tech Guy: Thank CNN, The Democrats, & The Left For The Looting & Riots
Don Surber: Media Domination Backfires On Democrats, also, Trump Moves GOP Convention Out Of NC
First Street Journal: The Left Told Us That The Armed Lockdown Protesters Were “Terrorists”, But The George Floyd Riots Have Been “Mostly Peaceful”
The Geller Report: All NYC Looters Released Without Bail, also, Park Police Find Baseball Bats & Poles Hidden Along Street Near White House
Hogewash: Team Kimberlin Post of The Day, also, Places I Avoid
Hollywood In Toto: These Thugs Should Never Have Messed With Becky, also, Stars Bail Out Protesters, Silent On Helping Victims
Legal Insurrection: Retired St. Louis Police Captain Shot & Killed By Looters While Defending Pawn Shop, also, Soros-Backed St. Louis Prosecutor Ensures All Protesters & Rioters Released From Jail
Michelle Malkin: Get Up Off Your Knees
The PanAm Post: The Conundrum Of Political Ignorance
Power Line: The Numbers Don’t Support BLM Claims About The Police, also, How Crazy Are The Democrats? This Crazy
Shark Tank: West Palm Beach Mayor Bans Sale Of Guns & Ammo
Shot In The Dark: Dear Virtue-Signaling Political Demagogues & White “Progressives”
This Ain’t Hell: Flag Burning & Stolen Valor, also, Nothing To See Here – Move Along
Victory Girls: Lancet Study Blasting Hydroxychloroquine Based On Scam Data
Volokh Conspiracy: What Happened To The Public Health Emergency?
Weasel Zippers: DC Bishop Under Fire For “Partisan Attack” On Trump’s Visit To John Paul II Shrine, also, Former Obama Intel Official Helps Arsonist Lawyer Make Bail
Megan McArdle: Cities Will Make A Comeback After The Coronavirus – They Almost Always Do
Mark Steyn: Corona-Friendly Rioting

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Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes

Posted on | June 3, 2020 | 1 Comment

 

Matthew Lee Rupert is not exactly a criminal mastermind. His career of felonious stupidity began as a teenager, when he stole a van in his hometown of Galesburg, Illinois, and drove it into a ditch:

The van was found in a ditch just outside of Galesburg. Police found Rupert walking in the area where the van was located.
Police discovered footprints in the snow where the van had been parked and, after taking a picture of the bottom of Rupert’s shoes, found the tread to be a match.

That was 2009. Two years ago, Rupert was again facing felony charges:

A Galesburg man pleaded not guilty to charges of having stolen firearms.
Matthew L. Rupert, 24, entered that plea following his preliminary hearing Monday afternoon before Circuit Judge Raymond Cavanaugh. The judge had found probable cause during the evidentiary hearing and the case will progress to a pretrial hearing May 7.
Rupert is charged with felony counts of aggravated possession of stolen firearms, delivery of a stolen firearm, two counts of possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a firearm with defaced serial identification markings and theft.
Those same offenses, except charged under the accountability theory, have been filed against Amanda J. Cutler, 27, Bailey Avenue, as well.
While Rupert is out of custody after posting $7,500 bond, Cutler remains in jail. She went before Circuit Judge Scott Shipplett about two weeks ago for a bail reduction hearing that was ultimately denied.

You might think that charges as serious as these would have been enough to put Rupert behind bars for a long time, but this happened in Illinois, a state controlled by Democrats, which means that criminals are more or less allowed to roam free because . . . “social justice” or whatever.

Let’s pause, for a moment, to discuss #BlackLivesMatter and the consequences thereof. Everyone is against racism and police brutality, but this is not what #BlackLivesMatter is actually about. The real agenda is to help elect Democrats by demonizing police and inciting anti-white hatred, thus to “energize” black voters. This, in turn, is connected to promises of “criminal justice reform” which, in practical terms, means that criminals seldom face serious prison time. While this agenda is intended to pander to the black community, it results in a relaxation of law enforcement that also sets free many white felons, including dangerously stupid criminals like Matthew Lee Rupert:

A man from downstate Galesburg who allegedly appears on video rioting, looting and urging attacks against the police has been hit with what appears to be the first federal criminal charge related to the violence this weekend in Chicago.
Matthew Lee Rupert, 28, has been charged in an eight-page criminal complaint in federal court in Minnesota with civil disorder, carrying on a riot and possession of unregistered destructive devices. The complaint alleges Rupert participated in looting and rioting in Minneapolis in response to the police killing of George Floyd before moving on to Chicago.
In a removal hearing held by telephone Monday before U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer in Chicago, Rupert maintained his innocence through his attorney but didn’t challenge being taken in custody back to Minnesota. . . .
Allegations in the criminal complaint against Rupert largely revolve around a Facebook account for “El Ricco Rupert.” Rupert allegedly used that page to announce Thursday night that, “I’m going to Minneapolis tomorrow who coming only goons I’m renting hotel rooms.”
The next day, Rupert allegedly posted video to his Facebook account suggesting he was in Minneapolis. The video appeared to be filmed by Rupert while he was holding his cell phone, according to an FBI special agent’s affidavit. The video was marked “live” and lasted roughly two hours, records show. Authorities allege he passed out explosives, encouraged others to throw explosives at police and appeared to light a building on fire.
At one point, Rupert allegedly said, “There are SWAT trucks up there. They got SWAT trucks up there . . . I’ve got some bombs if some of you all want to throw them back . . . bomb them back . . . here I got some more . . . light it and throw it.” As he made the comments, Rupert allegedly handed out an item with brown casing and a green wick to others.
Rupert allegedly went on to break into a boarded-up liquor store, claimed to set a fire to a Sprint store and then took videos of himself taking items from an Office Depot.
The next day, Rupert allegedly suggested on Facebook he might head next to Chicago and he allegedly posted multiple videos early Sunday indicating he had arrived. He is allegedly seen with others near Van Buren and Dearborn wearing an American flag bandana and a white baseball cap. In one video, Rupert allegedly said he was at “South Plymouth and Ida B. Wells” waiting for his brother.
Rupert is allegedly heard on the video saying something to the effect of “let’s start a riot” and “I’m going to start doing some damage.” The feds say Rupert went into a merchant store but found the cash register empty, so he moved on to a convenience store. He allegedly is seen on video putting items in his backpack, and he references having boxes of tobacco products in his backpack.
Chicago police arrested Rupert and others at 2:21 a.m. Sunday for violating Chicago’s emergency curfew, according to the complaint. When police searched his vehicle, they found “several destructive devices” similar to what he had been using in Minneapolis, it states. He also had a hammer, a flashlight and cash.

Stupidity is not a federal crime, otherwise more Democrats would be in prison, but Rupert’s extreme stupidity — posting evidence of his terrorist spree on Facebook — is worthy of special consideration.


 

Category: Crime, Illinois, Minnesota

In The Mailbox: 06.02.20 (Evening Edition)

Posted on | June 2, 2020 | Comments Off on In The Mailbox: 06.02.20 (Evening Edition)

— compiled by Wombat-socho

OVER THE TRANSOM
357 Magnum: God Bless Sheriff Grady Judd
EBL: Minneapolis Morning
Twitchy: Writer Who Warned Of Georgia’s Impending Human Sacrifice By Reopening Says NYC 8 PM Curfew Is “Absolutely Insane”
Louder With Crowder: Grieving Young Woman Berates Rioters Who Killed Her Sister
Vox Popoli: Ahead Of The Curve, also, Antifa – The Movie

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
Adam Piggott: Divide & Conquer
American Conservative: Assaulted & Vilified, The Cops Save The Cities
American Greatness: Who Is Funding & Organizing The Antifa Insurrection?
American Power: Women In Personal Protective Equipment
American Thinker: America’s New State-Run Church
Animal Magnetism: Animal’s Daily Insurrection News
Babalu Blog: Castro Regime Warns Cubans Food Will Become Even More Scarce
BattleSwarm: America Burning Redux – Why? also, Sky News Australia “Of Course Antifa Is Behind The Violence!
Cafe Hayek: The (Il)Logic Of Retaliatory Industrial Policy And Protectionism
Camp of the Saints: On Grievance-Mongering Identity Politics And Agents Provocateurs
CDR Salamander: In The End, It Always Comes Down To Leadership
Da Tech Guy: The Media/Left Goal For These Riots – A Dead Useful Idiot, also, Frenzy
Don Surber: Go Ahead, W, Publicly Back Biden
First Street Journal: The “Mostly Peaceful Protesters” Shoot Four Policemen In St. Louis
The Geller Report: DeBlasio Refused Assistance From National Guard To Stop Rioting & Looting, also, Rudy Giuliani Calls DeBlasio “Incompetent”, Says He Should Step Down
Hogewash: Team Kimberlin Post of The Day, also, Water In A Habitable Zone
Hollywood In Toto: The Best TV Shows Of 2020 (So Far), also, You Don’t Nomi Rushes To Defend Showgirls
JustOneMinute: Is Minnesota Burning?
Legal Insurrection: I Watched Antifa Grow. Let Me Tell You About These Terrorists, also, Biden Lies About Calling For National Coronavirus Lockdown In January
The PanAm Post: How George Floyd’s Death Killed Off Coronavirus In The United States
Power Line: Soros-Funded Leftists Dominate Facebook Censorship Board, also, You Can’t Loot Us, We’re Progressives!
Shark Tank: Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried Disingenuously Accuses Rep. Sabatini Of Promoting “Armed Violence”
Shot In The Dark: The Fifth Killer
STUMP: The California Rule Court Case
The Political Hat: Fighting Fascism Means Fighting Those Who Have Fought Against Fascism?
This Ain’t Hell: Riot Recap, also, Retired SEAL Chief Sues SecNav & NYT
Victory Girls: Antifa Better Know The Suburbs Are Armed
Volokh Conspiracy: Are People Allowed To Use Deadly Force To Defend Property?
Weasel Zippers: Pallets Of Bricks Showing Up At Protests/Riots Across The Country, also, Democrats & Hillary Share WH Photo To Prove Trump “Cowered In The Dark”, But It’s A Picture From 2015
Mark Steyn: Tweet Of Glory, also, Bureaucrats, Menstruators, & Rioters

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Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes

Posted on | June 2, 2020 | 4 Comments

 

“Social justice” activists have been busy in Philadelphia:

Police are searching for the persons responsible for vandalizing at least 10 ATMs across Philadelphia overnight.
Officials said in many of the cases neighborhood convenience stores and mini markets were targeted.
Police said the thieves typically run into the store, set off an explosive device and then make off with the cash from the machine.

 

At least one young activist wasn’t hard to locate:

A man died while trying to blow up an ATM in North Philadelphia early Tuesday as thieves blew up or stole cash machines across the city overnight in what authorities believe was an “organized” and “coordinated” effort, police said.
The 24-year-old, whose name has not been released, suffered trauma to his upper body after placing explosive in a sidewalk-facing ATM outside a sports bar along North 2nd Street near Susquehanna Avenue around 6:15 a.m., Philadelphia police said.
Medics rushed the man to a nearby hospital where he died a couple hours later.

It was a “mostly peaceful” protest, until he exploded himself.


 

Category: Crime, Pennsylvania

In The Mailbox: 06.02.20 (Morning Edition)

Posted on | June 2, 2020 | 1 Comment

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Thanks to everyone who bought stuff through my Amazon links this month.
Thought I was going to be able to get this done after driving up to Tonopah and back yesterday, but I thought wrong.

OVER THE TRANSOM
Bacon Time: Roll With The Changes
Red Pilled Jew: Random Thoughts
357 Magnum: Central Park Karen Is A Liberal
EBL: Louis Vuitton “Influencer” Promotion Backfires During Protest Looting
Twitchy: Law Prof Jonathan Turley Looks At The Likely Case Against Two Lawyers Arrested For Firebombing NYPD Van
Louder With Crowder: Rioters Block & Attack Truck Towing Horse Trailer, Driver Runs Them Over
Monster Hunter Nation: Uncle Hugo’s Fundraiser Is Back On!
Vox Popoli: Goodbye, Uncle Hugo, also, Enjoy The Inevitable

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
Adam Piggott: Friday Hawt Chicks & Links – The Butthurt Edition
American Conservative: Cops Kill Because We Gave Them The Legal Framework To Do It
American Greatness: Jake Tapper’s Attempt To Blame “Far Right Groups” Hor Protest Violence Goes Nowhere With Trump’s NSA, also, Antifa Rioters In DC Deface Lincoln & WW2 Memorials
American Power: Terrifying Collapse Of The Rule Of Law Across America
American Thinker: The Economic Fallout From COVID-19 & Riots Will Not Diminish Trump Support, also, The Fog Is Lifted
Animal Magnetism: Goodbye Blue Monday
Babalu Blog: Che Guevara, The Racist, Brutal Co-Founder Of Cuba’s Police State, Is Idolized During Riots (Allegedly) Against Racism & Police Brutality
Baldilocks: Sunday “Law” Breaking
BattleSwarm: America Burning, also, BidenWatch For June 1
Cafe Hayek: This Line About Political Party Platforms Appears In An Op-Ed
CDR Salamander: AI, Autonomous Systems, Emerging Tech & The Future Of War – On Midrats
Da Tech Guy: Five Riotous Thoughts Under The Fedora, also, The Desecration of The Cook County Forest Preserves
Don Surber: Meet Your Oppressed Molotov Cocktail Tossers, also, President Allen West
First Street Journal: Schadenfreude! Will The Left Ever Learn That The Mob Are Not Their Friends?
Fred On Everything: America On Video
The Geller Report: Soros Warns Trump Of Economic Doom Before Election, also, Ilhan Omar Whines That Minneapolis Rioters Were “Terrorized” By National Guard & Police
Hogewash: Team Kimberlin Post of The Day, also, I Regret That I Can Type This
Hollywood In Toto: Twitter Yawns As Celebrities Promote Hate & Violence, also, Netflix’s Space Force Is Woke, Progresive, & Pointless
JustOneMinute: Minnesota Burning
Legal Insurrection: UK’s Boris Johnson Seeks U.S.-Led 5G Alliance To Counter Red Chinese Dominance, also, Chris “Fredo” Cuomo’s CNN Ratings Plunge 50% Since April
The PanAm Post: Shortages & More Controls As Maduro Announces Gasoline Price Hike
Power Line: Who Is Rioting In The Twin Cities? also, In Search Of The Elusive White Nationalist
Shark Tank: Disgraced Former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel Receives $50,000 From Strip Club
Shot In The Dark: This Is My Town, Sparky
STUMP: Bankruptcy Followup – On Stockton, Public Pensions, & The Prisoner’s Dilemma
The Political Hat: News Of The Week
This Ain’t Hell: Outrage At Nazi Swastikas In Veterans Cemeteries, also, KY Man Dead After Police & Guard Return Fire On Rioters Who Fired First
Victory Girls: Riots Across America Are No Longer About George Floyd
Volokh Conspiracy: Police Unions & The Problem Of Police Misconduct
Weasel Zippers: DC Protesters Snatch Up Anarchist Vandal, Turn Him Over To Police, also, Woman Hits Cop In The Head Twice, Doesn’t Expect The Response
Mark Steyn: The New Normal & The Old Normal

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