BEWARE...SOME DAYS ARE NOT VERY PRETTY. I GET CRABBY LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE DO. AND I DO SPEAK MY MIND.
DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO TRUE, REAL, EVERYDAY FEELINGS LIKE MINE.(But I think you would enjoy it)
DON'T FORGET...FREEDOM OF SPEECH !
Group Rescinds Planned Award to Actor Robert De Niro After Unhinged Trump Courthouse Stunt
Group Rescinds Planned Award to Actor Robert De Niro After Unhinged Trump Courthouse Stunt
by Margaret Flavin75 Comments
On Tuesday, the Biden campaign rolled out actor Robert De Niro for an unhinged rant outside the courthouse during the lawfare trial against President Trump.
It didn’t go well.
The presser devolved into chaos as De Niro insulted millions of
hardworking Americans, and he was mercilessly heckled as he called Trump
supporters “clowns” and engaged in shouting matches with fed-up
Americans.
Now, The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced
that it is withdrawing the NAB Leadership Foundation’s Service to
America Award De Niro was set to receive in Washington, D.C., on June
4th.
Alex Siciliano, NAB’s senior vice president of communications, said in a statement to The Hill,
“This event is proudly bipartisan, uniting those from across the
political spectrum to celebrate the impactful work of local broadcasters
and our partners.”
“While we strongly support the right of every American to exercise
free speech and participate in civic engagement, it is clear that Mr. De
Niro’s recent high-profile activities will create a distraction from
the philanthropic work that we were hoping to recognize. To maintain the
focus on service of the award winners, Mr. De Niro will no longer be
attending the event.”
De Niro told The Hill in a statement, “I support the work of the NAB
Leadership Foundation and would like to express my appreciation and
gratitude for what the Foundation has done and will continue to do for
the good of us all, and I wish them well for their continued good work.”
(READ EVERY WORD and after go to the link above for more TRUE stories that you won't read about on social media.)
President
Trump GUILTY of 34 Felonies – 11 for Receiving Mail, 12 for Posting
Entries, 11 for Cutting Checks – NOTHING HE EVER DID
by Joe Hoft
The
case against President Trump in New York is based on accounting
activities that are not crimes. They aren’t even adjusting entries.
At
one point in my corporate career, I oversaw the financial reporting of
multimillion and billion-dollar blocks of business for a US Fortune 500
corporation. I also served as an international corporate executive in
Hong Kong.
In Manhattan DA Bragg’s case against President Trump there are no crimes. Adjusting entries aren’t even required.
The
Bragg case is based on accounting activities that the state of New York
says are crimes. As you will see below, these activities are not
crimes and they don’t even make sense.
Corrupt Soros-backed DA in
Manhattan, Alvin Bragg, and the Trump-hating gang of former Obama White
House and Biden DOJ members like Mike Colangelo, dropped a BS indictment
against President Trump in April 2023.
Below is the indictment:
Donald J. Trump Indictment by Jim Hoft on Scribd
Here are reasons why the indictment is totally false – no crimes exist.
1.
The indictment is BS for many reasons but one of the major reasons
surrounds the timing of the activities claimed to be crimes in the
indictment.
The
activities for which President Trump is charged all occurred after
President Trump handed his multi-billion dollar organization over to the
control of his sons.
President
Trump was not running his companies at the time of these events. He
had handed over control of these operations to his sons.
2. None of these activities are crimes in the first place which is why Bragg never lists any crimes.
What a crock.
The indictment doesn’t even say what the crimes are because there are none. (Note that Twitter will not allow me to embed this tweet).
3.
Even if President Trump was running his companies at the time that
these accounting entries were reportedly performed, he almost certainly
had nothing to do with them in the first place.
I base this on my own experience overseeing the financial reporting for a billion-dollar block of business. I never discussed any accounting entries with the company’s CEO.
As a matter of fact, I never made entries into the ledger myself. I
had hundreds of individuals around the globe who made entries. Making
entries was their job not mine.
My
bet is that President Trump never “made and caused a false entry” into
the books of his company as is stated in the indictment because he never
made an entry in the books of his company. President Trump,
like me and almost all executives in Fortune 500 companies, never made
accounting entries. You can bet that President Trump never made an
accounting entry in his life.
This case is lunacy.
4. The accounting entries were made years ago and the statute of limitations ended years ago.
With
Hunter Biden, the DOJ waited until the statute of limitations passed
before addressing his tax crimes. With President Trump, Soros-backed
Bragg, ignores the statute of limitations which passed four years ago,
and makes up crimes out of thin air.
5. Bragg claims that the 2017 activities somehow impacted the 2016 election.
Seriously, how can Bragg prove that future events impacted current events. This makes no sense.
6.
No auditors would ever identify or make the claims made by Bragg – not
in a billion-dollar business – these entries are so small they would
likely never be found or addressed by an auditor.
If
these were issues then management would make adjustments but these
adjustments would not impact taxes or income since they were reported in
the wrong bucket and likely didn’t impact the bottom line. Adjustments
happen all the time. They are not crimes.
7. No auditor in 2022 would go back to 2017 and locate $100,000 in entries in a billion-dollar business.
Auditors
rely on prior years’ work in the current year. I have never heard of
an auditor going back five years when performing an audit. Never.
There simply is not enough time. And again, if they did, any issues
identified at worst would be posted as adjusting entries. These are not
crimes.
8. It is likely that no one in history has ever been charged with a felony for receiving an invoice from a vendor.
The
“felonies” listed in Bragg’s case are related to 11 payments allegedly
made to crooked Michael Cohen – 11 invoices, 12 vouchers, 11 checks or
wires.
Invoices are received from vendors – not made by anyone in
the Trump organization – Trump has no control over the receipt of
invoices. Charging President Trump with a felony for receiving an
invoice is like charging any American a felony for receiving a letter in
the mail.
An invoice is sent from a vendor. The vendor controls
when it is sent. President Trump did not commit a felony when he
received these invoices or any invoices from any vendors he does
business with. They are clearly Trumped-up charges.
9. President Trump didn’t commit a felony when one of his many accountants made an entry in his books.
Entries
are made every day in the US by accountants in businesses of various
sizes. These are not crimes. They can be addressed if they are made in
error. How can Bragg prove that President Trump intended to commit
fraud on each one of these events?
10. President Trump has
a multibillion-dollar business. The likelihood of him knowing about
these entries and desiring to commit fraud is nil.
This entire case is BS.
The
real criminals are the many individuals working in collusion to destroy
this country and President Trump and tie him to a nasty stripper.
These people are vile.
These people after President Trump
are involved in a conspiracy to overthrow our nation and interfere in
the last and the next election. That is where the crimes are – not
this.
The
case against President Trump in New York is based on accounting
activities that are not crimes. They aren’t even adjusting entries.
This post was published on April 3, 2024. It even more appropriate today.
At
one point in my corporate career, I oversaw the financial reporting of
multimillion and billion-dollar blocks of business for a US Fortune 500
corporation. I also served as an international corporate executive in
Hong Kong.
In Manhattan DA Bragg’s case against President Trump there are no crimes. Adjusting entries aren’t even required.
The
Bragg case is based on accounting activities that the state of New York
says are crimes. As you will see below, these activities are not
crimes and they don’t even make sense.
Corrupt Soros-backed DA in
Manhattan, Alvin Bragg, and the Trump-hating gang of former Obama White
House and Biden DOJ members like Mike Colangelo, dropped a BS indictment
against President Trump in April 2023.
Below is the indictment:
Donald J. Trump Indictment by Jim Hoft on Scribd
Here are reasons why the indictment is totally false – no crimes exist.
1.
The indictment is BS for many reasons but one of the major reasons
surrounds the timing of the activities claimed to be crimes in the
indictment.
The activities for which President Trump is
charged all occurred after President Trump handed his multi-billion
dollar organization over to the control of his sons.
President
Trump was not running his companies at the time of these events. He
had handed over control of these operations to his sons.
2. None of these activities are crimes in the first place which is why Bragg never lists any crimes.
What a crock.
The indictment doesn’t even say what the crimes are because there are none. (Note that Twitter will not allow me to embed this tweet).
3.
Even if President Trump was running his companies at the time that
these accounting entries were reportedly performed, he almost certainly
had nothing to do with them in the first place.
I base this on my own experience overseeing the financial reporting for a billion-dollar block of business. I never discussed any accounting entries with the company’s CEO.
As a matter of fact, I never made entries into the ledger myself. I
had hundreds of individuals around the globe who made entries. Making
entries was their job not mine.
My
bet is that President Trump never “made and caused a false entry” into
the books of his company as is stated in the indictment because he never
made an entry in the books of his company. President Trump,
like me and almost all executives in Fortune 500 companies, never made
accounting entries. You can bet that President Trump never made an
accounting entry in his life.
This case is lunacy.
4. The accounting entries were made years ago and the statute of limitations ended years ago.
With
Hunter Biden, the DOJ waited until the statute of limitations passed
before addressing his tax crimes. With President Trump, Soros-backed
Bragg, ignores the statute of limitations which passed four years ago,
and makes up crimes out of thin air.
5. Bragg claims that the 2017 activities somehow impacted the 2016 election.
Seriously, how can Bragg prove that future events impacted current events. This makes no sense.
6.
No auditors would ever identify or make the claims made by Bragg – not
in a billion-dollar business – these entries are so small they would
likely never be found or addressed by an auditor.
If
these were issues then management would make adjustments but these
adjustments would not impact taxes or income since they were reported in
the wrong bucket and likely didn’t impact the bottom line. Adjustments
happen all the time. They are not crimes.
7. No auditor in 2022 would go back to 2017 and locate $100,000 in entries in a billion-dollar business.
Auditors
rely on prior years’ work in the current year. I have never heard of
an auditor going back five years when performing an audit. Never.
There simply is not enough time. And again, if they did, any issues
identified at worst would be posted as adjusting entries. These are not
crimes.
8. It is likely that no one in history has ever been charged with a felony for receiving an invoice from a vendor.
The
“felonies” listed in Bragg’s case are related to 11 payments allegedly
made to crooked Michael Cohen – 11 invoices, 12 vouchers, 11 checks or
wires.
Invoices are received from vendors – not made by anyone in
the Trump organization – Trump has no control over the receipt of
invoices. Charging President Trump with a felony for receiving an
invoice is like charging any American a felony for receiving a letter in
the mail.
An invoice is sent from a vendor. The vendor controls
when it is sent. President Trump did not commit a felony when he
received these invoices or any invoices from any vendors he does
business with. They are clearly Trumped-up charges.
9. President Trump didn’t commit a felony when one of his many accountants made an entry in his books.
Entries
are made every day in the US by accountants in businesses of various
sizes. These are not crimes. They can be addressed if they are made in
error. How can Bragg prove that President Trump intended to commit
fraud on each one of these events?
10. President Trump has
a multibillion-dollar business. The likelihood of him knowing about
these entries and desiring to commit fraud is nil.
This entire case is BS.
The
real criminals are the many individuals working in collusion to destroy
this country and President Trump and tie him to a nasty stripper.
These people are vile.
These people after President Trump
are involved in a conspiracy to overthrow our nation and interfere in
the last and the next election. That is where the crimes are – not
this.
Today those who hate American indicted President Trump on this BS.
The Chicago Way: Woman Found
NOT GUILTY on All Charges By So-Called “Judge” Despite Stealing a
Police Squad Car and Running Over Cop While Naked
by Cullen Linebarger212 CommentsCredit: CWB Chicago
Crime pays in the Windy City as long as you are not a law-abiding citizen.
As CWB Chicago reported, 35-year-old Whitley Temple, who ran over a Chicago police officer with his own squad car in June 2022 while naked
after he stopped to help her, was found NOT GUILTY on all charges
including attempted murder by reason of insanity by Judge Tyria Walton
on Wednesday.
Credit: Chicago Law Bulletin
In addition to the murder, Temple was acquitted on four other
charges: two counts of aggravated battery to a police officer, vehicular
hijacking, and possession of a stolen vehicle. CWB Chicago notes Walton conducted a bench trial that dragged on for a month due to repeated continuances.
As CBS News Chicago notes,
prosecutors alleged that on June 13, 2022, 23-year veteran Chicago
Police Officer Edward Poppish found Temple naked in the street in West
Garfield Park. She then stole his squad car, ran him over, and dragged
him with the SUV.
She proceeded to race down the Kennedy Expressway at 90 mph before
slamming into four cars at Harrison Street and Damen Avenue in the
Illinois Medical District.
Poppish suffered a concussion as result of Temple’s actions and needed several stitches to his head.
Below is the video of the 2022 incident. Talk about a travesty of justice.
WATCH: (at the link at the top of this article)
To make matters worse, the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services hired Temple earlier this year as a lead accountant while awaiting trial. Sources told CBS Chicago she was terminated in March.
While Temple is a free woman, she must report to court for a meeting
with mental health officials on a treatment plan as the outletnotes.
Temple’s defense attorney had claimed
to Walton that his client was “in a psychotic state” at the time of the
incident during the bench trial, arguing that this is a “textbook
insanity case.” The prosecution and defense presented their closing
arguments on Wednesday before Walton announced her verdict the following
day.
BREAKING… Laura Loomer
Exclusive: Judge Juan Merchan Is Allowing His Daughter’s Clients to Have
Unrestricted Access Inside Trump Trial! (VIDEO)
by Jim Hoft32 Comments
Laura Loomer broke into the The War Room
broadcast on Thursday to discuss her latest breaking news regarding
Judge Merchan and his activist daughter who is raising money off of the
ongoing Donald Trump trial.
Laura Loomer revealed on Thursday that Marxist Judge Juan Merchan is
allowing his daughter’s clients access inside his lawfare trial against
President Donald Trump.
It appears we found the criminal in this case. He’s the one in the robe.
Paul Ingrassia reported on Judge Merchan’s daughter, Loren, back in April.
There is the scandal involving Merchan’s daughter. As
brilliantly exposed by Laura Loomer, Merchan’s impartiality has been
irreparably muddied by reports that his daughter, Loren, serves as
President of an organization called “Authentic,” which describes itself
as a “digital agency” that “partner[s] with clients to build
award-winning programs for progressive causes and campaigns.”
The organization proudly boasts Kamala Harris and Adam Schiff, who
pushed the debunked Steele dossier claiming Russian meddling in the 2016
election, as two of its most valued clients.
Other clients featured on the organization’s website are the Biden
Harris Campaign, Governor Gavin Newsom, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Rep.
Ilhan Omar, among countless other far-left progressive Democrats.
To occupy such a high leadership role in a group whose client is,
incredulously, the “Biden Harris campaign” is the paradigmatic example
of a conflict of interest. And not that further evidence to support a
conflict would be needed, but Loomer’s research also uncovered that, per
FEC public filings, Loren donated thousands of dollars directly to Democratic politicians.
On Thursday, Laura Loomer reported that Judge Merchan is allowing
his daughter’s clients to have unrestricted access inside the Trump
trial.
Judge Juan Merchan with his daughter Lauren who is a leftwing activist and is using the trial to make money for Democrats.
According to Laura Loomer:
JUDGE MERCHAN’S DAUGHTER LOREN MERCHAN’S CLIENTS FROM HER
DEMOCRAT POLITICAL CONSULTING FIRM @Authentic_HQ HAVE BEEN GIVEN SEATS
INSIDE THE TRUMP TRIAL IN NYC
Judge Merchan is now allowing his daughter’s clients to have
unrestricted access inside the Trump Trial. His daughter, Loren Merchan,
is a Democrat political consultant.
According to the Authentic Campaigns Website, which Loren Merchan is
the President of, the anti-Trump Brennan Center for Justice is a client
of Loren Merchan.
Joyce Vance @JoyceWhiteVance is a Senior Fellow at the Brennan Center
for Justice @BrennanCenter , and she has been inside the Trump trial
where she’s been writing articles for the Brennan Center for Justice,
which target and harass the members of the jury in the Trump Trial. One
day ago, Joyce Vance wrote and published this article titled, “Can We
Trust The Jury In Trump’s Manhattan Trial?”
The Brennan Center for Justice hired Loren Merchan to manage their
newsletter (See receipts below), which features articles from the
Brennan Center for Justice website. Loren Merchan’s clients are now
making money off of Loren’s father, and Loren is profiting off of her
clients having seats inside the Trump Trial, because per her own
website, Loren Merchan has increased the size of the Brennan Center’s
newsletter by 204%!
Political email lists are worth MILLIONS of dollars.
Joyce Vance served as the US Attorney for the Northern District of
Alabama from 2009 to 2017. She was appointed by Barrack Hussein Obama.
ALSO EXCLUSIVE: Additionally, Susan Sachs Goldman, the mother of
Democrat New York Congressman Dan Goldman @RepDanGoldman is on the Board
of Directors for the Brennan Center for Justice. As I previously
*exclusively* reported, Rep. Goldman is also a client of Loren Merchan,
he prepared @MichaelCohen212 for his testimony in the Trump trial per
his admission on MSDNC, and Dan Goldman has sent hundreds of thousands
of dollars to the personal home residence of Loren Merchan.
This is arguably jury intimidation in the way that Judge Merchan is
having his daughter’s clients, who worked for Obama-Biden’s DOJ, come
into the court room to write disparaging articles about the jury, which
suggest they can’t make a decision on their own.
(Please read every word... They feel so protected so they never live in fear like the normal person)
...
Liberal Boston Mayor Supports Ending the Prosecution of Criminals for Theft, Breaking and Entering
by Cassandra MacDonald754 Comments
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has learned nothing from the chaos in San Francisco and wants to stop prosecuting criminals for theft.
Wu has also said that she wants to abolish the gang registry.
Before being elected, Wu described her priorities by filling out the
in-depth “2021 Boston Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire” from the far-left
organization Progressive Massachusetts.
One of the questions was, “Do you support shuttering the Boston Police gang database?” To which Wu responded, “Yes.”
Wu told the organization that she also supports ending information
sharing between the Boston Police Department and Immigration and Customs
Enforcement.
The now-mayor was also asked if she supports the do-not-prosecute
list enacted by the former Suffolk County district attorney Rachael
Rollins.
Fox News
reports, “DA Rollins enacted the policy memo identifying more than a
dozen charges she said should be declined for prosecution. Those crimes
included shoplifting, larceny, disorderly conduct, receiving stolen
property, driving with a suspended license, breaking and entering with
property damage, wanton and malicious destruction of property, threats,
minor in possession of alcohol, marijuana possession, possession with
intent to distribute, non-marijuana drug possession.”
“The DA was later brought into the Biden administration, before
resigning after an ethics probe found that Rollins committed ‘egregious’
ethical violations and ‘abuse of power,'” the report noted.
Wu replied that she does support the list.
The mayor also told the organization that she would like to end the
police department’s access to tear gas, rubber bullets, and attack dogs.
Massachusetts Trans “Woman” Goes on Stabbing Rampage at Massachusetts Movie Theater – Stabs 4 Girls Ages 9 to 17 without Warning
by Jim Hoft154 Comments
Trans woman Jared Ravizza or JareeeJones on Instagram
A trans man is in custody after allegedly stabbing four youg girls at
a movie theater in Braintree, Massachusetts on Saturday night.
ABC News reported:
At 6 p.m. Saturday evening, a man entered the AMC Braintree 10 and entered one of the theaters, authorities said.
Once inside the theater, the suspect stabbed four females between the
ages of 9 and 17-years-old, police said, adding that the attack
appeared to be unprovoked and without warning. The four girls sustained
non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to Boston hospitals
for treatment, poilce said.
The suspect allegedly left the scene in a black SUV, police said.
Using video footage in their investigation, police were able to identify
a license plate and alert other law enforcement agencies.
It was after this alert that authorities discovered that a car
matching the description was involved in a “similar assault” that
occurred in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
At approximately 7:04, about an hour after the stabbing at the AMC in
Braintree, the suspect allegedly stabbed two other people — a
21-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man — in a McDonald’s in Plymouth,
Massachusetts, Massachusetts State Police said. Both were in
non-life-threatening condition and were transported to area hospitals,
MSP said.
The pycho-stabber then crashed his SUV before police were able to take him into custody.
The man identified as Jared Ravizza goes by “she” on Instagram.
According to an article published last year in PlayersBio, Jared Ravizza is a “beautiful soul who continuously works for the betterment of his community.”
Transgender’ Teen Attempted to Perform Double Mastectomy on Herself After Watching YouTube Video
by Cassandra MacDonald221 Comments
A “transgender” teenager in New Zealand has been hospitalized after
attempting to perform a double mastectomy on herself after watching a
YouTube video.
The biological female teenager has been identified publicly only as 18-year-old “Patient Z.”
A study on the incident was recently published in the New Zealand Medical Journal.
The Blaze reports:
According to a recent study published in the New Zealand
Medical Journal, an 18-year-old biological female attempted to perform a
mastectomy on her left breast. The self-surgery was done due to
“significant psychological stress of having breasts at an upcoming pool
party,” according to the journal.
The doctors in the study said the individual “demonstrated
premeditation by watching a ‘how to’ video on YouTube, gathering the
necessary equipment, marking the incision, and considering pain
management and bleeding control.”
However, Patient Z quickly suffered “concerns” about the
“self-attempted left mastectomy” and “sought medical attention several
hours” through the “self-attempted left mastectomy due to concerns of
damaging a nerve.”
The emergency doctors performed a “completion left mastectomy and symmetrizing right mastectomy.”
25-Year Shelf-Life Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin at 25% Off for a Limited Time
The study authors reported, “Gender dysphoria causes significant
distress for transgender people. It is well documented that transgender
people experience higher levels of discrimination, bullying, and
violence compared to the general public.”
“Additionally, a study reviewed patients prior to gender-affirming
surgery and identified a significant proportion of patients with
undiagnosed anxiety and depression. While not all transgender people
want gender-affirmation surgery, individuals that do should be able to
access this service and express their authentic gender.”
UNBELIEVABLE: Reality Show
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ Features Woman With Chopped Off Boobs
Carrying Bloody Breasts on Runway and Promotes Double Mastectomies for
Teen/Young Adult Viewers (VIDEO)
by Jordan Conradson355 Comments
Trending on social media is a video featuring delusional drag
star Gottmik, a biological female named Kade Gottlib, walking down the
runway on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars carrying a bag of bloody breasts.
Attached behind the drag star are
robotic hands holding scalpels and reenacting her double mastectomy. On
her chest are open wounds drawn on by a makeup artist to reflect the
surgery.
RuPaul’s Drag Race is a reality
competition television series that distorts its audience on sexuality
and gender by promoting twisted ideology in the minds of young adults.
The ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars premiered on May 17,
2024, and Gottmik made the horrific display in front of millions of children and young adults who watch the show.
And, of course, the leftist hacks like former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are big fans of the show. Both made an appearance on the show, and Nancy has appeared twice.
During her second appearance, Pelosi told the contestants she was proud of them and thanked them “for the joy and beauty they bring to the world.”
"Your freedom of expression of
yourselves in drag is what America is all about,” she added. “I say that
all the time to my friends in drag.”
“I pledge allegiance to the drag,” Alexandria Occasio-Cortez said in a promo for the show.
Gottmilk took to Instagram after the show to thank RuPaul and say,
"his look represents the pain and suffering I went through" to chop her
breasts off.
It does look painful!
Gottmilk: I don’t even know what to say
about this look besides THANK YOU. This look is beyond just me. It is a
piece of art and fashion that represents something that I never thought
I’d be vulnerable enough to talk about let alone wear on the runway of @rupaulsdragrace
This look represents the pain and suffering I went through while all at
the some time experiencing complete trans queer liberation in a way
that I hope everyone seeing this will feel one day. I found my peace
within the fashion drag artistry space and I hope everyone finds theirs
in one way or another. ️⚧️
Go to the link at the top to see the rest of this story and see more photos
Why the hell are there so many of us stupid people working for a living without collecting?
That's ok.... on judgement day..... I'll be smiling knowing I didn't steal from the government that I didn't deserve.
Scammers !!
(Please DO NOT think that I am talking about those that are struggling for REAL. Mental illness is real but I am talking about the scammers out there.)
Plus claiming someone has mental illness when they are just acting like an idiot is just not right.
Feds Ban Memorial Day Event to Honor Fallen Heroes From National Cemetery, Call it a ‘Demonstration’
by Margaret Flavin117 CommentsPoplar Grove National Cemetery in Petersburg, VA.
Since the 1960s, the Knights of Columbus have held a Memorial Day event at the Poplar Grove National Cemetery in Petersburg, VA.
For the last two years, however, The National Park Service (NPS) has
refused permission for the event due to a new policy prohibiting
“religious services” and calling the ceremony to honor this nation’s
fallen heroes a “demonstration.”
The park service has instead said the event must take place in a nearby “free speech zone.”
The Knights and their attorneys say the decision by park officials
violates the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
On May 13, 2024, First Liberty Institute and the law team at McGuireWoods sent a letter to the Chief Park Ranger asking to reconsider the decision, arguing that a 2022 policy on special events is being misapplied.
You can read the letter here.
“Our hope is that the National Park Service will immediately correct
this error and grant the permit,” said John Moran, Partner at
McGuireWoods. “This policy and the decision to block the Knights of
Columbus from continuing their long-standing religious tradition is a
blatant violation of the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act.”
Roger Byron, Senior Counsel at First Liberty, added, “Due to the
religious nature of the Knights’ annual service to honor and pray for
the nation’s fallen soldiers, they have been assigned a second class
status and relegated to the proverbial back of the bus. That is
precisely the kind of unlawful discrimination and censorship the First
Amendment was enacted to prevent. Surely this decision was an
oversight.”
The letter to the Park’s chief ranger states, “There is no reason
under NPS regulations or Policy Memorandum 22-01 to deny the Knights a
permit to hold the service within the cemetery. Indeed, even since the
adoption of Policy Memorandum 22-01, the Park Service has authorized
Memorial Day masses in other National Cemeteries.” As the letter
further explains, “it violates the First Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to discriminate
against and censor the Knights’ activities solely because of their
religious character.” Further, the “prohibition of the Knights’
Memorial Day service due to its religious nature is not merely unlawful
content-based discrimination on speech—it is textbook viewpoint
discrimination, which is per se unconstitutional.”
Now, First Liberty Institute and the law team at McGuireWoods have
filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against the NPS in
Petersburg, Virginia, to allow the event to move forward.
You can read the motion here.
“The policy and the decision blocking the Knights of Columbus from
continuing their long-standing religious tradition is a blatant
violation of the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration
Act,” said John Moran, Partner at McGuireWoods. “We urge the court to
grant our restraining order and allow the Knights to hold their service
this Memorial Day.”
Roger Byron, Senior Counsel at First Liberty, added, “The National
Park Service is way out of line. This is the kind of unlawful
discrimination and censorship RFRA and the First Amendment were enacted
to prevent. Hopefully the court will grant the Knights the relief they
need to keep this honorable tradition alive.”
The motion for a temporary restraining order states: “The case for
preliminary relief is simple: The Knights are likely to succeed on their
claims that Defendants’ application of their policies to bar the
Knights from conducting a ‘religious service’ in the National
Cemetery—as they had previously done for generations—violates their
right to religious free exercise under the First Amendment and the
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The Court should therefore
grant the motion and enter an immediate temporary restraining order or
issue a preliminary injunction allowing the Knights to continue their
decades-long tradition of hosting a Memorial Day mass inside the Poplar
Grove National Cemetery.”
Israel releases film of female conscripts held by Hamas
Female
hostages who are Israeli soldiers Liri Albag and Agam Berger sit on the
ground with their hands bound during their capture by Gazan militants
at Nahal Oz military base in southern Israel on October 7
By Dan Williams
JERUSALEM
(Reuters) - Israeli television aired previously withheld footage on
Wednesday of five pyjama-clad female army conscripts being seized by
Hamas gunmen during the Oct. 7 raid that triggered the Gaza war.
The captives' families hoped the footage would increase pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree a truce with Hamas and secure the hostages' release.
The
government saw the release of the subtitled three-minute clip to
national and international media as an opportunity to shore up support.
"These
girls are still in the captivity of Hamas. Please don't look away,"
government spokesperson David Mencer told reporters. "Watch the film.
Support Israel in bringing our people home."
The footage shows the young women, all of them stunned and some bloodied, being bound and bundled into a jeep.
"I have friends in Palestine," one of the conscripts, 19-year-old Naama Levy, pleads in English.
One of the gunmen can be heard shouting back in Arabic: "You are dogs! We will step on you, dogs!"
Another gunman tells a captive: "You're beautiful."
The
Hostages Families Forum, which represents relatives of the 124 people -
mostly civilians - still held by Hamas, said the footage was recovered
from bodycams worn by gunmen who attacked the Nahal Oz base in southern
Israel where the women served as surveillance spotters.
Shots of slain Israeli soldiers were excluded and publication was approved by the families of the five captives, the forum said.
"The Israeli government must not waste another moment; it must return to the negotiating table today!", the Forum said.
Israel
says 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 abducted in the Oct. 7
attack led by Hamas. Israel responded by launching an offensive to
eliminate the Islamist militant group in which Gaza health authorities
say more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed. Israel's military
says 286 Israeli soldiers have also been killed.
Netanyahu's
government says continued military pressure will force Hamas to yield.
Hostage families fear their loved ones will not survive and that the
women captives may be raped. Hamas has denied allegations of sexual
abuse by its men.
"So please, please do whatever you can to, to
bring them home," Orly Gilboa, whose daughter Daniela is a hostage, told
Reuters. "They suffer there every minute, every second. And every
minute is important."
Israel's Foreign Ministry said the
ambassadors of Ireland, Norway and Spain, whom it summoned to protest at
their governments' preparations to recognise a Palestinian state, would
be shown the video in a special screening on Thursday.
