Random General Headlines

[allegro]

The police didn’t charge him. A grand jury did.

I’ve had LIBERALS in Chicago tell me they didn’t believe him, from day one. The “this is MAGA country” allegation was so incongruous (remember, Trump was pretty much chased off the University of Illinois at Chicago campus during his campaign and he’s hated Chicago ever since), it caused doubt. Had it happened in a western suburb or something, maybe it wouldn’t have been met with such doubt. It took the police less than a week to track down the two suspects via security video and rideshare records. This wasn’t well thought-out. And it wasn’t an area where a random act could occur. Even some of his liberal neighbors doubted it.

The cops even found the beauty supply store where the brothers bought the ski masks. The store owner was on the news tonight saying the brothers came in asking for them, but usually people want balaclava type masks - except they were sold out of those so they only had the eyehole kind - the guys are on camera buying the eyehole type masks, and the owner said nobody’s bought those “since the ‘70s” LOL.

One neighbor told police that there was a creepy redneck dude hanging around the front of the building at around midnight. Smollett was allegedly on the phone with his manager at the time of the attack; Smollett doesn’t want to turn over his entire unlocked phone to police, but now it’s been subpoenaed. Maybe his manager’s phone can be subpoenaed.

There have been other cases that people thought would cause long-lasting ammo, like the bunch of black thugs in Chicago who beat the shit out of a Trump supporter. Nobody even REMEMBERS that, now.

[elevenism]

The police didn’t charge him. A grand jury did.

Right, right. I'm referring to the entire social paradigm.

And I hope you're right about this not causing lasting ammo.

[allegro]

CPD news conference this morning, watched it live, Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson is pissed.

Here is the latest scoop re Smollett: https://abc7chicago.com/jussie-smoll...e-say/5148577/

[allegate]

you don't know what to think about this one...jesus

Going back to this gem here: WTF? I know it's hard to imagine sometimes with the court of public opinion but there's still the rule of law that says innocent until proven guilty. Now that he's turned himself in we have a clear indication of what to believe.

Also, isn't it backwards in the UK? That you have to prove your innocence?

[ltrandazzo]

Now that he's turned himself in we have a clear indication of what to believe.

No, we don't. He was indicted by a grand jury based on evidence that had already been leaked by folks in the police department so opinions were already in place. Either he turned himself in or he had to surrender. He decided to surrender. That's not admitting guilt. Jussie is sticking to his story, the police are talking about what they've found and are giving their opinions, and this is likely headed to court to determine what the likely truth of it all is unless one side breaks.

[theimage13]

Also, isn't it backwards in the UK? That you have to prove your innocence?

Nope.

[allegate]

No, we don't. He was indicted by a grand jury based on evidence that had already been leaked by folks in the police department so opinions were already in place. Either he turned himself in or he had to surrender. He decided to surrender. That's not admitting guilt. Jussie is sticking to his story, the police are talking about what they've found and are giving their opinions, and this is likely headed to court to determine what the likely truth of it all is unless one side breaks.

Really? The article I saw earlier today said he admitted to it because of his pay and screen time. Maybe it was conjecture on their part then?

Nope.

Huh. I seem to have misremembered the plot of Denial!

in the UK, the burden of proof in a libel case lies with the accused

[allegro]

Smollett turned himself in to avoid the hassle of being arrested. But, he was booked, a mug shot was taken, he was in jail for several hours until bond was set, and he was out this afternoon on bond and back to work on the set of “Empire.”

It IS going to Court. He’s been charged with a felony.

He’s innocent until proven guilty.

But the State’s Attorney’s Office assembled the grand jury that decided to indict him based on facts and testimony before the grand jury, not opinions. It’s important that we remember that.

His case isn’t looking good right now.

Inside Jussie Smollett's alleged plot: Chicago police say they were suspicious from the start

The State’s Attorney’s office already has means, motive and opportunity; a deposited check, oral testimony, video footage, text messages, all kinds of bad shit.

The Judge was NOT pleased.

[ricardo]

That's why the right wing is growing in full force in the whole world. The left is basically a bunch of stupid spoiled teenagers at this point. People are done with this bullshit. Regular Joe cares about having a job, being safe, not feeling miserable after arriving from work. When will the left notice that? I can tell you, in my country people are REALLY fucking done with this kind of thing.

It's time to either change the whole ideology thing (which they won't cause they're stupid) or self-implode. I'll grab my popcorn.

[allegro]

That's why the right wing is growing in full force in the whole world. The left is basically a bunch of stupid spoiled teenagers at this point. People are done with this bullshit. Regular Joe cares about having a job, being safe, not feeling miserable after arriving from work. When will the left notice that? I can tell you, in my country people are REALLY fucking done with this kind of thing.

It's time to either change the whole ideology thing (which they won't cause they're stupid) or self-implode. I'll grab my popcorn.

This is not a “left” thing. This is a selfish thing.

This is ONE GUY being an idiot, trying to get a raise at work (per the investigation).

Using a NOOSE, for fuck’s sake. (Look up the history of lynching in the U.S.)

Black people have turned against him. The head of the Chicago police force is a black guy. The Judge at Smollett’s bond hearing yesterday is a black guy.

This wasn’t politically motivated. At all. Read the data.

Smollett won’t be in the last two episodes of “Empire.”, for “safety reasons.”

He’s been charged with a Class 4 felony, which is the least severe of felony charges, and is facing a maximum of two years in prison, but the bigger problem is the restitution reimbursement the City is seeking.

It is possible that the two brothers are lying; Smollett identified them as the culprits from security videos (the police obtained 100s of videos, many of which are CPD’s own cameras in the Streeterville neighborhood). But, it will be difficult for Smollett to explain the texts and the $3,500 check.

[ryanmcfly]

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is being charged with two misdemeanor counts for soliciting for prostitution. Wild.

Kind of sucks being a Pats fan at this moment despite the team winning a Super Bowl a few weeks ago. But they really should decriminalize sex work.

[allegro]

Um ... holy shit:

Christopher Hasson, Coast Guard Officer, Plotted Attacks at His Desk, Filings Say

Sitting in an office in Coast Guard headquarters, where the mission is to ensure the safety of the nation, Lt. Christopher P. Hasson took illicit opiates and plotted terror attacks that he hoped would spark a race war, according to the authorities.

To outward appearances, the 49-year-old lieutenant was a suburban father with a desk job supplying Coast Guard ships, who was glimpsed by neighbors coming and going in uniform or walking his dogs with his wife.

But in court filings, prosecutors said he was also a “domestic terrorist” and self-described white nationalist who studied the methods of the Unabomber, the Virginia Tech gunman and other extremist killers; stockpiled guns and drugs; drew up a target list of prominent cable news journalists and Democratic politicians to be killed; and wrote, prosecutors said, of wanting “to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country.”

“Lieutenant Hasson’s lawyer, Julie Stelzig, argued in court on Thursday that it was not unusual for an ex-Marine like him to own numerous guns. Federal agents said they found 15 firearms and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition in his apartment.”

[allegate]

“Lieutenant Hasson’s lawyer, Julie Stelzig, argued in court on Thursday that it was not unusual for an ex-Marine like him to own numerous guns. Federal agents said they found 15 firearms and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition in his apartment.”

OK, granted. But how do you explain the hit list? Is that also something the crayon-eaters do in their free time?

[Archive_Reports]

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is being charged with two misdemeanor counts for soliciting for prostitution. Wild.

Kind of sucks being a Pats fan at this moment despite the team winning a Super Bowl a few weeks ago. But they really should decriminalize sex work.

Yeah, especially when the workers are victims of sex trafficking.

[allegro]

No prison time for likely for white chick who admitted to lying about three black guys kidnapping and raping her.

A North Texas teenager who falsely claimed she was kidnapped and raped by three black men last March will likely serve no prison time.

On Thursday, 19-year-old Breana Harmon of Pottsboro pleaded guilty to four felony charges of tampering with physical evidence and government documents in relation to false reports of kidnapping and sexual assault.

“She’s very remorseful for what she did and what she said, and that’s why she decided to plead guilty,” Harmon’s attorney Bob Jarvis told the Sherman Herald Democrat. No suspects were ever identified or arrested in the case.

She told officers that she was upset after she and her fiancé had been fighting, according to the Herald Democrat. Harmon said she cut herself and her clothes, then made up the rape story because she didn’t want her family to be angry with her.

Burch said Harmon’s false allegations have hurt the community, especially its African-American residents.

[hellospaceboy]

Yeah, especially when the workers are victims of sex trafficking.

An argument can be made that if sex work is legalized then there will be less room for sex trafficking ans sex slavery. Nobody advocates to legalize THAT!

[zecho]

That's why the right wing is growing in full force in the whole world. The left is basically a bunch of stupid spoiled teenagers at this point. People are done with this bullshit. Regular Joe cares about having a job, being safe, not feeling miserable after arriving from work. When will the left notice that? I can tell you, in my country people are REALLY fucking done with this kind of thing.

It's time to either change the whole ideology thing (which they won't cause they're stupid) or self-implode. I'll grab my popcorn.

You're mistaken. The "left" as represented by right-wing media is a terrible, toxic group of people looking to take rights away from non-minorities, punish white Americans for the crimes of their ancestors, and wage war on the ability to practice Christianity. When you follow right-wing media, it seems like there's a war between the average Joe and an army of radicals that want to take away rights; the right to offend, the right to be Christian, the right to keep the money you earn, etc. But, while there are radicals out there that do hate white people, men, and so on, they're a very small minority that is used to paint a false portrait of what the left represents. The so-called SJW movement no more represents the average liberal than the KKK represents the average conservative.

You painting the entire ideology in the way that you have is no different from my dad taking something that some Hollywood actor said on the red carpet and attributing that to "the liberals" as if they had some sort of meeting and agreed to have some actor say something stupid to push their message. Some uncultured idiot yelling at a white kid for having his hair in braids isn't "the left", it's an uninformed asshole that the right-wing media uses to try to trick it's audience into thinking that the left are the bad guys. Using this isolated incident to confirm your view of an entire group of people is asinine. Stop following the media and start following the actual left's (politicians) voting record. I don't oppose the Republicans because of some smear campaign carried out by their opponents, I oppose them because of their own actions in office, and I don't oppose the average conservative voter at all. I think that if you do that, you'll find the left's ideology a lot better than you're implication here.

[zecho]

No prison time for likely for white chick who admitted to lying about three black guys kidnapping and raping her.

At least there were no victims. I would be a lot more upset about that ruling if she had actually ruined someone's life.

[Exocet]

Venezuela a country of 32 million people is about to explode, its on the verge of a major civil war. it has already produced a refugee flow if the exodus of refugees gets worse it will effect every country in the Americas, sort of how the Syrian situation effected Europe.

its been the worlds slowest moving car crash, but I think something major Is about to happen,

[ltrandazzo]

Let's check back in on Jussie Smollett - Jussie Smollett Check Written to Osundairo Brothers Reportedly for Training, Not to Execute Attack Hoax

FBI Says Jussie Smollett May Not Have Sent Hateful Letter

To be clear, Jussie himself is a goddamn mess and there are holes in his story that can still be poked through, but Eddie Johnson and the CPD leak machine have plenty of damn holes in their story, especially after that conference they presented last Thursday.

[allegro]

Let's check back in on Jussie Smollett - Jussie Smollett Check Written to Osundairo Brothers Reportedly for Training, Not to Execute Attack Hoax

FBI Says Jussie Smollett May Not Have Sent Hateful Letter

To be clear, Jussie himself is a goddamn mess and there are holes in his story that can still be poked through, but Eddie Johnson and the CPD leak machine have plenty of damn holes in their story, especially after that conference they presented last Thursday.

True, and Eddie Johnson appearing on Good Morning America is just weird. No bueno.

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment...ry?id=61293323

$3500 for “5 week Nutrition/Workout program” is ... wow. Really? I’m totally ghetto. I had no idea. He doesn’t look fat to me, I gotta get into that nutrition business.

The brothers are Nigerian.

G and I are addicted to that “90 Day Fiancé” show on TLC, it’s an awesome train wreck. On one of the recent seasons, American older (hillbilly) woman Angela fell in love with Michael OF NIGERIA who is A HUGE DONALD TRUMP FAN. Angela flew to Nigeria on the show and spent some time there. The strong patriarchy and probability of rampant homophobia was evident. Black culture has been known for homophobia, but it’s REALLY bad in some other countries. Especially Nigeria.

See this: https://umsu.unimelb.edu.au/nigeria-...ntry-on-earth/

TMZ has sources that dispute this suggestion: http://m.tmz.com/2019/02/16/jussie-s...ot-homophobic/

[ltrandazzo]

@Cat Mom - Eddie saying that there's more evidence is fine; they can present that in a court instead of leaking it to ABC 7, thank you very much.

[allegro]

Chicago Mayoral Election today! FOURTEEN CANDIDATES!!!!

Voters to pick from largest field of mayoral candidates in Chicago's 181-year history.

Edit: WOW, Lori Lightfoot (LGLTQ candidate, we met her at Halsted Market Days last summer) is in the lead, looks like there will be a run-off in April between her and Toni Preckwinkle ... two black females fighting to be Mayor of the third biggest city in the country!

[allegro]

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to be indicted on charges of bribery and fraud.

IT’S ABOUT TIME.

He’s the Donald Trump of the Middle East.

[theimage13]

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to be indicted on charges of bribery and fraud.

IT’S ABOUT TIME.

He’s the Donald Trump of the Middle East.

Netanyahu has been in office since 2009...wouldn't that make Donald Trump the Benjamin Netanyahu of the United States?

[allegro]

Netanyahu has been in office since 2009...wouldn't that make Donald Trump the Benjamin Netanyahu of the United States?

Touché!

[bobbie solo]

I fear his party will still win out in the April elections there, even if he is not at the helm. And then oppression of the Palestinians will then continue. Israel's left has been too quiet for too long.

[allegro]

Terrible tornadoes kill 23 in Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

The National Weather Service said Monday that it believed the tornado that raced through Lee County had been an EF-4 storm, with winds of 170 miles an hour.

Chris Darden, the meteorologist-in-charge for the weather service’s Birmingham office, said the track of the “monster tornado” appeared to have been at least 24 miles long, and that the storm had been nearly a mile wide.

Honestly, my fear of tornadoes is why I will NEVER live in a building that doesn’t have a basement.

[ickyvicky]

"What happens to Mardi Gras Beads After Festival Ends?"
"The city of New Orleans pulled 93,000 pounds of beads from just five blocks of storm drains in 2018."

This is terrible, I didn't realize it was this bad!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/featu...-festival-ends

[bobbie solo]

Thats terrible. The last thing New Orleans of all cities needs is blocked storm drains.