Sunday, October 26, 2014



New York attacker was a multiculturalist



The Muslim convert who attacked four police officers with a hatchet yesterday afternoon was a 'recluse' who kept two sharp axes and a hunting knife at home.

Zale Thompson, 32, was shot dead yesterday after charging at the officers in Queens with a hatchet in his hands. He slashed at one policeman's head, seriously wounding him, and hurt another.

And it has now emerged that Thompson kept even more dangerous weapons at home, converted to radical Islam two years ago, and that even his own family describe him as a 'recluse'.

Police searches on Thompson's home in Queens turned up another 'weaponized' hatchet, and a long, wide-bladed hunting knife. Officers seized Thompson's computers and are analyzing them for links to extremist organizations.

According to officers, Thompson was a 'recluse' who spent most of his time in his bedroom. He was described as a 'self-radicalized' Muslim who converted about two years ago.

Investigators believe Thompson was a loner and carried out yesterday's attack without any help - though they are probing potential links to other extremists.

Robert Boyce, the NYPD's Chief of Detectives, outlined the new findings at a conference today.

It was also revealed that Thompson has a history of six arrests - in California from 2003-2004, though he has no criminal history in New York.

In the conference today, Boyce also praised the 'exceptional performance of heroic duty' by the officers who took down Thompson.

The entire incident lasted just seven seconds, he said. Surveillance footage showed Thompson charging at officers, swinging his blue-handled hatchet. He was still clinging to the weapon when he was shot dead.

Earlier today social media posts made by Thompson cane to light, in which he called on Muslim extremists to attack America and wage jihad.  

Commenting on a video supporting the rise of an Islamic caliphate - such as ISIS claim to have established in Iraq and Syria - Thompson asked: 'Which is better, to sit around and do nothing, or to Jihad fisabeelallah [for the cause of Allah]!'

Comments from Thompson's Facebook account were also reported on Fox News, who said he posted: 'The solution is to fight. Armed struggle. Simple.'

He then reportedly advocated an armed revolution, saying: 'America's military is strong abroad, but they have never faced an internal mass revolt. … They are weaker at home. We are scattered and decentralized, we can use this as an advantage.

It continued: 'They will not be able to defeat our people if we use guerilla warfare. Attack their weak flanks... If you get wounded who cares. If you die who cares. Eventually they will surrender and then the war will be over.'

He also spoke of a global conspiracy by 'Zionists and Christians' to suppress Islam. He wrote: 'If the Zionists and the Crusaders had never invaded and colonized the Islamic lands after WW1, then there would be no need for Jihad!'

Posting elsewhere under a music video called 'No white God', he seemed to call for extremists to overthrew European governments and enslave their people.

He wrote: 'They call black people racist for rejecting the oppression they suffered from whites. Listen, when black people have colonized the entire continent of Europe, enslaved its people, and sold them into bondage to foreign lands, then you can call them racist.'

ISIS has continually urged its supporters to launch 'lone wolf' attacks in the West.

Thompson's family, meanwhile, say they are 'shocked' by news of the attack, while neighbors say they would never have connected him with radical Islam.  Speaking to ABC7, his grandfather, Ralph Thompson, said only: 'Very shocked, his father not well.'

Igeoma Simon, who lives nearby in Queens, said the Thompson he knew was a 'great guy'. He said: 'He was very positive. He helped me stay physically active at the park...I don't really know what would drive him to that.'

Police say they are investigating whether Thompson's attack on the cops was linked to Islamic terrorism. ISIS has urged fighters to launch lone wolf attacks in the United States.

Thompson's Facebook page features a photograph of a man dressed in Middle Eastern garb and a cover photo displaying Arabic writing.

DNA Info reports that on Thursday afternoon a freelance photographer approached the group of rookie cops and asked to take their photograph.  As the officers were posing for the camera, Thompson charged towards them swinging an 18.5 inch hatchet without uttering a single word.

One 24-year-old officer was slashed in the arm.  Another 25-year-old officer, Kenneth Healey, was slashed in the back of head and taken to Jamaica Hospital where he remains in a critical but stable condition.

A 29-year-old female bystander half a block away from the attack was also critically injured after being shot by an errant police round. She is currently recovering from surgery at Jamaica Hospital and is listed in 'grave' condition.  The two remaining police shot at Thompson who dropped his hatchet then died at the scene.

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said he's not ruling out terrorism especially in the wake of recent terror attacks in Canada, reports CNN.

'There is nothing we know as of this time that would indicate that were the case. I think certainly the heightened concern is relative to that type of assault based on what just happened in Canada,' said Bratton.

CNN reports that Thompson has a criminal record in California and that he was discharged from the U.S. Navy for misconduct. Details of his criminal record and his misconduct are not known at this time.

His Facebook page says that Thompson graduated from Columbia Teacher's College and that he resides in Queens.

CNN reports that New York police were alerted to be on the lookout for random attacks following Thursday's incident.

Officers say they shot the hatchet-yielding suspect but it’s not clear how many rounds were fired.

'It was a completely unprovoked attack,' said NYPD Chief Kim Royster, a department spokeswoman.

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said during a news conference that all of the police involved are recent graduates of this summer's Police Academy class.

'Three rookie cops, absolutely modest about what happened today and what they did,' de Blasio said.

During the conference Bill De Blasio lauded the officers' training and their fast response to the unprovoked attack.

SOURCE





Political Correctness Trumps Ebola Prevention

As if the Ebola virus isn't bad enough, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has made a series of errors in protocol that has compounded the problem, and it illustrates this Administration's complete incompetence in handling this, or any other crisis.

The president and CDC are recommending not suspending air travel to the U.S. for people from West African countries where the Ebola virus is raging. According to CDC director, Dr. Thomas Frieden, suspending travel would make it harder to track persons from West Africa entering the country, and they would probably find other means to get here anyway. He said it would also hinder medical flights into Ebola ravaged countries. That makes no sense. You can't prevent the spread of the virus here if you continue to allow potentially infected people to enter the United States. But, profiling people from West Africa wouldn't be politically correct.

If the State Department would cancel or suspend visas of people from West Africa, they couldn't enter the country by commercial airliners, no matter where their flight originated! The government should notify the world's airliners and cruise ships that all U.S. visas have been suspended indefinitely for citizens of the affected countries. By saying that these people can find another way to get here, the CDC director is essentially admitting that our Southern border is completely porous. If Ebola-infected illegal aliens are caught sneaking through the Southern Border, it would put pressure on the president not to grant blanket amnesty to all illegal aliens through Executive Order after the mid-term elections.

Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who brought Ebola to this country, traveled here on the pretense of visiting his wife after an absence of about 10 years. It makes more sense that he came here for treatment in the event he had contracted Ebola from an infected neighbor he took to a hospital, and who died a few days later.

What do you suppose Duncan and his wife may have done within minutes of reuniting? She may now be carrying the disease from his semen. She interacts with neighbors; they interact with their family and friends, etc. Duncan obviously passed on the virus to at least two nurses, and who knows how many people they interacted with after they exhibited symptoms of the disease? The latest Dallas nurse victim flew to and from Akron, Ohio to prepare for her wedding. How many people did she interact with while traveling and visiting there? The potential for widespread contamination exists, especially when infected persons travel throughout the county.

Instead of using common sense to deny entry of people from these infected countries, this Administration will allow them to enter the U.S. if they don't have a temperature. To appease the worried public, the president appointed a purebred political hack with absolutely no medical or health care experience as the "Ebola Czar." How about a retired army general who knows how to manage people during a crisis?

The president's strategy is going to backfire on him. More Ebola cases are probably going to surface. The American people, regardless of their political affiliation, are not stupid; but they are becoming increasingly scared. Their displeasure with the direction in which our country is moving is evidenced by the latest polls that show President Obama's approval rating at only 40%.

Because of what many have labeled excessive political correctness, President Obama's ultimate goal seems to be keeping his party in power after the mid-term elections. But just like Americans themselves, no matter their party, are lining up to say, "Let's do what's best and safest for the country and put political ideologies aside", the president should do the same.

SOURCE






UK soldier is refused service in shop because he was in uniform - after sales assistant thought it was ILLEGAL to sell tobacco to serving army personnel

A row has broken out after a soldier was refused cigarettes at a newsagent because he was wearing his military uniform.

Duane Fahy from the 1st Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, tried to buy a pack of 20 Lambert and Butler at Alpha News in St Helens, Lancashire earlier this week.

But he was astonished after the shop assistant refused to serve both him and a colleague because they were in their 'combats'.

The 27-year-old sapper, who is based at the Catterick Garrison, was taking part in a recruitment day in the area when the incident happened.  'To be honest I was outraged, I've never been refused anything just because I'm a soldier, but he was adamant.'  He added: 'I didn't want to make a scene, I'm not like that, so we just left feeling very confused.'

Army chiefs initially criticised the newsagent's actions, but have since said the incident should not be used as an excuse for trouble.  A MoD spokesman said: 'The Army is aware of an incident in which it appears two of our soldiers were refused service in a newsagent due to them being in uniform.

'This appears to be the result of a genuine misunderstanding for which the business has apologised.

Alpha News was shut yesterday following protests by locals angry about the soldiers' treatment.

A sign put up in the store states: 'We were under the impression that by law, we were not permitted to serve under 18s and army personal (sic) in uniforms cigarettes.  'This has been checked with trading standards and this is clearly not the case.  'We sincerely apologise to everyone for this misunderstanding and we regret any offence we may have caused.'

SOURCE





Army Bars Transgender from Female Restrooms - Charged with Discrimination

Tamara Lusardi, a transgender who transitioned from male to female, has won his case against the Department of the Army for discrimination and humiliation, based on a report from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC).

In 2010, software specialist Tamara Lusardi was working for the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center as a civilian employee, and announced that he was now officially beginning his transition from male to female. Tamara changed his name and began dressing as a woman, at which point management held a meeting to accommodate Tamara in the workforce. Management supported Tamara and repeatedly stated that they intended to treat her fairly and accommodate in any way possible, yet emphasized that they also wanted to ensure a safe workplace for everyone.

In light of these concerns, Tamara voluntarily agreed to use the executive restroom, given that he had not undergone gender transition surgery and several female employees had expressed serious concern about sharing a restroom with a man presenting as a woman.

However, Tamara didn't stick to the agreement, using the female restroom on three separate occasions between January and March 2011. After females again reported discomfort, Tamara was informed that he should continue to use the executive restroom as agreed, but Tamara protested. But discomfort is relevant, according to the OSC, an office which holds that, regardless of Tamara's initial agreement, he should be able to change his mind and use the female restroom whenever he sees fit. Employee preferences are irrelevant to the legality of the issue and must be changed through training.

Particularly egregious for Lusardi was the fact that one of his supervisors continued to refer to him as "Sir" in email communications. This made it difficult for Lusardi to sleep at night. Tamara also alleges that over the course of time he was denied work.

"[T]he Agency inappropriately restricted [Tamara's] restroom usage, repeatedly failed to use her proper name and pronouns, and subjected her and her workplace conversations to increased review and scrutiny," the report noted. The move represents a serious follow through of Obama's executive order from July, which bans workplace discrimination against LGBT federal government employees or contractors.

As a part of OSC recommendations, the Army will now mandate additional sensitivity training for supervisors and employees regarding LGBT issues.

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the  incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of  other countries.  The only real difference, however, is how much power they have.  In America, their power is limited by democracy.  To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already  very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges.  They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did:  None.  So look to the colleges to see  what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way.  It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH,   EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and  DISSECTING LEFTISM.   My Home Pages are here or   here or   here.  Email me (John Ray) here

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