A Terror Attack in Paris; Perpetrators Still at Large
 |
Morning Jolt January 07, 2015 A Terror Attack in Paris; Perpetrators Still at Large Our first major barbaric outrage of the year? At least 12 people are dead after three hooded gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs attacked the headquarters of a French satirical magazine and opened fire on journalists and police guards. The three men -- who a police union spokesman described as "commandos" – are now on the run after walking into the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris's 11th arrondissement at about midday on Wednesday and fleeing in a getaway car driven by a fourth. The death toll includes 10 journalists and two police officers. Rocco Contento, a spokesman for the Unité police union, said "it was a real butchery" in the building. He said the Charlie Hebdo offices were guarded and protection increased in recent weeks because of fresh threats against the magazine, but the attackers had entered the building intending to kill. Charlie Hebdo's offices were firebombed in 2011 after a spoof issue featuring a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed on its cover. Contento said the attackers had got into a getaway car driven by a fourth man on fleeing the building and drove to Port de Pantin in north-east Paris, where they abandoned the first car and hijacked a second – turning the driver out into the road. The French president, François Hollande, headed to the scene of the attack and the government said it was raising the security level to the highest notch. "This is a terrorist attack, there is no doubt about it," he told reporters. AFP reports that the attackers shouted, "We have avenged the Prophet."
VA Hospitals? Hey, That's a 2014 Story, Pal, Old News This is not surprising. The media's lack of interest isn't surprising, either: Concerned Veterans for America called on President Obama to visit the scandal-plagued Phoenix VA hospital during his visit to Arizona on Thursday. While in Arizona, President Obama is delivering a speech at Central High School -- which is only a mile away from the Phoenix VA hospital. Since the wait list scandal broke at the Phoenix VA hospital and evolved into a national scandal that revealed the poor state of veterans healthcare in America, President Obama has not visited a single VA hospital to see firsthand how the VA is failing to serve our nation's veterans. Worse, President Obama has not lived up to his campaign promises to fix the VA for our nation's veterans; instead, problems at the VA have only gotten worse under his watch. Pete Hegseth, CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, issued the following statement in advance of President Obama's visit to Phoenix, Arizona: "The Phoenix VA was ground zero in the secret wait list scandal that eventually revealed massive fraud and the deaths of dozens — if not hundreds — of veterans due to delayed health care at VA facilities across the country." "If President Obama wanted to get the ground truth — and send a signal of strong leadership — he would take the time to visit the Phoenix VA hospital during his forthcoming trip to that neighborhood. Unfortunately, President Obama has yet to show leadership in the fight to reform and fix the VA. Instead, members of his administration have repeatedly tried to downplay the scandal — going so far as to whitewash reports on the deaths of veterans as the result of the use secret wait lists, including at the Phoenix VA hospital." White House press secretary Josh Earnest said yesterday the president is not going to be visiting that VA hospital during his trip. Look Who's Criticizing Mass Incarceration! Overcriminalization has led to the mass incarceration of those ensnared by our criminal justice system, even though such imprisonment does not always enhance public safety. Indeed, more than half of federal inmates are nonviolent drug offenders. Enforcing so many victimless crimes inevitably leads to conflict between our citizens and law enforcement. As we have seen all too often, it can place our police officers in harm's way, leading to tragic consequences for all involved. How did we get in this situation? It began with well-intentioned lawmakers who went overboard trying to solve perceived or actual problems. Congress creates, on average, more than 50 new criminal laws each year. Over time, this has translated into more than 4,500 federal criminal laws spread across 27,000 pages of the United States federal code. (This number does not include the thousands of criminal penalties in federal regulations.) As a result, the United States is the world's largest jailer — first in the world for total number imprisoned and first among industrialized nations in the rate of incarceration. The United States represents about 5 percent of the world's population, but houses around 25 percent of the world's prisoners. We have paid a heavy price for mass incarceration and could benefit by reversing this trend. It has been estimated that at least 53 percent of those entering prison were living at or below the U.S. poverty line when their sentence began. Incarceration leads to a 40 percent decrease in annual earnings, reduced job tenure and higher unemployment. That is noted bogeyman of America's liberals,Charles G. Koch, chairman of the Board and CEO, Koch Industries, Inc. along with Mark V. Holden, general counsel and senior vice president, Koch Industries, Inc. ADDENDA: Over on the NRO home page, I take a look at Barack Obama's attitudes towards negotiations, and why Republicans find Vice President Biden a better deal-making partner.
Popular posts from this blogFOLLOW THE MONEY - Billionaire tied to Epstein scandal funneled large donations to Ramaswamy & Democrats
Friday, January 05, 2024 Good morning and welcome to Fox News' morning newsletter, Fox News First. Subscribe now to get Fox News First in your email . And here's what you need to know to start your day ... FOLLOW THE MONEY - Billionaire tied to Epstein scandal funneled large donations to Ramaswamy, Dems. Continue reading ... BUCKLE UP - Border state candidates issue stark warning to fellow Republicans about ceding to Dems on Ukraine. Continue reading ... 'MALIGN INFLUENCE' - Montana Republicans fume over university defying calls to shutter CCP-linked program. Continue reading ... IN A 'HUFF' - Christian influencer rips World Series champ who slid into her DMs, then deleted account. Continue reading ... SQUAD GOALS - Dramatic home video captures cat saving dog's life by chasing away coyotes in backyard. Continue reading ... POLITICS 'NOTHING IS OFF THE TABLE' - Some senators back House threats to shut down government over border security.
Readworthy: This month’s best biographies & memoirs
Don't miss the best new biographies & memoirs from the past month, hand-picked by our editors! Each month, Readworthy highlights the best, most acclaimed new releases in your categories! Questions or suggestions? Let us know . . IN THE MEDIA Anderson Cooper says he was 'blown away' by this instant New York Times bestseller Academy Award–nominated actor and director Griffin Dunne details his unconventional coming-of-age in Hollywood — from getting fished out of the family pool by Sean Connery to surviving his sister's tragic murder. IN THE MEDIA Get on Amazon or Learn more... IN THE MEDIA The Washington Post hails this #1 New York Times bestseller as 'a classic American story' The doctor and former NIAID director who guided Americans through the COVID-19 pandemic writes candidly about his six-decade career in public health — and the political challenges he encountered along the way. IN THE MEDIA Get on Amazon or Learn more... IN THE MEDIA A dazzling
Inside J&Js bankruptcy plan to end talc lawsuits
Women alleging J&J products caused their cancer are caught in the crossfire. Sign up for Reuters newsletters One Essential Read One Essential Read Recommended by Kate Turton, Newsletter Editor The battle over J&J's bankruptcy plan to end talc lawsuits Eron Evans, shown here with one of her daughters, died in 2016 of ovarian cancer at age 41. She had sued J&J alleging talc in its Baby Powder caused her disease. Johnson & Johnson is attempting to end litigation by tens of thousands of claimants who believe its talc products caused their cancer with a so-called "Texas two-step" bankruptcy. The maneuver involves offloading its talc liability onto a newly created subsidiary, which then declares Chapter 11. The goal is to use the proceeding to force all plaintiffs into one settlement – without requiring J&J itself to file bankruptcy
|
Comments
Post a Comment