Israel’s military edge at risk as Obama ‘scrambles’ to placate Arab fears on Iran deal

 NY Times says US could sell F-35s to UAE three years after Israel gets them, may offer Gulf allies defense pacts, joint training, upgraded status

Times of Israel

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company Chief Test Pilot Alan Norman briefs Israel’s Minister of Defense Moshe Ya’alon in the cockpit of an F-35 while IAF Brig. Gen. Ya’akov Shaharabani, IAF Air Attache to the United States, observes. (Photo credit: courtesy: Lockheed Martin/ Angel Delcueto)

 "The Obama administration is said to be “scrambling” to find ways to reassure Arab allies that it is not abandoning them, despite the imminent nuclear deal with Iran. To that end, it is considering a range of options such as weapons sales that might reduce Israel’s hitherto sacrosanct military edge, The New York Times reported Friday, including selling the F-35 fighter jet to the United Arab Emirates.

"Among the options cited by the paper as being under consideration: A defense pact under which the US would commit “to the defense of Arab allies if they come under attack from outside forces”; joint training missions for American and Arab military forces; designating Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as “major non-NATO allies,” a step that would loosen restrictions on weapons sales and offer “a number of military advantages that are available only to NATO allies”; and approving the sale of its advanced F-35 stealth fighter to the UAE three years after it is delivered to Israel." . . .Read more ...

April 30, 1945: Adolph Hitler commits suicide (UPDATED)

The History Place  . . . "Hitler and his wife then went back into their private quarters while Bormann and Goebbels remained quietly nearby. Several moments later a gunshot was heard. After waiting a few moments, at 3:30 p.m., Bormann and Goebbels entered and found the body of Hitler sprawled on the sofa, dripping with blood from a gunshot to his right temple. Eva Braun had died from swallowing poison.   Hat tip to Ron Woodward; Nine Mile Falls, WA

 With only candles to light their way, war correspondents examine a 

couch stained with blood (see dark patch on the arm of the sofa) 

located inside Hitler’s bunker. 

 Photos of Hitler’s bunker and the ruins of Berlin.

"As Soviet shells exploded nearby, the bodies were carried up to the Chancellery garden, doused with gasoline and burned while Bormann and Goebbels stood by and gave a final Nazi salute. Over the next three hours the bodies were repeatedly doused with gasoline. The charred remains were then swept into a canvas, placed into a shell crater and buried.

Journalist Percy Knauth, left, sifts through debris in the shallow trench in the garden of the Reich Chancellery where, Knauth was told, the bodies of Hitler and Eva Braun were burned after their suicides.

"Back inside the bunker, with the Führer now gone, everyone began smoking, a practice Hitler had generally forbidden in his presence. They next began collectively plotting daring (but fruitless) escapes out of Berlin to avoid capture by the Soviets.

wolfenstein4ever.de-hitlers-bunker

The Führerbunker

"On the following day, May 1, Goebbels and his wife proceeded to poison their six young children in the bunker, then went up into the Chancellery garden where they were shot in the back of the head at their request by an SS man. Their bodies were then burned, but were only partially destroyed and were not buried. Their macabre remains were discovered by the Soviets the next day and filmed, the charred body of Goebbels becoming an often seen image symbolizing of the legacy of Hitler's Reich."
The Last Will of Adolf Hitler

As I did not consider that I could take responsibility, during the years of struggle, of contracting a marriage, I have now decided, before the closing of my earthly career, to take as my wife that girl who, after many years of faithful friendship, entered, of her own free will, the practically besieged town in order to share her destiny with me. At her own desire she goes as my wife with me into death. It will compensate us for what we both lost through my work in the service of my people.
What I possess belongs - in so far as it has any value - to the Party. Should this no longer exist, to the State; should the State also be destroyed, no further decision of mine is necessary.
My paintings, in the collections which I have bought in the course of years, have never been collected for private purposes, but only for the extension of a gallery in my home town of Linz on Donau.
It is my most sincere wish that this bequest may be duly executed.
I nominate as my Executor my most faithful Party comrade,
Martin Bormann
He is given full legal authority to make all decisions.
He is permitted to take out everything that has a sentimental value or is necessary for the maintenance of a modest simple life, for my brothers and sisters, also above all for the mother of my wife and my faithful co-workers who are well known to him, principally my old Secretaries Frau Winter etc. who have for many years aided me by their work.
I myself and my wife - in order to escape the disgrace of deposition or capitulation - choose death. It is our wish to be burnt immediately on the spot where I have carried out the greatest part of my daily work in the course of a twelve years' service to my people.

Given in Berlin, 29th April 1945, 4:00 A.M.
[Signed] A. Hitler

[Witnesses]
Dr. Joseph Goebbels
Martin Bormann
Colonel Nicholaus von Below

 

 

The below and many other historical films at British Pathe'

The mystery of Hitlers skull  " A piece of skull with a bullet hole through it that Russian officials claimed belonged to Adolf Hitler actually came from a woman, scientists at the University of Connecticut have concluded.

"The cranium fragment is part of a collection of Hitler artifacts preserved by Soviet intelligence in the months after Hitler and Eva Braun reportedly committed suicide in a Berlin bunker in April 1945.

"The collection, now housed in the Russian State Archive in Moscow, also includes bloodstained pieces of the sofa where Hitler reportedly shot himself after taking a cyanide pill. The artifacts were put on display in 2000." . . .

Site of Hitler's Bunker today

For years, people have desperately wanted to believe Hitler was alive. Everywhere there were rumors such as this:

UPDATE: Video proof! Hitler, Himmler and von Ribbentrop flee to England, live undercover with British family. Replaced inactive video.

GoFundMe: Leftist Tool

 Crowd-sourcing site pulls plug on a Baltimore PD defense fund.

 PJ Tatler   "Not content with shutting down a fund for some Christian bakers who fell afoul of the gay mafia, the Leftist trolls behind the crowd-sourcing site GoFundMe have just pulled the plug on a defense fund for the six Baltimore police officers hastily and very likely irresponsibly charged in the Freddie Gray affair:

The Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police created a GoFundMe page for the six officers who were charged Friday in the death of Freddie Gray—but it lasted for less than an hour before being removed from the site.
The Fraternal Order of Police, a union representing Baltimore City police officers, set a fundraising goal of $600,000 to pay for the living expenses of the six officers, who were placed on unpaid suspension after they were charged in Gray’s death. In 41 minutes, the page raised $1,135.
It’s unclear whether GoFundMe deleted the fundraiser set up for the six officers, but the FOP posted on its Facebook page, “Apparently our GoFundMe account has been suspended with no explanation. We are working to find a new site for donations. Thank you!”

"The Washington Post has some background:

As crowdfunding platforms increasingly become key culture war weapons, at least one company has attempted to clarify who can – and cannot – appeal for donations on their site. GoFundMe added “discriminatory” campaigns to the list of causes that can’t find a home there, a week after the company’s decision last week to remove a fundraising page for a bakery facing a hefty fine for violating a state discrimination law.
GoFundMe’s terms of service now exclude “campaigns in defense of formal charges or claims of heinous crimes, violent, hateful, sexual or discriminatory acts,” the company announced in a Wednesday blog post. The site also added language clarifying that GoFundMe “reserves the right to share the content from a deleted campaign with law enforcement, donors or stated beneficiaries who wish to file a police report about any misuse of fundraising.”

"Now you know what GoFundMe is. Act accordingly."

GoFundMe Page For Baltimore Cops Charged In Freddie Gray Death Lasts 41 Minutes Before Getting Shut Down

 GoFundMe’s Erratic Approach To Banning Projects "The popular crowdfunding platform's decisions about what to ban are hard to understand. We found lots of projects that violate its terms of service." 

  “‘Campaigns in defense of formal charges of heinous crimes’” are prohibited by our terms,” a spokeswoman said for that article. Asked to comment on the removal of this campaign, a spokeswoman told Vocativ, “GoFundMe cannot be used to benefit those who are charged with serious violations of the law.”

 

Top 10 Crowdfunding Sites 
There are other sites beside GoFundMe .

Krauthammer’s Take: Speed of Baltimore Charges ‘Looks Like Appeasement of the Mob’

NRO Editorial

"Some people are questioning the alacrity with which Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby brought charges against the officers involved in the arrest of Freddie Gray. The problem in evaluating, says Charles Krauthammer, is that we know nothing. 

“We don’t know if she has the evidence because the report has been given to her confidentially,” Krauthammer said on Friday’s Special Report. “So we don’t know what happened inside the van. We don’t know what she was told happened inside the van. . . . We will know when the evidence is out, we will know at trial, we will know looking back, if this is warranted.” 

“But I must say,” Krauthammer continued, “that the way that she spoke at the very end, in which she essentially said to the mob, ‘I will speak on your behalf, I will bring you justice, and now you will bring peace,’ — she doesn’t speak for the mob, and her job is not to bring peace. Her job is to adjudicate these issues without consideration for what’s going to happen outside.”

 “ 'It looks like appeasement of the mob,” said Krauthammer. “We will only know when the evidence eventually comes out.' ”

A look at the six Baltimore police officers charged in the Gray case

WaPo

Clockwise from top left: Baltimore police officers William G. Porter, Garrett E. Miller, Caesar R. Goodson Jr., Edward M. Nero, Alicia D. White, Brian W. Rice. (Baltimore Police Department)

"The officers — three white, three African American — represent a broad spectrum of experience on Baltimore’s police force. Three of them joined the force three years ago. The driver, who faces the most serious charges, is African American and has been on the force since 1999.

"One officer had his weapons confiscated after a former girlfriend contacted the Carroll County sheriff’s office to say she feared for his safety.

"The officers include one woman, a sergeant, who joined the force in 2010.

"All six officers were taken into custody Friday and released after posting bail that evening, according to online court records. The police officers facing charges are:" . . .

U.S. treaty obligation to defend Marshall Islands ships

 

 The Volokh Conspiracy " On April 28, the government of Iran seized the Maersk  Tigris cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The ship and its 24 crew members are still being held captive. The ship was flying the flag of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the United States has a treaty obligation to defend the Marshall Islands the same as the United States. On Tuesday, CBS News reported, via Twitter, that “Pentagon lawyers have determined” that the “US has no obligation to come to the defense of a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel at sea.” Were they correct? Probably not." . . .Full article

" Further reading: Department of the Navy, The Commander’s Handbook of the Law of Naval Operations, sections 3.10, 3.10.1 (July 2007)" . . .

Baltimore police victims of the "rush to judgement"?

Alan Dershowitz laments a 'sad day for justice' in Baltimore police indictments

. . . "I don't believe there is a judge in Baltimore who would toss these charges - at least, not for many months. The officers may have to wait until their case hits the appeals courts before they get any semblance of justice. 

"Meanwhile, several other prominent attorneys have weighed in with similar comments to Dershowitz and Banzhaf. Is anybody listening?

"No one in Baltimore."

Clarke: Freddie Gray Charges ‘Duke Lacrosse Case All Over Again’" Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke (D) declared the charges brought against six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray “George Zimmerman and the Duke Lacrosse case all over again” and said “these cops are political prisoners,” offered up as human sacrifices, thrown like red meat to an angry mob” on Friday’s “Your World with Neil Cavuto” on the Fox News Channel." 

"Clarke said of the charges, “it’s a miscarriage of justice. This neophyte prosecutor stood up there and made a political statement, Neil, and I say that because she’s chanting or voicing some of the chants from this angry mob. . . .

 "I have been to five calls today and three of those five calls for service; I have been challenged to a fight."Via Drudge.

Bombshell…Freddie Gray Had Heroine In His System…Was Arrested for Cause  "According to the officer, Freddie Gray was seen in a hand-to-hand transaction in the most dangerous area of the city.Toxicology reports show Gray had heroine and marijuana in his system."

Editorial: A prosecutor's rush to judgment in Baltimore 

 

. . . "Mosby bypassed a grand jury, declaring unflinchingly that she had found probable cause to file the charges herself. She batted away a call for her to step aside and let a special prosecutor handle the case because her husband is a Baltimore city councilman.


"She owned the decision. She projected a sense of urgency. We pray that her confidence is well founded, that she did not act in haste in the midst of a political and social firestorm." . . .

Legal Insurrection:  Freddie Gray Cops Charges – Justice or Political Theater?
 "Prosecutor so far discloses little evidence in support of charges."
. . .
"A solid foundation for this having been a partisan political, rather than reasoned legal, decision is laid out succinctly by the counsel for the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police who noted:

While I have the utmost respect for you and your office, I have very deep concerns about the many conflicts of interest presented by your office conducting an investigation in this case . . . . These conflicts include your personal and professional relationship with Gray family attorney, William Murphy and the lead prosecutor’s connections with members of the local media. . . . Most importantly, it is clear that your husband’s political future will be directly impacted, for better or worse, by the outcome of your investigation. . . . In order to avoid any appearance of impropriety or a violation of the Professional Rules of Professional Responsibility, I ask that you appoint a Special Prosecutor to determine whether or not any charges should be filed.

Freddie Gray’s Knife – Why is Prosecutor Claiming Unlawful Arrest?  . . . "These statements are remarkably insensible coming from someone who has attained the position of state prosecutor."  . . .

Conscience of a Cornell Conservative

 Cornell Daily Sun   ..."Before starting classes at Cornell, I joined my fellow freshman in attending the “Tapestry of Possibilities” theater event on North Campus. Presented by an on campus theatre troupe called Ordinary People, the event consisted of satirizing biases that, it was implied, were pervasive on campus, and needed to be stamped out by attitudes of tolerance and inclusion. I was not quite sure what this had to do with furthering my education and knowledge of government, the major I intended on pursuing. Attendance was mandatory, however, so I decided to try to make something of the experience.

"One of the skits portrayed a student suggesting that her colleague must have been admitted to Cornell solely as a result of affirmative action. During the audience involvement period, I asked whether the University itself was to blame for the fact that a student could even suggest such a thing. After all, this University consciously decides to factor in race when deciding whom to admit. That does not excuse the rude and disrespectful suggestion of the actor in the skit, of course. But isn’t it odd that the University would treat students differently based on race to begin with, then try to use a satirical skit to clean up its own mess?" . . .Full article here. Hat tip to College Insurrection
Julius Kairey is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached at jkairey@cornellsun.com. Always Right appears alternate Thursdays this semester. 

 From the Onion: College Encourages Lively Exchange Of Idea

"BOSTON—Saying that such a dialogue was essential to the college’s academic mission, Trescott University president Kevin Abrams confirmed Monday that the school encourages a lively exchange of one idea. “As an institution of higher learning, we recognize that it’s inevitable that certain contentious topics will come up from time to time, and when they do, we want to create an atmosphere where both students and faculty feel comfortable voicing a single homogeneous opinion,” said Abrams, adding that no matter the subject, anyone on campus is always welcome to add their support to the accepted consensus. “Whether it’s a discussion of a national political issue or a concern here on campus, an open forum in which one argument is uniformly reinforced is crucial for maintaining the exceptional learning environment we have cultivated here.” Abrams told reporters that counseling resources were available for any student made uncomfortable by the viewpoint."

You do know what The Onion is all about, don't you?

Steven Crowder: Dear Al Sharpton: You Lying, Race-Baiting, Hobbling Bag Of…

Western Journalism

 

An open letter to Al Sharpton. 
. . .   "See, MLK Jr. fought for equality in a way that’s moved me and I’m sure countless Americans for generations to come. If he were to be re-awoken today, I’m quite sure that he’d be thrilled to see a black president in office, to see that all black Americans share the same legally defensible rights under our Constitution as white Americans. That needed to happen. That was his end game, and it’s so sad that he never lived to see it completely fulfilled as it is today."

 "The good thing is that you, Al Sharpton, have! You live in an age where black Americans can vote, serve, eat, drink, and congregate freely. Heck, they can even become president. A significant portion of our police force is made up of black Americans. The only issue, really, is that you crap all over it. Your teachings rest firmly on the premise that not only has progress been too slow, but that America is more racist than ever.

"Now, I don’t believe that you’re a stupid person. I can’t. I’m pretty sure that would be racist. So I have to attribute the nonsensical nature of your arguments to be rooted in more sinister motives. It only takes a little digging to see that if racism were to die in America… hell, you’d be out of a job. Nobody has more of a financial interest in the continued systemic racism in this country than you, Al Sharpton." . . . 

. . . "… Because that’s what you do. You make money off of the pain of real people. Not only black people, but all people. For that, you are a. . . "  Read on...

Is there anyone else out there beside Mr. Crowder who is up to here with the...um, Reverend Al?

 

Some Hillary links

http://www.thefederalistpapers.org/

 Did Hillary Clinton change her stance on Indian nukes in response to donations?
" The latest potentially damning “Clinton cash” allegation involves a 2008 nuclear agreement between India and the United States. According to Politico, Peter Schweizer says that Hillary Clinton changed her position on the agreement after Indian business and government interests flooded various Clinton enterprises with cash."

HopeN'Change  . . . " Speaking at Columbia University, Mrs. Clinton screeched, "From Ferguson to Staten Island to Baltimore, the patterns have become unmistakable and undeniable!"

"Which is true, if the pattern you're talking about is jumping to false conclusions, blaming the police without knowing the facts, improper and inflammatory comments from the White House and other high officials, allowing violent destruction of property, and - speaking of racism - absolving the rioters and looters of wrongdoing under the assumption that some people (wink-wink nudge-nudge) just don't have the intellect or self-control to be held to traditional standards of morality or responsibility." . . .

http://www.investors.com/editorial-cartoons/michael-ramirez/750429

How Bernie Helps Hillary . . . " Hillary’s Harlem (err Brooklyn) Globetrotters now has its Washington (err Vermont) Generals. The question we have is whether it’s enough competition to up Hillary’s game.' ”

The ‘Big’ Endorsement Hillary Just Got Is One She May Not Want, As Twitter Snark Clearly Shows  . . . "While some may find it more than a little curious that a serious observer and analyst of American politics would write about such a thing, John Heilemann has penned a lengthy piece for Bloomberg Politics in which he explores the reasons why Larry Flynt, the notorious pornographer behind the Hustler publishing organization, is enthusiastically endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.
 . . .
 Heilemann, .. . apparently finds it noteworthy to explain that Flynt is backing the former secretary of state for one main reason: the opportunity for her, as president, to appoint more liberal Supreme Court justices. Heilemann then notes that Flynt’s spirited endorsement of Hillary Clinton, while in line with his lifelong support of Democrats, may not sit well with a number of Mrs. Clinton’s supporters."

 Hillary Clinton announced in New York Wednesday she has decided to change the colors on her presidential campaign logo to rainbow colors to represent the cause of marriage equality. It's a cause so dear to her. Of course Hillary Clinton's idea of marriage equality is that both of you get to be president. Comedian Argus Hamilton

 

Why California’s Drought Was Completely Preventable

Victor Davis Hanson

 After the initial phases of the federal Central Valley Project and state California Water Project were largely finished — and flooding was no longer considered a dire threat in Northern California — environmentalists in the last 40 years canceled most of the major second- and third-stage storage projects. To take a few examples, they stopped the raising of Shasta Dam, the construction of the Peripheral Canal, and gargantuan projects such as the Ah Pah and Dos Rios reservoirs. VDH

 

. . . "What is new is that the state has never had 40 million residents during a drought — well over 10 million more than during the last dry spell in the early 1990s. Much of the growth is due to massive and recent immigration.

"A record one in four current Californians was not born in the United States, according to the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. Whatever one’s view on immigration, it is ironic to encourage millions of newcomers to settle in the state without first making commensurately liberal investments for them in water supplies and infrastructure.

"Sharp rises in population still would not have mattered much had state authorities just followed their forbearers’ advice to continually increase water storage." . . .

Leading Obama supporters offer law enforcement advice

MSNBC's Al Sharpton demands DOJ takeover of police nationwide

 

. . . "Several wondered why the Justice Department hasn't arrested Sharpton for back taxes he owes. One person suggested Sharpton is protected by the administration and will never have to pay his back taxes.

" 'Out of respect, we could have them wear uniforms that honor people of color," one Twitter user suggested. "How about brown shirts?"

"Another person wondered if Sharpton was delivering a message from the White House. "Would this be 'police state' -- like communism? Hmmm."
 The Rev ticked off some of his supporters.


Michael Moore Demands America ‘Disarm The Police’

 "Filmmaker Michael Moore demanded on Twitter Thursday that America’s police officers be disarmed and all African-Americans imprisoned for non-violent crimes be released.
 
"Moore’s demands came in response to the death of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old man who dies two weeks ago while in police custody in Baltimore.


" 'After a night of relative calm in Baltimore but more than 100 arrests in New York City and violence in Ferguson, Missouri, Moore said prisons are filled with innocent people and compared incarceration to “a modern day slave system.”


“ 'Next demand: Disarm the police,” he wrote. “We have a 1/4 billion 2nd amendment guns in our homes 4 protection. We’ll survive til the right cops [are] hired,” he wrote."
More Moore here.

HopeN'Change
. . . " Now we're being told that these terrorizing miscreants, who were acting with neither cause nor control, are all good kids who are just frustrated because, according to Barack Obama, we haven't nurtured them with enough federal money. And most importantly, they shouldn't be called "thugs" because it might be code for the dreaded n-word. ' . . .