Today marks a somber anniversary. It has been 25 years since the massacre of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in and around Srebrenica, Bosnia.
Body parts are still being found in mass graves and are being put together and identified through DNA analysis. Close to 7,000 of those killed have already been found and identified. Newly identified victims are buried each year on July 11 — the anniversary of the day the killing began in 1995 — in the memorial cemetery.
Women watch as one of the massacre victims is buried in Potocari, near Srebrenica, Bosnia, Saturday, July 11, 2020. Mourners converged on the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica for the 25th anniversary of the country’s worst carnage during the 1992-95 war and the only crime in Europe since World War II that has been declared a genocide. (AP)
Bosniak Muslim member of the country’s tripartite presidency, Sefik Dzaferovic called on the world to demand Serb leaders finally accept responsibility and open the way for true reconciliation.
“I am calling on our friends from around the world to show not just with words but also with actions that they will not accept the denial of genocide and celebration of its perpetrators,” he said.
“The Srebrenica genocide is being denied (by Serb leaders) just as systematically and meticulously as it was executed in 1995 … we owe it not just to Srebrenica, but to humanity, to oppose that,” he added.
The Srebrenica massacre is the only episode of Bosnia’s 1992-95 war to be defined as genocide, including by two U.N. courts. But leaders in neighboring Serbia still deny the extent of the 1995 massacre and refuse to acknowledge what amounted to a genocide.
Bosnian Serb wartime political leader, Radovan Karadzic, and his military commander, Ratko Mladic, were both convicted of and sentenced for genocide in Srebrenica by a special U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague. In all, the tribunal and courts in the Balkans have sentenced close to 50 Bosnian Serbs wartime officials to more than 700 years in prison for Srebrenica killings.
On a personal note, your editor spent some time in the former Yugoslavia during this period. What I witnessed will stay with me for the rest of my life. And to be fair, it wasn’t just the Serbs that committed atrocities, they were just responsible for the bigger ones.
President Trump is expected to announce that he will commute Roger Stone’s sentence, just days before the longtime political operative is slated to report to prison to serve more than three years for charges stemming from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
Stone was set to report to prison on July 14 to serve 40 months. He was sentenced in February to more than three years in prison after being convicted in November 2019 on seven counts of obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements to Congress on charges that stemmed from Mueller’s investigation. Stone, however, has appealed his conviction and continues to deny any wrongdoing.
Later Friday, an appeals court denied Stone’s request to delay reporting for his sentence, saying he must report for prison on Tuesday.
“In sum, Stone is not legally eligible for further postponement of his reporting date under 18 U.S.C. § 3145(c), which is the only basis on which he seeks relief from this court. We therefore deny his motion,” the court wrote in its order.
It seems even Arlington cemetery is being caught up in the tear it all down movement. The subject this time? the Confederate Memorial statue in section 16 of the cemetery. According to the Washington Post, the Army, which has jurisdiction over Arlington, has asked for direction from the Department of Defense “for display of divisive symbols. Any review would include this memorial.”
I’m torn on this subject, as a historian, I find any attempt at revisionism distasteful, yet this particular monument is revisionism personified. The Latin inscription on the base is a reference to the gloriouslost cause mythology that sprung up after the war.
Should we be defacing our history, no. Simply put any society that doesn’t know it’s past is doomed to fail. But to honor those who would have torn this country asunder . . .
Like I said, I’m torn.
I really don’t understand people. An Illinois woman spit in a man’s face because he took his mask off while exiting a Costco. From Fox News:
A woman who claimed to be a teacher assaulted a man and spit in his face when he took his mask off while exiting a Costco store in Illinois, police said.
Elizabeth Mach, 45, allegedly approached a 50-year-old man after he removed his face covering while leaving a Costco store in Mettawa in Lake County, on June 16, the Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.
Pleasant looking woman, isn’t she
Mach was charged with battery and disorderly conduct and released later that day after posting 10 percent of the $40,000 bond imposed by the judge, police said. She is due back in court on July 29. It is unclear if she did actually have COVID-19.
What the hell happened to common courtesy? How did our society become so impolite?
A cat that has been dead for twelve years got a voter registration form. Tell me again that large scale voter fraud doesn’t exist.
https://youtu.be/SZLy7OEJbjA
I’m just gonna leave this here with no context. . . .
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Soldiers conduct volcano system training using a UH-60 Blackhawk at Makua Range, Hawaii June 23, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Sarah D. Sangster)After months of restriction due to Covid-19, a U.S. Army Paratrooper secures her equipment after an airborne operation from U.S. Air Force 86th Air Wing C-130 Hercules aircraft at Rivolto Italian Air Force Base, Udine Italy, June 24, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Paolo Bovo)
NAVY
200709-N-VY375-1388
SAN DIEGO (July 9, 2020) Sailors raise the American flag as the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) arrives at Naval Air Station North Island, July 9, 2020. Theodore Roosevelt returned to Naval Air Station North Island after a six-month deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Pyoung K. Yi/Released)200709-N-XX200-3063
SAN DIEGO (July 9, 2020) Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Juan Sanchez, from San Antonio, holds his son at Naval Air Station North Island, July 9, 2020, after the return of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) following a six-month deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Erik Melgar/Released)
AIR FORCE
U.S. Air Force Maj. Joshua “Cabo” Gunderson, F-22 Raptor Demonstration team pilot and commander, flies a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 90th Fight Squadron over Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 9, 2020, as part of JBER Salutes, a two-day event to show of appreciation to service members and nearly 100 Anchorage-area “COVID Heroes” and their guests. The service members and COVID Heroes, nominated for their support to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, toured various areas of the installation, viewed exhibits and static displays of aircraft, and watched demonstrations by Explosive Ordnance Disposal, military working dog teams, and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear experts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña)A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber, deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., lands at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, July 4, 2020. The B-52 flew the 28-hour mission to demonstrate U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s commitment to the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Richard P. Ebensberger)
MARINE CORPS
U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, currently assigned to 3rd Marine Division under the Unit Deployment Program, fire at targets during a high-explosive weapons range on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, June 27, 2020. The high-explosive weapons range provides Marines with an opportunity to sharpen their marksmanship skills with MK 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon and M73 Light Armored Rocket System. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Donovan Massieperez)U.S. Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 fly with an M777 Howitzer during a hoist lift exercise alongside Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 3 and 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, June 18, 2020. HMH-463, CLB-3, and 1st Battalion, 12th Marines executed the operation in order to increase battlefield proficiency and combat readiness. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Jacob Wilson)
COAST GUARD
The crew of the cutter Heriberto Hernandez (WPB-1114) repatriates nine migrants to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic July 9, 2020, after the group was interdicted a day earlier by a Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine unit just off the coast of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.Coast Guard Cutter Frank Drew, a 175-foot Inland Buoy Tender in Portsmouth, Virginia, rests docked at Base Portsmouth July 7, 2020. Buoy tenders are vital in fulfilling one of the Coast Guard’s primary missions of maintaining all U.S. aids to navigation (ATON). (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Katie Lipe)
The Trump campaign announced that the rally, scheduled for Saturday night in Portsmouth NH, has been postponed.
“The rally scheduled for Saturday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire has been postponed for safety reasons because of Tropical Storm Fay. It will be rescheduled and a new date will be announced soon,” said Tim Murtaugh, the Trump 2020 communications director.
Despite being ordered by a U.S. Court of Appeals panel in the District of Columbia to dismiss the federal government’s criminal case against former White House Security Advisor General Michael Flynn, U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan isn’t letting him get out without another fight.
In a new request, Sullivan is asking for the entire DC Court of Appeals to take on the case and determine whether it should be dismissed. This comes after Sullivan refused to honor a directive from the Department of Justice, in which it was argued the FBI didn’t have proper standing to charge Flynn in the first place, to dismiss the case.
In May the Department of Justice announced it would no longer pursue the case against Flynn after new information revealed an FBI set up against him. DOJ also argued the FBI didn’t have a case and falsely built one after coming up empty — despite weeks of surveillance during the 2016 presidential transition period.
I was working on an in-depth piece about the Flynn case for today. I’m going to push it back until tomorrow, so I can digest this late breaking news. This judge just doesn’t want to let go. You’d have figured that the three judge panel’s decision wouldn’t have left any room for doubt.
In a 7-2 decision, the Supremes ruled that the request from Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance can go forward with the majority noting that blanket immunity does not apply in this case to stop the subpoena. It wasn’t a complete loss for the President though, the Court provided a roadmap on how the Trump team could challenge the subpoena going forward. This should drag the case out until after the election.
In the second case the Court ruled the lower courts did not give enough weight to the separation of powers, and remanded the case back to the lower courts for more deliberation.
Regardless of how this is spun in the media, both rulings are a win for the Trump team. Neither case will be resolved prior to the November elections. And in this case, delay is as good as an outright win.
Well, I guess I saw this coming. The Country band formerly known as Lady Antebellum has filed suit against the blues singer Lady A. Oh, and by the way, the blues singer Lady A, is black.
President Trump invited Mexican president Obrador and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to the White House to celebrate the start of the new trade deal. Seems as if little potato had better things to do in Canada. Like trying which culture he plans on appropriating next. So Trump and Obrador celebrated without him.
Ostensible NATO ally Turkey is up to some nefarious stuff in Libya. They have been credibly accused of attacking actual NATO ally France’s troops there. For those who don’t follow events in the Magreb, Libya is in the midst of a civil war, and Erdogan’s turkey supports the islamist rebels there.
There’s more coming out about the witch hunt that LTG Flynn was subjected to. It seems that some new documents were just found by the DOJ and given to Sydney Powell, Flynn’s attorney. Look for a more detailed post on the whole fiasco tomorrow or Friday.
In Supreme Court land, the justices delivered a 7-2 decision in the Little Sisters of the Poor case. They held that the Sisters did not have to certify, in accordance with Obama care. Which means that they do not have to provide or even offer insurance coverage for contraceptives. It’s good news for religious liberties.
On a personal note, your managing editor is suffering thru a heat wave. It’s been in the low to mid 90s since Saturday, and it’s not supposed to drop below 90 until Saturday. Thank God for aircon.
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Resistance hero and key factor in the Impeachment farce LTC Alexander Vindman has announced his retirement from the Army.
A statement from attorney David Pressman said Vindman was leaving the Army after more than 21 years after it had been made clear “that his future within the institution he has dutifully served will forever be limited.”
“Through a campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation, the president of the United States attempted to force LTC Vindman to choose: Between adhering to the law or pleasing a President. Between honoring his oath or protecting his career. Between protecting his promotion or the promotion of his fellow soldiers. LTC Vindman’s patriotism has cost him his career.”
Army veteran Sen. Tammy Duckworth; D-IL said last week that she would put a hold on more than 1,000 military promotions until she was assured by Defense Secretary Mark Esper that Vindman’s promotion would not be blocked.
Over the weekend, Senator Tammy Duckworth; D-IL, was on CNN with Dana Bash. During the course of the appearance, Bash asked about the current trend of tearing down statues of those the left finds problematic. Duckworth voiced her support for that:
President Trump gave a speech at Mount Rushmore Friday night. He talked about the importance of preserving historical monuments. Take a listen.(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Senator, I know that you support change in the name of military bases named after Confederate leaders. But there are leaders like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson who were slave owners, and some people are demanding that their monuments come down, too. So, in your view, where does it end? Should statues, for example, of George Washington come down?
SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): Well, let me just say that we should start off by having a national dialogue on it at some point. But, right now, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic. And our — one of our ally — one of our — countries that are opposed to us, Russia, has put a bounty on American troops’ head. What really struck me about this speech that the president gave at Mount Rushmore was that he spent more time worried about honoring dead Confederates than he did talking about the lives of our American — 130,000 Americans who lost their lives to COVID-19, or by warning Russia off of the bounty they’re putting on Americans’ heads [09:45:03]
I mean, his priorities are all wrong here. He should be talking about what we’re going to do to overcome this pandemic. What are we going to do to push Russia back? And, instead, he had no time for that. He spent all his time talking about dead traitors.
BASH: So, that might be — be true, but George Washington, I don’t think anybody would call him a traitor. And there are…
DUCKWORTH: No.
BASH: … moves by some to remove statues of him. Is that a good idea?
DUCKWORTH: I think we should listen to everybody. I think we should listen to the argument there. But remember that the president at Mount Rushmore was standing on ground that was stolen from Native Americans who had actually been given that land during a treaty.
And, again, let’s talk about the greater context of where we are in our country right now. We should be talking about the fact that COVID- 19 is experiencing a resurgence, and both this president and the man he put in charge of the pandemic response team, the vice president, have both failed miserably at their jobs. I’m more worried about the 130,000 who have lost their lives recently and the thousands and thousands more Americans who are currently sick than I am about the — our historical past. We need to talk about what we’re doing now to bring this country off of the brink of chaos that it’s in.
Watch:
Ok, so she’s voicing her opinion, and that, while I strenuously disagree, is fine. What’s not fine is her reaction when Tucker Carlson called her out for being unpatriotic. She immediately hopped on Twitter with this gem:
Then Captain Duckworth lost both legs after getting her Blackhawk shot down by an RPG while in Iraq. She also suffered debilitating injuries to her right arm. She was awarded the I forgot to duck medal for her injuries and was promoted to major while in Walter Reed.
The implications of that tweet are astonishing to me, as a combat vet and an American Patriot. The good senator seems to think that she’s above any criticism because of her injuries. That she can hold up her Purple Heart and combat service as a shield.
Tucker, and I by extension, aren’t questioning her service. What’s being questioned is her current state of mind and the lack of patriotism and historical perspective. Service, and honorable service especially, is not and never has been something to hide from criticism behind.
As everyone who ever wore the uniform knows, the military is a microcosm of the United States. Admittedly, while there is a higher proportion of Patriots in the military than in the general population, my point still stands. You find all sorts in the military.
Senator Duckworth, while she may not have started this way, is an unpatriotic, uneducated fool. I knew a couple of individuals like that during my term of service.
That when given an opportunity to confront Tucker directly, he has a standing offer for her to appear on his show, she declined says a lot about her.
