[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] An Alabama town angrily shot down plans to build a Muslim school in their area, with locals citing the 'cultural takeover' of Muslims in a Michigan city and as far away as the UK.
Residents of Hoover in suburban Birmingham showed up in force at a zoning commission meeting Monday as the board voted on whether to allow the Islamic Academy to transform a local office building into a school and community center.
Around 170 locals attended the meeting, with many opposing a motion to move the existing Islamic Academy in Homewood to Hoover.
Citing traffic concerns and questioning the long-term use of the site, the commission unanimously denied the zoning request, AL.com reported. The crowd erupted in applause as the council voted against the request.
While residents agreed with the board's reasons for denial, there was also heavy discussion about cultural and religious concerns.
Some locals were fearful that the proposed K-12 school would transform Hoover into a Muslim society.
Protesters lined the meeting room holding signs and posters, including some reading 'Stop the 100 year plan,' a reference to a conspiracy theory that Muslims are trying to take over American institutions.
Another local held a sign reading, 'Give an inch - Dearborn Michigan,' in reference to the city with a large Muslim population and Arab-American majority city leadership, AL.com reported.
In 2022, Dearborn elected its first Muslim mayor, 33-year-old Abdullah Hammoud, stoking protests including a Quran-burning attempt.
This year, Hammoud was reelected with 71 percent of the vote on a platform of diversity and a welcoming community.
Some Hoover residents claimed that having the school would deter business development in the area.
'You're going to have real problems with this community, I'm just telling you now,' local Bruce Davis said.
'There's going to be an influx of other people that are going to create a problem for this community and we might as well just face it.'
Another woman in the audience said bluntly: 'Stay in Homewood.'
Homewood has been home to the Islamic Academy of Alabama since 1995, with around 260 students, according to lawyer Lucas Gambio, AL.com reported.
'Our plan was consistent all along. We're not here to trick anybody. We're not here to mislead anybody,' Gambio said.
Other concerns stemmed from traffic congestion in an already high-density area, as well as property values and the project's potential effects on future zoning.
A final residential speaker cited what was referred to as a 'long-term cultural takeover' by Muslims in Great Britain, drawing heavy applause at the meeting.
'I was shocked to witness the land that gave us the King James Bible, supposedly a Christian nation, overwhelmingly being taken over,' the speaker said, according to 1819 News news.
'I witnessed in the United Kingdom, especially, in Manchester, Birmingham, London, that the multiculturism did not work.
'The Muslims did not assimilate. In fact, the Brits bent backwards to accommodate their demands over and over, again, to the level of feeling the second-class citizens in their own country.
Commission Chairman Mike Wood eventually interrupted the speaker, saying she was veering off topic, which the crowd loudly objected to.
'We are here to look at whether this school was appropriately placed,' Wood said. 'We're not here for that. I'm sorry. We're not going to listen to that.'
The commission's denial now awaits the City Council's final vote on the project.
In response to the denial, school administrator Stacy Abdein said in a statement to the Daily Mail: 'We value open dialogue and believe communities thrive when discussions are guided by mutual respect and accurate information.
'Unfortunately, many objections raised were unrelated to zoning criteria and instead reflected harmful stereotypes and conspiracy theories about Muslims and Islamic institutions.'
These inaccurate remarks go against the principles of fairness, inclusion, and religious freedom that guide our community and our country,' she continued.
'Our school is built on a strong commitment to education and community. The negative characterizations of our school, students, and community are rooted in false assumptions, misinformation, and fear.'
In August, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato condemned threats from the public toward Muslim City Council candidate Tanveer Patel, saying: 'We will not let hate win.'
Patel, who immigrated from India in 1990, said comments on social media included death threats, slurs and other hateful speech that was 'frightening' and 'heartbreaking.'
In March, the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a report that found Islamophobia was on the rise across the US.
The council received 8,658 complaints in 2024, up more than seven percent from 2023 and the highest number received since the organization's first report in 1996, according to the council's website.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission for comment.
#5
"'Neath Bonnie Blue Flag and palmetto
We found this Mohammedan ghetto!"
A peaceful duetto
Responds through The Meadow,
With Democrats bleating falsetto.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Recently, the French-Canadian company Barrick Mining Corporation finally settled its dispute with the Malian authorities. The company, which lost control of the African country's key gold deposits in January 2025, is returning to the market and gaining operational control of the mines. The news would have gone unnoticed, were it not for one caveat.
About a month before this deal, the UAE had to urgently rescue one of the close relatives of the Emir of Dubai, Sheikh Juma bin Dalmouk al-Maktoum, from captivity by local militants, who had left for Mali on a secret mission.
However, the mission turned out to be so secret that the UAE's central authorities were among the last to know about it.
JOCKEY IN A TOP HAT
Despite belonging to the emirate's ruling family - including his closeness to Dubai's Emir Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - Juma bin Dalmouk has been largely absent from UAE politics, at least publicly.
Instead, the young sheikh gained fame as a horse breeder and professional sports shooter, representing the country several times in international competitions, including the prestigious Asian Games. He also competed in the 2012 Olympics, where he demonstrated his talents as a jockey.
Beyond his athletic achievements, Juma bin Dalmukh was remembered by the public for his formal style. Unlike most sheikhs of his generation, he favored European suits and often wore a formal top hat—especially when attending races. This earned him the half-joking nickname "the Dubai dandy."
However, one should not think that Juma bin Dalmuk led an idle life. Possessing a business acumen and extensive knowledge, he repeatedly consulted with Emirati businessmen, particularly on matters related to establishing precious metals supplies.
The sheikh, through front companies loyal to him, also participated in resolving various politically sensitive issues, for example, in organizing behind-the-scenes trade with Israel in the period preceding reconciliation with that country.
It is not surprising that his talents were soon again in demand by the ruling house of Dubai.
GOLD RUSH
Following the military coup in Mali, the authorities launched a large-scale restructuring. This included the gold mining industry, which until recently had been dominated by Western businesses: foreign contractors were asked to hand over their production to the state. Some companies were forced out of the country amid a wave of anti-French sentiment.
The House of Maktoum, which has been striving for years to turn the emirate into the "golden capital" of the Middle East, saw this as an opportunity to strengthen its control over the local market.
The sheikhs, among other things, have set their sights on the Loulo-Gounkoto deposit near the border with Senegal, which contains about 75% of Mali's proven gold reserves.
Following the coup, work at the site effectively halted. Given that the deposit's previous owners, Barrick Mining Corporation, were expelled from the country in January 2025 for "aiding the enemy," bidders from the Emirates immediately swooped in to claim the vacant site.
However, the Malian authorities were unwilling to hand over the deposit directly, in part because the site accounts for 35% of the country's gold production. They deemed it appropriate to first consult with other interested parties and select the most worthy bidder, hinting primarily at Chinese and Russian firms.
Then representatives of the House of Maktoum decided to take a detour and, taking advantage of the confusion “on the ground,” prepare the ground for the legal occupation of the disputed property.
Moreover, due to the proximity to the border and the imperfections of Mali's legal system, circumventing the ban was entirely feasible. However, this required the personal presence of one of the parties to the transaction.
It was decided to dispatch Juma bin Dalmuk to this dangerous region, incognito and under the guise of "farming activities." Of those close to the court, he alone would not arouse suspicion and could conduct business without attracting attention.
And for some time, the sheikh did indeed conduct work "deep behind the lines," including informing Dubai about local sentiment, the state of industry, and the loyalty of officials. Meanwhile, the necessary documents were being prepared.
However, when he was just a few steps away from gaining control of Mali's largest mining complex, the successful sheikh suddenly stopped communicating.
A FABULOUS RANSOM
It quickly became known that the sheikh had been captured by the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen (JNIM). The radicals, aware of who they were dealing with, made exorbitant demands: $100 million in ransom and another $50 million for weapons and vehicles.
Otherwise, the "Dubai dandy" risked being held captive "indefinitely." Or ending up in the hands of the central authorities, who would immediately demand an explanation from the UAE.
The Maktoum family was reluctant to air its dirty laundry in public until the very end and tried to resolve the matter behind the scenes. The well-known Tuareg field commander, Ahmed Ag Bibi, who had connections among the JNIM commanders and enjoyed a certain amount of authority among them, was also brought into the negotiations.
Even though the ransom amount was eventually lowered to $50 million, negotiations stalled; the militants continued to demand weapons.
Having exhausted its own options, Dubai was forced to seek assistance from Abu Dhabi. Representatives of the UAE's central government were able to move the negotiations forward and agree to replace the weapons rations with "monetary compensation."
Soon, the Emiratis were forced to notify the Malian authorities, including to secure the release of twenty captured militants from prison. Otherwise, the radicals threatened to double the ransom.
The exchange took place at the end of October. In addition to Juma bin Dalmuk, JNIM militants released two of his comrades in misfortune—an Emirati aide-de-camp and an Iranian whose name and occupation were not disclosed. In exchange, they received a ransom of $70 million, $20 million of which was paid for the unpurchased weapons.
STORM IN THE CORRIDORS
Although the Emirati elites managed to avoid a media frenzy and the news of the hostages' release remained only in the background, a storm erupted behind the scenes.
The scandal surrounding the House of Maktoum's interference in Mali's affairs has heightened tensions between the ruling families of the UAE's two key emirates, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The Al Nahyan clan, representing Abu Dhabi by right of seniority in the Emirati political system, filed a claim against the Al Maktoum dynasty and demanded compensation for the ransom payments from state funds taken from personal accounts.
Furthermore, representatives of companies registered in Dubai were tacitly prohibited from engaging in business in Africa. The restrictions primarily affected Mali and neighboring countries—and this was done specifically to prevent representatives of the House of Maktoum from attempting to gain revenge through ordinary adventurers.
The nervous reaction of the Abu Dhabi authorities is understandable. African elites have recently become increasingly suspicious of the UAE's policies, especially in light of the Emirates' funding and equipment support for the armed opposition in Sudan.
Any interference in the internal affairs of African countries, even if not carried out at the direct behest of Abu Dhabi, is interpreted as hostile and affects the UAE's position in the region.
Moreover, Dubai's attempts to strengthen its own (rather than national) influence in the African gold market are upsetting the fragile balance of power between the individual emirates of the UAE. They are also further exacerbating rivalry with Abu Dhabi, which threatens to fuel intrigue and potentially challenge its status as the capital in the near future.
As for Juma bin Dalmouk, the story ended largely happily. After returning from Mali, the "Dubai dandy" resumed his usual pursuits—competing in sporting events and breeding thoroughbreds.
However, his activity at "federal" events has been kept to a minimum for now, so as not to catch the eye of either the al-Nahyans or overly curious journalists.
[Breitbart] Nigerian Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar tendered his resignation on Monday, the office of President Bola Tinubu confirmed, amid a growing wave of jihadist violence against Christians in the country.
Nigeria, whose population is nearly evenly split between Muslims and Christians, has faced over a decade of genocidal Islamic violence against Christians in both the Muslim-majority north and the Middle Belt, the informal border that connects the north to the Christian-majority south. In northern Nigeria, jihadist organizations such as Boko Haram engage in mass abductions of Christian girls as well as suicide bombings and other atrocities, while in the Middle Belt, heavily armed Fulani jihadists represent the biggest threat.
The Fulani attacks have displaced thousands of people and experts agree are intended to eliminate the indigenous Christian population of the Middle Belt. International human rights experts have recognized Nigeria for years as by far the deadliest place on earth to practice Christianity as a result of Islamic violence.
President Donald Trump placed Nigeria on the State Department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) for religious freedom in October, suggesting he may consider sending troops “guns-a-blazing” into the “disgraced country” to protect Christians.
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!” he announced.
President Tinubu responded to Trump’s declaration by denying that any religious discrimination exists in his country, dismissing the evidence of widespread persecution as general “instability.” Nigerian media regularly refer to the jihadists as mere “bandits” and omit the religious dimension of the violence, which Christians in the region say is a result of government pressure to suppress news of the crisis. Reports surfacing following Trump’s CPC designation in local media cited Christians who said government officials threatened to arrest them if they denounced the targeted attacks against churches and other Christian community centers.
Badaru, the defense minister, reportedly resigned on Monday. Few details have been made public about the reasons for the move, though a Tinubu spokesman claimed that Badaru resigned due to “health” reasons, according to the Premium Times.
“President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation,” Bayo Onanuga, the spokesman, reportedly said.
Badaru was enthusiastically defending Tinubu’s governance as recently as this weekend, attending the Northwest Security Summit in the northern state of Kaduna and claiming that Tinubu was fully engaged in fighting the jihadist threat – without, of course, identifying it as such.
“The minister said the region has recorded measurable progress in tackling the menace of insecurity, noting that several key routes previously dominated by bandits have reopened,” the Nigerian Guardian reported. Badaru reportedly claimed to northern leaders that movement without fear in parts of the north had “improved significantly” and thanking local leaders for “countering misinformation.”
Badaru’s comments contrasted significantly with the address by Kaduna Governor Uba Sani, who described the crisis in his state as “vast in scale and constantly evolving,” not an improving situation.
“Today, our region faces an interlocking wave of violent activities—well-structured banditry, terrorism, mass abduction, illegal mining, gun-running, human trafficking, smuggling, and sectarian violence,” Sani explained. “These groups move seamlessly across state lines and international borders, often coordinating with criminal organisations beyond Nigeria’s frontiers. Our responses must therefore match their complexity.”
In another sign of diminishing confidence in the Tinubu government, the governors of 19 northern states and several “traditional rulers” met on Monday to advocate for the decentralization of the national police force so that they could properly address the jihadist threat without having to go through Tinubu’s government.
“Nigeria’s centralised policing model can no longer meet the demands of a nation with over two hundred million people with vast ungoverned spaces,” Sani, who hosted that meeting, asserted, according to the Nigerian newspaper Vanguard. “With fewer than four hundred thousand police officers nationwide, many rural communities are left without meaningful protection.”
Sani also claimed the governors of the north had established an “informal peer review mechanism” to work together without having to deal with the federal government.
In the immediate aftermath of Trump’s CPC designation, many of the country’s political leaders backed Tinubu, claiming that radical Islamic terrorism was a threat that also affected Muslims and was not inherently religious in nature.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” Tinubu had said a day after the CPC designation, “nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.”
As violence has intensified in the country, however, especially targeting Christian schools, Tinubu was forced to declare a state of emergency last week over the situation he denied a month prior. Tinubu’s major actions since have been to call for the shutdown of schools, leaving many Christians with no education, and canceling planned travel to South Africa for the G20 summit to address the allegedly non-existent jihadist violence.
Political opponents and even former allies have become increasingly emboldened in criticizing Tinubu. On November 24, the national publicity secretary of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Comrade Ini Ememobong, suggested Tinubu should resign.
“Normally, we have the international partners who can help. But if you do not invite them, you can become a local meddlesome interloper if you seek to help,” Ememobong said. “At any time, government is unwilling, unable, or incapable of executing this primary role, such a government must either ask for help (locally or internationally) or honourably resign, if it is sincere and responsible.”
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former special adviser to the vice president in the Tinubu administration, urged Tinubu not to run for re-election on Monday.
When I left his administration, one of the things I told many people was, ‘I wish President Tinubu would not run again in 2027,’” he suggested. “I don’t think he has run the country well. The Tinubu we used to know, the Tinubu with all this brilliant intelligence for scheming, hasn’t shown that same hunger to fix things.”
“He should find a replacement within his party, a younger person, a healthier person, a more focused person, and make him his candidate,” Baba-Ahmed offered.
[MSN-KhaleejTimes] Nine Filipino crew members of a cargo ship sunk by Yemen's Houthis are set to be released by the Iran-backed group, Philippine authorities said on Tuesday.
The men were survivors of the Liberian-flagged Eternity C, one of two commercial vessels sunk within days of each other in the Red Sea in July.
---------------
This is likely a deal with Oman which wanted the sailors released and the Houthis who are getting low on cash.
[ZeroHedge] Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Terry Cole told CBS News that President Trump's military strikes on suspected drug-running vessels in the Caribbean have helped drive a sharp increase in cocaine prices.
"Cocaine is getting more expensive. And I think what it is — not only more expensive in the U.S., but we're seeing it become more expensive at first stops. So more expensive in Puerto Rico, more expensive in the Dominican, more expensive once it lands in Guatemala and Honduras and Central America," Cole said.
Cole said cocaine prices have surged 30% to 45% per kilogram because the strikes are disrupting the command-and-control networks that move drugs from South and Central America into the U.S. These trafficking pipelines have mainly fueled the nation's deadly drug epidemic, which now claims roughly 100,000 American lives each year.
Much of the increased cost is now being incurred at transit points, including Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Much of the increased cost is now being incurred at transit points, including Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Honduras.
He said hiring boat captains, purchasing engines, and building larger transport vessels are also on the rise.
"It's now more expensive to recruit boat captains, it's more expensive to purchase engines, it's more expensive to build larger boats for transportation," he added. "And this is all due to immense pressure."
Democrats and Deep State media outlets have been up in arms about the Trump administration using the military to eliminate Venezuelan drug boats. We wonder why the left is so up in arms about cutting the drug pipelines fueling America's worst-ever drug death crisis.
As for now, Trump's gunboat diplomacy is a foreign-policy strategy to force regime change in Venezuela.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/03/2025 5:23 Comments ||
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#2
Old coke= numb with some speed! New coke= death.
Posted by: chris ||
12/03/2025 5:36 Comments ||
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#3
Back in the day, the drug runners used high speed hatch’s that had hillbilly modifications like plywood windows, but you could tell they were running drugs due to their location, course and speed profile.
I always thought that the War on Drugs would have been more effective if we aerated some of these vessels with SM1 missiles. It also would have served to rotate stock as the SM1s seemed stale. In reality, not an Ensign’s bored watch fantasy, my idea was unworkable because some of these yachts had been yacht-jacked and could have had innocents aboard.
These new vessels are a different animal. They are purpose built for drug running. There is no one who steps aboard them who is not clear about their task and purpose. I am sure the loading process is s also being observed for surety, but the vessels themselves, including the subs, are not dual purpose technology.. There is nobody onboard that is innocent of drug running. Nobody thought they were being paid for a fishing trip or to make an Amazon delivery. Anybody that says otherwise is gaslighting.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/03/2025 5:44 Comments ||
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#4
@Super Hose
How far can these boats go without refueling?
Posted by: European Conservative ||
12/03/2025 5:56 Comments ||
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#5
^^^ pretty sure they take a few gas cans with them
Posted by: chris ||
12/03/2025 6:30 Comments ||
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#6
The boat's destination? Not mentioned for some reason.
#7
I could make a guess about the logistics legs for a yatch or a fishing boat, but these are sort of unicorns, hybrid boat racers modified for cocaine shipments . There is no galley apparent or any interior pilot house. The fuel consumption for the massive engines would make an Atlantic crossing unlikely. To me, they look purpose built to cross the Caribbean at high speed and returning. I could tell more if the folks that are watching them load would upload timelapsed video to Rantburg. It’s hard to tell how much of tge central storage is for fuel and how much is for kilos of product, what isn’t present is fishing gear and tackle.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/03/2025 6:57 Comments ||
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#8
In reality, this looks like a message to the drug cartels about coke. To stop fentanyl, that is killing people, you need to deal with the Canadian labs set up by the Mexican cartels and Chinese. Maybe we will start zapping trucks inbound from Vancouver.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/03/2025 7:15 Comments ||
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#9
I see. I asked because people told me these boats couldn't reach the U.S. coast from Venezuela. Seems like they can.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
12/03/2025 7:15 Comments ||
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#10
...they refuel at islands between. They're being caught before they mix with traffic from there.
#14
Another thing that fishing vessels do that drug runners do not do is answer you on the bridge to bridge radio. I suspect that the boats are being observed during loading and hailed by radio on the channel that all mariners monitor. The boats are built in clandestine shipyards with the acquiesce of the home country to an unknown bill of material with variable capabilities. They have no rigs, nets or tackle. They are drug boats. I am fine with people arguing about the legality of blasting them to smithereens. I find it irritating when I am told that the boats are fishermen. I am also fed up with seeing dead Ohioans. This operation fails to target the flow from Canada which is also an irritation.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/03/2025 10:29 Comments ||
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#15
That's it in a nutshell. All we've accomplished is raising the price.
#16
Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The argument I hear is, the more expensive cocaine is, the more lucrative the business and of course ruthlessness increases.
Well Singapore executes drug dealers and seems to be fine with it.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
12/03/2025 10:50 Comments ||
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#17
EU they drop the dope off on islands then transport via other means.
Posted by: chris ||
12/03/2025 11:19 Comments ||
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#18
Price of coke more than likely hasn't went up, If anyone is interested I can take you down to Collier Heights in Atlanta and we can find out, for investigative purposes only though.
Posted by: chris ||
12/03/2025 11:22 Comments ||
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#19
I'll take "Shoot first and ask question later" for $600, Alex.
#20
The stakes have certainly been raised for the guys who drive those boats across the Caribbean. I can just imagine the cartel bosses putting a gun to their heads and telling the crew that if they go they might die but if they don't go they will die for sure.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/03/2025 12:00 Comments ||
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#21
Crack is the cheap stuff, right? If supply is limited, what odds more of the raw material is being sold as expensive cocaine instead of cheap crack, meaning that the poor switch to a less expensive high? My impression is that fentanyl addicts must be less dangerous to their environs than crack addicts — is that true?
Ditto for Hollywood eventually, though I can’t imagine at what price point the centi-millionaires will give up that particular status pleasure.
#23
"My impression is that fentanyl addicts must be less dangerous... is that true?"
To answer, no.
Two different personality types, two different vibes. And they both suck. Crackheads tweak and wont shut up. Opiodheads - they get spacey and tend to self damage; fall down and break stuff, try to light a smoke and blister&burn their fingers instead.
Let's dispel the first stereotype. My crew, we all partied like rock starts, but we didnt have a band. And I dont know anyone who OD'd on coke or crack. Crack is coke, so unless you have a bad heart, coke/crack is not gonna kill you. I had a lot of people die and it was not the coke.
You hear about those kids who smoke crack and die; did you ever have those kids in high school shooting hoops and drop dead in the gym? Bad Hearts. Not the crack per se.
Now fentanyl - that's an opiate. Oxy is an opiate. Heroin is an opiate. Side tangent: Heroin is not as addictive as they say, if you touch heroin you are not gonna be addicted for life and have withdrawals. Cigarettes are more addictive. That said, dont do heroin kids. Everyone I know who's died, either drank themselves to death, or ODd on an opiate: heroin, oxy, fentanyl. RIP.
Fentanyl is the worst of the bunch and so much more dangerous than the rest. So little goes a long way to kill you. The chemists or the street dealers packing gel caps, one bad shake and a lil spillage and that pill is lethal.
#26
I remember studying the Opium War in AP Euro in high school and reading Lin Zexu‘s letter to Queen Victoria pointing out that the import of illegal drugs into a sovereign nation was unethical and criminal. I was convinced of his point of view then and I remain convinced those same principles.
I have not lost any family members to the drug wars, but I have lost count of the folks I have known that lost relatives or relationships to drug addictions. I understand that whacking some low level guys doesn’t solve the issue. I also suspect that there is complicit folks stateside in law enforcement and among our political class.
As for Trump’s policy, in many cases he has delivered. He said that he would shut down ISIS by killing them, and he did. I have more trust in his ability to dramatically reduce the availability of illegal drugs in America than I do in others.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/03/2025 17:59 Comments ||
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#27
I have more trust in his ability to dramatically reduce the availability of illegal drugs in America than I do in others
especially in the White House *cough* Hunter *cough*
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2025 18:06 Comments ||
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#28
I think Fentanyl fundamentally changed the game. Its my assertion that many of the "normal" people that we may have come across in our life who "overdosed" in the last 5-10 years didn't actually "overdose" in the traditional sense.
There's a segment of the US population that grew up with their Friday and Saturday nights involving drinking a lot of beer or wine or spirits...and someone would occasionally show up with some powder or weed. Most nights were good-ish, and nobody thought much of it, and eventually a lot of people outgrew such tendencies.
But fentanyl showed up, and now that (comparatively) innocent line...or joint...could be deadly. Its my guess that mothers and fathers and family wonder how they could have lost loved ones to "just another Friday night". The answer is that the game changed underneath their loved ones feet, and they never knew it.
I lost one good friend and two professional acquaintances over the last 5 years to "overdoses". I guarantee you they weren't shooting heroin, or meth, and didn't have massive cocaine poisoning. I suspect they died thinking it was "just another Friday night", but something they smoked or snorted had been tainted with fentanyl.
Its for that reason that I really don't care what happens to drug runners anymore. Blow up the boats, and anyone involved in their operations.
#29
^ This, absolutely. Just a wild guess, but 75% (?) never knew they were getting fentanyl
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2025 19:07 Comments ||
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#30
Agreed, fentanyl changed the game the way that 9-11 changed the game and COVID changed the game. The status quo won’t work. As we move forward people will make mistakes. The folks characterizing go-fast boats as fishing boats are not making mistakes, though, they are lying. They are the penguin meat in the wet market folks. They have some other interests that do not coincide with ours.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/03/2025 19:09 Comments ||
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#31
Heard a self-described Libertarian, recovering addict, and I tend to agree, describe the legal weed thing like, "Fundamentally I agree with the legalization...but it sure seems like the neighborhoods they open in turn to crap."
That said, one of the points I concede to is that when a customer shops there, they don't have to worry about the product being spiked.
[Breitbart] For several days, Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, attempted to downplay the resignation of her Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero. His resignation sparked widespread controversy over his sudden exit.
The issue began last week, when Mexican senators held an emergency nighttime session. Initially, government officials refused to discuss the details of the meeting. At the time, rumors suggested Gertz Manero had resigned from his post. Sheinbaum has confirmed that she offered him an ambassadorship in an undisclosed country.
While Sheinbaum has claimed that the move was done in an amicable fashion and without issue. Gertz Manero’s exit comes just days after a series of leaks and court documents from Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) revealed that Mexican businessman and owner of the Miss Universe pageant, Raul Rocha had joined the FGR witness protection program after he himself was the target of an organized crime investigation connected to fuel and arms smuggling involving various drug cartels.
As Breitbart Texas reported, the case against Rocha sparked widespread controversy since he had various businesses with Mexico’s state-owned oil company (PEMEX) and had also done business with Bernardo Bosch, the father of 2025 Miss Universe Fatima Bosch. News outlets in Mexico quickly began speculating that the beauty pageant had possibly been rigged. The pageant had brought Mexico international recognition at a time when most news from that country focused on violence, corruption, and a tanking economy.
Under Gertz Manero’s watch, the FGR has also investigated and allegedly leaked information about the highest echelons of Mexico’s Navy being tied to a large cartel-connected fuel smuggling operation. Other corruption and cartel-connected cases also point to top Mexican politicians, primarily the members of Sheinbaum’s ruling party, MORENA.
[IsraelTimes] A firm that provides information about buying real estate in Israel denies that it canceled an event today in New York due to a planned protest by anti-Zionist activists.
The activist group Pal-Awda on Friday announced a protest against the event. The advertisement was shared widely by anti-Zionist activist groups around the city.
The announcement raised alarms because Pal-Awda held a vitriolic protest outside a New York City synagogue last week. The group did not share a location for the protest.
Other protests at synagogues hosting Israel real estate events in the US have also drawn caustic protests in recent years. The synagogues do not organize the events, but rent out space to the event organizers.
Pal-Awda says in a statement that it “forced the cancellation of zionist land thieving CapitIL Real Estate’s planned illegal land sale in Manhattan.”
“We will continue to expose and, with our community’s support, challenge the zionist entity’s long tentacles,” the statement said.
A spokesperson for CapitIL says the event cancellation was unrelated to the protest, though.
The group canceled the event because it is focusing its resources on holding a larger event in the coming months, the spokesperson says.
The event had already been canceled when the activists announced the protest on Friday, he says.
It’s not clear how the activists found out about the event, which is not listed on CapitIL’s website.
Last night, protesters demonstrated against a CapitIL event at a restaurant in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Also yesterday, protesters gathered at John Jay College in New York City to demonstrate against a talk by IDF veteran Stav Cohen.
Activists shared videos of masked protesters berating police officers at the scene, scuffling with police and shouting “shame” at attendees leaving the event.
[israelTimes] A man accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the White House pleads not guilty to first-degree murder and assault charges.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was also shot, makes his initial court appearance by video from a hospital bed.
His attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf on the charges stemming from the November 26 shooting that killed Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal has denied charges of shooting two National Guard members near the White House, appearing in court from his hospital bed.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan asylum seeker accused of shooting two U.S. National Guard members near the White House, has pleaded not guilty during his first court appearance on Tuesday, December 2.
The virtual hearing was held via video link, with Lakanwal appearing from a hospital bed where he is being treated for injuries sustained during the confrontation with security forces. Speaking through an interpreter, he told the judge he was in severe pain and struggling to keep his eyes open.
A court-appointed attorney formally entered the not-guilty plea on his behalf. Prosecutors stated that Lakanwal faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, and possession of an illegal firearm.
Judge Renée Raymond of the Washington Superior Court ordered that he remain in custody without bail, calling the case against him “very strong.”
#1
Am I the only one thinking that the prison needs to keep him away from the other prisoners and keep him on suicide watch if they want him to make it to trial?
[IsraelTimes] The United Nations General Assembly passes two resolutions calling for Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights, and from the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The body has introduced and passed such resolutions regularly over the years.
The resolution calling for an Israeli wthdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem passes with 151 countries in favor, 11 against and 11 abstentions. The resolution on the Golan passes with 123 in favor, seven against and 41 abstentions. In both cases, Israel and the United States both voted against the resolutions.
The Golan resolution comes as efforts continue toward a security accord between Israel and Syria, from which Israel conquered the territory in the 1967 Six Day War. It later annexed the Golan.
UN Ambassador Danny Danon slams the resolution.
“The UN General Assembly once again proves how disconnected it is from reality,” he posts on X. “Instead of addressing the crimes of the Iranian axis and the dangerous activities of militias in Syria, it demands that Israel withdraw from the Golan Heights – a vital defense line that protects our citizens.”
[IsraelTimes] An Israeli organization was recently informed by the Guinness World Records that it is not accepting submissions from Israel or the Palestinian territories, Channel 12 reports.
At least they’re even handed about their discrimination — that’s new.
According to the report, the “Matnat Chaim” charity, which helps people make voluntary kidney donations, approached Guinness World Records to discuss an event it is planning, which will bring together 2,000 donors in one place in Jerusalem.
But the charity, which hoped to have a photo of the event entered into the next Guinness Book of World Records, was let down when the UK body informed it that it was no longer accepting submissions from Israel or the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank, Channel 12 reports.
Matnat Chaim president Rachel Heber tells Channel 12 that “Israel is leading the whole world in this wonderful revolution of mutual responsibility in altruistic kidney donations. The fact that Guinness refuses to include the Israeli achievement that astonished the entire medical world is unacceptable.”
[Rudaw] Iraq on Monday repatriated 240 Iraqi families suspected of having links to the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) from the al-Hol camp in northeast Syria, according to a war watchdog.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that 240 families - a total of 858 people - were transferred from al-Hol in Hasaka province back to Iraq, following coordination between the camp administration, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), the security committee, and Iraq’s Parliamentary Committee on Immigration and Displacement.
The repatriation was organized by Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displacement.
Ali Jahangir, spokesperson for the ministry, told Rudaw that all returnees are routinely taken to al-Jadaa camp in Nineveh, where they undergo a rehabilitation program before being cleared to return to their areas of origin.
The departure of this batch brings al-Hol’s population to under 25,000, down significantly from more than 60,000 following ISIS’s territorial defeat.
Al-Hol has long been notorious for dire living conditions and the presence of radicalized individuals, earning a reputation as a potential incubator for extremism. Iraqis and Syrians constitute the majority of its residents, though thousands of people from other countries who joined ISIS or lived under its rule also remain in the camp.
In September, Iraq hosted a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... General Assembly (UNGA) in New York to advance plans to empty and dismantle al-Hol. The gathering resulted in the creation of a US-led joint task cell to accelerate the repatriation of foreign nationals.
Despite international pressure, several governments continue to resist taking back their citizens over security concerns.
Baghdad has reached an agreement with the United Nations ensuring that no Iraqi families will remain in al-Hol by 2027, with all expected to be returned through staged repatriations.
”Palestine” has always been an international project, not a native liberation movement.
[Rudaw] A 65-year-old Kurdish man who has lived in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip for nearly three decades is appealing to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for help relocating to the Kurdistan Region, where most of his family now lives. He tells Rudaw he lost everything in the latest conflict and now lives alone under dire conditions.
Jaafar Khalil Golan is originally from Derik (al-Malikiyah) in northeast Syria’s (Rojava) Hasaka province. He has been living in Gaza since 1995.
Golan said his father was among the companions of the late Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani (1903—1979), highlighting his deep attachment to the Kurdish cause and "great love for the homeland and the [Kurdish] Peshmerga."
He told Rudaw, "When I was a child, my family and I left our hometown of Derik and went to Duhok province" in northern Kurdistan. The family was later forced to settle in Cham Sharaf, near Derik, in 1971.
After years of displacement across the region, Golan contacted the Paleostine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Leb ...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... to learn how to use arms, with hope of "returning to Kurdistan when the opportunity is available." He was then transferred to Gaza in the mid-1990s, where he served as an officer in the Paleostinian Authority until retiring.
Of note, the PLO, established in the 1960s, is the main representative of the Paleostinian national movement and now serves as the parent body of the Paleostinian Authority.
Golan told Rudaw his situation deteriorated drastically during the latest Gaza war.
"My house was completely destroyed in the first week of the war. I have been displaced between Rafah and Nuseirat and have lost a large number of my family members," he said.
The conflict began on October 7, when Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent offensive killed around 70,112 Paleostinians and injured 170,986 others, Gaza’s health ministry reported Monday.
Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire in mid-October, ending the deadliest war Gaza has seen in its history that lasted slightly over two years. Famine also spread across the enclave during the conflict.
Golan told Rudaw that he is struggling to access food, medicine, and water, describing himself as a person with special needs. "Families in Gaza support each other because they are relatives, but I am alone with no one to help me," he said.
He further stated that during his stay he acted as an "ambassador of Kurds" in Gaza, adding, he was "proud that during my stay I presented a positive image of Kurds."
Most of his relatives now live in Duhok, where he hopes to reunite with them soon. "I think of my country and relatives. I want to speak Kurdish and celebrate [the Kurdish new year] Newroz with my brothers and sisters," he said.
The 65-year-old added, "I have been living in exile for 40 years. I hope to spend the rest of my life with loved ones in Kurdistan and be laid to rest there."
He appealed to the KRG to facilitate his safe return.
[IsraelTimes] IDF troops in the Gaza Strip received unspecified “findings” from the Red Cross a short while ago, the Prime Minister’s Office says.
The only service the Red Cross has ever bothered to do for those held prisoner by Gaza, and even that only so that Hamas need not be polluted by standing in the same air as Israeli soldiers.
The findings had been collected by the Red Cross from Hamas.
The IDF inspected the findings and held a short ceremony led by a military rabbi. The findings are now being escorted by the police to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification.
It is unclear as of yet who the findings belong to, and Hamas has not officially announced today that it intends to return any hostages.
Two bodies of deceased hostages are held in the Gaza Strip, belonging to Master Sgt. Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak.
[IsraelTimes] Israel says that the “findings” handed over yesterday from Hamas are not connected to either of the two remaining hostages in the Strip.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the tests were completed by the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv and the families of the two remaining hostages — Israeli Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak — were informed of the update.
“The efforts to bring them home will not stop until the mission is complete — returning them for a proper burial in their country.”
A senior Red Cross official told The Times of Israel yesterday that the findings it handed over to the IDF included “small remains, pieces” of a body.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
