Jewish-American charged with killing Palestinians
Jewish-American charged with killing Palestinians
JERUSALEM — A Jewish-American extremist has been charged with shooting to death two Palestinians and trying to kill others with explosive devices and poison.
According to an indictment filed in Jerusalem district court on Thursday, Jack Teitel set out to avenge the deaths of Israelis killed in Palestinian terror attacks.
Teitel is a 37-year-old ultra-Orthodox Jewish West Bank settler originally from Florida.
Israeli newspaper Web sites quoted him as telling the court that “it was a pleasure and an honor to serve my God.”
He was arrested five weeks ago.
The indictment says his rampage began in 1997. He was also accused of anti-gay violence and incitement as well as bombings against a peace activist and messianic Jews who believe in Jesus.
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MacFarlane’s Not-So-Funny Jew Joke
MacFarlane’s Not-So-Funny Jew Joke
The animated sitcom “Family Guy” isn’t exactly high art. The Sunday night, 30-minute program, which airs on the Fox television network, is filled with off-color jokes. Nonetheless, many fans were disappointed when the show’s creator, Seth MacFarlane, took things to a new extreme November 8 during a variety special titled “‘Family Guy’ Presents: Seth and Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show.”
In the special, part of a Fox night of programming celebrating MacFarlane with multiple “Family Guy” episodes, the screenwriter’s Jewish co-star, Alex Borstein, (who, like MacFarlane, voices a character on the animated series), protests his singing “Edelweiss” from “The Sound of Music,” a tribute to Austria. MacFarlane tells Borstein that the television show is not the place to bring out her “Hebrew baggage.” Still arguing, Borstein reveals that her mother and grandmother “barely escaped” the Nazis. In response, MacFarlane implies that if World War II were never to have occurred, Borstein would have more competition in Hollywood from Jewish female comedians. “Right now, it’s just you and Sarah Silverman,” he says. Defeated, Borstein joins MacFarlane in song.
The variety show included a bit that mocks Jewish actress Marlee Matlin, who is deaf. When asked if she found the show’s controversial jokes offensive, Matlin told EW.com: “Offensive. No. Sick, very. But that’s Seth and Alex. Humor comes in all forms and everyone has their cup of tea about what makes them laugh.”
Questions regarding MacFarlane’s humor about Jews have long circulated. In 2000, he penned a “Family Guy” episode titled “Once Upon a Weinstein.” The show’s Catholic protagonist, Peter, happens upon a Jewish man, and the encounter leads him to conclude that converting his dim-witted son, Chris, to Judaism will increase the boy’s intelligence. Father and son race off to Las Vegas for an instant bar mitzvah, prevented only by the family matriarch, Lois. Due to its controversial content, the episode did not air for several years.
In October, the Forward reported that Fox took flack for airing an episode titled “Family Goy,” in which Lois discovers her mother is Jewish. The episode was laden with stereotypes.
Share on FacebookWest Bank rabbi says non-Jews can be murdered
West Bank rabbi says non-Jews can be murdered
A Jewish rabbi from the Israeli-occupied West Bank has endorsed the killing of any non-Jew, including children and babies, who pose a threat to Israel.
In a book written by the prominent right-wing religious figure, Rabbi Yitzhak Shapiro, it is suggested: “If a gentile endangers the existence of Israel, it is allowed to kill him. Also if he is completely not to blame for the situation that has been created.”
The author has written: “Children should not be exempt from this fate. There is a reasonable explanation for killing infants if it is clear that they will grow up to hurt us, and in this situation, the strike should be directed at them.”
The rabbi has added that non-Jews could also be killed if they violate commandments, such as the prohibition against stealing, murdering or idol-worshipping.
The book includes endorsements from leading Jewish spiritual authorities in the West Bank.
The book, The King’s Torah, is to be published as a general opinion of the more radical settler rabbis living in the West Bank.
According to Jewish activists, the thinking in the book is quite widespread among settlers as a number of them have a deeply racist philosophy against any non-Jews, and especially against Arabs.
Shapiro is considered to be a leading spiritual authority among the more radical Jewish inhabitants in the West Bank.
He is the head of an Orthodox Jewish school in Yitzhar, one of the territory’s most hardline settlements, located near Nablus.
The mass-selling Israeli newspaper Maariv has described the book as a deliberation on the permissability of taking the life of someone who is not Jewish.
The book will not be sold in mainstream Israeli bookstores, but the author has offered sales over the Internet.
Share on FacebookPowerless Danish government calls for help on gang war
Powerless Danish government calls for help on gang war
COPENHAGEN — Picturesque Copenhagen, renowned for its fairytale palaces and Little Mermaid, has for more than a year been the scene of a full-blown gang war that the government admits it is powerless to end.
Daily police patrols, raids and harsher sentences for gang-related crimes have failed to quell the wave of drive-by shootings, execution-style killings, and grenade attacks that have rocked the Danish capital and its suburbs since August 2008.
Although Denmark is no stranger to gang wars after dealing with clashes between rival biker gangs Hells Angels and Bandidos in the 1990s, this upsurge of violence — pitting biker gangs against youths of immigrant origin — has spiralled out of the authorities’ control.
“I am asking everyone for help and good advice,” Justice Minister Brian Mikkelsen implored, taking directly to citizens his plea for ideas to bring a halt to the bloody conflict.
Copenhagen’s spiral of violence started in August 2008 when an armed man of Turkish origin was executed on the street, his body riddled with 25 bullets by a member of Hells Angels spin-off AK81.
At times played out in broad daylight, the conflict has claimed seven lives and wounded 60 people since then, some of the dead and wounded being innocent bystanders.
In October alone, nine attacks shook the ordinarily calm, seaside capital, including its posh and residential areas.
Authorities say the conflict originally stemmed from the desire to control territory for the sale of both hard and soft drugs but that it is increasingly fuelled by vengeance, with each clan avenging its own losses.
This war is much deadlier than the 1990s biker feuds, and Mikkelsen said it “could only be stopped by society.”
More than 300 Danes have sent tips on how to stop the conflict to Mikkelsen by email, the minister said, while even the United States has offered help.
“We have some expertise in the area of gangs … And if we can offer some assistance or training that would be beneficial, we would be happy to do that,” US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano told reporters after talks with Mikkelsen in Copenhagen.
The minister announced a series of meetings where his country, a normally peaceful country of 5.5 million inhabitants, hopes to learn from the United States how to deal with urban violence.
So far, Mikkelsen’s hardline anti-gang plan seems nowhere near putting an end to the bloodshed.
“We cannot control this absurd and infernal cycle of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” chief police inspector Per Larsen admitted.
He says it is a “miracle” that the conflict has not claimed more victims, but insists that police have not surrendered and that Copenhagen still “isn’t Chicago in the 1930s.”
But a Gallup poll has suggested more than eight of 10 people in Denmark do not believe police will be able to stop the conflict, with many Danes, consistently ranked among the happiest people on earth, fearing for their own safety.
“Those gangs should face-off and kill each other once and for all so we can finally live in peace,” says Inger, a woman in her 70s.
A founding Hells Angels member was injured by two youths of immigrant origin in an attack in broad daylight in the suburb where she lives.
“The Hells will avenge the attack, and the spiral of violence will continue,” said Yavuz Ilmaz, a 28-year-old Dane of Turkish descent, of the incident.
Despite the authorities’ best intentions and promises, Ilmaz judged “insane” how easy it was to obtain illegal weapons in Copenhagen, and suggested stronger measures to stop the gang war.
“Putting cameras up everywhere like in London and legalising hash like in the Netherlands” could halt the drug trade and the violence, giving Copenhagen a chance to return to calm, Ilmaz proposed.
Share on FacebookGang rape witness feels no guilt
Gang rape witness feels no guilt
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 11 (UPI) — One teenager who witnessed the gang rape of a 15-year-old San Francisco area girl told ABC he doesn’t feel accountable for what happened.
The two-hour gang rape happened last month outside the girl’s Richmond High School homecoming dance. Police said 10 males were suspected of taking part in the gang rape, while 20 others watched and did nothing, and some took photographs on their cell phones.
Police have arrested and charged six men, ranging in age from 15 to 21, in the Oct. 24 rape.
The unidentified 16-year-old witness told ABC’s KGO-TV, San Francisco, “I feel like I could have done something, but I don’t feel like I have any responsibility for anything that happened.”
Two other witnesses told KGO they didn’t call police because they didn’t want to be called snitches.
Salvador Rodriguez, initially arrested in the gang rape but later released for insufficient evidence, said he saw “crazy things” the night of the attack.
“They were kicking her in her head and they were beating her up,” he told KGO, “robbing her and ripping her clothes off. It’s something you can’t get out your mind.”
ABC said the victim is recovering at home. She is described by friends as a devout Christian who attended church three times a week and had been looking forward to the homecoming dance for weeks.
Share on FacebookCivil rights marker vandalized again
Civil rights marker vandalized again
The Neshoba County highway marker memorializing the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers by the Ku Klux Klan again has been vandalized, this time with the letters “KKK” spray-painted across the sign on Mississippi 19.
The previous marker – a repeated target of vandals – was removed in March after it was entirely painted black. Officials erected the new sign in September.
“I had high hopes it wouldn’t get vandalized, but we live in an imperfect world and things like this happen,” Neshoba County Supervisor Obbie Riley said.
Officials took the sign down and were able to remove the paint before putting it back up.
“We restored the sign, and we’ll continue to do what’s right,” Riley said. “The few that have ill feelings will come to grips that this is not a thumb in the eye of the public, but a rightful recognition of those who sacrificed so much.”
The sign memorializes the June 21, 1964, deaths of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, whose slayings helped fuel the civil rights movement in Mississippi and across the nation.
In 2005, a Neshoba County jury convicted Edgar Ray Killen for orchestrating the trio’s slayings. He is the only person to be tried on state charges for the crime. Four suspects among 19 indicted in 1967 on federal conspiracy charges in the case are still alive.
The same year Killen was convicted, state lawmakers named a 23-mile portion of Mississippi 19 the “Chaney-Goodman-Schwerner Memorial Highway” after the three young men.
They also named a 32-mile stretch of U.S. 49 East in memory of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American from Chicago who was beaten and shot to death in 1955 after he allegedly whistled at a white woman in Money in Tallahatchie County. Signs for the Emmett Till highway also repeatedly have been vandalized.
The Philadelphia Coalition pushed for Killen’s prosecution and suggested the creation of the sign, which is located a mile north of House – not far from the place where the trio were killed on Rock Cut Road.
“I am not surprised for ignorance will always be around,” coalition member Fent DeWeese said of the vandalism. “No matter what is done to the sign, it has absolutely no impact on the progress we have made. In fact, I believe it strengthens our resolve and reminds us there is still much to do. They can deface physical objects that can easily be replaced but cannot taint what we have in our hearts.”
Susan Glisson, executive director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi, said the fact “these incidents continue to be done covertly in the night lets you know there’s not a larger community acceptance for what they’re doing. In a sense, it’s positive that they feel like they can’t come out in the light of day. But it also shows that sentiment does exist, even if it is youthful ignorance.”
She is hopeful attitudes will continue to change. To that end, Mississippi public schools are preparing this spring to teach U.S. history with a deeper emphasis on civil rights history that’s part of a new program integrated by the institute. That course is instructing Mississippi 11th-graders on civil rights and human rights history, Glisson said. “Twenty-seven school districts have volunteered to pilot the program.”
Share on FacebookPolice: Man made up knife attack to miss work
Police: Man made up knife attack to miss work
EDGEWATER, Colo. — Police in the Denver suburb of Edgewater say a man stabbed himself, then said he was attacked by three men dressed in black who were either Hispanic or skinheads, in a ploy to miss work.
Twenty-nine-year-old Aaron Siebers was arrested after police say he admitted making up the assault and said he was responsible for the knife wound to his leg and other superficial cuts on his body. He faces charges of false reporting and obstructing a police officer.
Police say Siebers reported the attack Monday to the video store where he works. The reported assault drew five police agencies to the scene, along with K-9 units.
Police spokesman Steve Davis says Siebers admitted the story was a lie after repeated questioning from detectives.
Share on FacebookSpeaker shows way out of racism trap
Speaker shows way out of racism trap
More than 450 students and faculty filled the Harlan Adams Theatre on Nov. 3 to listen to a speech given by a reformed white supremacist.
TJ Leyden spent 15 years of his life working with various neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups across the country to spread a message of hate and xenophobia.
“Leyden now dedicates his life to fight against racism, anti-Semitism, hate and hate crimes,” said Courtney Silver, a Chico State student and intern at the university’s Hillel/Jewish Student Union.
Leyden speaks to different groups across the country to help eliminate racism in all forms.
His presentation lasted about 90 minutes and was followed by a short question and answer session. His speech focused on how to turn away from hate and how to reduce it in the community.
One aspect Leyden talked about was to not ignore racially motivated speech, but rather to address the person who uses it.
He said his children were the reason he is no longer involved with white supremacist groups.
“I kept trying to think of who my kids were going to be and no matter how much I thought of them, I could only picture me and my cousins and my friends,” Leyden said. “We just need to communicate to our children how to change things.”
Silver was instrumental in bringing Leyden to speak to Chico State.
It cost $4,000 to bring him to speak at Chico State, she said. The money came from several places.
“A lot of the money came from the Associated Students Activity Fee Council,” Silver said. Funding also came from Hillel, Congregation Beth Israel, the sociology and psychology departments, the Chico Area Interfaith Council, the honors program at Chico State and the human relations network of Butte County, she said.
Raising the money was the hardest thing to do, she said.
Leyden was excited to come speak on campus again, since he had previously spoken at Chico State.
Silver thought Leyden’s speech was impressive and had an impact on those who were in attendance Tuesday night.
“Someone who doesn’t know both sides isn’t as impactful a speaker as someone who has hated himself and done some horrible things himself and realized how wrong it was,” Silver said.
Many of the individuals who attended Leyden’s speech were happy with the outcome of the speech.
Suzanne Michalski, a third year nutrition major, attended Leyden’s speech because she was intrigued by the subject matter.
“My interest in this probably started with ‘American History X,’” Michalski said. “It’s one of my favorite movies. I can hear hateful speech and I understand it, but I don’t agree with it and it intrigues me.”
In 2001, Carol Edelman, a sociology professor, brought Leyden to Chico State to speak.
“His message is that we can’t sit by and let people get involved in hate movements,” Edelman said.
There are no plans for Leyden to return to Chico State to speak at the moment, but both Silver and Edelman said they would like him to return and give another speech in the future.
Share on FacebookRace-hate butcher jailed for 18 years
Race-hate butcher jailed for 18 years
Evil Christopher Miller slashed Kunal Mohanty’s neck as the victim celebrated the end of exams with college pals.
Hardened medics in Glasgow described the horrific blade wound as among the worst they had seen.
Twisted Miller claimed the savage murder was simply a robbery gone wrong.
But his lies were rejected by the jury at the High Court in the city, who unanimously found him guilty of racially aggravated murder.
Blade horror – lock knife Miller used to cut Kunal’s neck
Judge John Beckett QC told him: “There can be no justification for this. To do so because of the colour of a man’s skin is as incomprehensible as it is evil.
“Everyone in this country should feel shame for what you did.”
Twisted Miller, 25, targeted Mr Mohanty, 30, as he walked with three Indian navy pals in Glasgow’s Gorbals.
He was in the city to sit exams at Glasgow’s Nautical College.
Skinhead Miller, who has a string of past violent convictions, was boozed-up on Buckfast.
He called Kunal a black b*****d – slashing him with a lock knife when he ignored the insult.
The blow severed his jugular and cut through muscle to his spine.
He died at the Victoria Infirmary. A doctor of 29 years said it was one of the worst injuries he’d ever seen. Prosecutor Dorothy Bain QC called it “an atrocity without mercy – a death blow”.
Nearby CCTV captured skinhead Miller and a pal CELEBRATING the horrific murder in March this year. The cowards fled cuddling and punching the air.
Cadbury Dairy Milk ad cleared of racism
Cadbury Dairy Milk ad cleared of racism
The advertising regulator has cleared Cadbury of racism and perpetuating colonial stereotypes of African people in its latest TV advertising campaign.
Cadbury’s campaign featured Ghanaian musician Tinny and aimed to promote the chocolate brand’s tie-up with the Fairtrade organisation for cocoa from the African nation for its Dairy Milk range.
The Advertising Standards Authority received 29 complaints that the TV campaign was demeaning to African people and perpetuated racial stereotypes.
However, the ASA’s council has decided not to formally investigate the complaints. “Although the council acknowledges that Cadbury had used stereotypes in their ads, they felt that the stereotypes were not harmful or offensive,” said the ASA, which argued that most ads use some form of stereotype device to get a message across.
Cadbury has steadfastly maintained that the company went to “considerable lengths” to ensure that the ad campaign was culturally sensitive and developed as a “joyous and uplifting portrayal of Ghanaian culture and something which Ghanaians can feel proud of”.
In 2007 the ASA banned an ad for Cadbury’s Trident chewing gum, which featured a black “dub poet” speaking in rhyme with a strong Caribbean accent, after more than 500 complaints that it was racist.
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