NYC prosecution fails again

Here's another example of how the legal system in New York City is letting criminal offenders off the hook, and not even filing hate crime charges against the lawbreaker where it could be necessary:

Local leadership in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood expressed deep frustration on Thursday following the sentencing of a New Jersey man who repeatedly drove his vehicle into the international headquarters of Chabad-Lubavitch, arguing that the outcome minimizes the gravity of the assault, JNS reported.

Dan Sohail, 36, of Carteret, New Jersey, entered a guilty plea in May to a single federal charge of damaging religious property after directing his Honda Accord down an access ramp leading to the handicapped-accessible entrance at 770 Eastern Parkway on Jan. 28.

Prior to impact, Sohail removed protective security barriers. He then repeatedly drove into the synagogue's doors five times, backing up between each hit and forcing the entrance off its hinges. The incident resulted in no physical injuries.

On Wednesday, US District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano of the Eastern District of New York ordered a punishment of time served plus seven additional days, turning down a request from federal prosecutors for a 14-month prison sentence. With his impending release, Sohail will have spent slightly more than six months in federal custody.

Prior to driving into the structure, Sohail gestured to bystanders near the doors to clear the area. However, inside the building, roughly 2,000 worshippers and yeshivah students were assembled for Yud Shevat - a major observance on the Chabad calendar marking the anniversary of the passing of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, and the succession of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

Yaacov Behrman, speaking as a liaison for Chabad headquarters, observed that had people been leaving through that doorway, the attack could have produced mass casualties. Behrman expressed confusion over why federal officials chose not to file hate-crime charges. He maintained that intentionally targeting a synagogue and crashing a car into it while thousands were gathered inside constitutes an act of hate by definition, regardless of the perpetrator's internal state of mind.

Let's also not forget the "no bail" policy the prosecution service now run by the awful Alvin Bragg put in place at least as far back as the time Bill de Blasio was mayor. What happened of recent ties in perfectly with atrocities like that. NYC seems to have quite a few of the worst approaches to lawbreaking these days, and the rent control policies nobody seems interested in abandoning are just the icing on the cake. This sad case is yet another example of where NYC is also going under Zohran Mamdani today, and is bound to get worse soon.

Timothy Busfield whined about "cancellation" at his indictment trial

In this recent news about the disgraced Timothy Busfield's first trial where he was indicted for sexual abuse, he could only think to lament that he'd been "canceled", as if that wasn't expected following his crimes:

After major roles in "Thirtysomething" and "The West Wing," Timothy Busfield's career was waning at 69, but he was still a working actor and director.

Not anymore, according to his grand jury testimony exclusively obtained by USA TODAY from the district attorney's office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, through a public records request.

Busfield told the 12-member jury that he can no longer find work. His last hope, he said, was that the child sex abuse allegations against him would not also ruin his wife, actress Melissa Gilbert.

Unfortunately, she's ruined her reputation by sticking with him despite the severity of the accusations against him by several other victims, which includes actress Claudia Christian. Which could explain why Gilbert's not returning to the role she had on Hallmark's "When Calls the Heart", more on which anon. As for Busfield himself, he should be ashamed of himself if he was trying to get the jury to feel pity for him. Though his own use of the word "canceled", in reference to his career, suggests both he and Gilbert coordinated their own approaches to the legal system and the press. What's head-shaking about it is that in the past decade, leftists like them were pushing "cancel culture", and now that their own careers are in the trash bin, they have the gall to use it for their own situations? Sigh.

In this report, it's told Busfield became awkward when questioned by police:

Timothy Busfield willingly spoke to police while under investigation for alleged child s– abuse, but one interaction left a police officer questioning everything, Wonderwall.com can exclusively reveal. [...]

In grand jury testimony audio, the investigator on the case recalled speaking with Busfield. The actor, in his own testimony, confirmed he spoke with authorities and was read his rights.

The officer admitted he didn’t give Busfield the full “scope of the investigation.” At first, he wanted to just see if Busfield would discuss “the tickling.”

The actor, who faced a similar allegation in Minnesota in 1993, was accused of touching the private parts of two young boys on the set of The Cleaning Lady. The kids alleged to therapists, their parents, medical experts, and authorities that Busfield would tickle them and touch them inappropriately.

Before the officer offered that context about his investigation, Busfield allegedly did admit to the tickling.

“I asked Mr. Busfield if he had ever tickled these children and there’s been any tickling,” the officer said. “And at first he said, ‘I don’t recall these children.'”

The conversation then allegedly took a turn as the director “got very awkward.”

The officer claimed, “He said, ‘Well, it’s likely I engaged in playful interactions with them … with some children,'” he said.

Busfield’s alleged story corroborates boys’ claims

Further, Busfield confirmed some details about what the boys described.

The officer told the grand jury, “I asked him to describe the setting of (the children), where they were filming. I’m new to the film industry. I’ve never been an actor. I’ve never been filmed before. So, he described the bedroom setting. It’s a hospital setting with a bed-gurney, which was actually the setting consistent with Mr. Busfield was consistent with the setting the children disclosed in the forensic interview.”

The director allegedly used the tickling as a way to guide them. The officer added, “He said he would go in there and get them ready to film, and he would tickle them and get them pumped up for the next set.”

Director confirms he spent hours with the boys

Busfield’s reluctance to acknowledge that he knew the children was later challenged during the actor’s own testimony.

When a prosecutor asked about his statement to the police, he claimed he never said he didn’t know the boys and it would be “ridiculous” to assert otherwise. After all, they worked together on set for the show.

“I spent hour and hours and hours with the children,” he told the prosecutor. “Of course I knew the two boys.”

There was a clue Busfield was nervous or embarrassed in one of the earlier reports, and this additional info from the trial hearing certainly confirms something's terribly wrong. Busfield really is a disgrace.

Some film and TV viewers guessed the Hallmark TV channel fired Gilbert from her role on When Calls the Heart because of this whole scandal:

In her post, Gilbert noted that budget cuts were the reason her character wasn’t included in the upcoming episodes, which will air in 2027. But her followers suspected that Hallmark was putting some distance between itself and Gilbert due to her husband, actor Timothy Busfield. Earlier this year, authorities in New Mexico indicted Busfield on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor. He pleaded not guilty and denied all the charges against him, which stem from alleged incidents on the set of the Fox drama The Cleaning Lady.

“I don’t believe for one second that it’s ‘budget issues’; more likely the holier-than-thou Hallmark Channel trying to protect their precious image,” one person commented.

“Budget issues is code for ‘we don’t want to support you during a very difficult period in your family’s life,’” another person argued.

However, several people pointed out that the decision to part ways with Gilbert might be related to the news that former cast member Lori Loughlin would be returning to the show next season after a long absence. Loughlin herself was fired by Hallmark in 2019 due to her involvement in the college admissions scandal.

If Loughlin only committed monetary fraud, that's peanuts compared to what Busfield did, and what Gilbert's doing by extension, which is noted in the following:

One commenter on Instagram speculated that it was Gilbert’s vocal support of Busfield that was causing issues for the network.

“[M]ight have something to do with her attitude about it all as well,” they wrote. “I’ve watched the show from the beginning. This is the right decision for both parties as she seemed to be standing with her husband.”

So there are other people who realize Gilbert's actions are an embarrassment to her reputation, along with the TV channel's and studio's, and as a result, you can't be surprised if the producers didn't want to continue working with her. Though they really should have come clean and admitted they were parting ways with Gilbert based on where she's been going in her apologia for Busfield. To say it's budget issues when they could be rehiring Loughlin doesn't make much sense.

In any case, both Busfield and Gilbert's careers appear to be done, based on the severe crimes committed by the former, and the apologia issued by the latter.

Co-founder of the Federalist continues the Orweillian ignorance act

Perhaps it's not a shock, but Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of the Federalist, has indicated he's against the war on Iran's tyrants, despite previous research telling there are Americans who believe Iran's Islamofascists should be brought down, and tries to frame it all as some kind of "neocon/never-Trump/RINO" conspiracy, all the while not willing to admit he actually represents such disgraceful movements:

It is inarguable that the war in Iran is a massive drag on Donald Trump’s numbers, as well as those of the Republican Party heading into November. This is largely driven by consistently high gas prices, which also drive up the price of everything else.

Trump obviously knows this, which is why he’s been searching for an off-ramp for months. He knows he was elected to get gas prices down and the economy in shape (which he did until the war jammed up the gears).

But a major problem for Trump’s presidency right now is that nearly everyone outside his inner circle pushing for this war — and this includes the entirety of so-called conservative pundits who never found a war they weren’t willing to make others fight and pay for — also hates Trump (and especially J.D. Vance) and sees the war’s negative effect on his popularity as a secondary benefit of the war they’ve been salivating over for decades. To them, his declining numbers are a feature, not a bug.

With the Iran war, the NeverTrump neocons have gotten everything they ever dreamed of — war (which they love), and a massive political quagmire for Trump that threatens to consume the rest of his presidency and destroy any future political chances of J.D. Vance and the entire MAGA/America First movement.

Boy, this guy sure is clever and cunning, trying to do what the British call "fobbing off" the blame on everyone else but himself, all the while pretending he's actually a Trump supporter himself, but in reality, chances are very high he's actually a Vance supporter for all the wrong reasons. Assuming he supposedly opposes having an Islamic caliphate established in Europe, what Davis is doing decidedly contradicts any claim he might make that he's against having Islamofascism conquer Europe. Seriously, I'm not convinced people like him are against the Religion of Peace at all. Period.

I sadly predicted the Federalist would not debate the points of the Tea Party Patriots' polling research, and Davis' bizarre propaganda screed certainly confirms that, more or less. The Federalist is once again proving they're a blight upon conservatism, and an insult to anybody who's against totalitarianism conquering the world. What if it turns out Davis has no genuine issues with NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani, or even communism? He also ignores very valid reasons why Iran's Islamofascist leaders should be taken down, and is practically undermining efforts to protect the USA in the long run. We can only hope the Federalist's losing audience they don't need over their disgraceful behavior, which again only obscures challenging polls that tell a different story than the ludicrous narrative they sadly want to follow.

There is a majority of Americans who want the war against Iran to continue

According to polling data commissioned by Tea Party Patriots, it turns out that, contrary to what even phony "conservatives" like those at the Federalist would have everyone think, many Americans do want the war on Iran to continue until its Islamofascist regime is defeated:

A recent survey has revealed that the majority of Americans support continuing the war in Iran. Sixty-two percent of surveyed general election voters agree with the statement “The United States must finish the job once and for all to protect the United States and our allies — which means ensuring that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon and can no longer threaten American lives” data from Tea Party Patriots Action found.

The poll also asserted that the numbers found in the survey should be a “reality check” for the media.

“72% of Americans — including 60% of Democrats — agree that Iran cannot be allowed to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz, which is consistent with President Trump’s policy,” Tea Party Patriots Action Chairman Jenny Beth Martin told Breitbart News.

Martin continued, “And 62% of Americans — including 56% of Independents — believe that we need to ‘finish the job’ in Iran. … There is no split in the conservative movement on this issue. … Conservatives are overwhelmingly sticking with President Trump and the American people as a whole agree with the president’s strategy.”

If the Federalist doesn't comment on these findings, that'll speak volumes about what they're really like. It's good to know there are realists in the USA now who recognize the threat Iran's regime poses if it isn't taken down entirely, and surely recognize that if a ground operation is what it inevitably takes to complete the job, just like in Iraq, it'll have to be done. So we must give the military all the backing they'll need in order to keep morale high, which helps tremendously in order to achieve vital results.

Haredi anti-army extremists were celebrating death of recruitment advocate

An ultra-Orthodox activist who tried to integrate Haredis into military service sadly passed away, and what a shock, there's Haredi extremists who're celebrating the death of an innocent man:

Following the death of Yaakov Aharon Farber, who was behind the Maalot Tzur initiative to integrate haredim in the IDF, extremist factors celebrated with several events and announcements.

Kugel, fruit, and drinks were handed out at yeshivas and study halls "in honor of his death." The refreshments were accompanied by a sign with a quote from Proverbs: "When the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy," noting that they were donated "in honor of the death of one of the leaders of the forced apostasy in our generation, Yaakov Farber, may the names of the wicked rot."

The "Kav Hahagana" (Defense Line), which is affiliated with the Jerusalem Faction, published an announcement, stating: "When the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. The conscriptor who founded Maalot Tzur croaked an hour ago; from now on, he won't be able to draft haredim."

Farber, of blessed memory, passed away at 32, after years of fighting an illness. He led the Maalot Tzur initiative, which was designed to integrate haredim into military service while adapting the framework to their way of life. The program included, among othe

r features, service without military uniforms and participation by married men who were not studying in yeshiva and who maintained ongoing guidance from rabbis. It's utterly terrible when clans like those in focus do something most inappropriate, especially after October 7, 2023. The ultra-Orthodox clans' members should be ashamed of themselves. What the guy was doing was a positive example, and it's a shame he's gone now, much too young.

The problematic side of the cafe that's open on Shabbat

A discovery came up about Cafe Basimta, which has been open on Shabbat and harrassed by Haredi extremists, that now has some embarrassed, and for all we know, the Haredis may still go after it:

Jerusalem’s premier soccer team made an unusual announcement last week: It would give a new cafe free advertising on players’ uniforms for the coming season.

Cafe Basimta was facing harassment from haredi Orthodox protesters who wanted it to close on Shabbat, and Hapoel Jerusalem said it wanted to send the message that Jerusalem is “an open and diverse city, where there is room for everyone.”

But on Tuesday, Hapoel Jerusalem reversed course and retracted the offer, after learning via an inquiry from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Cafe Basimta is an official project of Jews for Jesus.

“Our original intention was simply to support a small business that was being denied its freedom of operation, and we still believe in that principle,” club spokesperson Matan Avrina told JTA. “However, we also realized that this specific story is more complex than we initially knew.”

For the secular Israelis who have flocked to Cafe Basimta in response to the protests, too, the revelation of the cafe’s ties to a Christian missionary organization is complicating what had seemed like a simple skirmish in the city’s culture war over businesses open on the Jewish day of rest.

Perhaps it's not that surprising a business like this could operate on Shabbat. That said, it's still no excuse for what the Haredi hoodlums were doing, and only makes for bad publicity. So the authorities should continue to make sure the Haredis just simply stay away and remain in their shoddy enclaves, because their behavior doesn't help, and is illegal.

911 Families do not want Zohran Mamdani at memorial service

911 Families are speaking out, and rightfully objecting to having NYC's Muslim mayor Zohran Mamdani at the upcoming 911 Memorial service:

Families of 9/11 victims are demanding NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani be banned from the 25th anniversary of the attacks at Ground Zero, branding him an apologist for Islamic terror whose presence would be an insult to the memories of nearly 3,000 people murdered.

“Our objection is based on his public record — his failure to meaningfully acknowledge the horror of that day, and his employment of, support for, or association with individuals who have minimized 9/11, defended terrorists, or even suggested America ‘deserved’ the attacks,” said Giovanni Galante – whose 29-year-old wife Grace Catherine Galante was among 2,977 innocents killed by al-Qaeda terrorists.

Galante, 55, is one of the organizers of a petition drive that has collected over 1,100 signatures in a little over a week, including from at least 300 victims’ families.

Here's a link to the petition, which everybody who recognizes what's wrong with Mamdani should sign. And it's not just him who shouldn't be allowed at the 911 Memorial site and service. It's also anybody who blatantly voted for him to start with. All who voted for Mamdani did a terrible disservice to the victims of al Qaeda, should be ashamed of themselves, and have no business being anywhere near the site.

As Catherine Salgado says:

Some families of 9/11 victims don’t want commie Mayor Zohran Mamdani to attend the annual memorial for the New York City victims of the devastating Islamic jihad attack. And they have very good reasons for their opinion.

The 2026 memorial for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is of particular importance, because it will mark exactly 25 years. Naturally, some family members of those who died as a result of Islamic terrorism exactly a quarter century ago do not want an apologist for Islamic terrorism as a featured speaker at the memorial. Mamdani has defended jihadis, publicly joined prayers for killing infidels, appeared at events and mosques with pro-terror radicals, and fueled violent antisemitism. He represents the evil ideology that caused the al-Qaida 9/11 attacks.

That's precisely why he should be shunned. Here's more:

The petition catalogues a series of concerns about Mayor Mamdani, the city's first Muslim mayor, who has been in office since January.

Among them is his refusal to condemn the "globalise the intifada" rallying cry, and his association during last year's mayoral campaign with Imam Siraj Wahhaj - a Brooklyn cleric who was an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Petitioners also take issue with his appointment of Ramzi Kassem as the city's chief counsel, noting Kassem previously defended al-Qaeda terrorist Ahmed al-Darbi - who admitted involvement in a 2002 plot to bomb a French oil tanker.

Further grievances include Mayor Mamdani's endorsement of Democratic Socialist of America member Aber Kawas for a state Senate seat, despite her having once characterised the September 11 attacks as something "a couple of people did."

Cheri Sparacio, another organiser whose husband Thomas died in the attacks, said there were "so many other examples" of why his attendance would be "disrespectful" that "we couldn't fit them on the list."

The Staten Island resident pointed to the mayor's longstanding ties to left-wing influencer Hasan Piker, who once said America "deserved" the 2001 attacks.

Mamdani should be denaturalized and deported too, as should all the offenders he associated with. And any 911 Families who speak at the service should publicly condemn him in the sternest terms possible. Mamdani's colleagues, appointees and other associates who uphold evil like he does should also not be allowed at the 911 Memorial service.

Why not say what that ideology is clearly?

Federalist writer Brianna Lyman argues it's not Zohran Mamdani who's the problem in the USA now, but rather, immigration of people who uphold the same kind of ideologies he does, which she curiously won't specify:

That said, conservatives still face a serious problem — it’s just not the threat Cruz and McCain are warning against.

The real danger is an immigration system that has imported millions of new residents and aspiring leaders (like Mamdani) who seek to fundamentally destroy the republic and replace it with the same kind of failed ideologies found in the very places these immigrants fled.

Mamdani is example No. 1: a Ugandan-born socialist whose politics are fundamentally hostile to and incompatible with the republic. An October survey from Patriot Polling showed just how necessary New York’s foreign-born population was to Mamdani’s winning coalition. The poll found he led among foreign-born New York residents with 62 percent support compared with just 31 percent of American-born support. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa had 40 percent and 25 percent support, respectively, among native-born Americans.

Mamdani himself has acknowledged that immigrants were decisive in his rise. He made a point of relating a conversation with one voter who said, “I just got my citizenship. And I’m voting for you.”

Mamdani then specifically thanked immigrants for powering his campaign during his victory speech: “We will fight for you, because we are you. Or, as we say on Steinway, ana minkum wa alaikum. Thank you to those so often forgotten by the politics of our city, who made this movement their own. I speak of Yemeni bodega owners and Mexican abuelas. Senegalese taxi drivers and Uzbek nurses. Trinidadian line cooks and Ethiopian aunties.” He went on to assert that “New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant.”

The speech was an acknowledgment of an electorate fundamentally transformed by immigration. America willingly imported foreigners who are fundamentally incompatible with the republic, and they make it clear through their voting patterns.

The part where Mamdani made use of an Arabic phrase is the closest this item gets to alluding to anything about the Religion of Peace. Gee, why exactly doesn't Mrs. Lyman have the courage it takes to raise the issue outright? How can even communism be opposed if nobody's going to make things clear? Why, what about Scientology? Let's not think that couldn't also be a problem.

This is another Federalist article that falls way short of potential, all because specific ideologies aren't named, and it's not enough to mention socialism either if you don't also make clear why Islam's a serious problem. Not that we should be surprised an online magazine whose own editor is a bad lot could water things down so laughably. For all we know, if the editor's a shameful person, who knows if he's even willing to advocate defending Europe if they're conquered by Islam? This is sadly a far different era than that of WW2, and if he won't support defeating Iran's Islamofascist regime convincingly, then we can't take his word at face value that he allegedly cares about Europe. Failure to clearly acknowledge Islam and communism being an enemy is another serious letdown.

Possible Muslim convert in NYC stabbed 2 victims

One Asian man and one Jewish man were stabbed by a criminal who called out a common exclamation by jihadists:

A 51-year-old man is in custody after he allegedly stabbed two people Thursday on New York’s Upper West Side, according to police.

Raul Morales was arrested in connection with the incident, according to a Thursday statement shared on X by New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch. He allegedly stabbed an Asian male and a Jewish male in two separate attacks.

One victim was found near Amsterdam Avenue and West 86th Street, while the other victim was found near West 84th Street and Central Park West, according to FOX 5 New York. Witnesses allege that the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” before the incident, Tisch said.

Both victims were transported to a local hospital and are expected to survive. There is no link between the suspect and the two victims or between either of the victims. The suspect was arrested at 89th Street and Amsterdam Avenue thanks to the help of a Good Samaritan, police said.

The NYPD is investigating and believes mental health may have played a role in the incident. They are also determining whether the incident is a hate crime.

Democratic New York Assemblyman Micah Lasher was at the scene of the incident and said the Jewish victim was wearing a kippah, the Times of Israel reported. The incident occurred on Tisha B’av, the Jewish day of mourning, which is marked by prayer and fasting, according to the outlet. Tisha B’av was observed from sunset on July 22 to nightfall on July 23 this year, according to Chabad.org.

It's possible the criminal is a Muslim convert, yet the police, rather predictably, choose to avoid any challenging issues, all for the sake of pleasing their new master, mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom some have blamed for worsening the dangerous atmosphere with his own anti-Israel rhetoric. Yet he refuses to take any responsibility for what he's led to:

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday rebuffed mounting pressure from Jewish community leaders urging him to apologize for past anti-Israel statements.

The refusal followed Thursday’s attack on the Upper West Side where a man wearing a kippah was stabbed on the fast day of Tisha B’Av by an attacker who yelled “Allahu Akbar" during the stabbing. [...]

Mamdani has long come under fire for his anti-Israel stance. This week, he published a video in which the mayor conceded that he lacked the authority to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York City - a pledge he had made repeatedly during his campaign - while maintaining his characterization of Netanyahu as a "war criminal."

All that says is that Mamdani has no remorse over what he's led to, including racist attacks on Asians. He doesn't deserve to be a mayor.

Update: confirmation's come in that Morales had a koran and a biography of Che Guevara in his house.

Update 2: here's an op-ed about how Mamdani's led to so much damage in such a short span, and why we can't be shocked about how bad things have become.