KKK branch plans meeting hoping to impeach Obama

RT News writes:

A Maryland branch of the Ku Klux Klan has announced that it plans to hold a meeting in a government building this month and begin formulating a plan to impeach US President Barack Obama. The Confederate White Knights have reserved the Elk Room in the Cecil County Administration building for a 7:00 pm meeting on Friday. The group is only two years old, but its website makes clear that the members are affiliated with the KKK, the notorious white supremacist group that terrorized African-Americans throughout the US in the first half of the 20th Century. Richard Preston, the imperial wizard of the group, told the Cecil Whig that the meeting will center on illegal immigration and Obama’s removal. “Barack Hussein Obama is an illegal president,” he said. “He needs to be removed from office. We also want Obamacare shutdown. It’s against citizen’s rights. “On top of that, we want the laws toughened on immigration,” he continued. “We’re flooded with illegal immigrants and our people can’t find jobs.” The Knights make clear on their website that, in order to join, an applicant must “be of European heritage, be an American Citizen born and raised, cannot be a MUSLIM, cannot be a JEW,” among similar requirements. “Always do your duty for the preservation of the white race,” the rules state. “Never for any reason have intimate relations outside of your race.” Yet Preston insisted that Friday’s meeting, and his hatred of the first black US president, have nothing to do with skin color. “It’s not about race. It’s about America. It’s time for the American people to stand up,” he said. “Just because we’re a certain way in our group doesn’t mean we hate other groups. I think the people that do come will be surprised.” Maryland State Police 1st Sergeant Jimmy Russell said the local police have been warned about meeting from the FBI, although the meeting is not expected to lead to any serious problems. He said that a police presence will be on hand Friday night. “They said to expect from 40 to 200 people,” Russell told the Cecil Whig. “They are not worried about [Preston]. They are more worried about the people that could show up.” The Confederate White Knights previously tried to organize a rally at Gettysburg National Park, where one of the most important battles of the US Civil War took place, only to have that plan nixed by the federal government shutdown. A September rally that did happen took place at Antietam National Battlefield near Sharpsburg, Maryland, although only eight people showed up. Al Wein, the director of administration for Cecil County, said that he granted the group access to the building because of the First Amendment. “The First Amendment also prohibits local government from discriminating against an organization’s right of free speech and peaceable assembly on public property, no matter how offensive the message may be,” read a statement from the administration office.

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Obama frees 8 crack offenders, including Clarence Aaron

Article by: Adam Serwer

Clarence Aaron, a non-violent drug offender sentenced to three life terms when he was 24 years old, will finally be freed after twenty years behind bars.

Along with seven other people serving time for non-violent drug offenses, President Obama commuted Aaron’s sentence on Thursday, after a two-decade long imprisonment that might have ended sooner if not for a federal official mismanaging his case.

Aaron has been imprisoned since 1993 for his role in a crack cocaine deal. Though it was his first offense, and he was not the drug dealer, supplier or buyer, Aaron, who was 24 at the time, received a harsher sentence than anyone convicted in connection with the case. All eight individuals granted clemency were sentenced under drug laws the penalized crack cocaine offenses 100 times harsher than powder cocaine offenses. That disparity was narrowed in 2010, when Congress passed the Fair Sentencing Act, which reduced the ratio of crack to powder sentences to 18 to 1 instead of 100 to 1. All of the individuals granted clemency Thursday have served more than fifteen years in prison, according to the White House.

Read Full Story Here

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World and South Africa mourn peace icon Mandela

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - The world on Friday mourned South Africa's beloved Nelson Mandela, whose universal appeal was evident once again in a global outpouring of grief for the anti-apartheid hero hailed as an "incredible gift" to humanity.

Mandela's Rainbow Nation awoke to a future without its 95-year-old founding father after the country's first black president died late on Thursday at his Johannesburg home, surrounded by friends and family.

President Jacob Zuma said an official mourning ceremony would be held on December 10 in Soweto followed by a burial in Mandela's Eastern Cape hometown of Qunu on December 15.

His body will lie in state in the capital Pretoria from December 11-13.

As his compatriots paid lively tributes to the revered former statesman with flowers, songs and dance, admirers from all walks of life around the world joined in an outpouring of emotion, pondering Mandela's legacy and remembering key moments in the icon's life.

South Africa's archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu -- and fellow Nobel prize winner -- praised Mandela as an "incredible gift that God gave us".

In an address where he fought to hold back the tears, Tutu said his old friend was "a unifier from the moment he walked out of prison".

Mandela spent 27 years in an apartheid prison before becoming president and unifying his country with a message of reconciliation after the end of white minority rule. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with South Africa's last white president F.W. de Klerk in 1993.

Palestinians and Israelis, Beijing and the Dalai Lama, Washington and Tehran all paid heartfelt tribute to Mandela, describing him as one of the towering figures of the 20th century who inspired young and old with his fight for equality.

US leader Barack Obama, his country's own first black president led a global roll call of commemorations.

"We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again," he said. "He achieved more than could be expected of any man."

Flags flew at half-mast in numerous countries, including the United States, France and Britain and at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

In Paris, the Eiffel Tower lit up in green, red, yellow and blue to symbolise the South African flag while India declared five days of mourning for a man the premier labelled "a true Gandhian".

Mandela had waged a long battle against a recurring lung infection and had been receiving treatment at home since September following a lengthy hospital stay.

Outside his house in the upmarket Houghton suburb and at his former residence in the once blacks-only township of Soweto, scores of well-wishers danced and sang old songs of struggle to celebrate the man they lovingly call Madiba.

Some in Johannesburg rushed from their homes in their pyjamas after hearing of his passing, while many brought along children too young to have known the brutal and racist South Africa that Mandela fought to overcome.

"I did not come here to mourn. We are celebrating the life of a great man. A great unifier," said local resident Bobby Damon.

US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take inspiration from Mandela's struggle in the Middle East peace talks.

"The naysayers are wrong to call peace in this region an impossible goal," he told reporters in Israel, before quoting Mandela: "It always seems impossible until it's done."

Zuma said Mandela would be given a full state funeral expected to be attended by a slew of foreign leaders as well as celebrity and sports figures.

"We should all work together to organise the most befitting funeral for this outstanding son of our country and the father of our young nation," he said.

Mandela's body was taken to a military hospital in Pretoria in preparation for lying in state.

While the ailing former statesman's death had long been expected after a spate of hospitalisations, the announcement came as a shock nonetheless.

Mandela's two youngest daughters were in London watching the premiere of his biopic "Long Walk to Freedom" -- along with Britain's Prince William -- when they learned of his death.

British actor Idris Elba, who portrayed Mandela in the film, said: "We have lost one of the greatest human beings to have walked this Earth."

Mandela's eldest grandson expressed gratitude for the international outpouring of support.

"The messages we have received since last night have heartened and overwhelmed us," said Mandla Mandela.

'Terrorist' turned icon

Once considered a terrorist by the United States and Britain for his support of violence against the apartheid regime, at the time of his death he was an almost unimpeachable moral icon.

Mandela's extraordinary life story, quirky sense of humour and lack of bitterness towards his former oppressors ensured global appeal for the charismatic leader.

He spent 27 years behind bars before being freed in 1990 to lead the African National Congress (ANC) in negotiations with the white minority rulers, which culminated in the first multi-racial elections in 1994.

A victorious Mandela served a single term as president before taking up a new role as a roving elder statesman and leading AIDS campaigner. He retired from public life in 2004.

Born in 1918, Mandela started a career as a lawyer in Johannesburg in parallel with his political activism.

He became commander of the armed wing of the then-banned ANC and underwent military training in Algeria and Ethiopia in the early 1960s.

He was arrested and sentenced to life in jail for sabotage in 1964. At his trial, he delivered the speech that was to become the manifesto of the anti-apartheid movement.

"During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society," he said from the dock. "It is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

He served most of his sentence on Robben Island, where he was held in spartan conditions. When he was finally released on February 11, 1990, he walked out of prison with his fist raised alongside his then-wife Winnie.

Ex-prisoner 46664 then took on the task of persuading de Klerk to call time on the era of racist white minority rule.

'We can change the world'

After the ANC won the country's first multi-racial elections, Mandela declared his intention to establish "a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world".

Critics said his five-year presidency was marred by corruption and rising levels of crime. But his successors have never enjoyed the same levels of respect or affection.

Mandela divorced his second wife Winnie in 1996. He found new love in retirement with Graca Machel, the widow of the late Mozambican president Samora Machel, whom he married on his 80th birthday.

Myanmar's own democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi spoke of her "extreme grief" at the death of her fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner, who "made us understand that we can change the world".

The Dalai Lama said he would miss his "dear friend", whom he hailed as "a man of courage, principle and unquestionable integrity".

Mandela is survived by three daughters, 18 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and three step-grandchildren. He had four step-children through his marriage to Machel.

His death has left his family divided over his wealth. Some of his children and grandchildren are locked in a legal feud with his close friends over alleged irregularities in his two companies.

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Has NOPD Sergeant Crossed The Line?

According to The Advocate, NOPD Sgt. Chris Landry has been reassigned after making an offensive remark about President Barack Obama during training before the Presidents' Friday visit to New Orleans. Details are sketchy as to officer Landry's exact statement; but The Advocate has media reports saying Landry was talking about firearms and animals and referred to Obama as an animal. Police are withholding specifics of said incident until further investigation. Read Full Story here.

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Exposing Rats On Instagram

Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

According to Mashable, an Instagram account with nearly 7,900 followers was created with intent to expose and intimidate violent crime witnesses in Philadelphia, Penn. The anonymous user posted more than 150 photos and outed more than 30 witnesses since February, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The "rats215" account was removed from the site Thursday night. Read the Full Story here. 

SEE ALSO: 25 Most-Followed Users on Instagram [PICS]

Source: Fran Berkman

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