The Strange Case of Tommy Robinson

Last week, British new media journalist Tommy Robinson (ne Stephen Lennon) was taken into custody and summarily sentenced to 13 months in prison while he was live streaming outside of the Leeds Crown Court.





There is considerable confusion about the matter.  Robinson has a history of being a soccer hooligan who became active in nationalist politics, with an animus against radical Islam. Robinson's arrest was while he covered a Muslim rape gang which groomed its child victims.

Because Tommy Robinson was weary of Islamic influence in the UK, it is easy to leap to the conclusion that a police state is trying to shut down a dissenting voice from elite internationalists.  It may well be that Robinson was taken in on suspended sentence for contempt of court regarding coverage of a gang rape case in 2017 that was escalated by being in a scuffle with police.  Robinson fears that his 13 month sentence will effectively be a death sentence due to Muslim gangs in prison.

Robinson's arrest seems kind of reminiscent of what happened to the LA videographer in the wake of the Benghazi attack in 2012.  Use trumped up charges on a small fry to politically placate.

What should be truly disturbing to all freedom lovers is the injunction that the judge, Geoffrey Mason QC, ordered an Orwellian media blackout, enjoining the British press from reporting on it until after the conclusion of the child grooming case.

[C] Judge Geoffrey Mason watching Tommy Robinson arrest, Leeds Crown Court

Several European Parliament Members have called Robinson a political prisoner and demanded his release. It is puzzling that the public can not be informed of someone who has been convicted of a crime. Are Star Chambers back in style in England again? In the past, the Star Chamber supposedly took on prominent people.  Is it now to enforce political correctness or PC dhimmitude?

Martha McSally on Courage

Today Rep. Martha McSally announces her candidacy for the U.S. Senate to replace Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ). 

The Republican field is already populated by Dr. Kelli Ward, a candidate endorsed by Steve Bannon, and Joe Arpaio, the 85 year old long-time ex Maricopa County sheriff renowned for his tough treatment of criminal aliens who was recently pardoned by President Trump.

[L] Dr. Kelli Ward [R] Ex Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Arizon GOP candidates for US Senate

Although Democrats need to defend 25 of 33 Senate seats in the 2018 election cycle, including in 10 states in which President Trump carried in 2016, Republicans are worried about losing their slender control of the Senate.  Senator Jeff Flake's (R-AZ) decision not to stand for re-election puts another "safe" GOP seat up for grabs.

In some respects, the GOP primary might be made up of voters with trollish Trump-eteer tendencies (infamously redubbed by Hillary Clinton as the "Basket of Deplorables") who think that strong immigration stances are the way to win via Arpaio's reputation and rhetoric.  Kelli Ward had positioned herself to be a Bannon disruptor of the GOP Establishment,  but now is backing away from "Sloppy Steve" after his fall from grace in the "Fire and Fury" fiasco.  

Establishment Republicans hoping to avoid a repeat defeat akin to the Alabama special election, seem to favor McSally to keep the seat as she has legislative experience and is not an agitating lightning rod. However, when an ex fighter pilot urged her colleagues to "grow a pair of ovaries and get the job done", such a candidate might not be exactly safe for the go along to get along in the so called Senate country club in the District of Calamity (sic).

London Mayor on Life in the Big City

Stephen King Audits Trump's Character

NSA--Can You Hear Me Now? Not Good.

With the news of the National Security Administration (NSA) procuring metadata records of Verizon customers, there has been some rethinking of the classic cellular commercial.




It seems that we now know who the Verizon guy was checking in with--"The Big Guy" as the Teleprompter of the United States calls POTUS.

What the public can deduce from the NSA/Verizon scandal is that the Boston Bombers, Tamerlin and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were not Verizon Wireless customers.

h/t: Jerry Holbert

A Bit of Loony Toon Interviews with Boston Bombers' Kin

Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s Aunt, Maret Tsarnaev, who lives in Ontario, Canada, gave a presser when Boston was on lock-down in pursuit of the fleeing terrorists.  She insists that they are being framed.





Hearing that your kin has killed and crippled scores of innocent people at the Boston Marathon might not compute so it is somewhat understandable the Maret Tsamaev would proclaim her newphews innocence when besieged by the press.   What is not as easily excused is seeking out the media to shill her fantastic viewpoint. 

On Saturday, the Blaze Radio Network’s Buck Sexton Show had an unprompted phone call from Maret Tsarnaev.  



At first, it sounded as is Ms. Tsarnaev was extending an olive branch to those impacted by the atrocity.  But shortly afterwards, she continued to peddle the narrative of “The boys were framed, there is no proof–you do the math.”  While it is possible that this was a crank call, the grief in the woman’s voice along with the consistency of the denial made it less likely that it was a Howard Stern cohort or other crank yankers.

Buck Sexton blazed with stinging impeachment of the Aunt’s proclamation of innocence, which he later seemed to regret, as he assumed that it was family still in denial.  Granted, that is a charitable assessment but it begs the question of why such a person would seek out media and push crackpot conspiracy theories.  It frankly sounds like a foundation is being laid for a “Loose Change” campaign which has persuaded a significant minority of people to believe that 9/11 was an inside job, despite all of the probative facts. 

SEE MORE at DCBarroco.com 

At This Point, What Difference Does It Make?

After having four months after the terror attack on the U.S. Embassy annex in Benghazi, Libya which killed Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans, Obama's Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was prepared for battle with somewhat combative Congressional questioning.

 In an infamous exchange between Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) and the outgoing Secretary of State, Ms. Clinton was pressed about whether the Benghazi situation was precipitated by a spontaneous protest over an obscure internet video as the Obama Administration had maintained for several weeks. The Secretary of State had an angry retort "At this point, what difference does it make?"




This was a strange response from a person who assumed responsibility for the the debacle. Claim to take the wrap and then stop anyone from probing the situation.

 Perhaps what counts is the political science adage "Where you stand is where you sit." Or maybe it's where you stand that counts.

The Celebrity in Chief's New Political Plank

September 19th was International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a fanciful faux holiday where people are encouraged to blurt out buccaneer phrases in casual conversation.  To wit, President Barack Obama tweeted this picture.

While it is kind of cute for Mr. Obama to participate in this visual joke.  But it took time and planning for the Celebrity in Chief to set up for this Pirate picture.  This same week, President Obama made time to appear on Late Night with David Letterman to face tough questions from the host such as "Have you seen me naked?"

Later, Obama went to a fund-raiser with Beyonce and Jay-Z which included a $280,000 tower of champagne.

When does President Obama have time to govern, or even attend a daily National Security briefing?

READ MORE at DCBarroco.com