Non-Hate Crime Hate Crimes

[Malsua]

One can hope that these savages get shanked in prison so they don't come back out to terrorize someone else.

[American Patriot]

"The only commonality is that basically all the victims were Jewish."

Read: "White"

[American Patriot]

Wow. Fucking god damned government double standards.

Before it was "Black boys having fun". Now's it's a Federal hate crime - if the perp is white.

Bullshit.

'Knockout game' attack leads to hate crime charge

AP 8:39 a.m. EST December 27, 2013

Another video on the man's phone shows him saying "That plan is to see if I were to hit a black person, would this be nationally televised?"

This booking photo released by the Harris County Sherrif's Office shows Conrad Barrett after he was arrested for DWI in 2003. Barrett, now 27, was arrested Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013, on federal hate crimes charges for allegedly shooting video of himself sucker-punching a 79-year-old black man in a "knockout game"-style attack. According to prosecutors, the attack happened Nov. 24 in Katy, but it wasn't until 12 days later that authorities connected the attack to the cellphone video of it. (Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office)

Story Highlights

• Texas man arrested on federal hate crimes charges for sucker-punching a 79-year-old black man
• Conrad Barnett, who is white, videotaped himself assaulting the man in a "knockout-game" style attack
• The victim's jaw was broken in two places and he lost three teeth

HOUSTON (AP) — A white Houston-area man was arrested Thursday on federal hate crimes charges for allegedly shooting video of himself sucker-punching a 79-year-old black man in a "knockout game"-style attack.


Conrad Alvin Barrett, 27, made a brief appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances Stacy, who scheduled a detention hearing for the Katy man on Friday.


According to prosecutors, the attack happened Nov. 24 in Katy, but it wasn't until 12 days later that authorities connected the attack to the cellphone video of it.


Authorities learned of the case because Barrett allegedly showed the video on the night of the attack to an off-duty arson investigator he had just met at a restaurant in nearby Folshear. According to the criminal complaint, Barrett asked the off-duty investigator and the woman with the investigator if they knew about the knockout game. He told them he played earlier that day, then showed them the video, prosecutors allege.


The investigator then flagged down a uniformed officer across the street and led him to Barrett.


The attack video doesn't show Barrett's face, but investigators matched his voice to the voice in the video and the couple at the restaurant told investigators that Barrett was wearing the same shorts and shoes at the person who shot the video.


According to prosecutors, the video shows Barrett approach the victim and ask, "How's it going, man?" A "loud smack" is then heard, the victim falls to the ground, Barrett laughs and says, "Knockout." The assailant then flees in his vehicle.


The victim lost three teeth and needed surgery to repair his jaw, which had been broken in two places. He was hospitalized for more than four days, authorities said.


Investigators retrieved other videos from Barrett's phone, including some in which he uses racial epithets and talks about trying to work up the courage to play the knockout game, the complaint states. In one, Barrett says: "That plan is to see if I were to hit a black person, would this be nationally televised?"


U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson said Thursday that such crimes won't be tolerated.


"Evidence of hate crimes will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted with the assistance of all our partners to the fullest extent of the law," Magidson said.


Barrett's attorney, George Parnham, said Barrett has bipolar disorder and has been prescribed heavy medications to treat it. He said Barrett's family "feels horribly sympathetic" for the person who was attacked.


"When you start peeling back the layers of the onion and look at the mindset behind the action you soon realize there's a mental issue," said Parnham, who added that he's trying to gather as much information about Barrett's mental health as possible.


If convicted of the hate crime charge, Barrett could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and fined up to $250,000.

[American Patriot]

Don't get me wrong. Arrest the fucker and try him for assault. But DO THE SAME FOR THE BLACKS DOING THE SAME "GAME".

[Malsua]

Did anyone think there wasn't a double standard?

[American Patriot]

Oh, I knew there was. It's when it's so damned blatantly OBVIOUS - I mean, what the hell? A FEDERAL HATE CRIME?????

And these stupid assed black kids are running around whacking whites with the intent to knock them out - and it's NOT a hate crime?????

[MinutemanCO]

It's clear there is a double standard. We've been heading there for years. The liberal mindset and strategy has always been, and I do mean always, to exacerbate racial relations in this country. The strategy has worked extremely well. Again, divide the populace at their core and continue to conquer. We are seen as pawns to do their bidding, to affect their political goals allowing for more control, more power as we are moved around the chessboard.

[American Patriot]

So the question is, how do we reverse this. Instead of us just bitching about it, we need to take some kind of action to stop this trend, reverse it and level the playing field (or chessboard).

[MinutemanCO]

So the question is, how do we reverse this. Instead of us just bitching about it, we need to take some kind of action to stop this trend, reverse it and level the playing field (or chessboard).

Therein lies the appropriate question. The problem we're faced with is the massive scale relating to the ignorance and apathy of our populace. While headway could be made at the grassroots level, would it be enough? The opposition has had decades to instill the social degradation and breakdown of the moral fabric in this nation. They are only accelerating their efforts as they sense ultimate victory. We can sit here without too much influence and identify the problem all day long. It might take monumental effort or a colossal event to rip into and displace the disparate social classes before most would wake up to the truth. Personally, I think that's where we're headed. One or the other, perhaps a mixture of both.

[American Patriot]

I think the biggest issue here is that most conservatives want to be left alone, live and let live and to leave others alone. Therefore, we look at these things, shake our heads at the childish and ignorant behavior of others and move along with our lives never daring to stand up and make a noise about it... because, frankly "it ain't US, so tough...".

And to some extent we're all like that.

Those who do these games are dumbasses. But for us to do nothing at all about the blacks knocking out (and sometimes killing) whites makes us dumbasses too.

[vector7]

MSNBC Chris Matthews "Need for Change": Mitch McConnell leading the far right will to destroy the country to destroy Obama.
To succeed in a country you love like FW Klerk (in South Africa) he gave in to see it transformed to Black Rule for a better future.

Hannity Guest Leo Terrell: Yes, Woman, There Is Apartheid In America, So Stop Hating On Blacks

Posted on Dec 14, 2013 at 1:00 PM in Politics | 74 Comments
By Caleb Howe



On Fox News’ Hannity on Wednesday, Sean had on two guests to discuss the idea of apartheid in America: civil rights attorney and talk show host Leo Terrell, and conservative commentator and columnist Crystal Wright. The guests were asked to comment on two clips, one of Chris Matthews suggesting apartheid leadership in South Africa were more patriotic than the GOP in the United States, and the other of Jesse Jackson claiming “apartheid remains in America.” Leo Terrell’s comments, both about the clip and regarding his colleague Crystal were far less than cordial, and in fact got downright ugly.

“Why are you hating on blacks?” Terrell asks this with no apparent sense of irony. He was already angry before the first question was asked, and he was hating on Crystal from start to finish: sneering “woman” at her, accusing her of using her color to defend apartheid, calling her a typical commentator who gets a free pass, and throughout all but outright saying she doesn’t count as black. Hate indeed. I would say something about the pot and the kettle, but Leo might consider that to be apartheidy.

Terrell has a solid argument to prove there is apartheid in America. It goes something like this: Because Idaho. Also Utah and Wyoming. Plus, encouragement and Oprah Winfrey. And in conclusion, Hannity’s phone.

Eric Holder was wrong when he said Americans were too cowardly to discuss race. But it appears true that some Americans are far too unstable to talk about it. Or at least, to talk about it with any semblance of sense, reason, composure, or facts.

Oprah: White people Have to Die for Racism to End

By Noel Sheppard | November 15, 2013 | 12:18

Oprah Winfrey, one of the wealthiest people in the world, is throwing the race card again.

During an interview with the BBC Friday, she not only said that President Obama is treated with disrespect because he’s black, but also that entire generations of racists are going to have to die for racism to end (video follows with transcript and commentary):

WILL GOMPERTZ, BBC: The issue of the civil rights movement, and the way that black people around the world are treated, particularly I suppose in, around the world…
OPRAH WINFREY: Around the world.
GOMPERTZ: Around the world. Look at place like Russia, it’s, you know…
WINFREY: Around the world.
GOMPERTZ: So is this, is this, I suppose from a movie point of view, what the movie and the messages hold and the other movies we were discussing, and “Scottsboro Boys,” are these historical comments or are we still looking at a contemporary issue?
WINFREY: Good question. Well phrased. Good job. It would be foolish to not recognize that we have evolved in that we’re not still facing the same kind of terrorism against black people en masse as was displayed with the Scottsboro boys. It’s gotten better. Are there still places where people are terrorized because of the color of their skin, because of the color of their black skin? Yes. But there are laws that have allowed us to progress beyond what we saw in the Scottsboro boys and beyond the even the prejudice we see in “The Butler.”

Notice that Winfrey added "color of their black skin." Why not just leave it as "color of their skin?"
Why do folks such as her only see racism through the prism of how blacks are treated? By looking at the problem so narrowly, doesn't it make matters worse?
We are by far the most diverse nation in the world containing more ethnic and religious groups than any other on the planet.
Likely each of them has at times rightly or wrongly felt mistreated for the color of their skin or their religious beliefs.
When we as a nation look at this problem more honestly and not just as it pertains to one group, racism will have a chance of being solved.
Unfortunately, Winfrey has another solution:

GOMPERTZ: Are you saying problem solved?



WINFREY: I’m saying problem not solved. I’m saying that, you know, that’s the beauty of a film like “The Butler,” and it’s the beauty of a film like “12 Years a Slave,” and it’s the beauty of what we’re seeing on stage with “Scottsboro Boys” is that it allows people to see where the root of the problem started. It allows people to see, “Oh, that’s where it all started, this is how far we’ve come, and now this is how much farther we need to go.” Of course problem is not solved. You know, as long as people can be judged by the color of their skin, problem’s not solved. As long as there are people who still, there’s a whole generation – I say this, you know, I said this, you know, for apartheid South Africa, I said this for my own, you know, community in the south - there are still generations of people, older people, who were born and bred and marinated in it, in that prejudice and racism, and they just have to die.

So in Winfrey's view, it's older white people that are the problem, and once they die, racism ends.
Yet three months ago, she said of the George Zimmerman verdict, "It's ridiculous to look at that case and not to think that race was involved."
Zimmerman's only 30 years old and is Hispanic.
It is patently absurd to suggest that racism is caused by old white people when racism and religious bigotry cut across all generations and ethnicities.
But folks such as Winfrey don't want to look at it that way, for they have a different agenda:

Story Continues Below Ad ↓

GOMPERTZ: Do you think, has it ever crossed your mind that some of the treatment of Obama and the challenges he’s faced and some of the reporting he’s received is because he’s an African-American, and if he wasn’t an African-American, if he was a white guy, those wouldn’t have happened, he wouldn’t have been treated in quite the same way, he wouldn’t have to deal with quite the same confrontations?

Some question, huh? You'd think Obama was the first president to ever have challenges and confrontations. Was Gompertz on another planet when George W. Bush was regularly being attacked by his opponents?
With the race card nicely placed on the tee, Winfrey predictably hit it a long way:

WINFREY: Has it ever crossed my mind? It’s crossed my mind probably as many times as it’s crossed your mind. Probably it’s crossed my mind more times than it’s crossed your mind. Just the level of disrespect. When the Senator yelled out, “You’re a liar.” Remember that? Yeah, I think that there is a level of disrespect for the office that occurs, and that occurs in some cases and maybe even many cases because he’s African-American.

What Winfrey conveniently ignores is that she endorsed and campaigned for Obama BECAUSE he was an African-American. He wouldn't have gotten her support or been elected if he wasn't.
More importantly, if he was just some white guy from Chicago that nobody had ever heard of, he never would have beaten Hillary Clinton in 2008.
How sad that she forgets that.

But that's not the saddest part about folks like Winfrey throwing the race card this way.

What's sadder is that as an African-American woman that has attained a level of success and notoriety greater than 99.99 percent of the people that have or ever will walk on this planet, she could be a positive role model concerning racism rather than helping to fuel it.

Why doesn't someone of Winfrey's obvious intellectual prowess understand that?

Imagine how much better it would have been for all Americans including blacks if she answered Gompertz's racially charged question this way:
Is some of the treatment of Obama because he's an African-American? Maybe some. But I think that's exaggerated. The President of the United States is the most powerful person on the planet receiving greater scrutiny than any other. As a result, he's challenged by people on both sides of the aisle, and that's a good thing because it acts to prevent him or her from becoming too powerful.

Unlike other nations, our President is not a king or dictator, and although many claim the treatment of Obama is harsher because he's black, I would say that for the most part, he isn't being treated any differently than George W. Bush before him or Bill Clinton before him. In fact, I would make the case that because he's black, he's been treated far better by most of the media than any President in my lifetime.

So let's not be so quick to throw the race card all because Obama has his critics. That comes with the territory, and if you don't have big enough shoulders to take the hits, you should have never campaigned for the job.

Imagine the headlines and the positive example Winfrey could have set by telling people the truth.

Is that just too difficult for her? Doesn't she know that every time she dishonestly throws the race card, she's undermining a solution?
Oh. That's right. Her solution is that generations of racists have to die to solve the problem.

Unfortunately, with folks like her out there fanning the fires of discontent, they're inculcating new generations with racist thoughts thereby making it necessary for A LOT of generations to die off before this problem ever gets solved.
How truly unfortunate for our nation.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sh...#ixzz2kp1wIMph



Days later Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton honoured with Medal of Freedom


President Barack Obama awards to Oprah Winfrey the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Darlene Superville, The Associated Press
Published Wednesday, November 20, 2013 1:28PM EST

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama opened a day of tributes to former President John F. Kennedy on Wednesday by bestowing the Presidential Medal of Freedom on prominent Americans, 50 years after Kennedy was assassinated weeks short of the medal's first award ceremony.

Obama presented the medal -- the highest award the U.S. gives a civilian -- to entertainer Oprah Winfrey, former President Bill Clinton, and leaders from the worlds of sports, entertainment, science and public service. The late Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, was awarded the medal posthumously.



Holder Characterizes American Citizens as Violent Bigots


'You want freedom? You gonna have to kill some crackers!'

New Black Panther Obama DOJ refused to prosecute: 'I hate white people – all of them!'

Published: 07/07/2010 at 11:45 PM by Chelsea Schilling Email | Archive

Chelsea Schilling is a commentary editor and staff writer for WND and a proud U.S. Army veteran. She has also worked as a news producer at USA Radio Network and as a news reporter for the Sacramento Union.

“You want freedom? You’re gonna have to kill some crackers! You’re gonna have to kill some of their babies!”

Those were the words of Minister King Samir Shabazz, also known as Maurice Heath, the New Black Panther Party’s Philadelphia leader.

Shabazz is the same man the Obama administration Department of Justice refused to prosecute after he was filmed on Election Day 2008 with Jerry Jackson wearing paramilitary uniforms, carrying a nightstick and blocking a doorway to a polling location to intimidate voters.

The following YouTube video posted by Naked Emperor News shows his statements during a National Geographic special on the New Black Panthers:



“I hate white people – all of them! Every last iota of a cracker, I hate ‘em,” Shabazz shouts into a megaphone on a crowded sidewalk. “Through South Street with white, dirty, cracker whore [expletive] on our arms. And we call ourselves black men with African garb on.”

Then Shabazz spotted a black man embracing a white woman.

“What the hell is wrong with you, black man?” he shouted into his megaphone. “You [inaudible] with a white girl on your damn arm!
“You want freedom? You’re gonna have to kill some crackers! You’re gonna have to kill some of their babies!”

In a 2008 interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sabazz said, “I’m about the total destruction of white people. I’m about the total liberation of black people. I hate white people. I hate my enemy. …”

National Geographic describes the New Black Panther Party as “a militant hate group headquartered in Washington, D.C., that seeks to redefine the black struggle for equality and demand liberation from what it sees as white supremacy.”

The party has marched on Independence Day, dragging American flags through the streets, trampling the flag on the ground and setting it on fire. The following video shows members of a New York chapter protesting celebration of Independence Day at an event called “4th of U-lie” on July 5, 2008. Members say the day is not a celebration of independence for blacks.

As WND reported, one poll watcher called police on Nov. 4, 2008, after he reportedly saw Shabazz brandishing a nightstick to threaten voters just 15 feet outside a Philadelphia polling location. Shabazz stood in front of the building with Jackson.

“As I walked up, they closed ranks, next to each other,” the witness told Fox News at the time. “So I walked directly in between them, went inside and found the poll watchers. They said they’d been here for about an hour. And they told us not to come outside because a black man is going to win this election no matter what.”

He said the man with a nightstick told him, “‘We’re tired of white supremacy,’ and he starts tapping the nightstick in his hand. At which point I said, ‘OK, we’re not going to get in a fistfight right here,’ and I called the police.”

According to various witnesses, the men also hurled racial epithets such as “white devil” and “cracker” and told voters they should prepare to be “ruled by the black man.” One person said the men called a Republican poll worker a “race traitor” and told him there would be “hell to pay.”

The following is a YouTube video of the Election Day incident:



Career Department of Justice attorneys headed by voting-section chief Chris Coates filed a case under Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 against four defendants, accused the men of attempting to engage in, and engaging in, both voter intimidation and intimidation of individuals aiding voters.

The original Department of Justice complaint named Shabazz, Jackson and two other defendants: the New Black Panther Party and its chairman, Malik Zulu Shabazz, who planned deployment of 300 members on Election Day.

A federal judge ordered default judgments against the New Black Panthers after party members refused to appear in court. The DOJ trial team had won its case.

Even though DOJ lawyers had won, the Obama administration suddenly ordered it dropped – against advice of prosecutors who brought the case.
In April, the New Black Panther Party released a statement blaming Republicans, “tea-party racists” and “right-wing circles” for complaining and harassing the organization.

“Our only connection to President Obama is the common color of our skin,” it states. “The same dog that bites President Obama bites us too. So I say, if you were wise, you would leave Obama alone as well because he is your last chance to save your country. You are mad because a black man has been elected to the presidency, and that affronts your oversized ego.”

Christian Adams, a former DOJ attorney who quit his job after over the Obama administration’s refusal to prosecute the Panthers, claims the administration has ordered the DOJ not to pursue voting-rights cases against black people. He said the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which is investigating the dismissal, subpoenaed him and Coates, but their DOJ superiors ordered them not to testify – a violation of federal law.

“The case was dismissed on May 15, [2009],” Adams told Fox News. “All the charges were dropped against three of the defendants and the final order against one of the defendants was a timid restraint.”

Only one of four defendants, Samir Shabazz, faced punishment: a temporary injunction against appearing at Philadelphia polls with a weapon. The department stopped at the injunction and didn’t call for criminal penalties, monetary damages or other civil penalties.

“We were ordered to dismiss the case,” Adams said. “I mean, we were told drop the charges against the New Black Panther Party.”

The Department of Justice said it made a decision based on the evidence that the case could not go forward.

As WND reported, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has suggested it is now expanding its review of claims that the DOJ implemented a ban on prosecuting defendants who are black.

At a hearing in Washington this week, Adams testified that staffers throughout the department have subscribed for years to the notion that the DOJ’s primary responsibility is to protect the voting rights of minority voters, not whites. He added that recent Obama administration DOJ appointees have reinforced this notion by making such racial discrimination a formal departmental policy.

According to Adams, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Julie Fernandez, an Obama appointee at the top of the department, announced at a policy meeting that “the voting section will not bring any other cases against blacks and other minorities.”

Meanwhile, Pajamas Media reports that three more former DOJ officials are stepping forward to support Adams’ testimony. According to the report, the former employees have “expressed a willingness to go on record regarding Adams’ professionalism, excellent performance and outstanding record of enforcing the law without bias.”

Pajamas Media adds, “Additionally, they would like to corroborate Adams’ statements about the DOJ” and even offer their own accounts of purported DOJ hostility to “race-neutral law enforcement.”

Asheesh Agarwal, former deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division, worked with Adams on several cases. He called Adams a “model attorney who vigorously enforced federal voting-rights laws on behalf of all voters, without respect to race or ideology.”

Mark Corallo, former DOJ director of public affairs, added: “I am not surprised that the Department is attacking J. Christian Adams. The Civil Rights Division attorneys have no interest in the rule of law as written and passed by Congress – the New Black Panther case is glaring proof that the Division has an agenda. If Congress was truly interested in oversight, there would be hearings on this case and others.”

Finally, Robert Driscoll, former deputy assistant attorney general who knew Adams, told Pajamas Media:

If this is indeed the view of senior career DOJ staff – that after reviewing the facts of the New Black Panther case and the video, current laws against voter intimidation provide no ability for the DOJ to properly bring an action against the New Black Panther members shown on video and mentioned in the lawsuit — then Congress needs to have a conversation with Attorney General Holder about whether the problem lies with the Voting Rights Act itself, or with those whose job it is to enforce it.

Career Department of Justice attorneys headed by voting-section chief Chris Coates filed a case under Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 against four defendants, accused the men of attempting to engage in, and engaging in, both voter intimidation and intimidation of individuals aiding voters.

The original Department of Justice complaint named Shabazz, Jackson and two other defendants: the New Black Panther Party and its chairman, Malik Zulu Shabazz, who planned deployment of 300 members on Election Day.

A federal judge ordered default judgments against the New Black Panthers after party members refused to appear in court. The DOJ trial team had won its case.

Even though DOJ lawyers had won, the Obama administration suddenly ordered it dropped – against advice of prosecutors who brought the case.
In April, the New Black Panther Party released a statement blaming Republicans, “tea-party racists” and “right-wing circles” for complaining and harassing the organization.

“Our only connection to President Obama is the common color of our skin,” it states. “The same dog that bites President Obama bites us too. So I say, if you were wise, you would leave Obama alone as well because he is your last chance to save your country. You are mad because a black man has been elected to the presidency, and that affronts your oversized ego.”

Christian Adams, a former DOJ attorney who quit his job after over the Obama administration’s refusal to prosecute the Panthers, claims the administration has ordered the DOJ not to pursue voting-rights cases against black people. He said the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which is investigating the dismissal, subpoenaed him and Coates, but their DOJ superiors ordered them not to testify – a violation of federal law.
“The case was dismissed on May 15, [2009],” Adams told Fox News. “All the charges were dropped against three of the defendants and the final order against one of the defendants was a timid restraint.”

Only one of four defendants, Samir Shabazz, faced punishment: a temporary injunction against appearing at Philadelphia polls with a weapon. The department stopped at the injunction and didn’t call for criminal penalties, monetary damages or other civil penalties.

“We were ordered to dismiss the case,” Adams said. “I mean, we were told drop the charges against the New Black Panther Party.”
The Department of Justice said it made a decision based on the evidence that the case could not go forward.

As WND reported, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has suggested it is now expanding its review of claims that the DOJ implemented a ban on prosecuting defendants who are black.

At a hearing in Washington this week, Adams testified that staffers throughout the department have subscribed for years to the notion that the DOJ’s primary responsibility is to protect the voting rights of minority voters, not whites. He added that recent Obama administration DOJ appointees have reinforced this notion by making such racial discrimination a formal departmental policy.

According to Adams, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Julie Fernandez, an Obama appointee at the top of the department, announced at a policy meeting that “the voting section will not bring any other cases against blacks and other minorities.”

Meanwhile, Pajamas Media reports that three more former DOJ officials are stepping forward to support Adams’ testimony. According to the report, the former employees have “expressed a willingness to go on record regarding Adams’ professionalism, excellent performance and outstanding record of enforcing the law without bias.”

Pajamas Media adds, “Additionally, they would like to corroborate Adams’ statements about the DOJ” and even offer their own accounts of purported DOJ hostility to “race-neutral law enforcement.”

Asheesh Agarwal, former deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division, worked with Adams on several cases. He called Adams a “model attorney who vigorously enforced federal voting-rights laws on behalf of all voters, without respect to race or ideology.”

Mark Corallo, former DOJ director of public affairs, added: “I am not surprised that the Department is attacking J. Christian Adams. The Civil Rights Division attorneys have no interest in the rule of law as written and passed by Congress – the New Black Panther case is glaring proof that the Division has an agenda. If Congress was truly interested in oversight, there would be hearings on this case and others.”
Finally, Robert Driscoll, former deputy assistant attorney general who knew Adams, told Pajamas Media:

If this is indeed the view of senior career DOJ staff – that after reviewing the facts of the New Black Panther case and the video, current laws against voter intimidation provide no ability for the DOJ to properly bring an action against the New Black Panther members shown on video and mentioned in the lawsuit — then Congress needs to have a conversation with Attorney General Holder about whether the problem lies with the Voting Rights Act itself, or with those whose job it is to enforce it.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2010/07/175817/#WATLuW2792owaQuK.99
Black Panther Obama DOJ refused to prosecute: 'I hate white people – all of them

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2010/07/175817/#WATLuW2792owaQuK.99
New Black Panther Obama DOJ refused to prosecute: 'I hate white people – all of them!'

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2010/07/175817/#WATLuW2792owaQuK.99

New Black Panther Obama DOJ refused to prosecute: 'I hate white people – all of them!'
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2010/07/175817/#WATLuW2792owaQuK.99

New Black Panther Obama DOJ refused to prosecute: 'I hate white people – all of them!'
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2010/07/175817/#WATLuW2792owaQuK.99

[Ryan Ruck]

Runner Up In Minneapolis Mayoral Election Beaten When Trying To Recover Stolen Phone

December 28, 2013



Former Minneapolis mayoral candidate Mark Andrew was beaten when trying to catch the thief that took his cell phone.

The second place finisher for the mayoral election in Minneapolis was beaten with a baton by two women as he tried to catch the suspect who stole his cell phone.

And though he lost last month's close election Mark Andrew, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune when he walked into his house Friday morning he lifted his arms in the air and told his adult children "we won" as the two women who savagely beat him were apprehended.

"I was targeted because the phone was out and I'm 63 years old, and I'm sure they thought that I was easy pickins," Andrew said in a phone interview with the newspaper. "I'm not going to let someone take my phone …I'm not going to let that pass. They thought they wouldn't get chased."


Andrew was sitting at the table of a Starbucks at the mall when a teenage boy snagged Andrew's phone that he had placed on the table. But the 63-year-old got up and immediately chased after the thief.

But before he could leave the store, two female suspects stopped him, police said in the criminal complaint.One suspect, Letaija Shapree Cutler-Cain, 18, humped on the politician's back while the second suspect, a 17-year-old girl, started to strike Andrew in the head with a metal baton.

""I'm going to kill you! Let me go or I'm going to kill you!" Cutler-Cain yelled as she dug her fingernails into his face.

But Andrew continued to fight back and the three fell to the floor as the 17-year-old continued to strike him. Police arrived and arrested the two women who tried to hide the baton in their purse.

Cutler-Cain told police they were checking the Starbucks all afternoon to see if it was "sweet" - meaning if it was a good place to rob customers.

Andrew was transported to the hospital and had a large laceration on his head and mouth. He also had bruises and abrasions on his face. He received nine stitches.

Andrew told the Star Tribune several people were in the Starbucks but were too scared to help out.

Cutler-Cain was charged with two counts of aggravated robbery in the first degree and one count of assault in the second degree, said Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman. She was transported to county jail on $100,000 bail.


A deadline of Monday at noon has been made to file charges against the other female.

"People ought to be able to sit and have a cup of coffee without fear of assault," Freeman said in a statement. "These two will be charged and prosecuted to the absolute fullest extent of the law."

The boy who stole the phone was not apprehended and has not been identified but a patron found it in another part o0f the mall. Witnesses told police the suspect was with the other two women before the robbery.

Andrew told the Star Tribune he would remain involved in the case and try to help his attackers.

"They're damaged kids, and maybe they're too far gone, but I think there's redemption for everybody," he said. "So we'll try to find a way for them to get in a place where they can turn their lives around."


Letaija Shapree Cutler-Cain, 18, was charged with two counts of aggravated robbery in the first degree and one count of assaul.

The cynic in me wonders if he didn't give chase over the phone because of some Weiner-esque content on it...

[vector7]

Feds: 'Knockout' attack was a hate crime

By Joe Sterling and Josh Levs, CNN
updated 8:59 PM EST, Thu December 26, 2013




Feds: 'Knockout game' attack a hate crime


STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Alleged attacker will be in court Friday afternoon for detention hearing
• His attorney says his client has bipolar disorder
• Victim suffered two jaw fractures and was hospitalized for days, complaint says
• In separate case, New York police charged a knockout suspect with a hate crime

(CNN) -- A man has been charged with a federal hate crime in connection with what authorities say was a racially motivated "knockout" assault against an elderly black man, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday.
Conrad Alvin Barrett, 27, of Katy, Texas, has been charged with one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
According to the federal complaint, Barrett attacked the 79-year-old man "because of the man's race and color." He will next appear in court Friday afternoon for a detention hearing.
The suspect made a video of the attack November 24, the complaint said. In the video, he allegedly commented that "the plan is to see if I were to hit a black person, would this be nationally televised?"
'Knockout game': Fact or Fiction?
Examining the 'knockout' game
Media to blame for 'knockout game' hype?
He then allegedly "hit the man with such force that the man immediately fell to the ground. Barrett then laughed and said 'knockout,' as he ran to his vehicle and fled."
The victim suffered two jaw fractures and was hospitalized for several days, the complaint said.
Barrett's attorney, George Parnham, told CNN the affidavit does not "pull back the layers of mental health."
His client has bipolar disorder and takes medication, Parnham said in an earlier call.
Parnham said he could not state whether his client carried out the attack, but, "mental health issues definitely played a part in anything that occurred."
Barrett "is very sorry for this person," Parnham said, adding that he and his client haven't had much opportunity to discuss the facts of the case.
'Knockout game' a national problem
The "knockout game" is an assault in which an assailant aims to knock out an unsuspecting victim with one punch.
According to the Justice Department complaint, there have been "knockout game" incidents, some of which have been called other names, as long ago as 1992.
New York police previously charged suspect Marajh Amrit with a hate crime in the alleged attack of a white Jewish man as part of a "knockout" game.
Similar cases have been reported recently in several states, including Illinois, Missouri and Washington.
"Hate crimes tear at the fabric of entire communities," U.S. Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels said Thursday in a Justice Department statement announcing the charge against Barrett. "As always, the Civil Rights Division will work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to ensure that hate crimes are identified and prosecuted, and that justice is done."
Barrett, who is white, allegedly recorded himself on his cell phone attacking the man and showed the video to others, the department said. "The complaint alleges Barrett made several videos, one in which he identifies himself and another in which he makes a racial slur. In addition, Barrett had allegedly been working up the 'courage' to play the 'knockout game' for approximately a week."
The victim's face was swollen on one side, and he has had to use a straw to drink, a nephew, Joseph Lewis, told CNN affiliate KTRK-TV in Houston.
The station reported that Barrett faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
Barrett told an off-duty police officer what happened and shared a video, saying he felt bad, the affidavit said.
In other videos on his phone that police confiscated, Barrett used the N-word and said that African-Americans "haven't fully experienced the blessing of evolution," according to the criminal complaint.
"It is unimaginable in this day and age that one could be drawn to violently attack another based on the color of their skin," said Special Agent in Charge Stephen Morris of the FBI's Houston office. "We remind all citizens that we are protected under the law from such racially motivated attacks, and encourage everyone to report such crimes to the FBI."
New York case
In a separate case, New York City police on Wednesday searched for a man who allegedly punched a 33-year-old woman in the back of the head in Brooklyn in what may be a "knockout" assault.
Despite that and other cases, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said last month that city officials haven't seen evidence of a trend, though they are not ruling out the idea.
"The press has named it the so-called knockout game. We don't discount that that exists. It's a possibility. We've investigated and will continue to investigate," Kelly told reporters in late November.
Possible 'knockout' game victim: 'The whole group of kids just laughed'
Police keep close eye on reports of disturbing 'knockout' game

[vector7]

Feds: 'Knockout' attack was a hate crime

By Joe Sterling and Josh Levs, CNN
updated 8:59 PM EST, Thu December 26, 2013



Feds: 'Knockout game' attack a hate crime

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Alleged attacker will be in court Friday afternoon for detention hearing
• His attorney says his client has bipolar disorder
• Victim suffered two jaw fractures and was hospitalized for days, complaint says
• In separate case, New York police charged a knockout suspect with a hate crime

(CNN) -- A man has been charged with a federal hate crime in connection with what authorities say was a racially motivated "knockout" assault against an elderly black man, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday.

Conrad Alvin Barrett, 27, of Katy, Texas, has been charged with one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

According to the federal complaint, Barrett attacked the 79-year-old man "because of the man's race and color." He will next appear in court Friday afternoon for a detention hearing.

The suspect made a video of the attack November 24, the complaint said. In the video, he allegedly commented that "the plan is to see if I were to hit a black person, would this be nationally televised?"


'Knockout game': Fact or Fiction?


Examining the 'knockout' game


Media to blame for 'knockout game' hype?

He then allegedly "hit the man with such force that the man immediately fell to the ground. Barrett then laughed and said 'knockout,' as he ran to his vehicle and fled."

The victim suffered two jaw fractures and was hospitalized for several days, the complaint said.

Barrett's attorney, George Parnham, told CNN the affidavit does not "pull back the layers of mental health."

His client has bipolar disorder and takes medication, Parnham said in an earlier call.

Parnham said he could not state whether his client carried out the attack, but, "mental health issues definitely played a part in anything that occurred."

Barrett "is very sorry for this person," Parnham said, adding that he and his client haven't had much opportunity to discuss the facts of the case.

'Knockout game' a national problem

The "knockout game" is an assault in which an assailant aims to knock out an unsuspecting victim with one punch.

According to the Justice Department complaint, there have been "knockout game" incidents, some of which have been called other names, as long ago as 1992.

New York police previously charged suspect Marajh Amrit with a hate crime in the alleged attack of a white Jewish man as part of a "knockout" game.

Similar cases have been reported recently in several states, including Illinois, Missouri and Washington.

"Hate crimes tear at the fabric of entire communities," U.S. Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels said Thursday in a Justice Department statement announcing the charge against Barrett. "As always, the Civil Rights Division will work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to ensure that hate crimes are identified and prosecuted, and that justice is done."

Barrett, who is white, allegedly recorded himself on his cell phone attacking the man and showed the video to others, the department said. "The complaint alleges Barrett made several videos, one in which he identifies himself and another in which he makes a racial slur. In addition, Barrett had allegedly been working up the 'courage' to play the 'knockout game' for approximately a week."

The victim's face was swollen on one side, and he has had to use a straw to drink, a nephew, Joseph Lewis, told CNN affiliate KTRK-TV in Houston.

The station reported that Barrett faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Barrett told an off-duty police officer what happened and shared a video, saying he felt bad, the affidavit said.

In other videos on his phone that police confiscated, Barrett used the N-word and said that African-Americans "haven't fully experienced the blessing of evolution," according to the criminal complaint.

"It is unimaginable in this day and age that one could be drawn to violently attack another based on the color of their skin," said Special Agent in Charge Stephen Morris of the FBI's Houston office. "We remind all citizens that we are protected under the law from such racially motivated attacks, and encourage everyone to report such crimes to the FBI."

New York case
In a separate case, New York City police on Wednesday searched for a man who allegedly punched a 33-year-old woman in the back of the head in Brooklyn in what may be a "knockout" assault.

Despite that and other cases, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said last month that city officials haven't seen evidence of a trend, though they are not ruling out the idea.

"The press has named it the so-called knockout game. We don't discount that that exists. It's a possibility. We've investigated and will continue to investigate," Kelly told reporters in late November.

Possible 'knockout' game victim: 'The whole group of kids just laughed'
Police keep close eye on reports of disturbing 'knockout' game

[American Patriot]

the cynic in me wonders if he didn't give chase over the phone because of some weiner-esque content on it...

lol

[vector7]

Group of Black Thugs Viciously Beat White Couple In Suspected Knockout Game Attack, Police Refuse To Release Pics of The Assailants…


Because that would be racist.







A couple’s late night stroll on the Christmas-lit Downtown Mall turned to terror in the early morning hours of Friday, December 20, when they were brutally assaulted by three men in what appears to have been a random act of violence.


Even though one of the victims, Jeanne Doucette, managed to take photos that appear to show the assailants as they kicked and pummeled her boyfriend Marc Adams to unconsciousness, Charlottesville Police still do not have any suspects. Doucette says there were other witnesses to the crime, which allegedly occurred just outside the Wells Fargo building at around 1am as she and Adams walked from Miller’s to Rapture, and she is baffled as to why the police haven’t shared her images more widely with people who could have seen the suspects earlier in the evening.


“I cannot understand why they didn’t let people know what happened,” said Doucette, who still bore injuries from the assault when she met for an interview a week later. “Those pictures might have prompted some tips.”

The images she captured are blurry but nonetheless appear to corroborate her account of the night’s events, including the brutality of the beating, during which she says the assailants joked and laughed, even stopping to hug in the midst of the onslaught.


Doucette said the assault occurred after she and Adams, both 39, had met for a drink at Miller’s after Adams finished his shift as chef for a downtown food cart. They headed east up the Mall toward Rapture to end their night with music, when Adams tripped and fell in front of Derriere de Soie lingerie store, a block from Miller’s. As he was getting up, a man approached quickly, said something that Doucette couldn’t make out, and kicked Adams while he was on the ground, before being joined by his friends who beat Adams severely, breaking his ankle, cracking ribs and knocking out one of his teeth.


The grainy photos that Doucette took with her phone show the faces and clothing worn by the three alleged assailants, all black males. Doucette estimated the men were approximately 6’ tall and in their mid-20s or early 30s. In one photo, Adams is lying on his back on the Mall with a man looming over him. Doucette said the man was kicking Adams when she took the picture.



In another picture, a large man in a black coat and light colored shirt appears to be moving towards Doucette’s camera as Adams is on his knees in the background. [...]


The men were accompanied by a woman, who Doucette said repeatedly screamed at them to stop. The men ignored her pleas. Doucette said she had never seen the men before and there was nothing in her behavior or Adams’ that would have provoked the assault. Both victims wondered whether the episode was an example of the so-called “knock-out game,” in which assailants randomly strike an innocent passerby with the goal of rendering them unconscious. Several such assaults have resulted in the deaths of victims. Adams and Doucette checked Youtube for videos of their own assault in the days after it happened, but have found nothing. The cheerful demeanor of their attackers, however, has them wondering if they were targets of some kind of game.

“Maybe if we had played dead, they would have stopped,” said Adams. “If the point of the knockout game is to knock out, we kept getting up to help each other. We didn’t play right.”
Adams describes himself as a “passive person,” and while he said the head injury erased his memory of the attack, he doesn’t believe he could have said anything to provoke the men’s wrath.
“He’s the most non-confrontational person I know,” Doucette agreed.


The attack finally stopped after Doucette started taking pictures with her cell phone and several passersby appeared to be calling 911. By the time police arrived several minutes later, Doucette said, the assailants were gone. Adams, who had been briefly knocked unconscious, refused to be transported by ambulance to the hospital that night despite Doucette’s and emergency responders’ urgings. He also declined to be interviewed by police, although he called the next day to add his report to the information given to police by Doucette.


“My brain was messed up,” he said, repeating what Doucette has told him about his post-assault behavior. “I kept saying I wanted to go home.”


The next morning, Adams said, he did go to the hospital. In addition to the concussion and facial bruising including a black eye, x-rays confirmed his cracked ribs and fractured ankle. Nearly two weeks after the attack, the physical wounds are healing, but both Doucette and Adams are troubled by what they see as a lack of response from the Charlottesville Police Department.


“It’s like they don’t care,” said Doucette, who said she called police on December 29 to follow up on the investigation and was told that the case had been suspended due to a lack of information and had not been assigned to a detective. “I don’t understand why they couldn’t even have the courtesy to call and say we’re not even going to look for them,” she said.


According to CPD spokesperson Ronnie Roberts, investigators canvassed the Downtown area after the assault but did not find anyone matching the description of the alleged assailants. Police did not release Doucette’s pictures to the public, Roberts said, because they believed surveillance video from the bank might offer clearer images, and they hoped officers might recognize some of the men in Doucette’s photos without tipping them off that they were being sought.


Roberts said police requested the bank video on Friday, December 27, a week after the attack, and had not received it as of Sunday, December 29. On Sunday, Doucette finally posted the pictures she’d taken to her Facebook page and said she quickly received several tips that she has passed on to police. Her frustration at the lack of an investigation is palpable.
“I feel forgotten about,” Doucette said. “I feel like I’m not safe.”

[vector7]

Thug Arrested For At Least Seven “Knockout” Assaults On White, Mostly Jewish, Women



It was his turn to get knocked out.

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force busted a Brooklyn man for at least seven “knockout” assaults, cops said Friday.

Barry Baldwin, 35, punched out the victims between Nov. 9 and Christmas Eve in Canarsie and Midwood, police said.

All of the victims were white women and most were Jewish, a law-enforcement source said. At least two of the attacks occurred on the Sabbath.

“Everyone will sleep a little easier,” said Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who said the attacks frightened the community.

On Nov. 9, Baldwin allegedly socked a 78-year-old Midwood woman while she pushed her great-granddaughter’s stroller at Avenue L and East Fifth Street.

The elderly victim was knocked to the ground in the unprovoked attack.

More http://nypost.com/2014/01/04/cops-ma...nockout-spree/

[American Patriot]

The Nebraska toddler who unleashed an R-rated tirade in a viral video has been placed into protective custody, officials said.
The little boy — clad only in his diaper — pushed over a chair, flipped the bird and unleashed a stream of curses and slurs, including b---h, f--k and the N-word.


RELATED: VIRAL VIDEO HAS OMAHA POLICE UNION IN HOT WATER
Although there was no criminality, police and local Child Protective Services visited the family home and found safety concerns. The agency removed four children, officials said.
In the minute-long clip, more than 30 obscenities are uttered by both the tot and the man and woman off-camera.

Police have not released the identity of the parents or the children taken out of the home.
RELATED: FAMILY SAYS DOG TIPPED THEM TO ABUSIVE BABYSITTER



The Omaha Police Officers Association was previously slammed by area civil rights groups for lifting the lewd video of the Facebook page of a local gang member and offering its own commentary on the state of “terrible cycle of violence and thuggery.”


“The whole point of this is to give an unfiltered view of what police officers deal with every day,” said Sgt. John Wells, president of the Omaha Police Officers Association.



Omaha Police Officers Association

The Omaha Police Officers' Association took heat for posting the video, with critics saying it demeaned the child and only further hampered race relations in Nebraska.

As the controversy appeared to be hitting a boiling point earlier this week, the cop union stuck to its guns. The group posted a second, tamer, video on its Facebook page Tuesday of an Australian public service advertisement warning of children mimicking bad behavior by adults.
“Think people....think,” the group wrote on its Facebook page. “What are we doing to our kids?”

The baby — clad only in a diaper — flips the bird at one point in the video.

The group also thanked media outlets, such as CNN, for creating a “discussion” on the issue.
But critics said the raw video had clear racial undertones and reinforced negative stereotypes.
RELATED: PINK DEFENDS HUSBAND CAREY HART, DAUGHTER WILLOW'S MOTORCYCLE RIDE
“It’s almost like the kid was abused twice: once by the people in the video and once by the police officers association,” said Willie Hamilton, executive director of Black Men United in Omaha, which promotes mentoring programs to strengthen families.
Omaha Police Officers Association

The union has stuck to its guns: It later took to Facebook to post a video from an Australian public service message that showed children mimicking lewd behavior.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer distanced his department from the video’s posting and attempted to draw a clear separation between the union and the force.
RELATED: FOUL-MOUTHED ATTORNEY AXED FROM SCHOOL BOARD
“I strongly disagree with any postings that may cause a divide in our community or an obstacle to police community relations,” Schmaderer said.
With News Wire Services
idejohn@nydailynews.com
Start 'em young, indoctrinate them quickly and move on to the next crop....

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1570642

Omaha toddler in viral ‘thug’ video has been taken into protective custody

The Nebraska tot, who unleashed tantrum of curses and slurs, was one of four children removed from the unidentified house. The Omaha Police Officers Association created controversy for posting video to educate about the ‘terrible cycle of violence and thuggery.’ Critics called the post racist and unnecessary.

By Irving Dejohn / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, January 9, 2014, 7:42 AM



This unidentified toddler has been taken into protective custody after a video of him posted by the Omaha Police Officers Association to illustrate the culture of ‘violence’ and ‘thuggery’ went viral.

[American Patriot]

Oh man, this shit goes WAYYYYY back doesn't it???? God....

(LOL)

Ancient sea monsters were black, study finds

By Stephanie Pappas
Published January 09, 2014LiveScience

• 
  Fossil pigments reveal dark coloration of extinct marine reptiles. The leatherback turtle (top) and mosasaur (bottom) have a dark back and light belly, a camouflage pattern, and the ichthyosaur (center) is uniformly dark. (Stefan Sølberg)
  
  
  
  

Some of the largest beasts in the ancient seas had black skin or scales, new research finds.


Ancient leatherback turtles, toothy predators called mosasaurs and dolphinlike reptiles called ichthyosaurs all had black pigmentation, researchers report today (Jan. 8) in the journal Nature. The findings come from an analysis of preserved skin from each of these creatures.


The animals' blackness likely helped them in a variety of ways, said study researcher Johan Lindgren, a mosasaur expert at Lund University in Sweden. "We suggest that they used it not only as camouflage and UV protection, but also to be able to regulate their body temperature," Lindgren told LiveScience. [Sea Monster Album: See Images of Extinct Mosasaurs]


Ancient colors

The study isn't the first to delve into the color of ancient creatures. Paleontologists have found that Microraptor, a small winged dinosaur from 130 million years ago, had black, crowlike feathers. The "dino-bird" Archaeopteryx had wing feathers with a black-and-white pattern, too, according to a 2012 study detailed in the journal Nature Communications. The color of ancient feathers is somewhat controversial, however, with some scientists suggesting the fossilization process might distort the pigment-containing organelles in the feathers.

'They used it not only as camouflage and UV protection, but also to be able to regulate their body temperature.'

- Mosasaur expert Johan Lindgren



But marine animal color was uncharted territory. Some fossils of extinct sea monsters have been found with black "halos" around the bones, suggesting remnants of skin. Anatomical analysis suggested these remnants were, in fact, melanosomes, the tiny packets of pigments that give skin, feathers and hair their color. Melanosomes contain melanin, a dark brown or black pigment. In fact, the black pigment eumelanin is extremely persistent in the environment, Lindgren said, so the presence of melanosomes may be the reason these skin halos survived.


Lindgren and his colleagues conducted a microscopic analysis of the fossilized skin of a 55-million-year-old leatherback turtle, an 86-million-year-old mosasaur and a 190-million year-old ichthyosaur. Mosasaurs were reptilian, fishlike apex predators in the Cretaceous seas. Ichthyosaurs were also marine reptiles, but with their long snouts, they resembled modern dolphins.


Dark and dangerous

A microscopic look at the fossils showed oval bodies consistent with the look of melanosomes. To confirm that the oval bodies were melanosomes, the researchers used a technique called energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis, which focuses X-rays on the sample. The reaction of the sample depends on its chemical makeup. This analysis showed that the tiny ovals were associated with the preserved skin film, but not with the sediment around it, suggesting they are really melanosomes and not microbial contamination.


To understand how ancient sea creatures benefited from black skin and scales, Lindgren and his colleagues turned to the only sea turtle that stays black into adulthood: the modern leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). These turtles have a broad range, all the way into the Arctic circle, and the color seems to help them trap heat from sunlight in the same way that black asphalt gets hot on a bright day, Lindgren said. Black pigments also protect the skin from damage from UV rays (also known as sunburn). Mosasaurs, ichthyosaurs and ancient may have gotten a similar advantage from their coloration.


Black skin and scales may also have helped these creatures stay stealthy in the dark seas. Living leatherback turtles are dark on top with light underbellies, so they blend in with the depths from above and with the sunlight at the surface from below. Many ocean-dwelling creatures show this coloration pattern, Lindgren said, but the fossil skin samples from the ancient turtle and mosasaur are too small to say for sure whether they shared countershading camouflage.


Ichthyosaurs are a different story. Some ichthyosaur fossils consist of skeletons surrounded completely by an "envelope" of dark material. If these envelopes prove to be entirely skin remains, Lindgren said, they would suggest that ichthyosaurs were completely black. That coloration would make them like modern sperm whales, which dive deep into murky waters as ancient ichthyosaurs also may have done.


"Of course, that may be a coincidence, but it's an interesting similarity that they share," Lindgren said.


The techniques used in the study may also be able to resolve debate over the coloration of land animals, he said, differentiating whether suspected melanosomes come from the fossil or from microbes.

[Malsua]

Yeah, those sea turtles pretty much made the entire reef area a no go zone.