The Watergate Under The Benghazi Bridge.....

It continues on. The Republicans want answers to Benghazi.

You notice that Republicans overplay their hand. They did it during the Tea Party protests in 2009. They did it while there was the Gulf Oil spill in 2010. They did it during the health care debate. They did during the Operation Fast & Furious issue in 2011. They are doing it through the continuous repeals of Obamacare in 2012. And now we're in 2013 and the very same party of obstruction continues down the path to defeat.

They're worked up over this Benghazi consulate attack and it's becoming more of a migraine instead of a real controversy. The Republicans are using the victims as props in a political sabotage of President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, then Secretary of State and floated presidential candidate.

The Republicans are never blameless but they hate it when the Democrats bring up the past.

For you see that during the previous term of George W. Bush, on September 11, 2001, our nation was attack on home soil by foreign nationals. We went into two wars. One being the War on Terror (which is the ongoing Afghanistan war). The other was based on intelligence saying the nation of Iraq was holding "weapons of mass destruction". That war was closed out in 2011 with no weapons of mass destruction being found and over 4,500 soldiers and thousands of innocent victims. This president managed to see many Americans die on home soil during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. This president allowed young men and women die at Virginia Tech. This previous administration fired lawyers, outed a CIA agent, paid columnist to speak talking points, appoint a Fox News host as a press secretary and a press secretary becomes a Fox News host. His vice president shot a man in the face. And yet, the Democrats didn't think of drafting Articles of Impeachment on a president. Scratch that there was Dennis Kucinich.

Is one to believe that "RACE" doesn't have a thing to do with all this rabble rousing from those Republicans?

The people over at Loserville are furious at the rest of the junk food media. They're so angry over the fact that no one in the junk food media cares about this Benghazi incident.

The tragedy happened on September 11, 2012 in which extremists attacked the United States Diplomatic Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. A group with ties to an extremist group stormed the compound. The chaos occurred during an outburst of reactionary outrage. The incident ended up killing four Americans.

The Islamic protests over in Iraq, Pakistan, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco were sparked by the viewing of an anti-Islamic video. The effects happened in Libya as well. How are we to know that a video would inspire a terrorist group?

President Barack Obama was angered over this. He ordered then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to return back to the United States. The next day, he expressed outrage and determined that those involved this "act of terror" will be brought to justice.

Four of these extraordinary Americans were killed in an attack on our diplomatic post in Benghazi.  Among those killed was our Ambassador, Chris Stevens, as well as Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith. We are still notifying the families of the others who were killed.  

Along with his colleagues, Chris died in a country that is still striving to emerge from the recent experience of war. 

No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.  Today we mourn four more Americans who represent the very best of the United States of America.  We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act.  And make no mistake, justice will be done.

But we also know that the lives these Americans led stand in stark contrast to those of their attackers.  These four Americans stood up for freedom and human dignity.  They should give every American great pride in the country that they served, and the hope that our flag represents to people around the globe who also yearn to live in freedom and with dignity.

We grieve with their families, but let us carry on their memory, and let us continue their work of seeking a stronger America and a better world for all of our children.

The president, Vice President Joe Biden attended the viewing of diplomats J. Christopher Stevens, Ty Woods, Sean Smith, and Glen Doherty. The president met with the families of each victim.

What started this nonsense was the White House press statement determining it to be a "spontaneous" event sparked by anti-Islamic movie and the chaos that sparked overseas.

United Nations secretary Susan Rice appears on most Sunday news programs to say the side of the story.

The perennial loser Mitt Romney tried to bait the president into this conflict. He immediately licked his chops on the news of a terrorist attack. Romney thought of potential of winning the White House on this tragedy. The conservative media figures such as that Guy Who Helped Obama Win (best known as Sean Hannity) was relentless in this. He made calls to the Romney campaign demanding the perennial loser take up this issue as well as Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers.

At the presidential debate, the perennial loser Mitt Romney got his ass handed to him. The president told him that he acknowledge the word "terror" in his Rose Garden statements. CNN anchor Candy Crowley even helped the president and Romney get in a few words.

Enter 2013, the Republicans are rehashing this stuff again. They're looking at these "whistleblowers" as the key to finding out what happened in Benghazi.

The Guardian reports that Gregory Hicks, deputy to murdered US ambassador Christopher Stevens, revealed for the first time in public a detailed account of the desperate few hours after the terrorist attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi.

Rescuers tried to save Christopher Stevens.

He also said that Stevens went to Benghazi to beat a 30 September deadline to convert the mission to a permanent posting. There was additional time pressure because Clinton planned to visit Libya later in the year and to announce the opening of the post, Hicks said.

But Hicks and two other state department witnesses also singled out the government response for criticism. Until now that criticism had been largely dismissed as a partisan effort by Republican congressman to smear former Clinton, who was secretary of state at the time.

Hicks claimed Clinton's chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, telephoned him to complain that he had given critical evidence to congressional investigators without the presence of a "minder" from the state department. "A phone call from that senior a person is generally considered not to be good news," said Hicks, who said he had since been demoted. "She was upset. She was very upset."

The career diplomat also alleged he was actively discouraged by officials from asking awkward questions about why other top Clinton aides, including the UN ambassador Susan Rice, initially blamed the attack on a spontaneous protest that got out of control. He described that briefing he described as "jaw-dropping, embarrassing and stunning". It is now thought the attacks, involving up to 60 heavily armed militia, were co-ordinates by Ansar al-Sharia, a group affiliated to al-Qaida, and timed to coincide with the 11th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

The allegations of a state department cover-up follow equally embarrassing claims that military leaders blocked efforts to dispatch special forces troops to the Benghazi consulate.

In testimony that first emerged on Monday, Hicks claims that four special forces soldiers with him in Tripoli were "furious" when they were told by superiors in Washington that they could not join a relief flight to Benghazi organised by the Libyan government in the hours after the initial attack.

Trying to sabotage any potential thoughts of her running for president, the Republicans harp on Benghazi in order to put a dent in the President Obama's agenda and try to derail Hillary Clinton's potential run for president.

Mark Thompson, a former marine who heads the foreign emergency support team, also alleged that the White House blocked his efforts to dispatch a specialist group from the US that is designed to respond to incidents such as the Benghazi attack.

Hicks said he was told that US air force jets based in Italy could have reached the consulate in "two to three hours" but were blocked, out of fear of offending the Libyan government, and because a refueling tanker could not be found.

Pentagon officials have repeatedly argued that none of the available military assets could have reached Benghazi in time to prevent the death of ambassador Stevens and three other consular staff. But Hicks insisted even if they had been too late, better attempts should have been made. "People in peril in future need to know that we will go to get them," he said. "That night we needed to demonstrate that resolve even if we still had the same outcome."

While under oath, three men testify about Benghazi.

Hicks also rejected the defense given by Hillary Clinton when pressed on the initial delay in attributing the attack to terrorists, arguing the US undermined its Libyan allies who were rightly pointing to Ansar al-Sharia.

"President Magarief was insulted in front of his own people, in front of the world. His credibility was reduced. His ability to govern was [damaged]. He was angry … He was still steamed about the talk shows two weeks later. I definitely believe it negatively affected our ability to get the FBI team quickly to Benghazi."

Hicks also testified that part of the reason that Stevens was in Benghazi was to make preparations to convert the mission to a permanent post, and to lay the groundwork for a visit by Clinton. "At least one of the reasons the ambassador was in Benghazi was to further the secretary's wish that that post become a permanent constituent post" and because Clinton "intended to visit later that year" to announce the conversion.

Democrats on the committee attempted to play down the significance of the new evidence. "There is no smoking gun today," said Mark Pocan of Wisconsin. "There is not even a lukewarm slingshot." Deputy chair Elijah Cummings said the hearing would not be able to get to a full picture without recalling other military witnesses.

But the powerful and at times emotional testimony of the state department witnesses is likely to rekindle questions over the government's handling of the incident. The Obama administration had hoped that an earlier independent review panel had drawn a line under the issue.

Republicans characterize their refusal to let the Benghazi issue go as a determination to find out what went wrong. But some Democrats have suggested that the real intention is to taint both the White House and Clinton in a bid to dent her chances in 2016 should she decide to run.

Hicks described receiving the final telephone call from ambassador Stephens revealing he was under attack. He said an attach ran into his villa "yelling Greg, Greg, the consulate's under attack". Hicks looked at his phone and had two missed calls. He called back and got ambassador Stevens. "He said, 'Greg, we're under attack.'"

"I said 'OK' and the line cut."

Hicks then described how he had taken refuge in a secure villa that was set alight with petrol by the attackers. He also told how the embassy building in Benghazi was hit by mortar fire and how a tiny group of soldiers at both sites fought through the night to prevent both facilities from being overrun.

"September 11 was a routine day until we heard the news that our embassy in Cairo had been stormed and they were trying to tear down the flag," recalled Hicks.

"I had bad cellphone reception but walked to the tactical operations center and heard that our consulate in Benghazi had been breached and at least 20 armed individuals were in the compound."

After twice not recognizing the number, he said he received a short call from ambassador Stevens, thought to be his last, who said they "were under attack". He and an assistant, Sean Smith, were led to a safe area inside a villa next to the consulate by security agent Scott Strickland. It was set on fire with jerry cans of fuel shortly after 9pm.

"Scott attempted to lead them out but they didn't follow. He tried to get back in but was beaten back by the smoke," said Hicks. "Petroleum-based fires emit cyanide gas and one full breath can kill you. They managed to pull Sean out, but he was dead. They couldn't find Chris."

A second wave was coming to attack and the remaining consulate staff fell back to a nearby CIA annex. "After about an hour and a half of probing attacks from terrorists that they were able to repulse they decided to evacuate," said Hicks. They met with a response team flown from Tripoli on a Libyan C130 transporter and retreated back to the capital.

Hicks says at this point he still thought that ambassador Stevens might be alive and he received word from the Libyan government that he was being held in a hospital run by the same group responsible for the attack. "I thought we might need a hostage response team to get the ambassador out of a hospital under enemy control," explained Hicks.

At the same time the group was claiming responsibility for the Benghazi attack on Twitter, embassy staff began noticing threats against their facility in Tripoli too.

"We began planning to evacuate, and took 55 people to the annex " said Hicks. "At 2am Hillary Clinton calls and she asks me what is going on. I brief her mostly about ambassador Stevens and told her we would need to evacuate. At 3am I received a call from from the prime minister of Libya who told me that ambassador Stevens had passed away. It was the hardest call I have ever had to take."

Conservatives rally for the truth...

Hicks says he has vivid memories of communications staff in Tripoli destroying classified equipment including a female officer manager "smashing hard drives with an axe". The contingent in Benghazi then tried to drive to the airport around dawn but were hit by two mortar rounds.

"The first mortar was long and landed among the Libyans who were escorting us – they took casualties. The next was short and landed on the annex roof, killing one of our people and seriously wounding another, David. Mark charged onto the roof and strapped David, who was a large man, to his back and carried him down the ladder."

Hicks says he wanted to send further reinforcements to Benghazi where they had been fighting through the night but was unable.

Eric Nordstrom, a security officer who also gave evidence to Congress said the lessons state department employees have taken from Benghazi were scathing: "Whether you're at a mission, preparing for a hearing or you're standing on top of a building "surrounded by a mob," he says, "The message is the same: You're on your own!"


The conservative agitating media seems to have collective memory loss when it comes to how the president handles these incidents. They never figured that being the president is 24/7. They don't see that the president is ready on day one.

So to hear these individuals on talk radio and the junk food news channels talk about how the president took a vacation or show no sympathy for the victims is ridiculous. I even hear that some are throwing in the children. Once again proving that they can't leave the innocent out of the discussion.

Cleveland Kidnapper Was A "Monster", Says Family!

Amanda Berry and her daughter fought back captor. The junk food media will now focus on how the Cleveland Police failed Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight.

Bad publicity and the outcomes of being in a minority-majority city.

The city where Black and law enforcement are like distant cousins. Long distance cousins to say at least.

Cleveland, population 394,000 makes it the second largest city in the state of Ohio. The city seen a major decline in population due to economic turmoils such as manufacturing drying up and racial tensions driving the White people from the city. Cleveland minority population for Black and Hispanic citizens would be about 80%.

With Blacks The Cleveland Police are facing a public backlash because of reports of neighbors ignoring their concerns.

Ariel Castro with brothers Onil and Pedro were arrested by Cleveland Police. Based on information Ariel Castro not his brothers may face federal charges if the FBI finds more evidence of sex slavery.

The Cleveland Police are under investigation for the shooting of unarmed individuals. The man (was a john) and the woman (was a prostitute) and they've apparently crashed into a cruiser and the police fired upon them.

Anthony Sowell, known as the Cleveland Strangler was killing prostitutes and runaways. He buried their bodies in his home. It took over a decade to discover the dead bodies being buried in the basement of his home. I once thought that one of the women freed this week was one of the victims of Sowell.

Ariel Castro the man held in custody in the kidnapping of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight.

According to Cleveland Police, the man had restrained the women with chains and rope. The women were abused and knocked up continuously by the individuals. The women had miscarriages. The only woman with a child is Amanda Berry and she was pregnant by Ariel Castro.

Yesterday, the junk food media awaited the arrival of Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and her daughter.

The media covered it just like they've covered the Boston Marathon bombings and Sandy Hook tragedy: Wrong and just plain reckless.

For one thing, they're trying to say they had opportunities to escape the home. It's funny some would say that! If you're not in that person's shoes, you wouldn't know how to escape a captor!

Today, Castro was giving a bail hearing. For each woman and the child, it's a $2 million bond. With an $8 million dollar bond, the worst isn't over for the suspect. The county prosecutor is even going as far to seek the death penalty in this case.

Castro with his love for music and seemingly friendly personality, Ariel Castro was a familiar presence in his heavily Latino neighborhood on Cleveland’s west side. The Washington Post reports that the former school bus driver lived a decent life in the neighborhood. He was the "nice guy" according to neighbors. The family said he was a "monster" and a "recluse".

Ariel Castro's Facebook page tells a disturbing picture into the seemingly "nice" guy who was a bit odd.

Castro, 52, drove a school bus, attended neighborhood barbecues, played bass in a number of local bands and was known for the musical equipment that filled his living room, especially his beloved bass guitars.

Yet there were hints of another side to Castro, who was charged with kidnapping and rape on Wednesday in the abductions of three young women who were held captive for the past decade. The house that seemed so open to some fellow musicians was closed to other people, with locks on the basement, attic and garage.

Records show that Castro was accused of beating his former wife so badly it triggered a blood clot in her brain and that he was fired from his job in November after a series of disciplinary incidents.

The seeming contradictions have left neighbors and family members shocked and perplexed at what could have gone wrong for a family that seemed so woven into the tightly knit community around it, a family that had close ties to relatives of at least one of the victims.

“I am very surprised. I never thought Ariel would do something like this. Never,” said Noemi Castro, Ariel Castro’s half sister in an interview with The Washington Post.

Castro was charged with four counts of kidnapping, which included all three captives and the daughter born to one of them while she was detained, and three counts of rape against the three women.

Castro’s brothers — Pedro Castro, 54, and Onil Castro, 50 — were also arrested and still in custody Wednesday, but police said they would face no immediate charges. Police said they had found no evidence the two brothers were connected to the crimes.

Ariel Castro, of Puerto Rican heritage, lived in and owned the ramshackle house on Seymour Avenue where the three women — Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight — were rescued Monday night, along with Berry’s 6-year-old daughter.

Horrible experience for three women. Took over 10 years to find Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight. Suspect Ariel Castro fathered a baby with Berry.

Pedro and Onil Castro lived together a few blocks away. Little information was available about them Wednesday. Media reports said they did not have jobs and never married.

Also mysterious was the web of ties among the Castro brothers, especially Ariel Castro and the family of DeJesus, who disappeared at age 14 while walking home from school on April 2, 2004.

Roberto Diaz, a neighbor, said in a interview with The Post that Ariel Castro participated in at least one of the annual neighborhood marches to draw attention to all three missing girls. Khalid Samad, a friend of the DeJesus family, said Ariel Castro knew DeJesus’s father and helped search for her after she disappeared, the Associated Press reported. He also performed music at a fundraiser in her honor, Samad said.

The women were held in a "house of horrors" according to the law enforcement officials.

DeJesus’s best friend before she disappeared, Arlene Castro, is the daughter of Ariel Castro. Arlene Castro was with DeJesus moments before she disappeared; Arlene Castro appeared on TV’s “America’s Most Wanted” in 2005 to draw attention to the case.

In her interview with The Washington Post, Noemi Castro said that although she was not close to Ariel Castro, she had been told by other family members about “weird” signs in his life. “He didn’t let anybody in the house,” she said. “There were locks on everything. That’s a red flag.”

Ariel Castro has been accused of violence against women, according to court records. The records show he was charged in 1993 with domestic violence against his wife, Grimilda Figueroa, but a grand jury declined to indict him. The case was dropped.

In August 2005, according to records in Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court, he was ordered to stay away from Figueroa and their children after he was accused of beating her so severely that he broke her nose twice, broke her ribs, dislocated both shoulders and caused a blood clot in her brain.

The petition for a protective order says he threatened to kill Figueroa and their daughters on multiple occasions. The order was rescinded three months after it was granted, for reasons that are unclear, at a hearing not attended by Figueroa’s attorney. Figueroa died last year.

Ariel Castro’s daughter Emily has also run into trouble with the law. She was sentenced in 2008 to 25 years in prison for trying to kill her 11-month-old daughter by slashing the girl’s throat four times, court records show. Emily Castro also cut her wrists with the same knife she used on her daughter, records show.

In an appeal, filed shortly after her conviction, Castro’s attorney said his client was not competent to stand trial because she has “mental health issues, including manic depression.”

Ariel Castro also ran into problems at work. Although school records show he received mostly “excellent” marks in his performance evaluations as a bus driver for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, they also show that he was fired in November after being disciplined for the fourth time in nine years. Incidents included leaving a child alone on a bus in 2004 while he went to a Wendy’s restaurant for lunch.

A Cleveland police report quoted the girl as saying that when Castro arrived at the Wendy’s, he told her, “Lay down, b----,” and left her alone. After he returned, he “drove around a while” before he returned her to her home care provider.

The fourth time Castro was disciplined, records show, was over a Sept. 20, 2012, incident in which he left his unlocked bus in front of a school for several hours.

“I left my bus parked in front of the school and walked home two blocks away,’” he wrote in the file. “I felt tired [that] day. Scranton is my school so I didn’t think anything wrong with parking there. I do appologize.”

Local musicians said Ariel Castro could be guarded about his home, wary of letting people into his world. But Tito DeJesus, a local piano player, was one of the few who stepped inside the house on Seymour Avenue.

It was a few years back, and DeJesus was dropping off tools and appliances that Castro had bought from him. “He was kind of like a hoarder,” DeJesus recalled. The living room was filled with musical equipment, he said. A lamp served as an end table. Castro’s bass guitars were on stands around the room.

The two played together in several bands, and Castro was forever gushing about some new piece of musical gear he had acquired. “He liked to show off his stuff,” DeJesus said.

Shame!

And he liked to show off his playing, too. DeJesus said Castro’s style was a good match for his own. “He’s one of the top [Latin] bass players in Cleveland,” he said.

There was something else DeJesus noticed. “He never had a woman,” he said.

Edwin Nunez, a salsa band leader who performed with Castro, said Castro tended not to hang out with other musicians after gigs. “He was very private about his life,’’ Nunez said.

Roig-Franzia reported from Cleveland. Debbi Wilgoren and Alice Crites contributed to this report.

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day:

"There are so many unresolved, unanalyzed, undiscussed consequences to having generations of our ancestors enslaved.  If you think about it, we've only been free for 140 years, but we were enslaved for almost three centuries. And one of the things we haven't dealt with is our relationships."


-  Darlene Clark Hine, Historian.

Black Voter Turnout Surpassed White Voters!

Can we keep this voting thing going? Black voters turnout heavy this last election. If we can get the Republicans out of Congress, we're going to need more than just a few Blacks in the voting booth.

Wondering if the Republican Party and their conservative extremist allies believe it's another attempt by those evil Black Panthers?

Wondering if these Knee-Grows voted for the color instead of the character?

Republicans are quick to dismiss the higher Black turnout on issues that had nothing to do with it. Of course, they'll claim that the name of the Democratic candidate is on the ballot twice. The Black voters embrace the "gubmint gibbs mes" from "brotha" Barack. The skin color is the only thing those "ignant Black folk" support.

Conservative talk radio and Loserville have been on a dog whistle campaign the moment Barack Obama announced he was running for president.

Still some white people believe that the president is either a socialist, Communist, a radical, a racist, a Muslim, a person who hates America, the devil and the guy who takes too many vacations on the taxpayer's dime.

Black voters see this as a disrespect not only upon the president, but the Black community in general. The first Black president ever to hold office and the conservative media treats President Barack Obama like he's a "thug" or being "not one of them".

It's shows through the Republican Party's intrusive strategy to win back the Congress. They've passed legislation that makes it a requirement to have an identification when voting. They want to eliminate overtime pay so businesses can work an individual for lesser pay. They want to cut domestic programs that could help the needy and poor. They refuses to cave on gun control, yet they're screaming at the Black man, the Muslim or the Hispanic man with firearms.

Reince Priebus, the Republican chairman has tried and failed to win over minority votes.

This may be the coming of a new era in voting. For the first time ever, Black voter turnout surpassed White voters. The White race is 74% of the United States general population.

With the shift in demographics making the Hispanic population the fastest minority group, White males are on the decline. And in thirty years, the White male will officially be a minority.

The Huffington Post and Associated Press reports America's blacks voted at higher rates than whites in 2012, lifting Democrat Barack Obama to victory amid voter apathy, particularly among young people, new census data show. Despite increasing population, the number of white voters declined for the first time since 1996.

Blacks were the only race or ethnic group to show an increase in voter turnout in November, most notably in the Midwest and Southeastern U.S., the Census Bureau said Wednesday. The analysis, based on a sample survey of voters last year, is viewed as the best source of government data on turnout by race and ethnicity.

The Associated Press reported last week that black voter turnout surpassed whites for the first time, based on an analysis by experts of earlier data.

In all, about 66.2 percent of eligible black voters cast ballots in 2012, up from 64.7 percent in 2008, according to census data. That compares with non-Hispanic white turnout of 64.1 percent, which fell from 66.1 percent four years earlier. As recently as 1996, blacks had turnout rates 8 percentage points lower than non-Hispanic whites.

Not helpful. Besides the first Black president is a Democrat. That's the emancipation!

Latino turnout dipped slightly, from 49.9 percent in 2008 to 48 percent, while Asian-American turnout was basically unchanged at 47 percent.

Voter turnout across all race and ethnic groups fell for a second consecutive presidential election, from 64 percent in 2004 to 62 percent in November, according to the census figures.

"Obama's win in 2012, despite the important Democratic constituency of young voters not participating at a high level, is good news," said Michael McDonald, a George Mason University professor who specializes in voter turnout. "The bad news is that voting is a habit – and the fact that we saw turnout declines among younger African-Americans suggests Democrats will have to work even harder to excite these voters in future elections."

The data underscore how turnout plays an important role in elections for both whites and blacks, who will remain the two largest racial groups of eligible voters for the next decade. While Hispanics are now the fast-growing demographic group, they currently make up a smaller share of eligible voters because many are children and non-citizens, limiting their electoral impact for the immediate future.

In 2012, the number of blacks who voted rose by 1.7 million. Hispanics added 1.4 million and Asian voters increased by 550,000.


Meanwhile, even though the white population is slowly increasing, the number of white voters dropped by 2 million – the first drop in absolute terms for any race or ethnic group since 1996.

By age, youth enthusiasm for voting fizzled in 2012.

About 41 percent of voters age 18-24 cast ballots in November, down 7 percentage points from 2008. The drop was greatest among whites, whose turnout fell from 49 percent to 42 percent. But young black voters also saw big declines, from 55 percent in 2008 to 49 percent. That's compared with a decline among young Hispanics from 39 percent to 34 percent.

The only subgroups showing increases in voter turnout were among blacks ages 45 to 64 as well as those 65 and older.

"Blacks have been voting at higher rates, and the Hispanic and Asian populations are growing rapidly, yielding a more diverse electorate," said Thom File, a census sociologist who wrote the voting analysis. "Over the last five presidential elections, the share of voters who were racial or ethnic minorities rose from just over 1 in 6 in 1996 to more than 1 in 4 in 2012."

"We do know the population is growing more diverse, and the electorate is growing more diverse in a different way," File added.

Other census findings:

_White turnout declined in 39 states from 2008 to 2012, including presidential battleground states such as Ohio, Virginia and Florida.

_The gender gap in voting persists, a trend since 1996. About 64 percent of women voted, compared with 60 percent of men.

_Declines in voter turnout also were seen most notably among single people, the unemployed, renters and those with only a high school education or some college, suggesting in part voter disenchantment amid a sluggish economy.

_Black voter turnout surpassed that of whites mostly in the Midwest region, which covers Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as the Southern U.S. region including Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Demographers say the numbers pose long-term challenges for Republicans, given that 80 percent of nonwhites voted for Obama in November.

Analyses by Brookings Institution demographer William H. Frey show that Republican Mitt Romney would have barely won the presidency if whites and other race groups had turned out at the same rates as they did in 2004, when black turnout was below its current historic levels. But if Democrats can replicate 2012 turnout rates in 2016, they would win the presidency, given current population trends, Frey said.

Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center, indicated the economy will be an important factor in future elections, noting that Hispanics and young people were among the hardest hit during the high unemployment years of 2008-2012.

"Given what we know about the youth bulge in the population, Millennials and Hispanics will become ever more important voting blocs in upcoming presidential elections," Taylor said. "But in 2012, both groups left a lot of votes on the table."

The census figures are based on the Current Population Survey as of November 2012. Since Hispanic is defined by the government as an ethnicity and not a race, census figures for "blacks" and "Asians" may include Hispanics. Census data for "white" refer to whites who are not of Hispanic ethnicity.

Kermit Gosnell: The Philly Doc Killing Babies! [NSFW]

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, an abortion doctor who is facing murder charges.

Warning: This commentary contains disturbing images. Take extreme discretion when reading this. 

I've avoided this controversy for the longest. I didn't care about it.

I wasn't interested in it. I felt this was another attempt by the conservative agitators to single out Black Americans and single women who decide to make a choice.

Let's first get this honest opinion out the way. I can testify to being considered pro-life (or commonly known as anti-choice). I am not in favor of abortions. I don't believe killing a fetus. However, I don't endorse the tactics of those who are anti-choice.

To make this clear: I don't support abortions but I don't decide on how a woman makes a choice. I don't want to push my beliefs upon a woman's choice to have one. When a woman makes a choice, it actually affects them. Seriously, it does. Once they have this, they go through a depression stage and eventual regret.

This isn't an easy decision. It's really difficult and you can't change what is done!

I can relate to being a person who witnessed an abortion. I dated a "married" woman last year. This woman was having an affair while her husband was spending time in the iron college.

She gotten pregnant and we both freaked out. She decided that she would want this. I disagreed and felt that the impact could be devastating for her, me and her husband. The decision to have the choice was squarely hers and not mine.

To go to the local clinic in a nearby suburb was very awkward to say at least. Abortion providers have provided armed security for the doctors, workers and patients. The moment we entered the building we were searched for weapons. We were told to show our identification, fill out a waiver to determine legal status and were expected risks if anything should happen upon this decision.

The office where Gosnell operated.

The protesters came within an hour and were standing across the street with offensive signs and chants of religious extremism. They've harassed women and men who walked near that facility.

She had it. To this day, if not a rarely, we don't talk about it. It's a "painful" memory to say at least.

To this day, I've been more distant from the rest of the world. I've came to the conclusion it's a dog eat dog world. I've came to conclusion that I can't win! So I don't make no bones about staying off the social networks, keep limited associations with friends and family, and not be so giving!

I know I'm a caring and giving person. That's considered my weakness. But this and many other things that occur gives me a pause. It made me more reclusive and distant. It made me throw my hands up and say that's it: I don't care no more about people.

Why should I?

I mean how many of your friends look out for you in a time of need?

The decision was difficult. It made me more of a human. I made me realize that reality is.....well you know!

So I continue forth with a stronger mind and a better life. I have hopes of settling down with an eventual wife or girlfriend someday.

To this day, any abortion provider is in fear of a White extremist's assassination attempt. About four years ago, Dr. George Tiller of Kansas was one of the nation's only late term providers. He and two others provide late term for women who pregnancies were in danger. Tiller was gunned down by a White extremists while attending church service. Due to the constant agitation from Loserville and their host Bill O'Reilly (aka Bill-O), the abortion provider was killed in cold blood in front of his family. The shooter Scott Roeder was inspired by White extremists Lila Rose and Terry Randell. The man watched Loserville's propaganda campaign against late term abortion providers.

Gosnell and two nurses (wife and his daughter) were arrested.

Bill-O denied his rhetoric motivated extremism. Since then, he's toned down slightly on his rhetoric and did express remorse for the death of Tiller. But you don't hear much about Bill-O in the news. We're more focused on Fox News (aka Loserville), Sean Hannity (aka The Guy Who Helped Obama Win), Matt Drudge (aka The Guy Who Throws Shit To The Wall), Glenn Beck (aka Chalk E Becker) and Rush Limbaugh (aka King Hippo).

These conservative agitators have inspired extremists rhetoric from those who have issues with race, gender, sexuality, nationality, religion, education, political and economic standings. They've created a poisonous environment not only in the junk food media, but also in Washington, DC.

The whistleblower.

These individuals have created liberal retaliation (i.e. Huffington Post, Raw Story, TPM, Daily Kos, MSNBC, Ed Schultz, Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Stephanie Miller, Alan Colmes, and Al Sharpton).

These conservative agitators have made it more difficult for Republicans to reach out to groups they've gravely lost in the previous election.

The conservative agitators blame the junk food media for a "blackout" of this story.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia based abortion provider who is facing some serious charges.

The doctor practiced in an abortion clinic that was considered a horror according to clients and former workers.

The doctor was charged with capital murder in regards to his reckless handling of born children.

Republicans and their conservative allies criticized the rest of the junk food media for "lacking the courage" to expose such a horrible man.

Gosnell on his part singled out Loserville for the numerous death threats and reputation being dragged through the mud.

Gosnell is on trial for first and third degree murder, illegal prescribing of drugs, conspiracy related to corruption, and illegal abortions and related medical malpractice offenses, at his abortion practice.

Gosnell was arrested in January 2011 and charged—along with other crimes and various co-defendant employees—with eight counts of murder resulting from gross medical malpractice in treatment of patients at his clinics. The murder charges related to a patient who died while under his care and seven newborns said to have been killed after being born alive during attempted abortions. Through his lawyer, Gosnell denied the allegations.

The DEA and FBI photos of dead fetus in trash bags.

The charges of murder were recommended by a grand jury against Gosnell and several employees.

CNN reported in March 2011 that prosecutors were considering seeking the death penalty.

Before the trial opened, all defendants apart from Gosnell and one other had already pled guilty to similar charges (including for some, charges of third degree murder); several had testified to "snipping" the spines of babies. One of these, Steven Massof, testified that he had personally done this over a hundred times, describing it as a "standard procedure" at the clinics.

The trial of Gosnell and the last remaining defendant began on March 18, 2013.

In February 2010 under a search warrant by investigators from the FBI and state police, Gosnell's office was raided. The raid was the result of a months-long investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Philadelphia Police Department, and the State's Dangerous Drug-Offender Unit into suspected illegal drug prescription use at the practice. The investigation had also revealed the suspicious death of patient Karnamaya Mongar in 2009, which had in turn brought to light further information about unsanitary operations, use of untrained staff, and use of powerful drugs without proper medical supervision and control.

This was a fetus with its head decapitated.

Gosnell was arrested on January 19, 2011, five days after the certification of the Grand Jury's report. He was charged with eight counts of murder.

Prosecutors allege that he killed seven babies born alive by severing their spinal cords with scissors, and that he was also responsible for the death in 2009 of Karnamaya Mongar, a 41-year-old refugee from Bhutan, who died in his care. Gosnell's wife, Pearl, and eight other suspects were also arrested in connection with the case.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, The Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Office of the Inspector General also sought a 23-count indictment charging Gosnell and seven members of his former staff with drug conspiracy, relating to the practice's illegally prescribing highly-addictive painkillers and sedatives outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.


The third degree murder charge relates to Karnamaya Mongar; according to prosecutors, Gosnell's staff gave the 90-pound woman a lethal dose of anesthesia and painkillers. Gosnell's lawyer asserts that Karnamaya Mongar also had other drugs in her system that did not come from Gosnell's clinic, and that none of the infants were born alive.

The claim was rejected by the Grand Jury, based upon expert testimony that "it was the overdose of Demerol, not some mystery pill, that killed Mrs. Mongar."

The seven other murder charges are all of first degree murder; they relate to babies, whom staff have testified they saw move or cry after complete birth, and whose deaths are alleged to have resulted from subsequent lethal action.

They arise because of the "born alive rule", a principle of common law which stipulates that by default, for legal purposes, personhood arises – and therefore unlawful killing constituting murder becomes possible – immediately upon the victim's being born alive (several US states as well as Federal legislation have more specific laws to protect fetuses and newborn babies, see fetal rights and born alive laws in the United States). Steven Massof, a clinic employee who pleaded guilty to similar charges in 2011, testified that he (Massof) had snipped the spines of more than 100 babies after they had been born alive, and that this was considered "standard procedure" at the clinic; a number of other employees had also testified to the same point.

Leaked images of the dead fetuses and unhealthy work conditions at Gosnell's clinic.

No physical evidence exists for five of the seven cases — charges are based on staff testimony and denied by Gosnell. A photograph exists of the sixth, who allegedly had a gestational age of 30 weeks, and the physical remains were obtained of the seventh.

The Grand Jury report states that "A medical expert with 43 years of experience in performing abortions was appalled. This expert told us, 'I've never heard of it [cutting the spinal cord] being done during an abortion'."

Some in the junk food media are wondering why they didn't cover this?

The Huffington Post reports that the judge tossed three of eight murder charges Tuesday in the high-profile trial of Gosnell. Some of the the babies were born alive at a clinic they dubbed "a house of horrors."

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, still faces the death penalty if convicted on four remaining counts of first-degree murder involving babies he's accused of killing with scissors after they were born alive.

The graphic pictures of aborted fetuses.

Judge Jeffrey Minehart did not explain why he dismissed the three murder counts but apparently felt he had not heard sufficient evidence from prosecutors that those three babies were viable, born alive and then killed. Much of the evidence during the five-week prosecution case has come from the recollections of former staff members, though their testimony was bolstered by graphic photographs of some of the aborted babies.

Prosecutors argued that the babies were viable and that Gosnell and his staff cut the backs of their necks to kill them.

"Why would you cut a baby in the back of the neck unless you were killing it?" Assistant District Attorney Ed Cameron asked.

The defense questioned testimony from staffers who said they had seen babies move, cry or breathe. Defense lawyer Jack McMahon argued that each testified to seeing only one movement or breath.

"These are not the movements of a live child," McMahon said. "There is not one piece – not one – of objective, scientific evidence that anyone was born alive."

The judge also upheld murder charges in a patient's overdose death. Gosnell is charged with third-degree murder in the 2009 death of 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar, a recent refugee to the U.S. who died after an abortion at hiss Women's Medical Society.

McMahon argued that third-degree requires malice, or "conscious disregard" for her life.

"She wasn't treated any differently than any of the other thousands of other people who went through there," McMahon argued Tuesday, in a preview of his likely closing arguments.

Prosecutors might concede that point themselves at closings, and argue that patients were routinely exposed to unsanitary, intentionally reckless conditions at the clinic. Former staffers have testified that patients received heavy sedatives and painkillers from untrained workers while Gosnell was offsite, and were then left in waiting rooms for hours, often unattended, before Gosnell arrived for the late-night surgeries.

Despite that, the workers testified that they had never seen a woman go into distress before Mongar. Yet a 2011 grand jury report alleges that dozens of women were injured at Gosnell's clinic over the past 30 years. Some left with torn wombs or bowels, some with venereal disease contracted through the reuse of non-sterilized equipment, and some left with fetal remains still inside them, the report alleged. And the report blamed Gosnell for an earlier maternal death that was not charged.

Cameron, in defending the Mongar charge, said it stemmed from the circumstances at Gosnell's clinic. They included the repeated medication dosages given by medical assistants; the doctor's absence during most of her two-day visit; and the hour it took to open a locked side door and take her by stretcher to an ambulance.

Graphic.

The defense motions to dismiss the various counts Tuesday offered a preview of closing arguments, which could come within the next week, especially if Gosnell chooses not to testify. A gag order prevents lawyers from disclosing their strategy.

A string of character witnesses testified Tuesday afternoon for Gosnell's co-defendant, Eileen O'Neill. She is charged with three counts of theft for practicing medicine without a license. Minehart dismissed six additional counts of that charge Tuesday.

Eight other former co-workers, including Gosnell's wife, Pearl, have pleaded guilty to charges ranging from third-degree murder to racketeering to performing illegal, late-term abortions.

Minehart upheld charges that Gosnell violated Pennsylvania's abortion laws by performing abortions after 24 weeks and failing to counsel women 24 hours before the procedure.

Gosnell had also been charged with five counts of abuse of a corpse, for removing the feet from aborted fetuses and storing them in specimen jars. McMahon argued that his client did so to keep DNA samples, and Minehart agreed to dismiss those counts.

Many conservatives believe the junk food media is shielding the president, popular entertainers, and those who support progressive causes.

Yeah, I missed it. I didn't have the stomach to cover it. But still, we here at Journal de la Reyna seek justice for the many victims (i.e. mothers) who were abused by this reckless doctor. He gave the extremists in the anti-choice movement more ammunition to make the case against safe and legal providers.

It could inspire many more "right of god" extremists. These individuals are driven with a bible verse and a firearm. These people are now motivated to target others who may eventually be caught doing the type of horrors that landed Gosnell in the situation he's facing.


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Controversial agitator Chalk E. Becker makes his commentary about Gosnell.

Lauryn Hill Bitching About 3 Months In The Iron College!

The official mugshot of entertainer Lauryn Hill. The 37-year old singer will be spending time in the iron college for not paying her taxes. She goes into an epic rant about how the United States Justice System screws over Black people.

She's lucky!

The former Fugee singer could have gotten at least 10 years in the federal joint for deliberately not paying her taxes. The singer will go to the federal joint for a three month stay and a few years of probation.

Lauryn Hill appears as an artist on Sony Music Entertainment.

The entertainer is one of many Black celebrities in the news for blowing money fast. She joins the ranks of Lil' Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Young Buck, Wesley Snipes, R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige and Swizz Beatz as entertainers who have a longstanding issue with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The singer may have to fork over Grammy's, her platinum plaques, her home, car and her trademarks as collateral.

Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actress. Early in her career, she established her reputation as an actress in the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, and then as the front woman of the hip-hop group Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. The album sold over eight million copies and earned five Grammy Awards for Hill, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist.

To date, she has won a total of eight Grammys.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark, N.J. federal court also sentenced the famed rapper and actress to three months of home confinement with electronic monitoring after the prison term. Hill must also serve a year of supervised release and pay a $60,000 fine in addition to paying her tax debt to the IRS.

Hill is a 37-year-old South Orange, N.J. resident who won fame as a member of the Fugees and then launched a solo career that included the Grammy-winning The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill . She pleaded guilty last year in the tax case.

In a courtroom statement to Arleo, Hill said she had always intended to pay the overdue taxes eventually, but found herself unable to raise the money during a period when she had dropped out of the music business.

Hill had faced a maximum sentence of one year each on three counts. Her lawyer, Nathan Hochman, had argued for probation.

Hochman said Hill had paid more than $970,000 to satisfy her tax liabilities.

Last month, Hill used Tumblr to address media reports that stated she'd reached new label deal with Sony Worldwide Entertainment to release music that would help her pay the tax debts. Hill confirmed a deal with Sony but said the reported nature of the deal and dollar amounts involved were inaccurate.

Prosecution records filed in the tax case by the office of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman showed that Hill owned and operated four private corporations in addition to her entertainment career. Royalties from the recording and film industries were Hill's primary form of income, the prosecution document charged.

Hill received more than $1.8 million in income during 2005, 2006 and 2007 but didn't file tax returns during that time. Although her guilty plea specifically related to that three-year period, Fishman said her sentence also took into account additional income and tax losses for 2008 and 2009, when she similarly failed to file tax returns. The sentence also addressed overdue New Jersey state taxes.

In all, federal prosecutors said Hill had earned approximately $2.3 million during the five years and had an unpaid tax total of $1,006,517 before more recent payments.

Hill is tentatively scheduled to begin her prison term July 8. It was not immediately clear where she would serve the sentence.

Hill took to Tumblr to express her outrage about her sentencing.

It has been reported that I signed a new record deal, and that I did this to pay taxes. Yes, I have recently entered into an agreement with Sony Worldwide Entertainment, to launch a new label, on which my new music will be released. And yes, I am working on new music.

I’ve remained silent, after an extensive healing process. This has been a 10+ year battle, for a long time played out behind closed doors, but now in front of the public eye. This is an old conflict between art and commerce… free minds, and minds that are perhaps overly tethered to structure. This is about inequity, and the resulting disenfranchisement caused by it. I’ve been fighting for existential and economic freedom, which means the freedom to create and live without someone threatening, controlling, and/or manipulating the art and the artist, by tying the purse strings.

It took years for me to get out of the ‘parasitic’ dynamic of my youth, and into a deal that better reflects my true contribution as an artist, and (purportedly) gives me the control necessary to create a paradigm suitable for my needs. I have been working towards this for a long time, not just because of my current legal situation, but because I am an artist, I love to create, and I need the proper platform to do so.

The nature of my new business venture, as well as the dollar amount reported, was inaccurate, only a portion of the overall deal. Keep in mind, my past recordings have sold over 50,000,000 units worldwide, earning the label a tremendous amount of money (a fraction of which actually came to me).

Only a completely complicated set of traps, manipulations, and inequitable business arrangements could put someone who has accomplished the things that I have, financially in need of anything. I am one artist who finds value in openly discussing the dynamics within this industry that force artists to compromise or distort themselves and what they do, rather than allowing them to make the music that people need. There are volumes that could (and will) be said.

Limbaugh: Cleveland Kidnappers Are Obama Voters!

He's still bitching and probably hurting the AM dial by his choice words. 

Okay, we know know that Cumulus Radio Networks and Dial Global are expressing frustration with him.

Many national advertising companies refuse to sponsor such a controversial figure.

Yet again proving that he's not going away, King Hippo manages to throw cold water on a very monumental event in Cleveland, Ohio. The controversial agitator manages to "joke" about the kidnappers of three missing women being supporters of President Barack Obama and embracing welfare.

Today on his show, he along with the rest of the junk food media are pondering the five rules of yellow journalism. The junk food media is trying to piece together to how Ariel Castro and his brothers O'Nil and Pedro managed to hide Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight in plain sight!

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were held captive in a Cleveland home. They were found after 10 years of family fears they were dead.

King Hippo running his mouth made the ridiculous comparison to the kidnappers. Yeah, he and I both watched the CBS action series Hawaii Five-0. Ironic this episode was on around the time these women were found.

King Hippo: "But as it so happens, I happened last night to watch Hawaii Five-0 on CBS. Hawaii Five-O‘s premise last night was kidnapped girls held until they were 18 and then let go or killed — well, always killed — by a couple doing it for the welfare benefits."

“Now I don’t know what happened in Cleveland, but I couldn't help but make the connection. I mean, if everybody else in the low-information crowd is going to use what happens on TV for reality, why can’t I?”

“Three brothers, but not related the the three women, have been arrested in Cleveland — which voted Obama. Not that that’s got anything to do with anything!” 

Again, we are witnessing the eventual demise of talk radio. The crown jewel of AM radio is getting older and more crankier. King Hippo is hurting talk radio literally.

Not only liberal agitators suffer from a lack of audience but fresh young conservative agitators are struggling to move into a market as well.

Since the Republicans failed to defeat the president, they're now trying to hurt the legacy. The president was handed major defeats since he was sworn in this year. The Democrats fear the Senate majority is at risk of being in Republican control. Everything the president done since he's been in office has been challenged by the greedy White extremist and their friends the Republican Party. It's not fair but it's politics.

This awful comparison made by King Hippo is crude to say at least. Whether he's joking or not, it's inappropriate for him to do that.

If Lil' Wayne can get pulled from Mountain Dew for a crude rap verse, how come the conservative agitator continues to spit a crude verse without a beat?

Mr. Sanford Goes Back To Washington!

Who said I'm disgraced? - Mark Sanford, representative-elect of South Carolina. He managed to beat Democratic challenger Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert.

The Republicans can blow a sigh of relief.

The 1st Congressional District in South Carolina is going to be a Republican hold.

Former governor Mark Sanford can be called Congressman yet again. The controversial politico managed to beat the Democratic challenger Elizabeth Colbert-Busch in a nail biting race where the Republican National Committee put limited action in it. Sanford rejuvenated his campaign after he made his awkward apology to the constituents. He also mocked Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic congresswoman from California.

Sanford played upon the fears of a Democratic majority and the economic turmoils.

A chance at completing political redemption proved to be fruitful for the politico.

Sanford was best remembered as the governor who took a hike down to see his mistress.

Sanford will return back to the seat he once held back in the late 1990s. He gave up his seat to run for governor. The current governor of South Carolina, Republican Nikki Haley ordered a special election for the seat after she nominated Black Republican Tim Scott to become the U.S. Senator. Scott replaced Jim DeMint as the senator of the state. He signals he'll run for a full term.

Even though he didn't get help from his former staffers and ex-wife Jenny, Sanford can rest easy tonight knowing that the people of South Carolina are forgiving him for his past sins.

And even though Republican influence was limited to this race, the conservatives came out for the Midterm election whereas the liberals stayed at home

Colbert-Busch is the sister of entertainer Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central.

The Democrats thought they could pull an upset in a seat that is considered politically impossible.

The 1st Congressional District is 18+ more Republican according to the Cook Report.

Elizabeth Colbert-Busch fought a hard race against a formidable and yet controversial politico. 

Sanford, who served as governor of the Palmetto State from 2003 to 2011, defeated businesswoman Elizabeth Colbert Busch. Sanford had said Tuesday that if he did not win, he would not run for office again, the Associated Press reported.

Of course, the Representative-Elect will be signaled as potentially corrupt by the Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington.

So Republicans, you're newest member is a former. Welcome to the fold Mark Sanford. Hope your problems will become the Republicans problems.

Details Emerge About Missing Women In Cleveland!

Found. Amanda Berry busted out of kidnapper's home and call the police. The woman along with two others were found in a Cleveland home. The FBI and Cleveland Police are investigating three men who held these women captive for over a decade.

The FBI and Cleveland Police are investigating three individuals involved in a kidnapping of long forgotten teenage girls who became captives.

The junk food media finally pays attention to the abduction of two teens who were missing for over a decade. The media had long forgotten about Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus for the Aruba incident.

Nonstop wall-to-wall coverage of Natalee Holloway and the suspect Joran Van der Sloot kept the media busy. It helped ambulance chasers Nancy Grace, Greta Van Susteren, Rita Cosby and Geraldo Rivera in the spotlight. They were investing their time worrying about this story more than a two young girls missing in Cleveland.

Today the news of the bold actions Amanda Berry (and her daughter) are being the talk of the nation. Berry along with the two other women were freed from captivity by a good samaritan.

Charles Ramsey on the act of cautious fear helped Berry, DeJesus and Michelle Knight escape from their horrible ordeal. Over 10 years of being missing, the young women were hid in plain sight.

Ohio governor John Kasich, President Barack Obama and Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson were informed about this during the night.

There will be a press conference to detail what happen. 52-year-old Ariel Castro and two of his brothers are being held in Cuyahoga County lock-up in regards to their involvement. Castro appears to be a former school bus driver.

Ariel Castro, the kidnapper.

This type of incident will assure they'll face federal charges. The FBI will interview the woman and get the information necessary to put those horrible individuals in the iron college for life.

It's a rarity that missing children are found alive especially after years of being missing.

The most famous missing women were Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugrad. Smart was kidnapped from her home and found at least nine months later. Smart went on to become a victim's rights advocate and a married woman. Dugard was kidnapped for over 10 years and had children with her captor.

Initially, thoughts of death were in the minds of the family. But hope wasn't lost.

The Plain Dealer reports, Berry called police Monday afternoon and frantically told a dispatcher that she was alive and free after being kidnapped 10 years ago and held captive in a house on Seymour Avenue.

"We've confirmed it's them," a Cleveland detective said. "They are alive and safe." Police have scheduled a news conference for 9 a.m. today.

Berry, now 27, DeJesus, 23, and Knight, 30, were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center. The FBI and police will interview the women, the detective said.

DeJesus, missing for nine years, and Knight, missing for 11 years, were with her.

Police arrested three brothers, ages 50, 52 and 54. Police did not release names.

But neighbors said one of them is the owner of the house, Ariel Castro, 52, a Cleveland school bus driver until last November who had lived in the two-story house since 1992. Records show he was arrested for domestic violence in 1993, but a grand jury declined to indict him.

Police were searching the house and yard Monday night and into this morning.

Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were found alive in a Cleveland home. Rarely missing children are found alive after being missing for years. They were held captive in a home located near downtown Cleveland.

Berry was the first to get out of the house, escaping through a broken door. A child came out behind her. Police then came and rescued the other two women, who were taken to the hospital. It wasn't immediately known who the child was.

Dr. Gerald Maloney, emergency room doctor at MetroHealth, said in a news conference Monday night that the three women were in fair condition.

"They are able to speak, they are safe, and hospital staff are assessing their needs and evaluating if they will spend the night," he said. "This is good. This is not the ending we usually see from these stories."

Knight, who was 19 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen at a cousin's house near West 106th Street and Lorain Avenue on Aug. 23, 2002.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson released a statement Monday expressing gratitude that the three women were found alive.

"We have many unanswered questions regarding this case, and the investigation will be ongoing," Jackson wrote.

Outside of MetroHealth, a large crowd awaited word on the women's condition.

Berry's cousin, Tasheena Mitchell, 26, who was 16 years old when Berry disappeared, said her brother had called to tell her the news that Berry is alive. But she said she received it skeptically, having had her hopes dashed by false reports in the past.

"She was my best friend," Mitchell said.

A friend interrupted her, "She's alive. She is your best friend."

"You're right," Mitchell continued. "She is my best friend. I'm so nervous. I'm so excited. They won't let me inside. But I will stay here all night if I have to."

Drivers passing the hospital and the neighborhood honked their car horns in support, while police protected the rescued women's relatives from a crush of TV news cameras and reporters.

Many in the crowd hugged and cried.

"They don't find people who go missing, you know," said Kayla Rogers, 23, who waited at the hospital for news of her friend. She attended Almira Elementary and Wilbur Wright Middle School with DeJesus. "I'm at a loss for words."

Rogers said she only attended one vigil over the years because it was too painful.

The home of the kidnapper. Seymour Avenue was quiet until Monday.

As the crowd grew outside of Castro's house, details about the mysterious resident circulated.

Jannette Gomez, 50, who often visits family and friends on the street, said Castro would park his motorcycle and red pickup truck behind the house, lock the gate and enter the house through a back door.

Occasionally, he would turn on a dim porch light, but the house was always dark, Gomez said. Shades blocked the windows, and at least one window was boarded up.

Gomez said he never had much to say, she said. He would say 'Hi' back, but there was never much conversation.

Castro's uncle, Julio Castro, who owns a store called Caribe at the corner of West 25th Street and Seymour, said he had mixed emotions about the discovery.

"For me, it's bad on one side and good on the other side."

Julio Castro said his nephew used to play bass in various bands that performed at a local club once owned by DeJesus' uncle. He said he believes his nephew knew the family from the club and the neighborhood.

Charlie Czorba, a Caribe customer who lives on Seymour, said he was stunned by how long the women had lived at the house undetected.

"This is our own backyard," he said. "These girls were locked up in our own backyard."

Another neighbor, Victor Pratts, who has lived on the street for about 25 years, said Ariel Castro would occasionally come out and ride a four-wheeler with him. But Pratts said he never saw any of the three women enter or exit the house.

Aurora Marti, 75, who lives across the street from Castro, said she was sitting on her neighbor's front porch talking Monday evening when an arm reached out of the front door at Castro's house.

"She was waving her arm and saying, 'Help me! Help me!' " Marti recalled through her daughter, who translated from her mother's Spanish.

The captive woman identified herself as Amanda Berry and said she was kidnapped 10 years ago.

Neighbor Charles Ramsey said he also heard a girl screaming, "Help, help me out." He said the girl looked familiar. He said he called 9-1-1.

Ramsey said Castro took off running while Ramsey kicked and broke the bottom of a door, allowing Berry to crawl out.

Police arrested Castro at a nearby McDonald's restaurant and brought the other two women out of the house, witnesses said.

Ramsey said he knew Castro, had even eaten ribs with him -- and had no idea the women or the child was in the house.

A relieved hero, Charles Ramsey gives a color interview about his role in saving kidnapped women.

"We never thought that man would do anything to anybody," Pratts said. "He was a bus driver."

Mike Iwais, a longtime resident in the neighborhood, lives in a house just a parking lot away -- about 200 feet -- from Castro's house.

"I used to see him walking around all the time," he said. "But I never saw nothing crazy. This is unbelievable. It's a miracle they found him, and it's a miracle those girls are alive. It's a blessing from God."

Michelle Knight's grandmother, Deborah Knight, said she had not yet heard from police but was waiting for some kind of verification that one of the women is really her granddaughter. Although Michelle Knight was reported missing more than a decade ago, family members concluded that she probably left on her own because she was angry that her son was removed from her custody, the grandmother said. She said her daughter believed she had last seen Michelle Knight several years ago in a van with an older man at a shopping plaza on West 117th Street.

A June 2004 story that appeared in the Plain Press, a West Side neighborhood newspaper, was written by someone named Ariel Castro and described the community's anxiety since the disappearance of DeJesus and Berry. A Plain Press spokesman said the Ariel Castro who wrote for the publication was a journalism student whose relationship to the man in custody is not known.

The author interviewed DeJesus' mother, Nancy Ruiz, and a group of parents waiting for their children to be released from Wilbur Wright Middle School. They spoke of the need for greater security and the fear that had settled upon the neighborhood.

"For seven weeks, Gina's family has been organizing searches, holding prayer vigils, posting fliers and calling press conferences," Castro wrote. "Despite the many tips and rumors that have been circulating in the neighborhood, there has been no sign of her. One thing is for certain, however. Almost everyone feels a connection with the family, and Gina's disappearance has the whole area talking."

Rachel Dissell and Peter Krouse contributed to this story. There will be updates on this.

The videos are explicit and we express discretion in this. Amanda Berry and hero Charles Ramsey call 911 and there will be explicit language from both.


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BREAKING: Missing Cleveland Women Held Captive Freed!

Found alive with two other women. Gina DeJesus and two other woman were held captive by individual.

THIS IS A BREAKING EVENT! WE HERE AT JOURNAL DE LE REYNA SEND OUR PRAYERS TO THE THREE YOUNG WOMEN WHO WERE KIDNAPPED BY THIS INDIVIDUAL. WE SEEK JUSTICE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL INVOLVED IN THIS KIDNAPPING. WE WILL STAY ON THIS EVENT AS MORE DETAILS EMERGE! 

Three women who were once teenagers apparently turned up alive in Cleveland, Ohio. The alleged kidnapper was arrested.

The FBI and Cleveland Police were looking for these young women for years.

This news comes to over ten years of hope being lost and the possibility these women would be found dead.

This amazing news will travel and of course, we'll be covering this here at Journal de la Reyna.

CNN reports that Amanda Berry one of the victims busted out of the kidnapper's home and called the police.

The break the FBI and Cleveland Police needed came today.

Three women who went missing years ago in separate cases have been found together Monday in Cleveland, Ohio, police said.

One of the women called 911 after breaking out of the house where she had been living.

Amanda Berry.

"Help me, I am Amanda Berry," she said, her voice distraught and quick, according to an audio recording of the call released Monday night. "I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for 10 years. And I'm here and I'm free now."

Another 911 call came in less than a minute later from a man who saw Berry busting out of the house.

"She's like, 'This (expletive) kidnapped me and my daughter,'" Charles Ramsey told 911.

A 52-year-old man has been arrested, Cleveland police said on their website. Brian Cummins, a councilman who represents the area where the women were found, said the suspect's name is Ariel Castro.

Cleveland Police found missing women.

The three women are in fair condition, Gerald Maloney, an emergency department physician at Metro Health Medical Center, said Monday night.

"I am thankful that Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight have been found alive," Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said. "We have many unanswered questions regarding this case and the investigation will be ongoing. Again, I am thankful that these three young ladies are found and alive."

Angie Garcia, whose aunt lives across the street from where the women were found, said Berry ran over to the house Monday and begged to use the phone. Berry, who was carrying a child, told the aunt who she was and then asked to use the phone to call 911.

The women and another young child came out of the house across the street, Garcia said.

"We never saw the girls there and we were always outside," she said. "We only saw the guy."

Berry and DeJesus were in their teens when they disappeared in 2003 and 2004, CNN affiliate WEWS reported. Knight went missing in 2002, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.