Saturday, July 20, 2024

International Court Of Justice Rules Israel Acted Illegal With West Bank Settlements!

Israel will continue to defy the rule of law. The next steps after the International Court of Justice ruling is UN-imposed sanctions and countries starting an economic boycott.

The apartheid ethnostate of Israel will continue to build settlements despite the International Court of Justice making the landmark ruling saying that it occupation is illegal and it must come to an end now. 

There are calls to ban Israel from the Summer Olympics.

U.S. lawmakers react to it as well.

More on that later.

Israel has been engaging in a genocide in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. It also trying to instigate the United States to engage conflict in Iran. In the very same matter of U.S. involvement in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, it is for the interest of Israel.

Israel has been the main problem in the Middle East. 

Before the court decision, the Knesset unilaterally voted against a two state solution.

The decision to oppose the Palestinian state shows the world that Israel never intended on working on a peace deal. They never supported reparations or the UN resolution for the right of return. They had promoted a neo fascist agenda masquerading as victimhood.

Now this is as close to Israel being deemed a rogue state. That means countries could impose travel bans or sever economic ties to Israel. It leaves on the U.S. and Great Britain as the only powers to side with Israel. The Brits are closer to cutting Israel off.

Separate and totally unequal. Israel continues to build illegal settlements despite numerous warnings and it is inching the world towards global war.

Biden could win if he finally severs ties with Israel.

President Joe Biden, former president Donald J. Trump, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and most of Congress are still riding this train to disaster. Israel is still lobbying against lawmakers and presidential candidates who oppose their will. 

Israel is rooting for Trump. With Trump in the White House, he will allow Israel to implicate the Greater project as well as Project 2025. 

Israel will continue to annex land and lethally force Palestinian, Syrians, Lebanese and even Iraqis out. Then they could use nuclear weapons to force a regime change in Iran.

Republicans and Democrats will complain about the ICJ and ICC, but it's all bluster. 

Like the racist victim of the Trump assassination attempt Corey Comperatore said, "they'll get over it. The Japanese did."

That is the rhetoric of idiots. Comperatore died last Saturday when a gunman tried to assassinate Trump. Now the former president is exploiting his near death and Israel is giving it a signal boast to the incident through X, Truth Social, Facebook and YouTube.

Friday's decision on Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and called on it to end, and for settlement construction to stop immediately, issuing an unprecedented, sweeping condemnation of Israel’s rule over the lands it captured 57 years ago.

Trump also threatened war of the hostages (all likely dead) aren't returned to Israel.

Our American taxpayer money funds these acts committed by Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly denounced the nonbinding opinion issued by the 15-judge panel of the International Court of Justice, saying the territories are part of the Jewish people’s historic homeland. But the resounding breadth of the decision could impact international opinion and fuel moves for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.

The judges pointed to a wide list of policies, including the building and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, use of the area’s natural resources, the annexation and imposition of permanent control over lands and discriminatory policies against Palestinians, all of which it said violated international law.

The court said Israel had no right to sovereignty in the territories, was violating international laws against acquiring territory by force and was impeding Palestinians’ right to self-determination. It said other nations were obliged not to “render aid or assistance in maintaining” Israel’s presence in the territories. It said Israel must end settlement construction immediately and that existing settlements must be removed, according to a summary of the more than 80-page opinion read out by court President Nawaf Salam.

Israel’s “abuse of its status as the occupying power” renders its “presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful,” the court said, saying its presence must be ended as “rapidly as possible.”

The court’s opinion, sought by the U.N. General Assembly after a Palestinian request, came against the backdrop of Israel’s devastating military assault on Gaza, which was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7. In a separate case, the International Court of Justice is considering a South African claim that Israel’s campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide, a claim that Israel vehemently denies.

An IDF soldier breaks a child's arm.

The court said the General Assembly and Security Council — where staunch Israeli ally the United States holds a veto — should consider “the precise modalities” to end Israel’s presence in the territories.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will promptly transmit the advisory opinion to the 193-member world body and “it is for the General Assembly to decide how to proceed in the matter,” U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

The secretary-general reiterates his call for Israel and the Palestinians to engage “on the long-delayed political path towards ending the occupation and resolving the conflict in line with international law, relevant U.N. resolutions and bilateral agreements,” the spokesperson said.

Guterres also stressed that a two-state solution is “the only viable path” to seeing Israel and “a fully independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian state” living side by side in peace and security, Haq said.

Israel, which normally considers the United Nations and international tribunals as unfair and biased, didn’t send a legal team to the hearings. Instead, it submitted written comments, saying that the questions put to the court are prejudiced and fail to address Israeli security concerns. Israeli officials have said the court’s intervention could undermine the peace process, which has been stagnant for more than a decade.

“The Jewish people are not conquerors in their own land — not in our eternal capital Jerusalem and not in the land of our ancestors in Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office, using the biblical terms for the West Bank. “No false decision in The Hague will distort this historical truth and likewise the legality of Israeli settlement in all the territories of our homeland cannot be contested.”

This is how they treat children.

Speaking outside the court, Riad Malki, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, called the opinion “a watershed moment for Palestine, for justice and for international law.”

He said other nations must now “uphold the clear obligations” outlined by the court. “No actions of any kind … to support Israel’s illegal occupation.”

Hamas welcomed the court’s decision and said in a statement that “serious steps on the ground” need to be taken in response.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three areas for an independent state.

Israel considers the West Bank to be disputed territory, the future of which should be decided in negotiations, while it has moved populations there in settlements to solidify its hold. It has annexed east Jerusalem in a move that isn’t internationally recognized, while it withdrew from Gaza in 2005 but maintained a blockade of the territory after Hamas took power in 2007. The international community generally considers all three areas to be occupied territory.

The court’s decision strikes at the heart of the ambiguity of Israel’s administration of the territories. Israel hasn’t annexed the West Bank — though settler groups have pressed it to do so — but it calls it part of its homeland and has effectively treated it as an extension of the nation. Along with the settlements, it has appropriated large swaths of the territory as “state lands.” At the same time, Netanyahu’s government has repeatedly rejected the creation of any Palestinian state. Abbas’ Palestinian Authority has been restricted to control over divided enclaves scattered around the West Bank.

The Palestinians presented arguments at hearings in February, along with 49 other nations and three international organizations. In the hearings, Malki accused Israel of apartheid and urged the United Nations’ top court to declare that Israel’s occupation of lands sought by the Palestinians is illegal and must end immediately and unconditionally for any hope for a two-state future to survive.

Erwin van Veen, a senior research fellow at the Clingendael think tank in The Hague, said before the decision that a ruling that Israel’s policies breach international law would “isolate Israel further internationally, at least from a legal point of view.”

He said such a ruling would remove “any kind of legal, political, philosophical underpinning of the Israeli expansion project.” It could also increase the number of countries that recognize a Palestinian state, in particular in the Western world, following the recent example of Spain, Norway and Ireland, he said.

It’s not the first time the ICJ has been asked to give its legal opinion on Israeli policies. Two decades ago, the court ruled that Israel’s West Bank separation barrier was “contrary to international law.” Israel boycotted those proceedings, saying they were politically motivated.

Israel says the barrier is a security measure. Palestinians say the structure amounts to a massive land grab, because it frequently dips into the West Bank.

The court said that Israel’s construction of settlements in the West Bank violated international laws prohibiting countries from moving their population into territories they occupy.

Israel has built well over 100 settlements, according to the anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now. The West Bank settler population has grown by more than 15% in the past five years to more than 500,000 Israelis, according to a pro-settler group. Their residents are Israeli citizens governed by domestic law and served by government ministries, services, banks and other businesses — effectively integrating them into Israel.

Israel also has annexed east Jerusalem and considers the entire city to be its capital. An additional 200,000 Israelis live in settlements built in east Jerusalem that Israel considers to be neighborhoods of its capital. Palestinian residents of the city face systematic discrimination, making it difficult for them to build new homes or expand existing ones.

The international community considers all settlements to be illegal or obstacles to peace since they are built on lands sought by the Palestinians for their state.

The IDF has raped girls and women.

Israel has built well over 100 settlements, according to the anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now. The West Bank settler population has grown by more than 15% in the past five years to more than 500,000 Israelis, according to a pro-settler group. Their residents are Israeli citizens governed by domestic law and served by government ministries, services, banks and other businesses — effectively integrating them into Israel.

Israel also has annexed east Jerusalem and considers the entire city to be its capital. An additional 200,000 Israelis live in settlements built in east Jerusalem that Israel considers to be neighborhoods of its capital. Palestinian residents of the city face systematic discrimination, making it difficult for them to build new homes or expand existing ones.

The international community considers all settlements to be illegal or obstacles to peace since they are built on lands sought by the Palestinians for their state.

Netanyahu’s hard-line government is dominated by settlers and their political supporters. Netanyahu has given his Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, a former settler leader, unprecedented authority over settlement policy. Smotrich has used this position to cement Israel’s control over the West Bank by pushing forward plans to build more settlement homes and to legalize outposts.

Sheila Jackson Lee Passed Away!

Democrat lawmaker Sheila Jackson Lee passed away from pancreatic cancer.

Texas lawmaker and controversial figure Sheila Jackson Lee has passed away.

President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and the Congressional Black Caucus will react to the passing of a trailblazing Black woman. 

The longtime Houston area Democrat has passed away at the age of 74. She was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.

Jackson Lee, a progressive lawmaker (supportive of Israel) recently ran for Houston mayor but was eliminated from race. Now Greg Abbott will likely issue a special election which will co-exist with the general election.

The district is safe Democrat.

However, AIPAC will find a candidate to take on any Democratic candidate who opposes Israel. Watch for it. It is expected that the candidate who is likely in the running is Sylvester Turner, the former mayor of Houston.

The district includes most of central Houston. She was a member of the Democratic Party and served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council before being elected to the House. She was also co-dean of Texas's congressional delegation.

Born in Queens, New York, Jackson Lee graduated from Yale University in 1972 and the University of Virginia School of Law in 1975. In 1987, after she had moved to Houston, she was appointed as a municipal judge for the city by Kathy Whitmire. In 1989, Jackson Lee was elected to the Houston City Council. She served in the office until 1994 when she began a campaign for Congress. In the Democratic primary, she defeated incumbent Craig Washington and went on to easily win the general election.
During her congressional tenure, Jackson Lee was a supporter of many progressive policies. She introduced the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act in 2013 and the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act in 2021. In 2019, Jackson Lee stepped down as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and a subcommittee in the House Judiciary after a lawsuit filed by a former staffer claimed she was fired due to planned legal action against an alleged rape by a supervisor. She was one of the sponsors of legislation to establish Juneteenth as a national holiday, frequently spoke out against police brutality and advocated federal legislation to prosecute police misconduct.

Jackson Lee announced her candidacy for the 2023 Houston mayoral election in March of that year. In the first round, she placed second behind state senator John Whitmire. However, as no candidate crossed the 50% threshold to win outright, a runoff election occurred on December 9, 2023. Despite several key endorsements, Jackson Lee lost the election in a landslide to Whitmire. On December 11, she filed to run for re-election to her congressional seat and won the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024.

Jackson Lee was born Sheila Jackson in Queens, New York. Her father, Ezra Clyde Jackson, who was born in Brooklyn, was a comic book artist and the son of Jamaican immigrants. Her mother, Ivalita Bennett Jackson, was a nurse, and came to New York at an early age from her birthplace of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Jackson Lee graduated from Jamaica High School in Queens. She earned a B.A. in political science from Yale University in 1972 and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1975.

Jackson Lee moved to Houston when her husband, Elwyn Lee, accepted a position at the University of Houston. She made three unsuccessful attempts at local judgeships before becoming a Houston, Texas municipal judge from 1987 to 1990. Along with Sylvia Garcia, Jackson Lee was appointed by then Mayor of Houston Kathy Whitmire.

In 1989, Jackson Lee won the at-large position for a seat on the Houston City Council, serving until 1994. On the city council, she helped pass a safety ordinance that required parents to keep their guns away from children. She also worked for expanded summer hours at city parks and recreation centers as a way to combat gang violence.

Her staff posted her final message before her passing. She told Democrats to get behind Biden and unite against former president Donald J. Trump and Republicans.

Friday, July 19, 2024

Tan DaGod Passed Away!

Tan DaGod was shot and killed at a beauty supply store while doing autographs.

An upcoming rapper was murdered this past Saturday. Her promotion of Black businesses and also showing solidarity to a city that often targeted by gun violence and far right hate.

The mayor of Oakland, California is under federal watch and a recall initiative is happening.

Sheng Thao is facing mounting pressure to resign. The Democratic mayor who served since 2023 is under federal watch for allegations of bribery and corruption.

Thao denies all the allegations.

Again, Democrats hold their members accountable. They are calling for her, Sen. Bob Menendez (I-NJ) and even President Joe Biden to resign. Biden only because of a terrible debate performance and allegations of cognitive decline. They are scared of a Black woman being the President of the United States. That's Vice President Kamala Harris.

Anyway, Tan DaGod was shot and killed outside a beauty supply shop in Oakland.

Alliauna Green, 27 was a Bay area MC shared a video with her thousands of followers on Instagram right before her death that seemed to show her having a great time. According to reports, she was shot after getting into a verbal altercation with a separate individual who was not the shooter.

The Oakland Police Department says they are still working to identify the shooter.

Family and friends gathered outside Glamor Beauty Supply in Oakland on Sunday. Many were in tears as they paid tribute to local female rapper and entrepreneur Tan DaGod.

Tan DaGod was celebrating the opening a Black business.

They confirmed to KRON4 that she was shot and killed at a grand opening event for the beauty store on Saturday. Tan posted on Instagram to her nearly 20,000 followers just before the shooting.

Tan also promoted the event a week before saying she would be at Glamor Beauty for a meet-and-greet. Shots rang out at the strip mall on 40th Street and Telegraph Avenue around 5 p.m. People ran into this donut shop to take cover.

A man who works there, who did not want to be identified, described the chaotic scene.

“I heard some shooting I thought it was part of their music,” he said.

Oakland police say when they arrived, paramedics found one gunshot victim who died at the hospital. Another gunshot victim arrived at a nearby hospital sometime later.

Police say that person is expected to be okay. They are still working to identify the shooter. As of Sunday evening, no arrests have been made.

A man who works at a Korean restaurant nearby witnessed the shooting.

Bay area rapper and philanthropist Mistah F.A.B. posted about the shooting saying he was booked to be at the same event but “God had different plans.”

He also posted saying he would always remember Tan as a hustling go-getter with a world of ambition, drive and courage.

The U.S. Congress is by far the most laziest in modern history. They are willing to take away freedoms when it comes to using phones, protesting, driving, women's rights, voting rights and social media. When it comes to an actual threat to safety, say firearms, they refuse to pass even meaningful legislation to curb it.

Far right lawmakers like Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) will hop on social media talking about it but not doing a damn thing to stop it. 

To all the Black firearm owners who support the Second Amendment or former president Donald J. Trump in the 2024 presidential race, I just want to say...

"YOU'RE GONNA BE SHOT BY POLICE TOO!"

The National Rifle Association never reacts to lawful exercise of firearm use when a Black, Hispanic, Arab, Muslim, Indigenous, LGBTQ or underage teen of color is carrying them.

It is automatic dehumanizing from the far right, police unions and the junk food media.

When white men, women or even some Asians are carrying firearms, the NRA is often parading them around like they're heroes and protectors of freedom.

In about 45 states, I believe it is lawful for you to walk down a street with a firearm.

If you're a Black man walking down the street with a firearm, the random 911 call or the visual spotting from a police officer merits an automatic drawl of a service weapon.

Police officers within seconds are either shooting or premeditated an excuse to use force.

The unions back up their claims of "fearing for their lives" despite the perpetrator not even firing a round. Given that the junk food media loves to paint the aggressor as the victim, the police officer is given the benefit of doubt. The person police shot usually do not get any ounce of doubt. A mugshot of a suspect or a picture of a person posing with money or firearms automatically draws far right conclusions to justification of force.

Even fleeing from police with a firearm and not even pointing at them results in police shootings. 

Nothing is safe.

If a person does survive, the state still charges the person for a crime despite the state allowing open carry and lawful possession.

So I just want to say that the Second Amendment is White, period.

A bullet does not care about color. We all bleed red and so many lives are lost to gun violence and Republicans offer no solutions other than "thoughts and prayers" with a touch of "lock em up."

Gun violence is the number one threat in the United States.

I dismiss this ridiculous notion that criminals are the problem, not the guns. Firearms are often obtained through legal purchases. 

Again, having more security, teachers being armed and offering safe rooms are not solving the problem. The problem is lawmakers not willing to stop gun violence.

According to the far rightWhite shooters are mentally ill. Black shooters are unrepentant thugs and criminals. Gay shooters are active groomers. Muslim shooters are terrorists. Hispanic and Asian shooters are illegal immigrants. According to the far right, almost all mass shooters are registered Democrats because they have liked or done one thing common to the left. Of course, they often share disinformation by using the "Sam Hyde" meme or make bogus social media platforms with the shooter's image as a way to denounce most mass shooters being white or associated with conservative causes. They say a white person should "protect" themselves from protesters and use of firearms are "justified" if they come to a protest to instigate conflict. They say if a shooter is active military or a veteran who supports conservative causes, they are considered a "heroes" and use of firearms are justified. If the shooters are teens, the far right automatically assume the gunmen are Black.

The Republicans usually amplify white victims. Anytime a person of color kills a white victim, it is often wall-to-wall coverage on Fox, Twitter and they force it into national news. They make the case to blame Black Lives Matter, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Democrats, Rev. Al Sharpton and rap music for Black on whatever violence. Republican lawmakers who do not live in urban neighborhoods often troll social media to talk about gun violence or crime in Chicago, Baltimore, Milwaukee and New York City while not doing a damn thing to stop it. If a white person shoots a Black person, the shooter is given the benefit of doubt. White shooters are given glowing profiles about their perfect lives and how friends noticed something but refused to do something. When it comes to Black shooters, automatic vilification. They don't see mental illness. They see it as gang violence, allegedly fatherless homes, Democratic policies or the need for more firearms. The far right and Republicans exploit gun violence in the Black community for culture wars and racism.

Some are claiming that her mocking the death of an ex-boyfriend led to the shooting.

So in closing, expect more.

The website Officer Down is a memorial to those police officers who were killed in the line of duty. Those victims who don't get their names or accomplishments mentioned in the junk food media. Also the website the National Gun Violence Memorial also keeps record of the many individuals killed by gun violence. We are tracking police violence as well. 

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or 988, or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). Both services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact the Lifeline via TTY at 1-800-799-4889. All calls are confidential. Contact social media outlets directly if you are concerned about a friend’s social media updates or dial 911 in an emergency. Learn more on the Lifeline’s website or the Crisis Text Line’s website.

The call number to the White House and U.S. Capitol is now going to be used. This is the official White House numbers 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414. This is the Congress official phone number, 202-224-3121. Please be respectful to operators, staff members and elected leaders. Your calls are monitored by the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police. 

Let them know that "thoughts and prayers," "hearts going to" and "good guys with guns" are no longer acceptable and you want legislation to curb gun violence. Let them know that we are tired of police officers using immunity when committing death of suspects in custody. Let them know that you are tired of private equity firms getting away with destroying small businesses and long established companies. Let them know that you are tired of your taxpayer money going to foreign nations like Israel. Let them know you are very tired of your lawmakers embarrassing themselves in the media. You are tired of your lawmakers always being outside their district or state. You elected them to serve their districts and state, not travel across the country or to foreign countries on your taxpayer dollars. You are tired of hearing about "Israel having a right to..." and the bogus claims of being anti-semitic or in support of terrorism. You want an immediate ceasefire and accountability for war crimes done by Israel. You want no more foreign influence in American elections. You also want to make sure future presidents and lawmakers avoid influence from lobbyists.

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Lou Dobbs Passed Away!

Birther Lou Dobbs passed away.

Former Fox and CNN business media agitator Lou Dobbs passed away. I guess President Joe Biden outlasted the far right agitator. Dobbs was a conspiracy theorist and extremist. He was staunchly anti immigration, a birther who demanded Barack Obama release his birth certificate, relishing in Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden health conspiracies. He attacked Kamala Harris for being a Black woman. He will be regarded like Rush Limbaugh.

A veteran cable TV host who was a founding anchor for CNN and later was a nightly presence on Fox Business Network for more than a decade, has died. He was 78.

His death was announced Thursday in a post on his official X account, which called him a “fighter till the very end – fighting for what mattered to him the most, God, his family and the country.” No cause of death was given.

“Lou’s legacy will forever live on as a patriot and a great American. We ask for your prayers for Lou’s wonderful wife Debi, children and grandchildren,” the post said.

He hosted “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on Fox Business from 2011 to 2021, following two separate stints at CNN.

Fox News Media said in a statement that the network was saddened by Dobbs’ passing.

“An incredible business mind with a gift for broadcasting, Lou helped pioneer cable news into a successful and influential industry,” the statement said. “We are immensely grateful for his many contributions and send our heartfelt condolences to his family.”

Dobbs was an early and vocal supporter of Donald Trump during his candidacy for the White House and throughout his presidency. After his death was announced Thursday, Trump wrote on his media platform Truth Social that Dobbs was a friend and a “truly incredible Journalist, Reporter, and Talent.”

“He understood the World, and what was ‘happening,’ better than others. Lou was unique in so many ways, and loved our Country. Our warmest condolences to his wonderful wife, Debi, and family. He will be greatly missed!” Trump wrote on the platform.

Dobbs was named in a lawsuit against Fox News by Dominion Voting systems over lies told on the network about the 2020 presidential election. A mediator in 2023 pushed the two sides toward a $787 million settlement, averting a trial. A mountain of evidence — some damning, some merely embarrassing — showed many Fox executives and on-air talent didn’t believe allegations aired mostly on shows hosted by Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro. At the time, they feared angering Trump fans in the audience with the truth.

Dobbs spent more than two decades at CNN, joining at its launch in 1980 and hosting the program “Moneyline.” He left CNN in 2009 to help media mogul Rupert Murdoch launch Fox Business.

“Lou was one of the CNN originals, who helped launch and shape the network. We are saddened to hear about his passing and extend our sincerest condolences to his wife Debi, children and his family,” CNN said in a statement.

When he joined Fox, he said he considered himself the underdog. A few years later his show was highly rated and he was a key figure on the right-leaning network.

“We’ll focus on the American people, their standard of living ... the American nation,” he said about his show in 2011. “Those are always my starting points.”

Dobbs’ Fox show was titled “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” the same as the one he left in 2009 after an awkward last few years at CNN. Once the most visible television business journalist with his “Moneyline” show in the 1990s, Dobbs made CNN management uneasy as he grew more opinionated and drew angry protests from Latinos for his emphasis on curbing illegal immigration.

Dobbs dove into the complex public policy and economic issues that drive society.

Dobbs said he always wanted to be straight with his viewers about his own views on issues.

“My audience has always expected me to tell them where I’m coming from, and I don’t see any reason to disappoint them,” he said in 2011.

Bob Newhart Passed Away!

Bob Newhart has passed away.

Legendary actor, comedian and writer Bob Newhart has passed away at the age of 94.

Growing up as an 80s baby, I remember the CBS sitcom Newhart. The series involves Bob running a bed and breakfast inn in Vermont and he is dealing with a zany cast of characters. Even in the final season, the showrunners put a plot twist in the series finale by incorporating The Bob Newhart Show into Newhart.

Newhart, the deadpan accountant-turned-comedian who became one of the most popular TV stars of his time after striking gold with a classic comedy album, has died at 94.

Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, says the actor died Thursday in Los Angeles after a series of short illnesses.

Newhart, best remembered now as the star of two hit television shows of the 1970s and 1980s that bore his name, launched his career as a standup comic in the late 1950s. He gained nationwide fame when his routine was captured on vinyl in 1960 as “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” which went on to win a Grammy Award as album of the year.

While other comedians of the time, including Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Alan King, and Mike Nichols and Elaine May, frequently got laughs with their aggressive attacks on modern mores, Newhart was an anomaly. His outlook was modern, but he rarely raised his voice above a hesitant, almost stammering delivery. His only prop was a telephone, used to pretend to hold a conversation with someone on the other end of the line.

In one memorable skit, he portrayed a Madison Avenue image-maker trying to instruct Abraham Lincoln on how to improve the Gettysburg Address: “Say 87 years ago instead of fourscore and seven,” he advised.

Another favorite was “Merchandising the Wright Brothers,” in which he tried to persuade the aviation pioneers to start an airline, although he acknowledged the distance of their maiden flight could limit them.

“Well, see, that’s going to hurt our time to the Coast if we’ve got to land every 105 feet.”

Newhart was initially wary of signing on to a weekly TV series, fearing it would overexpose his material. Nevertheless, he accepted an attractive offer from NBC, and “The Bob Newhart Show” premiered on Oct. 11, 1961. Despite Emmy and Peabody awards, the half-hour variety show was canceled after one season, a source for jokes by Newhart for decades after.

He waited 10 years before undertaking another “Bob Newhart Show” in 1972. This one was a situation comedy with Newhart playing a Chicago psychologist living in a penthouse with his schoolteacher wife, Suzanne Pleshette. Their neighbors and his patients, notably Bill Daily as an airline navigator, were a wacky, neurotic bunch who provided an ideal counterpoint to Newhart’s deadpan commentary.

The iconic sitcom The Bob Newhart Show held for eight seasons.

The series, one of the most acclaimed of the 1970s, ran through 1978.

Four years later, the comedian launched another show, simply called “Newhart.” This time he was a successful New York writer who decides to reopen a long-closed Vermont inn. Again Newhart was the calm, reasonable man surrounded by a group of eccentric locals. Again the show was a huge hit, lasting eight seasons on CBS.

It bowed out in memorable style in 1990 with Newhart — in his old Chicago psychologist character — waking up in bed with Pleshette, cringing as he tells her about the strange dream he had: “I was an innkeeper in this crazy little town in Vermont. ... The handyman kept missing the point of things, and then there were these three woodsmen, but only one of them talked!”

The stunt parodied a “Dallas” episode where a key character was killed off, then revived when the death was revealed to have been in a dream.

Two later series were comparative duds: “Bob,” in 1992-93, and “George & Leo,” 1997-98. Though nominated several times, he never won an Emmy for his sitcom work. “I guess they think I’m not acting. That it’s just Bob being Bob,” he sighed.

Over the years, Newhart also appeared in several movies, usually in comedic roles. Among them: “Catch 22,” “In and Out,” “Legally Blonde 2" and “Elf,” as the diminutive dad of adopted full-size son Will Ferrell. More recent work included “Horrible Bosses” and the TV series “The Librarians,” “The Big Bang Theory” — which won him his only Emmy — and “Young Sheldon.”

Newhart married Virginia Quinn, known to friends as Ginny, in 1964, and remained with her until her death in 2023. They had four children: Robert, Timothy, Jennifer and Courtney. Newhart was a frequent guest of Johnny Carson’s and liked to tease the thrice-divorced “Tonight” host that at least some comedians enjoyed long-term marriages. He was especially close with fellow comedian and family man Don Rickles, whose raucous insult humor clashed memorably with Newhart’s droll understatement.

“We’re apples and oranges. I’m a Jew, he’s a Catholic. He’s low-key, I’m a yeller,” Rickles told Variety in 2012. A decade later, Judd Apatow would pay tribute to their friendship in the short documentary “Bob and Don: A Love Story.”

A master of the gently sarcastic remark, Newhart got into comedy after he became bored with his $5-an-hour accounting job in Chicago. To pass the time, he and a friend, Ed Gallagher, began making funny phone calls to each other. Eventually, they decided to record them as comedy routines and sell them to radio stations.

Their efforts failed, but the records came to the attention of Warner Bros., which signed Newhart to a record contract and booked him into a Houston club in February 1960.

“A terrified 30-year-old man walked out on the stage and played his first nightclub,” he recalled in 2003.

Six of his routines were recorded during his two-week date, and the album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” was released on April Fools’ Day 1960. It sold 750,000 copies and was followed by “The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!” At one point the albums ranked No. 1 and 2 on the sales charts. The New York Times in 1960 said he was “the first comedian in history to come to prominence through a recording.”

In addition to winning Grammy’s album of the year for his debut, Newhart won as best new artist of 1960, and the sequel “The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!” won as best comedy spoken word album.

Newhart lasted for ten seasons.

Newhart was booked for several appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and at nightclubs, concert halls and college campuses across the country. He hated the clubs, however, because of the heckling drunks they attracted.

“Every time I have to step out of a scene and put one of those birds in his place, it kills the routine,” he said in 1960.

In 2004, he received another Emmy nomination, this time as guest actor in a drama series, for a role in “E.R.” Another honor came his way in 2007, when the Library of Congress announced it had added “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” to its registry of historically significant sound recordings.

Newhart made the bestseller lists in 2006 with his memoir, “I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This!” He was nominated for another Grammy for best spoken word album (a category that includes audio books) for his reading of the book.

“I’ve always likened what I do to the man who is convinced that he is the last sane man on Earth ... the Paul Revere of psychotics running through the town and yelling `This is crazy.′ But no one pays attention to him,” Newhart wrote.

Born George Robert Newhart in Chicago to a German-Irish family, he was called Bob to avoid confusion with his father, who was also named George.

At St. Ignatius High School and Loyola University in Chicago, he amused fellow students with imitations of James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Durante and other stars. After receiving a degree in commerce, Newhart served two years in the Army. Returning to Chicago after his military service, he entered law school at Loyola, but flunked out. He eventually landed a job as an accountant for the state unemployment department. Bored with the work, he spent his free hours acting at a stock company in suburban Oak Park, an experience that led to the phone bits.

“I wasn’t part of some comic cabal,” Newhart wrote in his memoir. “Mike (Nichols) and Elaine (May), Shelley (Berman), Lenny Bruce, Johnny Winters, Mort Sahl — we didn’t all get together and say, ‘Let’s change comedy and slow it down.’ It was just our way of finding humor. The college kids would hear mother-in-law jokes and say, ‘What the hell is a mother-in-law?’ What we did reflected our lives and related to theirs.”

Newhart continued appearing on television occasionally after his fourth sitcom ended and vowed in 2003 that he would work as long as he could.

“It’s been so much, 43 years of my life; (to quit) would be like something was missing,” he said.

RNC Day 4: The Manure!

White noise.

Former president Donald J. Trump will accept his Republican nomination. As the former president and J.D. Vance rally their base, the Democrats are destroying their hopes by calling for President Joe Biden to step aside. 

Tonight is the finale.

Trump is set to give his keynote speech on the last night of the Republican National Convention, capping four days of remarks from some of his most fervent supporters and allies. Trump will talk about the attempted assassination and call the U.S. a nation in decline under the Biden administration, according to prepared remarks.

5:30-6 p.m.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-MT
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-NC, Chair of National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)

6-6:30 p.m.

Diane Hendricks
Diane Evans
Linda McMahon, former Administrator of Small Business Administration
Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State

6:30-7 p.m.

Pastor Lorenzo Sewell
John Nieporte
Steve & Zach Witkoff

7-7:30 p.m.

Alina Habba, former President Donald Trump's attorney
Tucker Carlson, founder of Tucker Carlson Network

7:30-8 p.m.

Carrie Ruiz
Hulk Hogan, former professional entertainer and wrestler
Annette Albright

8-9 p.m.

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Eric Trump
Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship

9-10:30 p.m.

Former President Donald J. Trump

Republicans and the MAGA disease are finalizing their grievances. They are lack of policy and lack of empathy. They have no clear agenda and just throwing shit to the wall hopefully asking for it to stick.

Republicans want to Make America Win Again. They are so determined to brag about how America is coming back when an agent of chaos is back in power.

Trump Shooter May Have Wanted To Spark A Civil War!

If he wanted to spark a civil war, he failed.

I believe the shooter wanted to take out both candidates to trigger chaos.

The FBI did not "currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was," Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said. The highest priority is being placed on determining motive because the bureau is also looking at the shooting as a "potential domestic terrorism act," said Robert Wells, the FBI’s assistant director of the Counterterrorism Division.

In a later call, Rojek indicated officials believed that the shoter "acted alone and that there are currently no public safety concerns."

“At present, we have not identified an ideology associated with the subject, but I want to remind everyone that we're still very early in this investigation,” he added.

The shooter in Saturday's assassination attempt on former president Donald J. Trump wanted to trigger a civil war. That is why he aimed at the former president.

If Trump was assassinated, the Republican Party would automatically blame President Joe Biden and Democrats and vow retaliation. They would rally to fight and may use political violence to do so.

Republicans and some of the media agitators are saying "Trump survives an assassination attempt and Biden is at home with coronavirus."

The president had to cancel events because he tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Republicans are selling this image.

The junk food media is being more favorable towards Trump. The lies at the Republican National Convention are being ignored. The constant hand wrangling from media agitators and Democrats about Biden stepping out have only increased.

Yeah, the Republicans are calling for the resignation of the U.S. Secret Service head because of Kimberly A. Cheatle she is "DEI" and they blame her for the agents failure to protect Trump.

The fact that the Secret Service buried themselves and took out the shooter was not enough for the party of grievances. They have to risk their lives as well. The FBI will determine whether the local or federal authorities failed in their duties.

Trump has is an egotistical narcissist. He wanted to make it about him.

It was Trump who wanted his shoes, raised his fist and telling his supporters to fight.

It was Trump who cared more about optics than his pathetic life.

They are sharing and exploiting it. They are literally selling merchandise with the image.

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