North Texas men, including church pastor, indicted on child pornography violations

PLANO, Texas – Two North Texas men have been charged with child exploitation crimes in the Eastern District of Texas announced U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox today.

David Pettigrew, 48, of Denison, Texas, and Chad Michael Rider, 46, of Anna, Texas have been charged in an indictment returned by a grand jury with conspiring to sexually exploit children (also referred to as production of child pornography). Pettigrew was additionally charged with transporting child pornography. Both men have entered “not guilty” pleas to the charges.

Pettigrew came to the attention of law enforcement officials through referrals sent by two electronic surveillance providers and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Those referrals identified a computer user who uploaded suspected child pornography onto their online platforms. On August 6, 2020, Homeland Security Investigations agents executed federal search warrants at Pettigrew’s residence and the Denison Church of the Nazarene, after which, agents arrested Pettigrew. Agents executed a search warrant at Rider’s residence on August 21, 2020. Until recently, Pettigrew had served as pastor of the Denison Church of the Nazarene. Rider is a resident of Anna, Texas.

If convicted, Pettigrew and Rider face a minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison.

The investigation has revealed that a number of children were surreptitiously photographed in private locations or outside of the presence of their parents. Any members of the public with information about this case or possible victims are urged to contact Homeland Security Investigations at HSIDallasVictimInfo@ice.dhs.gov. Members of the community are urged to send a detailed message (including contact information) with information about any possible private interactions with Pettigrew or Rider to the email above.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa J. Miller and Jay Combs.

It is important to note that an indictment or arrest should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

https://www.kltv.com/2020/09/01/north-texas-men-including-church-pastor-indicted-child-pornography-violations/

Syracuse University removes professor for using 'Chinese Communist Party Virus' in syllabus, but students want him fired

They said they don't feel safe because he used "racist" language

Syracuse University removed a professor who used the phrase "Chinese Communist Party Virus" in a class syllabus, but student activists say it's not enough and they want him fired.

Chemistry professor Jon Zubieta is accused of writing the "Chinese Community Party Virus" and "Wuhan Flu" in his syllabus. Students organized under the hashtag "NotAgainSU" on social media to demand the college take action against Zubieta.

A screenshot of the alleged syllabus was circulated on social media.

(not my photo) @SyracuseU this is jon zubieta's syllabus for CHE411 and he not only refers to covid19 as the "wuhan… https://t.co/1oYftpQDO8

— old bird 🐛 (@old bird 🐛)1598378719.0

The professor was removed from the classroom over the incident.

The university released a statement from Karin Ruhlandt, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and John Liu, interim vice chancellor and provost, to address the matter.

"The derogatory language used by a professor on his course syllabus is damaging to the learning environment for our students and offensive to Chinese, international and Asian-Americans everywhere who have experienced hate speech, rhetoric and actions since the pandemic began," said the joint statement.

Not enough

Activist students say that the university needs to outright fire Zubieta.

"A lot of students are uncomfortable with the decision to place Zubieta on administrative leave. We expected him to be fired," said one sophomore student to NBC News. The student did not want to be identified by name.

The student who first posted the syllabus on Instagram said it should have led to his immediate dismissal.

"It's not safe for students to be in a classroom with a professor who thinks their ethnicity should be blamed for a pandemic," said graduate student Taylor Krzeminski.

"I agree he should be on leave but the investigation better be quick because to me it's incredibly straight-forward," she said. "He used political and racist language in a chemistry class."

In the 2019 annual list of the 10 worst U.S. colleges for free speech compiled by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Syracuse University came in at the No. 9 slot.

The phrases "Kung flu" and "Chinese virus" have been used by President Donald Trump in order to emphasize the source of the global pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of people. His critics have excoriated him for what they say is a racist phrasing that leads to bigoted attacks on Asian Americans.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/syracuseu-wuhan-chinese-flu-snowflake

Why would the FDA ban a drug that safely saves the lives of patients?

The American people have been subjected to a pack of lies and half-truths for three years. Politicians responsible for most of the deceptions enjoy an approval rating hovering somewhere near that of a used car salesman.

But surely when it comes to medicine, health care, and the Hippocratic Oath, there is no place for dirty politics?

Aimed at getting to the bottom of the disparity between doctors' pro and con beliefs regarding the use of hydroxychloroquine to fight the Wuhan virus, on Sunday, August 23, radio talk show host Mark Levin had Dr. Harvey Risch on as one of his cable show guests.

Risch, a distinguished cancer epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health, has published over 300 papers and is viewed in the medical profession as an expert at evaluating research data.

Risch, who recently wrote a review article in the American Journal of Epidemiology that cites evidence that he believes supports hydroxychloroquine's use on an outpatient basis against the Wuhan virus, told Levin that the evidence that the drug has saved many lives is "overwhelming." He also stated that there are studies that indicate no harmful effects using the medicine under strict protocol — something the FDA did not consider when it evaluated the drug.

In an interview with The Daily Hayes, Risch cited the evidence found by Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, a family doctor from Monroe, New York, who has reported having a 99.7% survival rate for his patients using hydroxychloroquine.

Zelenko emphasized that the high success rate using hydroxychloroquine is effected when administered on an outpatient basis and in the early stages, usually within the first five days of experiencing symptoms. He spoke of how it was imperative to follow a strict protocol, which included using a cocktail containing hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and the antibiotic azithromycin.

Doctors across the country have been coming forward and telling of their positive experience of high success rates when treating patients having the Wuhan virus with hydroxychloroquine.

Dr. Simone Gold, a board-certified emergency room physician, recently stood with a group of other physicians on the Supreme Court's steps and stated, "We brought together physicians from across the country who have successfully treated patients using hydroxychloroquine. Our message to the American people is clear. Hydroxychloroquine works."

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/09/why_would_the_fda_ban_a_drug_that_safely_saves_the_lives_of_patients.html

Equal justice? Twitter locks out lawyer of alleged Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse for ‘violating rules’

Conservatives are up in metaphorical arms after Twitter locked out the account of Lin Wood, the attorney who launched a defense fund for alleged Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, saying he somehow violated their rules.

Wood is the attorney who won sizable settlements for Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann in defamation suits against CNN and the Washington Post. Last week, he volunteered to represent Rittenhouse pro bono and set up a legal defense fund for him.

The lawyer’s account is still visible, but the last post was more than 16 hours ago. Twitter has not specified which rules Wood may have violated.

One of the theories making the rounds is that Wood is linked to ‘QAnon,’ the conspiracy-minded community blanket-banned by Twitter back in July over alleged potential for “real world harm.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congressional candidate denounced by mainstream media as a QAnon supporter for saying the mysterious figure had “given clues” that “have really proven to be true,” said Wood was her attorney. He also has the hashtag #WWG1WGA (“Where We Go One, We Go All”), commonly used by Q aficionados, in his Twitter bio.

It is just as likely that Wood’s timeout might be related to his work defending Rittenhouse, however. The 17-year-old lifeguard is accused of shooting three of the rioters in Kenosha, Wisconsin last week, two of them fatally. His attorneys argue it was legitimate self-defense. Expressing that sentiment on Twitter, however, can get one (figuratively) locked up.

Over the weekend, journalist Cassandra Fairbanks got a 12-hour suspension for tweeting that Rittenhouse “did nothing wrong.” It happened to be an exact quote from his attorneys’ statement to the press, but to Twitter, it represented “content that condones or celebrates acts of violence.”

https://www.rt.com/usa/499648-kenosha-shooter-lawyer-twitter/

‘Intransigent, unrealistic’ British attitude prevents post-Brexit talks from progressing - French FM

The French foreign minister has blamed unrealistic expectations of the British government for a stall in talks on post-Brexit trade between the UK and the European Union.

“The negotiations are not advancing because of an intransigent and, let's be clear, unrealistic attitude of the United Kingdom,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Monday.

The rebuke came during a speech to French ambassadors based in Europe, which Le Drian delivered during a workshop he conducted alongside his German counterpart, Heiko Maas. Germany currently holds the rotating EU presidency.

Maas said the European Union was as united as ever in striking an unambiguous trade agreement with Britain, adding that the ball was in London’s court. Unless a deal is sealed by the end of the year, commerce between the two sides will be regulated by general WTO terms starting December.

The sides blame each other for the continued gridlock and are increasingly skeptical that the negotiations may succeed in time.

https://www.rt.com/uk/499493-france-uk-brexit-unrealistic/