BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N 66 OVEMBER 1-7, 2019 BTR
Action
Association
BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
The media has done its level
best to obscure and weaponize
the debate about matters concerning
the U.S. government
interaction with Ukraine.
Therefore, let’s breakdown the
issue to its basic components.
Burisma Holdings is a
Ukrainian gas company, considered
by many to be corrupt,
that employed former
Vice President Joe Biden’s son,
Hunter Biden, while Vice President
Biden served as the point
man for the Obama Administration
to that nation. Hunter
has no known expertise in the
gas business. (He is an attorney
who has been a cocaine abuser
and was dismissed from the
Navy) The matter is similar to
Hunter’s activities in China.
Hunter fl ew along with his father
on Air Force two to China
on an offi cial mission, and returned
with an over one billion
dollar fi nancial deal in
his pocket, on a business area
he also knew little or nothing
about.
In law, there is a concept
known as ‘Prima Facie,’ which,
as explained at dictionary law.
com, is Latin for ‘at fi rst look,’
or ‘on its face,’ referring to a lawsuit
or criminal prosecution in
which the evidence before trial
is suffi cient to prove the case
unless there is substantial contradictory
evidence presented
at trial. A prima facie case presented
to a Grand Jury by the
prosecution will result in an indictment.
The enrichment of a vicepresident’s
son with nations
the Vice President was directly
and simultaneously dealing
with, and, indeed, the accompanying
of the son with the Vice
President on Air Force Two is
Prima Facie evidence of both
Hunter and Joe Biden’s violation
of federal law, specifi cally,
5 Code of Federal Regulations
Sec. 2635.702: Use of Public Offi
ce for Private Gain. The law is
rather clearly written:
“An employee shall not use
his public offi ce for his own private
gain, for the endorsement
of any product, service or enterprise,
or for the private gain
of friends, relatives, or persons
with whom the employee is affi
liated in a nongovernmental
capacity, including nonprofi t
organizations of which the employee
is an offi cer or member,
and persons with whom the
employee has or seeks employment
or business relations. The
specifi c prohibitions set forth
in paragraphs (a) through (d) of
this section apply this general
standard, but are not intended
to be exclusive or to limit the
application of this section…To
ensure that the performance of
his offi cial duties does not give
rise to an appearance of use of
public offi ce for private gain
or of giving preferential treatment,
an employee whose duties
would affect the fi nancial
interests of a friend, relative or
person with whom he is affi liated
in a nongovernmental capacity
shall comply with any
applicable requirements of §
2635.502.”
The Wall Street Journal described
Hunter’s China business:
“BHR Partners was offi -
cially registered 12 days after
Hunter Biden in December 2013
fl ew to Beijing aboard Air Force
Two, while his father made an
offi cial visit as vice president.
Hunter Biden… owns 10% of a
private-equity fi rm called Bohai
Harvest RST (Shanghai)
Equity Investment Fund Management
Co…Hunter Biden
is one of nine directors of the
fi rm, known as BHR Partners,
which is controlled and funded
primarily by large Chinese
government-owned shareholders.”
There is a similarity between
the way the Democrat
majority in the House of Representatives
and their media allies
have responded to the Biden
violation of the Code of Federal
Regulations and the way
they responded to the abuse of
the FBI in the now debunked
charges of Russian Collusion
with the Trump campaign. In
each instance, legal and ethical
violations on the part of key
Democrats occurred. To obscure
their guilt, (fi rst in abusing
the legal process to spy on a
rival campaign, and currently,
to gain unlawful enrichment)
spurious charges were levelled
against the Trump Administration.
Knowing that a biased
media would dwell endlessly on
the false charges, the tactic successfully
distracted the public
from the actual lawbreaking.
BY AL D’ANGELO
The death of democracy is
evident in the city’s refusal to
do the will of the people. The
people have spoken out loud
and clear against the city’s road
dieting plan for Morris Park.
Town Halls, community meetings,
community businesses,
and thousands of petitions show
overwhelming opposition to the
plan. The city claims it’s for the
safety of our citizens, yet every
fi re house in our community is
on record stating it would cut
down on their response time.
How does that make us safer?
Traffi c fatalities are down in
our community over the past
years without the implementation
of vision zero. Side streets
will see an increase in traffi
c by people looking to avoid
the backed-up traffi c on Morris
Park, thus making it less
safe for our children. Whether
you’re for or against Road Dieting
you should be incensed by
the blatant disregard for the
will of the people. Have you
ever called 311 for a pot hole?
You could wait months. Amazing
the ink wasn’t dry on Judge
Suarez’s decision and DOT was
busy marking up our streets.
Maybe the way to get DOT to
do something is to tell them the
community is against it. Power
to the people or power to ‘big
brother’.
When it comes to the NBA
it seems Democracy can be
bought. Adam Silver the NBA
commissioner who canceled
an all-star game in North Carolina
because the state was
against transgender bathrooms,
encouraged his players
and coaches to embrace diversity
inclusion and anti-Trump
sentiments, yet when the chips
were down, he folded like a
cheap suit. When Daryl Morey,
of the Huston Rockets, tweeted
his support for the Hong Kong
demonstrators, which is his
right in a free society, and is a
stand we should all be taking.
Mr. Silver became apoplectic,
free speech be dammed, he
apologized to China and forced
Morey to recant and his tweet
taken down. Millionaire super
star Lebron James also came
out against Mr. Morey’s statement.
This is the same man,
who wore an ‘I can’t breathe
T-shirt’, is a supporter of Black
Lives Matter and shows disrespect
to the American Flag,
but when it comes to the injustices
in Hong Kong and the injustices
and brutality in China,
he criticizes Morey for standing
with the people of Hong
Kong. Gee could money have
anything to do with this decision?
Is it possible that money
trumps human rights? Is it possible
that political correctness
can be bought? China is a country
that labels homo sexuality
as a mental illness. Thousands
of citizens are imprisoned for
speaking out against human
rights injustices. Talk is cheap
gentlemen, it’s easy to take a ‘politically
correct’ stand from the
cheap seats but when it’s time
to stand up and be counted you
are among the missing. How
much is your integrity worth?
Charles Barkley sided with Lebron
stating, “Well he had to
protect his money since China
has invested billions in NBA
basketball and Nike.” They
should tell the families of those
young men and woman who
came home in coffi ns covered
by that “disrespected” fl ag who
fought for the freedoms that allow
you to become millionaires
that money is more important
than country. I worry about
our democracy.
Democracy is not easy; it
takes an informed electorate
who register and vote. Before
we criticize any elected offi -
cial, we must earn that right
by voting. The people that are
just here for the ride are part
of the problem. Washington
is broken. It has become a haven
for hate and divisiveness
which has polarized our nation.
The politics of racism,
homophobia, fear and political
correctness have divided our
nation. Politicians are more interested
in their party than the
people they swore to protect
and serve. Where do we fi nd
the truth in reading the papers,
or watching TV or listening
to the radio, unfortunately
our media has been politicized
also. You can watch different
TV shows or read two different
newspapers and walk away
with two completely different
impressions. We must search
for the truth and make up our
own minds and stop letting the
pundits make up our minds for
us. We the people must take
back our country at the voting
booth. Time to let the elected
offi cials know that they are
hired help and they work for
us and when they forget that,
we have the power to tell them
“your fi red’’.
BY TONY SALIMBENE
Don’t forget the 2nd Annual
Korony Post 253 Support the
Troops Fundraiser, Sunday,
November 3, at Brewski’s on
E. Tremont Avenue. Great local
musicians, football on the
big screens. An amazing all day
and evening event for a most
worthy cause. “Until they all
come home.”
Sunday, November 10 is our
annual Veterans Day Parade
down East Tremont Avenue to
Bicentennial Veterans Memorial
Park outside of Edgewater.
Form up by Lafayette Avenue
at around 11 to 11:30 a.m. Starts
promptly at noon
Monday, November 11 is
the annual and traditional
11th hour WW1 Ceremony at
Winged Victory, at the Soldiers
& Sailors Monument by the
parkway in Pelham Bay Park.
Form up on the lawn in front
around 10 to 10:30 a.m.
Until next time: Did I mention
- Support The Troops At
Brewski’s on November 3.