Blog Heap of Links for the day 29 June 2014

A former Mexican cartel soldier who turned against the narco terrorists and joined the burgeoning Mexican militia movement has been found shot and tortured along with his wife and children in the Mexican state of Michoacan.

Samarra's al-Askari Mosque contains the mausoleums of two Shia Imams, making it a key pilgrimage point and one of the most significant sites of worship for Shia worldwide. The bombing of the mosque in 2006 set off a vicious cycle of violence… ISIS follows a deeply puritanical Sunni thread of Islam that believes shrines are antithetical to Islam and should be destroyed — a practice they have carried out in areas they control in Syria. ISIS has tried to take control of Samarra. But it's been forced back by a coalition of the Iraqi Army and Shiite militias which now guard the shrine and the city. This has not stopped ISIS' from lobbing mortars at the shrine in an attempt to demolish it…. (From Jun 24)

…as part of its blitz-campaign to take over northern Iraq, ISIS found and the promptly executed Rauf Rashid Abd al-Rahman, the judge who sentenced Saddam to death: a death which to many was the crowning moment of the second US invasion of Iraq, and the confirmation of successful US foreign policy.

When being questioned… Peck pulled out headphones from his pocket when the police noticed an suspicious item came out and hit the ground. Officers discovered a small box of meth….

…more than 1,200 brave military dogs used to protect troops in Afghanistan and elsewhere were killed by our government after they were retired… euthanized because they were deemed too “dangerous” for civilian adoption or jobs with law enforcement agencies, as well as for medical reasons… 16 retired pooches that once worked as guards or bomb sniffers were “put down” between 2001 and 2005 simply because “they were not wanted” by anyone…

Officials in [Portland, South Portland and Bangor, Maine] say they plan to defy the state and continue offering General Assistance welfare benefits to immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

A sign on the front door of Shooters Grill [in Rifle, Colorado] reads, “Guns are welcome on premises. Please keep all weapons holstered, unless the need arises. In such cases, judicious marksmanship is appreciated.”