Events and news freedom loving people may find interesting and relevant.
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Saturday, July 30, 2011
President Obama Is No Longer Tethered To Reality - Yahoo! News
President Barack Obama's speech to the nation Monday night was highly disturbing. Because read carefully, it reveals a president wildly divorced from the fundamental realities of the nation he is supposed to be leading.
President Obama actually told America on national television that it is a nation "with a system in which the deck seems stacked against middle class Americans in favor of the wealthiest few." It is incomprehensible how a man serving as president of these United States could make such a fundamentally false assertion about his own country.
As I explain in my new book, America's Ticking Bankruptcy Bomb, before Obama was even elected, official IRS data showed that for 2007 the top 1% of income earners paid more in federal income taxes than the bottom 95% combined. The top 1% paid 40.4% of all federal income taxes that year, almost twice their share of income. The middle fifth of income earners, the actual middle class, paid 4.7% of federal income taxes. Deck stacked against the middle class in favor of the wealthiest few?
Moreover, the bottom 40% of income earners as a group paid no federal income taxes that year. They instead received net payments from the IRS equal to 4% of total federal tax revenues. As my book explains, this was actually the result of nearly 30 years of Reaganomics. Today close to 50% of Americans pay no federal income tax.
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16 Signs That You Live In A Tyranny
Tyranny is an important phenomenon that operates by principles by which it can be recognized in its early emerging stages, and, if the people are vigilant, prepared, and committed to liberty, countered before it becomes entrenched. The methods used to overthrow a constitutional order and establish a tyranny are well-known. However, despite this awareness, it is surprising how those who have no intention of perpetrating a tyranny can slip into these methods and bring about a tyranny despite their best intentions. Tyranny does not have to be deliberate. Tyrants can fool themselves as thoroughly as they fool everyone else. Here are the top 16 signs that you are living in a tyranny or heading that way. Many thanks to Jon Roland for submitting this list (the original of which is here).
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Improving Mexican economy draws undocumented immigrants home from California - Sacramento City News - sacbee.com
There are fewer undocumented immigrants in California – and the Sacramento region – because many are now finding the American dream south of the border.
"It's now easier to buy homes on credit, find a job and access higher education in Mexico," Sacramento's Mexican consul general, Carlos González Gutiérrez, said Wednesday. "We have become a middle-class country."
Mexico's unemployment rate is now 4.9 percent, compared with 9.4 percent joblessness in the United States.
An estimated 300,000 undocumented immigrants have left California since 2008, though the remaining 2.6 million still make up 7 percent of the population and 9 percent of thelabor force, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
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The Many Failed Efforts to Count Nation's Federal Criminal Laws - WSJ.com
BY GARY FIELDS AND JOHN R. EMSHWILLER
WASHINGTON—For decades, the task of counting the total number of federal criminal laws has bedeviled lawyers, academics and government officials.
"You will have died and resurrected three times," and still be trying to figure out the answer, said Ronald Gainer, a retired Justice Department official.
In 1982, while at the Justice Department, Mr. Gainer oversaw what still stands as the most comprehensive attempt to tote up a number. The effort came as part of a long and ultimately failed campaign to persuade Congress to revise the criminal code, which by the 1980s was scattered among 50 titles and 23,000 pages ...
Wikileaks Reveals U.S. Tax Dollars Fund Child Sex Slavery in Afghanistan | Change.org News
DynCorp is a government contractor which has been providing training for Afghan security and police forces for several years. Though the company is about as transparent as a lead-coated rock, most reports claim over 95% of their budget comes from U.S. taxpayers. That's the same budget that DynCorp used to pay for a party in Kunduz Province for some Afghan police trainees. The entertainment for the evening was bacha bazi boys, whose pimps were paid so the boys would sing and dance for the recruits and then be raped by them afterward. That's your tax dollars at work -- fighting terrorism and extremism in Afghnistan by trafficking little boys for sex with cops-in-training.
In fact, the evidence linking DynCorp to bacha bazi was so damning, Afghan Minister of the Interior Hanif Atmar tried to quash the story. Upon hearing a journalist was investigating DynCorp and the U.S. government's funding of the sex trafficking of young boys in Afghanistan, Atmar warned any publication of the story would "endanger lives," and requested the U.S. suppress the story. Atmar admitted he had arrested eleven Afghans nationals as "facilitators" of the bacha bazi party. But he was only charging them with "purchasing a service from a child," which is illegal under Sharia law and the civil code. And in this case "services" is not used as a euphemism for sex; so far, no one is being held accountable for the young boys whose rapes were paid for by the U.S. taxpayers.
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Red-light cameras: Who knew L.A.'s red-light camera fines were 'voluntary'? - latimes.com
July 27, 2011
The 61-year-old from Playa Vista eventually decided to give up the fight and fork over the $476 fine. Now he's regretting paying every penny.
City officials this week spotlighted a surprising revelation involving red-light camera tickets: Authorities cannot force violators who simply don't respond to pay them. For a variety of reasons, including the way the law was written, Los Angeles officials say the fines for ticketed motorists are essentially "voluntary" and there are virtually no tangible consequences for those who refuse to pay.
The disclosure comes as the city is considering whether to drop the controversial photo enforcement program, with the City Council scheduled to vote on the matter Wednesday. Even if the program is shut down, it will be little consolation to the tens of thousands like Brickman who already paid fines.
"Now that makes me nuts," said Brickman, who is unemployed. "That makes me want to go get a refund, but I've been around long enough to know that's not going to happen. It's very frustrating to know that I was victimized by something that they think is not useful or a good idea.… I could truly use that $476."
Friday, July 29, 2011
Ron Paul | Debt Ceiling Vote | Republican Leadership | The Daily Caller
Rep. Ron Paul has blasted top House Republicans for a lack of leadership, and called on supporters to pressure top GOP officials not to “cut a backroom deal with President Obama.”
In an email sent Thursday evening to supporters of his presidential bid, Paul urged backers to “help [Republican leaders] make up their mind.”
“The Republican congressional leadership is susceptible to our pressure — good old-fashioned grassroots pressure,” Paul wrote. “That’s why I need your help to demand Republican leaders show some backbone and loudly say ‘No!’ to any business as usual, status quo-empowering compromises to raise the debt ceiling.”
“What you and I need is someone who stands for conviction over compromise,” Paul continued.
Paul opposes raising the debt ceiling altogether, voting against the Republican-led Cut, Cap, Balance Act and promising to vote against House SpeakerJohn Boehner’s bill to raise the debt ceiling with spending cuts.
Both he and fellow presidential candidate and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann have promised not to vote to raise the debt ceiling. (RELATED: Debt limit vote delayed)
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Teen Faces 8 Years for Bringing Blow-Up Doll to School: Investigation Discovery : Stupid Criminals
Cannabis Culture News LIVE: Obama's War On Marijuana | Cannabis Culture Magazine
St. Pierre, director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws joins the show by telephone from Washington D.C. to talk about the Obama Administration's latest marching orders against medical marijuana providers and the recent declaration by the DEA that marijuana has no medicinal value.
Also on the show, CCN host Jeremiah Vandermeer discusses medical marijuana raids in Canada, includingyesterday's raid of the Metrotown Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary by Burnaby RCMP and three others that happened over the past month.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
A Thousand Pictures Is Worth One Word
Date: 07-27-2011
Subject: Welfare: Corporate
In spite of constant headlines about debts and deficits, most Americans don’t really believe the U.S. dollar will collapse. From knowledgeable investors who study the markets to those seemingly too busy to worry about such things, most dismiss the idea of the dollar actually going to zero.
History has a message for us: No fiat currency has lasted forever. Eventually, they all fail.
BMG BullionBars recently published a poster featuring pictures of numerous currencies that have gone bust. Some got there quickly, while others took a century or more. Regardless of how long it took, though, the seductive temptations allowed under a fiat monetary system eventually caught up with these governments, and their currencies went poof!
You might suspect this happened only to third world countries. You’d be wrong. There was no discrimination as to the size or perceived stability of a nation’s economy; if the leaders abused their currency, the country paid the price.
As you scroll through the currencies below, you’ll see some long-ago casualties. What’s shocking, though, is how many have occurred in our lifetime. You might count how many currencies have failed since you’ve been born.
Orwell Watch: Banks Put a Happy Face on Demolishing Foreclosed Homes « naked capitalism
THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011
In the through the looking glass world of reality according to banks, tearing down foreclosed houses is a good thing. Really.
The spin that Bank of America is using to justify the notion of bulldozing buildings is that the houses in question are worth bupkis, say $10,000 or less. There’s a wee omission in their discussion. Many if not most of the houses in question have fallen in value because the bank failed to maintain them on behalf of investors. They were stripped for copper and appliances, or got moldy, or had squatters move in and make a mess of the place. I’ve heard numerous stories from not only foreclosure attorneys, but also from readers bidding on properties out of foreclosure. For instance, one attorney told me of a house with a $1.3 million mortgage where the owner had arranged a short sale at $1.1. million. The bank refused to take the offer, foreclosed on the house, sat on it, and eventually sold it for, if I recall correctly, $200,000, which I’d bet was the value of the land. The bank made marginally more in fees via this route and delivered a much bigger loss to investors. I’ve heard similar tales from readers greatly lowering their bids on bank owned properties because they deteriorated so much as the process dragged on.
But here is the scam, um, program, via Bloomberg:
Bank of America Corp. (BAC), faced with a glut of foreclosed and abandoned houses it can’t sell, has a new tool to get rid of the most decrepit ones: a bulldozer.
The biggest U.S. mortgage servicer will donate 100 foreclosed houses in the Cleveland area and in some cases contribute to their demolition in partnership with a local agency that manages blighted property. The bank has similar plans in Detroit and Chicago, with more cities to come, and Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), Citigroup Inc. (C), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Fannie Mae are conducting or considering their own programs…
The lender will pay as much as $7,500 for demolition or $3,500 in areas eligible to receive funds through the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Uses for the land include development, open space and urban farming, according to the statement. Simon declined to say how many foreclosed properties Bank of America holds.
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14th Amendment, Section 5 "The Congress Shall Have The Power"
Flash: US Supreme Court Shocks Nation by Upholding the Constitution | Godfather Politics
In 2007, the state of Arizona passed the Legal Arizona Workers Act (LAWA). The law penalizes businesses who knowingly hire illegal aliens. Penalties can range from fines up to and including the revocation of the firm’s business license.
Of course all of the liberals in Arizona and the federal government were outraged that Arizona would take such a measure to defend its borders and citizens right to jobs that were being stolen by hundreds of thousands of illegals. LAWA was challenged on the basis of constitutionality and whether or not the states have a right to establish their own immigration laws.
Our founding fathers did their best to limit the role and power of the federal government while retaining most of the rights of government for the states. In 2008, two lower courts both ruled that LAWA was constitutional, but the opponents continued to fight it and pressed on to the US Supreme Court.
Today, in what is sure to be a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court upheld Arizona’s law. Justice and Obama appointee, Sonia Sotomayor voted against the Arizona law and Obama’s other appointee, Elena Kagan, recused herself from the Court’s hearing on the matter. However, in a vote of 5-3, the Court upheld LAWA as being constitutional.
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Genetically engineered maize with synthetic toxin approved for usage in EU food and feed | Farm Wars
Christoph Then
TestBiotech
Safety of Monsanto’s Synthetic-Toxin maize to be re-examined
Testbiotech and GeneWatch UK formally request withdrawal of EU market authorisation of Monsanto´s genetically engineered maize Genuity VT Triple PRO Cornwith synthetic toxins.
28 July 2011. The non-profit organisations Testbiotech (Germany) and GeneWatch UK have submitted a formal request to the European Commission to re-examine market authorisation of a genetically engineered maize produced by Monsanto sold under brand Genuity VT Triple PRO Corn (event MON89034 x MON 88017) that produces a synthetic toxin, intended to kill insect pests. This maize was approved for usage in food and feed by the EU Commission on 17th of June. It produces a combination of three different insecticidal toxins, one of which is synthesised artificially. Further, the plants are made tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate (known as Roundup).
The organisations are filing a formal request for internal review of the EU Commission´s decision according Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No. 1367/2006 because the legally required high level of protection for consumers, farm animals and the environment are not met and legal requirements for monitoring of health effects have been ignored completely. They argue that the authorisation should be withdrawn.
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15 Years in Prison For Taping the Cops? How Eavesdropping Laws Are Taking Away Our Best Defense Against Police Brutality | | AlterNet
Over Memorial Day weekend this past May, residents of Miami Beach witnessed a horrific display of police brutality as 12 cops sprayed Raymond Herisse's car with 100 bullets, killing him. The shooting provoked outrage in the surrounding community, not only because of the murder, but because of what the police did afterward.
Officers on the scene confiscated and smashed witnesses' cell phones; later, when they were confronted by the media, the police denied trying to destroy videos of the incident.
But 35-year-old Narces Benoit removed his HTC EVO’s SIM card and hid it in his mouth. He later sold the video to CNN, placing the police in the awkward position of explaining why they lied about allegations of cell phone destruction. More importantly, the video showed at least two officers pointing guns at Benoit, demanding that he stop filming.
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OBAMA - WALKING EAGLE
He spoke for almost an hour about his plans for increasing every Native American's present standard of living. He referred to his time as a U.S. Senator and how he had voted for every Native American issue that came to the floor of the Senate.
Although President Obama was vague about the details of his plans, he seemed most enthusiastic and spoke eloquently about his ideas for helping his "red sisters and brothers."
At the conclusion of his speech, the Tribes presented Obama with a plaque inscribed with his new Indian name, "Walking Eagle."
The proud President Obama accepted the plaque and then departed in his motorcade to a fundraiser, waving to the crowds.
A news reporter later asked the group of chiefs how they came to select the new name they had given to the President.
They explained that...
"Walking Eagle" is the name given to a bird so full of shit it can no longer fly.
Shared from my Facebook friend, Todd Howe
Quartzsite, Arizona: Blueprint For A Police State Takeover :
First the town Mayor is forced out of office, then a state of emergency is declared in secret and if matters couldn’t get any worse for the unfortunate townspeople of Quartzsite, the majority of the police force is now being forced to stay in their own homes during working hours.
Nine out of a total of fourteen Quartzsite, Arizona police officers have been suspended, all of which just happened to be whistle blowers who exposed their corrupt police chief.
The Mayor, Ed Foster, was elected on the platform of investigating the corrupt goings-on in the Quartzsite city council. Therefore, it is not quite surprising that they would force out the man who intends to prove them to be criminals.
The city has now become a fascist authoritarian police state with the criminal police chief Jeff Gilbert at the helm.
Gilbert has been accused of violating federal medical privacy laws, intimidation of officers and members of the community with whom he disagrees, using police resources to find “dirt” on political candidates and citizens with whom he disagrees, favoritism to the point of not arresting friends who have warrants, targeting certain citizens for traffic stops and arrests due to their beliefs or political ideas, disciplining officers not on merit but “loyalty” to Gilbert and his illegal activity, publicly humiliating officers he decides are “unfit,” and last but not least selectively promotes his friends in direct violation of police department regulations.
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TRR: Tea Party Hobbits versus Gollum McCain - Washington Times
This week Senator John McCain lashed out at fiscal conservatives during a debate on the debt ceiling, quoting a Wall Street Journal editorial that denigrated “the tea-party Hobbits” who “could return to Middle Earth having defeated Mordor.” But at least Frodo got the job done, which is more than we can say for the budget wizards in the Senate.
Anyone with a literary bent would never use the term “Hobbit” as an insult. The Hobbits are the most admirable characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s opus “The Lord of the Rings.” Mr. Tolkien was a traditionalist with a romantic attachment to particular English ideals and myths that also have strong resonance in this country. The Hobbits were an archetype of the doughty English yeomanry, a free people living productive and pleasant lives, hard working, honest and happy. They stand in contrast not only to the evil denizens of Mordor but also to the city folk of Gondor. The Hobbits lived more simply, free of the complexities, anxieties and dangers that beset their urban human counterparts. And the same type of people who inspired Tolkien to invent the Shire are those who came to America in the 18th century to forge a pastoral utopia on the Midwestern frontier.
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Some Austerity | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary
Some Austerity
by Michael D. Tanner
This article appeared in the National Review (Online) on July 27, 2011.
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ShareThis"It is clear we must enter an age of austerity," House minority leader Nancy Pelosi mourned as she endorsed Harry Reid's proposal for raising the debt ceiling. Austerity? Really?
The Reid plan would theoretically cut spending by $2.7 trillion over ten years. Even if that were true, it would still allow our national debt to increase by some $10 trillion over the next decade. But, of course, the $2.7 trillion figure is mostly fiction. About $1 trillion of the savings would come from the eventual end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, savings that were going to occur anyway. Senator Reid might just as well have added another $1 trillion in savings by not invading Pakistan.
Another $400 billion comes not from cuts but from assuming reduced interest payments. And, of course, there are $40 billion in unspecified "program-integrity savings," meaning the "waste, fraud, and abuse" that is the last refuge of every phony budget cutter. The plan rejects any changes to Medicare and Social Security, despite the fact that the unfunded liabilities from those two programs could run as high as $110 trillion. But those liabilities generally fall outside the ten-year budget window, so Reid — unlike our children and grandchildren — doesn't have to worry about them.
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Alyona Show: How to cop proof your cell phone | Cop Block
Posted on July 26, 2011.
This video gives some helpful tips for keeping personal information stored on your cell phone private in the event that it is seized by the police:
