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Backwoods Resistance – by Scott M. Terry

In 2013 Smithfield Farms, the world’s largest pork producer, was purchased by a Chinese company that is owned by a member of the Communist Party of China . There was a big stumbling block for this purchase, the state of Missouri had wisely banned the foreign ownership of farmland. The law, which dated back to 1978, was an example of some basic commonsense. Unfortunately, Smithfield bought enough legislators to have the law changed. The law they passed, just in time for the Chinese purchase, allowed up to 1 percent of Missouri’s agricultural land to come under foreign ownership. The average American, sees little wrong with this. With no understanding of history, a lust for cheap food and cheap consumer goods, why would they have a problem with it?   Continue reading “China Buying US Farmland and The Lesson of Hengist and Vortigern”

Fox News

A cafeteria worker at an Idaho middle school gave a free lunch to a 12-year-old student who said she was hungry, but the school district fired her Monday for her actions, the Idaho State Journal reported.

Dalene Bowden said the Irving Middle School student didn’t have any money to pay for the hot lunch. The cost: $1.70.   Continue reading “Idaho cafeteria worker fired for giving hungry student a free lunch”

American School and University – by Mike Kennedy

The Fairfax County (Va.) district has changed its policy regarding the naming of schools, which could lead to changes at schools named for Confederate generals.

The Washington Post reports that students, community members and alumni in Fairfax County have been urging the school system to change the names of two high schools named for Confederate generals — J.E.B. Stuart and Robert E. Lee — and a third named for a past superintendent, W.T. Woodson, who was an opponent of desegregation.   Continue reading “Policy change could alter Confederate-linked school names in Fairfax County, Va.”

Common Dreams – by Nadia Prupis

There is “strong” evidence that the U.S. military attack on a Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan two months ago constituted a criminal act, and should be investigated as such, Human Rights Watch said Monday in a letter to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter (pdf).

“The attack on the MSF hospital in Kunduz involved possible war crimes,” said the advocacy group’s Washington director Sarah Margon. “The ongoing U.S. inquiry will not be credible unless it considers criminal liability and is protected from improper command influence.”   Continue reading “Backing MSF, Human Rights Watch Says US Must Consent to War Crimes Probe”

The Hill – by Jordain Carney

Sen. Rand Paul is pushing for a vote to restrict President Obama’s ability to enact new gun control regulations.

The Kentucky Republican, who is running for president, has introduced legislation that would decree any executive action on gun control that either infringes upon congressional authority or potentially violates the Second Amendment as “advisory only” until legislation that supported the action is passed by Congress.   Continue reading “Paul pushes new bill to thwart Obama action on gun control”

WESH

DELTONA, Fla. —Authorities said a dispute over a cab fare led to a fatal deputy-involved shooting in Deltona on Monday evening.

It happened near Maldive Court around 7:30 p.m.

According to Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson, the cab driver called authorities to report the initial incident.   Continue reading “Man shot, killed by deputy after dispute over cab fare”

Washington Post – by Sarah Kaplan

A grand jury will not indict anyone in connection with the death of Sandra Bland, who was found hanged in a Texas jail cell in July.

Five months after her death drew national protests, one of special prosecutors for the case, Darrell Jordan, told The Washington Post that the grand jury decided not to indict anyone, including staff at the Waller County Jail where Bland was held, in connection with her death.   Continue reading “Tex. grand jury issues no indictments in jailhouse death of Sandra Bland”

Sent to us by a reader.

A friend asked me what I thought he needed to defend his home ?

I suggested a 9mm, a couple clips, and a box of shells.

A few days later, he sent me this picture and asked how to make it work.   Continue reading “A friend asked me what I thought he needed to defend his home”

Reuters

An Oregon woman who killed one woman and injured at least 35 pedestrians when she plowed her car into crowds on a Las Vegas Strip sidewalk on Sunday evening was driving with her license suspended, authorities said on Monday.

Lakeisha N. Holloway, 24, who was homeless and had been living in her sedan with her toddler, gave herself up to officers a short distance from the scene of the carnage. She parked her car and told a valet to call 911, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Joe Lombardo told a news conference.   Continue reading “Oregon woman held in Las Vegas Strip sidewalk rampage drove with license suspended”

Reuters

A Los Angeles police officer on Saturday fatally shot a man who officials said was reaching for a policeman’s gun inside a Torrance, California hospital.

The shooting comes at a time of heightened scrutiny over police use of force in the wake of high-profile killings of unarmed black men, which have sparked waves of angry protests across the country since mid-2014.   Continue reading “Los Angeles police officer fatally shoots man inside hospital”

Ars Technica – by David Kravets

Congress on Friday adopted [and Obama signed] a $1.15 trillion spending package that included a controversial cybersecurity measure that only passed because it was slipped into the US government’s budget legislation.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican of Wisconsin, inserted the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) into the Omnibus Appropriations Bill—which includes some $620 billion in tax breaks for business and low-income wage earners. Ryan’s move was a bid to prevent lawmakers from putting a procedural hold on the CISA bill and block it from a vote. Because CISA was tucked into the government’s overall spending package on Wednesday, it had to pass or the government likely would have had to cease operating next week.   Continue reading “Obama signs surveillance legislation tucked into budget package”