From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – State lawmakers have launched a nationwide non-partisan coalition to combat gun violence, in part because the Congress has failed to reform gun laws, members of the group said on Monday.
Some 200 lawmakers from 50 states have joined the alliance, American State Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention, said the group’s founder, Democratic New York State Assembly member Brian Kavanagh. Continue reading “State lawmakers launch gun control coalition”
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The awesome power of nature can be overwhelming at times. It can and will surprise you when you take it for granted. Sometimes, when you’re expecting just a run-of-the-mill storm, it can turn into something much more serious.
A rolling fog recently came through a Hungarian forest in Pilis. What initially looked like a normal fog turned out to be much more than the Hungarian Meteorological Service expected. Continue reading “This Dangerous Fog In Hungary Froze Nearly Everything In Its Path”
The Chicago Tribune – by Alexandra Chachkevitch, Geoff Ziezulewicz
Several thousand people, some dressed as animal characters, were evacuated from a Hyatt hotel in suburban Rosemont when an “intentional” chlorine gas incident at the hotel, which was hosting the Midwest FurFest convention, sent 19 people to hospitals early Sunday.
The incident happened around 12:40 a.m. at the Hyatt, at 9300 West Bryn Mawr Avenue in Rosemont, according to a statement from the Rosemont Public Safety Department. First responders were called to investigate a noxious odor that was spreading across the ninth floor of the hotel, where a high level of chlorine gas was discovered in the air, the statement said. Continue reading “‘Furry’ convention disrupted as ‘intentional’ clorine gas incident sends 19 to hospitals”
Three people on board a small, private jet were killed when the plane crashed into a house in Maryland’s Montgomery County, MyFoxDC.com reported.
Three residents of the home are unaccounted for, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Chief Steve Lohr said.
Preliminary information indicates at least three people didn’t survive the Monday crash into the home in Gaithersburg, a Washington, D.C. suburb, said Pete Piringer, a Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman. Continue reading “3 dead, 3 unaccounted for after plane crashes into Maryland home near DC”
Wall Street on Parade – by Pam and Russ Martens
On Thursday, November 20, 2014, the body of 54-year old Melissa Millan, a divorced mother of two school-age children, was found at approximately 8 p.m. along a jogging path running parallel to Iron Horse Boulevard in Simsbury, Connecticut. A motorist had spotted the body and called the police.
According to the coroner’s report, it was determined that Millan’s death was attributable to a stab wound to the chest with an “edged weapon.” Police ruled the death a homicide, a rarity for this town where residents feel safe enough to routinely jog by themselves on the same path used by Millan. Continue reading “Slain MassMutual Executive Held Wall Street “Trade Secrets””
The Department of Justice is announcing today new limits on racial profiling, and the department’s hope is that other law enforcement agencies will follow the example.
Although the process of drawing up the new limits on profiling began in 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder pushed diligently over the last several weeks to have the policy finalized before he leaves office, a DOJ official said. Continue reading “DOJ to Announce New Limits on Racial Profiling”
LA Times – by LAUREN RAAB, SHELBY GRAD
A massive fire in downtown Los Angeles early Monday engulfed an apartment tower under construction, damaged two other buildings and left freeways and roads closed.
The 110 Freeway northbound remains closed, but Caltrans reopened the 101 and 110 southbound at around 4:30 a.m.
More than 250 firefighters are battling the blaze at an apartment tower under construction in the 900 block of Fremont Avenue, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz said. Continue reading “Massive downtown L.A. fire closes freeways, burns 3 towers”
It’s no wonder that many are calling for higher gas taxes lately: Gas prices are the cheapest they’ve been in years, so a hike in gas taxes is less likely to drive drivers nuts.
Raising taxes is never popular. But if there was ever a way to make a tax increase more palatable to Americans, it would be with a tax hike that didn’t seem like much of a tax hike. Like, say, one that was optimally planned so that even after the tax increase was instituted, the average household wouldn’t feel like it was paying much more out of pocket than it was in the recent past. Continue reading “As Gas Prices Go Down, Likelihood of Higher Gas Taxes Goes Up”
Raucous demonstrations hit Berkeley’s streets for a second straight night as protesters angered by police killings in Missouri and New York clashed with officers, vandalized businesses and even fought with each other, officials said.
Sunday’s protest began peacefully on the University of California, Berkeley, campus but eventually grew rowdy and spilled into Oakland. Activists made their way onto a freeway and blocked traffic. Continue reading “Peaceful Protest Turns Chaotic In California’s East Bay”
BOSTON (CBS) — Boston police say seven or eight young teenagers tried to rob a person in front of a Dorchester KFC on Friday night.
The male victim told police he was approached at 10:20 p.m. by a group of male and female teenagers outside the fried chicken chain at 481 Washington St. He said two young men demanded his cell phone and wallet while pointing a knife at him, according to police.
That’s when the victim said he had to swing a plastic bag with three cans of beer inside at the group to fend them off. Continue reading “Boston Police: Man Swings Bag Of Beers To Fend Off Teen Robbers”
Thanks to Frost Jack.
I. The Constitution has no inherent authority or obligation. It has no authority or obligation at all, unless as a contract between man and man. And it does not so much as even purport to be a contract between persons now existing. It purports, at most, to be only a contract between persons living eighty years ago. [This essay was written in 1869.] And it can be supposed to have been a contract then only between persons who had already come to years of discretion, so as to be competent to make reasonable and obligatory contracts. Furthermore, we know, historically, that only a small portion even of the people then existing were consulted on the subject, or asked, or permitted to express either their consent or dissent in any formal manner. Those persons, if any, who did give their consent formally, are all dead now. Most of them have been dead forty, fifty, sixty, or seventy years. and the constitution, so far as it was their contract, died with them. Continue reading “No Treason – The Constitution of No Authority”
Two officers were injured as a Northern California protest over police killings turned violent, with protesters smashing windows and throwing rocks and bricks at police, who responded by firing tear gas, authorities said.
Several officers were struck, but there were just two reports of injuries, Berkeley police spokeswoman Jenn Coats said. A Berkeley police officer received hospital treatment for a dislocated shoulder after being hit with a sandbag, while another sustained minor injuries. Continue reading “Berkeley Protesters Smash Windows; 2 Officers Hurt – Police use tear gas on protesters”
Wall Street Journal – by Dan Frosch
SANTA FE, N.M.—New Mexico has fined the U.S. Energy Department more than $54 million over accidents at the country’s only underground repository for nuclear waste.
The fines, which state officials announced Saturday morning, stem from an underground fire and a radiation leak earlier this year at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, known as WIPP. Nearly two dozen workers were exposed to contamination at the plant, which handles radioactive waste from the nation’s nuclear-weapons program. Continue reading “New Mexico Fines U.S. $54 Million for Nuclear Accidents”
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CNN – by Jim Sciutto and Ben Brumfield
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — Al Qaeda militants killed American hostage Luke Somers and a South African captive in Yemen during a raid conducted by U.S. forces to rescue Somers, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Saturday.
President Barack Obama ordered Friday’s raid because “there were compelling reasons to believe Mr. Somers’ life was in imminent danger,” Hagel said. Continue reading “Al Qaeda kills hostages during SEALs raid on Yemen, Hagel says”
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Is anything that corrupt cops get away with surprising any more?
Another story out of Florida comes to us, telling of an off-duty police officer abusing his power by arresting a citizen who he claimed “stole” his parking spot.
Now to be sure, stealing parking spots is not cool. But Clausel Pierre says that he pulled into a parking space at a Deerfield Beach shoe store back in January 2011 and never saw a BSO off-duty officer waiting to pull in. Continue reading “Man Sues After Being Arrested For ‘Stealing Parking Space’ From Cop”
Washington Free Beacon – by Adam Kredo
The Obama administration is refusing to discuss reports that emerged early Thursday claiming that the White House is considering imposing sanctions on Israel for continuing construction on Jewish homes in Jerusalem.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf dodged several questions on Thursday when confronted with reports that the administration had held secret internal meetings to discuss taking action against Israel for its ongoing building in East Jerusalem. Continue reading “Reports: Obama Mulling Sanctions on Israel”
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Real Currencies – by Anthony Migchels
The call for a Basic Income is both old and mounting. Success of the scheme is dependent on funding. If it’s some sort of National Dividend, sharing the bounty of the Commons, it’s necessary. If it’s a Marxist tax based redistribution scheme, it’s worse than the disease it’s supposed to heal.
A Basic Income, in whatever form, is very much on the agenda at the moment. And it’s eminently transparent why: growing desperation for economic justice in the face of the blatant centralization of wealth in ever fewer hands. Through Usury, badly exacerbated by the crunch, which saw huge increase of wealth for the 0,001%, while the rest continues to suffer badly. Continue reading “The Basic Income”
Yahoo News – by Lacey Johnson
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Time – by Brad Tuttle
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