From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
CHALLIS, Idaho – A 4.9 magnitude earthquake in a remote Idaho county triggered rock slides that blocked some road lanes Saturday but did not cause any major damage or injuries.
Hours later around midnight, quakes of magnitude 4.0 and 3.6 struck in the same area, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. Continue reading “4.9 magnitude Idaho earthquake triggers rock slides, no injuries”
The Miami New Times has investigated years of Taser use by police officers in South Florida and has found all sorts of problems. Contain your surprise. Reporter Michael E. Miller documents officers using them against the homeless and mentally ill to force compliance, not because the officers are being threatened in any way. And some of them are attempting to conceal their misuse of Tasers from their departments. Continue reading “Being Homeless in Miami May Lead to a Tasering”
Despite the anecdotal evidence plastered daily on financial media channels of a scruffy, young, upstart working from his parents’ basement and creating the next great social, mobile, analytics, cloud app worth a cajillion dollars, from nothing but tween eyeballs, the sad reality is the ‘American Dream’ for young Americans is over. As The WSJ reports, the share of people under age 30 who own private businesses has reached a 24-year-low, according to new data reflecting a generation struggling to find a spot in the workforce. While there are numerous possible reasons, one professors worries about the systemic aspect as “the fear of failure is the measure we should be most concerned about.” Continue reading ““Peak Dream” – The Death Of The Young American Entrepreneur”
The FBI has proven that it can legally dodge even the sparse amount of judicial checks and balances on its ability to search the records of Americans. After being denied twice in FISA Court for an order to collect records from an individual, a secret report reveals that the Bureau subsequently wrote its own order and went through with the surveillance, regardless of the court rejection.
This revelation was found in a recently declassified document, titled “A Review of the FBI’s Use of Section 215 Orders for Business Records in 2006″ (PDF). It was written in 2008 by the DOJ Office of the Inspector General but not declassified until December 2014. Continue reading “FBI bypasses denial in FISA court by writing its own search warrants”
From uninformedLuddite’s house in the bush.
Police fatally shot an Alabama “sovereign citizen” Tuesday during an altercation at an animal shelter.
Investigators said 30-year-old Robert Earl Lawrence became disorderly as he attempted to turn over a stray animal about 12:30 p.m. to the Dothan City Animal Shelter when an employee told him he could not leave without showing identification. Continue reading “Police fatally shoot ‘sovereign citizen’ after he refuses to show ID when turning over stray animal”
JERUSALEM – Jewish settlers attacked American consular officials Friday during a visit the officials made to the West Bank as part of an investigation into claims of damage to Palestinian agricultural property, Israeli police and Palestinian witnesses say.
The incident is likely to further chill relations between Israel and the United States, already tense over American criticisms of Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and Israeli perceptions that President Barack Obama is only lukewarm in his support of Israeli diplomatic and security policies. Continue reading “Israel police say Jewish settlers stone US consular officials during West Bank visit”
In what looks to many in the information security community like a bizarre face-saving gesture with little basis in reality, the Obama administration today announced new sanctions on 10 senior North Korean officials and several organizations.
Earlier allegations by the U.S. that the North Korean government was behind the hacking of Sony Pictures have been met with increasing skepticism by infosec specialists around the world. The FBI hasn’t released anything of substance publicly that bolsters its claims that Kim Jong-Un is to blame, but that isn’t stopping administration officials from delivering on President Obama’s promise of a “proportional response” against the regime. Continue reading “Obama administration: North Koreans probably not responsible for Sony Hack, but hey, let’s sanction them anyway”
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed a one-year pilot program into law on Friday that tests welfare recipients and applicants suspected of substance abuse.
Those suspected of using drugs will be tested using an “empirically validated substance abuse screening tool.” If the results come back positive, they’ll be referred to a treatment program and will have to continue submitting periodic drug tests. When those tests come back negative, their benefits can be restored. Those who refuse to comply will be suspended from receiving benefits for a six-month period. Continue reading “Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder OKs Drug Testing Welfare Recipients”
California on Friday will start taking driver’s license applications from the nation’s largest population of immigrants in the country illegally.
The state Department of Motor Vehicles expects 1.4 million people will seek a license in the first three years of a program aimed at boosting road safety and making immigrants’ lives easier. Continue reading “Illegals to Seek California Driver Licenses”
The two bodies found in the back of a pickup truck have been identified as a North Carolina couple allegedly shot by a father and son from Texas who went on a multi-state crime spree that ended in the bizarre roadside shooting of two West Virginia police officers.
The rampage unraveled Thursday when the two Lewisburg officers pulled over a white Chevy SUV that allegedly had stolen plates from North Carolina. After stopping the vehicle, a man later claiming to be the first driver’s father pulled over nearby in a red pickup truck, according to N.C. Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins Jr, WRAL-TV reports. Continue reading “Bodies found in pickup after shootout with W. Va. cops”
(Reuters) – Two police officers exchanged fire with a hidden gunman early on Thursday morning in South San Francisco, California, then arrested a man on charges of attempted murder, police said.
Two South San Francisco officers responding to reports of gunshots at 3 a.m. PST were fired upon by a hidden gunman, the South San Francisco Police Department said in a statement. Continue reading “California man arrested, charged with shooting at police”
When the cops showed up to a subdivision Wednesday night in Oldsmar, Florida, it wasn’t to break up a loud party or for any sort of bacchanalian revelry typical of New Year’s Eve.
No, Mario Gomez called 911 to report something far more sinister and ghastly: His brother had just cut off their mother’s head with an ax. Continue reading “Son decapitated mother over ‘nagging,’ Florida sheriff says”
Two suspects are in custody after two police officers were shot during a traffic stop in West Virginia. Authorities in Lewisburg said both officers are expected to survive and that one was hit in the rib but was wearing a protective vest, and the second officer was grazed by a bullet.
The names of those taken into custody were not immediately released. The shooting happened after Lewisburg police stopped a vehicle with stolen plates on Interstate 64 and were fired upon, Donna Hinkle, director of administration at the Greenbrier County 911 Center, told NBC News. Continue reading “Two West Virginia Cops Shot During Vehicle Stop”
ABC News – by Michael S. James
Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo died today at age 82, multiple sources confirmed to ABC News.
Cuomo, a Democrat who served as governor of the Empire State from 1983 to 1994, is the father of current New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Andrew Cuomo was sworn in to a second term as governor today, becoming the first Democrat to enter a second term as New York governor since his father, who reportedly was too frail to attend the ceremony. Continue reading “Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo Dead at 82”
Sent to us by the author, Gary Bertnick
As the sun rises faithfully
And dramatic colors streak across the sky
Eyes brighten as the day becomes suddenly richer and fuller
A breath of fresh air fills the lungs
While a light breeze moves around the body
New strength invigorates
The mind so much clearer
Creative thoughts easily move and laugh Continue reading “A New Man”
ABC News – Ferndale, California
The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting a 5.3 magnitude earthquake off the coast of northern California.
The USGS says the quake was centered in the Pacific Ocean, about 70 miles west of Ferndale, California, and struck about 4:16 a.m. PST Thursday. Ferndale is located just over 100 miles south of the Oregon state line and about 275 miles northwest of Sacramento. Continue reading “Earthquake off Coast Shakes Northern California”
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Huge flames ripped through historic buildings in the picturesque western Wyoming town of Dubois as firefighters contended with subzero temperatures that froze their hoses and other equipment.
Four buildings containing more than a dozen businesses were destroyed, but Mayor Twila Blakeman credited firefighters with keeping the flames from spreading even further. Continue reading “Wyoming town burns in subzero temps”
Sent to us by a reader who said: Oh Yeah & this isnt going to be misused at all…
Counter Current News – by Moreh B.D.K
Tenth Circuit by Judge Neil Gorsuch is always known for his strong opinions. He recently let the increasingly militarized and Constitution-ignoring police have it in the ruling on United States v. Denson, which addresses the use a Doppler radar device to determine if residents are present within a home to be searched or raided.
The case involved a home entry and arrest of a suspect. Continue reading “Judge Weighs In On The Use of Radar Devices To Scan Homes For Police Searches”
Fox News
Reason – by Scott Shackford
Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden
Police State USA
Raw Story – by Travis Gettys
Fox News
Boing Boing – by Xeni Jardin
Town Hall – by Leah Barkoukis
ABC News
USA Today – by Doug Stranglin
CNN – by Kevin Conlon
NBC News – by Shamar Walters
Yahoo News – by Mead Gruver