From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
A Michigan elementary school is defending its decision to confiscate a third-graders batch of homemade cupcakes because the birthday treats were decorated with plastic green Army soldiers.
Casey Fountain told Fox News that the principal of his son’s elementary school called the cupcakes “insensitive” — in light of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Continue reading “School Confiscates Cupcakes Decorated with Toy Soldiers”
It’s an odd question, we know – especially ahead of today’s Stress Tests, but given today’s testimony on assessing the bank secrecy act, apparent trouble-maker Elizabeth Warren pokes and prods (correctly we would add) at the surreality that exists between the Department of Justice, The Treasury, and the financial system. David Cohen, Tom Curry, and Jerome Powell dodged bullets and blame, “does that mean essentially we have a prosecution-free zone for large banks in America?” But Warren wasn’t going to be fobbed off with useless banter as she pointed out, “if you’re caught with an ounce of cocaine, the chances are good you’re going to go to jail… for the rest of your life. But evidently, if you launder nearly a billion dollars for drug cartels and violate our international sanctions, your company pays a fine and you go home and sleep in your own bed at night – I think that’s fundamentally wrong.” Indeed Ms. Warren. Continue reading “How Many Billions Of Drug-Laundered Money Does It Take To Shut Down A Bank?”
Lew Rockwell – by William Grigg
It took a 13-hour filibuster from Senator Rand Paul to wring this terse statement from Attorney General Eric Holder:
“It has come to my attention that you have now asked an additional question: `Does the President have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?’ The answer to that question is no.” Continue reading “What Holder Really Said”
On January 15 I penned Shock the System: Just one example of how the government could lose a civil conflict.
It was a warning of how patriots could selectively shut down the capitols of states and nations by eliminating the electrical substations and residential transformers that service those cities. Though I stated nothing new either tactically or strategically (power stations were always the first targets of bombers and saboteurs dating back to before World War II), the post absolutely terrified the powers that be. Continue reading “The dark zone”
Gifts, gun raffles and multiple sales of guns would be effectively banned
Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will mark up four bills arising out of the Newtown tragedy:
* The Feinstein bill — which would ban millions of shotguns, rifles, handguns and magazines that Americans can legally own — but which will probably die on the Senate floor. Continue reading “Senate “Deal” Would Impose Even More Gun Bans”
While it is widely assumed that the too-big-to-fail banks in the US (and elsewhere) are beyond the criminal justice system – based on simple empirical fact – when the Attorney General of the United States openly admits to the fact that he is “concerned that the size of some of these institutions becomes so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them,” since, “it will have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy,” one has to stare open-mouthed at the state of our union. It appears, just as the proletariat assumed, that too-big-to-fail banks are indeed too-big-to-jail. Continue reading “Eric Holder: Some Banks Are So Large That It Is Difficult For Us To Prosecute Them”
Sen. Paul’s filibuster can be viewed live on CSpan 2. Senator Rand Paul is leading a one-man filibuster of John Brennan’s nomination to lead the CIA.
Senator Paul is on the Senate floor quoting Hayek, Montesquieu, Glenn Greenwald and an author at liberal blog FireDogLake in his effort to prevent Brennan’s nomination from going through. He says he will not stop until President Obama confirms that drones will not be used to target Americans on American soil. Continue reading “Rand Paul Filibusters Brennan Nomination”
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday at the Pentagon to reassure him that the diplomatic window on Iran is closing and that, despite tough fiscal times in Washington, exorbitant amounts of aid to Israel would not be affected.
According to the Pentagon, “Secretary Hagel expressed his strong commitment to Israel’s security, including maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge and continued US support for missile and rocket defense systems in spite of fiscal constraints.” Continue reading “Hagel to Barak: US Will Keep Up Aid to Israel Despite Fiscal Troubles”
Blacklisted News – by Tony Cartalucci
US corporate-financier funded think-tank, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), declared in its “post-Chávez checklist for US policymakers,” that the US must move quickly to reorganize Venezuela according to US interests. Upon its checklist were “key demands”:
Huffington Post – by Radley Balko
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched a nationwide campaign to assess police militarization in the United States. Starting Wednesday, ACLU affiliates in 23 states are sending open records requests to hundreds of state and local police agencies requesting information about their SWAT teams, such as how often and for what reasons they’re deployed, what types of weapons they use, how often citizens are injured during SWAT raids, and how they’re funded. More affiliates may join the effort in the coming weeks. Continue reading “ACLU Launches Nationwide Police Militarization Investigation”
China National Petroleum Corp., the country’s biggest oil company, is seeking its first stake in the U.S. as Chinese explorers with $40 billion of cash try to join an energy renaissance unlocking billions of barrels of crude.
“We are currently studying” investing in U.S. oil, Jiang Jiemin, chairman of the state-run company, said yesterday at the National People’s Congress meetings in Beijing. Domestic rival China Petrochemical Corp. last month agreed to buy stakes in an Oklahoma field from Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK) for $1.02 billion. Continue reading “China Joining U.S. Shale Renaissance With $40 Billion”
Infowars – by Paul Joseph Watson
Amidst concerns that the agency is engaged in a domestic arms race against the American people, the Department of Homeland Security has signed a new $4.5 million dollar contract with weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch.
A synopsis posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website yesterday announces the DHS’ intention to ink a five year deal with the Virginia-based firearms maker to provide gun replacement parts for the Federal Protective Service, ICE, Customs and Border Protection, “and other DHS agencies as needed.” Continue reading “DHS Signs $4.5 Million Dollar Contract With Heckler & Koch”
NEW YORK — Mexico’s Carlos Slim remains the world’s richest man for the fourth year in a row, according to Forbes, while Warren Buffett dropped out of the top three for the first time since 2000.
And Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg saw his ranking drop 31 spots as his net worth declined by $4.2 billion. Continue reading “Record 1,426 people make Forbes’ billionaire list”
Huffington Post
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea vowed Tuesday to cancel the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War, citing a U.S.-led push for punishing U.N. sanctions over its recent nuclear test and ongoing U.S.-South Korean joint military drills. Continue reading “North Korea Threatens To End Ceasefire With South Over Military Drills, Sanctions”
Air Force Times – by Rick Maze
A stopgap spending bill unveiled Monday to keep the government operating through Sept. 30 would not undo sequestration, but it would give the Defense Department flexibility in how to make $46 billion in reductions.
The House version of the so-called continuing resolution, needed to keep the government operating beyond March 27, represents a bit of pragmatism as lawmakers come to realize they cannot reach a compromise on deficit reduction and spending priorities if they face one crisis deadline after another. Continue reading “House agrees on bill to keep government running”
Fox News – by Todd Starnes
Gun Owners of America
Breitbart – by JOHN SEXTON
Anti-War – by John Glaser
Bloomberg