Year: 2014

Washington’s Blog

Endless War Is the Agenda

Pulitzer-prize winning reporter James Risen reminds us:

We are now in the longest continuous period of war in American history. And yet there is remarkably little debate about it.

Many Americans assume “because 9/11″.   Continue reading ““We Are Now In The Longest Continuous Period of War In American History””

The Daily Sheeple – by Joshua Krause

It seems like I can’t go a single day without hearing about someone being shot and killed by a police officer. It’s become so commonplace in America, that the news rarely makes national headlines unless police abuse is suspected; and sometimes not even then. Unless you follow organizations like Copblock, you’ll only hear about a fraction of the police shootings that actually occur.

While it appears the U.S. has an incredibly violent police force, many would argue that our cops pale in comparison to police departments around the world. A Recent study from Brazil appears to confirm that belief.   Continue reading “You Won’t Believe How Many People Are Killed by the Police Every Year”

Community Policing Dispatch – by Faye Elkins

As recent events have demonstrated, good relations between police and the public are vital to our safety and well-being. That is why, as the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) celebrates its 20^th anniversary, we celebrate with both pride in our contributions to the nation’s safety and renewed commitment to the work that remains to be done.

We’ve accomplished a great deal since 1994, when Attorney General Janet Reno established the COPS Office in the U.S. Department of Justice to support the goals of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. Law enforcement agencies nationwide have made vast progress through adoption of community policing strategies for positive, proactive engagement with the public.   Continue reading “The COPS Office: 20 Years of Community Oriented Policing”

CBS News

WASHINGTON — From furniture and food to fine art, members of the Obama administration received thousands of dollars in gifts from foreign leaders, but first lady Michelle Obama appears to have received the most expensive gift last year.

The State Department reported Tuesday that the queen of Brunei gave Mrs. Obama jewelry worth $71,468 in 2013. The flower-shaped white gold earrings, ring and necklace were studded with yellow sapphires and diamonds, according to the department’s annual accounting of gifts published in the Federal Register. That’s almost seven times more valuable than the most expensive gift received by President Barack Obama, a glass amber-colored sculpture of a falcon on a branch worth $10,400 from Qatar’s ambassador to the U.S.   Continue reading “Brunei queen’s jewelry tops Obama family’s diplomatic gifts”

KTAR – by Bob McClay

PHOENIX — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is no stranger to riding in parades in the Valley during his career in office.

Tuesday was no different, but the vehicle that he was riding in at the Phoenix Veteran’s Day Parade was. And the sheriff didn’t seem happy about it.

Arpaio and his wife, Ava, were riding in a Chrysler convertible. When asked about what he thought of the ride, Arpaio implied that it wasn’t his first choice.   Continue reading “Military’s decison leaves Arpaio in a convertible instead of a tank for Phoenix Veteran’s Day Parade”

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip.

You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them. Just read the post straight through, and you’ll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.   Continue reading “Peanuts Philosophy”

Vocativ – by M.L. Nestel

The village of Oakley is a tiny speck on a map of Michigan: It has one streetlight, one grain elevator, one church and a couple of bars. If one of its 300 residents gets as much as a DUI, it’s big news around town.

So it makes sense that Oakley relied on a single policeman for decades to protect and serve. He was more than capable of making the town’s half-dozen or so arrests for petty crimes every year all by himself. But in 2008, a new chief arrived in town (the old one had to step down after he was caught stalking a teenage girl), and he began staffing up.   Continue reading “Want to Play Cop? This Town Will Sell You a Badge and a Gun Permit”

Yahoo News – by Dylan Stableford

Voter turnout in last week’s midterm elections was terrible. How terrible? Just 36.3 percent of eligible voters cast votes — the worst turnout in 72 years, the New York Times reports. Only the 1942 election (33.9 percent) had a lower rate of voter turnout.

Here’s a quick breakdown, based onpreliminary estimates of voting data from the United States Elections Project:

• Less than half of the eligible voters in 43 states cast votes.

• The seven that saw more than half: Maine, Wisconsin, Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Minnesota and Iowa.    Continue reading “Voter turnout for 2014 midterms worst in 72 years”

The Organic Prepper – by Daisy Luther

A while back, I wrote an article called “30 Signs That You’re One of Those Crazy Preppers.”  Lots of readers got into the spirit of things, since it was pretty darned relatable.  We all know these are actually signs of sanity, but we’re used to being misunderstood by the unprepared and sometimes it’s fun to have a good laugh about their misconceptions of what we actually do.

Then Ebola happened, here on American soil, and a lot more people jumped on board the preparedness bandwagon.  To welcome the newbies, here are 45 MORE signs that you might have crossed over to the “prepped side.”  (Many of these came straight from the readers!)    Continue reading “45 MORE Signs That You Might Be One of Those Crazy Preppers”

USA Today – by Michael Winter

A magnitude-4.8 earthquake Wednesday shook up parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, the strongest of eight temblors that rattled the seismically active region over 24 hours.

The moderately strong quake, which was relatively shallow at 3.4 miles deep, struck at 3:40 p.m. CT near the Sumner County community of Conway Springs, about 30 miles southwest of Wichita along the Oklahoma border, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The jolt was felt across much of the state and as far away as Tulsa, Okla., about 170 miles away. Some Arkansas residents also reported the shaking.   Continue reading “4.8 quake shakes Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas”

Newsroom America

At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a federal court has ordered two debt sellers that posted the sensitive personal information of more than 70,000 consumers online to notify the consumers and explain how they can protect themselves against identity theft and other fraud in light of the disclosures.

In two separate cases, the FTC alleges the debt sellers posted consumers’ bank account and credit card numbers, birth dates, contact information, employers’ names, and information about debts the consumers allegedly owed on a public website.    Continue reading “FTC Alleges Debt Brokers Exposed Information Of Thousands Of Consumers On The Internet”

The Seattle Times

The man believed to be Washington bank robber known as the “Roscoe Bandit” was arrested Wednesday in Oregon, the FBI said.

Around 3 p.m., police in Grants Pass arrested William Mitchell, 55, a man believed to be responsible for four bank robberies in Washington, including two in Seattle, since July 28, the FBI said. A federal arrest warrant had been issued for Mitchell

Spokane police identified Mitchell after reviewing surveillance footage from a Nov. 7 robbery in Spokane, the FBI said.   Continue reading “FBI: ‘Roscoe Bandit’ bank robber arrested in Oregon”