Month: January 2015

Republic Report – by Lee Fang

After lobbyist-run SuperPACs and big money efforts dominated the last election, legislators are now appointing lobbyists to literally manage the day-to-day affairs of Congress. For the House Intelligence Committee, which oversees government intelligence operations and agencies, the changing of the guard means a lobbyist for Academi, the defense contractor formerly known as Blackwater, is now in charge.

Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA), the incoming chairman of the Intelligence Committee when the House reconvenes in January, announced that Jeff Shockey will be the new Staff Director of the committee. As a paid representative of Academi, Shockey and his firm have earned $80,000 this year peddling influence on behalf of Academi.   Continue reading “Blackwater Lobbyist Will Manage the House Intelligence Committee”

AOL – by Frazier Moore

NEW YORK (AP) – Donna Douglas, who played the buxom tomboy Elly May Clampett on the hit 1960s sitcom “The Beverly Hillbillies,” has died.

Her niece says Douglas died Thursday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, near her hometown of Zachary. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer, Charlene Smith said. Douglas was 81.

She was best known for her role in “The Beverly Hillbillies,” the CBS comedy about a backwoods Ozark family who moved to Beverly Hills after striking it rich from oil discovered on their land.   Continue reading “Donna Douglas, ‘Beverly Hillbillies’ star, is dead”

Russia Insider

Hollywood film producer Oliver Stone has said he wants to make a four-hour documentary telling the “dirty story” of the overthrow of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in what he believes was a “coup” organized with the help of the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency.

“A dirty story through and through, but in the tragic aftermath of this coup, the West has maintained the dominant narrative of ‘Russia in Crimea,’ whereas the true narrative is ‘USA in Ukraine.’ Continue reading “Famous US Director Oliver Stone to Shoot a Documentary on 2014 Ukraine Coup”

Raw Story – by Travis Gettys

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”

Fox News

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”

Boing Boing – by Xeni Jardin

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”

Reuters

The Obama administration has opened a new front in the global battle for oil market share, effectively clearing the way for the shipment of as much as a million barrels per day of ultra-light U.S. crude to the rest of the world.

The Department of Commerce on Tuesday ended a year-long silence on a contentious, four-decade ban on oil exports, saying it had begun approving a backlog of requests to sell processed light oil abroad. It also issued a long-awaited document outlining exactly what kinds of oil other would-be exporters can ship.   Continue reading “U.S. opening of oil export tap widens battle for global market”

Tampa Bay Times – by Peter Jamison

The scene beaming from the bedroom television wasn’t special, another drug bust in a decaying north Tampa neighborhood. Ronnie “Bodie” Coogle squinted at the screen. He recognized that street, lit by ghostly pulses of red and blue.

“Bodie,” his wife said, lying beside him. “You see this?”

Coogle turned up the volume as the 11 o’clock news cut to cops in black ballistic vests, standing amid the inky silhouettes of sabal palms. After a minute he sat up and grabbed his cellphone.   Continue reading “Confidential informer blows whistle in fatal Tampa SWAT raid”

Business Insider – by Haley Peterson

Coca-Cola is cutting up to 2,000 jobs in the coming weeks as part of a plan to shave $3 billion from its annual budget, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The impact of the cuts is expected to be most significant at Coke’s Atlanta headquarters and global regional offices, “where more than 10% of corporate staff could lose their jobs,” according to the report.

Employees will receive notice of the cuts by Jan. 15.   Continue reading “Coca-Cola Is Reportedly Cutting Jobs, Canceling Parties, And Telling Executives To Stop Taking Limos”

The Bakersfield Californian – by John Cox

A Canadian oil field services company appears to be the first in Bakersfield to carry out a mass layoff as a result of the recent collapse of oil prices.

Ensign Energy Services Inc. warned state officials earlier this month that it expected to release 700 people in Bakersfield effective Dec. 15, according to a website maintained by the state Employment Development Department.   Continue reading “Oil company lays off 700 in Bakersfield”

RT

Former US Senator Mike Gravel has agreed to become the chief executive of a Nevada company that develops and markets cannabis products to states that have legalized both medical and recreational marijuana.

Gravel, who represented Alaska from 1969 to 1981, will head KUSH, a subsidiary of Cannabis Sativa Inc, where Gravel previously sat on the board of directors for nine months, according to the company.   Continue reading “Former US senator to lead new cannabis company, ‘Kush’”

RT

The Central Intelligence Agency has admitted that it was responsible for at least half of reported UFO sightings in the middle of the last century due to its secret, high-altitude reconnaissance flights.

The 1950s and ’60s was an intense period when a number of Americans reported UFO sightings and alien visitations. These sensational events lent cinematic credence to a number of Hollywood space blockbusters, including Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “ET,” and George Lucas’s “Star Wars.”    Continue reading “‘It was us’: CIA ‘fesses up on UFO sightings in 1950-60s”

Mail.com

BRINDISI, Italy (AP) — Wearing gas masks against the smoke, Italian firefighters and investigators boarded the charred Norman Atlantic ferry on Friday and retrieved a data recorder they hope will help them discover what caused a deadly blaze.

But with some parts of the ferry still burning, they emerged hours later to admit they must put off for at least a day the search for any more bodies in the maritime disaster that has already killed 11 people. The team will attempt to go back onboard on Saturday.   Continue reading “Firefighters find black box on still-burning ferry”

Mail.com

HONOLULU (AP) — The United States imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea on Friday, targeting top state officials and defense-related organizations in an attempt to punish North Korea for a crippling cyberattack against Sony. The sanctions marked the first public act of retribution by the U.S.

Although it was unclear how punishing the blow would be — North Korea already is under tough U.S. sanctions — the move signaled that that the U.S. was not backing away from its insistence that North Korea is responsible for the attack against Sony. North Korea has denied involvement, and some cybersecurity experts say it’s possible Pyongyang wasn’t to blame.   Continue reading “US sanctions North Korea over Sony cyberattack”

The drawing for the patriot shirt will be this Friday evening, January 2, 2014.

The shirt is signed by Liberty Tree Radio hosts Don Boettcher, Butterknife, Pastor Brooks Conner, JD – US Marine Fighting Tyranny, Joe From The Carolinas, Edward Koernke, Mark Koernke, Larry Lawson, Henry Shivley, and Spike Timmons.

The proceeds will go for equipment in the main Liberty Tree Radio studio, which should improve the broadcast.  So support the station and take a chance on getting a really cool t-shirt.   Continue reading “The Drawing for the Shirt is Today!”

The Weekly Standard – by Jeryl Bier

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is looking for vendors to run its “National Data Warehouse,” a database for “capturing, aggregating, and analyzing information” related to beneficiary and customer experiences with Medicare and the federal Obamacare marketplaces. Although the database primarily consists of quality control metrics related to individuals’ interactions with customer service, potential contractors are to “[d]emonstrate … experience with scalability and security in protecting data and information with customer, person-sensitive information including Personal Health Information and Personally Identifiable information (personal health records, etc.).” Vendors are also instructed that one of the requirements of a possible future contract would be “[e]nsuring that all products developed and delivered adhere to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance standards.”   Continue reading “Feds Looking for Company to Run ‘National Data Warehouse’ for Obamacare, Medicare”

Town Hall – by Leah Barkoukis

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”

The Anti-Media – by Justin King

Another year has come to an end, which means another set of Unified Crime Reports (UCR) will be published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The reports are supposed to be the most authoritative set of data on crime in the US.

As has become the habit with most federal documents, the numbers are cooked. They could have honestly just made them up. In 2013, the FBI reported that there were 461 people killed by cops in the US.   Continue reading “Over 1000 people killed by cops in 2014, FBI Trying to Falsely Report Actual Numbers”