Mail.com

SPINDALE, North Carolina (AP) — Former members of a controversial North Carolina-based church want the state to take legal action to overturn a court-ordered compromise they say has crippled child abuse investigations involving the sect.

The former congregants of Word of Faith Fellowship also want Rutherford County child protection agency director John Carroll to resign, saying he pushed for the 2005 settlement and has failed to protect children from abusive practices inside the church.  Continue reading “Ex-members of church urge overturning of court agreement”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

Sometimes, being too trusting can be a fatal mistake – especially in diplomacy – as one member of the Australian delegation at the United Nations learned early Wednesday morning, when he plunged to his death from his Manhattan balcony during a night of boozing with friends and his wife. The circumstances of Julian Simpson’s death are bizarre, considering that he died during a “trust game” gone wrong, according to the New York Post. Continue reading “UN Diplomat Plunges To His Death After “Game Of Trust” Gone Wrong”

The News Tribune – by Walker Orenstein

The Mason County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Monday declined to press charges against two Shelton police officers who repeatedly struck, pepper sprayed and used a stun gun on a man who had been sleeping on a staircase behind a homeless shelter in May.

The decision runs counter to advice from Thurston County Sheriff’s Office investigators, who in July recommended assault charges after concluding the use of force that left 25-year-old Nicholas Heflin with a broken nose, eye injuries and broken bones in his face “was not necessary or reasonable.”   Continue reading “Two Shelton officers fired, but won’t face criminal charges after beating homeless man”

Chron – by Kelsey Bradshaw

Mexican cartels smuggle more drugs into the U.S. than any other criminal group, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration said in a new report.

The 2017 National Drug Threat Assessment released in October lists six cartels as having major influences across the country and Texas.

Cartels’ influence in Texas is far-reaching, affecting cities hundreds of miles from the state’s border with Mexico.   Continue reading “New report shows how Mexican cartels are infiltrating Texas”

Sent to us by Atrax.

A short story. I used to do property maintenance for a slum lord here in Wyoming. One time while doing some plumbing upgrades to one of his multiplex properties, I wanted to check on the weatherproofing and winterizing on what used to be an old coal chute.

I found an old manila folder in there. It seemed to be from the mid to late 50’s. There were magazine adverts of women’s dresses, tea sets, the usual girl stuff. But one advert caught my eye. It was an advert for linoleum flooring. showed a happy family spending time in the kitchen. Youngest daughter was on the floor playing with a doll, son was at a desk there doing homework, mother was cooking dinner, and dad was at the dining room table cleaning a rifle. in a FLOORING advertisement.   Continue reading “How gun culture used to be AMERICAN!”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

A new CNN investigation has uncovered a network of slave markets operating in warehouses in various cities across Libya six years after NATO-led intervention in the country toppled the government of Muammar Gaddafi in support of US and UK backed rebels. And not only did CNN confirm the presence of slave auctions where human beings are being sold for as little as $400 in “liberated” Libya, but CNN’s crew was actually able to film a live auction in progress, while also gathering the testimonies of multiple victims.   Continue reading “Libya’s Slave Auctions And African Genocide: What Hillary Knew”

Global Research – by Peter Koenig

President Trump’s 5-country Asia tour has nothing to do with seeking peace anywhere, it has not even to do with diplomacy – it is entirely a warmongering business trip for the Military Industrial Complex. It is amazing that the world doesn’t catch on.

We know about Obama’s several years of pivoting to Asia. It resulted largely in the TPP, the Transpacific Partnership, a trade agreement between 12 countries including the US. The first thing Trump did when he came on board is canceling it, claiming that it would only harm the US. Canceling it, in fact, was a good thing, since contrary to what Trump understands, or claims to understand, of US-made international trade, the Asian partners would have suffered, not the US. Continue reading “Trump’s Pivot to Asia: An Arms Sales Bonanza, An Anti-Peace Trip”

News AU

CHINA’S army of keyboard propagandists have set the standard for manipulating public opinion online — and a growing number of countries are trying the emulate the model.

The iconic image of a man holding his shopping while obstructing the path of a tank in China’s Tiananmen Square in 1989 became the defining image of China’s censorial government. But in the age of the internet, social media has become the front line in the Communist Party’s battle to control and suppress dissent.

The goverment’s so called keyboard army overwhelms social media sites with positive stories about the Communist Party — described by researchers as “cheerleading content” — to control the message and drown out criticism and negative stories about the regime.
Continue reading “How China is defining the way governments manipulate their people via the internet”

Free Thought Project – by Jay Syrmopoulos

Las Vegas, NV – With the 24/7 news cycle constantly in full swing, important stories at times get lost in the constant onslaught of non-stop information. The mainstream media gatekeepers essentially dictate what social and cultural memes are injected into the public consciousness, what topics are discussed, and which cases are given publicity and thoroughly investigated with journalistic rigor.

With such oligarchical control of the mass media – the media gatekeepers of information decide what stories stay in the glare of the public spotlight, and which ones are allowed to fade from the headlines.
Continue reading “10 Compelling Reasons Why the Vegas Shooting Has Disappeared from Headlines”

Breitbart

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s army said Wednesday it has President Robert Mugabe and his wife in custody and is securing government offices and patrolling the capital’s streets following a night of unrest that included a military takeover of the state broadcaster.

The night’s action triggered speculation of a coup, but the military’s supporters praised it as a “bloodless correction.”

For the first time, this southern African nation is seeing the military oppose Mugabe, the world’s oldest head of state and one of the longest-serving authoritarian rulers. Mugabe has been in power since Zimbabwe’s independence from white minority rule in 1980.  Continue reading “Zimbabwe Army Has Mugabe, Wife in Custody, Controls Capital”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

Just days after Democrat Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), became the third House Dem to file articles of impeachment, joining Trump antagonists Brad Sherman (Calif.) and Al Green (Texas) who both filed similar articles earlier this year, on Wednesday morning several House Democrats introduced five articles of impeachment targeting President Trump, claiming that Trump has violated the Constitution.

Following through on their threats, Democratic representatives Steve Cohen, Luis Gutierrez, Brad Sherman and Al Green were among those at a press conference, saying the five articles of impeachment come out of concern for the country’s national security. The articles focus on Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey, perceived violations of the Emoluments Clause, as well as actions “undermining” the judiciary and freedom of the press.   Continue reading “House Democrats Introduce Five Articles Of Impeachment Against Trump”

Reuters

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada will redouble its lobbying efforts in Congress to block any Trump administration move to pull the United States out of NAFTA, sources familiar with government strategy said, as talks to modernize the treaty run into trouble.

Canadian officials, preparing for a fifth round of negotiations to update the 1994 North American Free Trade Treaty, are increasingly concerned that U.S. President Donald Trump may make good on a promise to pull out of the pact.   Continue reading “Canada looks to U.S. Congress as one way to block U.S. NAFTA pullout”

Breitbart – by AWR Hawkins

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) took to Twitter on Wednesday to hint that his Republican colleagues are ready to cave on gun control.

Democrats have pushed over ten different gun controls since the October 1 Las Vegas attack. Those include a ban on semiautomatic weapons, “high capacity” magazines, bump stocks, and “assault weapons.” The gun controls also include calls for an Australian-style gun ban, a ban on trigger cranks, and the implementation of expanded background checks, even though the Las Vegas gunman—and almost every mass public attacker of recent memory—passed a background check for his firearms.   Continue reading “Sen. Chris Murphy Hints Republicans Ready to Cave on Gun Control”