From the Trenches World Report

Huffington Post – by Dennis Kucinich

As Iraq descends into chaos again, more than a decade after “Mission Accomplished,” media commentators and politicians have mostly agreed upon calling the war a “mistake.” But the “mistake” rhetoric is the language of denial, not contrition: it minimizes the Iraq War’s disastrous consequences, removes blame, and deprives Americans of any chance to learn from our generation’s foreign policy disaster. The Iraq War was not a “mistake” — it resulted from calculated deception. The painful, unvarnished fact is that we were lied to. Now is the time to have the willingness to say that.   Continue reading “Stop Calling the Iraq War a ‘Mistake’”

CBS New York

LEVITTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – A retired NYPD officer charged in connection with the hit-and-run death of a 13-year-old girl with Down syndrome in Levittown faced a judge Tuesday.

Bail for Michael Elardo, 48, of Syosset was set at $1 million during his arraignment in First District Court in Hempstead.

Elardo, who is a retired, disabled and decorated 13-year veteran of the NYPD, surrendered to police on Monday and was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, authorities said.   Continue reading “Bail Set At $1 Million For Retired NYPD Officer Charged In Deadly Levittown Hit-Run Crash”

All Gov – by Noel Brinkerhoff

Billions of tax dollars have poured out of Washington D.C. since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to help states and local governments better secure their populations against terrorist threats. But the money allocated to one state demonstrates the questionable decision-making that comes from trying to prevent future threats on U.S. soil.

South Dakota, which has only 800,000 residents, has received $100 million in grants from the Department of Homeland Security since 2003. This largesse has been bestowed on a state with no known terrorist threats, now or ever.   Continue reading “South Dakota has Raked in $100 Million in Homeland Security Grants Despite No Known Terrorist Threats…Ever”

The Organic Prepper

We live in a society in which we pay for convenience.

The very best way to save money is to spend time.

Take a pizza, for example. Someone, somewhere, has to do the work to create that pizza. It might be more than one person.  But you pay for every set of hands involved in getting that meal in front of you. In a restaurant, you might be paying for the cook and for the server.  If you tend to get convenience meals at the grocery store, you are paying for someone else to have made the dough and assembled the pizza that you will in turn place in the oven at home.   Continue reading “The Austerity Diaries: How Saving Money Is Better Than Earning It”

RT News

United Launch Alliance (ULA), the US joint venture providing space launch services in the US, has signed a number of contracts to find a replacement for the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine, which is used in the Atlas family of rockets.

The announcement came after SpaceX, ULA’s competitor, sued the United States Air Force (USAF) to challenge what the firm’s CEO Elon Musk called a ULA monopoly. The USAF awarded ULA a contract for 36 launches at a value of $9.5 billion.   Continue reading “Multiple contracts: US firm scrambles to replace Russian-made engine for Atlas rockets”

RT News

Hollywood actor George Clooney is reportedly planning to run for governor of California within the next four years – an event that, if successful, could ultimately launch a campaign for the presidency.

According to the British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mirror, friends of the 53-year-old blockbuster movie star claim that Clooney is being wooed by Democrats hoping he’ll launch a long-speculated political career, with their sights set on the 2018 governor’s race. If Clooney agrees, he would likely start planning out the next steps after his September marriage to British human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin.   Continue reading “George Clooney plans to become governor of California before fighting for presidency”

Guerrillamerica – by Samuel Culper

Well, most of us knew it was only a matter of time.  The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), an al-Qaida affiliate, made international headlines this week as they took over Mosul and now threaten Baghdad.  ISIS, formerly Islamic State of Iraq, was started by a guy named Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (we waxed him during my first tour in 2006) under the name Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad.  Sometime around 2004 or 2005, Zarqawi officially picked up the mantle of al-Qaida and later started the Islamic State of Iraq as an umbrella for several groups, each of which pushed to topple the US-backed Iraqi government, and eventually rid the State of Iraq of all Shia Muslims.  That’s important to understand: with al-Qaida support, these groups formed a Sunni coalition to fight and expel Shias from Iraq.   Continue reading “Why the Iraqi Civil War Matters to America”

Mail.com

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York State Supreme Court judge ruled in favor of Macy’s claim that J.C. Penney interfered with a merchandising contract with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. when it cut a deal in 2011 under its previous CEO to create a collection of home goods.

But the judge, Jeffrey Oing, said Macy’s failed to prove that Penney was liable for punitive damages since he says the actions weren’t “malicious” or “immoral.” Macy’s is still entitled to attorney’s fees and other monetary damages from Penney related to the selling of a line of bath towels, pots and other products that were designed by Martha Stewart but were sold under the JCP Everyday name last year.   Continue reading “Judge: JC Penney interfered with Macy’s pact”

Mail.com

JERUSALEM (AP) — The family of an Israeli-American teen believed to have been abducted in the West Bank says it has received an outpouring of support from friends and family back in the U.S.

Naftali Fraenkel is believed to have been abducted late Thursday with two other teens, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19, as they were hitchhiking home from a school in the West Bank. Since then, Israel has been on a furious search for the boys, arresting dozens of members of the militant group Hamas, which Israel’s prime minister says is behind the kidnapping. The teens have not been heard from.   Continue reading “Missing Israeli teenager has strong US roots”

Decatur Patch – by Deb Belt

A reptile group is releasing non-venomous snakes in the Druid Hills area in an effort to crowd out the copperheads and other poisonous snakes that are troubling residents and their pets.

Gary McKenney, who lives on Barton Woods Road, told WSB TV that he recently killed a large copperhead after his dog was bitten.

“I mean it is even scary walking up to the mailbox because the snakes like to come out on the driveway,” he told the TV station.    Continue reading “DeKalb Residents Battle Influx of Snakes”

Fox News – by Justin Fishel

A suspected terrorist linked to the 2012 Benghazi terror attack that killed four Americans has been captured inside Libya by U.S. forces and currently is en route to the United States, Fox News has learned exclusively.

Sources tell Fox News that the suspect, Ansar al-Sharia commander Abu Khattala, was captured Sunday during a joint U.S. military and law enforcement operation, and will face prosecution in the United States.    Continue reading “Sources: Benghazi attack suspect captured, en route to US”

Activist Post – by Derrick Broze

On June 3, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department will revive a task force on domestic terrorism to curb that form of violence in the United States. Holder stated that the Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee will work to eliminate danger from violent individuals who may be motivated by anti-government or racist views. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Division of the Justice Department, and the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee will lead the efforts. Continue reading “Recent Crimes of the FBI: Is Agency America’s Greatest Threat to Domestic Freedoms?”

LV Criminal Defense

Authorities have identified the man who allegedly shot two law enforcement officers in Nevada County on Saturday as 60-year-old Brent Douglas Cole.

Cole, who also was shot in the altercation, is in stable condition at a Roseville hospital, according to authorities.

Cole is accused of shooting a California Highway Patrol officer and a U.S. Bureau of Land Management ranger in the area of the South Yuba River campground in rural Nevada County. Their injuries were not life-threatening.   Continue reading “Nevada County sheriff identifies man accused of shooting two officers”

Irish Central – by Sheila Langan

The names, ages, and causes of death of all 796 children who died at St. Mary’s Home, in Tuam, Co. Galway from 1925 to 1960 have been published in full, below.

The list is long, and reading it is a horrifying, heartbreaking experience – though nowhere near as horrifying as the short lives of the children who died, or as heartbreaking as the sheer number of lost little lives.   Continue reading “Death records for 796 children at Tuam home published in full”

WTVM 9 News – by Brittany Dionne

TALBOT COUNTY, GA (WTVM) –A Talbot County man faces felony charges of destruction of aircraft after he reportedly tried to shoot down a state chopper, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Guardian Liberty Voice – by Cherese Jackson

A Virginia man shot his wife and two children in tragic murder-suicide on Father’s Day. According to police, Berry Jernigan contacted his employer and made some disturbing suicidal comments on Sunday night before the shooting took place. The employer contact law enforcement which arrived at the Jernigan home in time to hear gunfire but too late to save the family.   Continue reading “Husband Kills Wife and Kids on Father’s Day in Tragic Murder-Suicide”