From the Trenches World Report

Lew Rockwell – by William Norman Grigg

When the ATF attacked the Branch Davidians outside Waco in February 1993, the expectation was a quick and painless victory over an eccentric religious sect and a public relations boost for the scandal-plagued agency. This is why the assault was code-named “Showtime.”

The Davidians, however, refused to follow the script. When the ATF stormtroopers arrived at the sect’s sanctuary at Mt. Carmel, David Koresh – who had known of the impending assault, and released an ATF informant rather than holding him as a hostage — attempted to de-escalate the confrontation, only to be answered by a murderous volley of gunfire. Rather than allowing themselves to be shackled or slaughtered, the Davidians stood their ground, killing four of the assailants in a morally unassailable exercise of self-defense and forcing the ATF to retreat.   Continue reading “The Regime Doesn’t Handle Defeat Gracefully”

Houston Press – by Dianna Wray

Cowboys and Indians are usually on opposing sides in stories of the Old West, but the modern variations have found something to unite them: opposing the Keystone XL Pipeline.

The Keystone XL Pipeline is a 1,700-mile pipeline that will tote sticky black bitumen from the Canadian Tar Sands to Texas Gulf Coast refineries when — and if — the project is ever completed. The southern leg of the line is up and running, but the northern section — the one that would cross the border into Canada — has been in regulatory limbo for years now. Despite those delays, President Obama recently said his decision on the Keystone would (Maybe. Probably. Possibly.) be announced some time this year.   Continue reading “Cowboys and Indians – The Keystone Pipeline unites two groups in opposition to the project.”

The Common Sense Show – by Dave Hodges

The BLM has tucked their tail between their legs and run for cover. Sheriff Mack, the other sheriffs, various state legislators, Oathkeepers and average people who make up our militias personify the words courage, integrity and honor. May God bless and protect every brave soul who went to the aid of a beleaguered family. Our American heroes prevented another Ruby Ridge and Americans should forever be grateful to all who went to the aid of Cliven Bundy. America still has many great people who are worthy of the descriptive term, hero. Cliven Bundy has also demonstrated to the world what is means to be an American and stand up to tyranny and win. Like so many overreaching federal agencies, when confronted, they are cowards and they tuck their collective tails between their legs and run for cover.   Continue reading “The Bundy Affair Is the Tip of the Iceberg To What’s Coming”

The Nations – by Zoë Carpenter

Two prominent public health organizations are pressing the State Department to study the public health implications of the Keystone XL pipeline before reaching a decision on its approval.

“There is an increasing recognition that the environments in which people live, work, learn and play have a tremendous impact on their health,” reads a letter sent Friday to Secretary of State John Kerry by the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the National Association of County and City Health (NACCHO). “The administration will certainly benefit by having a clear understanding of how the proposed Keystone XL pipeline could impact the public’s health, including the health of our most vulnerable citizens.”   Continue reading “Could Working on Keystone XL Give You Cancer, Asthma?”

Chron

NELIGH, Neb. (AP) — Opponents of a proposed pipeline to carry Canadian oil south to the Gulf Coast have carved a message of resistance into a Nebraska field in the project’s path.

The 80-acre artwork, which was done last week and reads “Heartland#NoKXL,” is the latest protest environmentalists and landowners have employed against TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline.   Continue reading “Opponents carve anti-pipeline message into field”

Freedom Outpost – by Michael Lotfi

Turtles and cows have absolutely no relevance to the situation in Nevada. Does the Constitution make provision for the federal government to own and control “public land”? This is the only question we need to consider. Currently, the federal government “owns” approximately 30% of the United States territory. The majority of this federally owned land is in the West. For example, the feds control more than 80% of Nevada and more than 55% of Utah. The question has been long debated. At the debate’s soul is Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 of the Constitution, which is know as the “Property Clause”. Proponents of federal expansion on both sides of the political aisle argue that this clause provides warrant for the federal government to control land throughout the United States.   Continue reading “Bundy Ranch Crisis is Reason to Ask “Who Actually owns America’s Land?””

Fox 4 KC – by Michelle Pekarsky

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — One person was reportedly killed and another injured Sunday afternoon when a gunman shot a man outside the Jewish Community Center and then injured another outside Village Shalom, an assisted living facility.

Witnesses tell FOX 4 reporters that there are two crime scenes:

115th and Nall- Jewish Community Center

123rd and Nall-  Village Shalom   Continue reading “Deadly shootings outside Jewish Community Center and Village Shalom, Kansas”

Mail.com

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday that reports of a poison gas attack in a rural village north of Damascus were so far “unsubstantiated,” adding that the United States was trying to establish what really happened before it considers a response.

Both sides in Syria’s civil war blamed each other for the alleged attack that reportedly injured scores of people Friday amid an ongoing international effort to rid the country of chemical weapons. The details of what happened in Kfar Zeita, an opposition-held village in Hama province some 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Damascus, remain murky. Online videos posted by rebel activists showed pale-faced men, women and children gasping for breath at what appeared to be a field hospital. They suggested an affliction by some kind of poison — and yet another clouded incident where both sides blame each other in a conflict that activists say has killed more than 150,000 people with no end in sight.   Continue reading “Official: US looking into Syria toxic gas reports”

Mail.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of a disabled Egyptian Islamic preacher extradited from Great Britain on charges he conspired to support al-Qaida, in part by trying to create a training camp in Oregon 15 years ago.

The trial of Mustafa Kamel Mustafa occurs a month after a Manhattan jury convicted Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law and al-Qaida’s spokesman after the 2001 attacks, of charges that will likely result in a life sentence.   Continue reading “Jury to be picked in NY trial of Egyptian preacher”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s the silent enemy in our retirement accounts: High fees.

And now a new study finds that the typical 401(k) fees — adding up to a modest-sounding 1 percent a year — would erase $70,000 from an average worker’s account over a four-decade career compared with lower-cost options. To compensate for the higher fees, someone would have to work an extra three years before retiring.   Continue reading “High fees eroding many 401(k) retirement accounts”

Mail.com

MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine’s ousted president has accused the CIA of being behind the new Ukrainian government’s decision to deploy armed forces to quash an increasingly brazen pro-Russian insurgency.

Speaking late Sunday on Russian state television, Viktor Yanukovych claimed that CIA director John Brennan had met with Ukraine’s new leadership and “in fact sanctioned the use of weapons and provoked bloodshed.”   Continue reading “Ukraine’s ousted president puts blame on CIA”

Mail.com

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio (AP) — A man accused of harassing a neighbor and her disabled children for the past 15 years sat at a street corner Sunday morning with a sign declaring he’s a bully, a requirement of his sentence.

Municipal Court Judge Gayle Williams-Byers ordered 62-year-old Edmond Aviv to display the sign for five hours Sunday. The judge selected the wording for it: “I AM A BULLY! I pick on children that are disabled, and I am intolerant of those that are different from myself. My actions do not reflect an appreciation for the diverse South Euclid community that I live in.”   Continue reading “Ohio man sits at corner with ‘I AM A BULLY!’ sign”

Common Dreams – by Julian Sanchez

The American intelligence community is forcefully denying reports that the National Security Agency has long known about the Heartbleed bug, a catastrophic vulnerability inside one of the most widely-used encryption protocols upon which we rely every day to secure our web communications. But the denial itself serves as a reminder that NSA’s two fundamental missions – one defensive, one offensive – are fundamentally incompatible, and that they can’t both be handled credibly by the same government agency.   Continue reading “The NSA’s Heartbleed Problem is the Problem with the NSA”

Zero Hedge

The following is an excerpt from ALL THE PRESIDENTS’ BANKERS: The Hidden Alliances that Drive American Powerby Nomi Prins (on sale April 8, 2014).  Reprinted with permission from Nation Books. Nomi Prins is a former managing director at Goldman Sachs.   Continue reading “All The Presidents’ Bankers: The World Bank And The IMF”

ABC News – by LIZ FIELDS

The hunt is on today for a black bear who mauled a woman at her home in an upscale central Florida neighborhood, leaving her with injuries to her face, legs and torso and requiring her to get 40 stitches to the head.

Terri Frana of Lake Mary, Fla., went to her garage Saturday evening to grab bicycles for her children to ride down to their neighbor’s house when the attack happened, according to her husband, Frank Frana.   Continue reading “Black Bear Mauls Florida Woman, Drags Her Out of Garage”

Police State USA 

Technology is a double-edged sword.  It has enabled the government to become more intrusive than ever with its online spying capabilities.  However, cheap and discreet recording devices make it much more feasible to hold cops on the street accountable.

Police State USA encourages holding government officials accountable but advises everyone to research the laws in their own states regarding secretly recording audio conversations (Read more: The Reporter’s Recording Guide).  Encounters with police officers in public generally do not fall under such restrictions, particularly after the recent court decision in Illinois.   Continue reading “How to record police encounters without losing your video”