From the Trenches World Report

Off Spectrum with James Farganne

The name tag told me that the photo being circulated of hero Park Ji Young was horizontally flipped. So in her honor I have unflipped it and now present to you what she really looked like.

After the Korean ferry’s captain had fled the ship, she assisted passengers in getting onto rescue boats. When they asked her to come with them, she insisted that because she was a member of the crew, she would only accept rescue after the last passenger had received it. Continue reading “South Korean Ferry Hero Park Ji Young”

Yahoo News – by Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal appeals court ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to turn over key portions of a memorandum justifying the government’s targeted killing of people linked to terrorism, including Americans.

In a case pitting executive power against the public’s right to know what its government does, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling preserving the secrecy of the legal rationale for the killings, such as the death of U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki in a 2011 drone strike in Yemen.   Continue reading “Court orders U.S. to release memo on drones, al-Awlaki killing”

Fox News

The United States Marine Corps is looking for a few good actors to play terrorists in upcoming training exercises, putting out a casting call that could give clues about what the Pentagon is prepping for.

A solicitation put out this month by the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command sought an actor to play an “Al Qaeda personality,” a French-speaker with a college degree in chemistry and three men who could play “high value insurgent” roles. The actors are needed for training exercises in South Carolina during the next three months.   Continue reading “Marines looking for a few good actors to play terrorists in training exercises”

The Legislative Gazette – by Kelly Fay

Just one day after the deadline for owners of assault weapons to register their firearms, a Supreme Court justice upheld the constitutionality of the controversial SAFE Act — a set of stricter gun regulations adopted by the state in January 2013 following a shooting in Newtown, Conn. that left more than two dozen dead.

Among other measures, the SAFE Act ensures universal background checks; banned the sale of assault weapons; and required those already in possession of such firearms to register them with the state by April 15. While Second Amendment advocates say it violates personal freedoms, the legislation has been upheld in courts, most recently by state Supreme Court Justice Thomas McNamara in a case brought by Bob Shulz of Queensbury. Shulz — founder and chairman of We the People of New York Inc. — will appeal the decision, the Associated Press reports. Continue reading “SAFE Act opponents suffer setback in court ruling”

Let’s not lose sight of these other machinations going on under the radar, while we may be distracted by other newsworthy items:

Washington Post

THE TRANS-PACIFIC Partnership has been described as the centerpiece of President Obama’s attempt to “pivot” U.S. foreign policy toward Asia, and with good reason. A proposed trade liberalization agreement among 12 nations, the TPP would, in binding the United States more closely with a portion of the world, collectively account for 40 percent of global output. At the same time, it would ensure that this huge area, including giants such as Japan, Canada, Mexico and Australia, conducts business according to U.S.-style rules on tariffs, regulation and intellectual property. China would be left on the sidelines, along with its mercantilist model of international commerce — unless and until it modifies that approach. The net effect would be a better balance of power, money and ideas between the United States and its allies on the one hand and China on the other.
Continue reading “U.S. and Japan must seal the deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership”

Press TV

According to the survey, just 22 percent trust the government as a protector of individual rights, down from 30 percent last November. Around 24 percent of voters are undecided.   Continue reading “Survey: 54% consider US govt. threat to individual liberty”

Police State USA

RAINS COUNTY, TX — A man says that when he called police to report that his home had been burglarized, he waited hours for an officer to arrive — only to witness his dog promptly being shot in the head by the responding deputy.   He says when backup arrived, they mocked and intimidated him with a taser.

On April 18th, Cole and Jayna Middleton discovered that their home had been broken into.  Several items had been stolen, including the family’s firearms.   Mr. Middleton phoned the Rains County Sheriff’s Office for help.   Continue reading “Man calls to report a burglary, deputy arrives and shoots his dog in the head”

Here is the email we received followed by my response:

My name is —— I am the son of —— known on the internet chat forums and Militia sites as “OLDVET”.

According to Dads bookmarks, FTTWR was a site he frequented and voiced opinions on yours and several others, this was his favorite spot as it would seem.    Continue reading “Trenchers Bid Farewell to Our Brother, Oldvet, Rest in Peace”

Natural Society – by Christina Sarich

The recent legalization of medical and recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington has made the celebration of 4/20 – a marijuana user’s code for weed – quite a popular spectacle. This past weekend, thousands of marijuana enthusiasts gathered in the two states at concerts, rallies, and trade shows in the inaugural states to make Cannabis use a little friendlier.   Continue reading “Colorado and Washington 4/20 Marijuana Events Attract Surge of Tourists”

Stop the Drug War – by Phillip Smith

Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that the Justice Department will soon release new, more expansive criteria for recommending federal prisoner clemency applications for President Obama to review.  That means Obama, who has so far freed a paltry 10 prisoners early in his first six years could free “hundred, perhaps thousands” in its final two, a senior administration official told Yahoo News Monday.     Continue reading ““Hundreds, Perhaps Thousands” of Federal Drug Prisoners Could be Freed Under New Clemency Rules”

Answers for the Faith – by Dr. D

There is a new proposal in the State of California to prohibit judges from having membership ties with the Boy Scouts.

According to the ‘Ethics Advisory Committee’ of the state Supreme Court, the Boy Scouts are discriminatory against homosexuals and atheists so state judges should be free of any ties with that sort of organization.  Here’s the story from SFGate:   Continue reading “California: Proposal to Prohibit Judges with Ties to Boy Scouts”

Information Dissemination – by Galrahn, April 15, 2014

Tom Hill @te3ej has been tracking the Russian Tug Nikolay Chiker for the last few weeks as it made its way down to Cuba with Russia’s premier spy ship the Viktor Leonov CCB-175. Yesterday Tom Hill noted the tug has taken up position just off the coast of Florida – now for two days at 29 18 00.0N, 80 30 00.0W.

While some mock the Russians for always deploying tugs with their Navy, I’ve grown to appreciate it as I have now observe them use the tugs effectively both in soft power operations and now military operations like trapping the Ukrainian fleet. Navy’s can do a lot when they have ships with incredible utility like Fleet tugs, indeed one might ask how the US government screams really loud about climate change, but doesn’t build ships like icebreakers and fleet tugs. Continue reading “Watching the Russians… Off Florida’s Coast”

The Telegraph – by Zachary Davies Boren

Continue reading “The US is an oligarchy, study concludes”

Reuters – by LAWRENCE HURLEY

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a ruling against Exxon Mobil Corp that ordered the company to pay $105 million in damages for polluting New York City’s groundwater with a toxic gasoline additive.

The decision not to hear the case leaves intact a July 2 U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that upheld the judgment.   Continue reading “Top court declines Exxon’s appeal in water pollution case”

The New American – by Warren Mass

April 15 was the deadline for residents of New York to register “assault weapons” that they owned before the passage of the state’s SAFE Act gun control law. But on the day of the deadline, pro-Second Amendment advocates, in an act of protest, gathered in downtown Buffalo to shred gun registration forms.

“They have been shredding the Constitution for years,” Russ Thompson, the leader of the April 15 rally was quoted by the Buffalo News as saying.     Continue reading “New Yorkers Protest “Assault Weapon” Registration Law”

Huffington Post

Major television broadcasters and Aereo will argue before the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday in a case that is about much more than the future of a controversial startup. The outcome could have far-reaching effects on the future of television and cloud computing, the quality of wireless service, and entrepreneurs trying to create the next big thing in technology.   Continue reading “The Supreme Court Is About To Decide The Future Of Television”