From the Trenches World Report

Politico Magazine – by JOSHUA KUCERA

It’s perhaps not surprising that Tajikistan, which shares a poorly guarded, 750-mile border with opium-rich Afghanistan, has become a major global drug-trafficking hub—in fact, more than 80 percent of Afghanistan’s heroin exports to Russia and Europe now pass through Tajik territory. Over the past decade, the United States, worried that the drug trade would soon be accompanied by all the other security problems that plague Afghanistan, has cooperated closely with Tajikistan’s government to help it stem the narcotics trade. Seems reasonable, right?   Continue reading “The Narcostate”

Militia News

The U.S. Postal Service is currently seeking companies that can provide “assorted small arms ammunition” in the near future.

The U.S. Postal Service joins the long list of non-military federal agencies purchasing large amounts of ammunition.

On Jan. 31, the USPS Supplies and Services Purchasing Office posted a notice on theFederal Business Opportunities websiteasking contractors to register with USPS as potential ammunition suppliers for a variety of cartridges.   Continue reading “U.S. Postal Service Announces Giant Ammo Purchase.”

Mass Live – by Jack Flynn

SPRINGFIELD — City officials have agreed to pay $28,000 to settle a lawsuit by two women claiming they were strip searched by Springfield police officer Carla Daniele in front of male officers and passing traffic in 2009.

The women, Meredith Blakeslee and Darlene Palazzi, will receive $14,000 each in exchange for dropping the suit filed in U.S. District Court after police stopped their vehicle on Plumtree Road and searched them for drugs.    Continue reading “Strip search lawsuit against Springfield police officer Carla Daniele is settled for $28,000”

Policy Mic – by Tom McKay

Which countries are at the highest risk of a coup d’état this upcoming year? While in any individual country a coup seems highly unlikely at any given time, this map from dartthrowingchimp shows the relative risks each country faces from a revolution instigated by its own armed forces.

The above heat map sorts the world by fifths into various levels of risk. The map’s creator, Jay Ulfelder, says that at around 80% of the countries which undergo coup attempts this year are likely to fall into the uppermost category (red). Meanwhile, this chart plots the unweighted average of two different forecast models to determine the “single-best” forecast of the risk of a coup.   Continue reading “This Map Shows Where The Next Military Coup Will Likely Happen”

Times Union – by Bob Gardinier

Troy – Another notice of a pending lawsuit was filed against the city, this time by a former college student who claims police officers slammed him against a truck, punched him and used a Taser on him for jaywalking.

One of the officers was named in two other cases in which defendants claim use of excessive force.   Continue reading “Ex-student accuses Troy cops of excessive force”

A Voice from the Margins – by Ajamu Baraka

With the predictable failure of the Syrian peace conference, the call for the Obama administration to wage a humanitarian war to save civilians in Syria is once again being championed by some elements of the mainstream media in the U.S. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, since certain powerful voices in the U.S. corporate media have long been in lock-step with some of the most hawkish elements in the Obama administration regarding the use of force in Syria.    Continue reading “The Syrian Subterfuge part two: The Case for Humanitarian War- Again”

Information Clearing House – by F. William Engdahl

February 28, 2014  The events in Ukraine since November 2013 are so astonishing as almost to defy belief.

An legitimately-elected (said by all international monitors) Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovich, has been driven from office, forced to flee as a war criminal after more than three months of violent protest and terrorist killings by so-called opposition.   Continue reading “The Rape of Ukraine: Phase Two Begins”

A man received the following text from his neighbor:

I am so sorry Bob.  I’ve been riddled with guilt and I have to confess. I have been tapping your wife, day and night when you’re not around. In fact, more than you.  I’m not getting any at home, but that’s no excuse. I can no longer live with the guilt and I hope you will accept my sincerest apology with my promise that it won’t happen again.   Continue reading “The Confession”

Yahoo News – by Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Navy is mapping out how to expand its presence in the Arctic beginning about 2020, given signs that the region’s once permanent ice cover is melting faster than expected, which is likely to trigger more traffic, fishing and resource mining.

“The Arctic is all about operating forward and being ready. We don’t think we’re going to have to do war-fighting up there, but we have to be ready,” said Rear Admiral Jonathan White, the Navy’s top oceanographer and navigator, and director of the Navy’s climate change task force.   Continue reading “U.S. Navy eyes greater presence in Arctic”

Strat Risks

KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s interior minister accused Moscow’s military of blockading an airport near a Russian naval base on Friday and armed men took control of another airport in Ukraine’s Crimean capital of Simferopol.

In a Facebook post, Arsen Avakov called the seizure of the Belbek international airport in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol a “military invasion and occupation.” He added: “It is a breach of all international agreements and norms.”   Continue reading “Ukraine Accuses Russia of ‘Invasion’ Over Airport Blockade”

Campus Reform – by Katherine Timpf

A new policy at Tennessee State University (TSU) will force students and faculty to “wear and display” official identification badges — complete with tracking technology — at all times on campus or risk punishment.

As of March 1, being caught on campus not wearing the new ID “may result in employee disciplinary action, student judicial action or removal from University property,” according to a release published by the school.   Continue reading “University policy will force students to wear trackable identification at all times”