From the Trenches World Report

Fox News

The IRS’ announcement Monday that it will pay cancelled 2013 bonuses has infuriated Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, who wants to know why an agency with employees who “inappropriately” targeted conservative political groups would reinstate the rewards.

“The IRS is accused of targeting conservative groups, with many of its employees having conducted themselves in a manner inappropriate for government officials, and the agency decides to reinstate employee bonuses?” asked Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. “This is outrageous.”   Continue reading “Senator rebukes IRS over decision to reinstate 2013 employee bonuses”

AlterNet – by Steven Rosenfeld

Washington Post – by VALERIE STRAUSS

The Board of Directors of the New York State United Teachers, a union with more than 600,000 members, has approved a resolution that withdraws its earlier support for the Common Core State Standards ”as implemented and interpreted” by the New York Education Department. It also declares ”no confidence” in the policies of State Education Commissioner John King and calls for a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences from standardized testing.

The action is a blow to supporters of the Common Core, which was approved several years ago in 45 states and the District of Columbia but which has become increasingly controversial around the country, with a number of states pulling back from the initiative or changing the standards. Some states, such as Florida, are actually changing the name so as not to be seen as being identified with the Core.   Continue reading “NY teachers union pulls its support from Common Core, urges removal of state ed chief”

Militia News – by Chad Cooper

The Second Amendment (Amendment II) of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights says, “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Apparently, the Connecticut legislature does not include body armor as a type of “arms” or if they do, they just don’t care about the Constitution. You see, Public Act 98-127 criminalizes the transaction of body armor unless done face to face. In other words, if you live in Connecticut, you can’t buy body armor online or via a catalog (Military members, Law Enforcement, Judges excepted). New York is following suit and has legislation drafted to prohibit armor as well. New Jersey? Virginia? California? Texas? Who’s next?   Continue reading “Is Body Armor Legal In Your State?”

Economic Collapse – by Michael Snyder

Would you like to buy a house for one dollar?  If someone came up to you on the street and asked you that question, you would probably respond by saying that it sounds too good to be true.  But this is actually happening in economically-depressed cities all over America.  Of course there are a number of reasons why you might want to think twice before buying any of these homes, and I will get into those reasons in just a little bit.  First, however, it is worth noting that many of the cities where these “free houses” are available were once some of the most prosperous cities in the entire country.  In fact, the city of Detroit once had the highest per capita income in the entire nation.  But as millions of good jobs have been shipped overseas, these once prosperous communities have degenerated into rotting, decaying hellholes.  Now homes that once housed thriving middle class families cannot even be given away.  This is happening all over America, and what we are witnessing right now is only just the beginning.   Continue reading “You Can Buy A House For One Dollar Or Less In Economically Depressed Cities All Over America”

Activist Post – by Catherine J. Frompovich

As a concerned citizen, who feels that freedom of speech and expression are inherent rights, especially when they concern problems associated with human rights and control issues, I decided to share information forwarded to me recently in an email and to give it voice with some editing from me.

Even though the vote took place in 2013, U.S. citizens are very concerned about it and want those who voted for the UN Small Arms Treaty to have to reap the ‘rewards’ of their actions.    Continue reading “Vote to End U.S. Sovereignty Way Too Close For Comfort”

NBC News – by Michael O’Brien

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Monday acknowledged that his office had been subpoenaed by the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey in relation to the bridge scandal that has rocked his administration.

Christie said his office would comply with the federal subpoena.

The Republican governor’s acknowledgement comes after a former aide, Bridget Anne Kelly, who allegedly conspired to close lanes on the George Washington Bridge as political retribution against a local mayor invoked her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination in the state legislature’s investigation.   Continue reading “Christie acknowledges federal subpoena”

Fox News

The decision to rescind the Academy Awards original song nomination for “Alone Yet Not Alone” from the small faith-based film of the same title is due to integrity, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement Saturday.

The academy revoked the song’s Oscar nod Wednesday after it discovered composer Bruce Broughton, a music branch executive committee member, emailed 70 members of the group to alert them of his submission.   Continue reading “Academy cites integrity for pulling Oscar nomination for original song ‘Alone Yet Not Alone’”

Natural News- by Julie Wilson

Organic food is seemingly no longer just a trend, but a necessity. A recent report by MyFox New York states that all-natural grocers can hardly keep up with the demands for organic food. Bloggers have been capturing signs that read, “Organic eggs are currently in short supply due to increased consumer demand and limited availability. This is an industry-wide shortage and is not specific to ShopRite stores or our operation.” Similar signs are being seen in grocery stores across the nation.   Continue reading “Organic food shortage hits U.S. stores”

WND – by Garth Kant

WASHINGTON — “I just denied your motion to dismiss,” U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon told Department of Justice attorney Marcia Berman.

“Do you understand that?” he asked, speaking slowly and deliberately, as though to a child.

The judge appeared frequently perplexed by Berman’s explanations Monday afternoon in the federal courtroom as to why the government was not prepared to argue its case after filing a motion three weeks ago asking him to halt further proceedings while appeals go forward in the nation’s biggest spy case.   Continue reading “Judge Mocks Obama’s NSA Lawyer”

So it’s now called “Arctic Warming”.

The elites: It’s called “Global Warming”!…Nope, nope that doesn’t work. Oh I know, let’s call it “Climate Change”!…Nope, nope that doesn’t work either. Darn! Hmm….Ah! I got it! We’ll call it “Arctic Warming”! Yea, that’s it.

Don’t worry. If the sheeple don’t believe us, we’ll throw in some “Arctic Warming” Scooby Snacks. Get’s them all the time.

Live Science – by Becky Oskin

The Arctic is leading a race with few winners, warming twice as fast as the rest of the Earth. Loss of snow and ice, which reflect the sun’s energy, is usually blamed for the Arctic temperature spike.   Continue reading “Arctic’s ‘Layer Cake’ Atmosphere Blamed for Rapid Warming”

National Journal – by Shane Goldmacher

Members of Congress and their aides took more free trips around the world in 2013 than in any year since new restrictions were put in place after the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal.

The website LegiStorm, which compiles congressional travel records, said Monday that lawmakers and their staffs took a combined 1,887 free trips last year for a total cost of almost $6 million.   Continue reading “Congress Took More Free Trips in 2013 Than in Any Year Since the Abramoff Reforms”

New York Times – by TIMOTHY WILLIAMS

The number of exonerations in the United States of those wrongly convicted of a crime increased to a record 87 during 2013, and of that number, nearly one in five had initially pleaded guilty to charges filed against them, according to a report to be released on Tuesday as part of a project led by two university law schools.

Nearly half of the exonerations — 40 — were based on murder convictions, including that of a man wrongly convicted and subsequently sentenced to death in the fatal stabbing of a fellow inmate in a Missouri prison in 1983, according to the report by the National Registry of Exonerations. The registry is a joint program of the University of Michigan Law School and the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law.   Continue reading “Study Puts Exonerations at Record Level in U.S.”