From the Trenches World Report

Fox News – by Stephanie McNeal

When budget woes reduced the sheriff’s department in one rural Oregon county to a bare-bones force, residents decided to take matters into their own hands — creating armed patrol groups in defiance of local officials.

Their decision has raised safety concerns with the county government, which would prefer residents instead hike their own taxes to fund the hiring of trained deputies. But despite the risks, the move stands as a unique, some would say innovative, response to one of the country’s most severe local budget crunches. Continue reading “Citizens take law into own hands after cash-strapped Ore. county guts sheriff’s office”

Electronic Frontier Foundation

The first step in Jewel v. NSA is for the court to decide whether to adopt or reject the government’s invocation of the controversial ‘state secrets’ privilege—a legal tool that started as a limited shield intended to protect legitimate and critical government national security secrets, but which the government has attempted to turn into a sword to block Americans seeking to enforce the law and the Constitution.

Essentially, by invoking the state secrets privilege in this way, the government argues that even if all of the allegations of serious law-breaking and Constitutional violations are true, surveillance of millions of ordinary Americans is exempt from judicial review. Continue reading “The State Secrets Privilege”

Natural News – by Tony Isaacs

In yet another blow to the claimed benefits of statin drugs, newly published research has found that statin drug use leads to accelerated coronary artery and aortic artery calcification, both of which greatly contribute to cardiovascular disease and mortality. The new study comes on top of findings that led the FDA to mandate adding “diabetes risk” to the warning label of statin drugs. Continue reading “Another nail in the coffin for statin drugs – New research finds statins increase artery calcification”

Gov Slaves.info

(Daniel Jennings) State drivers’ licenses are slowly turning into national ID cards by a little known federal law called the REAL ID Act.

The idea behind the law is to make it easier for law enforcement and security personnel to identify individuals through their driver’s licenses and state-issued identification cards, and the law has even led some states to ban smiling for license pictures, so as not to throw off computer facial recognition software. Continue reading “National ID Law Takes Effect In 2014”

Before It’s News – by Susan Duclos

Florida, Oregon and Canada are all reporting cases of H1N1, which has been found in Texas already, causing the deaths of some victims, sickness in others and fears of more cases to be reported. Originally termed a “mystery illness,” test results for the H1N1 flu aka Swine Flu came back positive, worrying officials that a larger outbreak could occur.

In 2009 the H1N1 was named as the cause of a worldwide pandemic. By June 2012 the first global study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases Online first, estimated the number of people that died from the 2009 pandemic. Continue reading “It’s Spreading! H1N1 Florida, Oregon & Canada Join Texas With Swine Flu Cases Reported”

AZ Central – by Dennis Wagner

A federal agent who exposed the Justice Department’s flawed gun-trafficking investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious says the FBI played a key role in events leading to the 2010 murder near Nogales, Ariz., of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

John Dodson, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, contends that the bandits who killed Terry were working for FBI operatives and were sent to the border to do a drug rip-off using intelligence from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Continue reading “Agent: FBI key in border agent Terry slaying”

Before It’s News – by Live Free or Die

Before It’s News has recently received the following tip from a confidential source who asked that we get this information out to the public. In light of recent cancellations of airline flights out of Alaska, Oregon and Washington state, was there another reason behind those cancellations besides what we have already been told?

While the official word is that ‘the flu’ has struck Alaska Airlines crews, causing the cancellations of 24 flights, we have been informed that the real reason that crew members have called in sick has been due to fears of high levels of radiation in the air, as confirmed by this recent story that hot particles are now in the lungs of Americans, especially in Seattle, via an Interview with nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds. Continue reading “Inside Info: Alaska Air’s Been Fuked! Cancellations Due To Fukushima Radiation Rather Than The Flu?”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON CROSSING, N.J. (AP) — George Washington has made his annual Christmas Day ride across the Delaware River.

Washington’s daring Christmas 1776 crossing of the river turned the tide of the Revolutionary War. The 61st reenactment of it was staged Wednesday. Hundreds of people gather each year to hear Washington’s stand-in deliver stirring words to the troops and watch three boats make the crossing from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. Continue reading “Crowds relive Washington’s 1776 river crossing”

RT News

Thai police say an officer has been killed during an anti-government rally in the country’s capital, Bangkok. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets on protesters who attempted to halt planning for the February elections over the controversial security law.

The officer died after being airlifted to hospital, and it hasn’t been confirmed yet how he lost his life. Earlier, police reported that he had been hit by a bullet during the clashes. Continue reading “Thai police officer killed in clashes with anti-government protesters”

RT News

Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law is facing two new conspiracy charges in his impending trial, as US prosecutors have reportedly linked him to the 2001 Al-Qaeda shoe bomber plot.

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, 48, who formerly served as a spokesman for Al-Qaeda and was arrested in February, was originally charged with one count of conspiracy to kill Americans. A superseding indictment unsealed on Friday, however, added two new charges: conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists, and providing material support and resources to terrorists. Continue reading “US hits bin Laden’s son-in-law with new conspiracy charges”

RT News

Expressing concern over employees’ health has backfired on the world’s leading fast food producer, McDonald’s. Its own employee resources website recommended workers to avoid burgers and fries whenever possible due to health risks.

The McResource site, notorious for giving advice on how to make ends meet working for $7.25 an hour at McDonald’s, has cooked up another gem: the folks preparing and serving McDonald’s food should actually avoid eating it themselves – because it is unhealthy. Continue reading “McDonald’s to employees: Avoid burgers and fries – it’s risky for your health”

RT News

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees has condemned Israel’s demolition of Palestinian Bedouin dwellings in the West Bank, calling for an immediate halt.

“UNRWA condemns the latest demolitions in the West Bank, which displaced 68 people, the most recent of which occurred on Christmas Eve,” spokesman Chris Gunness said in a statement. Continue reading “UN condemns Christmas Eve demolitions of Palestinian homes by Israel”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

Once upon a time, money – in the form of precious metals – used to be literally dug out of the earth. Limitations on the amount that could be mined, and on how much growth could be borrowed from the future (all debt is, is future consumption denied), is why eventually the world’s central bankers moved from money backed by precious metals, to “money” backed by “faith and credit”, in the process diluting both. It was the unprecedented explosion in credit money creation that resulted once money could be “printed” out of thin air that nearly destroyed the western financial system. Which brings us to Bitcoin, where currency “mining” takes place not in the earth’s crust, or in the basement of the Federal Reserve, but inside supercomputers. Continue reading “A Trip Through The Bitcoin Mines”

Information Liberation – by Chris

“Have sex with me or get a DUI,” that’s what police officer Timothy H. Jones, who “served” for over twenty years as a cop, told a young woman he pulled over for drunk driving. Under threat of imprisonment, the woman complied and let the officer rape her. He’s now been sentenced and convicted, but Judge Thomas Prebil only sentenced him to a single year in jail.

From STL Today: Continue reading “Cop Who Told Woman Have Sex With Him Or Get A DUI Given Only One Year In Jail”

Global Post – by Simeon Tegel

LIMA, Peru — Argentina has given the first sign that Uruguay’s groundbreaking cannabis reform just may have started a domino effect across Latin America.

Following the momentous vote by its smaller neighbor’s senate this month — making it the first nation in the world to completely legalize the soft drug — Argentina’s anti-drug czar Juan Carlos Molina has called for a public discussion in his country about emulating the measure. Continue reading “Uruguay’s neighbor Argentina now considering marijuana legalization”

Tribune illustration of handcuffs Chicago Tribune – by Jeremy Gorner and Patrick Svitek

A Chicago police officer has been relieved of his police powers after being accused of breaking a senior citizen’s hip when the officer shoved the man during an argument earlier this month.

David Barrett, a 20-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 bond on Saturday on a charged of aggravated battery. Continue reading “Prosecutors: CPD officer broke senior citizen’s hip in gas station dispute”

Information Liberation – by Philip Smith

A Burleson County sheriff’s deputy leading a dawn, no-knock drug raid was shot and killed by the homeowner last Thursday. Sgt. Adam Sowders becomes the 40th person to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.

Although Sowders was killed early last Thursday morning, we delayed reporting the story because the sheriff’s department refused for several days to release search warrant information that would have verified it was indeed a drug-related search warrant. Continue reading “Texas Deputy Killed in Dawn No-Knock Drug Raid”

That’s Really Possible – by Glyn Taylor

Transcendence, a 2014 movie produced by Christopher Nolan, features events which are predicted by many scientists and futurists as likely to occur in reality within the first half of this century. The predictions featured include those subscribed to by Ray Kurzweil, Hugo de Garis, and Jason Silva.

The plot involves two leading computer scientists working towards their goal of sparking the Technological Singularity, as a radical anti-technology organization fights to prevent them from creating a world where computers can transcend the abilities of the human brain. Continue reading “Transcendence Movie Features Real Future Predictions”

Bloomberg – by Mark Chediak, Christopher Martin and Ken Wells

If you wonder why America’s utilities are rattled by the explosive growth in rooftop solar – – and are pushing back — William Walker has a story for you.

A flip-flop wearing Walker stands in his driveway pointing to a ubiquitous neighborhood feature – solar panels on the roofs of five of six houses nearby. He lives in Ewa Beach, a development on the sultry leeward coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu built on land cleared of sugar cane fields. Continue reading “Utilities Feeling Rooftop Solar Heat Start Fighting Back”

Continue reading “U.S. Army Brigade told to avoid the word “Christmas””