From the Trenches World Report

NPR – by Nina Totenburg

The U.S. Supreme Court is delving into the technology-versus-privacy debate, agreeing to hear two cases that test whether police making an arrest may search cellphones without a warrant.

The court’s announcement Friday that it would take the cases came just hours after President Obama outlined his proposals to address government retention of citizen phone data as part of his speech outlining reforms at the National Security Agency.   Continue reading “Supreme Court To Decide If Warrant Needed To Search Cellphone”

Moonbattery

Some follow-up on Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania Mayor James Schiliro, the member of Michael Bloomberg’s anti–Second Amendment outfit “Mayors Against Illegal Guns,” who was busted after demanding homosexual favors at gunpoint:

Schiliro was sentenced to 10 to 20 months for an alcohol-fueled episode last February in which he had a police car bring a former neighbor – a 20-year-old to whom he said he was attracted – to his home, made him drink wine, and refused to let him leave for 3 1/2 hours.   Continue reading “Mayor Against Guns James Schiliro Sentenced to 20 Months After Illegally Discharging Firearm”

Bloomberg – by Elisa Martinuzzi 

Trust in governments fell, making them the world’s least-trusted institutions for a third year, according to a survey published before policy makers and executives gather for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Faith in governments fell to 44 percent from 48 percent in 2013, according to the 2014 Trust Barometer survey published by Edelman, a public-relations firm. Trust in business held steady at about 58 percent, bringing its lead over government to the widest in the 14 years the poll has been taken.   Continue reading “Trust in Governments Slides to Record Low Amid U.S. Spy Programs”

Real Farmacy – by Joe Martino

Earlier this year, Texas state brought several SWAT teams to the quiet and peaceful Garden of Eden Community and threatened its existence. In what appears to be an intimidation tactic, only a single arrest was made based on unrelated outstanding traffic violations, and a handful of citations were given for city code violations. Absolutely no drug related violations were found and all inhabitants of the community were unarmed.   Continue reading “SWAT Teams Raid Sustainable Community”

Lew Rockwell – by Michael S. Rozeff

Predictably, President Obama has done nothing significant to diminish the National Security State. He presided over its expansion. Why should he want to undo it?

It’s a big mistake, however, in understanding the National Security State (NSS) and what to do about it to focus on Obama. The issue concerning the NSS is much deeper than one man, one president and a few terms of office.   Continue reading “Dangerous Organizations of the National Security State”

New York Post – by Kevin Sheehan

Cops bloodied an 84-year-old man and put him in the hospital Sunday when he jaywalked at an Upper West Side intersection and didn’t appear to understand their orders to stop, witnesses said.

Kang Wong was strolling north on Broadway and crossing 96th Street at around 5 p.m., when an officer told him to halt because he had walked against the light.   Continue reading “Cops bloody old man — for jaywalking”

New York Times – by JACK HEALY

The bomb threat was just a hoax, but officials at Hebron High School near Dallas took no chances: School officials called the police and locked down the school this week. Separately, a middle school 2,000 miles away in Washington State went on lockdown after a student brought a toy gun to class.

But the threat and the gun were real at Berrendo Middle School in Roswell, N.M., where a seventh grader with a sawed-off shotgun walked into the gymnasium and opened fire on his classmates on Tuesday, wounding two of them. School officials and teachers, who had long prepared for such a moment, locked down the school as police officers and parents rushed to the scene.   Continue reading “In Age of School Shootings, Lockdown Is the New Fire Drill”

World Events and the Bible

The next two years mark some very interesting signs in the heavens. In Genesis 1:14 God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” The word “seasons” (Strong’s: 4150) properly translated means “appointed times.”

In addition to the heavenly lights providing earth with light they also provide man with signs. However, we would like to caution the reader not to make a religion out of any perceived sign in the heavens. Simply digest it and use your own spiritual discernment leaving God’s Word as the ultimate resource on our spiritual path.   Continue reading “2014: Signs, Seasons and the Coming Tetrad”

World Events and the Bible

(ZeroHedge) – On December 24, we posted an update on Germany’s gold repatriation process: a year after the Bundesbank announced its stunning decision, driven by Zero Hedge revelations, to repatriate 674 tons of gold from the New York Fed and the French Central Bank, it had managed to transfer a paltry 37 tons.

This amount represents just 5% of the stated target, and was well below the 84 tons that the Bundesbank would need to transport each year to collect the 674 tons ratably over the 8 year interval between 2013 and 2020. The release of these numbers promptly angered Germans, and led to the rise of numerous allegations that the reason why the transfer is taking so long is that the gold simply is not in the possession of the offshore custodians, having been leased, or worse, sold without any formal or informal announcement. However, what will certainly not help mute “conspiracy theorists” is today’s update from today’s edition of Die Welt, in which we learn that only a tiny 5 tons of gold were sent from the NY Fed. The rest came from Paris.    Continue reading “Germany Has Recovered A Paltry 5 Tons Of Gold From The NY Fed After One Year”

Reuters – by JUSTYNA PAWLAK AND FREDRIK DAHL

World powers and Iran are due to start implementing a landmark deal on Monday curbing Tehran’s nuclear program, amid hopes that it will pave the way for a broad settlement of a decade-old standoff and ease fears of a new Middle East war.

If, as expected, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog confirms in the morning that Iran is meeting its end of the agreement, the European Union and the United States will later in the day suspend some economic sanctions in return.   Continue reading “World powers, Iran to activate landmark nuclear deal after IAEA nod”

Reuters – by HARRIET MCLEOD

Attorneys in South Carolina say they have fresh evidence that warrants a new trial in the case of a 14-year-old black teenager put to death nearly 70 years ago for the murders of two white girls.

George Stinney Jr. was the youngest person to be executed in the United States in the last century, and attorneys say the request for another trial so long after a defendant’s death is the first of its kind in the state.   Continue reading “New trial sought for South Carolina teen executed for 1944 murders”

AlterNet – by Alan Farago

A recent report by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development) underscores the health care crisis in the world’s most exceptional democracy. The U.S. spends two and a half times per capita more on health care than any other developed country. How does this happen? Take a look at a key player in the paradox: sugar growers. In Florida it is called, Big Sugar. In other states it is beets, maple syrup and most ubiquitous of all: high-fructose corn syrup extracted from an unlimited corn crop heavily subsidized by taxpayers.   Continue reading “Killer Fact: 30-40 Percent of Health Care Spending in the U.S. Is Tied to Excess Sugar Consumption”