From the Trenches World Report

AlterNet – by Joshua Holland

In the dozen years since the 9/11 attacks, we’ve watched as a classified new legal regime for government surveillance has been hashed out, local police forces have become heavily armed military-type units and a whole new layer of bureaucracy has hatched to provide us with an abundance of “homeland security.”

Proponents of this build-up argue that it’s made us safer. They point to hundreds of foiled plots to make their case. But Trevor Aaronson, author ofThe Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism, dug into these supposedly dastardly plots and found that they are much less than meets the eye.   Continue reading “Shocker: Only 1% of So Called Terrorists Nabbed by the FBI Were Real”

Washington Post – by Rajiv Chandrasekaran

The U.S. military has erected a 64,000-square-foot headquarters building on the dusty moonscape of southwestern Afghanistan that comes with all the tools to wage a modern war. A vast operations center with tiered seating. A briefing theater. Spacious offices. Fancy chairs. Powerful air conditioning.

Everything, that is, except troops.   Continue reading “A brand-new U.S. military headquarters in Afghanistan. And nobody to use it.”

The Organic Prepper

We have recently moved to an area where blackberries grow wild to the extent that they are considered an invasive plant by many people. An untouched patch of blackberry bramble runs amok in the back yard and the fruit is currently a sweet daily bounty.  If you don’t have them growing in your own garden, look for them right now at your local farmer’s market. (Find a market HERE)   Continue reading “This Week’s Harvest: Blackberries”

SHTF Plan – by Mac Slavo

During the summer of 2011, as Ben Bernanke and his mainstream propaganda arm convinced Americans that green shoots were cropping up all over the nation, warnings of the coming destruction of America’s pension funds had begun to emerge.

Government employees may currently enjoy higher salaries and benefits than the private sector, but they have been given a false sense of security.   Continue reading “Here Comes the Pain: Detroit To “Significantly Cut Vested Pensions” For Retirees”

Breitbart –  by LEE STRANAHAN

The Obama Department of Justice made no attempt to stop blatant threats against George Zimmerman, according to one of the people who helped make those threats.

Despite issuing a widely publicized threat against Zimmerman last year, the New Black Panther Party was never contacted by the Department of Justice according to a statement from a NBPP spokesman.   Continue reading “New Black Panthers: Never Contacted by Obama DOJ over Zimmerman Threats”

Northeast Intelligence Network – by Douglas J. Hagmann

With each passing day, it becomes more evident that the United States is a “captured operation,” and has been taken over from within. At the epicenter of the tyrannical takeover is none other than Barack Hussein Obama, a man also known as Barry Soetoro. The terrifying yet largely unreported fact is that after two elections and nearly five years, we still do not know with certainty the legal name, true legal identity or status of the man holding the highest office in America. Equally disturbing, and something that should concern everyone, is that anyone who continues to raise questions about Obama’s eligibility status or the authenticity of his long form birth certificate is either subjected to public ridicule or worse, threats to their safety.    Continue reading “Who is Barack Hussein Obama, or is it Barry Soetoro?”

The Captain’s Journal – by HERSCHEL SMITH 

NRO’s Corner:

Ron Kelly, a 59-year-old retired U.S Army soldier, made the front page of the Houston Chronicle Wednesday after he was denied permission to purchase a .22 caliber rifle at a Wal-Mart in Tomball, Texas. The veteran failed the FBI’s background check because he was charged with marijuana possession — in 1971.   Continue reading “Army Veteran Can’t Buy Rifle Because Of Pot Conviction 42 Years Ago”

Testosterone Pit

The asset bubbles the Fed’s money-printing and bond-buying binge has created are spectacular, the risk-taking on Wall Street with other people’s money a sight to behold. Among the big winners were mortgage Real Estate Investment Trusts – and those who got fat on extracting fees. But now the pendulum is swinging back, and the bloodletting has started.   Continue reading “Mother Of All Bubbles Pops, Mess Ensues”

The Washington Post – by Ed O’Keefe

House Republicans successfully passed a Farm Bill Thursday by splitting apart funding for food stamps from federal agricultural policy, a move that infuriated the White House and congressional Democrats who spent most of the day trying to delay a final vote.

Lawmakers voted 216 to 208 make changes to federal agricultural policy and conservation programs and end direct subsidy payments to farmers. But the measure says nothing about funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, which historically constitutes about 80 percent of the funding in a Farm Bill.   Continue reading “Farm Bill passes in House, without food stamp funding”

Huffington Post – by Matthew Katz

CHINATOWN — As many as 20 exploding bug bombs partially destroyed a Chinatown building and left eight people hurt Thursday afternoon, police sources said.

The explosion occurred at 17 Pike St. about 12:50 p.m., where the rear of the first floor collapsed, leaving three of the injured people in serious condition suffering from burns and smoke inhalation, fire officials said.   Continue reading “Chinatown Fire Causes Multiple Injuries After Partial Building Collapse”

Arizona Daily Star

A pair of Wisconsin legislators, among others, are up in arms over a heavily armed, Scottsdale-based private security force hired to protect a new iron-ore mine under construction in northern Wisconsin.

Mining company Gogebic Taconite hired Bulletproof Securities to secure its property following an incident during an otherwise peaceful protest in which a 26-year-old woman was charged with robbery with use of force and three other misdemeanors after allegedly wrestling a camera away from a mine worker.

Photos, including the one attached, show guards wearing camouflage and masks and sporting semi-automatic guns. Bulletproof’s website states its personnel are equipped with armor and high-tech gear and can be trained in the use of handguns, medium-sized weapons, heavy weapons, sniper rifles and edged weapons.    Continue reading “Hiring of Arizona security firm raises Wisconsin mine controversy to new heights”

Politico – by REID J. EPSTEIN

President Barack Obama told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that he is considering taking a more public role in pushing immigration reform in the House than he did during Senate negotiations, CHC members said Wednesday after meeting with Obama at the White House.

Obama didn’t lay out a legislative strategy beyond reiterating his support for the immigration bill that passed the Senate last month, though he said he is considering traveling to back the legislation, said the CHC’s chairman, Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas). Continue reading “Obama considering travel to back House immigration reform”

White House Dossier – by KEITH KOFFLER 

It’s trust and don’t verify time for Obamacare.

I wonder, truly, why the enforcement mechanisms for Obamacare are going straight out the window until whenever without the whole thing being bumped back.

COULD IT BE THAT WE WANT TO SIGN UP AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE FOR FREE HEALTH CARE??   Continue reading “Get Your Free Health Care! Step Right This Way!”

Raw Story – by Agence France-Presse

A Russian state service in charge of safeguarding Kremlin communications is looking to purchase an array of old-fashioned typewriters to prevent leaks from computer hardware, sources said Thursday.

The throwback to the paper-strewn days of Soviet bureaucracy has reportedly been prompted by the publication of secret documents by anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks and the revelations leaked by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.   Continue reading “Kremlin turns back to typewriters to avoid security leaks”