Boston Metro Desk – by Javier Panzar and John R. Ellement

PLYMOUTH — Boston Police Officer Kirk D. Merricks today pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of illegal possession of explosives, including four grenades, that Plymouth police said they found in the single family home where he formerly lived with his now estranged wife.

Merricks appeared in Plymouth District Court where he was released on $1,000 cash bail after pleading not guilty to the explosive charges along with four counts of receiving stolen property and one count of possession of ammunition.   Continue reading “Boston police officer pleads not guilty to explosives charges and is released on $1,000 cash bail”

Before It’s News

The pointer in this German Sat24 Meteox weather SAT is indicating possible concentrations of what might be emissions from the High Altitude Auroral Research Project’s activities in Europe – mostly conjecture, is HAARP being used in Europe as well as in the U.S.?   Continue reading “Germany’s June Floods – the Most Expensive Natural Catastrophe In German History a European HAARP exercise?”

New Hampshire State Representative John Hikel signs pledge for lower taxes, smaller government, fidelity to Constitution. Examiner – by David Codrea

A New Hampshire state representative has filed a petition to remove 189 legislators from the House of Representatives for voting to diminish citizen’s rights of self defense. John Hikel filed an Emergency Petition of Redress and a Verified Complaint of Breach of Oath of Office and Conspiracy against Rights in April against 189 members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives who voted to repeal the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law for “Breach of Oath of Office and Conspiracy against Rights.”   Continue reading “N.H. Rep. files petition, criminal complaint against oath-breaking colleagues”

Huffington Post

Sometimes letting kids do things without you can be scary. They could get lost, get hurt, come into contact with trees… Wait, what?

At a time when we have seen helicopter parents and backlash to the helicoptering and free-range parents and backlash to them too, we have some sympathy for the educators who may not be sure what parents will take issue with next. But then again, is this really necessary?   Continue reading “The Most Unnecessary School Permission Slip Ever?”

New York Daily News – by Glen Blain

The Adirondack Challenge  was announced by Gov. Cuomo earlier this year as a way to bring  much-needed tourism to upstate New York, with the big draw being Gov. Cuomo taking on other elected officials – including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg –  in raft races.

It seems, however, that most of the public will only get to see those raft races on television.    Continue reading “Raft Race Between Gov. Cuomo And Mayor Bloomberg A Media Only Event”

Common Dreams – by Sarah Lazare

The White House spiraled into panic mode late Friday after Edward Snowden’s earlier appearance in Russia, with President Obama moving forward with plans to personally call Vladimir Putin to urge the Russian president to deny Snowden asylum.

Snowden went public earlier Friday to announce his intention to apply for temporary stay in Russia until he is able to arrange safe travel to Latin America. The whistleblower forcefully defended his moral choice to expose the vast US spying dragnet, declaring “I did the right thing.”   Continue reading “Panicked Obama Dials Putin After Snowden Appearance”

Guides from the North Creek Rafting Company paddle whitewater clients down the Indian River on their way to the Hudson River.DenPubs – by Bill Quinlivan

Indian Lake — Indian Lake Town Supervisor Brian Wells announced during the July 8 Town Board meeting that a New York Daily News article published that day was devoted to the fact that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be taking part in the Adirondack Challenge, racing against Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a whitewater raft.

Bloomberg and Cuomo are expected to be competing with six-member teams here Monday, July 22, a day after the Governor’s Invitational Whitewater Race on the Indian River for the governor and other elected officials and invited guests, according to officials in the governor’s press office. And the Daily News story, written by Kenneth Lovett, states that the race between the governor and the mayor will take place on Indian Lake. However, press office officials said July 11 this was a reporting error and the two teams will be racing whitewater rafts on the Indian River, not flatwater. Continue reading “NYC mayor to paddle in Adirondack Challenge”

Washington’s Blog

Anyone Who Says the Government Only Spies On Potential Bad Guys Is Sadly Uninformed

Even now – after all of the revelations by Edward Snowden and other whistleblowers – spying apologists say that the reports are “exaggerated” or “overblown”, and that the government only spies on potential bad guys.

In reality, the government is spying on everyone’s digital and old-fashioned communications.   Continue reading “The Government Is Spying On ALL Americans’ Digital and Old-Fashioned Communications”

Photo: Wikimedia CommonsThe New York World – by Jeff Morganteen

On Tuesday afternoon, the New York Police Department released an outside review of the department’s controversial crime statistics reporting program known as CompStat, with little advance notice. John Eterno, a retired NYPD captain and criminal justice professor who wrote a book on CompStat abuses, has a feeling why.

“You have to get into this report,” Eterno said Tuesday night. “If you read the whole thing, you see a lot of alarm bells in there. That’s why the report is dated on April, and the report doesn’t come until the week of the Fourth of July. They’re trying to just sneak this thing through.”   Continue reading “What The CompStat Audit Reveals About The NYPD”

Consensus 9/11

The Official Account

Todd Beamer was one of the passengers on UA 93 who heroically prevented the hijackers from hitting their target in Washington D.C. He became the most celebrated of these heroes for saying, as a group of passengers were preparing to make their move, “Are you guys ready? Okay, let’s roll.”[1]

This fact was made known by GTE supervisor Lisa Jefferson, with whom Beamer had a 13-minute conversation before the plane crashed, and was later included inThe 9/11 Commission Report.[2]   Continue reading “Point PC-1: The Alleged Calls of Todd Beamer, Flight UA 93”

No Fault FraudNew York Daily News – by DAN FRIEDMAN

Sen. Chuck Schumer called White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough this morning to urge that President Obama nominate New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly as Homeland Security Secretary.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced Friday that she is stepping down to head the University of California system.   Continue reading “Schumer Pushes NYPD’s Ray Kelly for DHS Secretary”

policeNatural News – by Jonathan Benson

A Pittsburgh area woman recently met the heavy hand of local law enforcement during an intense 12-hour police roundup, which serves as yet another reminder about the fragility of our individual liberties. As reported by WTAE News in Pittsburgh, police officers barged into Robyn Ruckman’s home after demanding that she procure proper identification for an arrest warrant, all over uncut grass that was the responsibility of her landlord.   Continue reading “Gestapo cops in Pittsburgh forcefully barge into woman’s home over uncut grass”

AlterNet – by Kristen Gwynne

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has announced that she’s headed to California, where she’ll be the president of the University of California school system. Twitter is already aflame with jabs mocking the move, as users wonder, for example, how DHS will further militarize a school system already known for pepper spraying peaceful protesters at a sit-in. Might she carry on her support for immigration reform to erect a militarized border around UC campuses?   Continue reading “Drones Above California? Stop and Frisk Across the Country? What the Shake Up at DHS Could Mean for the Nation”

chinatown building explosionHuffington Post – by Colleen Long

NEW YORK — Two dozen bug bombs may have been set off at once inside a Chinatown beauty salon, leading to an explosion and fire that injured a dozen people, fire officials said Friday.

Three people remained hospitalized in serious condition Friday. Nine others suffered burns and smoke inhalation in the Thursday blaze, including four firefighters.   Continue reading “Chinatown Building Explosion That Left Dozen Injured Caused By Bug Bombs: FDNY”

Bloomberg – by Simon Johnson

Financial reform is stuck. There was sensible intent in the Dodd-Frank legislation of 2010, but the pressure from global megabanks has overwhelmed regulators.

The only way to remake the system is through renewed and focused impetus from Congress. Today may have marked that moment: Four senators — Republican John McCain, Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Maria Cantwell, and Independent Angus King — have unveiled their “21st century Glass-Steagall Act,” which has potential to protect us from the worst problems in the banking industry while making it a better engine of prosperity.   Continue reading “Five Facts About the New Glass-Steagall”

A young Afghan "dancing boy" performs in a small city in northern Afghanistan. After five years, Canada is still investigating claims that its officers told subordinates in Afghanistan to ignore cases of child abuse. Canadian soldiers said they saw Afghan officers bringing boys in robes and makeup back to their bases.The Star -by Rick Westhead

As Canada’s military continues its five-year investigation into charges that its officers told subordinates in Afghanistan to ignore cases of child abuse, Afghanistan’s former ambassador to Canada says both countries are guilty of ignoring the scandal.

Omar Samad, ambassador from 2004 to 2009, said he advised the Afghan foreign ministry in 2008 about media reports that some Canadian soldiers said they had been told not to get involved in cases of child sexual abuse involving Afghan soldiers, police and interpreters.   Continue reading “Canada, Afghanistan both guilty of ignoring child-sex scandal: former ambassador”

Photo - Krista Rekos, center, mother of Sandy Hook School shooting victim Jessica Rekos, reacts during a public forum on the distribution of Newtown donations at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown, Conn., Thursday, July 11, 2013. A community foundation has been tasked with dividing up $11.4 million that was raised with the help of the United Way. At Thursday's meeting, people can comment on the disbursement of $7.7 million that has been set aside for the families of the 26 people who were killed, two wounded teachers and the families of 12 children who escaped. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) The Gazette

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — Families of the 26 children and educators killed in the Connecticut school shooting last year would receive $281,000 each under preliminary recommendations made by advisers to a committee tasked with dividing up $7.7 million in donations.

The families of 12 surviving children who witnessed the Dec. 14 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School would each get $20,000; two teachers who were injured would get $150,000 between them.   Continue reading “Panel suggests $7.7M breakdown of Newtown payments”