The Hill – by Kevin Bogardus

Iraqis and Afghans who risk their lives to help American troops would be eligible for special visas to the United States under the Gang of Eight’s immigration reform bill.

The Senate bill would extend programs that provide special immigrant visas for people in Iraq and Afghanistan who serve as translators and guides, as well as others who have helped the United States. It would also make changes so that their applications are processed faster.   Continue reading “Visas set aside for Iraqis, Afghans in Senate immigration bill”

AFP Photo / Fred DufourRT News – by Robert Bridge

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) is being probed over corruption allegations in Poland, Argentina, Bangladesh and Ukraine, an investigation that comes on the heels of bribery charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The US Justice Department is investigating whether IBM violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Bloomberg reported on Friday. In Poland, the probe is examining a transaction that the Polish Central Anti-Corruption Bureau was already in the process of studying, the company said.   Continue reading “US Justice Department investigating IBM bribery allegations”

Borderland Beat – by Colin Daileda

U.S. involvement in Mexico’s battle against drug cartels is getting a lot of press. But it’s worth noting that Mexico’s notorious narcotics trade isn’t just Mexico’s problem anymore.

And Obama should be well aware of that, considering that this past February Chicago declared Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán its first “Public Enemy No. 1” since Al Capone.    Continue reading “Mapping the Incredible Spread of Mexican Drug Cartels in the U.S.”

Security Cameras Can Aid Law EnforcementBefore It’s News – by Muckraker1

he real capabilities and behavior of the US surveillance state are almost entirely unknown to the American public because, like most things of significance done by the US government, it operates behind an impenetrable wall of secrecy. But a seemingly spontaneous admission this week by a former FBI counterterrorism agent provides a rather startling acknowledgment of just how vast and invasive these surveillance activities are.   Continue reading “Ex-FBI Counterterrorism Agent Says US Surveillance State Beyond Our Imagination”

Depleted Cranium

This may be old news (about a month) but it is still worth posting.   A poll was recently conducted by Public Policy Polling of Americans on the topic of conspiracy theories.   The number really do not surprise me very much.  If anything, it shows a few conspiracy theories are LESS popular than I might have expected.   Then again, the numbers are still soberingly high.   Continue reading “Poll Shows Widespread Conspiracy Theory Belief By Americans”

60 Completely Outrageous Ways The U.S. Government Is Wasting Money - Photo by Little Mountain 5End of the American Dream – by Michael

Is there anyone better at wasting money then the U.S. government?  Despite the sequester and all of the talk about “deep cutbacks”, the federal government continues to waste money in some of the most outrageous ways imaginable.  For example, does the U.S. government really have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to study the size and shape of the reproductive organs of ducks?    Continue reading “60 Completely Outrageous Ways The U.S. Government Is Wasting Money”

DARPA logoGeopolitical Monitor – by Zac Rose

Tactical and Weapons Projects

CROSSHAIRS (Counter Rocket-Propelled Grenade and Shooter System with Highly Accurate Immediate Response) – This program aims to develop an all-in-one, vehicle-mounted , detection and weapons unit that will be able to locate enemy ambushers and snipers while moving or while stopped. It will also be designed with the capability to destroy incoming threats, such as rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, by firing directly on them using automated, radar guided weapons.   Continue reading “DARPA: A Glimpse of All Tomorrow’s Weapons”

Obama US MexicoCNS News – by Fred Lucas

President Barack Obama, speaking in Mexico City on Friday, said the United States is responsible for much of the crime and violence in Mexico because of the demand for drugs and the illegal smuggling of guns across the southern border.

He told the crowd, “We understand that the root cause of violence that’s been happening here in Mexico for which so many Mexicans have suffered is the demand for illegal drugs in the United States.” He later added, “We also recognize that most of the guns used to commit violence here in Mexico come from the United States.”   Continue reading “Obama: Americans ‘Are Root Cause of Violence That’s Been Happening Here in Mexico”

Washington’s Blog

Preface: Fundamentalist Christians, Jews and Muslims all think they are in a “holy war” against the other guy. As shown below, fundamentalists are being manipulated by the powers-that-be – many of whom are actually atheists – as part of a divide-and-conquer strategy to disempower people.   Continue reading “Corrupt Government Officials – Many of Whom Are Atheists – Use the Most Extreme Forms of Religion to Divide and Conquer Us”

Tulsa World

OKLAHOMA CITY – Undercover FBI employees won and lost thousands of dollars in federal funds betting on University of Oklahoma football games and other sporting events, records show.

The FBI used undercover employees to identify suspected bookies in Oklahoma and to gather evidence about a gambling website during a lengthy investigation. The inquiry was known at one point as “Operation Bad Luck.”    Continue reading “Undercover FBI agents bet on Oklahoma football as part of operation”

The sky is lit up after an explosion at what Syrian state television reported was a military research centre in Damascus, in this still image taken from video obtained from a social media website by Reuters on May 5, 2013. REUTERS-Social Media-Handout via Reuters TVReuters – by Dominic Evans and Oliver Holmes

Israel carried out its second air strike in days on Syria early on Sunday, a Western intelligence source said, in an attack that shook Damascus with a series of powerful blasts and drove columns of fire into the night sky.

Israel declined comment but Syria accused the Jewish state of striking a military facility just north of the capital – one which its jets had first targeted three months ago. Iran, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and an arch-enemy for Israel, urged states in the region to resist the Israeli attack.   Continue reading “Israel strikes Syria again, rocking Damascus”

childNatural News – by JD Heyes

A number of Missouri lawmakers are supporting an amendment to the state constitution that essentially formalizes the fundamental right of parents to raise their children as they see fit.

In late April the House gave its approval to a measure, House Joint Resolution 26 (HJR26) that says parents have the right to make all decisions regarding the “discipline, education, religious instruction, health, medical care, place of habitation, and general well-being” for their own minor children.   Continue reading “Missouri moving to protect parental rights from federal tyranny over medicine, education and discipline of children”

Pentagon Changes Mind, Says Soldiers Can Share FaithThe New American – by Dave Bohon

Following an uproar over a Defense Department statement saying that military personnel could be court-martialed for sharing their faith, the Pentagon has backed down on that position and now says soldiers are free to proselytize, as long as they don’t harass others. “Service members can share their faith,” clarified Navy Lieutenant Commander Nate Christensen in a statement, “but must not force unwanted, intrusive attempts to convert others of any faith or no faith to one’s beliefs.”   Continue reading “Pentagon Changes Mind, Says Soldiers Can Share Faith”