Alternative News

Mission Creep: When Everything Is Terrorism

"One of the assurances I keep hearing about the U.S. government's spying on American citizens is that it's only used in cases of terrorism. Terrorism is, of course, an extraordinary crime, and its horrific nature is supposed to justify permitting all sorts of excesses to prevent it. But there's a problem with this line of reasoning: mission creep. The definitions of 'terrorism' and 'weapon of mass destruction' are broadening, and these extraordinary powers are being used, and will continue to be used, for crimes other than terrorism. Even as the definition of terrorism broadens, we have to ask how far we will extend that arbitrary line." Continue reading →

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Gold Is the Most Hated Investment You Might Want to Love

"Just as gold was about to peak at $1,923.70 per ounce in August 2011, speculative positioning in the gold futures market was at a record high, and the so-called smart money institutional investors held a record net long. With 20/20 hindsight, it’s obvious that wasn’t a good time to be going long gold. Measuring market sentiment, or the madness of crowds, can provide important clues at key turning points in securities prices. When sentiment moves from good to bad, to totally bleak, ignore the rampant pessimism and watch for incremental improvement. But one thing’s for sure: I don’t want to get caught up in the overcrowded short trade in precious metals right now." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGold Is the Most Hated Investment You Might Want to Love

San Antonio Public School Officials End RFID Tracking Program

"After a drawn-out battle waged in court and within the community, school officials with the Northside Independent School District have announced their decision to stop using a student tracking program that relied on RFID tracking badges containing tiny chips that produce a radio signal, enabling school officials to track students’ location on school property. Students who refused to take part in the ID program were not able to access essential services like the cafeteria and library, nor would they be able to purchase tickets to extracurricular activities. According to Hernandez, teachers were even requiring students to wear the IDs to use the bathroom." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSan Antonio Public School Officials End RFID Tracking Program

Government Attempts to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Wrongful Arrest, Psych Ward Detention of Facebook Marine

"'It’s bad enough that the government is targeting military veterans for expressing their discontent over America’s rapid transition to a police state, but for any government official to suggest that they shouldn’t be held accountable for violating a citizen’s rights on the grounds that they were unaware of the Constitution’s prohibitions makes a mockery of our so-called system of representative government,' said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGovernment Attempts to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Wrongful Arrest, Psych Ward Detention of Facebook Marine

Ex-Military General Dynamics Contractor: ‘I Hereby Resign in Protest Effective Immediately’

"I have served the post-911 Military Industrial complex for 10 years, first as a soldier in Baghdad, and now as a defense contractor. At the time of my enlistment, I believed in the cause. I was ignorant, naïve, and misled. We have become what I thought we were fighting against. Recent revelations by fearless journalists of war crimes including counterinsurgency 'dirty' wars, drone terrorism, the suspension of due process, torture, mass surveillance, and widespread regulatory capture have shed light on the true nature of the current US Government. I have always believed that if every foot soldier threw down his rifle war would end. I hereby throw mine down." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-Military General Dynamics Contractor: ‘I Hereby Resign in Protest Effective Immediately’

Zimmerman can get his gun back, has ‘even more reason’ to carry now

"With the trial at an end and the jury finding him not guilty, George Zimmerman now has the right by law to have his gun back. Zimmerman’s lawyer, Mark O’Mara, was asked whether Zimmerman intended to carry a gun again. 'Yes. Even more reason now, isn’t there?' O’Mara replies. 'There are a lot of people out there who actually hate him.' And although by Florida law Zimmerman has the right to have his gun returned to him, that doesn’t necessarily mean his concealed carry permit will be handed over quite as easily. At the suggestion of his lawyers, Zimmerman, who wore a bullet proof vest in public during the trial, will likely leave the state of Florida." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingZimmerman can get his gun back, has ‘even more reason’ to carry now

The Michael Hastings Wreck: Video Evidence Only Deepens The Mystery

"The day after the crash, I found myself in the homicide squad room in South Los Angeles. The Hastings topic came up, and one of the detectives said, 'Stanley got him. Took his time, but got him. That wasn’t an accident.' (Meaning General Stanley McChrystal.) On cue, a sign showed up the next day on the now-singed Hasting’s Palm: 'This was not an accident.' By nightfall, someone had replaced it with another message: 'Go to sleep people. This was an accident.' Hastings’s death was national news briefly, but it was soon pushed aside by subjects deemed more pressing to the mainstream media." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Michael Hastings Wreck: Video Evidence Only Deepens The Mystery

Utah lawmaker calls for an end to compulsory education

"Osmond argues that requiring children to attend school has caused some parents to 'completely disengage themselves from their obligation to oversee and ensure the successful education of their children.' 'I believe the time has come for us to re-evaluate what we expect of parents and the public education system.' Osmond recommends 'restoring the parental right to decide if and when a child will go to public school' to uphold the 'principles of personal freedom and unalienable rights.' Part of the solution, he believes, is to 'stop dictating the number of hours a child must be present in a classroom.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUtah lawmaker calls for an end to compulsory education

School board members among 109 New Jerseyans faking income for free school meal program

"New Jersey state Comptroller Matthew Boxer announced on Wednesday that 109 public employees, spouses and family members will be prosecuted on fraud charges after a state investigation found they lied about their incomes to qualify for a free school lunch program. Boxer did not identify the employees, but mentioned that 40 of them worked for school districts, including six board members. The 109 cheaters hid a combined $13 million in underreported income to claim their children qualified for participation in the National School Lunch Program, which offers free or discounted breakfasts and lunches for children from lower-income families." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSchool board members among 109 New Jerseyans faking income for free school meal program

Caregiver Bloomberg Now Wants New Yorkers To Use The Stairs

"Bloomberg recently signed an Executive Order (which probably created an exhilarating rush) that: '...requires that agencies assess opportunities to promote the use of stairways, and that agencies train design and construction personnel in the use of the City’s Active Design Guidelines.' [...] 'Additionally, the Bloomberg Administration plans two items of legislation to promote access to stairways in all new construction and buildings undergoing major renovations in New York City. The first bill requires that building owners give occupants access to at least one, clearly identified stairway in the building; and post signs that prompt stair use near elevators.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCaregiver Bloomberg Now Wants New Yorkers To Use The Stairs