Alternative News

Sen. Schumer: ‘Stop and frisk’ Ray Kelly should be new Homeland secretary

"New York Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) said in a statement on Friday that President Barack Obama should nominate controversial New York Police Department chief Ray Kelly to fill the vacancy left by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. In a statement obtained by the New York Daily News, Schumer said, 'The Department of Homeland Security is one of the most important agencies in the federal government. It’s [sic] leader needs to be someone who knows law enforcement, understands anti-terrorism efforts, and is a top-notch administrator, and at the NYPD, Ray Kelly has proven that he excels in all three.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSen. Schumer: ‘Stop and frisk’ Ray Kelly should be new Homeland secretary

Japan Resorts To Teenage Girls In Short Skirts To Get Their Stocks Up

"To get an idea of how Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is faring in his quest to lift his country out of two decades of stagnation, look no further than the skirts of the girl group Machikado Keiki Japan. The band, whose name translates roughly as 'street corner economic conditions', became a bellwether for the health of the world's third biggest economy earlier this year when they promised to shorten their skirts every time the country's stock market made significant gains. Their debut single, Abeno Mix – complete with unlikely singalong references to quantitative easing and construction bonds – takes its cue from Abenomics." Continue reading →

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Monetary Mavens Talk, Talk, Talk

"The thrust of central banking coverage is one that emphasizes high finance, complicated terminology and impressive circumstances. The reality is that the tools are very limited and the choices are, well ... simplistic. Either a central bank prints money or it doesn't. Either it sets interest rates high or low. Officials can choose various targets but essentially, 'targeting' doesn't change the basic mechanism: more money or less, higher interest rates or lower ones. It's very simple and the amount of time, energy and mainstream media coverage lavished on these rudimentary – and primitive – decisions is incredible." Continue reading →

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Breakfast with Pussy Riot

"This morning I had the opportunity to meet, along with several other journalists, with two members of Russian punk collective Pussy Riot at the Washington offices of Human Rights First. They are in Washington meeting with members of congress, State Department staffers, and NGO officials. It's an odd sort of publicity tour. For security reasons, 'Fara' and 'Shaiba,' who appeared to be in their 20s, did not provide their real names, did not allow themselves to be photographed without their trademark balaclavas, and refused to discuss details about their backgrounds or travel itinerary." Continue reading →

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Zimmerman Case and Chaos?

"The Zimmerman case – if it does explode into violence – is part of a much broader trend. Internationalists have always used war and violence to make a case for more and stronger global institutions that can guarantee 'peace.' Unfortunately, such rhetoric often leads to the 'peace of the grave' rather than the peace of the living. And if the Obama administration and others have now taken to using the rhetoric of racism as a way of furthering internationalist goals while distracting from the Great Recession, that would indeed be an unfortunate development. It would also explain why Obama was quick to make the remark that the victim reminded him of a son." Continue reading →

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The Curious Case Of Trayvon Martin’s Backpack With Stolen Jewelry and ‘Burglary Tool’

"The search of Trayvon Martin’s backpack turned up at least 12 pcs of ladies jewelry, and a man’s watch, in addition to a flat head screwdriver described as 'a burglary tool'. When Trayvon was questioned about who owned the jewelry and where it came from, he claimed he was just holding it for a 'friend'. A 'friend' he would not name. On October 21st 2011 a burglary took place a few blocks from Krop Senior High School where Trayvon Martin attended. The stolen property outlined in the Miami-Dade Police Report (PD111021-422483) matches the descriptive presented by SRO Dunn in his School Police report 2011-11477." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Curious Case Of Trayvon Martin’s Backpack With Stolen Jewelry and ‘Burglary Tool’

Will Adam Kokesh Face Charges of Armed Sedition?

"During the attack, Adam reports that the Park Police covered his chest with laser-sight red dots even when he had his hands up. A sheriff’s deputy informed Adam that charges of illegal transportation of a firearm, sedition and armed sedition are being considered against him, presumably by federal prosecutors. (Oxford defines sedition as 'conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.' Eyewitnesses to the attack on Adam and his companions Tuesday night report that US Park Police brought large brown paper evidence bags in with them before their search that appeared to be full." Continue reading →

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Hillary Clinton Starts to Cash in Big Time

"In the six months since stepping down as secretary of state, Clinton has addressed apartment-complex developers in Dallas, private-equity managers in Los Angeles and business executives in Grand Rapids, Mich. Still to come are travel agents, real estate brokers, clinical pathologists and car dealers — collecting more than $200,000 per appearance, according to one executive who arranges speaking tours.[...] Most of the trade groups Clinton has addressed actively lobby Congress on issues both substantial and mundane. Some audiences have many millions of dollars at stake in federal tax policies." Continue reading →

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Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano resigning to lead Univ. of California

"Reports on Friday revealed that an administration official said Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will resign, according to reports from Reuters, the New York Times and the Associated Press. The AP reported that Napolitano is leaving to take a senior position in the University of California system and told senior staff about her departure at a meeting Friday morning. CNN confirmed that Napolitano will take over as president of the UC system. According to Foreign Policy magazine, Napolitano’s resignation means that now the top 15 posts at the Department of Homeland Security are now vacant." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHomeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano resigning to lead Univ. of California

Documents reveal IRS put Occupy groups on ‘watch list’ too

"Documents to be released by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) on Friday reveal that the IRS targeted progressive groups — including groups associated with Occupy Wall Street — on its so-called 'watch list' alongside conservative tea party groups, according to USA Today and the Washington Post. The new information released, however, does reveal that conservative groups, including those affiliated with the 9/12 protests in 2010, were kept on a separate list from other groups." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDocuments reveal IRS put Occupy groups on ‘watch list’ too