Alternative News

A life sentence … for pot?

"The top federal prosecutor in Montana — Mike Cotter, the U.S. attorney appointed by President Obama in 2009 — is breaking his silence and speaking publicly, for the first time, about his two-year crusade to shutter the medical marijuana industry and put its practitioners behind bars, in many cases for life sentences. And he is mincing no words. He says that pot has no medical value at all, for anyone, and that if you think otherwise, you are a sucker who has been duped 'by slick Madison Avenue marketing' employed by pot dealers. He says pot is a dangerous drug and growing it is a federal crime that must be punished." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA life sentence … for pot?

IRS Targeted Progressive Groups, Too, Documents Reveal

"The Internal Revenue Service targeted progressive groups applying for tax-exempt status in addition to conservative ones, according to IRS documents released by congressional Democrats on Monday. The documents and an internal IRS report being sent to congressional committees reveal that the tax agency used terms that included 'progressive' and 'occupy' to flag progressive organizations for extra scrutiny before the 2012 elections. The revelations greatly complicate the political scandal that has engulfed the IRS over the past few weeks. A request for comment from the IRS was not immediately returned." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIRS Targeted Progressive Groups, Too, Documents Reveal

Dutch Government Investigates Inaccurate Photo Speed Tickets

"Innocent motorists are getting tickets in The Netherlands from average speed cameras that are miscalculating the speed of some vehicles by as much as 18 MPH. National Ombudsman Alex Brenninkmeijer announced his office had opened an official investigation into the matter. Several members of parliament called for the system to be shut down until the problem is resolved, arguing there are many who just pay the fines of around 220 euros (US $290) without knowing whether they are legitimate. Fredrik Teeven, State Secretary for Security and Justice, rejected that proposal outright on Tuesday, saying a 'software update' would take care of the problem." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDutch Government Investigates Inaccurate Photo Speed Tickets

Privacy services companies stand up against Big Brother

"Encryption communication services companies are gaining momentum as public trust in US technology companies and social media networks are at an all-time low following explosive revelations by Edward Snowden. 'It’s going crazy. You know a lot of people suspected the US government was spying on Americans. But now we have this confirmation so everybody is contacting us now. We’ve had a huge surge in orders,' said Phil Zimmermann, CEO of Silent Circle, encrypted communications firm. Another company that is bearing the fruits of the NSA’s misfortune is Seecrypt, a mobile application that encrypts information sent over the mobile phone." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrivacy services companies stand up against Big Brother

Israel Names Chairman of JPMorgan Chase International the New Central Bank Chief

"Jacob Frenkel, 70, also serves as Chairman and CEO of the Group of Thirty (G-30). He is also a member of the Trilateral Commission, a member of the board of the Council for the United States and Italy, a member of the Investment Advisory Council of the Prime Minister of Turkey, and a member of the International Advisory Council of the China Development Bank. Between 1973 and 1987 he was on the faculty of the University of Chicago where he held the position of the David Rockefeller Professor of International Economics. Frenkel served from 2004 to 2009 as vice chairman of US bailed out American International Group (AIG)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIsrael Names Chairman of JPMorgan Chase International the New Central Bank Chief

Government Trained Killer with 2,746 Confirmed Kills: “They’re just another pencil mark.”

"With 2,746 confirmed kills, Sgt. 1st Class Dillard Johnson is the deadliest American soldier on record[...] 'It’s sort of sad to say, but they’re just another pencil mark,' Johnson told The Post, referring to his journal notations. 'I didn’t think of the numbers . . . That’s not a boast I would make[...] He counted the dead by tallying rifles — and human heads — among the mangled or charred wreckage left behind[...] His past never haunts him. 'I killed when I needed to . . . I was brutal when I needed to be, but I was compassionate when I needed to be,' he said.[...]" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGovernment Trained Killer with 2,746 Confirmed Kills: “They’re just another pencil mark.”

Air Force officer charged with rape and child molestation

"A U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel faces court-martial after being charged with assault, rape and lewd acts against a child for a series of alleged abuses over a six-year period in two states. Prosecutors said Kabban’s attacks against the victim, a girl younger than 12 years old, allegedly occurred between August 2005 and November 2011 in Virginia and Ohio. In May, Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski, who led the USAF’s Sexual Assault Prevention office, was arrested for allegedly attacking a woman in a parking lot. A sexual assault 'prevention and response' brochure was later revealed to advise victims, 'It may be advisable to submit.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAir Force officer charged with rape and child molestation

Cops accused of stiffing family for vet bill after shooting their dog

"A family in El Monte, California criticized local police on Friday for both shooting one of their dogs dead then reneging on an offer to pay for the animal’s treatment. 'They just came in our door without calling us or anything,' 11-year-old Winston Nguyen said to the station. 'Then our dog ran up to the police and the police shot it.' Police were called to the Nguyens’ home after Nguyen’s 14-year-old brother allegedly ran away. Family members told the station they advised authorities to call ahead of the officers’ arrival. Security camera footage set up by his father, Chi Nguyen, shows two officers entering the residence and leaving the gate open." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCops accused of stiffing family for vet bill after shooting their dog

Homeland Security Admits Backpack Explosive Drill Planned Before Boston Marathon

"The Department of Homeland Security has gone public with an admission that an exercise was planned months before the Boston Marathon bombings that involved backpacks being used to detonate explosives by rogue terrorists. According to the DHS documents acquired by the Boston Globe, the agents were planning on conducting training exercises centered around a fictitious terrorist group called ‘Free America Citizens’, a group that would plant backpacks full of explosives around Boston that the detectives would be forced to track down. Ultimately, of course, this ended up happening at the Boston Marathon itself with precise accuracy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHomeland Security Admits Backpack Explosive Drill Planned Before Boston Marathon

Glenn Greenwald: Snowden’s revelations ‘not espionage in any real sense of the word’

'I think it’s very surprising to accuse someone of espionage who hasn’t worked for a foreign government, who didn’t covertly pass information to an adversary [or] enemy of the United States, who didn’t sell any top secret information,' Greenwald told Hayes, arguing that Snowden 'asked newspapers to very carefully vet the information to make sure that the only thing being published are things that informed his fellow citizens but doesn’t harm national security.' 'This is a 1917 statute enacted under Woodrow Wilson to criminalize opposition to World War I. It has been used very, very sparingly throughout American history until the Obama administration.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Snowden’s revelations ‘not espionage in any real sense of the word’