Alternative News

Are You a Sociopath? If So, You’d Be A Successful Prosecutor

"For several years, the federal government sought to confiscate the family-owned Motel Caswell in Tewksbury,Massachusetts. The owner, Russ Caswell, had cooperated with police investigations of suspected narcotics activity. He was never charged with a crime. Yet a DEA official filed paperwork to steal the property through asset forfeiture because of drug offenses that took place without the owner’s knowledge. Carmen Ortiz, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, is reportedly considering an appeal of the ruling that dismissed the forfeiture suit against Caswell. Ms. Ortiz was the same prosecutor who drove 26-year-old internet wiz Aaron Swartz to suicide." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAre You a Sociopath? If So, You’d Be A Successful Prosecutor

Prison for Smokers, Permits for Strippers! (Nanny of the Month, Jan ’13)

"Our nation's nannies, scolds, and buttinskies started 2013 with a renewed hunger to mind other people's business. For reminding us of how far we've come since restaurant smoking bans, the January 2013 Nanny of the Month goes to Oregon Rep. Mitch Greenlick (D-Portland)!" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrison for Smokers, Permits for Strippers! (Nanny of the Month, Jan ’13)

Chicago Murders Top Afghanistan War Death Toll

"The death toll by murder in Chicago over the past decade is greater than the number of American soldiers who have died in Afghanistan since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom. In a city with some of the toughest gun control laws in America, where a handgun cannot be purchased, Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy 'acknowledged aiming at assault weapons misses the mark when dealing with Chicago’s gang violence.' 'The weapon used is generally a handgun, and rarely is it purchased through legal channels,' he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChicago Murders Top Afghanistan War Death Toll

Russia To West: We Told You Not To Overthrow Qaddafi!

"'Those whom the French and Africans are fighting now in Mali are the [same] people who ... our Western partners armed so that they would overthrow the Gaddafi regime,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference. The toppling of Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi led to 'perhaps the greatest proliferation of weapons of war from any modern conflict,' Emergency Director of Human Rights Watch Peter Bouckaert told The Telegraph. Those weapons stockpiles were raided by both sides, and both sides had connections with radical militants." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia To West: We Told You Not To Overthrow Qaddafi!

Former Obama Intel Chief: Pentagon, Not CIA Should Control Drone Strikes

"Admiral Dennis Blair, the Director of National Intelligence from January 2009 to May 2010, told a Council on Foreign Relations conference call that current U.S. policy has created 'all kinds of legal knots' regarding how and when America uses the controversial counterterrorism tactic. Last week The Washington Post reported that the Obama administration is almost done with its 'playbook' designed to establish clear rules for targeted-killing operations, but the CIA will continue to be exempt from the rules for the next year or more." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer Obama Intel Chief: Pentagon, Not CIA Should Control Drone Strikes

Head Start finally gets tested — and flunks

"The federal government spent more than $7.9 billion on the program in 2012 alone to provide preschool services for nearly 1 million low-income Americans. There's just one problem: It doesn't work. As the 2010 Head Start Impact Study report notes, 'the benefits of access to Head Start at age four are largely absent by 1st grade for the program population as a whole.' Specifically, the language, literacy, math and school performance skills of the Head Start children all failed to improve. Since 1965, the federal government has spent $180 billion on Head Start." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHead Start finally gets tested — and flunks

Republican lawmaker’s bill mandates NRA gun training for Missouri first graders

"State Sen. Dan Brown on Tuesday told the Senate General Laws Committee that his bill bringing the NRA’s Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program to every elementary school was an effort to teach children how to react if they encounter an unsecured firearm. Brown had first introduced the bill one day before 20 students were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Some Missouri schools already use the NRA program, but Brown aims to make it a universal requirement." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRepublican lawmaker’s bill mandates NRA gun training for Missouri first graders

Woman accuses NYPD of handcuffing 7-year-old son for 10 hours

"A New York City woman has threatened to sue the local police department for $250 million for allegedly handcuffing her 7-year-old son and accusing him of beating up another child over $5. According to Frances Mendez, she found her son, Wilson Reyes, cuffed to a wall at 14th Precinct headquarters, after being mistakenly accused of stealing the money. Mendez’s lawyer said in a statement on Monday that the incident occurred last month, when police took the boy out of class and held him in a room at his school for four hours before taking him to the precinct for another six hours, questioning him and charging him with robbery." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWoman accuses NYPD of handcuffing 7-year-old son for 10 hours

Beating Obamacare: Hospitals Across Borders

"You are stuck with Obamacare if you need health insurance. If you can pay for treatment, you can get treatment far cheaper with no waiting period. Here’s how. No rationing. No standing in line. I like the hospital ship idea. Get on board, sail 200 miles outside the USA, and you get cheap, efficient care. The envy-driven politicians will scream bloody murder. 'The rich are getting good care! They can afford it. It’s just not fair!' This raises some crucial questions. How are they getting good care? 'By not having to deal with America-licensed doctors.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBeating Obamacare: Hospitals Across Borders