Animal Farm

The Empire’s Next Effort to Extract Your Wealth

"Since before the tech bust, we’ve been suggesting that while Americans 'think' they’re getting richer… they’re actually heading in the other direction. They’re getting poorer. This proposition has been easier for folks to entertain since housing busted and the financial crisis reversed the “wealth effect” in 2008. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the logic of the American Empire and what you can expect in the year(s) ahead." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Empire’s Next Effort to Extract Your Wealth

Colorado man charged with two felonies for killing raccoons

"A 50-year-old Colorado man has reportedly confessed to authorities that he attacked a pair of raccoons in a bid for revenge for the death of his cat years ago. KCNC-TV reported on Tuesday that Richard Moller told police he suffered a 10-minute 'glitch' of anger on Monday that caused him to jump into a trash bin and use a piece of wood to hit the animals. He also reportedly said to officers that did not intend to use the nails protuding from the board to stab them, but instead wanted to cause 'blunt force trauma.' Though Moller faces two counts of felony animal cruelty, one of his co-workers at a Boulder, Colorado liquor store defended his character to KCNC, saying he was well-liked by customers." Continue reading →

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Obama Signs Law Gutting Insider Trading Regulations For Congress

"President Obama signed a law that gutted the reporting requirements originally included in the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act. Before these changes were made the STOCK Act required congressional staffers to disclose their finances to the public to help ensure they were not engaging in corrupt practices. But on second thought, President Obama and Congress decided that congressional staffers should be able to escape transparency. Unanimous consent, no one wanted to put their name down as openly supporting corruption while supporting corruption. And now President Obama has signed the bill guaranteeing a more corrupt Washington." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: ‘Return to Zombieland’

"It’s a gold rush. People now come to Washington to get rich. That was never the defining ethic of the town, certainly 30 years ago. There is now so much money. It is now the wealthiest community in the United States. It is home to 7 of the wealthiest 10 counties in the United States. If you can sell yourself as someone who knows how Washington works, someone who has these relationships, someone who can get on the phone and get the president of the United States… that’s a very, very marketable commodity. I mean, if you are seen as someone who knows how this town works, someone who is a usual suspect in this town, you can dine out for years. That’s why no one leaves." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: ‘Return to Zombieland’

Former Cyprus President Named In Loan Write-Offs Leading To Banking Insolvency

"We asked 'how much longer will the rule of law remain in Cyprus once the 99% are generously handed the list of the 1% who were 'informed' enough to pull their money from the flaming sovereign equivalent of Bernie Madoff?' We may get the answer much sooner than expected, as the first iteration of this list, one naming the beneficiaries of millions of loans written off by the now insolvent Cyprus banks and therefore indirectly responsible for the 'impairment' of the banks' depositors, was released yesterday by Greece's daily Ethnos newspaper. But what virtually assures substantial political fallout is that among the people listed is Cyprus' former president, George Vassiliou." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer Cyprus President Named In Loan Write-Offs Leading To Banking Insolvency

Two U.S. sailors admit to Okinawa rape charges

"Okinawa is the reluctant host of more than half of the 47,000 US military personnel in Japan. The rape provoked outrage and led to a nationwide curfew on all American military personnel in Japan. Despite the curfew, misconduct involving US servicemen, much of it drunken, has continued to fuel anti-US sentiment in communities with bases. The attack came amid already high tensions in Okinawa, which saw demonstrations last year against the US deployment to the island of Osprey aircraft. Local activists charge they have a poor safety record. Washington sees the island as a vital strategic base in a region that is increasingly wary of the power of China’s rising military." Continue reading →

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If Chris Kyle Had Been a Muslim, We’d Call him an Extremist

"Imagine: A young Muslim from the Islamic world joins his country’s armed forces to fight an aggressive war against an overwhelmingly Christian nation. He gains accolades for his work as a sniper, executing his job with ruthless efficiency and little remorse. He admits to viewing the war he is fighting through the prism of religion. He gets a tattoo on his arm declaring that he embraces the concept of holy war. When parliamentarians in his own country question the conduct or course of the war, he states, 'How would they know? They’ve never even been in a combat situation.' That he became the author of a bestselling book, and served as a symbol of strength used by politicians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIf Chris Kyle Had Been a Muslim, We’d Call him an Extremist

3,000 Saudis urge Shura council to debate women’s driving

"Saudi Arabia imposes several restrictions on women, including a ban on driving, unique of its kind worldwide. Women in Saudi Arabia also have to cover from head to toe when in public. A number of women have been arrested in the past for defying the ban, including one sentenced to 10 lashes in 2011 but was pardoned by King Abdullah. A group of defiant Saudi women got behind the wheels of their cars on June 17, in 2011, in response to calls for nationwide action to break the ban on driving. The call which spread through Facebook and Twitter was the largest mass action since November 1990, when 47 Saudi women were arrested and severely punished after demonstrating in cars." Continue reading →

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NY’s SAFE Act Imperils Yet Another Victim

"David Lewis is a librarian who lives in Amherst, New York, and owns several pistols. He once swallowed some anti-anxiety medication -- allowing cops to grab his guns pursuant to the SAFE Act's cruel discrimination against people with 'mental-health issues.' Turns out cops had the wrong 'David Lewis.' ''I was extremely shocked and saddened and immediately just felt embarrassed knowing that someone had thought negatively of me and wrongly. I had absolutely no idea how this could have happened,' said Lewis...' He also 'hoped his health record would be confidential. 'It's not right. i always thought people could expect more privacy than that,' said Lewis.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNY’s SAFE Act Imperils Yet Another Victim