CLibertyC

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 →

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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 →

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Cops enforce wrong speed limit, will prosecute tickets anyway

"For months the speed limit on that portion of River Watch was marked incorrectly. Police say the tickets they issued during that time are valid, but some drivers are wondering whether they should have been charged for violating an incorrect speed limit. Augusta Traffic Engineer Steve Cassell said the contractor in charge of the project had authorization to reduce the speed limit, but only during specific hours and under certain conditions. According to a plan approved by Georgia DOT, the speed limit could be reduced between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., but not during peak traffic times, such as when drivers were leaving work." Continue reading →

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Heated exchange after Baton Rouge cop pulls over fellow officer driving recklessly

"In the video, off-duty BRPD officer David Stewart pulls over a swerving white pickup truck that he says was doing more than twice the 45 mph speed limit. The stop happened on Juban Road in Livingston Parish. Stewart said he pulled the vehicle over and contacted the Livingston Parish Sheriff's department because he thought the driver may be impaired or having a 'road rage' fit. However, after the driver, Cpl. Brian Harrison, identified himself as a Baton Rouge police officer, the dash-mounted camera in Stewart's vehicle then captured a heated 4-minute exchange between the two men." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHeated exchange after Baton Rouge cop pulls over fellow officer driving recklessly

China Central Bank Warns Banks on Liquidity

"China's central bank, breaking its long silence on a liquidity squeeze that has strained funding at many of the nation's banks, suggested they shouldn't look to authorities to solve their cash shortage. The surge in the cost of short-term funds, which banks use to lend to each other, stemmed from an overstretched financial sector—as inflows of funds from abroad slowed—and a mismatch between banks' short-term funding needs and long-term loans. On Monday, concerns over the funding problems led to a wave of selling in shares of midsize banks, many of them heavily reliant on the interbank market for their funds." Continue reading →

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Here’s Why Bernanke is Clueless…

"The only place to hide last week was in cash – all thanks to the Fed. Last Wednesday, it updated its forecast, saying it expects economic growth to improve. If its forecast is correct, the Fed expects to conclude its bond purchase program, known as QE, by mid-2014. But there’s a big problem with the Fed’s forecast… The Fed basically said it will end its bond purchase program if its economic forecast becomes a reality. The market is reacting as if the Fed will be right this time. That’s a huge assumption to make because the Fed’s forecast is almost always wrong." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHere’s Why Bernanke is Clueless…

Credit Suisse faces $1.2-billion US penalty over taxes

"Credit Suisse faces a penalty of $1.2 billion (1.1 billion francs) from US authorities over cases of tax evasion involving American clients, a Swiss lawyer estimates. The cantonal banks of Zurich and Basel are also believed among those targeted. Last week, MPs in Bern rejected an agreement with the US, backed by the Swiss federal government, to temporarily lift banking secrecy laws to allow Swiss banks to settle with American authorities over past tax evasion cases. The agreement was never made public but was expected to include significant fines against 14 Swiss banks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCredit Suisse faces $1.2-billion US penalty over taxes

Spying fears highlight worth of Swiss data centres

"‘Trust’ is the watchword of the expanding Swiss data storage industry as it quietly carves out a highly lucrative global niche. Recent revelations of U.S. intelligence agency spying, coupled with ongoing reports of espionage emanating from China, may have raised public consciousness of the dangers to data but the industry has known about it for years. Some data storage providers have taken security to extremes, housing their servers in ex-military alpine bunkers, such as the aptly-named ‘Fort Knox’ in canton Bern. One company using the bunker, Siag – which labels itself the 'Swiss private bank for digital assets' - refuses to deal with US clients on security grounds." Continue reading →

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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 →

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