Student, 10, arrested for having toy gun in backpack

"School administrators in Virginia suspended a 10-year-old boy earlier this month after he was caught with an orange-tipped toy gun in his backpack. Now as he awaits his next meeting with his probation officer, his mother opens up about the incident. She is still in disbelief over what the entire event has done for her son, herself and the community. Just one day after her fifth-grader’s toy gun was discovered on a school bus leaving Douglas MacArthur Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, his mom says he was arrested, dragged to court and questioned, photographed and fingerprinted." Continue reading

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Lobbyist: Use Drones to ‘Zap’ Americans on U.S. Soil

"Testifying against a bill that would put limits on the use of unmanned drones in Washington state, industry lobbyist Paul Applewhite shocked a House Committee hearing when he said that drones had been used for 'indiscriminate killings,' while arguing that the technology should be approved for 'lethal force' within the United States." Continue reading

Continue ReadingLobbyist: Use Drones to ‘Zap’ Americans on U.S. Soil

Ron Paul says government is preparing for civil unrest

"The 'Champion of Liberty' himself has admitted that the government is fully aware of the potential for civil unrest in the United States and is even preparing for it. Ron Paul commented on the 'domestic arms race' and the government's obvious preparation for civil unrest by suggesting that '[the government] does not know that in two months from now there's riots in the streets, but they know that there could be.' Paul went on to explain that he does not believe the government necessarily believes that civil unrest in America is a certainty but that the elites at all levels of power are making preparations in order to retain their power." Continue reading

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Avoiding the Snowbirds’ IRS trap

"Their 'border binder' contains a detailed snapshot of their lives, tangible proof of who they are, where they live for most of the year, who they bank with, even their credit card statements. Like the other 70,000 members of the Canadian Snowbird Association, the Slacks would never leave home without it. Overkill? Not if you don’t want to be treated like a U.S. taxpayer. Snowbirds tagged as a 'substantial presence' can still dodge the bullet on U.S. taxes. But they will need to file 'Form 8840 Closer Connection Exception Statement for Aliens' with the IRS. Failure to file this form could result in hefty fines, even if no taxes were owed." Continue reading

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No Exit: China Uses Passports as Political Cudgel

"Legions of Chinese have been barred from traveling abroad by a government that is increasingly using decisions on passports as a cudgel against perceived enemies — or as a carrot to encourage academics whose writings have at times strayed from the party line to return to the fold. The seemingly arbitrary restrictions, not unlike those of the former Soviet Union, also affect overseas Chinese who had grown accustomed to frequent visits home. Scores of Chinese expatriates have been denied new passports by Chinese Embassies when their old ones expire, while others say they are simply turned away after landing in Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong." Continue reading

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FATCA: Probably the Worst Law Americans Don’t Know About

"Earlier this month, the Obama administration began preparing new legislation to force U.S. banks to disclose more information on foreign investors to those investors’ home governments. Could this because the IRS has only an empty hand to offer when it comes to reciprocity? However, the Obama administration has an uphill battle in convincing Congress to enact such coercive legislation. Many in Congress fear that foreign investors could pull trillions of dollars out of U.S. banks if the proposal becomes law. That could dramatically reduce foreign purchases of U.S. Treasury debt and crush the U.S. dollar. More blowback." Continue reading

Continue ReadingFATCA: Probably the Worst Law Americans Don’t Know About

The Shearing of the Sheeple

"If we use Sir Arthur's logic, when we have eliminated the impossible in this case, what we are left with, however improbable, is that the State's objective is indeed to achieve what it is achieving – denying the depositor his liberty, whilst implying that there is something inherently wrong with the purchase or sale of precious metals. But what is the benefit to the authorities in doing so? By treating those who buy and sell precious metals in the same way as drug lords are treated, it becomes easy to convince the general public that it was a good thing the metals investors were stopped from doing what they were doing. And that's the whole point." Continue reading

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Canadian citizenship-stripping plan good politics but dodgy policy

"Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s plan to strip Canadian terrorists of their citizenship is clever Conservative politics. There’s a feeling out there that just too many people are using Canada as a country of convenience — that they obtain citizenship to take advantage of programs like medicare but that their real loyalties are elsewhere. Now he’s taken advantage of a 2012 terrorist outrage in Bulgaria to advance the far more controversial idea of giving Ottawa the right to strip dual nationals of their Canadian citizenship. Native-born Canadians who also happen to be dual nationals could have their Canadian citizenship revoked by fiat." Continue reading

Continue ReadingCanadian citizenship-stripping plan good politics but dodgy policy