Crisis Begets Opportunity

Man angry over Boston bombings breaks jaw of ‘f*cking Muslim’ Iraq war veteran

"A 39-year-old Muslim cab driver who served in the Iraq war says that an executive from an aviation company accused him of being a jihadist and broke his jaw in what activists are calling a hate crime. Salim recorded audio of the encounter on his cell phone. Dahlberg can be heard asking Salim, who emigrated from Somalia, to define 'jihad' and then lumping him in with 'radical fucking Muslims blowing people up all over the world.' 'Denounce those motherfuckers now!' Dahlberg demands. 'If you’re a fucking Muslim flying jets into the fucking World Trade Center then fuck you. I will slice your fucking throat right now.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan angry over Boston bombings breaks jaw of ‘f*cking Muslim’ Iraq war veteran

Germany will think twice before saving France next time

"The Franco-German axis that has driven EU affairs ever since Schuman and Adenauer in the early 1950s is collapsing before our eyes. This was inevitable. Their interests have become incompatible under monetary union. The currency that was supposed to bind them is turning them into enemies, as this newspaper long warned. The latest argument gaining traction – advanced by Prof Bernd Lücke and the German eurosceptic party AfD among others – is that the only way to save the Franco-German relationship and therefore the EU is to break up the euro before it does more damage. Interesting twist." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGermany will think twice before saving France next time

Who Are the Monarchs of Money?

"Quietly, without much public fuss or discussion, a new ruling class has risen in the richer nations. These men and women are unelected and tend to shun the publicity hogged by the politicians with whom they co-exist. They are the world's central bankers. Every six weeks or so, they gather in Basel, Switzerland, for secret discussions and, to an extent at least, they act in concert. The decisions that emerge from those meetings affect the entire world. And yet the broad public has a dim understanding, if any, of the job they do. In fact, these individuals now wield at least as much influence over the lives of ordinary citizens as prime ministers and presidents." Continue reading →

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GAO Now Investigating DHS Ammo Purchases

"The Government Accountability Office tells Whispers it is now investigating large ammunition purchases made by the Department of Homeland Security. Chuck Young, a spokesman for GAO, says the investigation of the purchases is 'just getting underway.' The congressional investigative agency is jumping into the fray just as legislation was introduced in both the Senate and the House to restrict the purchase of ammo by some government agencies (except the Department of Defense). The AMMO Act, introduced Friday, would prevent agencies from buying more ammunition if 'stockpiles' are greater than what they were in previous administrations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGAO Now Investigating DHS Ammo Purchases

Fred Reed: Terrorism in Boston

"The return on investment is phenomenal. For example, the attack on New York cost perhaps several hundred thousand dollars. Yet it drew the US into multiple drawn-out, losing wars costing hundreds of billions of dollars, and transformed America from a reasonably free country into a rapidly deepening Orwellian gloom. A tiny input, a stunningly large effect. If terrorism were a hedge fund, it would be the hottest buy on the planet. It is truly slick. The terrorists don’t do serious damage to the attacked country. They stimulate the victim society to damage itself." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFred Reed: Terrorism in Boston

Rep. Barbara Lee: Repeal AUMF to stop ‘this state of perpetual war’

"Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) on Wednesday called for the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) to be repealed. 'I’m convinced that if we do not repeal this authorization to use force that I voted against in 2001, we are going to see this state of perpetual war forever,' she told Current TV’s John Fugelsang. Congress approved the AUMF just days after the September 11 terrorist attacks, giving the President authority to wage war 'against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks.' Lee was the only member of Congress to vote against it, describing it as a 'blank check' for war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRep. Barbara Lee: Repeal AUMF to stop ‘this state of perpetual war’

EU chief: Brits fighting alongside Syrian rebels pose ‘serious threat’ upon return

"Hundreds of young men from across Europe are fighting with rebel forces in Syria, the European Union’s security chief has warned. Britain has promised to step up its support for the rebels, hinting that it could be ready to send arms. But intelligence agencies have stepped up operations after a rise in the number of Europeans, notably from Britain, France and Ireland, joining fighters. Security bodies are tracking Brits and Belgians while the Netherlands has raised its terror threat to ‘substantial’ in part because of fears about citizens being radicalised in Syria. Mr de Kerchove, the EU’s counter-terrorism coordinator, said: ‘We are concerned, of course.’" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEU chief: Brits fighting alongside Syrian rebels pose ‘serious threat’ upon return

Government Agencies Failed, so We Must Give Them Even More Authority

"'Some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on programs related to counterterrorism, homeland security and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the United States. … An estimated 854,000 people, nearly 1.5 times as many people as live in Washington, D.C., hold top-secret security clearances.' Americans have spent trillions of dollars in the name of 'fighting terrorism,' yet we are told that truly all of the king's horses and all of the king's men could not stop a couple of young men from exploding bombs at a major American sporting event. What is Thomas's response? The American State obviously needs more power and more authority." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGovernment Agencies Failed, so We Must Give Them Even More Authority

‘Boston Strong’: Marching in Lockstep with the Police State

"Tsarnaev’s case may prove to be the game-changer. Yet as journalist Emily Bazelon points out for Slate: 'Why should I care that no one’s reading Dzhokhar Tsarnaev his Miranda rights? When the law gets bent out of shape for him, it’s easier to bend out of shape for the rest of us.' This continual undermining of the rules that protect civil liberties, not to mention the incessant rush to judgment by politicians, members of the media and the public, will inevitably have far-reaching consequences on a populace that not only remains ignorant about their rights but is inclined to sacrifice their liberties for phantom promises of safety." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Boston Strong’: Marching in Lockstep with the Police State