Land Of The Flea

Obama promises mayors unilateral action on guns

"Stymied by Congress in his gun control efforts, President Obama told a group of big-city mayors Tuesday that he would take more executive actions to reduce gun violence. The closed-door meeting at the White House included Attorney GeneralEric H. Holder Jr., who discussed 'strategies to reduce youth violence,' the White House said in a statement. Mr. Obama 'vowed to continue doing everything in his power to combat gun violence through executive action and to press Congress to pass common-sense reforms like expanding the background check system and cracking down on gun trafficking,' the White House said in a statement." Continue reading →

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Obama And Biden Spoke Out Against Military Action Without Congress In 2008

"Barack Obama: 'The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation. As Commander-in-Chief, the President does have a duty to protect and defend the United States. In instances of self-defense, the President would be within his constitutional authority to act before advising Congress or seeking its consent. History has shown us time and again, however, that military action is most successful when it is authorized and supported by the Legislative branch. It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama And Biden Spoke Out Against Military Action Without Congress In 2008

Michael Scheuer: Observing King Obama’s Syrian madness, II

"General Keane responded that polls showing the strong and historically consistent non-interventionist beliefs of the American people should play no role in a U.S. president’s decision on an issue of national security. In essence, General Keane told Mr. Baier and all other Americans to be quiet, go home, eat a cookie, watch TV, and let the vaunted U.S. military and our interventionist, bipartisan governing elite do as they wish regarding war with Syria. These arrogant and self-proclaimed aristocrats always know what is best for a taxed-to-death riff-raff that is only needed every four years to elect someone running on a 'no war' platform that will be utterly and cynically discarded once the presidency is won." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichael Scheuer: Observing King Obama’s Syrian madness, II

Chi Raq

"The first in a series of exclusive commissions for Protein TV, Chi Raq is an intimate video portrait of life in South and West Chicago. For the past decade, Chicago has been enduring a violence epidemic, with a death toll in the thousands and casualties mirroring the losses experienced by the US army in Iraq war over the same period. Allowing its subjects to take centre stage and tell their stories in their own words, Robson-Scottʼs film is unflinchingly honest in its depiction of life on the streets of one of the most dangerous cities in America." Continue reading →

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2.7 Million Children Under the Age of 18 Have a Parent in Prison or Jail

"Most prisoners are parents of children under 18 years of age. Two-thirds of incarcerated parents are nonviolent offenders, often locked up on minor drug-related charges. They make up the majority of parents in prison, and they and their children are the ones criminal justice reform will most affect. One in 28 kids in the United States (as of 2010) has a mother or father, or both, in lockup – a dramatic change from the one in 125 rate a quarter of a century ago. One in nine black children have an imprisoned parent, four times as many 25 years ago. 14,000 or more children of the imprisoned annually enter foster care, while an undetermined number enter juvenile detention and adult prisons." Continue reading →

Continue Reading2.7 Million Children Under the Age of 18 Have a Parent in Prison or Jail

Regulator on Bitcoin: Same Rules Apply

"The top U.S. anti-money-laundering regulator on Monday told a Bitcoin trade group that exchanges for the virtual currency must follow the same rules as established financial institutions, highlighting the government's efforts to keep tabs on a small but growing segment of the financial world. The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or Fincen,hosted the Bitcoin Foundation and other regulators and law-enforcement officials as the sides grapple with the rise of virtual currencies. Such digital money isn't backed by a central government and often, as with Bitcoin, isn't controlled by any central entity." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRegulator on Bitcoin: Same Rules Apply

Inside the Bitcoin advocates’ closed-door meeting with federal regulators

"The U.S. government took the latest step toward regulating virtual currencies on Monday as representatives from the Bitcoin Foundation met behind closed doors with federal officials in Washington. Attendees say the meeting was cordial, with regulators listening carefully as Bitcoin advocates warned that excessive regulation could drive innovation in virtual currencies overseas. Nearly a dozen high-level agencies were in attendance, including the Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service, the Secret Service and the Financial Crimes and Enforcement Division (FinCEN) of Treasury, which convened the discussion." Continue reading →

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Ron Paul Unfiltered; Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg takes on the NSA

"Ron Paul joins Larry to blast US government secrecy and talk about his new Web channel. Plus, have his supporters finally found peace with the GOP? Also, whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg says the government is always watching... even while you sleep." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul Unfiltered; Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg takes on the NSA

Study Indicates That America’s Driving Boom is Over

"After decades of adding more cars to their household fleet while moving further and further out into the suburbs, Americans are waiting longer to get licensed, driving less and increasingly turning to alternatives such as mass transit or car-sharing programs, according to a new study by the U.S. Public Research Interest Group, or PIRG. It's not just millennials. Overall, the percentages of Americans of driving age who actually were licensed fell to just 86 percent in 2011, a 30-year low. As recently as 1992, the figure stood at 90 percent. Meanwhile, the number of vehicles Americans owned has also begun to tumble." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStudy Indicates That America’s Driving Boom is Over

Spendopedia: Federal waste collection site opens on Internet

"Has government waste become so bad that we need an encyclopedia to keep track? One watchdog group seems to think so and has started a publicly edited, crowdsourced website that compiles cases of fiscal abuse, modeled after the popular site Wikipedia. Spendopedia, launched this month, is an attempt to organize examples of fiscal waste into a central, easily searchable database. The site documents programs that have been labeled as wasteful by news organizations, members of Congress or federal investigators. The website catalogs more than 100 examples of waste, including a lavish conference of the GSA and excessive severance packages at the Energy Department." Continue reading →

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