Land Of The Flea

Julian Assange Praised the Paul Family, But He’s Only Half Right

"Assange is certainly right about Ron. The former Texas representative has always been a vocal opponent of his government's liberty-killing actions, including the Patriot Act, the War on Drugs, drone strikes, foreign military bases, and many more. He even praised whistleblowers like Assange, saying they 'expose the fallacies of why we go to war.' But Rand doesn't seem to have the sympathy his father has for whistleblowers. He recently said that Bradley Manning deserved to be tried because of the potential harm his leaks could cause for U.S. agents abroad (note that he used the word 'potential')." Continue reading →

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Read more about the article Rand Paul on Bradley Manning: “I just can’t support that”

Rand Paul on Bradley Manning: “I just can’t support that”

"Manning faces a maximum jail sentence of 136 years with multiple convictions of Espionage Act violations, but was declared 'not guilty' for aiding the enemy. Sen. Paul reasoned that there need to be some laws that protect certain secrets and that Manning put many lives at risk by releasing millions of pages 'willy-nilly'. His main concern is that whistle-blowers break laws in order to reveal state secrets. Paul made an effort to bring a distinction between the NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning who were both charged with leaking diplomatic documents, but asserted that there needs to be justice when whistle-blowers break the law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRand Paul on Bradley Manning: “I just can’t support that”

Ammo Envy?

"Perhaps jealous of the DHS with its immense stockpile of ammo, the TSA also 'intends to purchase almost 3.5 million rounds of .357 SIG caliber training ammunition, according to a solicitation issued by the agency on August 16.' Yep, imbecilic, incompetent LaWanda shooting up a rodeo, concert or airport is the stuff of nightmares. Why does anyone consider freelance criminals a bigger threat than the official ones Our Rulers send against us? And no, the Thieves and Sexual Assailants do not currently carry. But of course the corporate media accuses those who ask why an agency of unarmed nincompoops needs ammo of being conspiracy nuts." Continue reading →

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Jeffrey Tucker: An Empire in Panic

"Snowden had only behaved as a patriot should, but he then found himself on the run from the law, trying to find safe haven somewhere in the world where the U.S. did not have control. The safe haven he found was the old Cold War enemy of Russia — a deeply embarrassing reality for those of us who cheered the U.S. victory in the Cold War. But that was just the beginning. The national security state is out there right now trying to settle all family business, Godfather style, taking down anyone and everyone who might have assisted him in his deeds. It’s all part of the great drama called 'the empire strikes back.'" Continue reading →

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The NSA: ‘The Abyss from Which There Is No Return’

"By sifting through the detritus of your once-private life, the government will come to its own conclusions about who you are, where you fit in, and how best to deal with you should the need arise. Indeed, we are all becoming data collected in government files. Surveillance of all citizens, even the innocent sort, gradually poisons the soul of a nation. Surveillance limits personal options—denies freedom of choice—and increases the powers of those who are in a position to enjoy the fruits of this activity. Frankly, we are long past the point where we should be merely alarmed. These are no longer experiments on our freedoms. These are acts of aggression." Continue reading →

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Colorado county puts seceding to form 51st state on November ballot

"Residents in one rural Colorado county will get an opportunity to decide in November if they want to break away and form the 51st state. In an unanimous vote on Monday, commissioners in Weld County voted to include the initiative on November’s ballot. Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway (R) said that more than 85 percent of residents support the effort to break away a create a state called 'North Colorado.' Cheyenne, Sedgwick and Yuma counties have already put similar initiatives on their ballots. Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, and Washington counties have also held discussions about joining the new state." Continue reading →

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Plainclothes NH State Police officer gets warrant to rob reporter of his camera

"The trooper was circling Garret's home in an unmarked vehicle that morning and waited until Garret was out of earshot of his roomates, away from his home before initiating the shakedown. DiRusso was investigating a bogus claim of 'wiretapping', the alleged videorecording of a public official while they were working on taxpayers' dime. Despite zero probable cause or physical evidence suggesting that the alleged wiretapping ever took place, corrupt district court judge Edward Burke signed the baseless warrant authorizing the legal theft." Continue reading →

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San Francisco bans helmet cams after firefighters captured running over victim

"The Associated Press reported on Monday that video from Battalion Chief Mark Johnson’s helmet camera shows a fire truck running over 16-year-old Ye Meng Yuan, who was lying on the ground following the crash. The discovery of the footage led Chief Joanne Hayes-White to expand a 2009 order banning cameras on department grounds to include helmet cameras, citing concerns over firefighters’ safety. 'Why would anybody not want to know the truth?' attorney Anthony Tarricone. told the AP. 'What’s wrong with knowing what happened? What’s wrong with keeping people honest? That’s what the helmet cam did, in effect, in this case.'" Continue reading →

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Cayman FATCA Agreement Makes It Tougher for Wealthy Americans to Hide Money

"The Cayman Islands, known as a haven for wealthy Americans seeking to stash cash overseas without scrutiny from the U.S. government, is about to become less secret. An agreement between the countries will put in place the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or Fatca. The 2010 law makes it tougher to hide money overseas because foreign banks must report their accounts to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or face, in some cases, a 30 percent withholding tax. The accord is significant because the Cayman Islands is a major financial center and home to operations for dozens of banks, funds and wealth-management entities." Continue reading →

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CIA admits to helping overthrow Iran’s democratically elected leader in 1953

"The CIA has publicly admitted for the first time that it was behind the notorious 1953 coup against Iran’s democratically elected prime minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, in documents that also show how the British government tried to block the release of information about its own involvement in his overthrow. Malcolm Byrne, deputy director of the national security archive, has called on the US intelligence authorities to release the remaining records and documents. 'There is no longer good reason to keep secrets about such a critical episode in our recent past. The basic facts are widely known to every school child in Iran,' he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA admits to helping overthrow Iran’s democratically elected leader in 1953