Land Of The Flea

Texas Police Hit Organic Farm With Massive SWAT Raid

"Members of the local police raiding party had a search warrant for marijuana plants, which they failed to find at the Garden of Eden farm. The real reason for the law enforcement exercise appears to have been code enforcement. The police seized '17 blackberry bushes, 15 okra plants, 14 tomatillo plants ... native grasses and sunflowers,' after holding residents inside at gunpoint for at least a half-hour, property owner Shellie Smith said in a statement. The raid lasted about 10 hours, she said. She said the police didn't produce a warrant until two hours after the raid began, and officers shielded their name tags so they couldn't be identified." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: Thank You, TSA, NSA, FBI, and CIA!

"Respect for authority is cyclical. And presently, the authorities are enjoying an upswing. People look to them to get things they can’t get on their own. Health care paid for by someone else… a retirement they can’t afford… and foolish pride they don’t deserve. U.S. troops patrol the streets of towns we never heard of… American drones wipe out families we never met… the NSA listens in on the world’s conversations… Yes, thanks to the NSA, TSA, CIA, IRS, FBI, and Pentagon, no sparrow can fall anywhere in the world without it setting off alarms in America’s command centers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: Thank You, TSA, NSA, FBI, and CIA!

Romanian princess indicted in northwestern U.S. cockfighting ring

"John W. Walker is a former sheriff’s deputy and the group faces charges ranging from conspiracy to violate the federal Animal Welfare Act to illegal gambling. Irina Walker is the middle daughter of Romania’s King Michael I and Queen Anne. She is fifth in line for the throne of that country. She was born in Switzerland. King Michael abdicated the throne in 1947, but the family still owns a quartet of castles in the former Soviet-occupied country. Prosecutors say that the farm where the fights took place is subject to federal forfeiture because it was used for a criminal enterprise. Irina and John Walker each face years of prison time and millions of dollars in fines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRomanian princess indicted in northwestern U.S. cockfighting ring

Texas deputy sues woman for ‘mental anguish’ after he kills her son-in-law

"Corina Padilla, who witnessed the incident, said that her brother-in-law never touched the officers and was backing away with his hands up when they shot him. 'At no moment did Kemal assault the officer,' she insisted. 'An unarmed man, a family guy, father and husband of three girls was killed. He had no criminal record. He was self-employed in import-export of very expensive rugs from Turkey and Persia.' Padilla said that Yazar was suffering from stress and had consumed some tea that caused him to hallucinate. She lashed out at Pullen for the 'outrageous' lawsuit. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia agreed that the suit was 'unprecedented.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas deputy sues woman for ‘mental anguish’ after he kills her son-in-law

CA Attempt To Ban E-Cigarettes, Vaporizers Fails

"SB 648 would place vaporizers under the same stringent restrictions as tobacco cigarettes, banning their use in public buildings, restaurants, workplaces, hotel lobbies, playgrounds, within 20 feet of exit doors, etc. There is no evidence that vaporizers pose an appreciable second-hand smoking risk to the public. Users are known to vaporize in elevators and crowded rooms without any detectable odor or adverse notice. Bystanders are routinely exposed to worse emissions from kitchens, grills, garden plants, buses, chimneys, detergents, room deodorizers, gas stations, etc." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCA Attempt To Ban E-Cigarettes, Vaporizers Fails

10 Geniuses Who Used Drugs — And Their Drugs of Choice

"Is intelligence related to an increased likelihood of recreational drug use? It's an interesting hypothesis, and one that's been gaining momentum in recent years. If a definitive link between intellectual capacity and drug use does exist, it will likely be some time before anyone establishes one. Having said that, this much is for certain: history has more than its fair share of experimenting experimentalists. Let's meet 10 of history's most influential scientific and technological visionaries, along with their drugs of choice." Continue reading →

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CNN highlights how marijuana prohibition harms children

"'Think of the children,' is usually the rallying cry of opponents of drug legalization. But CNN on Thursday highlighted how marijuana prohibition was actually harmful to some children who were denied the potentially life-saving drug. In a segment on The Lead, CNN host Jake Tapper interviewed a man whose young daughter suffers from a rare form of epilepsy that causes her to have daily seizures. The condition has been treated with a special strain of marijuana, but the young girl is currently prohibited from using it under New Jersey state law. Brian Wilson recently confronted Gov. Chris Christie (R) about the issue." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCNN highlights how marijuana prohibition harms children

Drawing Down: How To Roll Back Police Militarization In America

"The damage inflicted by the country’s 40-year drug fight goes well beyond prisons. It’s also been the driving force behind America’s mass police militarization since at least the early 1980s, and the best way to rein in the trend would be to simply end prohibition altogether. Complete legalization is, of course, never going to happen. But even something short of legalization, like decriminalization, would take away many of the incentives to fight the drug war as if it were an actual war. The federal government could also leave it to the states to determine drug policy, and with what priority and level of force it should be enforced." Continue reading →

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Utah Uses Eminent Domain to Seize Land of … Uncle Sam

"In March, Gov. Gary Herbert (R) signed a controversial law authorizing the use of eminent domain to capture some of the millions of acres that the federal government owns here. The law was tailor-made to provoke a lawsuit, possibly reaching the US Supreme Court, and to inspire other Western states to enact similar legislation. Other states have tried similar tactics and failed. For example, the US government controls about 80 percent of the land in Nevada. In a case in the 1990s, the state argued that this violated the equal footing doctrine, which holds that states should be treated equally when admitted to the Union. A federal judge rejected the case." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUtah Uses Eminent Domain to Seize Land of … Uncle Sam

Bailout Buffett: The Sage of Solar

"Buffett sees the light (no pun intended). He's decided to risk his own capital to help save us from the climate. Except, in this case, 'risk' is for suckers. California utilities are under legislative mandate to get 33% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Twenty-nine other states also have similar mandates. What can be better than circumventing the market, and having the law say that people must use your good or service? It's like having your own printing press! It gets even better for Buffett. Utilities are already signing contracts for the renewable energy. And guess what? The cost is way higher than current market prices." Continue reading →

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