Land Of The Flea

The Fleeting Beauty of Bubbles and Bonds

"The political calculus is simple: the bottom half of households don't vote, don't contribute to political campaigns and don't have enough income to borrow huge sums of money to enrich the banks. They are thus non-entities in the fiscal-monetary project of maintaining the power structure of the Status Quo. All the Status Quo needs to do is borrow enough money to fund social programs that keep the masses passive and silent. Unfortunately for the Powers That Be, the cost of placating the rapidly increasing marginalized populace is rising much faster than tax revenues." Continue reading →

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Oregon: Jesus Malverde Medallion Did Not Justify Traffic Stop

"The Oregon Court of Appeals on Thursday rejected the argument that an image of Jesus Malverde in an automobile is suspicious enough to warrant a search for drugs. When Trooper Wells came to the window to ask Manuel Meza-Garcia for his license and registration, the trooper's suspicion was heightened after he noticed something near the windshield. The appellate judges refused to consider the medallion as evidence and instead rejected the other assertions police used to search Meza-Garcia. The trooper insisted it was inherently suspicious to have two people driving with two cell phones north on I-5 without visible luggage." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOregon: Jesus Malverde Medallion Did Not Justify Traffic Stop

Oregon: Jesus Malverde Medallion Did Not Justify Traffic Stop

"The Oregon Court of Appeals on Thursday rejected the argument that an image of Jesus Malverde in an automobile is suspicious enough to warrant a search for drugs. When Trooper Wells came to the window to ask Manuel Meza-Garcia for his license and registration, the trooper's suspicion was heightened after he noticed something near the windshield. The appellate judges refused to consider the medallion as evidence and instead rejected the other assertions police used to search Meza-Garcia. The trooper insisted it was inherently suspicious to have two people driving with two cell phones north on I-5 without visible luggage." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOregon: Jesus Malverde Medallion Did Not Justify Traffic Stop

Edward Snowden’s journey from high school drop-out to focus of international intrigue

"Snowden joined the US army in 2003, saying he wanted to fight in Iraq. But he never made it there after breaking both legs in a training accident, leading to him being discharged from the military. He then got a job as a security guard for the National Security Agency (NSA), one of the largest and most secretive of the US intelligence agencies. But in 2006, the young computer geek somehow managed to win an information technology job with the CIA despite lacking formal credentials. From there he was sent to Geneva with a fat paycheck and a diplomatic cover." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden’s journey from high school drop-out to focus of international intrigue

Edward Snowden’s journey from high school drop-out to focus of international intrigue

"Snowden joined the US army in 2003, saying he wanted to fight in Iraq. But he never made it there after breaking both legs in a training accident, leading to him being discharged from the military. He then got a job as a security guard for the National Security Agency (NSA), one of the largest and most secretive of the US intelligence agencies. But in 2006, the young computer geek somehow managed to win an information technology job with the CIA despite lacking formal credentials. From there he was sent to Geneva with a fat paycheck and a diplomatic cover." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden’s journey from high school drop-out to focus of international intrigue

Tax compliant Americans abroad with a principal residence or mutual funds should renounce citizenship

"It has become clear for U.S. citizens abroad that the only thing worse than NOT being tax compliant is BEING tax compliant. The cost of U.S. tax compliance is that your U.S. citizenship will disable you from effective financial and retirement planning. The reason is that the U.S. considers most non-U.S. investment vehicles to be PFICs. The sale of your principal residence will be subject to a capital gains tax. Furthermore, the additional “Obamacare taxes” imposed on investment income will make the situation worse. If you you own a principal residence or a non-U.S. mutual fund and you sell it all the gains (and possibly more) will be confiscated." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTax compliant Americans abroad with a principal residence or mutual funds should renounce citizenship

The Department of Energy Is About to Mess With Computer Power

"The Energy Department signaled Friday it intends to order new efficiency standards for all computers and servers in the United States, reports The Hill. A pair of documents published in the Federal Register said the DOE has 'tentatively' ruled that a federal law designed to curtail consumer energy use, created in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, also covers computer and servers." Continue reading →

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He Could Bear Arms for the Government — But Not For Himself

"Before he retired from the Army in 1993, Houston resident Ron Kelly spent decades firing machine guns, tanks, and other high-performance weapons. Kelly estimates that during his military career he fired 100,000 rounds of ammo. Yet when he recently tried to purchase a .22-caliber rifle at a local Wal-Mart, Kelly was denied – because a computerized background check turned up a misdemeanor marijuana conviction from 1971. As a teenager, Kelly was arrested with a baggie of pot at High School and given a year of probation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHe Could Bear Arms for the Government — But Not For Himself

A Congregation of Liars: The U.S. Government

"Put aside for a moment that this massive, secret surveillance of all of our emails, phone calls and financial records violates our constitutional rights. I have commented about that before. I want you to consider what a government of lies means to each of us, and to America’s future, when our government officials, led by the president of the United States, routinely lie to us, intentionally and repeatedly. At worst, this destroys whatever trust we have in a government that now controls much of our lives. It engenders fear, disrupting our personal ability to plan our lives, our businesses and to move forward. Living under lies means we can never be certain about our future." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Congregation of Liars: The U.S. Government

Glenn Beck calls for celebrating Ramadan by shooting all Guantanamo prisoners in the head

"Let's save some money... here's the thing... We can't let them starve themselves to death? Damn right we can. We can also shoot them in the head, which is the other option and the one I'm for. SHOOT THEM. But, the other is let them starve to death and I'm totally fine with that. I don't want to starve anybody myself; but I don't want to do that. I want to be the country that we all love and appreciate. You know the one that is feared by its enemies, but should not be a country that is feared by all. But is feared by its enemies." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Beck calls for celebrating Ramadan by shooting all Guantanamo prisoners in the head