Land Of The Flea

Belgian diplomat booted from NY golf club, treated like ‘terrorists’ over wife’s breast-feeding

"Minutes later, the Greenburgh Police Department arrived. Detective Scott Harding allegedly yelled, 'Close the doors!' and two other diners were told to leave the terrace. 'He was walking as if he was acting in a Western movie,' Neijens said. 'He had one hand on his gun, one hand on his Taser.' Neijens said the officer warned the couple they were trespassing and said some people at the club thought they were terrorists because of their black backpack. When Remans, on the verge of tears, questioned why terrorists would breast-feed at a ritzy club, the cop allegedly replied, 'In Sri Lanka, babies are used by terrorists.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBelgian diplomat booted from NY golf club, treated like ‘terrorists’ over wife’s breast-feeding

Hey, scofflaws! Police union cards available on eBay

"Buying a 'get out of jail free' card is just a mouse click away. Police union cards that cops hand out to friends and family free of charge are selling on eBay for as much as $100 a pop, even though the resale of the coveted plastic is strictly prohibited by the unions. The cards are often used to get out of minor jams like speeding tickets or parking violations — flashing one with your driver’s license is a way of suggesting you’re a member of law enforcement or at least related to someone who is. One eBay seller, 'anonymous1234567,' pointed out that some cards — like the 2013 LBA card he sold to The Post for $100 — work better than others." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHey, scofflaws! Police union cards available on eBay

David Galland: How to Tell if You Live in a Police State

"It is always worth remembering that humans can adopt very warped attitudes, even to the point of falling in love with mad dogs… and mad rulers. But more to the actual point of mad dogs and all that, the mindset of all the various branches of what is currently lumped under the moniker 'Homeland Security' – from the top right down to the domestic police force – has devolved to the point where a growing swath of the general population is now actively afraid of them. Previously, it was only black people who had been trained by bitter experience to fear 'the man.' Now the rest of us are beginning to understand what they have been complaining about all these years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Galland: How to Tell if You Live in a Police State

Obamacare: Insuring Lawlessness

"Western law is a plaything in the hands of the powerful. First, laws should apply to everyone. Congress, for instance, routinely exempts itself from laws applicable to others. When the legislative body constantly exempts itself from obeying the Law of the Land (no matter how irrational it might be) then lawlessness and corruption have reached the highest levels of society. Second, a legislative body (or law enforcement agency) shouldn't single out certain individuals or groups with specific lawmaking. From what we can tell, this is happening more and more. Even the targeting of Edward Snowden seems representative of this sort of activity." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObamacare: Insuring Lawlessness

In London, the next wave of Bitcoin growth will be led by startups and innovation

"At Bitcoin London this week, it was clear that it would be the next wave of innovative startups that might be able to eventually move Bitcoin from an experimental currency into a more mainstream financial force in London. The event highlighted some of the bigger Bitcoin startups, which have launched exchanges or apps, as well as newer players, like a Bitcoin conversion machine maker, which is looking to install its first box in the Fall. Britons in general seem more keen on Bitcoin and, for those that have heard of the cyber currency, 40 percent of them trust Bitcoin as much as British sterling, according to a recent survey. That’s compared to 16 percent in the U.S." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIn London, the next wave of Bitcoin growth will be led by startups and innovation

Missouri threatens return of gas chambers for death row inmates

"The state of Missouri is threatening to resurrect the use of the gas chamber for executions, as an alternative to its dwindling supply of lethal-injection drugs. Drugs companies in America, Europe and Asia have refused on ethical grounds to sell their products to corrections departments, and the European Commission has imposed tough restrictions on the export of anaesthetics to the US. As supplies became harder to procure, Missouri last year became the only state in the nation to turn to an execution protocol that used just one lethal injection, of the anaesthetic propofol in doses 15 times stronger than in usual surgical procedures." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMissouri threatens return of gas chambers for death row inmates

Edward Snowden’s leaks cause editorial split at the Washington Post

"It said: 'Stopping potentially damaging revelations or the dissemination of intelligence to adversaries should take precedence over US prosecution of Mr Snowden — which could enhance his status as a political martyr in the eyes of many both in and outside the United States.' And all this in the paper responsible for publishing Snowden’s leaks. Syndicated newspaper columnist David Sirota contends that the editorial 'represents the paper’s higher-ups issuing a jeremiad against their own news-generating source and, by extension, the reporters who helped bring his leak into the public sphere.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden’s leaks cause editorial split at the Washington Post

Michael Hastings and the Hillary Clinton Link

"Michael Hastings, who died in a fiery car crash, had more enemies than just General Stanley McChrystal, who was forced to resign because of a Hastings story. American Free Press reminds us: Hastings had a long list of powerful enemies. Hillary Clinton was reportedly infuriated by Hastings, who dug up the truth about what happened in Benghazi, Libya, contradicting Hillary’s and Obama’s official version. After Hastings asked too many hard-hitting questions, Hillary’s personal spokesperson, Philippe Reines, sent Hastings an email, posted online on Sept. 24, 2012, which said: 'Have a good day. And by good day I mean [expletive deleted].'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichael Hastings and the Hillary Clinton Link

Utah launches new federalism commission to push back Washington

"For too long Utah and other states have not exercised their sovereign powers in the face of the federal government’s growing reach into new arenas, according to leading members of a new state commission assembled to study and push back against federal authority. 'History has shown that if you concentrate power it was a fundamental threat to the rights of people and it was corrupting,' Senate Majority Leader Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, told the inaugural meeting of the Commission on Federalism. 'We have watched that happen for the last 50 years as the federal government has broadened its jurisdiction in a number of issues.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUtah launches new federalism commission to push back Washington