Land Of The Flea

Obamacare could eat up your raise

"Expecting to get a raise next year? It could be eaten up by your health care bill. In an effort to meet the affordability requirement of the Affordable Care Act, which kicks in next year and requires that workers spend no more than 9.5% of their income on premiums, more employers are turning to insurance plans in which premiums vary based on a person’s salary, rather than having all workers pay a flat rate. That way, employees who make more money pay bigger premiums. While the strategy, which some employers have been using for decades, is still not mainstream, more companies are adopting the system as a way to prepare for the health reform law." Continue reading →

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U.S. Flag Recalled After Causing 143 Million Deaths

"Millions of U.S. flag–related injuries and fatalities have been reported over a 230-year period in locations as far flung as Europe, Cuba, Korea, Gettysburg, PA, the Philippines, and Iraq. In addition, the company found that U.S. flag exports to Vietnam during the late 1960s and early 1970s resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, a clear sign that there was something seriously wrong with its product. Despite fears about the flag's safety—especially when improperly used or manipulated in ways not originally intended—sales continued unabated over the years, potentially putting billions of unsuspecting people in danger." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Flag Recalled After Causing 143 Million Deaths

The best second passport for Edward Snowden…

"If Mr. Snowden had been able to procure a second passport prior to stepping into the limelight, he would likely not be in this predicament as he could have been traveling on his other passport. This is one of the hidden virtues of having a second passport. You might never ‘need’ one. But should such a need ever arise, it can really be a life saver. In Mr. Snowden’s case, the best option on the table would have been Brazil. If Snowden had become a Brazilian (which anyone can do– via 2-4 years of residency, or marriage, or even having a child), he could be happily living out his days on the beach in Fortaleza, rather than being stuck in a Russian transit zone." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe best second passport for Edward Snowden…

Edward Snowden and Joshua Glover

"The comparisons to Edward Snowden are obvious: 'why did Glover flee Missouri? Why didn't he stay in Missouri and 'work within the system' to gain his liberty?' Yeah, the same way so many other slaves had secured their freedom! With the help of its lapdog media - with which neither Booth nor Glover had to contend - the federal government demands of Russia what it demanded of Wisconsin in the mid-19th century: the return of one of its subjects." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden and Joshua Glover

Marine’s 11-year war crimes conviction overturned

"Sergeant Lawrence Hutchins, 29, was jailed six years ago after a court martial found him guilty of orchestrating the murder of a 52-year-old Iraqi man in the town of Hamdania. Hutchins was convicted of leading an eight-strong squad which kidnapped the father of 11 from his home in a night-time raid, frogmarched him to a ditch and shot him. The group then placed an AK-47 and a shovel beside the dead man’s corpse to make it look as if he had been shot while planting a roadside bomb. Lawyers for Hutchins argued investigators had erred when the Marine was held in solitary confinement without access to a lawyer for seven days." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMarine’s 11-year war crimes conviction overturned

China’s state newspaper praises Edward Snowden for ‘tearing off Washington’s sanctimonious mask’

"The strongly worded front-page commentary responded to harsh criticism of China from the US for allowing Snowden to flee. 'Not only did the US authorities not give us an explanation and apology, it instead expressed dissatisfaction at the Hong Kong special administrative region for handling things in accordance with law,' wrote Wang Xinjun, a researcher at the Academy of Military Science. 'In a sense, the United States has gone from a 'model of human rights' to 'an eavesdropper on personal privacy', the 'manipulator' of the centralised power over the international internet, and the mad 'invader' of other countries' networks,' the People's Daily said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChina’s state newspaper praises Edward Snowden for ‘tearing off Washington’s sanctimonious mask’

WikiLeaks: Snowden Risks Being Stuck in Russia ‘Permanently’

"The WikiLeaks organization said on Tuesday that U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden may be forced to stay in Russia permanently because Washington is 'bullying' possible intermediary countries, reports Naharnet. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Snowden -- who had been expected to board a flight for Cuba on Monday, reportedly on his way to seek asylum in Ecuador -- was still in a Moscow airport transit zone. 'Cancelling Snowden's passport and bullying intermediary countries may keep Snowden permanently in Russia,' WikiLeaks said on its Twitter feed. 'Not the brightest bunch at State,' it said, referring to the U.S. State Department." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWikiLeaks: Snowden Risks Being Stuck in Russia ‘Permanently’

WikiLeaks staffer helping Edward Snowden flee U.S. authorities

"Holed up with a fugitive computer expert and negotiating a legal minefield to avoid the US authorities — WikiLeaks staffer Sarah Harrison has been here before. As one of Julian Assange’s closest aides, the blonde, willowy Briton is uniquely qualified to help US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden avoid extradition to the United States for exposing a massive surveillance programme. Snowden and Harrison have been stuck together in the transit zone of a Moscow airport since the weekend, after she accompanied him on a flight from Hong Kong as part of efforts by anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks to help the American." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWikiLeaks staffer helping Edward Snowden flee U.S. authorities

David Gregory Does Some Hard-Hitting News Coverage

"While I'm not a big fan of Frank Rich, I did enjoy his absolutely devastating stream of insults hurled at David Gregory, the NBC 'journalist' who accused Glenn Greenwald of being a traitor. Rich then linked to this video of David Gregory showing his great journalist chops by dancing with Psy, Gangnam Style. Rich is wrong that there's anything bad about dancing with Psy, who is a better human being than any member of Congress. The truly revealing video of David Gregory is this one in which he is dancing and yukking it up with Karl Rove. We're supposed to believe that Gregory will deliver hard hitting journalism about people Gregory gets drunk with?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Gregory Does Some Hard-Hitting News Coverage

NSA has been blackmailing Supreme Court judges, members of Congress and more

"I know this because I had my hands literally on the paperwork for these sort of things -- they went after high-ranking military officers; they went after members of Congress, both Senate and the House, especially on the intelligence committees and on the armed services committees and some of the -- and judicial... They went after lawyers and law firms. They went after judges. One of the judges is now sitting on the Supreme Court that I had his wiretap information in my hand. Two are former FISA court judges. They went after State Department officials. They went after people in the executive service that were part of the White House -- their own people." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA has been blackmailing Supreme Court judges, members of Congress and more