Land Of The Flea

Michael Hastings’ Final Article Before Car Explosion: ‘Why Democrats Love To Spy On Americans’

"For most bigwig Democrats in Washington, D.C., the last 48 hours has delivered news of the worst kind — a flood of new information that has washed away any lingering doubts about where President Obama and his party stand on civil liberties, full stop. Glenn Greenwald’s exposure of the NSA’s massive domestic spy program has revealed the entire caste of current Democratic leaders as a gang of civil liberty opportunists, whose true passion, it seems, was in trolling George W. Bush for eight years on matters of national security. 'Everyone should just calm down,' Senator Harry Reid said yesterday, inhaling slowly. That’s right: don’t panic." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichael Hastings’ Final Article Before Car Explosion: ‘Why Democrats Love To Spy On Americans’

DoJ Files Action to Collect Multiple 50 Percent Civil FBAR Penalties in U.S.A. vs. Zwerner

"On June 11, 2013, the U.S. government filed a Complaint to collect multiple civil FBAR penalties in the amount of $3,488,609.33 against Carl R. Zwerner of Coral Gables, Florida for his alleged failure to timely report his financial interest in a foreign bank account. According to the Complaint, from 2004 through 2007, Mr. Zwerner, a U.S. citizen, had a financial interest in an account at ABN AMRO Bank in Switzerland (hereinafter, 'the Swiss bank account') and that the balance of the Swiss bank account from 2004-2007 was at all times greater than $10,000 and that, as such, on or before June 30, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, Mr. Zwerner was required to file an FBAR." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDoJ Files Action to Collect Multiple 50 Percent Civil FBAR Penalties in U.S.A. vs. Zwerner

FATCA Reciprocity Will Now Target Delaware?

"Leaders of the G8 major economies have agreed new measures to clamp down on money launderers, illegal tax evaders and corporate tax avoiders. They include requiring that shell companies – often used to exploit tax loopholes and invest money anonymously – identify their effective owners. Governments also agreed to give each other automatic access to information on their residents’ tax affairs." Continue reading →

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Ex-NSA official Thomas Drake on Snowden and the U.S. spy leviathan

"Thomas Drake, who was prosecuted for allegedly disclosing National Security Agency secrets years before Edward Snowden surfaced, says the U.S. government has an 'industrial-scale' surveillance system that 'the Stasi in East Germany would have drooled over.' Drake speaks with Reuters defense correspondent Andrea Shalal-Esa." Continue reading →

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Swiss parliament throws out ‘Lex USA’ tax proposal

"Rejecting US threats, the National Council tossed 'Lex USA'. The big question now is if the US will follow through with its threats of destroying 18 banks, and how many innocent people will be harmed in the process. My best guess is that the US needs to use Switzerland as a scapegoat to scare the world into joining FATCA, since FATCA would otherwise fail. The general view in Switzerland seems to be that if some banks did wrong, then they should be held responsible for their actions without the government being involved, while those in favor of Lex USA generally feared the American blackmail." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin In IRS Crosshairs, Says Government Report

"There is confusion whether transactions in Bitcoin should be treated as property, barter, foreign currency, or a financial instrument. How you see it can determine the tax treatment. Barter transactions may be the most logical treatment, but not everyone agrees. Besides, even without Bitcoins or other exotica, bartering transactions are inherently under-reported. And then there is tax basis. If you sell something for less than you paid, you shouldn’t have gain. That’s true in U.S. dollars or in Bitcoin. If you sell something at a garage sale, you may or may not have income. Brave new world? GAO and IRS don’t think so." Continue reading →

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Google Challenges FISA Gag Orders on Free Speech Grounds

"Google filed a legal challenge today against gag orders that come with the FISA court orders it receives from the FBI and NSA, on grounds that the silence orders impinge on the company’s First Amendment rights to speak freely about the data requests it receives for user data. Google is seeking permission to publish the number of requests for data (.pdf) that it receives from the government, as well as the number of user accounts affect by the requests, according to the motion it filed in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in Washington, D.C." Continue reading →

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Teens Start Rental Car Company, Get Sued By City Of San Francisco For ‘Unfair Business Practices’

"Said three teenagers to themselves last year: 'Yeah, sure, we could go to college. But wouldn’t it be more fun to up-end the airport rental car business?' The idea was this: At every major airport, acres of cars sit idle, left parked by owners who have jetted off. Why couldn’t these same cars be rented to arriving travelers? Rates could be dramatically cheaper than those charged by traditional car rental companies, since, under this model, the rental company wouldn’t have to pay for or maintain the fleet. It’s easy to see how traditional rental companies might not be amused to have their prices undercut. But San Francisco International is crying foul, as well." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTeens Start Rental Car Company, Get Sued By City Of San Francisco For ‘Unfair Business Practices’

FBI director admits domestic use of drones for surveillance

"The FBI uses drones for domestic surveillance purposes, the head of the agency told Congress. Robert Mueller confirmed to lawmakers that the FBI owns several unmanned aerial vehicles, but has not adopted any strict policies or guidelines yet to govern the use of the controversial aircraft. Mueller said the FBI has and will continue to weigh the possibility of publishing more information about its spy habits, but warned that doing such would be to the advantage of America’s enemies. 'There is a price to be paid for that transparency,' Mueller said. 'I certainly think it would be educating our adversaries as to what our capabilities are.'" Continue reading →

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