Land Of The Flea

State Department Demands Takedown Of 3D-Printable Gun Files For Export Control Violations

"On Thursday, Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson received a letter from the State Department Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance demanding that he take down the online blueprints for the 3D-printable 'Liberator' handgun that his group released Monday, along with nine other 3D-printable firearms components hosted on the group’s website Defcad.org. Wilson compares his new legal troubles to the widely-followed case in the mid-1990s of Philip Zimmermann, the inventor of the cryptography software PGP who was threatened with indictment under ITAR for putting his military-grade encryption software online." Continue reading →

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“Butt Out,” 60% of 18 to 34-Year Olds Tell Federal Government

"Despite a horrendous unemployment rate of 45% for this age group — almost as bad as Spain’s and Greece’s — about 60% of America’s young adults believe that the government should get out of their lives. Even more amazing, half believe that the government is not helping the economy. Two-thirds are favorable to entrepreneurship. These opinions were made clear in a recent poll sponsored by the Young America Foundation. Unfortunately, only 44% think that free markets are positive." Continue reading →

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FDA May Have Age Restrictions On Cups Of Coffee

"If you are a teenager, soon you may not be able to order a cup of Joe. Or a can of Red Bull. The Food and Drug Administration is considering putting an age limit on products containing caffeine, ranging from energy drinks to a simple cup of coffee. FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor said enforcing age restrictions would be challenging, the more fundamental questions is whether 'we should place limits on the amount of caffeine in certain products.' According to the government, a person should have a maximum of 400 milligrams of caffeine per day." Continue reading →

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Idaho Seizes Medical Marijuana Activists’ Kids

"There have been sporadic local marijuana legalization efforts in past years, and this year, medical marijuana supporters are in the midst of signature-gathering campaign to put an initiative on the ballot. That campaign is led by Compassionate Idaho, some of whose most stalwart and publicly visible members are Lindsey and Josh Rinehart and Sarah Caldwell. But with an incident that began while Caldwell and the Rineharts were away on a retreat, the trio are learning a harsh lesson in hardball pot politics. When they got back home, their kids were gone, and the police and child social services had them." Continue reading →

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Detroit Threatens To Remove Community-Provided Bus Stop Benches

"Some people from the Detroit Enterprise Academy think that bus patrons - especially older folks - shouldn't have to stand and wait at the city's bus stops, so they put together a voluntary force to do something about it. They build benches from reclaimed wood, fancy them up a bit, and place them at bus stops where resting spots are much needed. The benches built by the crew seat six people, and they also have bookcases in the bottom, filled with books. DDOT (Detroit Department of Transportation) officials have said the placement of benches has not followed protocol, and therefore the benches are not approved and must be removed." Continue reading →

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DOJ: We don’t need warrants for e-mail, Facebook chats

"The U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI believe they don't need a search warrant to review Americans' e-mails, Facebook chats, Twitter direct messages, and other private files, internal documents reveal. Government documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union and provided to CNET show a split over electronic privacy rights within the Obama administration, with Justice Department prosecutors and investigators privately insisting they're not legally required to obtain search warrants for e-mail." Continue reading →

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U.S. citizens ditch passports in record numbers

"The latest bold-faced names to relinquish their U.S. citizenship include Mahmood Karzai, a brother of Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, according to federal data released Wednesday. Also on the list, published quarterly by the Internal Revenue Service, is Isabel Getty, the daughter of jet-setting socialite Pia Getty and Getty oil heir Christopher Getty. In total, more than 670 U.S. passport holders gave up their citizenship -- and with it, their U.S. tax bills -- in the first three months of this year. That is the most in any quarter since the I.R.S. began publishing figures in 1998." Continue reading →

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Moody’s: ‘Strategic Default’ Viewed as Less Taboo by Cities

"The number of defaults from U.S. municipal issuers rated by Moody’s Investors Service has more than tripled to 4.6 per year since 2007, showing willingness to pay can’t be taken for granted, the company said in a report. Five municipalities rated by Moody’s defaulted last year, including Stockton, California, which became the biggest U.S. city to seek Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in June. Wenatchee, Washington, failed to honor a guarantee on an interest payment for a sports arena. The figure doesn’t include issuers such as Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, which 'selectively defaulted' on contingent liabilities, the report said." Continue reading →

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California, New York and DC look to ban 3D-printed guns

"A handgun made almost entirely using a consumer-grade 3D printer fired a bullet over the weekend for the first time in the history of the infant technology. If some lawmakers have their way, it will also be the last. Defense Distributed of Texas announced on Sunday that researchers fired a bullet designed for a traditional .380-caliber firearm with a gun built all but exclusively using digital blueprints, some plastic and an $8,000 printer. The only item aside from the bullet not printed out was a single nail that served as the firing pin. As early s Tuesday, though, California State Senator Leland Yee was already looking to pass a bill that would outlaw other 3D weapons." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: ‘War’ takes place in the shadows

"How long will it be before the clandestine terrorist agencies begin their own campaigns of terror? Perhaps they already have. With so many secret agencies plotting, conniving, enticing, luring, fomenting, and sowing their evil seeds, it won't be long before something takes root. One group of spooks will lay a trap...and catch another group....and accuse a third group, whom they will mistake for real terrorists. One bomb will go off. Another attempt will be thwarted at the last minute. Still another group, led on a double-agent and financed by secret funds provided by the taxpayer, will be hauled in front of the TV cameras." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: ‘War’ takes place in the shadows