Land Of The Flea

Pentagon to Start Awarding Medals for Drone Strikes and Cyberattacks

"The Defense Department is reportedly inventing a new medal designed to reward soliders who fight battles from the safety of their computer consoles. The Associated Press says the Pentagon is creating a new ribbon, called the Distinguished Warfare Medal that will be given for 'extra achievement' related to a military operation. That would include drone pilots operating unmanned planes from halfway around the world, or even hackers who launch a successful cyberattack on an enemy. Unlike all other combat-related medals, this would be the first one that you can be awarded without actually putting your life on the line." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPentagon to Start Awarding Medals for Drone Strikes and Cyberattacks

L.A. Residents Plead With LAPD On Signs, Shirts: ‘Don’t Shoot, I’m Not Chris Dorner’

"In response to the LAPD shooting at least 3 innocent people in a manhunt for Chris Dorner, the fugitive ex-cop and alleged murderer they’re hunting with U.S. military spy drones, residents of Los Angeles have begun wearing shirts and placing signs and bumper stickers on their vehicles that read, 'Don’t shoot, I’m not Chris Dorner. Thank you.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingL.A. Residents Plead With LAPD On Signs, Shirts: ‘Don’t Shoot, I’m Not Chris Dorner’

Why Police Lie Under Oath

"Are police officers necessarily more trustworthy than alleged criminals? I think not. Not just because the police have a special inclination toward confabulation, but because, disturbingly, they have an incentive to lie. In this era of mass incarceration, the police shouldn’t be trusted any more than any other witness, perhaps less so. Agencies receive cash rewards for arresting high numbers of people for drug offenses, no matter how minor the offenses or how weak the evidence. Law enforcement has increasingly become a numbers game. And as it has, police officers’ tendency to regard procedural rules as optional and to lie and distort the facts has grown as well." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy Police Lie Under Oath

Audio catches cops shouting ‘Burn this motherf*cker!’ during Dorner siege

"Scanner audio apparently broadcast by the Los Angeles CBS affiliate KCAL on Tuesday captured angry officers yelling to 'burn this motherfucker' prior to a cabin fire that is thought to have burned the body of fugitive ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner. In a video recording posted to YouTube on Tuesday, the anchor pauses to let the viewer hear the mostly-inaudible scanner traffic. 'Do it right now,' one voice says. 'Fucking burn this motherfucker!' 'Police officers, understandably upset,' the anchor explains. A separate recording of scanner traffic — which has not been verified — features officers talking about going forward 'with the burn.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAudio catches cops shouting ‘Burn this motherf*cker!’ during Dorner siege

Sheriff denies cabin intentionally burnt down with Chris Dorner inside

"San Bernardino Sheriff John McMahon on Wednesday denied that California police had intentionally set a cabin on fire with fugitive ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner inside. 'I can tell you that it was not on purpose, we did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get Mr. Dorner out. The tear gas canisters that we used — first off we used a presence when we showed up, a cold tear gas, then the next tear gas was pyrotechnic, which does generate a lot of heat. We introduced those canisters into the residence and a fire arose.' The charred remains found in the Big Bear cabin had not yet been confirmed to be Dorner, but the manhunt had been called off." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSheriff denies cabin intentionally burnt down with Chris Dorner inside

Chinese Justice – Or Orwell Circa 2013?

"The Ministry of Public Security is working to set up an annual high-level meeting with US judicial officials in a bid to catch and return more Chinese fugitives. 'We're negotiating with the US Department of Homeland Security and will try to arrange the first summit this year,' said Wang Liqiang, a senior official in the ministry's international cooperation bureau. The meeting is expected to bring together the minister of public security and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with their US counterparts to discuss cooperation on intelligence, operations, suspect repatriations and the recovery of stolen assets." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese Justice – Or Orwell Circa 2013?

FATCA: Do I have to report my offshore gold?

"Imagine what would happen if the Chinese government passed a law requiring US banks to share customer information with Beijing. People would go nuts. But in the Land of the Free, it’s normal. Crazy. It gets worse. FATCA was a mere 18 pages of poorly worded legislation that failed to define critical terms. How many pages of regulations did the IRS issue? The answer is a mind numbing 544 pages. After an initial read, though, the language of the regulation does suggest that custodial gold institutions (like GoldMoney, etc.) should be reported. Offshore safety deposit boxes (like Das Safe) do not." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFATCA: Do I have to report my offshore gold?

Should You Renounce Your U.S. Citizenship?

"In the case of Saverin, he was already living in Singapore and did not have deep ties to the U.S. because he hadn’t been here very long. In his case, the financial benefits were clear: he would’ve paid a 35% federal tax rate in the U.S. in addition to 15% on capital gains, while in Singapore his tax rate would be 20% at most and no capital gains tax. So how would your tax burden stack up? If you earn $1 million a year, that’s almost $396,000 you’re keeping in your pocket (based on the top 39.6% income tax rate) if you said goodbye to the U.S. and took up residency in a place like Monaco, which doesn’t tax income at all." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShould You Renounce Your U.S. Citizenship?

Doug Casey: Why America Should Default and You Should Live Abroad

"Reason TV's Nick Gillespie sat down with Casey to discuss why America should default on its debt, why he spends most of his time in Argentina these days, and the importance of self-reliance and free-market principles. His new book, Totally Incorrect, is a collection of conversations with Louis James that explore the ways in which government policy and centralized power threaten cultural and economic progress. In a series of engaging and wide-ranging dialogues, Casey and James talk about everything from the Great Depression to drug use to the Roman Empire." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDoug Casey: Why America Should Default and You Should Live Abroad