Land Of The Flea

Boomtown: Washington D.C. Passes Silicon Valley For Highest Median Income In U.S.

"Wealth in Washington, DC has surged to the highest median income in the United States, surpassing even tech mecca Silicon Valley, California. With a median household income of $119,134, the Census Bureau reports that Loudoun County, Virginia now occupies the number one spot for the highest median U.S. income. The number two position belongs to Fairfax County, Virginia at $105,797. Arlington, Virginia comes in third at $100,735. In fact, seven of the ten counties with the highest household incomes are in the Washington region." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBoomtown: Washington D.C. Passes Silicon Valley For Highest Median Income In U.S.

French-led forces in Mali take Timbuktu airport, enter city

"French-led troops in Mali have seized control of the airport in Timbuktu from Islamist militants and are fighting their way into the city center, a spokesman for the Malian military said Monday. The United States has also stepped up its involvement in the conflict by conducting aerial refueling missions on top of the intelligence and airlift support it was already providing. Covering the fighting up close is almost impossible for journalists, who are prevented from gaining access to the front line. Journalists are only allowed to enter after a town after it has been freed and its security guaranteed by French and Malian troops." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrench-led forces in Mali take Timbuktu airport, enter city

North Africa Explodes?

"The Financial Times is reporting that the West 'faces decades of conflict in N. Africa.' The world's biggest news aggregator, Matt Drudge, is featuring the news on his front page. No doubt it's being promoted throughout the mainstream media as if what's going on is a surprise. The current war blowing up in Mali is, however, a perfect example of directed history. It has been 'in the works' for at least two years but probably far longer than that. Not only has it been planned, it has been gradually developed through a series of supporting wars in the Middle East and Africa. All of this manipulation was intended to make this outcome look inevitable and natural. It is not." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNorth Africa Explodes?

Obama ‘guidebook’ for targeted killings to include exemption for CIA drone strikes in Pakistan

"The administration of President Barack Obama is completing a counterterrorism manual that will establish clear rules for targeted-killing operations, The Washington Post reported. But citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper said the guidebook would contain a major exemption for the CIA’s campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan. This exemption will allow the Central Intelligence Agency to continue striking Al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistan for a year or more before the agency is forced to comply with more stringent rules spelled out in the document. Between 2,627 and 3,457 people have been reportedly killed by US drones in Pakistan since 2004." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama ‘guidebook’ for targeted killings to include exemption for CIA drone strikes in Pakistan

Who Says You Can Kill Americans, Mr. President?

"Presidents had never before, to our knowledge, targeted specific Americans for military strikes. There are no court decisions that tell us if he is acting lawfully. Mr. Obama tells us not to worry, though, because his lawyers say it is fine, because experts guide the decisions and because his advisers have set up a careful process to help him decide whom he should kill. He must think we should be relieved. Oddly, under current law, Congress and the courts are involved when presidents eavesdrop on Americans, detain them or harshly interrogate them — but not when they kill them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWho Says You Can Kill Americans, Mr. President?

Julian Assange calls WikiLeaks movie a ‘massive propaganda attack’

"Speaking to students at Britain’s prestigious Oxford University by videolink from the Ecuadoran embassy in London, Assange revealed that he had acquired a copy of the script for 'The Fifth Estate', due to be released in November. 'It is a lie upon lie. The movie is a massive propaganda attack on WikiLeaks and the character of my staff,' the Australian Internet activist told the audience at the university’s Oxford Union debating club. Assange, 41, also blasted the movie for 'fanning the flames' of war against Iran by implying that the Islamic republic was working on a nuclear bomb." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJulian Assange calls WikiLeaks movie a ‘massive propaganda attack’

Women in combat: Will they have to register for the draft?

"Now that the Pentagon is lifting its ban on women in combat, does this mean that women could potentially be drafted, too? 'The answer to that question is clearly yes,' says Anne Coughlin, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville. Once the combat exclusion policy is lifted, 'My belief is that if we open up combat arms to women, even on a voluntary basis, if there is a draft, we should be able to force women into those positions,' says retired Col. Peter Mansoor, a professor of military history at the Ohio State University in Columbus and a former US Army brigade commander who served two tours in Iraq." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWomen in combat: Will they have to register for the draft?

UN to investigate legality of U.S drone strikes

"A newly-announced UN inquiry into the rise of drone strikes and targeted killings around the world has drawn measured optimism and concerns from national security experts and the international human rights community. While 51 states possess the technology to use drones, according to Emmerson, the US is responsible for the vast majority of the world’s drone strikes and the practice of targeted killing has become a central component of the Obama administration’s efforts to combat al-Qaida. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, CIA drone strikes in Pakistan alone have resulted in as many as 3,461 deaths, including up to 891 civilians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUN to investigate legality of U.S drone strikes

Antiwar protester thrown out of Kerry confirmation hearing

"A protester interrupted Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) on Thursday during his confirmation hearings. The woman shouted that the United States was killing thousands of people in the Middle East who were not a threat. Security officers quickly escorted her out of the room." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAntiwar protester thrown out of Kerry confirmation hearing