Resistance to Tyranny

Investors Buying Houston Homes for 40 Cents on the Dollar

"Those kinds of bets have often paid off. Buyers who snapped up co-ops and office towers when New York was near bankruptcy in the 1970s made a killing. More recently, companies including Blackstone Group LP and other marquee names bought foreclosed homes after the 2008 financial crisis and are sitting on billions in potential gains. The cycle begins with small-time investors such as Schild, who’s bought more than 30 waterlogged houses for an average $175,000 apiece. Then Wall Street swoops in."

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Atlanta Airport Abuses Uber and Lyft Drivers and Their Customers

"Two years ago, ridesharing at the Atlanta airport was perfect. It was being widely used. It was cheap and convenient. Customers were king. Drivers were making money. Poor people without jobs suddenly had a job. Suddenly, the airport authorities had a problem. They had previously constructed vast parking lots for people coming and going from the airport. They had been a huge source of revenue. That revenue gradually began to fall. Then it fell some more. What had previously been a system of benign neglect began to turn."

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IMF Chief Suggests IMFCoin Cryptocurrency as Possibility

"IMF Director Christine Lagarde hinted at the development of a digital currency, similar to the bitcoin, for the organization's special drawing rights (SDR) mechanism to replace existing reserve currencies. The international finance organization has already begun exploring the possibility with an External Advisory Group discussion last December. Referring to a possible future situation along these lines, Lagarde said that the prospect of a digital currency as a replacement for reserve currencies that are part of the SDR was not 'a far-fetched hypothetical.'"

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The head of the IMF says bitcoin is ‘too expensive for me at the moment’

"Bitcoin is too expensive for one of the most powerful women in finance. Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, on Friday told CNBC's Sara Eisen that bitcoin is 'too expensive for me at the moment' when asked if she would ever buy into the red-hot digital currency. Lagarde last month gave a soft defense of the cryptocurrency during a speech in London. She said cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin could 'give existing currencies and monetary policy a run for their money.'"

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Bitcoin Now Buys You Citizenship in Pacific Nation of Vanuatu

"The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu has become the world’s first county to accept the virtual currency bitcoin for its citizenship program. The Vanuatu Information Centre (VIC) announced that its Development Support Program (DSP) will allow foreigners to qualify for Vanuatuan citizenship through a one-time payment of $200,000 – or its cryptocurrency equivalent. At current market prices, this puts the price of citizenship for the so-called Paradise Islands at slightly more than 43 bitcoins."

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FBI Stops Publishing Data on America’s Ridiculous Marijuana Arrest Rates

"Though the numbers are missing from the FBI’s public 2016 report, Angell was able to obtain data from the agency by contacting them directly. Angell summarized: 'Marijuana possession busts comprised 37.36% of all reported drug arrests in the U.S. in 2016, and cannabis sales and manufacturing arrests accounted for another 4.18% of the total.'"

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FBI Concocting A Terrorist Threat Out of Racial Justice Groups

"If you are black and angry about police violence, you are a potential terror threat. Or so says a newly released FBI Intelligence Assessment that concocts a non-existent movement they dub 'Black Identity Extremists.' According to the assessment, 'premeditated, retaliatory lethal violence against law enforcement' has been spurred on by 'Black Identity Extremist (BIE) perceptions of police brutality against African Americans.' The problems with this report are manifold. First, and foremost, it places the blame for violence on actual concerns with police brutality and racial justice, thus delegitimizing dissent."

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Let’s Make America Free Again: We’re Walking a Dangerous Road

"We can pretend that the Constitution is still our governing document. However, the reality we must come to terms with is that in the America we live in today, the government does whatever it wants, freedom be damned. Here is what it means to live under the Constitution today."

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