As readers are able to move from one content aggregator to another with greater facility than the Fed prints another billion dollars, Rupert's approach will likely entail a massive "game theoretical" strategy whereby either all move to a premium model or none do: if even one "defector" remains, it will render the "premium-paid" plan DOA.
reps paul & frank introduce bill to legalize industrial hemp (again) from raw story: One of the earliest plants domesticated by man may be on the verge of a resurgence in popular production across the United States. Industrial hemp, a non-drug variety of the cannabis plan, used for centuries for its versatile fibers, is the subject of a new bill filed by Congressmen Ron Paul (R-TX) and Barney Frank (D-MA). They and eight cosponsors, both Republican and Democrat, hope to legalize the plant so American farmers can begin supplying fibers for a wide array of products, with the overreaching goal of opening a new sector in American agriculture. To view the bill's status, full text and list of sponsors, or to follow new developments, visit Govtrack.us. "It is unfortunate that the federal government has stood in the way of American farmers, including many who are struggling to make ends meet, from competing in the global industrial hemp market," said Representative Ron Paul during his introduction of the bill and in a media advisory issued by advocacy group VoteHemp.
this is the truth on drugs ... any questions? from dave sirota: Finally, a little honesty. It started with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stating an embarrassingly obvious truth that politicians almost never discuss. In a speech about rising violence in Mexico, she said, "Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade," and then added that "we have co-responsibility" for the cartel-driven carnage plaguing our southern border. She's right, of course. For all the Rambo-ish talk about waging a "War on Drugs" that interdicts the supply of narcotics, we have not diminished demand — specifically, demand for marijuana that cartels base their business on. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Americans spend about $9 billion a year on Mexican pot... "The elephant in the bedroom in many discussions on the criminal justice system is the sharp increase in drug incarceration," [Sen. Jim Webb] said in a speech, later telling the Huffington Post that pot legalization "should be on the table." Finally, a little honesty — and now, maybe, some action.
dobbs concludes US allows drugs in from american patrol report: Last night [apr6] Lou Dobbs agreed with the President of Mexico that drugs are flowing into the United States because our government permits it. President Calderon said U.S. corruption permitted drug imports. "If there is traffic in the United States, it is because there is some corruption in the United States," Calderon said. Dobbs agreed. "...there is no other explanation," Dobbs said, "It goes well beyond indifference and apathy, but the fact that this country has tolerated that border being violated by drug traffickers who bring in from Mexico methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine and marijuana – in fact, Mexico is the largest source. And for us as a nation to have tolerated the immense loss of life, the devastation of lives to addiction and drugs, most of which, again, originate in Mexico, can only be explained by corruption." Lou Dobbs is right, there is corruption, but it is mainly political. Drugs are allowed into the country because the ruling class is willing to sacrifice its citizens on the alter of globalism. American Border Patrol has shown that the new border fence began cutting off smuggling routes and that led to the Mexican drug war. But the establishment doesn't want the fence, so they blacked out ABP and its reports, and that includes those who run Lou Dobbs Tonight. There is something even worse, but more on that later.
obama will not prosecute bush & cheney from tehran times: Mark my words. President Obama will follow in the footsteps of his predecessors by not holding his predecessor, George W. Bush and members of his administration, liable for violating the United States Constitution and criminally responsible for treason, 9/11, financial fraud, mass murder and war crimes.
continuity we can believe in from counterpunch: This is part mea culpa, so please indulge my quoting myself. Back on November 5th much of the country celebrated the end of an error and the election of the first non-white president. (We’ll get to “male” and “Christian” later – much later, I suppose. "Ivy League?" Maybe never.) I wrote: “We’ll know soon enough how hard we’ll have to fight bad Obama policy. Even before Inauguration Day, we’ll know. Who Obama picks for his “team” will be all-telling…If President Obama fails to break completely with the narcissistic Baby Boomer politicians; we’ll know. If he keeps Gates at Defense or appoints Powell in his place; we’ll know.” Well, that sure was quick.
obama to tap retired admiral as intelligence czar from afp: President-elect Barack Obama has tapped retired Navy admiral Dennis Blair as his intelligence czar, US media reported Saturday. Unnamed government officials familiar with the selection process confirmed the choice to the Los Angeles Times... If confirmed as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Blair would face ticking international time bombs inherited from the administration of President George W. Bush, including two wars, secret CIA prisons overseas and domestic wiretapping.
obama, the military & the threat of dictatorship from wsws: With his choice of Admiral Dennis Blair as director of national intelligence, President-elect Barack Obama has now named three recently retired four-star military officers to serve in his cabinet. This unprecedented representation of the senior officer corps within the incoming Democratic administration is indicative of a growth in the political power of the US military that poses a serious threat to basic democratic rights. As head of the US military’s Pacific command in 1999-2000, Blair was distinguished by his efforts to solidarize the Pentagon with the military of Indonesia as it carried out butchery in East Timor, effectively vetoing the half-hearted human rights concerns voiced by the Clinton administration.
explain to me again why we chose obama instead of ron paul? from op-ed news: Here is another piece written by Ron Paul, and yet again he is correct to the infinite degree. He is a regular Nostradamus as far as I'm concerned, predicting nearly every major catastrophe of the last 8 years and doing so years before they occurred. He predicted the Russian/ Georgian conflict would be a possible consequence of our invasion in Iraq (check) he predicted the housing collapse (check) he predicted the implosion of the banking system clear back in the 90s (check) he predicted the Iraq war would be an endless quagmire, and on and on and on. When no one listened and his clueless fellow Republicans had the nerve to laugh at him on stage, he still spoke the truth, and once again, he has been right all along. This time about the real agenda of Barack Obama and the mindless Democrats in Congress. More elite government, more spending, more inflation, less freedom, less prosperity, and a complete disregard for the voice of the people (bailouts, anyone?) We can all have our disagreements about his disdain for taxes and funding different government programs, but when it comes to monetary policy, this man has all but never been wrong.
barack obama: the naked emperor from david icke: I am writing this in the last days of 2008 as I watch with dismay as vast numbers of people across the world, including many who should know better, have been duped by the mind-game called Operation Obama. Even people with some understanding of the conspiracy have said things like: 'Well, at least he's not Bush' and 'Well, at least it's great to see such a new spirit of hope'. No, he's not Bush - he's potentially far more dangerous; and what is the use of a spirit of 'hope' if it's based on a lie? In fact, what use is 'hope' at all? Obama's wife, Michelle, who I wouldn't trust to tell me the date in a calendar factory, said that 'everything begins and ends with hope'. Utter nonsense. Hope is a meaningless emotion because its fruits are always in the future and, by definition, never in the NOW. Hope is like riding a carousel horse; no matter how fast you go you never get closer to the one in front. The idea, however, is to persuade you to stay on the horse, despite the evitable disappointment, in the 'hope' that things will change. But they don't because the very system is designed to prevent it.
another obama eligibility suit filed in indiana from ap: Two Indiana men filed a lawsuit claiming that President-elect Barack Obama is not eligible to serve as president. The suit questions whether Obama meets the constitutional requirement that the president must be a "natural born citizen." Obama's birth certificate says he was born in Hawaii, but his father was not a U.S. citizen and some have claimed the document is a fake. The U.S. Supreme Court this month refused without comment to hear a challenge to Obama's citizenship. The Indianapolis Star reports the Indiana suit was filed in Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis by Steve Ankeny, New Castle, and Bill Kruse, Roselawn. It names Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Republican and Democratic national committees as defendants, saying they failed to uphold the Constitution when they certified results of the November election. It asks Judge David Dreyer to throw out the election results.
power cut left obama & family in dark for 12hrs from reuters: U.S. President-elect Barack Obama was without electricity for 12 hours at his vacation home on Oahu following a major blackout across Hawaii's most populous island, an aide said on Saturday. The outage on Friday night left hundreds of thousands of people, including Obama and his family, in the dark as an electrical storm rolled over Oahu. "Power was restored to the residence during the 6 o'clock hour this morning. The Obama family is grateful for the offers of assistance from local officials," said Ben Labolt, a spokesman for Obama.
power outage: obama hawaii birth records left vulnerable from total 411: This is a perfect opportunity to switch out the original vital statistics records of Barry Obama for newly-created forgeries. NB:"Heavy showers are of a special character, in that they are seldom accompanied by thunder and lightning. Indeed, a flash of lightning followed by a crash of thunder is infrequent enough so that many people who have lived only in Hawaii have no real notion of the violence of Mainland thunderstorms as evidenced by the lightning and thunder that are their typical accompaniment." Draw your own conclusions.
schwarzenegger for US president? former action hero eyes top job from dpa: Former action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger has not satiated his political ambitions by serving as California governor. The Austrian-born superstar revealed in an interview on 60 Minutes late Sunday night that he would 'absolutely' like to be United States president if the Constitution could be changed to allow foreign-born Americans to run for the White House. 'Well, you're a man of no small ambition. If the Constitution was changed, you'd like to be president, wouldn't you?' 60 Minutes journalist Scott Pelley asked. 'Yeah, absolutely,' Schwarzenegger replied. 'I think that I am always a person that looks for the next big goal. And I love challenges. 'I always set goals that are so high, that are almost impossible to achieve. Because then, you're always hungry for climbing and climbing. Because it's always interesting. The climb is always interesting. When you get there you just have to pick another goal.' For now, it would be impossible for him to become president. Schwarzenegger, who was born in Austria and became a US citizen in 1983, is not a 'natural born citizen' of the US, as required by the Constitution.
marines establish presence in san bernardino from kurt nimmo: Branson Hunter, writing for the Big Bear Observation Post blog, reports that the Marine Corps Air and Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) and the local California Highway Patrol will be working together over the holiday “in a joint effort to reduce accidents and drinking and driving” in San Bernardino County... the USMC will be present on public roads in order to setup a military presence during routine DUI check stops. “They will be working closely over the month to cut down of traffic accidents,” said Cox, “the Military Police will observe DUI check points and watch for their own guys. The intent is to have military presence out there.”
audio update: 'military presence' confirmed from kurt nimmo: On the Alex Jones Show today, Gary Daigneault, News Director at KCDZ-FM based in Joshua Tree, California, said the California Highway Patrol was less than forthcoming with their plan to team up with the military police, a direct violation of the Posse Comitatus Act preventing the military from performing civilian law enforcement duties.
update: army ‘strategic shock’ report says troops may be needed to quell US civil unrest from steve & paul watson:A recent report produced by the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Institute warns that the United States may experience massive civil unrest in the wake of a series of crises which it has termed “strategic shock.” The report, titled Known Unknowns: Unconventional Strategic Shocks in Defense Strategy Development, also suggests that the military may have to be used to quell domestic disorder. “Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security,” the report, authored by [Ret.] Lt. Col. Nathan Freir, reads.
sold as 'non-lethal,' tasers killed 400 since 2001 from raw story: They are marketed as non-lethal weapons that allow police to capture suspects or criminals without causing any permanent harm. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and businessman Bernard Kerik made millions selling the idea to police departments across the country. But Tasers have killed more than 400 people since 2001, according to a new study commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Police departments across Canada began banning use of Tasers by their officers after the report found that Tasers deliver more power than the manufacturer says is possible. It is unknown if U.S. police departments will follow suit.
parents & law enforcement spar over tasers in schools from wbns: Two mothers have pulled their children out of the South-Western City School District after one of their son's was shocked with a Taser, but authorities defended the use of such weapons, saying they cut down on injuries to officers and citizens, 10TV's Andy Hirsch reported on Monday. The student was shocked during a fight in the cafeteria at Franklin Heights High School. A surveillance camera recorded the brawl, as well as the school's resource officer, deploying his Taser on one of the students. Margie Preston, whose son was shocked, said she was surprised to hear that the Franklin County sheriff's deputy who served as the school's resource officer carried the same weapons as officers who patrol the streets."I thought, 'Oh my God,' if you can't paddle them at school but you can do something like this," Preston said. "I think that's ridiculous." Authorities defended the carrying of such weapons in schools. "Just because it's a school, especially if it's a high school, it's really the same for us as if those two kids were fighting on the street," said Franklin County Sheriff's Lt. Dave Oyer.
amnesty int'l warns against 'potentially lethal' tasers from afp: Amnesty International warned Tuesday against a proliferation of Taser stun guns, saying they were responsible for dozens of deaths in the United States and should only be used in extreme cases. In a report entitled "'Less than lethal?' The use of stun weapons in US law enforcement," the London-based human rights group urged governments to either limit their deployment to life-threatening situations or to suspend their use. Industry claims that so-called "Conducted Energy Devices" are safe and non-lethal do not stand up to scrutiny, it said.
the election that might not happen from common dreams: It’s springtime in American politics. It’s only early March, but there’s a giddy, hopeful feeling to this election season, a sense that new leadership is blossoming. We could have a Democrat in the White House next year. But winter isn’t over yet and we need to balance our hope with a little fear. In 2000 Bush and Cheney stole the election in Florida. In 2004 they played dirty tricks in Ohio. In 2008 could they go one step further — and suspend the election altogether? The necessary architecture may already be in place... Even with this architecture in place, the Bush administration would need a trigger to declare a state of emergency. One can imagine several possible scenarios...
lou dobbs: US heading for stagflation crisis from paul joseph watson: CNN host Lou Dobbs says the U.S. economy is heading for a stagflation crisis as a result of the U.S. government's policy of dollar depreciation and that the only solution is for the American people to restore a proper Constitutional system of government. Dobbs toldThe Alex Jones Show today that the decline of the dollar was, "a clear signal as to how much trouble this economy is in," added to a 9 trillion dollar national debt and a 6 trillion dollar trade debt.
uk police use cs gas to break up schoolgirl fight from daily mail: Parents hit out at police for 'putting their children's lives in danger' after they blasted 15 schoolgirls with CS gas spray near a busy road. A complaint has been made against Avon and Somerset constabulary by one of the parents after the riot gas temporarily blinded her daughter outside the school in Bristol... Police said the officer concerned was single-handedly dealing with a melee involving 15 people, and that gas was the best option.
israel using prohibited 'thermobarbaric' weapons from people's voice: Not content with their massive blood-letting and maiming mission last weekend, the Israelis couldn't resist nipping back into Gaza last night for more of the same. Not that the British government seems to give a damn about the murder and mayhem being visited on the Gazans. Our foreign secretary David Miliband said: "I condemn the rocket attacks against Israel. These are terrorist acts. They should be seen for what they are - an attempt to break the political process by breaking the will of those committed to peace." ... So can we take it that he also doesn't give a damn about thermobaric weapons and whether his US and Israeli chums are using them against civilians? The question arises because I have just received from Gaza's Ministry of Health a report into the effects of prohibited weapons Israel is suspected of using.
bali bomber claims cia/mossad involvement from paul joseph watson: The ringleader of the Bali bombers claims that the attack on the nightclub district in 2002 was much larger than he had expected and that the only explanation for so much carnage was that the bombers were aided by the CIA, KGB or Mossad. Imam Samudra, the alleged mastermind behind the attack who also chose the targets, told the London Times in an interviewthat the second explosion was bigger than the bombers had expected and the attack killed far more people than originally intended.
from radar: On last night's Countdown, Keith Olbermann connected the dots between faux-populist wind-bag Lou Dobbs and illegal immigrants. The logic goes like this: When she's not sucking Facebook, Dobbs's daughter is into the elite sport of horse jumping, a pastime that's propped up on the backs of undocumented workers, according to a book cited by Olbermann. Using the transitive property, that means Lou Dobbs is responsible for the employment of the illegal aliens he so passionately rails against nightly. Also according to this logic, Lou Dobbs employs Kevin Bacon.
dobbs & goodman clash during fiery immigration debate
from paul joseph watson: CNN host Lou Dobbs, who has gained widespread notoriety for his scathing condemnation of the Bush administration's open border policy and the push for a North American Union, slammed Amy Goodman during an immigration debate on Democracy Now yesterday for implying that the Minutemen are responsible for killing illegal immigrants on the border. go here for the rest of the democracy now interview...
from raw story: CNN host Lou Dobbs faced a boisterous protest Monday at a book signing in San Diego, a local CBS affiliate reports.
Activists accused Dobbs of prejudice against immigrants because he supports the controversial Minuteman project, a militia-style group seeking to prevent illegal border crossings. "He is, without question, a racist," said one protestor at the San Diego campus of the University of California. "He is against the Hispanic people from everywhere, especially Mexico."
Dobbs took the protest in stride, telling a reporter, "I think it's great that the university supports the Constitutional right of assembly and free speech." Yet when asked about the accusations of racism, Dobbs "would not discuss the matter."
from you tube: North American Union traitors include Chertoff, Condi Rice, George W. Bush, Alberto Gonzalez, and others, like Robert Pastor and David Rockefeller.
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from zero hedge: In a blow to ongoing plans by Murdoch (and others) to capitalize on premium content, a new study from Forrester shows that 80% of consumers would not be willing to pay for online news content.
