ARTICLE 1
Trafficking class for men using prostitutes – August 13th, 2012 – 09:26 AM ET By Richard Roth and Patrick Feeeney
CNN – More than 25 men sit in an attorney’s office – each was arrested for prostitution-related offences and each is now trying to avoid jail.
But this is not a defense lawyer’s office. It’s the Brooklyn district attorney’s office and the road away from jail is a lesson in the risks of using prostitutes – Johns School.
Assistant District Attorney Grace Brainard tells them: “The crimes you were arrested for would lead to one penalty and one penalty only and that is jail time. And the next time you are arrested for prostitution, jail time will be the only offer on the table.”
The men were arrested for attempting to pay for sex from undercover policewomen posing as prostitutes on the streets of New York. Men who solicit prostitutes are so-called ‘johns’ and this gathering is known as Johns School.
It’s a program that teaches the dangers and penalties of prostitution and sex trafficking. It’s been going on for the past 10 years under the official name of Project Respect conducted by the Kings County (Brooklyn), NY District Attorney’s office.
Because of their clean record of no previous arrests, the men were given the opportunity to take the three-hour plus course – which cost them more than $300 – and avoid time behind bars. They could have had their day in court but risk of jail time was of great concern.
Rhonnie Jaus, the chief of the Sex Crimes Bureau, said the class attempts to sensitize and educate the men on the dangers of prostitution to both the John and the prostitute.
“You think you’re having sex with an adult, and it turns out it could be something quite different,” Jaus said, “It could be a trafficked child brought from China, brought from South America, so there are many different ramifications of this crime.”
Brainard emphasized that most girls enter prostitution between the ages of 11 and 14. “They were children when they entered this life,” she said.
The men also listened to a lecture from Rosetta Menifee, a former prostitute who had contracted HIV.
“Obviously the goal is not for them (the johns) to do it again,” Menifee said, “but the reality is a lot of them will, so the goal is really to talk about what the risks are so that the have the knowledge of it from different perspectives, and hopefully they’ll make better choices.”
Different speakers pointed out the different risks inherent with solicitation.
Grace Pabarue, a public health educator at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, highlighted sexually transmitted diseases in a photo slideshow.
Former NYPD Lieutenant Jeff Anderson said a prostitute could be a potential threat to a John. “Some of them are emotionally disturbed, some of them abuse drugs,” Anderson said. “Many prostitutes can defend themselves, many prostitutes have defended themselves.”
One of the johns who wanted only to be identified as ‘Skeeter,’ said the course showed him different perspectives about the women forced to work in prostitution.
“Some of them have drug habits, maybe some of them work for pimps,” Skeeter said. “I wouldn’t feel good knowing that I’m paying that money, and it’s going to further keep someone so they’re enslaved.”
Prosecutor Jaus said that the sessions also help develop sex trafficking cases and can encourage johns to help prostitutes escape their situation.
“We’ve had a few cases in which the John actually brought the prostitute, who told him about the fact that she was being trafficked, to the police station,” Jaus said.
“He didn’t go in with the young woman, but he dropped her off because she was crying and told him, “look, I’ve been trafficked.””
Brainard told the johns they should report any case of sex trafficking they witness, even if they were soliciting at the time.
“Taking that step to get law enforcement involved does not mean you have to report it yourself,” Brainard said. “In fact, you don’t even have to give your name.”
At the end of the session the johns are given an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal. If they avoid arrest over the following six months, the arrest is wiped off their record.
Despite Menifee’s fear that many will continue using prostitutes, Jaus said the course, which started in 2002, has seen a success rate of more than 90 percent. “Over the past 10 years, we’ve had over 3,000 attendees of the John School,” Jaus said.
“So we’ve only had 26 people rearrested in Brooklyn for patronizing, who have gone through the John school.”
None of the other boroughs of New York offer such an alternative.
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“Obviously the goal is not for them (the johns) to do it again,” . . .
Excuse me, what Johns do with consenting adults of either or indeterminate gender is their own business, and the sex workers who make their own choices as well. This article entirely ignores the issue of consensual prostitutes and nominally illegalizes (quasi moralist-fundo style) the act of buying or selling sexual companionship. Could someone from PONY or SWOP or a relevant advocacy group please communicate with CNN on this unwanted borderline demogoguery? Other than that, the article is well and good, especially the part where Johns should report trafficked women and even drop such victims off at the police station.
But CNN forgets the consensual and Red Light District workers who are there by choice, or even preference and even makes sex workers into potential psychos with all that ‘defending themselves‘ or ‘disturbed‘ or ‘potential threat‘ language. A John is going to have abit of relaxation then be off on their way, just like from caveman times, nothing new here, nothing to make laws around or be woo-woo about. Let feminazi, alpha john, LGBT or good family have their spaces, there will however by no spaces for ‘proselytize into oblivion’ fundo-idealogical types trying to destroy spaces for any specific group.
ARTICLE 2
Prostitution should be legalized in Malaysia – Friday, August 6, 2010
The Star of August 6, 2010 highlighted on its front page the case of a van driver in Petaling Jaya accused of raping two minors. Why didn’t he satisfy his lust in a cheap brothel in Kuala Lumpur’s red-light districts such as Lorong Haji Taib or Brickfields? Simply because there are no more cheap brothels left for him to patronize! (A van driver can’t afford a RM200 full-service package in a high-class spa, can he?). Depending on which side of the fence you are on, it’s either thanks or no thanks to the efforts of our police. However, it has been postulated that the non-availability of sex workers to men who can’t control their desires is a contributing factor to rape. (I prefer to refer to prostitutes as sex-workers because they perform a service).
According to a website (http://prostitution.procon.org), prostitution is legal in 50 countries, enjoys limited legality in 10 countries, and is illegal in 40 other countries. Every men worth his testosterone knows the nearest sex haven is across the Causeway in Singapore’s Geylang district. If a country that bans chewing gum can permit prostitution and legal brothel ownership, something must be good to it. Of course, I’m referring to voluntary prostitution by adults, not forced prostitution or trafficked women. Just compare the number of sex crimes in Singapore as a percentage of its population to the same statistic for Malaysia.
In fact, empirical evidence has established the correlation between the lack of brothels and high number of rape cases in the following studies:
–Kirby R. Cundiff, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Finance at Northeastern State University in his working paper entitled “Prostitution and Sex Crimes” submitted to Independent Institute on Apr. 8, 2004, wrote: “It is estimated that if prostitution were legalized in the United States, the rape rate would decrease by roughly 25% for a decrease of approximately 25,000 rapes per year…. The analysis seems to support the hypothesis that the rape rate could be lowered if prostitution was more readily available. This would be accomplished in most countries by its legalization.”
–R.N. Barber’s article entitled “Prostitution and Increasing Number of Convictions for Rape in Queensland” (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology. 1969 (vol. 2 issue 3) stated: “A study conducted in Queensland… show[ed] a 149% increase in the rate of rape when legal brothels were closed in 1959, while other offenses against the person by males increased only 49%.”
So, my point is that sex workers perform a role in society by allowing men and women to relieve themselves of sexual tension and desire. Without this biological urge, given by God, humans would have become extinct long ago. Therefore, prostitution should be legalized in Malaysia and strictly regulated, of course.
If Turkey, which has a 99% Muslim population, can legalize prostitution, why not our country? Also, according to the Coalition Against Traficking in Women, Indonesia, another Muslim-majority country, has “localised bordello complexes, or ‘localisasi’ managed under local government regulations”. (http://www.catwinternational.org)
Sex website http://longpenisworld.com stated: “Though prostitution is technically illegal in Indonesia, the government continues to run and operate the Kramat Tunggak, a red-light district in North Jakarta. The largest in the world, the district spans 28 acres, with more than 220 brothels populated by between 1,000 to 2,000 girls.”
Another point is that so much attention is focused on female prostitution that male sex-workers are often overlooked in terms of arrests. For instance, why are female sex-workers always targetted in anti-vice raids? Have we ever read news of gigolos being caught by our anti-vice police? Yes, but seldom. (Even so, our mainstream newspapers don’t bother to show pictures of the arrested male sex-workers but pictures of female sex workers are often splashed prominently in prime pages.)
The scores of male sex-workers in our gay massage parlours, spas and gyms are often left alone to enjoy their sodomy in bliss, not to mention the straight studs servicing ageing widows, divorcees, old spinsters and bored housewives with impotent husbands. (A Google search will hook up several Kuala Lumpur-based agencies offering male escorts).
Industry sources have told me stories of policemen posing as customers to visit brothels and nabbing female sex-workers. If the law is to be imposed across genders, shouldn’t policemen also pose as customers in gay massage parlours to nab male sex-workers? Maybe catching male prostitutes is not fun enough for our he-man cops?
Also, why aren’t our policewomen pretending to be customers of masseurs-cum-gigolos and arresting them when they offer sex?
Gender equality should also extend to the way sex-workers are handled by the police.
From – http://ewepaikleong.blogspot.com/ (couldn’t resist including this here Ewe, if you need this article removed as per your copyright notice please inform!)
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Definitely an alpha minded type writer, ladies look no further for an example of alpha minded MALE, (guys – here’s that role model missing from society or your henpecked home conditions), though does not look particularly alpha, (well maybe was much bigger/muscular/hairier when younger . . . ) all Ewe needs is to have a music production business on the side and to put on that shiny suit, give Dr. Detroit a run for the money . . . Ah the era of wine, women and song for non-Muslims in Malaysia can begin if alpha males finally legislate legalized RLDs or adult (film) industry . . . run for candidacy in the informal RLD districts in Malaysia, the syndicates would be glad to become legal and have access to legal workers with the adult patrons having access to legal workers as well as the sex workers possibly being able to demand a pension plan as well, instead of running around playing catch with the cops.
Ewe Paik Leong is a Kuala Lumpur-based writer and editor. He has held editorial positions in publications ranging in subjects from lifestyle, travel, business, building, healthcare and medical to motoring. Ewe is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, Diamond Bar, CA, USA. All articles are original and cannot be reproduced without his written permission.
ARTICLE 3
Lady Gaga rushed by fan, fires back at PETA over furs: Footage released – August 17, 2012 – by : Bryan Bard
Lady Gaga comes to Kim’s defense, tells PETA and the world she thinks she’s fabulous.
Lady Gaga is currently touring Romania, and the fur is flying. Yesterday the “Born this Way” diva issued a pointed response to the commotion over her suspected fur wearing. PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has lashed out at Gaga for appearing in public sporting what appear to be real animal furs. And amid all of this controversy came an aggressive fan who got an up close view of the business end of Lady Gaga’s body guard.
Celebrity-Gossip.net is reporting that upon arriving at her hotel in Bucharest yesterday and greeting fans, one overzealous photographer attempted to shoot up Gaga’s skirt. This was met with a swift response from her security team who seized the camera. Later as Lady Gaga was exiting, another commotion erupted when what appears to be an overanxious fan rushed the “Bad Romance” singer for an autograph and was met with a quick smack down by a bodyguard. Watch the video here as posted by Eonline to see it as it happened.
Lady Gaga bodyguard slaps down fan
Earlier in the week, PETA attacked Mother Monster and called her a “turncoat” for appearing in public with various furs, and demanded to know whether any were real. Typical of our Gaga, she released a statement defending her right to do and wear what she wants, as reported by The Hollywood Gossip. PETA claims Gaga has said in the past that she hates fur and doesn’t wear it. It’s unclear whether she’s referring to real fur or just fur in general. In either case, the 26 year-old artist is not backing down to pressure from the organization nor some of her angered fans.
Lady Gaga’s statement in part says, “I want you to know that I care deeply about your feelings and views, and I will always support your philosophies about life”. She continues, “I do not however support violent, abusive, and childish campaigns for ANY CAUSE. Particularly one that I respect. ‘Animal Rights’….I respect your views, please respect mine”. In between Gaga laments her other animal kingdom fashion-inspired outfits, never explicitly acknowledging whether any of it is authentic or not.
Gaga does make one particularly interesting direct reference to her infamous awards show meat dress. And it does seem odd to hold someone accountable for sporting an animal pelt when they’ve appeared in public wearing animal flesh. It would be an understatement to say that Gaga sees the artistic value in everything. Have you ever gotten past the outrageous costumes and listened to her songs? “You see a carcass, I see a museum piece de resistance”, she wrote.
Lady Gaga closed out her well thought out diatribe by addressing the recent flour bombing of Kim Kardashian by supposed PETA members. “And to campaigners, Save your flour to make bread for the children who are hungry. And Kim Kardashian is fabulous”, Gaga said.
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“I do not however support violent, abusive, and childish campaigns for ANY CAUSE.” said Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotti aka Lady Gaga.
Oh yeah? USA and the freedom of humanity by attempting to remove bad politicians or the TSA, if considered childish (moi prefers childlike in descripts of campaigns, and selfishness especially when one has so much, is most cynically adult) or abusive to campaign for, would only make this 1%ter part of the problem. The only way Evil can win is if Good does not act. So by not acting, guess what Evil any 1% entertainer is allowing to happen . . . by ignoring the starving, those needing policy change, stuck in prisons for non-crimes (that a governor could pardon or influence placement of pro-active judges who could overturn judgments by), needing younger politicians in power, when one has as much (though likely waning after this post) popularity and money as this that is put to no good end, one has already done violence by letting the abuse to the 99%ters occur without helping the 99% even as the 99% had bought tickets and albums etc.. to enable action by 1% plutocrat actors and musos. Is this childish?
Or will 1% plutocrat entertainers continue neglecting the fact that the 99% made them and now are suffering, need this 1% plutocrat to act for them now? Every ticket or album bought comes with a price and the spiritual debt is now upon those who due to the collective resources of so many can act but do not . . . despots like people who concur all the time, by saying this and thinking this way, 1% plutocrat entertainers will be now differentiate those who are followers or potential friends . . . shall the world divest from those who fail to return what was given rather than earned? A record or ticket does not sell itself and is not a one off thing either.
Field an ENTIRE ‘Freedom Party’ who will legalise pot and free all prisoners of pot related charges if TSA seems too much for ‘Gaga’ Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotti, set a precedent for action or set a precedent for plutocratic entertainer divestment . . . THAT would be ‘monster-worthy’. A 3rd Force political coalition instead of the hegelian dialectic. A monster would take on the creeps and retards running the government because monsters also hunger for power . . . prancing around naked with lights and props is NOT so monstrous as making a run for Governorship to implement REAL laws, abolish REAL laws or pardon non-crimes . . . oh and that ‘fan‘ who was ‘bashed’ by the guard . . . unless staged on purpose to create ‘drama’, this looks like an undue force amounting to Aggravated Assault case involving security at least, would ‘fan’ like to consult a lawyer if being hit in that manner was legal? How about something sexier where the fur wearing people get their furry clothes ripped off by fundos among PETA?
ARTICLE 4
Special Ops Group Attacks Obama Over Bin Laden Bragging, Leaks – Tuesday, 14 Aug 2012 10:02 PM
A group of former U.S. intelligence and Special Forces operatives is set to launch a media campaign, including TV ads, that scolds President Barack Obama for taking credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden and argues that high-level leaks are endangering American lives.
Leaders of the group, the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc, say it is nonpartisan and unconnected to any political party or presidential campaign. It is registered as a so-called social welfare group, which means its primary purpose is to further the common good and its political activities should be secondary.
In the past, military exploits have been turned against presidential candidates by outside groups, most famously the Swift Boat ads in 2004 that questioned Democratic nominee John Kerry’s Vietnam War service.
Urgent: Does Paul Ryan Really Help Defeat Obama? Vote in Exclusive Poll
The OPSEC group says it is not political and aims to save American lives. Its first public salvo is a 22-minute film that includes criticism of Obama and his administration. The film, to be released on Wednesday, was seen in advance by Reuters.
“Mr. President, you did not kill Osama bin Laden, America did. The work that the American military has done killed Osama bin Laden. You did not,” Ben Smith, identified as a Navy SEAL, says in the film.
“As a citizen, it is my civic duty to tell the president to stop leaking information to the enemy,” Smith continues. “It will get Americans killed.”
An Obama campaign official said: “No one in this group is in a position to speak with any authority on these issues and on what impact these leaks might have, and it’s clear they’ve resorted to making things up for purely political reasons.”
Obama has highlighted his foreign policy record on the campaign trail, emphasizing how he presided over the killing of bin Laden, as well as how he ended the war in Iraq and set a timeline for winding down the war in Afghanistan.
However, Obama has come under sharp attack from Republican lawmakers who have accused his administration of being behind high-level leaks of classified information.
They have pointed to media reports about clandestine drone attacks, informants planted in al Qaeda affiliates and alleged cyber-warfare against Iran that Republicans say were calculated to promote Obama’s image as a strong leader in an election year.
The White House has denied leaking classified information.
The president of Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc, Scott Taylor, is a former Navy SEAL who in 2010 ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for a congressional seat in Virginia.
Urgent: Does Paul Ryan Really Help Defeat Obama? Vote in Exclusive Poll
Calling itself “OPSEC” for short – which in spy jargon means “operational security” – the anti-leak group incorporated last June in Delaware, a state that has the most secretive corporate registration rules in the U.S.
It also set itself up as a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)4 of the U.S. Tax Code, allowing it to keep donors’ identities secret. Spokesmen for the group declined to discuss its sources of financing.
Several group representatives say their main motivation for setting up OPSEC was dismay at recent detailed media leaks about sensitive operations.
In an interview, Taylor denied OPSEC had any political slant. He described the group as a “watchdog organization” but added that the current administration “has certainly leaked more than others.”
OPSEC spokesmen said the group has about $1 million at its disposal and hopes to raise more after the release of its mini-documentary, entitled “Dishonorable Disclosures,” which aims, in spy-movie style, to document a recent spate of leaks regarding sensitive intelligence and military operations.
Following the film’s release, OPSEC’s spokesmen said, the group expects to produce TV spots on the anti-leak theme that will air in a number of states, including Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina and Nevada – key battleground states.
Fred Rustmann, a former undercover case officer for the CIA who is a spokesman for the group, insisted its focus on leaks was “not a partisan concern.” But he said the current administration had been leaking secrets “to help this guy get re-elected, at the expense of peoples’ lives…. We want to see that they don’t do this again.”
Chad Kolton, a former spokesman for the office of Director of National Intelligence during the George W. Bush administration who now represents OPSEC, also said the group’s message and make-up are nonpolitical.
“You’ll see throughout the film that concern about protecting the lives of intelligence and Special Forces officers takes precedence over partisanship,” he said.
Urgent: Does Paul Ryan Really Help Defeat Obama? Vote in Exclusive Poll
Responding to criticism about the president taking credit for the bin Laden raid, an Obama campaign official pointed to an interview with CNN last month in which Admiral Bill McRaven, commander of the raid, said: “At the end of the day, make no mistake about it, it was the president of the United States that shouldered the burden for this operation, that made the hard decisions, that was instrumental in the planning process, because I pitched every plan to him.”
“I think Admiral McRaven knows more about the President’s role in the bin Laden operation than this group,” the campaign official said.
© 2012 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.
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Thats is why term limits are needed. So that the office cannot be used to protect this sort of credit claiming. Would a black or latino female president or Ameri-Red-Indian male be suitable for USA in the next election? Would give a strong message to the militant Islamists that USA is not all WASP and that the citizens are not all colonial occupiers but victims of the same.
Joe Publics of the above 3 types of President selections with enough resources to at least launch internet campaigns, you ready to run for President? Romney is worth 250 million, Maria Carey is worth 225 million, how about running for Governor at least? Oprah is worth 2.7 billion 10 times that of Romney, Madonna is worth 500 million 2 times that if Romney, how about running for Governor at least if not President divas? Beyonce’s networth as of February 2010 is $461 million & Jay Z’s net worth as of January 2010 is $785million, Snoop Lion’s worth 110 million still enough to at least take a Congressman’s or Mayor’s seat if wealth is to be a yardstick of what one can do. On the wealth distribution, if at very least not unused LAND distribution for the homeless and jobless at least? If Arnold Schwarzeneggar (terminated California policy for 9 years, not so good), could take up politics, why is the latino or black entertainer so shy? USA needs a new governance paradigm or USA is going down . . . Hollywood included . . .
If these people are so proud of ethnicity or gender equality have the media infrastructure, want to prove themselves so much, then run for the above posts and GTFO of Congress after 2 terms! USA’s 99?% need these policies that the mainstream term limitless do not want to implement! All that is needed to evil to triumph is for good to do nothing . . .
ARTICLE 5
DeKalb woman killed in home by pet dog – Updated: 6:25 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012 | Posted: 5:17 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012 – DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. —
The DeKalb County medical examiner says a woman found dead in her home was killed by at least one of her five dogs.
Twenty-three-year-old Rebecca Carey spent her life rescuing animals, taking several into her home to keep them from ending up at animal control.
Carey’s best friend, Jackie Cira, went to Carey’s home when she did not show up for work on Sunday.
“There was a lot of blood,” Cira said. “And when first got there, it looked like she had fallen and hit her head.”
The DeKalb County medical examiner ruled Carey’s death was the result of dog bites.
Animal control took custody of the five dogs in the home – two pit bulls, two presas and a boxer mix.
Any dog that has bitten a person goes into a special isolation lockup at animal control.
Cira said she knows Carey’s dogs, and actually owned one of them, a therapy dog, at one time.
“Any dog she came into contact with, she brought out the best in,” Cira said.
Cira said she wanted the dogs she knew to be gentle to be spared punishment.
“I don’t know who did what, but I can say with certainty who did not,” Cira said.
Animal control’s interim director Tim Medlin told Channel 2’s Jeff Dore that the county can’t risk putting a killer dog with a family, and they have all been put down.
“We didn’t know which dog did which. I can’t be wrong. Not just myself, no one can be wrong in putting out a dog that possibly had to do with these type of injuries. I will not put another person at that kind of risk,” Medlin said.
Carey’s family declined to speak with Dore, but they issued the following statement:
“Rebecca Carey of Decatur was 23 years old and an avid animal lover. Since the second grade when she read the book Throw Away Pets she vowed to be a voice for all animals. She attended Georgia Perimeter College and worked at a veterinary clinic. Upon placing her first abandoned animal in a permanent loving home in 2003, she volunteered countless hours with rescue networks and animal shelters. There she did what she loved the most: rescuing animals from untenable situations to find them safe, loving homes.”
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Neurotech warning? For we know our pets well and fine excepting neurotech incursions . . . Don’t be afraid plutocrat entertainers, back up those attitudes with real action not entertainment industry slickness. Is Hollywood ‘in’ with the neurotech use? Guess who Carey is warning if this is even possible. Otherwise disregard this post. That would also confirm that some Hollywood types are just false personaes under the spotlight, but even worse than politicians IRL away from the spotlight. Perhaps this is why some of them are so wealthy and dismissive or neglectful of the 99% who buy their records/products etc. and make them so rich. As mentioned before – wealth distribution is needed (20 million limits?) not 1% domination EVEN by entertainer plutocrats. Making life entertaining is no excuse for sequestration of collective wealth of the nation when people starve or are homeless.
Any able to confirm the above deserve to be the intelligence community or watchdogs of the 99% . . . a really cool star would be cool with most of what is posted here, the ‘closet psycho’ NWO types entertainers for certain would pull something like the above. Don’t say I didn’t warn you AmeriCan’ts, not all ‘Stars’ may be as friendly or entertaining as they seem, and might have access to satellite neurotech if not trying to sequester organic energy exchanges naturally available to others, on the esoteric level there seems to be a spiritual war all around . . .
Article 4
Article 2
Lets hope some of these plutocrat entertainers actually act or debunk. USA is fighting a war that USA cannot fund, and when there are no monies for police because soldiers are protecting the USA, fully expect even entertainer plutocrats to be considered part of the problem. We only ask for those the 1% entertainer made so wealthy by buying their records or watching their films to give back by taking out the evil term limitless politicians and remembering to GTFO after 2 terms. After gaining the cash from the film goers, Arnold S. JOINED the 1% (just look at the policy written) . . . now will the rest of the 1% entertainers help the 99% who made the plutocrat (1% entertainer/muso funded by the people of the USA, also world) so wealthy?
ARTICLE 6
Philadelphia woman faces charges for feeding poor children – Published: 17 August, 2012, 20:40
A woman may be fined $600 for each day she provided free food to children in a poor Philadelphia neighborhood for the past few months.
Angela Prattis, 41, of Chester Township has been distributing free healthy lunches in a neighborhood that has a per capita income of $19,000 a year.
Prattis made no money from the meal distribution, and gave out food provided by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The “lunch lady” ran the charity out of her garage, to which about 60 children came, five days a week.
After the city council was alerted of the free lunches, it ruled that she would have to acquire a variance to give away food next summer – or pay a fine of $600 a day. The council considers Prattis’ deed a zoning violation. Three months of distributing food would instigate a fine of more than $50,000.
“It’s not like I’m selling food,” she objected.
“These kids are hungry. I’m not tearing down the community. I’m keeping the children out of harm’s way,” she said in a Fox News interview.
But a variance to distribute food would also be costly. Administrative fees for a variance would cost up to $1,000.
“You have houses here. The roofs are falling in, and they could be focused on a lot more serious issues than me feeding children,” Prattis said in response to the city council’s ruling.
The woman has three children of her own, takes care of a foster child and runs a neighborhood basketball program .
The township intitally threatened Prattis with fines for this summer’s food distribution, but withdrew them after news organizations began asking questions. Now, the township is allowing the woman to keep distributing food cost-free until August 24 – but next summer will be a lot more costly. Prattis told local news crews that she will continue helping her community.
“Tell me this program isn’t needed,” she said.
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Whats the back story behind this? Neurosuppressive drugs distributed by the Church into the food to control children? With enforcement taking the fall to keep the Church looking good?
ARTICLE 7
How America Can Slow Israel’s March to War – by DENNIS B. ROSS – Published: August 17, 2012 Washington
For Op-Ed, follow @nytopinion and to hear from the editorial page editor, Andrew Rosenthal, follow @andyrNYT.
OBAMA administration officials have made it clear that they believe there is still time and space for diplomatic efforts to succeed in stopping Iran from achieving a nuclear weapons capability. But Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, has said it is time to declare that “diplomacy has failed.”
While Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has not yet declared the failure of diplomacy, he has spoken about its inability to alter the course of Iran’s nuclear program. In addition, he has told his cabinet that the nuclear threat from Iran dwarfs all the other threats Israel faces and pointedly added, “Iran cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons.”
The words of Israeli leaders are signaling not just increasing impatience with the pace of diplomacy but also Israel’s growing readiness to act militarily on its own against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Although the United States and Israel share the same objective of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability, the two differ on the point at which it may become necessary to act militarily to forestall the Iranian nuclear advance. I say “forestall” because neither America nor Israel can fully destroy the Iranian capability to build a nuclear weapon. Each country could set Iran back militarily, but neither could destroy Iran’s skill or technical and engineering capacity to develop nuclear weapons. Since 2007, when Iran mastered the full nuclear fuel cycle and the means to enrich uranium on its own, it has been too late for that.
Their differences on the possible timing of military action are a function of both capabilities and perspective. The United States has significantly greater military might than Israel and therefore feels that it can wait substantially longer than Israel before resorting to force.
Israel is less patient. As Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has said, Iran is rapidly approaching the moment when the depth, breadth and hardening of its multiple nuclear facilities would produce a “zone of immunity” in which an Israeli military strike would lose its effectiveness. Mr. Barak believes that Israel must act before that moment.
But the issue for the United States is not only about military capacity. It is also about having a strategy for the aftermath of any strike on Iran. Because force could not destroy Iran’s nuclear capability, military action must be seen as a means and not an end. And it must be employed in a way that would contribute to the objective of setting back the Iranian nuclear program so that Iran is both less able and less willing to reconstitute it. At a minimum, that would require keeping Iran isolated and under severe economic sanctions after its nuclear facilities had been attacked.
Israel surely recognizes the importance of having a post-strike strategy that could succeed in keeping Iran isolated. But, perhaps because Israeli leaders find it difficult to surrender the military option while still facing what they perceive as an existential threat, they tend to believe that Tehran’s behavior will produce a unified international position against Iran, even after a military strike.
In the words of one senior Israeli official: “The sanctions regime may be hurt for a time, but afterward it will recover, as will the diplomatic pressure on Iran, as will the intelligence battle against Iran. This is because the basic interests of the international community regarding Iran will not change.”
The perspective of the Obama administration is different. From its standpoint, the isolation of Iran did not just happen on its own. It took considerable effort to persuade and mobilize the international community to impose crippling sanctions.
For the United States, this context matters. America thinks in terms of shaping an international environment so that if force becomes necessary it can be justified because diplomacy has been demonstrably exhausted and Iran, by stubbornly refusing to alter its nuclear program, will appear to have essentially brought war on itself. Preserving Iran’s isolation in the event of a military strike will require denying Iran the ability to present itself as the victim.
In other words, before a military strike, it is essential to demonstrate that Iran was not prepared to accept a civil nuclear power capability with the kind of limitations that would prevent it from being able to produce nuclear weapons on short notice.
Israeli leaders wouldn’t dispute the desirability of showing that diplomacy — and the use of crippling sanctions — had failed to change Iran’s behavior. But Israelis clearly fear that their clock will run out on them and that Israel, in the words of that senior official, “will no longer be a player at that point.”
The key questions for policy makers in Washington today are whether there is a way to extend the clock from an Israeli standpoint and whether it is possible to synchronize the American and Israeli clocks so that we really can exhaust diplomacy and sanctions before resorting to force. Four actions by the United States could make this possible.
First, the United States must put an endgame proposal on the table that would allow Iran to have civil nuclear power but with restrictions that would preclude it from having a breakout nuclear capability — the ability to weaponize its nuclear program rapidly at a time of Tehran’s choosing. Making such a proposal would clarify whether a genuine deal was possible and would convey to Israel that the American approach to negotiations was not open-ended.
Second, America should begin discussions with the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany (the so called P5+1) about a “day after” strategy in the event that diplomacy fails and force is used. This would signal to both Israel and Iran that we mean what we say about all options being on the table.
Third, senior American officials should ask Israeli leaders if there are military capabilities we could provide them with — like additional bunker-busting bombs, tankers for refueling aircraft and targeting information — that would extend the clock for them.
And finally, the White House should ask Mr. Netanyahu what sort of support he would need from the United States if he chose to use force — for example, resupply of weapons, munitions, spare parts, military and diplomatic backing, and help in terms of dealing with unexpected contingencies. The United States should be prepared to make firm commitments in all these areas now in return for Israel’s agreement to postpone any attack until next year — a delay that could be used to exhaust diplomatic options and lay the groundwork for military action if diplomacy failed.
Although some may argue that these actions will make a military strike more likely next year, they are almost certainly needed now in order to give Israel’s leaders a reason to wait.
Dennis B. Ross, a former State Department and National Security Council official, was a special assistant to President Obama for the Middle East and South Asia from 2009 to 2011. He is now a counselor at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
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Israel is less patient but only has a M.A.D. capacity without conventional or sufficient troops to control anything more than a large city at most. Without USA in full force, which will at this point indebt USA into insolvency unless fiat is going to be dropped after the war, there is no way Iran can be taken out AND controlled. Look at Iraq and the USA’s failure to ‘control’ the region. Or even supposedly low tech Afghanistan and Pakistan. USA should turn Iraq into a Japan with a permanent troop presence THEN consider Iran, otherwise no go. If Iran is twice as problematic as Iraq having twice as many citizens, even with USA and Israel in permanent occupation, and likely USA facing retaliatory bullying and even attempts at control by Russia (for the loss of the Soviet Union), Israel will either have to conduct a spiritually damning several decades long pogrom of Iranian citizens (that the USA had no capacity nor stomach nor ability to face the world later for) that would galvanise the entire Middle East region into WW3 and endless terror attacks everywhere . . . the MAD scenario solution is not capacity for combat or capacity for victory, and Iran will most certainly have nuclear weapons even as Pakistan does, yet does not destroy India (and Pakistan also) simply because of the fallout. There are many ways to win a war, and hearts and minds wise Iran is still somewhat crushed and hated, but take the war and occupation method, and Israel signs a death warrant. No country can stop a nation with the size and population of Iran from gaining nukes, Israel must conduct other types of warfare.
If Iran uses the direct conventional method even without Nukes, and Israel lacking manpower will be no more. If USA managed to CONTROL Iraq as colony without issue, PERHAPS, but if USA is unable to pull that off, that means conventional is off the table when 25% of Iran’s population does a ‘Zerg-rush’ on Israel. M.A.D. of course is a world irradiating non-solution that is not victory. Israeli citizens opposing are showing wisdom.
Perhaps Israel can cause insurgencies and rebellions but not use M.A.D. or occupations. Perhaps direct an asteroid at Iran from space at most. False flag an alien invasion with extreme conventional tech. Mind control satellites? 75 million nanomites with cyanide injectibles could work but that would be too obvious but would be as impressive though not as dramatic as air craft carriers in 1940s, and spiritually damning as hell. The future of war looks set to be nanoscale at least until nanoscale cleaners are employable. Doubtless the ‘grey goo’ scenario could create another MAD scenario as well. How about for now those who cannot get along just build a very big wall and not trade or communicate? Much easier and less problematic. Any power which needs to use nukes has already admitted defeat, and will also irradiate the world in the process. Real war needs conventional troops and ability to occupy. Israel has neither and USA should consolidate control in Iraq instead of starting a war with Iran which looks several times tougher than Iraq.
ARTICLE 8
Israelis oppose war with Iran despite govt’s hawkish stance – Published: 17 August, 2012, 19:08
Left-wing Israelis protest in Tel Aviv on August 16, 2012, against Israel mounting a military strike on Iran. (AFP Photo/Menahem Kahana)
Tel Aviv’s bellicose stance against Iran’s nuclear program has sparked a pushback in Israeli society against politicians’ ambitions to strike Iran, with many demanding a peaceful resolution to tensions.
More than 400 Israelis, including prominent academics, have signed an online petition appealing to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pilots not to obey hypothetical orders to bomb Iran.
The petition was initiated by Vardit Shalfi, a left-wing activist and editor of online magazine The Occupation, who said that there are many public campaigns against a war with Iran, but “none of them appealed to the executive level, the pilots.” The document calls a possible military strike on Iran a “highly mistaken gamble” that would come “at an exorbitant price,” and would not halt Iran’s nuclear program.
“You have the option of saying ‘No,’” the petition addressed to the pilots reads, according to Haaretz. “Certainly, this is not a simple option. It involves profound professional and moral dilemmas, and carries the risk of losing a career which is important to you and also the possibility of being prosecuted. Nevertheless, it is your duty to consider most carefully and seriously the possibility that by saying the little word ‘No,’ you will be rendering an important and vital service to the State of Israel and all who live here. This service would be infinitely more important than blind obedience to this particular order.”
The petition also warns of legal responsibility for the potential consequence of strikes against atomic facilities: “Israel as a country, as well as those carrying out the bombing might be charged with war crimes.”
Law professor Chaim Gans of Tel Aviv University argues that such military action would be illegal, and that “it is clear that the consequences of such a war would be destructive in every possible way.”
Some say that the strike could be legal, but still cause serious blowback. “There is no legal problem with striking Iran,” petitioner and Tel Aviv University law professor Menachem Mautner said, but he warned of the possibility of “very serious and far-reaching consequences” for Israel if it attacks Iran without US backing.
Similar petitions have also been circulated among Israeli society. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel has sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak outlining their fears about the consequences of a potential attack: “We will be the ones you will seek out to heal and put together what you have broken. We call on you: Don’t break. First do no harm,” Iranian Press TV reported the letter as saying.
Israel readying for war
Israel seems to be preparing for possible military action. A nationwide missile alert system has been tested this week, and gas mask distribution centers have been created across the country. Contractors have also been hired to fortify hospitals, schools and shelters, the AP reported.
Tel Aviv has engaged in long-running diplomatic appeals to halt or slow Iran’s nuclear program. They insist that Tehran is working to develop nuclear weapons, while the Iranian government claims their program is for civilian purposes.
Tel Aviv has repeatedly warned in the past few months that the window of opportunity for military action is narrowing, claiming that economic sanctions are incapable of stopping Tehran from acquiring the alleged nuclear weapons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have implied that an Israeli military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be launched in the fall, before the US presidential election in November.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main goal in this crisis is delaying Tehran’s nuclear program by a few years, even if Israel cannot entirely halt Iran’s nuclear program, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a speech today to the Israeli Parliament that taking action against Iran was “not simple, without risks or unintended consequences … I believe that it is inestimably more complicated, inestimably more dangerous, inestimably more complex, and inestimably more expensive in terms of human life and resources to deal with a nuclear Iran in the future.”
On Sunday, an anonymous senior Israeli politician (believed by the media to be Ehud Barak) said that Israel had already decided to act alone, the National Post reported. “We can’t wait to find out one morning that we relied on the Americans but were fooled because the Americans didn’t act. Israel is strong and Israel is responsible, and will do what it has to do,” the official said.
Tel Aviv has openly stated that it is prepared to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities.
A history of pre-emptive action
IDF forces carried out similar missions in 1981 and 2007, when they attacked unfinished nuclear reactors in Iraq and Syria.
Israeli President Shimon Peres challenged the prospect of a unilateral, pre-emptive Israeli strike in a televised address, saying that “Now, it’s clear to us that we can’t do it alone. We can delay. It’s clear to us we have to proceed together with America. There are questions about coordination and timing, but as serious as the danger is, this time at least we are not alone.”
Other prominent Israeli politicians also oppose Israel making unilateral strikes. Recently-resigned Kadima leader Tzipi Livni announced in May that Netanyahu is threatening the existence of the Jewish state with its hawkish stance against Iran.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also spoke out against the bellicose rhetoric, saying that “There is no reason at this time not to talk about a military effort, but definitely not to initiate an Israeli military strike.”
Washington has warned Israel on numerous occasions against premature action, insisting that time needs to be allowed for diplomacy and sanctions against Tehran to work. On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that military action against Tehran should be a “last resort.”
Panetta made some of his strongest comments yet on curbing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions during a visit to Jerusalem earlier this month: “We will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. Period,” he told reporters.
Only 22 percent of Israelis believe Panetta’s statement, according to an August 8 poll by the Dahaf Institute.
The survey also showed that a majority of Israelis believe that a nuclear Iran would pose a threat to Israel, and most say that Israel needs US assistance to stop Tehran’s nuclear program. Some 61 percent of Israelis believe Iran should not be attacked without consent from the US.
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Israel’s barely 8 million of which for certain only 30% or less (children or elderly, non-combat civilians etc..) which are combat ready cannot take on Iran without the USA. If Iran is willing to suffer the pain, Iran could well overrun Israel before the USA gets there. Then the world will have less one aware bulwark against militant Islamists without Israel. If Iran strikes with nukes, Iran will also suffer radioactive fallout. Same with Israel using nukes. The Middles East loses out either way. Israel really should leave Lebanon alone meanwhile and help USA consolidate Iraq.
ARTICLE 9
Romney campaign doesn’t bite on Obama tax return offer – Published August 17, 2012 – FoxNews.com
“Thanks for the note” — but no thanks.
That was the response Friday from the Romney team after Obama’s campaign manager tried once again to wrench more tax documents from the Republican president candidate, this time by offering to refrain from criticizing Mitt Romney’s transparency if he agrees to release five more years of returns.
Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades wrote a brief email to Obama campaign manager Jim Messina dismissing the offer.
“Thanks for the note. It is clear that President Obama wants nothing more than to talk about Governor Romney’s tax returns instead of the issues that matter to voters, like putting Americans back to work, fixing the economy and reining in spending,” he wrote. “If Governor Romney’s tax returns are the core message of your campaign, there will be ample time for President Obama to discuss them over the next 81 days.”
The Obama campaign offer came after Romney said a day earlier that he’s “never paid less than 13 percent” in taxes over the last 10 years.
Messina, pressing Romney once again for documentation, wrote that he wanted to offer “assurances” to allay Romney’s concerns that releasing additional tax returns would just feed the Democrats’ appetite for more.
“So I am prepared to provide assurances on just that point: if the Governor will release five years of returns, I commit in turn that we will not criticize him for not releasing more — neither in ads nor in other public communications or commentary for the rest of the campaign,” Messina wrote.
Messina, notably, did not offer to refrain from criticizing the contents of whatever documents Romney might furnish.
And that’s the kind of criticism Romney has expressed concern about. Speaking on NBC’s “Rock Center,” wife Ann Romney voiced the same reservations. She said, before Messina’s letter was sent out, that releasing more returns would give Democrats more ammunition, and claimed the campaign would not be releasing more.
Mitt Romney tried to clear the air on Thursday over the issue, offering his most expansive answer yet on the topic while speaking to reporters outside a South Carolina airport.
“I did go back and look at my taxes,” Romney said. “And over the past 10 years, I never paid less than 13 percent. I think the most recent year is 13.6 (percent) or something like that.”
Democrats — most notably Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — have hounded him for months over the issue. Reid went so far as to claim on the Senate floor, without offering proof beyond an unnamed source, that Romney hadn’t paid taxes for 10 years, and then challenged Romney to prove him wrong.
Romney says the claim is “totally false.” But Reid and the Obama campaign dug in on their position that it’s Romney’s obligation to prove he paid those taxes — rather than their obligation to prove their charges are true.
Messina wrote in his letter that Romney would “only” have to release three more sets of returns — on top of the 2010 and 2011 returns.
“This request for the release of five years, covering the complete returns for 2007-2012, is surely not unreasonable. Other Presidential candidates have released more, including the Governor’s father who provided 12 years of returns,” he wrote, adding that the campaign is looking for answers on “the range in the effective rates paid, the foreign accounts maintained, the foreign investments made, and the types of tax shelters used.”
He closed: “And, I repeat, the Governor and his campaign can expect in return that we will refrain from questioning whether he has released enough or pressing for more.”
[[[ *** RESPONSE *** ]]]
Why so shifty? If Romney has nothing to hide, releasing tax forms should not be an issue. How can the voters trust a president who cannot even declare tax forms taxes or even assets? Probably there will be details on the tax forms that will confirm CORRUPTION.
ARTICLE 10
Cannonballs, Grenades and Eels Confiscated This Year at Airport Security – LiveScience.comBy Life’s Little Mysteries Staff | LiveScience.com – Wed, Aug 15, 2012
While some people think to pack their toiletries in their checked baggage before heading to the airport just in case TSA counts toothpaste as a forbidden fluid, others are busy cramming spear guns, cannonballs, grenade launchers, venomous snakes and eels into their carry-ons.
According to a year-to-date report issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), all those things and more have been confiscated so far this year at airport security checkpoints across the country. Some travelers “bring some rather shocking items with them to the airport,” the agency stated in the Aug. 14 report.
[Related: Moscow-bound flight makes unscheduled landing after threat]
While screening more than 375 million people since the start of 2012, TSA agents have found 821 firearms, or an average of four guns per day nationwide. Of the total, 691 guns were loaded. One person attempted to get a gun past security by disassembling it and hiding the pieces in separate stuffed animals, while other travelers tried to hide their pistols in a pot plant and a hollowed-out book. [Are We Safer Today than on 9/11?]
“If the number of firearms we’ve discovered so far this year didn’t shock you, these examples might: a live 40mm high explosive grenade; a bottle wrapped in black electrical tape and filled with flash powder, and three M-80 fireworks; a black powder flask filled with 5oz. of black powder; even an explosively-viable cannonball; and last but not least, a live blasting cap,” TSA wrote.
[Related: Weapons found in two bags at Connecticut airport]
Along with the deadly weapons, agents have also found a lot of other stuff that’s dangerous but also just plain weird. Confiscated items include bear mace in a sock, eels, dead venomous snakes, a grenade launcher and even a gassed-up chainsaw.
[[[ *** RESPONSE *** ]]]
Confiscation is as bad as stealing because many items are quite valuable or worth too much to let anyone take them away presumably to profit from. Amend those laws! Don’t they have a weapons locker (which cannot be accessed during flight for obvious reasons) for the weapons, or an accessible pet-cargo area (Eels if for pets . . . ), or a refrigerated storage area (Eels if for food . . . ) for all of the above? Only those who smuggle or try to sneak past could be fined no more than 1% of the value of the item at most. Cannonballs unless by some astral or ethereal or quantum issue that interacts in a negative manner with the equipment, are a non-issue, being harmless even compared to handphones which can have signals that interfere with equipment.
ARTICLE 11
Ryan takes on Obama campaign over Biden ‘chains’ remark – Published August 16, 2012 FoxNews.com
Paul Ryan is taking on the Obama campaign directly over Vice President Biden’s “back in chains” comment, calling them the mark of a “desperate” campaign as President Obama defends his running mate against bipartisan criticism.
In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News Radio, Ryan kept up the new tough tone that Mitt Romney set earlier in the week.
“You know, these are the kinds of things you say when you’re desperate in a campaign,” Ryan said of Biden’s comments. “I think you’re going to hear more of these things as we go on because they have a terrible record and can’t run on it so they’re going to kind of sink this campaign to these low levels to distract people.
“To try and you know, stoke the emotions of fear and envy, and it’s just not going to work. People are going to see through this. We’ve gone from hope and change to anger and division and blame and attack and I think people are going to see through this,” he said.
Ryan’s remarks echoed aggressive comments by Romney on the stump Tuesday evening.
The president, though, is standing by his No. 2.
He also brushed off Sarah Palin’s recent suggestion on Fox News that he drop Biden from the ticket in favor of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee and a Fox News contributor, had said Biden’s comments are the latest example of how he “really drags down that ticket.”
Obama, in an interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” downplayed Palin’s comments.
“We don’t spend a lot of time worrying about the chatter and the noise and this and that,” he said. “The country isn’t as divided with gaffes or some stray remark as Washington is. Most folks know that’s just sort of a WWF wrestling part of politics. It doesn’t mean anything, just fills up a lot of air time.”
He also said in an interview with People magazine that Biden’s remarks meant consumers would be worse off if Republicans succeeded in doing away with new restraints on financial institutions.
“In no sense was he trying to connote something other than that,” Obama said.
Biden made the comments Tuesday in Danville, Va., while saying that Republicans want to deregulate financial institutions — or, as Biden put it, to “unchain Wall Street.”
Hundreds of black people were in the audience when Biden added, “They’re going to put y’all back in chains.”
In Iowa for a bus tour, Obama said the reaction to Biden’s remarks was a function of politics, but he did not blame his vice president.
“The truth is that during the course of these campaigns, folks like to get obsessed with how something was phrased even if everybody personally understands that’s not how it was meant,” Obama told People. “That’s sort of the nature of modern campaigns and modern coverage of campaigns. But I tell you, when I’m traveling around Iowa, that’s not what’s on people’s minds.”
A prominent Democrat, though, spoke out against Biden’s comments Wednesday. The nation’s first elected black governor, Doug Wilder of Virginia, claimed the comments brought race into the presidential contest.
Romney alluded to Biden’s comment Tuesday evening in delivering a tough critique of the Obama campaign.
“His campaign and his surrogates have made wild and reckless accusations that disgrace the office of the presidency,” Romney told a crowd of thousands at the final stop on his five-state bus tour. “Another outrageous charge came a few hours ago in Virginia. And the White House sinks a little bit lower. This is what an angry and desperate presidency looks like.”
He continued: “So, Mr. President, take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago.”
Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt responded that Romney “seemed unhinged” during the campaign speech.
“Particularly strange coming at a time when he’s pouring tens of millions of dollars into negative ads that are demonstrably false,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
[[[ *** RESPONSE *** ]]]
Romney has ALL the ethos, components of alpha and cool with an enviable circa 1800s (though somewhat fundo tainted) background lineage to boot, BUT Romney should not be in politics because the policy proposed by Romney kills the 99%. A pillar of society does not mean an ability to ensure good policy writing or an ability to be President. If USA is going to war WITH fat funding in the background, this is the heartless privileged guy who lived well and knew success all his life we all want to be (but obviously cannot . . . USA is overpopulated to disallow this sort of privileged type as the norm, maybe if USA was a population of 3 millions then yes . . . ) to vote for. But right now USA is in shambles economically and Romney can’t be voted now as the 99% and middle class would be wiped out resulting in a failed state. Romney is a SUPERIOR COMPONENT of the USA ‘machine’ (much like ROM chips), but cannot the the CPU.
Only someone bridging the disparate groups and not be so enmired in one group like business to be blind to the middle class and 99%, can do the President’s job. The 1% favouring policy proposed by Romney confirms this. Paul Ryan is the ideological weasel form of Dune’s Attreides hero (even looks abit like the guy, though ‘weaslier’) that may be suitable AGAIN to hammer USA’s enemies with INTERNALLY – BUT USA has not cleared up the mess in the Middle East yet. We might say that Romney is a man before his time . . . perhaps 20 years later when USA has a full wallet AGAIN (not just Romney and the 1% having that full wallet but everyone 99% else) could Romney run, the entire background conditions of the day for Romney’s success in this election look entirely wrong. Unless Romney and the 1% above 50 million all pitch in 70% of their wealth to cancel USA’s debt?
As the system runs now the 99% still are playing with fiat, should the ‘remove fiat’ suggestion be implemented or the fact that ‘there is no such thing as money’ reaches the 99%’s understanding, Romney and 1%’s opportunity for action will be closed forever any ‘electronic wealth’ they hold would be rendered useless, this could happen as soon as after this election if in a majority of congressional seats, Joe Public types come forward to stand and be elected by the 99%. Term limitless oligarchs who have gotten wealthy from corporate raiding like Romney and most of the 1% cannot be allowed to dominate US politics, so what will the 1% do? If the fiat system is to survive, ‘something drastic’ needs to be done, and that means plutocrat 1% types including Romney have to share their wealth with the 99% by cancelling USA’s debt . . .
Spirituality is not material wealth and cannot be shared in the same manner, what one accrues via spirit is not the same as material wealth, but that is for another article to cover . . . vote Joe Public or be Joe Public voters only!
ARTICLE 12
Prostitute provided for paedophile ‘more than once’ – VANITA PRASAD – Last updated 12:57 21/08/2012
An Auckland man who recorded a probation officer talking about supplying a paedophile with a prostitute dressed like a child says he has no doubt the incident actually happened – and likely more than once. Corrections have launched an investigation into the allegations, saying its first step will be to establish whether the recording was legitimate. A Corrections spokeswoman said the department would complete a review of the officer’s caseload to establish if he had worked with sex offenders, and who and what the statements referred to.
It said it was yet to verify if there was a specific sex offender in question. The investigation was likely to take around two weeks. The probation officer has been suspended while the department investigates. On the recording the officer talks about organising a prostitute for another offender as part of a ”safety plan” to control the offender’s risk. The West Auckland resident, who was also being managed by the man, said he recorded the meeting because he did not like some of the probation officer’s comments. He also took either his mother or father along to the meetings as a support person, because he didn’t want to be alone with the officer.
“It was disgusting. He was definitely talking about a specific sex offender, saying ‘I had this plan and this is what we did’.” On the recording the officer talks about the difficulty of managing people on home detention for ”pretty sick crimes” who ”still have a need for, for instance, child sex”. Referring to one case he says: ”I’m not able to supply them with child sex but we’ve worked out a plan where, hey, we’ll go out to get a prostitute who comes to the house and she dresses up as a child.”
The officer says it hasn’t stopped the offender’s urges but stopped him having to ”grab someone off the street”.
He then says: “It’s difficult talking about a chap who sits there in the lounge [and] gets sexually excited when the girls walk past going to school.
”That’s what we’ve had to do, and because of that help they’re kinda safe.”
The officer goes on to say the safety plan allows the child sex offender to integrate into the community.
”Instead of snatching someone or lurking in the bushes or progressing into something that could possibly put him into trouble he knows, he rings, happy fun times and she comes over, dresses up, does her bit and the pressure’s gone. He’s OK.”
There are 39 offenders in West Auckland who are managed by community probation services for sexual offences.
Corrections Department acting regional manager Alastair Riach earlier said the department did not provide or pay for the provision of prostitutes to any offenders.
”We aim to keep the public safe by working with offenders to change their behaviour associated with their risk of reoffending, and to develop a lifestyle that helps them to maintain these changes.”
Follow @AucklandNowNZ
[[[ *** RESPONSE *** ]]]
Exactly as envisioned. This is how society should deal with such proclivities. Put enough people in the right context and same place, and this becomes a rather dull subculture for those not interested. Civilisation means being able to do this. Being fundo means honor killings on either side, bloody tribal feuds or for Capitalists, psychiatric establishment drug sales or asylums (in the worst places of the fundo world also ‘Religious Correction Centres’), higly profiteering jail terms and jail contractors for so called crimes like smoking pot or being LGBT. Seems like the world needs to look at New Zealand for pointers on how to do this.
Very sex positive and instead of criminals, we get another facet of adult industry with taxpaying consumers. In the Universe of course, stranger things have happened than a supposed pimp dressing up a consensual and aware woman willling to ensure paedophiles keep their preferences in proper context. So who needs to chemically castrate or imprison or even persecute . . . so first, set up the socio-psychological infrastructure in the form of fetish clubs catering to whatever in adult districts. That as we all know is impossible for FUNDO societies and also Uncontrolled/Unlimited Capitalist societies . . . http://civilliberty.about.com/od/gendersexuality/tp/History-of-Prostitution.htm
ARTICLE 13
Pussy Riot to grace Playboy? – Published: 15 August, 2012, 13:50
Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikovas (RIA Novosti / Andrey Stenin)
Ukraine’s edition of Playboy is considering having one of the arrested Pussy Riot punk band members star on the magazine’s cover.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, the youngest of the three girls awaiting a verdict in the Pussy Riot trial may appear on the cover, if the Moscow court sets the girls free.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alehina, 24, and Ekaterina Samutsevich, 29, are charged with hooliganism after the band rushed into Russia’s main church and performed what is described as a “punk prayer” calling on Mother Mary to drive Putin away. The prosecutors want the girls jailed for three years. The verdict will be delivered on Friday August 17.
The magazine’s editor-in-chief, Vlad Ivanenko told Izvestia daily that Playboy had already contacted Tolokonnikova’s representatives with the offer to arrange a photo shoot. Talks are currently suspended awaiting the court decision.
“Our magazine readers are active social networks users, where Pussy Riot girls have become the main trend over the past months,” Ivanenko said. “We see Nadezhda Tolokonnikova as an art-activist and believe that our readers will be enthused with her appearance on the cover,” he said adding that his deputy “dreams of marrying Nadezhda.”
Tolokonnikova is not new to getting undressed for public. In 2008 she and her husband Pyotr Verzilov were involved in an event including group sex filmed in Moscow’s Museum of Biology. Tolokonnikova was 18 and nine months pregnant. The footage was later posted on the Internet.
Pussy Riot has gained massive global support. Friday will see rallies for the feminist punk band members in at least two dozen cities around the world. Simultaneous demos will be held an hour before a Russian court gives its decision.
Many celebrities, such as Bjork, Madonna, The Red Hot Chilly Peppers, Terry Gilliam, Yoko Ono, and members of The Who and The Pet Shop Boys have spoken out for the girls.
The three girls on trial have already spent over five months in prison.
[[[ *** RESPONSE *** ]]]
Only porn could defuse b.s. like this. Without porn, where would civilisation be?
ARTICLE 14
Part-time Britain: Record EIGHT MILLION people working fewer than 25 hours a week amid struggle to find full-time jobs – By Martin Robinson – PUBLISHED: 10:39 GMT, 15 August 2012 | UPDATED: 14:15 GMT, 15 August 2012
1.4 million part-time workers say they are doing it because they simply can’t get full-time work
Some can’t afford to retire so work a few days a week
Overall unemployment is down 46,000 to 2.56 million in the last three months
Many more jobs in London because of Olympics, so unemployment could rise again after summer
Record numbers of Britons are working part-time after those struggling to find full-time positions pushed the figure above the eight-million mark for the first time.
Official figures show that 8.07 million people toil for fewer than 25 hours a week – the highest figure since records began in 1992.
One in seven of them would like to work longer but can’t find the job, while others only remain in part-time employment because they can’t afford to retire.
The grim figures came amid warnings that the so-called ‘Olympic effect’ – which has helped overall unemployment fall in recent months – will end after the summer.
Union bosses said the booming numbers of part-time workers only reflected soaring levels ‘despair and waste of human talent’ and they called for George Osborne to be axed as Chancellor.
Boost: Many people are taking part time jobs in supermarkets, shops and offices because they cannot get full time work
However, the Government has trumpetted the fact that overall unemployment has fallen to its lowest level for a year after a big jump in the number of people in work.
The jobless total fell by 46,000 in the quarter to June to 2.56 million, an unemployment rate of 8 per cent, according to the office for national statistics.
The number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance last month was 1.59 million, down by 5,900 on June.
Most of the quarterly fall in unemployment was recorded in London, suggesting a big jobs boost from the Olympic Games that could go the other way after the summer ends.
Bosses hire hard-working foreigners because British youth are ‘lazy’, employers’ group warns
Experts are questioning how much the unemployment figures can ‘defy gravity’ at a time when the economy as a whole is contracting.
‘While this is undoubtedly good news, the latest labour markets statistics do raise questions about why they seem so out of kilter with other recent economic data.
‘It is therefore not clear whether these data herald better economic news to come and whether the Olympics can offer a lasting economic legacy.’
London jobs boost: Unemployment has fallen to its lowest level for a year, an improvement thought to be down to the Olympics
London jobs boost: Unemployment has fallen to its lowest level for a year, an improvement thought to be down to the Olympics
The number of people in work increased by 201,000 to almost 30 million, the highest since last summer, with half of the rise coming in London.
Average earnings increased by 1.6 per cent in the year to June, up by 0.1 per cent on the previous month.
Youth unemployment – for those between 16 and 25 – remains at just over one million despite figures showing a drop of 4,000.
Union leaders warned that Britain faces an unemployment rise once the Olympic effect has worn off and urged the Government to reverse its cuts plans.
Paul Kenny, leader of the GMB union, said: ‘These figures show the level of despair and waste of human talent in an economy going through this double-dip recession five years on from the credit crunch of 2007.
‘David Cameron and Nick Clegg should now conclude that George Osborne is simply not up to the job of steering our economy and he should be moved to make way for a change of direction as he has proved beyond doubt that it is not possible to deflate your way to growth.’
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said: ‘This small fall is welcome, but there will be no lasting Olympics legacy in the jobs market.
‘The end of thousands of temporary jobs will see unemployment climbing after the summer.
‘Students waiting for A-level results this week face a bleak jobs future. They are set to join the dole queues in high numbers as the hike in tuition fees has priced many thousands of young people out of their dream of going to university or into further education.
‘The Tories need to inspire a generation by rebuilding our economy and safeguarding the future.
Jobless rate: Two year figures reveal a recent drop to 8 per cent unemployment
‘This must include targeted help for young people, as a part of a wider programme of Government-led job creation. The continued austerity agenda is condemning our economy to the slow lane.’
But Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith suggested that the overall trend in the jobless figures was positive and insisted that the Coalition’s policies were helping to deliver future growth.
He said: ‘These are positive and encouraging figures demonstrating the strength of our private sector – notwithstanding the difficult economic times it is still creating jobs, the vast majority of which are full time. Unemployment is falling and the claimant count is down.’
Unemployment has fallen for five consecutive quarters, while the so-called claimant count was down for the first time since April.
But there was an increase of 1,600 in the number of women claiming jobseeker’s allowance to 530,000, compared with a 7,500 fall among men, to just over a million.
The number of people classed as economically inactive, including those looking after a sick relative, on early retirement, or who have given up looking for work, fell by 117,000 to 9.1 million, just over 22 per cent of the working age population.
Jobs trends: Unemployment and the claimant count over the past two years
Jobs trends: Unemployment and the claimant count over the past two years to the end of June
Around 150,000 people were made redundant in the three months to June, down by 21,000 from the quarter to March and 4,000 lower than a year ago.
Sectors showing the biggest increase in jobs in recent months included wholesale, retail and motor vehicle repairs.
There were 472,000 vacancies across the country in the quarter to July, up by 10,000 on the three months to April, and 16,000 more than a year ago.
But not everyone criticised the Government.
Howard Archer, chief economist at IHS Global Insight, said: ‘The labour market continues to defy gravity and is performing remarkably well given the extended weakness of the economy.
‘It is very hard to reconcile employment growth of 201,000 in the three months to June, with GDP contraction of 0.7% quarter on quarter in the second quarter, especially as this was a third successive quarter of decline.
‘The implication is that either the economy is doing appreciably better than the national accounts data show, the labour market is doing significantly worse than the hard data show, or productivity has genuinely weakened sharply. The jury is currently very much out as to what the actual answer is but it could very well be a combination of all three.’
[[[ *** RESPONSE *** ]]]
In objective reality rather than socialised insanity’s outgrowth from civilisation, there were NEVER any such things as jobs or educational institutions, only apprentices and the craftsman manufacturers that weren’t going to take advantage of the 99% blue collars while the white collar management types got peanuts and the board of director CEO types took everything. After the War of Independence, some of the Tories pretended to be Americans who loved democracy so they wouldn’t get lynched for being redcoats. If the hidden Tories still in USA were so democratic they should have by now distributed the land and wealth ESPECIALLY the oil or gold or mineral wealth there and then – as the property of ALL the people, not just for those who happened to be settled there or with land rights, with the Native Ameri-red Indians holding the most rights . . . NOT continue the fiat and feudal tax system which has ballooned to an extreme form this day.
If the 99% knows whats good for them, they will vote only on the above premise and on a pre-vote statuary declaration by the proposed candidate to immediately ratify that bill to implement Socialism with Capitalist Limits immediately once in office AND only the Joe Public types or those millionaires not above 20 million are more likely to accede to the above pre-vote requirement – welcome to the War of Independence 2, this time to OVERHAUL the constitution and wealth distribution paradigm. Within this blog is described exactly what must be done, I haven’t collated the text yet, but distribution of wealth and land is the very first thing to be done. The 1% won’t like what they see but the 99% who are dying of poverty out there will definitely want to vote for that redistribution of land or money and must vote only for non-GLC Joe Public types only.
Being civilised though, USA should allow the 1% types to take out the fiat the 1% think they are entitled to (printing presses go into ooverdrive) THEN switch to PMs and imposed Wealth sequestration limits of 20 million. Those who do not have jobs should work their land, if they innovate, they get rich by patents but limited to 20 million in assets so that the rest goes to others to catch up in quality of life, the ‘trickle down’ effect is a myth, there is none, quality of life for the 99% has never been worse while the 1% never had better.
We will still see innovation AND better distribution of wealth, we don’t need homeless or beggars, nor do we need millions and billions worth plutocrats AND USA will truly belong to everyone (everyone gets a few acres of land USA has 2 billion acres of land – thats 6 acres each (actually every slave was given 40 acres when slavery ended), enough to grow and live off very comfortably unless having many wives or many children by a single wife – this automatically warns against overpopulation, at the same time there will never be a jobs problem again, the food/medicine from the ground/produce if they work the land is FREE (no more food stamps), there will be no homeless (everyone has land to build on, if they work hard they will be able to build palaces), finally MIGRANTS can be invited in to WORK FOR AMERICANS who have land, thereby creating options for EVERYONE as well as bringing in a useful menial class who can be fed and housed to work on manufacturing with materials from the land, and be sent home with some manufactured goods which obviously needs USA to innovate, as any country which adopts the above system will not need to send their people overseas with USA the most likely country able to implement EQUALITY in wealth, land and political power distribution.
The governments that are exploitative intentionally and slow on the implmentation of the above will likely be the countries USA or countries using the above system will get their menial workers from. This also says that free legalized migrants AND overpopulation AND lack of natural resources OR over-militarisation or expenditure on military adventurism will be the killers of any nation. There is no jobs shortage or homelessness or hunger if land and wealth is re-distributed. Try the below redistribution :
All unused land is distributed to all homeless or ‘poor’ then recalculating wealth as follows :
1 billion will be allowed to keep 20 million in PMs, 1 vehicle per family member (carbon footprint reduction is important so few vehicles is better)
100 million will be allowed to keep 2 million in PMs, 2 vehicles per family (carbon footprint reduction is important so few vehicles is better)
10 million will be allowed to keep 200 thousand in PMs, 1 vehicle per family (carbon footprint reduction is important so few vehicles is better)
1 million will be allowed to keep 20 thousand in PMs, 1 vehicle per family (carbon footprint reduction is important so few vehicles is better, who knows those who have caused the least pollution probably have the greatest say . . . )
This may seem extreme but because everyone will be producing food and goods (think 3D printers and DEFLATION due to less zeros held by the richest) will be produced by migrant labour, prices probably will return to 1800 era levels. (i.e. a horse cost $30 silver dollars, today 2010 $2000 therabouts or 60 times. So considering that, all above sums would be 60 times more in liquid asset, with $600K Rolls Royces or Sports Cars costing $10,000, a Fast Food Meal costing 0.99 should be worth 2 cents (0.016 exactly, maybe 3 meals for 0.02 cents – but who needs to pay for food when food is free), an Android phone would cost USD$3.33 . . . so voters please vote properly for a 2 TERM ONLY, Governor or Congressman or President who will do the above and put an end to this useless back and forth . . . as for manufactured goods for locals, ALL workers of any particular manufacturer are entitled to requisition a single unit of that item the factory produces, payment will be CENTS only, so people will work to obtain goods direct or to be exchanged via barter. This is calculated by man hours of work – doubtless a high tech handphone/computer should be worth more man hours than a t-shirt but if wifey at home can knit you a shirt, only the difficult to build items will be worked for (definitely not food or even energy with solar), with MANY people opting out and choosing quality of life instead of being insulted by being on the work line.
Although if the only way to get a tech gadget is by working on the assembly line, for certain the whole idea of work would be that much more meaningful though productivity may not be faster due to retraining etc.. If entirely automated then perhaps a single person could train the next to use the production line machines which does not require much training in reality except for when repairs are needed etc.. Education is not about money but interest in subjects. Jobs are a myth when wealth and land distribution is present.
ARTICLE 15
Banks need new culture – by Xiao Gang (China Daily) – 13:14, August 14, 2012
Remuneration structures linked to short-term performance have created incentives for dishonesty and must be changed
There has been a lot of focus recently on a long and growing list of scandals involving some of the biggest global banks. Barclays has been in the spotlight for manipulating the London inter-bank offered rate and has been fined $460 million by regulators in the United States and United Kingdom.
But Barclays is not alone, the list of other banks involved includes some of the best-known global banks, from Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Deutsche Bank to HSBC, RBS and UBS.
In addition, JPMorgan Chase announced a fresh assessment of losses in the trading positions of its London-based unit, which have now been revised upward to $5.8 billion. Meanwhile, HSBC faces the threat of being fined up to $1 billion by the US authorities for allegations of laundering money and financing terrorists, and Standard Chartered has been accused by the US financial watchdog of violating anti-money laundering rules.
It is not surprising that the banking sector, already under attack in the midst of the global financial crisis, has been hit by a new wave of criticism. But most worryingly, trust and confidence in the financial system have reached a record low.
Although there are many reasons why the banking sector collectively has perpetrated so many misdeeds and broken ethical norms, greed is one of the root causes. Therefore, to fix the banking sector requires reshaping its corporate culture.
The values of an organization are shaped by its corporate culture. Of course, any business aimed at maximizing shareholders’ values must strive to make a profit, but the profit-making activities must be legal and morally acceptable. Experience shows that misbehavior in the banking sector often stems from the belief that only bonuses can reward people. Remuneration structures, often linked to short-term performance, have created incentives for dishonesty.
But as Greg Smith, who resigned as a Goldman Sachs executive director and head of the company’s US equity derivatives business, wrote in an article, “Why I am leaving Goldman Sachs”: “people who care only about making money will not sustain this firm – or the trust of its clients – for very much longer”.
Leadership plays an important role in shaping the culture of a bank. Clearly, the “tone at the top” is a key factor influencing how a bank operates. Moreover, qualified leaders motivate subordinates to work for the good of a bank, not just for themselves. In particular, executives of a bank should have a special responsibility to create an environment where people cannot do bad things. As Bob Diamond, Barclays’ former chief executive, once declared, “the evidence of culture is how people behave when no one is watching”.
Financial regulatory reforms will help banks change their culture. Imposing higher standards of capital adequacy and liquidity management can lower leverage ratios and increase loss-absorbing capabilities, thus reducing the appetite for taking risks and limiting profits in the banking system.
The scandals of the past months may have been a watershed in policymakers’ attitudes toward regulating banking services in many countries. From the Volcker Rule in the US, which prohibits proprietary trading business in banks, to the Vickers Recommendations in the UK, which separate banks’ retail business from their investment business, restrictive measures could force banks to be more transparent and change the incentives driving their behavior. It is important that banks stick to their core mission of supporting the real economy.
Regulators in Western countries should learn from their mistakes. The Financial Service Authority in the United Kingdom has reportedly tracked the price-rigging back to 2005. In April 2008, a Barclay’s employee told an analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York that the UK bank was deliberately manipulating LIBOR, which was then briefed to the Bank of England and the British Bankers’ Association. But the regulators did not respond quickly and thus missed the opportunity to reform the system.
The effects of these scandals will stretch far beyond developed countries. Chinese banks and regulators must seriously consider how to further promote a healthy corporate culture and enhance the sector’s internal control mechanisms.
Usually, financial crises occur when what was thought to be low risk turns out to be very high risk. For this reason, the banking sector requires special regulation, because its failures have very big economic, political and social fallouts. In this respect, the nation’s top bankers must be accountable and of high integrity, no matter how intensified the competition becomes.
It is understandable that the recent scandals have enraged the public. Nevertheless, it is useless to direct perpetual “blame and shame” at the banks. Instead, the focus should be on how to inspire and encourage banks to fulfill their responsibilities and redefine their culture.
The banking business involves risks and its corporate culture cannot be managed by outside regulation alone. It must be cultivated internally step by step.
The author is chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank of China.
ARTICLE 16
Social Security Administration says hollow point bullets necessary for staff’s safety – Published: 17 August, 2012, 21:18
Social Security Administration says their request for hollow point bullets is for their staff’s safety
The US Social Security Administration wants Americans to know that they are concerned with the safety of their workers. That is why, they now say, they’ve ordered 174,000 rounds of lethal hollow-point bullets.
Responding to reports centered on the SSA’s recent request for tens of thousands of rounds of high-power, heavy duty ammunition, the agency tasked with assisting the elderly and disabled with federally funded benefit packages has attempted to explain their invitation for ammo makers to make them a deal.
“Our special agents need to be armed and trained appropriately,” a blog post from the SSA office explains. “They not only investigate allegations of Social Security fraud, but they also are called to respond to threats against Social Security offices, employees and customers.
Days after the SSA published a solicitation online for a lot of .357 Duty Carry Sig 125 grain bonded JHP hollow point bullets, the agency says there is nothing especially unusual about their request.
“[O]ur office has criminal investigators, or special agents, who are responsible for investigating violations of the laws that govern SSA’s programs,” the agency explains in the post, published on Thursday. “Currently, about 295 special agents and supervisory special agents work in 66 offices across the United States.These investigators have full law enforcement authority, including executing search warrants and making arrests.”
Responding to the large request of 174,00 rounds, an administrator on the SSA blog writes, “this is a routine procurement that we typically make every fiscal year.”
“We have about 295 criminal investigators who must qualify with a firearm four times per year.If each investigator uses 150 rounds per qualification, then we would need 177,000 rounds per year.This number can vary based on the total number of agents, and any type of specialized training we might undertake. “
In a November 2004 bulletin circulated out of the United States Attorneys’ Office, the government states, “even the slightest error or fraud in the overall process can result in millions of dollars in overpayments or underpayments of Social Security benefits.”
The SSA, contained in a network of over 1,400 offices, is tasked with aiding the elderly, retired, disabled and others, and says on their website, “For the public, we are the ‘face of the government.’”
[[[ *** RESPONSE *** ]]]
How about NON-LETHAL tranquiliser darts? The state bureaus and state offices are civilian spaces, not slaughter houses. Any offending person should at least be guaranteed their life, passed out for a few hours at most, rather than being killed. Bad choice of weapon! Besides, the dead cannot be interrogated, whats the point of killing potential witnesses or leads into groups that send this sort of person? Civilisation demands at least this much! The American people for certain should concur!
ARTICLE 17
Hebrew Bible: Plagiarized Mythology and Defaced Monotheism
Posted on 21. Aug, 2012 by Dr Ashraf Ezzat in World News
Many are the stories that were told in the Hebrew Bible, but the greatest story that is yet to be told is the story of the Hebrew Bible itself.
Dr. Ashraf Ezzat
The relationship with gods/god has always been one of man’s oldest preoccupations, and still is till this very day. And while it’s fair to assume that Modern day man owes his advancement in philosophy and science to ancient Greece and its earliest thinkers, it’s equally fair, when it comes to the development of religion and the evolution of religious thinking, to give credence to the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia.
In fact, the earliest vestiges of human faith in God, as we know it today, are to be traced back to the valley of the river Nile and between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. We’re surely to find the root of our belief in a supreme creator inscribed, in hieroglyphs and cuneiform, on the pyramids and papyri of ancient Egypt and on the clay tablets of Sumer … And not within the confines of the Hebrew Bible, as many still believe.
And if we still cherish the Greek school of wisdom and science and continue to build on the teachings of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Pythagoras, I wonder why we stopped honoring the ancient gods of Egypt and Sumer and Babylon.
What has become of the mighty gods of the ancient Near East? What happened to Anu and Enlil, what has become of the beautiful Goddess “Inanna” Ishtar … The one god, Aten, and what happened to the omnipotent Amun/Amen of Thebes? … Amen, whose name is still echoing in every house of prayers of all organized religions on earth?
How come we fail to recall any of the magnificent epics of Sumer (watch video of the epic of Gilgamesh) or the amazing mythology of Egypt (watch video of the Egyptian creation myth) whereas our kids know the stories of the Hebrew Bible by heart?
But then again, if our kids are to be introduced to the myths of ancient Egypt and the epics of Sumer (watch video of the Sumerian creation myth) they won’t feel like they are in a strange land. The stories of Sumer and Egypt will sound so familiar.
“A lot of the stories in the Old Testament are in fact plagiarized material, particularly from the rich mythical heritage of the Sumerians – the inventors of writing. The story of Noah and the flood story, the creation of man out of clay, Cain and Abel, the gardens of Eden, the tree of knowledge, creation of Eve from Adams rib, and numerous other myths, like the throwing of Moses after he was born in the river, are all but stories found recorded on Sumerian clay tablets dating 5000 years back in time.”
… This has long been common knowledge amongst the scholars of history, archeology and anthropology, but I find it extremely necessary today, in the so called information age, to drag it out of the academia realm and expose it in the open before the public eyes.
Why do we remember and celebrate legendary figures like David and Solomon who had no bearing on the human history course, while we hardly recognize the enormous impact historical figures like Akhenaten or Hammurabi had on how we today come to define monotheism and the rule of law. (Watch video of Hammurabi’s code of laws, some of which are echoed in Moses’s commandments)
But then, what do we, men of modern times, know or even care? … We were only told that in the beginning was the word. But according to history … it wasn’t.
In the beginning, was the river – the Nile in Egypt and Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia. The river and the profound connection with nature gave the Egyptians and the Sumerians not only the stability and prosperity but also the craving to contemplate the creation of our cosmos and how life on earth came to be.
In other words, the river made the Egyptians and the Sumerians religious, and in a philosophical way. But does that mean that non-agricultural communities were not religious?
To answer that question, we first have to differentiate between religion and rituals. Most primitive communities, e.g., nomadic tribes like the Hebrews, had their local deities, as gods of war and fertility. On the other hand, a religion in ancient Egypt was not a religion of comfort or beneficence. It was an all-embracing doctrine, like a harmony that was observed by all the players in a big philharmonic orchestra. It was a way of life.
These Egyptian and Mesopotamian religions were Mythopoeic. Whereas our world view may be scientific or rational, so we tend to believe, these river civilizations adopted a world view based on myth.
The biggest copyright infringement in history
The stark resemblance between Biblical and Sumerian creation stories poses some serious questions
Now that we know that religion, with colossal temples and ziggurats and creation myths, first sprouted along the fertile banks of the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia and the river Nile in Egypt, how could we explain the dominance of Judaism, some tribal cult which supposedly originated (centuries later in time) amid the arid terrains of Canaan, over the Egyptian and Sumerian once thriving theologies?
Actually Judaism didn’t, surpass the influence of the Egyptian nor the Sumerian theology; this was a formidably hard task for any nomadic community to aspire for, instead Judaism did it the easy way.
As the antiquity era was approaching an end, and as the hieroglyphic and the cuneiform writings were getting extinct, the Hebrews simply stole the Egyptian and the Sumerian thunder. The Hebrew scribes, whom I presume knew what they were doing, copycatted the famous myths/epics of ancient Egypt and Sumer, in what could be the world’s first and yet the biggest copyright infringement, and stuffed their Bible with them.
The Hebrews as nomadic tribes, and later as tradesmen, were always on the move all over the Fertile Crescent that was bounded to the west by Egypt and to the east by Sumer and Babylon (Mesopotamia). Their constant journeys gave them access to the famous epics and stories/myths of the ancient Near East.
When The Hebrew scribes began to write down parts of their old testament/chronicles, which they never imagined, nor planned to be a holy Bible, it was not an overnight job, rather it was a lengthy and interrupted process that may have started around the time of the Assyrian invasion (722 BCE) of the Levant, during which all of Canaan was virtually an Egyptian province, and culminated around the time of the Hellenistic period (332-63 BCE)
Ancient Near East
While geography was the reason behind the development of the brilliant civilizations of both the Egyptians and the Sumerians, it was on the other side, and ironically enough, the main cause for the Hebrews’ misfortune.
Delivered to the savagery of the clans and Squeezed in a land barren and hostile between the ancient superpowers without any chance of military resistance or evolving further beyond the nomadic/unsettled structure, the Jews turned to metaphysics and began to fantasize.
In an atmosphere of despair and rage, especially after the Romans ruthlessly crushed what was seen as the last Hebrew disobedience (66-70 CE) the Jewish religious megalomaniac Messianic fantasies prospered.
The powerlessness of the Jews found an outlet in the myths and invented a glorious national history- something similar to what modern day Zionism did – avenging long years of ostracism and cruelty and dragging their enemy’s names through the dirt.
In the Bible, the Hebrew scribes unleashed the dagger of malevolence and took a stab at the superpowers of the ancient world, namely Egypt, Sumer and Babylon.
Through a prism of total prejudice and deeply seated grudge the Hebrew scribes wrote, page up and page down, not what really happened in ancient times, but rather what they wished had happened.
So, in their scrolls, the Hebrew scribes depicted Babel (Babylon) as the (hot bed of vice) with its tower in ruin, where in reality it stood 90 meters high, and Egypt as the land of slavery and tyranny, devastated by Yahweh’s gruesome punishments in the aftermath of which Egypt’s Pharaoh and his army drowned, where in fact, Egypt stood, for uninterrupted 3000 years, as one of the ancient world’s superpowers.
At that time, something quite weird, that only analytical psychology could explain, started taking place in the Hebrew Bible.
Everything the Israelites desperately longed for, namely a mythology with fascinating stories like that of the Sumerians, a religion with big temples like that of the Egyptians … and yes, a piece of land they could call home like everybody else, the Hebrew scribes made damn sure it was granted to them on the pages of their bible.
And in the process of making up a virtual/counterfactual history for the Israelites, the bible scribes had to simply rewrite the ancient Near Eastern history in a way that would make room for their tribal patriarchs to fit into the story.
Replacing Ziusudra with Noah, Enki with Adam, Sargon of Akkad with Moses and Aten with Yahweh, the Hebrew scribes gave the world one of its most inconsistent and confusing books ever. In a cunning way, the Hebrew scribes, as they wrote down the scripture of their Bible, had plagiarized the ancient Near Eastern wisdom and claimed it theirs.
Copying the ancient and profound Egyptian/Mesopotamian mythology by a bunch of mysterious Hebrew scribes was, from my perspective, the beginning of deterioration of the human religious thinking.
Defaced Monotheism
Unlike the Greek mythology, the ancient Near Eastern mythology was denied, by the demise of the ancient languages and the Hebrew alteration/defacement of its stories the golden opportunity of producing/fostering a European-like renaissance.
The Hebrews, appropriating what otherwise could have stayed as one of the world’s finest myths and theology, have turned it into a completely different thing.
They have molded it into a tribal thing; the universal nature of the Egyptian gods, e.g., Amun, Aten, had been twisted and refashioned to function only as the Hebrews’ own exclusive god, and hence the Hebrews as his own chosen people. And in a way this dominating concept of favoritism/nepotism has, and for the first time in the history of mankind, introduced/nurtured the idea of religious extremism.
Usurping the profound mythology of the ancient Near East by the Israelites, was like snatching the original score of Franz Schubert’s last and unfinished symphony and handing it over to some tribal drum player to finish the job. Need we ponder over the product of such undertaking? … Nothing short of a total catastrophe.
Some will argue that the echoing of the Sumerian and Egyptian myths and beliefs in the Hebrew Bible is but another example of interaction amongst the different cultures of the ancient Fertile Crescent.
“The literature created by the Sumerians left its deep impress on the Hebrews. To be sure, the Sumerians could not have influenced the Hebrews directly, for they had ceased to exist long before the Hebrew people came into existence. But there is little doubt that the Sumerians had deeply influenced the Canaanites, who preceeded the Hebrews in the land that later came to be known as Palestine” pp.143-4, “History Begins at Sumer” Samuel Noah Kramer.
Well, of course the Hebrews/Israelites were influenced by the Mesopotamian literature and the Egyptian Theology, especially that their nomadic origins denied them the luxury of frequenting the colossal temples and serving the mighty gods as those of Egypt and Babylon. But frankly, the Hebrew case was more than just another cultural interaction; it was an act of trespassing.
And even if by time, the Sumerian and Egyptian myths had probably turned into anecdotal tales of the distant past, how could we explain the reason/motive why the names of the main characters were extracted out and replaced by Hebrew counterfeits. … Evenmore, with all the previous presumptions overlooked, how could we forgive the Hebrews’ wickedness of ascribing all this wisdom to their tribal god?
As their scribes were tampering with the history and the mythology of the ancient Near East, and through their ignorance/deceit the Israelites messed up not only with the great stories of Egypt and Sumer but they also damaged the concept of universalism and pluralism that for years underlined the religious thinking of the ancient Near East.
As the Hebrew scribes were tramping over the history of the ancient Near East they rewrote/invented a mythical table of nations (sons of Noah) that, at the end, and through a long cycle of selective favoritism, came down and as expected to favoring the sons of Shem (founding myth of modern day Semitism)
And hence, the world through the tribal lens of the Israelites was only conceivable as Jews vs. Gentiles, This lingering duality complex that denied the Jews, till this very day, the ability to assimilate anywhere outside the psychological orbit of the tribe.
“Jew and Gentile are two worlds, between you Gentiles and us Jews there lies an unbridgeable gulf…There are two life forces in the world: Jewish and Gentile…I do not believe that this primal difference between Gentile and Jew is reconcilable…” – You Gentiles, page 9, by Maurice Samuel
Contrary to what many may believe the Hebrew bible did not come up with the idea of monotheism, the Egyptian king Akhenaten did that and centuries before Judaism, and as a matter of fact YHWH, the Israelites’ one god had a consort by the name ‘Asherah’
On the other hand, the Sumerian and Egyptian pantheon of gods were pyramidal/hierarchal in a way that was always leading to the concept of one and supreme god presiding over the pantheon atop the pyramid – aka Henotheism.
Sigmund Freud
In his famous book, Moses and monotheism, Sigmund Freud concluded that monotheism was not a Jewish but an Egyptian invention, descending from the cult of the Egyptian sun god Aten. Moreover, upon applying his psychoanalysis to the myths/stories of the Hebrew bible, Freud not only argued that Moses was an Egyptian priest but he was also perplexed by how the whole story of Moses/Exodus, according to the oedipal pattern of analysis, was inverted and didn’t make sense the way it had been told. In other words the Hebrew myths/stories didn’t seem original.
Had he lived longer, delved deeper into the mythology of the ancient Near East, Freud would have reached the same startling conclusion about the origin of the Hebrew bible stories, as he did monotheism.
What Judaism actually added to the world’s religious thinking is something totally different and, at the same time, inherently harmful. Through their tribal and somehow shallow collective mentality, the Hebrews had planted the root of religious dogmatism and fanaticism when they allowed for the absurd idea of God’s chosen people to flourish and permeate the religious thinking from then on.
Unfortunately that religious extremism passed on to Christianity, which was supposed to act as a counterbalance to Judaism’s tribal vulgarity, until it reached its worst case in Islam.
What good is this kind of monotheism when its adherents, be it Jews, Christians or Muslims, are soaked to the arm pits in their fundamental belief/illusion that their god is the only true god and hence they are the true sons/believers … and that the others are just deluded people who somehow got lost along the way to salvation. Dividing the world into Jews and Goyim is simply the Jewish idea of monotheism, or in other words, the Jewish defacement of monotheism which we today and most unfortunately still endure through its long term fallouts.
What kind of god, who would favor a particular son and detest/abondon his others. This was something totally new to the Ancient Near East. May be the Egyptians had their own gods, but that did not prevent them from respecting Babylonian gods like Ishtar or acknowledging their power.
Even when Alexander the great or the Greeks, known as Ptolemies, invaded Egypt, they continued to worship the ancient Egyptian gods alongside theirs. And sometimes the ancient gods of the two cultures were combined (Syncretized) in one divinity, as in the brilliant example of the syncretized god, Serapis (half Greek, half Egyptian), who stood in glory for hundreds of years at the temples of ancient Alexandria and at the gate of its splendid library until his sanctuary was desecrated by the intolerant/extremist followers of early Christianity.
(Watch the tragic destruction of the ancient library of Alexandria and the sanctuary of Serapis by a fanatic Christian mob)
The prejudiced monotheism of Judaism, based mainly on the principle of nepotism/favoritism, was such a setback and a demeaning step, for the ancient religious thinking, compared to the monotheism of Akhenaten and his god Aten. The Aten, contrary to the tribal version of Yahew, was a universal god, a sun disk that released and stretched out its rays all over the earth and blessed everybody, not just the Egyptians.
The Hebrew scribes, in a cheap bid to grant a piece of land to the Israelites, and through their deliberation/or thoughtlessness had managed to strip the literature of ancient Sumer and the mythology of Egypt of its mysticism, universalism and wisdom. Through their tampering with the rich theology of the Ancient near East, and by clumsily sticking their tribal god into its intricate and sublime design, the religious thinking and evolution has since been immersed in dogmatism, tainted with extremism and gone astray.
For more articles visit Dr. Ashraf Ezzat website
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The prejudiced monotheism of Judaism . . . resulted in Xianity of the East Europeans in 0 AD, then later Islam of the Bedouins in the 630s where the same was COPIED AGAIN from Xianity (Spirit Jibril / Angel Gabriel exactly the same) with modifications of a perhaps a slight improvement – no anthropomorphic depictions allowed but far worse in final application by authoritarian rulers who by many accounts use religion to manipulate tyranise the people, religious fundos and fundo type societies.
Like the latest pop fashion cult of personality or electronic fad, they all wanted in, but forgot their OWN Elder Gods in the process. Judaism was formed from the Egyptian Priesthood after the Bedouins overran Egypt and the Priesthood escaped through the Red Sea to found Jerusalem with Amon Ra being converted into Y.H.V.H. and Moses his prophet (this was copied by Xianity with Jesus the prophet, then later Islam with Mohammed his prophet . . . study each faith and some Comparative Religion as well as Ancient History).
Amon-Ra (Aten) was the progenitor of all Monotheisms by the lazy Heretic Pharoah Akhenaten who was too lazy to worship polytheistically.Akhenaten ‘invented’ Amon-ra which was to disintegrate into the warring factions of ‘Monotheism’ (Judaism, Islam, Xianity) today because Amon-Ra even though ‘original’, was as prejudiced as Judaism – was for Egyptians ONLY, much like Islam is for Muslims and headed by Arab Kings only.
ARTICLE 18
Ala. man fights to keep wife buried in front yard – Associated PressBy JAY REEVES
In this Friday, Aug. 10, 2012 photo, James Davis, 73, stands over the grave of his wife, Patsy, in the front yard of the home they shared in Stevenson, Ala. The city sued to make Davis move his wife’s remains from the residential tract, and Davis is asking the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals to block an order requiring him to disinter her remains. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
In this Friday, Aug. 10, 2012 photo, James Davis holds a photo of his late wife, Patsy Davis, on the porch of their home in Stevenson, Ala. Davis buried his wife in their front yard, and the city filed suit to force him to remove the remains. Davis is fighting a court order requiring him to disinter the body. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
STEVENSON, Ala. (AP) — James Davis is fighting to keep the remains of his late wife right where he dug her grave: In the front yard of his home, just a few feet from the porch.
Davis said he was only abiding by Patsy Ruth Davis’ wishes when he buried her outside their log home in 2009, yet the city sued to move the body elsewhere. A county judge ordered Davis to disinter his wife, but the ruling is on hold as the Alabama Civil Court of Appeals considers his challenge.
Davis, 73, said he never expected such a fight.
“Good Lord, they’ve raised pigs in their yard, there’s horses out the road here in a corral in the city limits, they’ve got other gravesites here all over the place,” said Davis. “And there shouldn’t have been a problem.”
While state health officials say family burial plots aren’t uncommon in Alabama, city officials worry about the precedent set by allowing a grave on a residential lot on one of the main streets through town. They say state law gives the city some control over where people bury their loved ones and have cited concerns about long-term care, appearance, property values and the complaints of some neighbors.
“We’re not in the 1800s any longer,” said city attorney Parker Edmiston. “We’re not talking about a homestead, we’re not talking about someone who is out in the country on 40 acres of land. Mr. Davis lives in downtown Stevenson.”
A strong libertarian streak runs through northeast Alabama, which has relatively few zoning laws to govern what people do with their property. Even a neighbor who got into a fight with Davis over the gravesite — Davis said he punched the man — isn’t comfortable with limiting what a homeowner can do with his property.
“I don’t think it’s right, but it’s not my place to tell him he can’t do it,” said George W. Westmoreland, 79, who served three tours of duty in Vietnam. “I laid my life on the line so he would have the right to do this. This is what freedom is about.”
Westmoreland declined to discuss his specific objections to the grave.
It’s unclear when the appeals court might rule. Attorneys filed initial papers in the appeal on Friday. The decision could come down to whether the judges believe the front-yard grave constitutes a family plot that requires no approval or a cemetery, which would.
In the meantime, Davis has protested by running for City Council. A campaign sign hangs near a bigger sign in his yard that says: “Let Patsy Rest in Peace.”
A law professor who is familiar with the case said it’s squarely at the intersection of personal rights and government’s power to regulate private property. While disputes over graves in peoples’ yards might be rare, lawsuits over the use of eminent domain actions and zoning restrictions are becoming more common as the U.S. population grows, said Joseph Snoe, who teaches property law at Samford University in suburban Birmingham.
“The United States Supreme Court has said that the states, and the cities through the states, have the power to regulate. But if it goes too far … then the government’s got to pay, and there are certain things the government just doesn’t have the power to do,” he said. “As we get bigger and as government gets bigger and as people are more regulated … you start having more and more disagreements.”
Davis, a longtime carpenter, built the family’s home on a corner on Broad Street about 30 years ago in Stevenson, a town of about 2,600 in northeast Alabama. Once a bustling railroad stop, the city is now so quiet some people don’t bother locking their doors. Stars twinkle brightly in the night sky; there aren’t many lights to blot them out.
Davis first met Patsy when she was a little girl. They were married for 48 years, but she spent most of her final days bedridden with crippling arthritis. Seated on a bench beside her marble headstone and flower-covered grave, Davis said he and his wife planned to have their bodies cremated until she revealed she was terrified by the thought.
“She said this is where she wanted to be and could she be put here, and I told her, ‘Yeah,'” Davis said. “I didn’t think there’d be any problem.”
There was, though. A big one.
After his wife died on April 18, 2009, the City Council rejected Davis’ request for a cemetery permit. The decision came even though the county health department signed off on the residential burial, saying it wouldn’t cause any sanitation problems.
Ignoring the council’s decision, Davis said he and a son-in-law cranked a backhoe and dug a grave just a few feet from the house. A mortuary installed a concrete vault, and workers lowered Patsy’s body into the plot in a nice, metal casket.
The city sued, and the case went to trial early this year. That’s when a judge ordered Davis to move his wife’s remains to a licensed cemetery. That order is on hold to give the state appeals court time to rule.
For now, Davis visits his wife’s grave each time he walks out the front door. He puts fresh artificial flowers on it regularly, and he washes off the marker when raindrops splatter dirt on the gray stone. At Christmas, he said, he and other relatives hold a little prayer vigil around the grave, which is beside an old wooden garage.
Edmiston said the man rejected several compromises from the city, including the offer of two plots in the municipal graveyard.
While state officials say they don’t know how many people might be buried on residential lots in Alabama, burials on private property in Alabama are not uncommon, said Sherry Bradley, deputy environmental director for the state Department of Public Health.
While the state can regulate cemeteries, Bradley said it doesn’t have any control over family burial plots. The city contends the grave at Davis’ home is an illegal cemetery that falls under government oversight, said Edmiston, the city lawyer.
If nothing else, Edmiston said, the appeals court might decide what constitutes a “family burial plot” in Alabama, and what’s a cemetery.
“It would be far-reaching if they say anyone can bury someone in their front yard if there are no drainage issues,” he said.
As it is, Davis said his five children will bury him in the yard beside Patsy after he dies, and they and his 15 grandchildren will care for the property from then on.
“That’s my perpetual care,” said Davis, referring to the city’s worry about what the grave will look like after he dies.
Davis is adamant that he won’t move the body, regardless of what any court says.
“If they get it done it’ll be after I’m gone,” said Davis. “So if they order her to be moved, it’s a death sentence to me. I’ll meet Mama sooner than I planned on it.”
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Man’s home or land is their castle. End of issue. This is ‘sovereign’ territory, and James Davis is well within rights to do whatever. Sometimes this is also due to the distance to the nearest cemetary, the sheer amount of paperwork for funerals and cemetaries, or the sheer cost of buying plots at cemetaries, or simple wishes of the deceased before dying or from belief that ‘high density resting places are as bad as high density living’ . ‘Fresh artificial’ flowers?!? Oxymoron MSM propaganda article? These days hard to tell what news portals are trying to do . . .
ARTICLE 19
Suspects in deputy killings linked to extremists – August 18, 2012 10:06 PM
St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff deputies examine a car with bullet holes at a crime scene where two sheriffs were killed and two wounded in LaPlace, La., Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
(AP) NEW ORLEANS – At least some of the seven people arrested in a fatal shootout with Louisiana deputies have been linked to violent anarchists on the FBI’s domestic terrorism watch lists, a sheriff said Saturday.
Detectives had been monitoring the group before Thursday’s shootout in Laplace in which two deputies were killed and two more wounded, said DeSoto Parish Sheriff Rodney Arbuckle. His detectives and other law enforcement discovered the suspects were heavily armed adherents to an ideology known as the “sovereign citizens” movement.
The FBI has classified “sovereign citizens” as people who believe they are free from all duties of a U.S. citizen, like paying taxes. The FBI considers the group’s members a danger for making threats to judges and law enforcement, using fake currency and impersonating police officers.
The seven suspects have been charged in the shooting of Deputy Michael Scott Boyington, who survived. But authorities have said murder charges are pending.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was investigating the killings but declined to comment Saturday and referred questions to the Louisiana State Police, the lead investigating agency.
Arrested were the group’s apparent leader, 44-year-old Terry Smith, his wife, Chanel Skains, 37, and his two sons, Derrick Smith, 22, and Brian Lyn Smith, 24. Also arrested were Brittney Keith, the girlfriend of Brian Smith; Kyle David Joekel, 28, and a woman living with him, 21-year-old Teniecha Bright.
Brian Smith was charged with attempted first-degree murder and the others with related charges.
Detectives in Tennessee, Nebraska and Louisiana have sketched a portrait of an outlaw gang led by a 44-year-old accused molester named Terry Smith, who has a criminal record dating to 1984 in Morehouse Parish, the Times-Picayune reported Saturday.
Morehouse Parish Sheriff Mike Stubbs said the Smith family was notorious. He said they lived for a long time in a house on the outskirts of Bastrop.
“We had a good bit of dealings with them,” he said. He said the Smith brothers had been involved in theft and drugs.
Arbuckle, reached by telephone by The Associated Press, said his deputies had the group under surveillance and considered them armed and dangerous before they suddenly left his parish about two months ago. He said they had set up camp at a mobile home park while they working at an International Paper plant.
The sheriff said deputies became suspicious after they investigated a reported burglary in May at the park’s laundry. The detectives discovered members wanted under warrants issued in Tennessee, Nebraska and Louisiana.
“Once we had them on our radar we started doing research on them,” he said. Arbuckle said his detectives monitored the group until they left in November.
Sovereign citizens are a loosely organized movement founded in the 1970s and more fully developed in the 1980s, according to the Anti-Defamation League website.
Sovereign citizens believe that all levels of government have no jurisdiction over them and resist — sometimes with violence — authority including police, the website said.
They also like to use what is dubbed “paper terrorism.” It involves using frivolous lawsuits and fake documents and of using genuine documents such as IRS forms to intimidate, harass and coerce public officials, law enforcement officers and private citizens. Arbuckle said his detectives could easily have been the victims instead of the St. John the Baptist Parish deputies killed and wounded. Deputies Brandon Nielsen and Jeremy Triche were killed and along with Boyington, Jason Triche was wounded. The Triches were somehow related, authorities said.
“We understand they had some pretty good firepower,” Arbuckle said. “This very well could have been us” in the gunfight, he said.
He said the group traveled the country in trailers doing construction work and possessed a stockpile of weapons.
They were arrested after an early morning assault on Boyington led to the deadly shootout in the mobile home park in Laplace, a suburb west of New Orleans. Boyington was shot at the entrance of a parking lot used by contract workers on a job at a nearby oil refinery. He was working off-duty on a security detail at the lot.
Shortly thereafter, the other deputies were shot at the trailer park where a car involved in the first shooting was spotted.
Joekel and Brian Smith were hospitalized with gunshot wounds and will be jailed once they are out of the hospital. The others were jailed with bonds ranging from $350,000 to $750,000. The Gage County, Neb., Sheriff’s Office website listed Joekel among its most wanted fugitives, saying he is accused of making “terroristic threats” to patrons of a Nebraska bar and law enforcement officials. Sgt. Len Marie, a state police spokesman, said investigators were amassing evidence. He said the agency had received the reports from the DeSoto sheriff and other law enforcement agencies in other states. He said the FBI and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was involved.
He said it was too early to verify links to the extremist groups associated with the sovereign citizen movement.
“We are confident that we have the people responsible for this in custody,” Marie said.
© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
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Actually if enough Congressmen and Governors decide that taxes do not exist, taxes will not exist. One does not have to be a ‘sovereign citizen’ to not want to pay taxes, though those with extreme amounts of surplus should at least support local infrastructure, enforcement or military. Theft and other crimes in the pursuit of abolishment of taxes though are wrong. Good work on not outright killing these people (we keep hearing about homeless or defenseless people killed by overwhelming numbers of police) and arresting them for a trial.
Hope the citizens were not roughed up or anything. Some ‘police’ though are false police, and dress up in uniforms or even have fitted cars to look like police cars. The sovereign citizens could use this ‘fake cops problem’ as an ‘excuse’ for opening fire or ‘defending themselves’ . . . though any incidental injuries or killings if traced would have this Anti-Defamation or ‘self defending’ lot in the grey area.
malaysiandemocracy 