Former Top NSA Official: “We Are Now In A Police State”

Posted on January 19, 2014 by DRenegade

Bill Binney is the high-level NSA executive who created the agency’s mass surveillance program for digital information. A 32-year NSA veteran widely regarded as a “legend” within the agency, Binney was the senior technical director within the agency and managed thousands of NSA employees.

Binney has been interviewed by virtually all of the mainstream media, including CBS, ABC,CNN, New York Times, USA Today, Fox News, PBS and many others.

Last year, Binney held his thumb and forefinger close together, and said:

We are, like, that far from a turnkey totalitarian state.

But today, Binney told Washington’s Blog that the U.S. has already become a police state.

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THE WHITE HOUSE JUST REPORTEDLY DELAYED YET ANOTHER KEY OBAMACARE PROVISION

Posted on January 19, 2014 by DRenegade

The White House has reportedly delayed another key provision of the Affordable Care Act — one that prevents employers from providing better health care to top executives versus employees.

According to the New York Times, “tax officials said they would not enforce the provision this year because they had yet to issue regulations for employers to follow.”

President Barack Obama’s landmark health law prohibits employers from discriminating “in favor of highly compensated individuals” when determining benefits or eligibility, the Times reports.

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Why are we paying Congressmen?

David DeGerolamo

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Amazon to collect NC sales tax

Posted on January 19, 2014 by DRenegade

amazon

Amazon has succumbed to North Carolina’s wish of charging sales tax to state customers.

The online retailer confirmed Saturday that it will charge sales tax starting Feb. 1. Amazon currently collects state sales taxes in 19 states, including Virginia.

Because Amazon has no offices or warehouses in North Carolina, the company isn’t required to collect sales tax on purchases.

Customers are required to pay taxes for online purchases but such is rarely enforced by retailers.

The amount of tax charged will depend on factors such as the identity of the seller, the type of item purchased and the destination of the shipment, according to the retailer. The company has not said why they changed course on charging sales tax to North Carolina customers.

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Telescope eye implant helps restore sight

Posted on January 19, 2014 by DRenegade

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEBO6-ED5_s

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Rioters beat up police officers in Kiev

Posted on January 19, 2014 by DRenegade

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkzi6-zz55M

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Where’s the Gold?

Posted on January 19, 2014 by DRenegade

The revelations about the transfer of gold from the West to the East keep coming. Germany has come to the realization that their 674 tons of gold is missing. The question is what is Germany going to do? And then, what will happen to the price of gold when the paper contracts go into default?

Got gold? Check its purity.

David DGerolamo

Germany Has Recovered A Paltry 5 Tons Of Gold From The NY Fed After One Year

On December 24, we posted an update on Germany’s gold repatriation process: a year after the Bundesbank announced its stunning decision, driven by Zero Hedge revelations, to repatriate 674 tons of gold from the New York Fed and the French Central Bank, it had managed to transfer a paltry 37 tons. This amount represents just 5% of the stated target, and was well below the 84 tons that the Bundesbank would need to transport each year to collect the 674 tons ratably over the 8 year interval between 2013 and 2020. The release of these numbers promptly angered Germans, and led to the rise of numerous allegations that the reason why the transfer is taking so long is that the gold simply is not in the possession of the offshore custodians, having been leased, or worse, sold without any formal or informal announcement. However, what will certainly not help mute “conspiracy theorists” is today’s update from today’s edition of Die Welt, in which we learn that only a tiny 5 tons of gold were sent from the NY Fed. The rest came from Paris.

As Welt states, “Konnten die Amerikaner nicht mehr liefern, weil sie die bei der Federal Reserve of New York eingelagerten gut 1500 Tonnen längst verscherbelt haben?” Or, in English, did the US sell Germany’s gold? Maybe. The official explanation was as follows: “The Bundesbank explained [the low amount of US gold] by saying that the transports from Paris are simpler and therefore were able to start quickly.” Additionally, the Bundesbank had the “support” of the BIS “which has organized more gold shifts already for other central banks and has appropriate experience – only after months of preparation and safety could transports start with truck and plane.” That would be the same BIS that in 2011 lent out a record 632 tons of gold…

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Thousands protest in Ukraine, defying court ban

Posted on January 19, 2014 by DRenegade
Pro-European protesters shout slogans and gesture during a rally at Independence Square in Kiev January 19, 2014. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Pro-European protesters shout slogans and gesture during a rally at Independence Square in Kiev January 19, 2014. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Up to 100,000 Ukrainians massed in the capital Kiev on Sunday in defiance of sweeping new laws aimed at stamping out anti-government protests.

The rally, the biggest this year in a cycle of pro-Europe protests convulsing the former Soviet republic for the past two months, was spurred by the legislation rushed through parliament last week and which the opposition says will lead to a police state.

Significantly raising the stakes in the confrontation with President Viktor Yanukovich, opposition leaders announced a plan to gather people’s signatures expressing no confidence in his leadership and that of parliament.

Denouncing as unconstitutional last Thursday’s hurried vote in parliament by Yanukovich’s supporters, they called for moves to set up a parallel structure of power – including a people’s assembly and a new constitution.

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Go where the Chinese government is going: Jim Rogers

Posted on January 19, 2014 by DRenegade

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At UNC, More than 50 classes offered by the African Studies department appear not to have actually existed..

Posted on January 18, 2014 by DRenegade

Investigations of UNC showed that 50 classes offered by the African Studies department appear not to have existed.

At many public universities, football and basketball players are reading at the eighth grade level.

Research shows that many college students, not just athletes, don’t learn much.

Everyone should go to college, we’re frequently told. But what if we had a college, and nobody came? And still got credit anyway.

The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill might not have gotten quite to that point, but it has come close: More than 50 classes offered by the African Studies department, and very popular with athletes, appear not to have actually existed. Some of these courses listed instructors who had not “supervised the course and graded the work,” and others “were taught irregularly,” a university review said.

UNC’s chancellor and football coach lost their jobs. The African Studies department chair, Professor Julius Nyang’oro, is under indictment for fraud. That’s bad enough. But it gets worse.

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Source

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The White Ghetto

Posted on January 18, 2014 by DRenegade

There used to be two movie theaters here — a regular cinema and a drive-in. Both are long gone. The nearest Walmart is nearly an hour away. There’s no bookstore, the nearest Barnes & Noble being 55 miles away and the main source of reading matter being the horrifying/hilarious crime blotter in the local weekly newspaper. Within living memory, this town had three grocery stores, a Western Auto and a Napa Auto Parts, a feed store, a lumber store, a clothing shop, a Chrysler dealership, a used-car dealership, a skating rink — even a discotheque, back in the 1970s. Today there is one grocery store, and the rest is as dead as disco. If you want a newsstand or a dinner at Applebee’s, gas up the car. Amazon may help, but delivery can be tricky — the nearest UPS drop-box is 17 miles away, the nearest FedEx office 34 miles away.

If you go looking for the catastrophe that laid this area low, you’ll eventually discover a terrifying story: Nothing happened. It’s not like this was a company town in which the business around which life was organized went toes-up. Booneville and Owsley County were never economic powerhouses. They were sustained for a time in part by a nearby Midsouth plant, which manufactured consumer electronics such as steam irons and toaster ovens, as well as industrial supplies such as refrigerator parts. A former employee estimates that a majority of Owsley County households owed part of their income to Midsouth at one time or another, until a mishap in the sanding room put an end to that: “Those shavings are just like coal dust,” he says. “It will go right up if it gets a spark.” Operations were consolidated in a different facility, a familiar refrain here — a local branch of the health department

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Mailing It In

Posted on January 18, 2014 by DRenegade

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9HHcuw6rys

From YouTube:

Bureaucrats are people too. Bill was reminded of this when he recently had to take many large packages, unmetered, to the US Post Office in Sherman Oaks, CA. He was surprised, shocked even, at how nice and helpful the employees of the branch were. They helped him mail everything, had multiple workers help, and labeled one-by-one all that he was sending. They even stayed after the office had closed to finish on time. In our heated political climate, we should always remember that less is more when it comes to the government, but we shouldn’t vilify the actual people who do the job.

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Greater Evil

Posted on January 18, 2014 by DRenegade

christian mercenary

by T.L. Davis

There are all sorts of evil in the world, most of which are clouded in defensible acts: the “white lie” comes to mind. Manipulation and coercion are a bit more serious and are usually conducted by someone who intends to profit from it in one way or another. Then there is the brash in-your-face sort of evil that can only come from a government bent on the absolute subjugation of the people.

We think of ourselves as intelligent and caring people. Some of us know that to be a lie, but we profess it anyway as it is pleasing to ourselves. It is an excuse to avoid causing ourselves misery. We hearken back to the founders of the nation, to their thirst for liberty and their dedication to the Lord. We see ourselves in that light, somewhat.

So, I ask you: What is the greater evil? The evil of dictators and kings; open, plain and without shame or the evil of self-deception?

If you believe that the government is out of control; that it is operating extra-constitutionally; that it will use the forces at its disposal to destroy our society and rebuild upon its ashes a temple to itself, is it not incumbent upon you, me, us to do something about it?

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THE IMMORAL FOUNDATION OF THE WELFARE STATE

Posted on January 18, 2014 by DRenegade
Jacob Hornberger

Jacob Hornberger

Permit me to propose a welfare program that will expose the foundation of immorality and wrongdoing that undergirds the welfare state way of life. Here’s my proposal: The federal government gives every single American adult an annual dole of $10,000. The money will be free, with no strings attached.

No doubt both conservatives and liberals would enthusiastically embrace my proposal. “You’re a genius, Jacob! That’s an awesome idea! What better way for the federal government to help everyone? And once everyone starts spending the money, there will be an economic revival! This is awesome!”

Well, except for one thing. The federal government is not like firms in the private sector. Unlike Google, Microsoft, or Starbucks, it doesn’t earn its money by selling goods and services to people. How does it get its money? By seizing wealth from people in the private sector. It does this through taxation.

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18Jan14 ECSUM

Posted on January 18, 2014 by DRenegade

This past week had several major economic developments that show the state of our economic downturn and the manipulation of financial markets.

1a. Baltic Dry Index Crashes 18% In 2 Days

We noted Friday that the much-heralded Baltic Dry Index has seen the worst start to the year in over 30 years. Today it got worse. At 1,395, the the Baltic Dry index, which reflects the daily charter rate for vessels carrying cargoes such as iron ore, coal and grain, is now down 18% in the last 2 days alone (biggest drop in 6 years), back at 4-month lows. The shipping index has utterly collapsed over 40% in the last 2 weeks. We are sure this is just a storm in a teacup and that all the hopes and prayers of a global manufacturing renaissance will come true. Cue, “this is not a demand issue, it’s an over-capacity issue” excuses in 3…2…1… now where would the container ships get their idea to increase capacity? (hint: central planner-based mal-investment).

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1b. Baltic Dry Continues Collapse – Worst Slide Since Financial Crisis

Despite ‘blaming’ the drop in the cost of dry bulk shipping on Colombian coal restrictions, it seems increasingly clear that the 40% collapse in the Baltic Dry Index since the start of the year is more than just that. While this is the worst start to a year in over 30 years, the scale of this meltdown is only matched by the total devastation that occurred in Q3 2008. Of course, the mainstream media will continue to ignore this dour index until it decides to rise once again, but for now, 9 days in a row of plunging prices is yet another canary in the global trade coalmine and suggests what inventory stacking that occurred in Q3/4 2013 is anything but sustained.

Baltic Dry costs are the lowest in 4 months, down 40% for the start of the year, and the worst start to a year in over 30 years…

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2. I doubt that Best Buy is the only retailer that suffered disappointing sales at Christmas. See layoffs below at J.C. Penneys. Continue reading →

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Josie the Outlaw on “Anarchast”

Posted on January 18, 2014 by DRenegade

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VuUDQ9ie7g

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