Politics

Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Reaching Critical Stage

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– Nuclear crisis reaching critical stage (Coast Reporter, Aug 18, 2013):

The news coming out of Japan these days is not good.

First, the Japanese government confirmed that the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has been leaking an estimated 300 tonnes of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean each day. The leaks have apparently been going on since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused three reactors in the plant to melt down.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) called the situation an emergency and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called it “an urgent problem.” The consensus among independent scientists is that Tepco, the plant’s operator, is incapable of stopping the discharge into the sea, which it has kept secret for more than two years.

It was discovered after the NRA detected strontium and tritium in a monitoring well at the plant site. When found out, the company apologized.

But it gets worse.

Read moreFukushima Nuclear Crisis Reaching Critical Stage

New Zealand Bill Would Legalize Euthanasia, Pressure Disabled To Die

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– New Zealand Bill Would Legalize Euthanasia, Pressure Disabled to Die (Life News, Aug 13, 2013):

Stuff media in New Zealand reported today on a talk given in New Plymouth by Maryan Street, the New Zealand MP who has sponsored a bill to legalize euthanasia in New Zealand.

The article reports that Street stated:

The bill proposes euthanasia be open to people with terminal illness likely to cause death within 12 months, or to people with an irreversible physical or mental condition that renders their life unbearable – by their own assessment.

Therefore anyone in New Zealand who has a terminal illness that may cause their death within 12 months or anyone who personally assesses that their physical or mental condition is unbearable would qualify for euthanasia.

This means that anyone with a terminal or chronic condition qualifies to be lethally injected, based on their own personal assessment, even if they have chronic depression or mental illness.

Clearly this bill will enable people to subtly pressure people with physical or mental disabilities, who are not otherwise dying, to die by lethal injection in New Zealand.

Read moreNew Zealand Bill Would Legalize Euthanasia, Pressure Disabled To Die

Meet The NSA’s ‘Fat Finger’

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– Meet the NSA’s “Fat Finger” (Liberty Blitzkrieg, Aug 16, 2013):

James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence, has acknowledged that the court found the NSA in breach of the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures, but the Obama administration has fought a Freedom of Information lawsuit that seeks the opinion.

Generally, the NSA reveals nothing in public about its errors and infractions. The unclassified versions of the administration’s semiannual reports to Congress feature blacked-out pages under the headline “Statistical Data Relating to Compliance Incidents.”

From the Washington Post’s groundbreaking article from last evening

For those of you not familiar with Wall Street lingo, people in the financial industry refer to an outsized move in the markets resulting from a human error as a “fat finger,” ie someone pressed the wrong key when placing an order. Unfortunately for us all, it appears the NSA has a surveillance fat finger. Who would’ve guessed it!

Read moreMeet The NSA’s ‘Fat Finger’

Fallout Researcher: Fukushima Worst Case Scenario Could Result In BILLIONS Of DEATHS

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From the article:

RT: Finally, what is the worst case scenario? What level of contamination are we looking at and how dire would the consequences be for the long-term health of the region?

CC: Extremely dire. This is a terrible answer to have to give, but the worst case scenario could play out in death to billions of people. A true apocalypse. Since we have been discussing Reactor 4, I’ll stick to that problem in particular, but also understand that a weather event, power outage, earthquake, tsunami, cooling system failure, or explosion and fire in any way, shape, or form, at any location on the Fukushima site, could cascade into an event of that magnitude as well.

– Fukushima apocalypse: Years of ‘duct tape fixes’ could result in ‘millions of deaths’ (RT, Aug 17, 2013):

Even the tiniest mistake during an operation to extract over 1,300 fuel rods at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan could lead to a series of cascading failures with an apocalyptic outcome, fallout researcher Christina Consolo told RT.

Fukushima operator TEPCO wants to extract 400 tons worth of spent fuel rods stored in a pool at the plant’s damaged Reactor No. 4. The removal would have to be done manually from the top store of the damaged building in the radiation-contaminated environment.

In the worst-case scenario, a mishandled rod may go critical, resulting in an above-ground meltdown releasing radioactive fallout with no way to stop it, said Consolo, who is the founder and host of Nuked Radio. But leaving the things as they are is not an option, because statistical risk of a similarly bad outcome increases every day, she said.

RT: How serious is the fuel rod situation compared to the danger of contaminated water build-up which we already know about?

Christina Consolo: Although fuel rod removal happens on a daily basis at the 430+ nuclear sites around the world, it is a very delicate procedure even under the best of circumstances. What makes fuel removal at Fukushima so dangerous and complex is that it will be attempted on a fuel pool whose integrity has been severely compromised. However, it must be attempted as Reactor 4 has the most significant problems structurally, and this pool is on the top floor of the building.

There are numerous other reasons that this will be a dangerous undertaking.

Read moreFallout Researcher: Fukushima Worst Case Scenario Could Result In BILLIONS Of DEATHS

Two US Senators On The Intelligence Committee: NSA Revelations Of Privacy Breaches ‘The Tip Of The Iceberg’

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– NSA revelations of privacy breaches ‘the tip of the iceberg’ – Senate duo (Guardian, Aug 16, 2013):

Leading critics of NSA Ron Wyden and Mark Udall say ‘public deserves to know more about violations of secret court orders’

Two US senators on the intelligence committee said on Friday that thousands of annual violations by the National Security Agency on its own restrictions were “the tip of the iceberg.”

“The executive branch has now confirmed that the rules, regulations and court-imposed standards for protecting the privacy of Americans’ have been violated thousands of times each year,” said senators Ron Wyden and Mark Udall, two leading critics of bulk surveillance, who responded Friday to a Washington Post story based on documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

“We have previously said that the violations of these laws and rules were more serious than had been acknowledged, and we believe Americans should know that this confirmation is just the tip of a larger iceberg.”

Read moreTwo US Senators On The Intelligence Committee: NSA Revelations Of Privacy Breaches ‘The Tip Of The Iceberg’

Police Seizing Cash And Property From Citizens Without Charges

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– Police Seizing Cash And Property From Citizens Without Charges (Off The Grid News, Aug 16, 2013):

Police in many parts of the United States are routinely seizing cash and valuables from citizens without arrest or trial. Worst of all, police officers in Texas and Virginia have actually been stopping motorists and seizing their cash.

Having a large amount of cash on you or in your car is now apparently a crime in some parts of the United States. Worse, laws set up to seize cash from drug dealers are being used to seize money from people stopped for minor traffic violations.

A disturbing article in The New Yorker magazine mentions several instances of police seizing cash from citizens. The cops used a legal doctrine called forfeiture to seize the cash. The frightening thing is that the cash and valuables can be taken without an arrest or even criminal charges. They can simply seize it on probable cause and in many cases that have nothing to do with drugs.

Read morePolice Seizing Cash And Property From Citizens Without Charges

“China May Be Exaggerating The Size Of Its Economy To The Tune Of $1 TRILLION By Releasing ‘Willfully Fraudulent’ Inflation And GDP”

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– China gets $1 trillion boost from dodgy data: Report (CBC News, Aug 16, 2013):

China may be exaggerating the size of its economy to the tune of $1 trillion by releasing “willfully fraudulent” inflation and GDP [gross domestic product] data, according to a study out this week.

Numbers from the world’s second largest economy are treated with skepticism by some economists, but this latest report has attempted to quantify the scale of discrepancy.

“There is strong evidence indicating that the rate of real Chinese GDP growth, and ultimately total real GDP, may be significantly over stated,” said Christopher Balding, associate professor at Peking University’s HSBC Business School, and the report’s author.

Read more“China May Be Exaggerating The Size Of Its Economy To The Tune Of $1 TRILLION By Releasing ‘Willfully Fraudulent’ Inflation And GDP”

Retired Marine Colonel Peter Martino To New Hampshire City Council: ‘We’re Building A Domestic Army’ (Video)

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– Retired Marine Colonel to New Hampshire City Council: “We’re Building a Domestic Army” (Liberty Blitzkrieg, Aug 16, 2013):

We’re building a domestic army and we’re shrinking the military, because the government is afraid of its own citizens. The last time more than 10 terrorists were in the same place at one time was September 11th, and all these vehicles in the world wouldn’t have prevented it, nor would it have helped anybody. So I don’t know where we are going to use this many vehicles and this many troops…We’re building an army over here and I can’t believe people aren’t seeing it. Is everybody blind?
– Retired Marine Colonel Peter Martino

The above quote is taken from a powerful 4 minute video taken at a Concord, NH council meeting to discuss whether or not the city should proceed with a request to obtain a BearCat G3 armored vehicle. I reported on the controversy behind this vehicle request earlier in the week, after the city’s application was made public and showed officials explained it was needed to deal with “domestic terrorists,” which included libertarians and Occupy New Hampshire.

Colonel Martino warns us that the gear being worn by domestic law enforcement is the same combat gear that they worse in Iraq, except with a slightly different color. He receives a well deserved raucous applause at the end, and finishes with:

“There’s always free cheese in the mouse trap.”

Indeed.

Egypt Military Prepares To Crush Islamist March Of Millions ‘Day Of Rage’

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– Egypt Military Prepares To Crush Islamist March Of Millions “Day Of Rage” (ZeroHedge, Aug 16, 2013):

If there is one day when the pent up tensions on both sides resulting from the Egyptian coup over a month ago may boil over and lead to an all out civil war (still unclear how John Kerry would “define” that one) today may be that day, as Cairo is braced for what may be the most violent confrontations yet with supporters of the deposed president Mursi calling for “day of rage” protests after Friday prayers, and the Egyptian polic (now using live ammo) and army set to crush any such “illegal” protests. Since millions are set to hit the streets, there is no way this will have a peaceful outcome.

CNN reports:

As Egypt faces the gruesome aftermath of clashes that left hundreds dead, demonstrators plan to defy an emergency order and take to the streets to mark “Friday of anger.”

The Muslim Brotherhood promised huge protests, and Egypt’s military government showed no sign of easing its crackdown, setting the stage for what could become another catastrophic encounter of security forces and protesters.

Read moreEgypt Military Prepares To Crush Islamist March Of Millions ‘Day Of Rage’

What The Federal Reserve Owns: Complete Treasury Holdings Breakdown

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– What The Fed Owns: Complete Treasury Holdings Breakdown (ZeroHedge, Aug 16, 2013):

As everyone knows (since the data is public), in the most recent week the Fed’s balance sheet rose to a record $3.646 trillion, an increase of $61 billion in the past week, and a record increase of $813 billion over the past year, a whopping 30% rise in the balance sheet in 12 short months. What may not be known is the exact distribution of Fed Treasury holdings by maturity. So without further ado, here it is. Of note, observe that what once was a predominantly ‘short-end’ balance sheet (consisting mostly of no-coupon, money equivalent Bills), has become almost entirely a “5 and over” current coupon carry affair. Which also is why the Fed now takes over the entire bond market at a rate of 0.25% per week.

Source: Goldman

Egypt Is Descending Into Civil War, But Don’t Expect Obama To Cancel His Golf Vacation

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– Egypt Is Descending Into Civil War, But Don’t Expect Obama To Cancel His Golf Vacation (Economic Collapse, Aug 15, 2013):

The largest Islamic nation in the Middle East is on the verge of descending into civil war, the Syrian civil war is starting to spill over into Lebanon, and the worst violence in five years has just hit Iraq, but Barack Obama is way too busy to be bothered with any of that.  Right now, Obama is enjoying one of the true loves of his life – golf.  According to the Washington Post, Obama has “played 18 holes of golf every day but one this week”, and without a doubt he appears to really be enjoying his time up in Martha’s Vineyard.  I hear that it is absolutely beautiful up there this time of the year.  And apparently he needs the rest.  After all, prior to this vacation he has only had time to play 133 rounds of golf since becoming president.  Between snubbing world leaders and getting the U.S. economy going again, it must be really tough for Obama to find enough time to sharpen his game.Of course I am being facetious.  It is absolutely ridiculous how much time Obama takes off, and Congress is even worse.  Congress is taking a five week vacation right now.  Most Americans don’t get that much vacation in an entire year.

Meanwhile, as our leaders enjoy their rest, the Middle East is coming apart at the seams.

Read moreEgypt Is Descending Into Civil War, But Don’t Expect Obama To Cancel His Golf Vacation

America Has A Broken, Corrupt And Immoral Criminal Justice System

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– A Broken, Corrupt and Immoral Criminal Justice System (Liberty Blitzkrieg, Aug 15, 2013):

You know that the rule of law has essentially vanished when the Attorney General himself feels compelled to state: “America’s legal system, we must face the reality that, as it stands, our system is in too many respects broken.” That is precisely what Eric Holder stated earlier this week, while seemingly taking no responsibility for that fact despite being the top lawyer in the nation. Guess he was too busy protecting his banker masters from prosecution to notice.

In any event, the broken criminal justice system really took center stage earlier this year when the federal prosector Carmen Ortiz drove child prodigy Aaron Swartz to his death by piling on overzealous charges in an attempt to advance her career. Instead she drove a gentle genius to an untimely death. Kudos Ortiz.

In light of Holder’s comment, Bloomberg columnist Clive Crook wrote an excellent article outlining some of the main attributes of out increasingly Kafkaesque legal system. Here are some key excerpts:

Read moreAmerica Has A Broken, Corrupt And Immoral Criminal Justice System

BBC: Edward Snowden Documents Show NSA Broke Privacy Rules, Overstepped Legal Authority 1000s OF TIMES In Past 2 Years

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NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland

– Edward Snowden documents show NSA broke privacy rules (BBC News, Aug 16, 2013):

The US National Security Agency (NSA) broke privacy rules and overstepped its legal authority thousands of times in the past two years, according to documents leaked by Edward Snowden.

The incidents resulted in the unauthorised electronic surveillance of US citizens, according to documents published by the Washington Post.

Read moreBBC: Edward Snowden Documents Show NSA Broke Privacy Rules, Overstepped Legal Authority 1000s OF TIMES In Past 2 Years

‘The Great Culling: Our Water’ (Documentary – Trailers)

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“Fluoride causes more human cancer, and causes it faster, than any other chemical.”
– Dean Burk, Chief Chemist Emeritus, US National Cancer Institute

@Amazon.com: The Great Culling

Related information:

– Non Organic Foods That Contain Upwards Of 180 Times The Fluoride Level Of Tap Water

– Guinness Made In Dublin Brings You FLUORIDE!

– Dr. Paul Connett: The Case Against Water Fluoridation – The Truth About Fluoride (Video)

– Fluoridegate (Documentary)

– 25 Studies Prove That Fluoride Reduces Your IQ

Read more‘The Great Culling: Our Water’ (Documentary – Trailers)

As Egypt Burns, Obama ‘Strongly Condemns’ Violence From Martha’s Vineyard Vacation House

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– As Egypt Burns, Obama “Strongly Condemns” Violence From Martha’s Vineyard Vacation House (ZeroHedge, Aug 15, 2013):

Those damn Egyptians are so inconsiderate: first they non-coup just when John Kerry is busy honing his sailing skills. Now, the non-coupy country breaks out in civil war just as Obama is on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. Well, Egypt may be important enough to serve as a middleman when the US pays Lockheed Martin using Egypt as a dumb intermediary, but is obviously not important enough for Obama to cancel his vacation. Moments ago in an audio-only presentation (couldn’t russle enough Martha’s Vineyardians for the podium behind him? Were his sleeves rolled up? Was he reading from paper or a teleprompter? The people demand to know), Obama joined Kerry in “strongly condemning” the violence that according to some has already spilled over into all out civil war.

Some of the highlights:

Read moreAs Egypt Burns, Obama ‘Strongly Condemns’ Violence From Martha’s Vineyard Vacation House

Death Toll From Egypt Violence Rises To 525

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– Death toll from Egypt violence rises to 525 (Los Angeles, Aug 15, 2013):

CAIRO — Egyptian authorities on Thursday significantly raised the death toll from clashes the previous day between police and supporters of the ousted Islamist president, saying more than 500 people died and laying bare the extent of the violence that swept much of the country and prompted the government to declare a nationwide state of emergency and a nighttime curfew.

The death toll, which stood at 525, according to the latest Health Ministry figures, makes Wednesday by far the deadliest day since the 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime ruler and autocrat Hosni Mubarak — a grim milestone that does not bode well for the future of a nation roiled in turmoil and divisions for the past 2 1/2  years.

Health Ministry spokesman Khaled el-Khateeb put the number of the injured on Wednesday at 3,717.

Read moreDeath Toll From Egypt Violence Rises To 525

China, Japan Sell Most US Debt In Years; Foreign Treasury Holdings At 2013 Lows

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– China, Japan Sell Most US Paper In Years; Foreign Treasury Holdings At 2013 Lows (ZeroHedge, Aug 15, 2013):

And the bid hits just keep on coming.While previously we reported the foreigners as an aggregate class sold the most gross US securities ever in the month of June, we also learned that in June the biggest selling came from America’s two largest creditors: China and Japan (excluding the Fed of course, whose P&L losses are now approaching $300 billion in the past 3 months, or would if the Fed marked to anything but unicorns).

In June, the two countries combined sold $42 billion, with each selling over $20 billion: the most in years.

What is interesting is looking at the composition of the selloff: the bulk of was in the form of short-term Bills, as both countries were actually buyers of coupon securities. Net of coupon purchases Bill sales were even worse, or over $50 billion for the two countries alone.

Read moreChina, Japan Sell Most US Debt In Years; Foreign Treasury Holdings At 2013 Lows

Taiwan: Ageing Nuclear Power Plant Has Been Leaking Radioactive Water For Three And Half Years

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– Taiwan nuclear power plant reportedly leaking radioactive water (The Hindu, Aug 10, 2013):

An aging nuclear power plant in Taiwan has been leaking radioactive wastewater for three and half years, according to a report released by the government’s watchdog this week.

The report by Control Yuan said spent fuel rod storage pools at the have leaked since December 2009.

The pools of the two reactors leaked 15,370 milliliters and 4,830 milliliters respectively, it said. Radioactive materials such as Caesium-137, Cobalt-60, Manganese-54, and Chromium-51 were detected in water collected at the site.

Read moreTaiwan: Ageing Nuclear Power Plant Has Been Leaking Radioactive Water For Three And Half Years

How The Corrupt Establishment Is Selling Moral Bankruptcy To America

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– How The Corrupt Establishment Is Selling Moral Bankruptcy To America (ALT-MARKET, Aug 14, 2013):

Morality is a highly misunderstood component of human nature. Some people believe they can create moral guidelines from thin air based on their personal biases and prejudices. Some people believe that morality comes from the force of bureaucracy and government law. Still, others believe that there is no such thing; that morality is a facade created by men in order to better grease the wheels of society.

All of these world views discount the powerful scientific and psychological evidence surrounding Natural Law — the laws that human beings form internally due to inherent conscience regardless of environmental circumstances. When a person finally grasps inborn morality, the whole of the world comes into focus. The reality is that we are not born “good” or “evil.” Rather, we are all born with the capacity for good AND evil, and this internal battle stays with us until the end of our days.

Read moreHow The Corrupt Establishment Is Selling Moral Bankruptcy To America

More Fast And Furious Guns Surface At Crimes In Mexico

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– More Fast and Furious guns surface at crimes in Mexico (CBS News, Aug 14, 2013):

Three more weapons from Fast and Furious have turned up at crime scenes in Mexico, CBS News has learned, as the toll from the controversial federal operation grows.

According to Justice Department tracing documents obtained by CBS News, all three guns are WASR-10 762-caliber Romanian rifles. Two were purchased by Fast and Furious suspect Uriel Patino in May and July of 2010. Sean Steward, who was convicted on gun charges in July 2012, purchased a third. The rifles were traced yesterday to the Lone Wolf gun shop in Glendale, Ariz.

During Fast and Furious and similar operations, federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) encouraged the Lone Wolf and other gun stores to sell massive amounts of weapons to questionable purchasers who allegedly trafficked them Mexican drug cartels.

Read moreMore Fast And Furious Guns Surface At Crimes In Mexico

‘They’ Are Systematically Destroying Our Independence And Making Us All Serfs Of The State

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– They Are Systematically Destroying Our Independence And Making Us All Serfs Of The State (Economic Collapse, Aug 13, 2013):

The percentage of Americans that are economically independent has dropped to a stunningly low level.  In order to be economically independent, you have got to be able to take care of yourself without any assistance from anyone else.  Unless you are independently wealthy, that means that you either have your own business or you have a full-time job.  Unfortunately, as you will see below, the percentage of Americans that are self-employed is at an all-time record low and the percentage of Americans with a full-time job has declined to a level not seen in about 30 years.  As a result, more Americans than ever find themselves forced to turn to the government for assistance.  When you add it all up, about half of all Americans get money from the government each month these days.  And yes, there will always be poor people that cannot take care of themselves that need help, but when you have more than half of the population dependent on the government that is a major problem.  You see, the truth is that our independence is systematically being taken away from us and we are steadily being made serfs of the state.  And once you become a serf of the state, it is very hard to resist anything the government is doing in a meaningful way.  After all, the money that you are getting from the government is enabling you to survive.  In essence, your allegiance has been at least partially purchased and you may not even realize it.

Of course this is not how the United States was supposed to operate.  We were never intended to be a collectivist nation.  Rather, we were intended to be a country where liberty and freedom thrived and where most people would be able to independently take care of themselves.

Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult to be economically independent in America today.  One reason for this is that the environment for small businesses in this country is the most toxic that it has ever been before.  The federal government, our state governments and even our local governments are constantly coming up with new ways to oppress small business.

And just this week we learned that the IRS is specifically targeting small business owners and sending them threatening letters.

Yes, you read that correctly.  Despite all of the trouble that the IRS is currently in, they are still choosing to specifically go after small businesses with both barrels.  As a recent Forbes article explained, the IRS plans to send threatening letters to 20,000 small businesses all over the country:

Read more‘They’ Are Systematically Destroying Our Independence And Making Us All Serfs Of The State