Puppet MastersS


Brick Wall

U.K. 'gagging law' is passed

Thomas G. Clark
Another Angry Voice
Wed, 29 Jan 2014 06:02 UTC
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© 38 Degrees
Despite a massive campaign of resistance, the Tories managed to pass what has become commonly known as "the gagging bill". I prefer to refer to it as "The Protection of Corporate Lobbying and Silencing of Legitimate Debate bill" because that is precisely what it is. The mainstream corporate press have played along with the government by continually referring to it as the "lobbying bill", despite the fact that the majority of the lobbying industry will remain entirely unaffected by it. Essentially the bill protects in-house corporate lobbying operations from any kind of official scrutiny, meaning that a cloak of secrecy will still shroud their influence upon our politicians.

The fact that the so-called "lobbying bill" does so little to regulate the activities of corporate lobbyists isn't even the worst of it. The truly appalling part is the extensive second section of the bill which is clearly designed to silence critics of the government such as charities, voluntary organisations, protest groups, trade unions and religions (which despite the bile from the obnoxious anti-theist ranter brigade, have done much good work in promoting social justice).
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Briefcase

British government claims poverty in response to EU criticism of its 'manifestly inadequate' social welfare payments to unemployed

James Slack & Daniel Martin
Daily Mail, UK
Thu, 30 Jan 2014 05:45 UTC
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The only constituents who matter in the UK... in the background, London's financial district.
Eurocrats sparked fury last night by ordering the UK to double dole payments.

The Council of Europe claims the handouts given to Britain's jobless are 'manifestly inadequate'.

Ministers have been told they are in violation of the European Social Charter - potentially opening the door for claimants to take the Government to court to get more money.

But ministers say obeying the diktat from the Council, which oversees the controversial European Court of Human Rights, would cost the UK billions of pounds and plunge efforts to reduce the deficit into chaos.

To comply, Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) would have to be hiked by £71, from £67 to £138 a week.

Last night Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith accused the Council of Europe of 'lunacy'.
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Eye 1

US congressman Michael Grimm threatens journalist: 'I'll break you in half like a boy' - video


Guardian
Thu, 30 Jan 2014 05:47 UTC
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Maybe an anger management course or two?
US congressman Michael Grimm threatens to throw a journalist off a balcony after being asked about campaign finance allegations on Tuesday. The Republican, who represents Staten Island in New York, is answering questions from NY1 political reporter Michael Scotto. But when Scotto asks him about the arrest this month of one of his fundraisers, Grimm storms off, then returns and threatens Scotto

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Dollars

The 10 worst and 10 best States for taxes in 2014

Beth Braverman
The Fiscal Times
Tue, 28 Jan 2014 05:43 UTC
San francisco
© Wikimedia Commons
The 10 Worst States for Taxes in 2014

For upper middle income earners, high net-worth individuals, retirees, and certainly the "one percent" - where you live can make a huge difference in how much of your money you get to keep at the end of the year and how much you need to fork over to your state.

To help individuals and businesses make an informed choice, the Tax Foundation collects data on more than 100 tax provisions for each state and then ranks them to create its annual State Business Tax Climate Index. The 10 worst states on the list all levy complex, non-neutral taxes that favor some economic activities over others and have comparatively high individual and corporate tax rates.
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Stormtrooper

Following the Nazi Model: British elites move to ban parents from smoking in their own vehicles - homes next

Tamara Cohen
Daily Mail, UK
Thu, 30 Jan 2014 05:12 UTC
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'Ma'am, please step out of the vehicle'... The fascist net closes in.
Smoking in a car that is carrying children could be banned within days after the Lords threw its weight behind a controversial plan to outlaw the practice.

Peers last night unexpectedly backed the Labour move, which would give ministers the power to make it a criminal offence in England, punishable by a fine or points on a motorist's licence.

The Government had argued this would be very difficult to enforce, and might risk infringing on civil liberties. They favour an awareness campaign to highlight the dangers of smoking around children.

But Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, Labour health spokesman, persuaded colleagues it was a matter of child protection and crucial for the future.

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, a former president of the Royal Society of Medicine, said: 'A child in the back seat is effectively imprisoned in the vehicle for their own safety. Whatever adults do they have no control over.'
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Vader

US military: cult of abusive leaders


Press TV
Wed, 29 Jan 2014 05:37 UTC
US Military
The Pentagon has begun investigations of American generals and admirals accused of emotionally brutal behavior, a report says.

The affliction of abusive leadership has recently even infected some civilian leaders at the Pentagon, according to military documents obtained by The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act.

As an example, according to the paper, Army officers described the working atmosphere under Joyce E. Morrow, a powerful civilian official at Army headquarters, as "toxic," corrosive" and "like you were in a prisoner of war camp."
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Cheese

Apocalypse France: What is really happening in the land of cheese and wine


Youtube
Fri, 24 Jan 2014 05:20 UTC
Most of the world is not aware of what is going on in France at this moment. This brief video presents a concise picture:
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USA

Two familiar faces at the State of the Union told us everything

Mike Prysner
March Forward!
Wed, 29 Jan 2014 04:40 UTC
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© UknownCarlos Arredondo, Ray Odierno
The author is a former U.S. Army Corporal who spent 12 months in Iraq, starting with the invasion in March 2003. He is a co-founder of March Forward! and a member of the Board of Directors of Veterans For Peace.

Before President Obama even began the State of the Union address, two people I knew in the audience, from two defining points in my life, were much more significant to me. I thought their presence reflected the "State of the Union" better than anything the President could have said.
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Stormtrooper

Western-backed junta in Egypt charges 20 al-Jazeera journalists with 'damaging country's reputation'

Patrick Kingsley
The Guardian
Thu, 30 Jan 2014 04:09 UTC
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© Mohamed Abd El Ghany/ReutersAl-Jazeera's Cario studio after it was set ablaze in November. Sixteen of its journalist are accused of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Rights groups says move to indict 20 employees of news channel marks escalation in state's campaign against foreign media

Egyptian prosecutors say they will charge 20 al-Jazeera journalists, including two Britons, an Australian and a Dutch citizen, with fabricating news and tarnishing Egypt's reputation abroad. The 16 local defendants are also accused of belonging to former president Mohamed Morsi's now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.

The journalists include the Australian former BBC correspondent Peter Greste, and the al-Jazeera's Canadian-Egyptian bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy, who has worked for CNN and the New York Times. The identities of the other defendants, including the two Britons, are not stated, and some of them are understood to have been accused in absentia.

In a statement, prosecutors said the defendants aimed "to weaken the state's status, harming the national interest of the country, disturbing public security, instilling fear among the people, causing damage to the public interest, and possession of communication, filming, broadcast, video transmission without permit from the concerned authorities".

Comment: While this Western ally arrests journalists, the Syrian 'regime' did everything it could to let them report freely in Syria, despite bandits roaming the country and despite journalists' tendency to report the official Western line that a 'revolution' was taking place there.

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Eye 2

Toronto mob boss Rob Ford sued for arranging the prison beating of a man threatening to expose his 'unsavoury activities'


The Guardian
Thu, 30 Jan 2014 03:50 UTC
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© Mark Blinch/ReutersRob Ford, the Toronto mayor, conspired to have a prisoner beaten up for threatening to expose his illicit behaviour, according to a lawsuit.
Toronto mayor accused of arranging beating of Scott MacIntyre, his sister's ex-boyfriend, over threat to expose illicit behaviour

The embattled Toronto mayor, Rob Ford, is being sued by his sister's ex-boyfriend for allegedly conspiring to have the man beaten in jail to prevent his own illicit behaviours becoming public.

A lawsuit submitted on Wednesday by Scott MacIntyre alleges the mayor was behind an assault at a Toronto jail in March 2012 that was intended to keep MacIntrye quiet about Ford's abuse of alcohol and drugs.

The lawsuit alleges MacIntrye was threatened with "dire consequences" if he did not remain quiet. He was in jail after being charged with threatening the mayor, for saying he would expose his "unsavoury activities", the lawsuit says.

MacIntrye alleges Ford conspired with Payman Aboodowleh, who coached football with Ford, to have a jailed former player of theirs beat MacIntyre up.

Comment: Crack-smoking mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, threatens to murder someone in latest video leak: Conservative 'family values' politician has no intention of resigning

Police wiretap evidence indicates 'conservative' crack-smoking Toronto mayor Rob Ford is also involved in heroin, bribery and murder

Shameless, crack smoking Ogre of Toronto, mayor Rob Ford, signs up for re-election despite scandal

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