Society's ChildS


Bad Guys

Disaster in the making: Bankrupting the world with perpetual war


Economic Undertow
Wed, 03 Sep 2014 00:00 UTC
fifth horseman
John Maynard Keynes famously remarked, "in the long run we are all dead ... "

It is hard to tell whether Keynes had the entire United States in mind. Watching the leering, blithering president stumbling around like a drunk at a Christmas party it is clear that the country's organizational framework is hopelessly corroded. The only question is how long is it going to last?

If you take some time away from the Internet (as I have been doing for the past few weeks) it is stunningly clear that content for the most part is aggravating noise. Every argument has fifteen sides larded over with conspiracy theories. The web is truly Hobbes' war of all against all ... with kitten videos. The major media outlets offer platefuls of propaganda-advertising disguised as 'news stories' while (most of) the rest churn out nonsense. The Internet enables those with modest mental horsepower but with co-optable ideology to disrupt/distract everyone else. Common purpose - reality - is confined to the obscure corners where the bulk of users idiots can't be bothered to look.

Moral clarity versus the president's bumbling duplicity. Events of the past year or so indicate that the West has reached the end of the 'Age of Expedients' and entering the far more demanding 'Age of Consequences'.

Comment: Lament for Babylon

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Sheriff

Baltimore police strip and search man's privates in full view of the public

Danny Jacobs
The Daily Record
Mon, 08 Sep 2014 17:29 UTC
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© Baltimore Police DeptOfficer Demario Harris (left) receiving 'officer of the year' award
A Baltimore man has filed a $2 million lawsuit against the Baltimore Police Department after officers allegedly performed a cavity search on him in public, in the middle of the day, for no reason. Jermaine Lyons is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for battery, false arrest, false imprisonment and violations of the Maryland Declaration of Human Rights, according to the lawsuit, filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court.

Lyons alleges he was riding his bike May 3, 2013, on his way to Patterson Park when he stopped at a store in the 200 block of North Highland Avenue. Police officers approached him and asked for identification, which Lyons provided, according to the lawsuit. The officers then asked Lyons if he had any drugs on him, to which he responded he did not, the suit alleges.

Police then proceeded to pull down his pants, then his underwear "down to his knees," and spread his legs apart, the complaint states.

"The Defendant then proceeded to conduct a cavity search of the Plaintiff in the middle of [the] sidewalk, in full view of passersby," the complaint states.

Isaac Klein, Lyons' lawyer, said the officers did not "articulate probable cause" before searching Lyons, who was not charged in connection with the incident.
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Stormtrooper

Cop won't be charged in videotaped beating of girlfriend, who says they were 'playing around'

Travis Gettys
The Raw Story
Thu, 11 Sep 2014 09:14 UTC
honolulu cop
© KGMB-TV
A Honolulu police officer with a history of domestic violence won't be charged in a videotaped apparent assault on his girlfriend.

Sgt. Darren Cachola is shown on the video repeatedly punching the woman Monday night at the restaurant where she works as a manager.

Surveillance video from Kuni's Japanese Restaurant appears to show the woman throwing a punch at Cachola, an 18-year department veteran who was recently promoted to sergeant.

Cachola strikes her again and again, and the woman's co-workers rush to her aid after she falls to the ground.

The girlfriend told police and reporters the incident was just a "misunderstanding."

"I understand how it looks," the woman said. "We train all the time together. We do kickboxing together, and we were playing around."

She told officers who were called to the restaurant that she did not want to file a complaint.

"I hit him first and we were just playing," she said. "There was no danger, no injuries, no problem."

The woman said she spent the night at Cachola's house following the incident.

Cachola's police powers have been temporarily suspended during the investigation, which was launched Tuesday after a citizen turned over the video to police.

The officer has not been charged in the incident.
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Family

Majority of Americans: Obama presidency a failure


Press TV
Thu, 11 Sep 2014 12:37 UTC
obama drones
The majority of people in the United States believe President Barack Obama is a weak leader and consider his presidency as a "failure," a recent opinion poll has found.

According to the poll by Washington Post and ABC News, by 52 to 42 percent, Americans say that Obama has been more of a failure than a success.

Those saying Obama has been a failure include 25 percent of Democrats, 29 percent of liberals, 92 percent of Conservative Republicans and 29 percent of liberals.

The poll also indicates that most Americans rate Obama as a weak leader. Only 43 percent of Americans say he is a strong leader, the lowest reading since he entered the White House.

Comment: Since Obama became the latest puppet-leader of what is euphemistically known as U.S. democracy, more and more Americans have found themselves homeless, hungry and surrounded by a police state regime which chooses to spend their money on creating and sustaining wars around the world. So it seems utterly inexplicable that there are about 30-40% of Americans still supporting him and his policies!

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Network

Battle for Internet neutrality inundates the FCC with public comments


RT
Thu, 11 Sep 2014 09:33 UTC
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Battle for the Net, an internet freedom campaign joined by heavyweights of the internet industry, has succeeded in sending millions of public comments to US authorities criticizing the two-tiered internet speed system that threatens net neutrality.

According to the organizers, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and members of Congress were receiving an average of 1,000 calls per minute. At the same time, the FCC says that its rule on net neutrality - which is open for public comments until September 15 - generated over 1.4 million clicks.

RT caught up with Steve Sarner, Vice President of tagged.com, and Kevin Collier, a reporter from dailydot.com to get more information about the September 10 net neutrality action day.
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Pistol

Former official brings gun to discuss taxes, ends up killing himself by accident

Ahiza Garcia
Talking Points Memo
Wed, 10 Sep 2014 04:36 UTC
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© AP Photo / Dave Kettering
A former city manager in Maquoketa, Iowa reportedly opened fire at a county meeting being held there on Tuesday and was killed with his own gun as the result of an ensuing struggle, according to what officials told television station KWWL.

The station reported that 71-year-old Francis "Gus" Glaser attended the Jackson County supervisors meeting to contest his property taxes and the assessed value of his property.

Jackson County Sheriff Russ Kettmann told the LA Times that supervisors allowed Jackson County Assessor Deb Lane to leave the meeting when the discussion got heated and became unproductive.

As Lane was leaving, Glaser removed a handgun from his briefcase and shot at her, Kettmann told the newspaper. Before Glaser could follow Lane into the hall, County Supervisor Larry "Buck" Koos tackled him, according to the Times. Kettmann told the newspaper it was a good thing because "it would have been a lot worse" if Koos hadn't tackled the shooter.
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Heart - Black

Cops: Dad led them to bodies of his 5 children and confessed to killing them

Tony Santaella
WLTX.com
Tue, 09 Sep 2014 04:00 UTC
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© Smith County, MS Sheriff's DepartmentTimothy Ray Jones Jr.
The bodies of five missing children from Lexington County have been found in Alabama, after law enforcement officials say their father confessed to killing them.

The remains were discovered around 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time in Wilcox County, Alabama. It's not clear yet how the children died.

The children's father, Timothy Ray Jones Jr., was arrested last Saturday in Raleigh, Mississippi at a driver's license checkpoint.
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Shopping Bag

Lack of jobs forcing Los Angelinos to become street vendors

Tiffany Hsu
Los Angeles Times
Sat, 06 Sep 2014 20:00 UTC
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Sitting at her street vending booth with products arrayed neatly on a sequined purple tablecloth, Jackie Lloyd reflects nostalgically on the days when she had a steady salary and regular hours.

That was four years ago, before the 39-year-old was laid off from her job as an elementary school cafeteria worker and mounting bills forced her to venture into self-employment.

Now the Pico-Union resident hops from location to location, selling body oils, shea butter, soap and incense. She moves when nearby businesses complain or she feels unsafe.

Some days, her sales bring in $150. Others, they don't break $20.

"If I just had a 9-to-5 job, it'd be guaranteed money," she said. "Then again, I'm my own boss, and I meet different people every day."

Once the domain of recent immigrants trying to scratch out a living, the ranks of sidewalk merchants have swelled since the economy soured in 2007. The group - an estimated 10,000 countywide - is now larger and more diverse, pulling in out-of-work professionals, war veterans and single mothers, according to a recent report by the Los Angeles chief legislative analyst's office.

Comment: It's not just Californians who are suffering. The US economy is in free-fall and most Americans are struggling to keep their heads above water. See: US poverty Levels: 49.7 million are poor, and 80% of the total population is near poverty and Nearly a quarter of Californians live in poverty.

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Gold Coins

Portugal may be the next country to experience a raid by the banking system

Nick Giambruno
Commoditiefutures.com
Thu, 11 Sep 2014 01:49 UTC
wealth confiscation
The pattern should be seared in your memory by now. If you fail to recognize it, you could be struck with a huge financial blow.

It's a pattern that has played out over and over throughout history: a government gets into financial trouble, then denies there's a problem, which is followed by a surprise wealth grab.

That's exactly what happened when bank deposits in Spain and Cyprus were raided. We've also seen retirement savings confiscated in some form in Poland, Portugal, and Hungary. Capital controls have been imposed in Cyprus and Iceland.

Of course these aren't the only examples of blatant government thievery. These examples are just within Europe and just within recent years. They can and will happen anywhere.

These events highlight the need to use international diversification to mitigate your political risk - the risk that comes from governments.

I think they also give us some clues as to what country is next on the chopping block.

Comment: Portugal exited its international bailout program in May, regaining its economic sovereignty, which it lost after the European debt crisis. However, the country's GDP is four percent lower than in 2010, a year before it asked for financial help. Although Berlin and Brussels have hailed Portugal's clean exit from its EU bailout, it has not been popular at home. Portugal's high unemployment has forced the workforce to look abroad for work opportunities, increasing emigration. During the past 3 years, the work force has defected for more robust neighboring economies in record numbers. In 2012, this reached a new high of 120,000 émigrés, which was coupled with Portugal's lowest birth rate. While many people are struggling with tough austerity measures, a disproportionate amount of people are getting richer and richer. In Portugal, the top 20 percent make six times more than the bottom 20 percent. And if things start to go south, you can bet the rich will take care of themselves quickly, while the average working stiff still hasn't a clue.

See: Portugal bucks the system and leaves IMF 'bailout' program

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Newspaper

Army officer wearing his uniform not allowed in Michigan high school - 'uniform may offend another student'


Myfoxdetroit.ccom
Wed, 10 Sep 2014 10:25 UTC
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© WJBK-TV
Lieutenant Colonel Sherwood Baker says he is just a father who was trying to help his daughter find her way at her new high school.

Sherwood, who has served in the Army for 24 years, was told by Rochester Adams High School security that if he wanted to get into the school with his daughter he was going to have to go home and change his clothes.

Baker's wife Rachel Ferhadson says, "Before he was allowed in, the security guard stopped him and said sorry you're not allowed in the school. Security told him men and women in uniform weren't allowed because it may offend another student."

Baker says he was simply coming to the school to speak with his daughter's counselor regarding her class schedule but was turned away at the doors because he was not wearing a tie.

Rochester Schools superintendent Robert Shaner, who is a veteran himself, quickly took care of the situation apologizing to the family for their troubles.

Shaner sent a letter to Fox 2 which says: "The district has apologized for any perception that individuals in uniform are not welcome in the school. The district does not have a policy excluding individuals in uniform and will be working with administration and the firm that handles our security to make sure district policies are understood and communicated accurately."
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