Chief Dennis Jones of Tallahassee Wanted for Constitutional Violations

Chief Dennis Jones calls an innocent 23 year old girl, Rachael Hoffman, a "criminal" after his department intimidated and coerced her into a major drug sting to buy a gun, 100 ecstasy pills and cocaine. They said she'd spend 4-years in prison for a small baggie of marijuana unless she went undercover. She complied and was killed in the sting.

Call Chief Dennis Michael Jones' office at: (850) 891-4200

Who was the victim in Rachael Hoffman's original crime? Law is based on violating another Citizen's Natural Rights -- nothing else. Freedom allows us to be free as long as it infringes on no one else's freedom. Rather simple.

It is a clear Constitutional violation to arrest someone for such an act. If you coerce and intimidate an innocent person into participating in a real criminal conspiracy resulting in their death you should be charged at minimum with negligent homicide. Illegal actions that result in death are not manslaughter -- it is murder.

Criminal Cop, Patrick Pogan, Loses Badge After Violently Assaulting Bicyclist

Patrick Pogan, a 22-year-old rookie cop, former football offensive lineman and son of a retired NYPD detective, claimed in court documents that 29-year-old Christopher Long of Bloomfield, New Jersey was "forcing multiple vehicles to stop abruptly or change their direction to avoid hitting the defendant." Pogan also alleged that Long knocked him to the ground after deliberately aiming the bicycle towards him.

If it wasn't caught on video people would not have believed it," rider and documentary filmmaker Christopher Ryan added. "The video just shows what the cyclists have been saying all along, that the police are still harassing and intimidating them from doing group rides."

Long was charged with attempted assault in the third degree, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. He was held for 26 hours.

"The video speaks for itself," Long's attorney told Gothamist. Norman Siegel, civil rights attorney and former counsel for enviromental activist group TIME'S UP!, added his opinion that the video footage showed "unacceptable illegal behavior by this particular police officer."

"I'm proud of my son," said Patrick Pogan Sr., retired NYPD detective and former Joint Terrorism Task Force member. "He's a good kid."



[via Rawstory.com]

Radio Australia: "IMF predicts no end in sight to credit crisis"

IMF predicts no end in sight to credit crisis
Updated Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:24am AEST

The International Monetary Fund says there's no end in sight to the credit crisis gripping world financial markets.

As Australia's NAB and ANZ have already discovered, the IMF believes banks are in for more pain as mortgage defaults soar and economies slow. The IMF has a particularly gloomy assessment of the US economy, and it came on the same day as the Bush administration revealed America's budget deficit will climb to a record high of more than half-a-TRILLION dollars.

Speaker: Michael Rowland
Speakers: Jaime Caruana, head of the IMF's capital markets division; Doug Peta, a market strategist with J and W Seligman; Jim Nussle, White House budget director

Former CFR Chairman Buys I.O.U.S.A. Documentary, Concerned About US's $9.5 Trillion of Debt (Keynesianism)

Blackstone's Peterson Backs Film on U.S. Debt Through Nonprofit
By Patrick Cole
Enlarge Image/Details

July 11 (Bloomberg) -- Blackstone Group LP co-founder Peter G. Peterson celebrated the launch of his $1 billion foundation last night by showing off his latest acquisition: a documentary that examines the perils of the U.S.'s debt.

As he stood a few feet from a portrait of himself at the Council of Foreign Relations in Manhattan -- he's a former chairman -- Peterson, 82, addressed an elite crowd of 150 that included philanthropists David Rockefeller and Donald B. Marron; former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; former New York Governor Mario Cuomo; Quadrangle Group LLC co-founder Steven Rattner and Robert Rubin, the former U.S. treasury secretary.

Peterson told the crowd that the Peter G. Peterson Foundation has bought the rights to the feature-length documentary, ``I.O.U.S.A.,'' which will open in 10 cities on Aug. 22. The distributor is Roadside Attractions.

Directed by Patrick Creadon, the film features interviews with investor Warren Buffett and former Federal Reserve chairmen Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker, who discuss the dangers of U.S.'s national debt, which is about $9.5 trillion, according to the Bureau of Public Debt, an arm of the U.S. Treasury.

``Over time, taxes would have to double to pay for the debt and that's unthinkable,'' Peterson said.

Peterson announced in February that he would create a foundation to address the U.S.'s economic, environmental and social problems.

`Why So Difficult?'

The nonprofit will help promote the film's release and offer free DVDs of ``I.O.U.S.A.'' to the public after its theatrical run, said foundation spokeswoman Elizabeth Wilner. It will also spend $5.3 million in grants to help young people learn about public and personal finance.

``We're not going to be just another think tank,'' Peterson said to the group. ``Our mission is to create awareness and to bring Americans together to achieve real results. Why is that so difficult?''

The film's trailer was shown on big-screen monitors in the wood-paneled room as the audience drank cocktails and ate chicken on skewers.

``This is going to be an economic version of `An Inconvenient Truth,''' said the foundation's chief executive officer David Walker, the former U.S. comptroller general who has a speaking part in the new film.

``Pete knows business, he knows the economy -- I think it's a terrific idea,'' Kissinger said in an interview after viewing the film clip. ``If we continue on this road, it would be awful.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Cole in New York at pcole3@Bloomberg.net.

ABC News: Economists concerned about record budget deficit, $600 Billion for 2009

Bush's White House used some Hollywood Accounting to project the 2009 budget deficit at $482 Billion. Which doesn't include he WAR, unemployment costs, medicare fees, and the new housing bill -- making the project 2009 budget deficit $600 billion.

It is like "core inflation" which doesn't include rising energy or food costs.

NY Times: Pakistani ISI "far more loyal" to Al Qaeda and the Taliban (and the CIA?) than their own government

The Taliban’s Rising Tide, Editorial
Published: July 11, 2008

The swelling forces of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters in Pakistan’s border region pose a grave threat to American and NATO troops in Afghanistan. They also pose a grave threat to the Pakistani people. Pakistan’s Taliban militias, like their Afghan counterparts, are trying to impose their harsh medieval version of Islamic law. More than a thousand Pakistanis have been killed in terrorist attacks in the past year, mostly in the border areas where radical Islamic fighters are strongest.

Pakistan’s new military and civilian leaders, caught up in their own power struggles, have been dangerously derelict in acknowledging and confronting the threat. Instead, they have deluded themselves that they can negotiate a separate peace with fanatic Taliban leaders. Bitter experience has proved that will not work.

Sending United States troops into Pakistan’s border regions to try to clean out Taliban and Al Qaeda forces is also not the answer — and would provoke even fiercer anti-American furies across Pakistan. The poorly paid, ill-trained and uncertainly loyal Frontier Corps in Pakistan is not up to the job.

Pakistan’s civilian leaders and the new military commander, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, will need to commit to fighting the extremists — for the sake of their own country’s stability — and to sending in elite units specifically trained in counterinsurgency techniques. Local tribal leaders also need to be weaned away from the Taliban. That would only happen if Islamabad and Washington back their exhortations with substantial economic assistance.

The United States has showered Pakistan with more than $7 billion in military aid over the past six years, with little of it actually being used for counterinsurgency purposes. Over the same period, Washington has provided less than $3 billion in all other forms of assistance.

This month, Senators Joseph Biden and Richard Lugar plan to introduce sensible legislation that would provide up to $15 billion in aid to Pakistan over the next 10 years for economic development, health and education. Congress should move quickly to approve the aid. [NOTE: This is economic warfare, not aid.]

The United States also needs to work with Pakistan’s new government to establish spending priorities and to ensure that any future aid is channeled in ways that would strengthen the civilian government and allow it to regain control over a military that has too often been a law unto itself and intelligence services that seem far more loyal to the extremists than their own government.

When Pakistan’s prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, visits Washington later this month, President Bush should offer him strong political and economic backing in exchange for a firm commitment to support Afghanistan’s embattled government and fight Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorism in Pakistan.

Washington has made a lot of policy mistakes in Pakistan — most notably supporting Pervez Musharraf for far too long. It has forfeited most of its credibility with the Pakistani people and reinforced their belief that the fight against extremism is “Washington’s war” and not also their own.

Both countries have a common and increasingly urgent interest in rolling back the power of Al Qaeda and the Taliban and working together to promote democracy and development in Pakistan. President Bush needs to persuade Pakistan’s leaders of that — and he needs to do it now, before Al Qaeda and the Taliban get any stronger.

"The Muslim world is in flames, and we can claim credit for that." - reader Hazem Isawi, Chicago

Army Recruiter Says Not to Hold Recruiters Responsible for Lying Soliders Into War

I called one of the Army Recruiters in Houston at (281) 209-1680 looking for the Greenspoint number. The gentleman gave me the number (281) 872-1084 which seems to be a fax number (send a fax!).

I asked him if a recruiter lied to a potential solder who dies if he considered that manslaughter. He said no because there's no guarantee you will go to Iraq or overseas. He said, if you join the Army and then are stationed in Colorado and you get in a car accident there and die, is it the Army's fault? (If you lie and someone dies, you've committed a crime.)

I said, the probability of going to Iraq and the probability of dying in Iraq greatly increases when you join the Army. If a recruiter lies to a potential soldier, in terms of an actuary, your chance of death or disability just dramatically increased.

I asked him point blank if he thought it was ok to lie to a recruit which he said, "No not all". However, he doesn't seem to think that Sgt. Marquette, Sgt. Kelt and any other recruiter should be held accountable for lying people into war.

Here's the full audiotape of a disturbing conversation with Sgt. Glenn Marquette.

RECRUIT: "I want out!"
RECRUIT: "Is there a way out?"
MARQUETTE: "No, there's not a way out!"
RECRUIT: "There's no way out?"
MARQUETTE: "No."

Army Greenspoint Recruiting Station Full of Criminals Who Lie, Intimidate and Threaten Potential Soliders -- Manslaughter Charges?

May 2005, Sgt. Thomas Kelt leaves a voicemail:

"By federal law you got an appointment with me at two o'clock this afternoon at Greenspoint Mall. OK, you fail to appear and we'll have a warrant. OK? So give me a call back."

The result of that voicemail caused the Army to issue a national stand-down of all their recruiters to reexamine their polices and regulations.

However, in July 2005 instead of disciplining Sgt. Kelt, the Army promoted him to station commander and moved him from Greenspoint Recruiting Station to another.

Now 3-years later Sgt. Glenn Marquette, a supervisor also at the Greenspoint Recruiting Station, continues Sgt. Kelt's policy of potential voluntary manslaughter (or negligent homicide?) by lying, intimidating and threatening potential soldiers who under duress may go off to war and lose their life on a lie (or two lies).

The Army claims: "At no time will any (recruiter) tell a (Delayed Entry Program) member he or she must go in the Army or he or she will go to jail."

However, this is the transcript of a voicemail from Sgt. Glenn Marquette

"Then guess what? You’re AWOL. Absent without leave. You want to go to school? You will not get no loans, because all college loans are federal and government loans. So you’ll be black barred from that. As soon as you get pulled over for a speeding ticket, they’re gonna see you’re a deserter, they’re going to apprehend you, take you to jail."

"So guess what? All that lovey-dovey 'I wanna go to college' and all that? Guess what? You just threw it out the window, because you just screwed your life."

Marquette claimed that the potential soldier had "signed a binding contract" which is not true. Someone should see if any soldiers these two criminals recruited later died at war and if so the prosecutor should hold them accountable.

Grandpa was always right.

Ron Paul on IndyMac, Tom Brown, John Schoen, Bill Gross, Fitch, GSE Exec Pay, Blackstone is Buying, Reverse Mortgage Amendments and Foreclosures.

Listen to Ron Paul.

NYC Police Officer Defends Himself -- Pushes Man Off His Bicycle Violently

Clearly this officer was justified. The cyclist certainly assaulted the officer with his bike. Even though the officer walked towards the oncoming cyclist and even though the cyclist swerves to miss him, the officer had no other choice but to violently push him off his bike.

If there were no video cameras, cops would be a lot more credible.

Sky News Says Obama Called for "New World Order" in His Speech to 200,000+

Obama never said the phrase "New World Order" but he essentially described it. This goes back to the idealistic version of a new world order based on HG Welles' Open Conspiracy (he also wrote a book entitled The New World Order).

It was basically rich guys trying to figure out how to make world peace. The evil nature of it was spawned by Nicholas Murray Butler, the first president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

It is well documented that Butler got excited about the perils of our Allies in WWI and decided that there was no greater way to change society but by through war. Thus, how does the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace start wars? They infiltrated the State Dept, which they did unbelievably well.

The only way to prevent the Fabian-Integration, Rockefeller-approved globalization is for us to create our own version of integration and globalization. Ron Paul said the Jeffersonian Republicans should have our own version of the CFR -- an intellectual society dedicated to freedom and liberty.

We need to provide the solutions so when the crises happen we can implement our ideas. With no alternative to the CFR designed globalization, it's implementation is inevitable.

Response to Obama, the Neo-Con

This is my response to an interesting video that suggests Obama is a neo-con and is perhaps evil. First of all, to consider Obama evil is naive and not effective. You have to realize Obama's beliefs are noble and his intent is positive.

He's been seduced by a very effective machine based on media, politics and think tanks that have pushed Economic Integration (i.e. World Government) as our economic driving force.

As for Obama being 8th cousins with Cheney and 11th cousins with Bush -- I don't even understand what that means. It's interesting but aren't we all cousins? If they're implying some evil bloodline, please prove how it is evil.

I support nearly everything Ron Paul has said, as it's what Jefferson would do and what Reagan did. However, I do support limited covert action overseas. I also could support sanctions against collectivist governments and potentially military action against collectivist governments.

The idea of collectivism infringes on every God-given Natural Right personified by Godwin's Indefinite Perfectibility of Man and guaranteed by our Constitution which limits the power government has over the Sovereign Individual.

The ramifications of collectivism are potentially extreme. Religious clerics running a country that merges religion with education allows for religious extremists to be manifested by propaganda.

It is never the people of a country we go to war with, it is their corrupt governments. The idea of Natural Rights is not limited to the citizens of the 50 United States.

Therefore, I wholly support covert action in Pakistan if real terrorists are there. I don't endorse talking about it on television or debating the puppet Shaukat Aziz about it.

Pakistan says they are a sovereign country but in fact they are a military dictatorship (which we helped create) that oppresses their people's sovereignty. In addition, there's usually ulterior motives for military action so if it happened it should be honestly justified.

The problem is there are very few real terrorists and much so than go after any religious extremist in Pakistan, I'd rather take over and shut down the ISI. Much of our efforts to stop terrorism has created it. Nonetheless there are very evil people in this world, all vying to create their own New World Order.

Bin Laden has his dream of one unified Muslim nation in Arabia with a worldwide Caliphate. Bush has his dream of a new world order based on the idealistic nature of HG Welles' Open Conspiracy and implemented by Wilson, FDR and Bush Sr. Hitler had his version of a new world order with Japan and Germany.

The point is the world is in chaos and more so it is being drowned by collectivism. We need a New World Order -- one that will forever extinguish these perverse global orders based on collectivism, "privileges" for the 2nd class citizen, martial law and socialist world government.

Jefferson supported the French Revolution and in my opinion, this Fabian-Integration concept of globalization has consistently reversed the positive effects of Robespierre, the Jacobins et al and thus it may be time for a new world wide revolutions of revolutions to once and for all free man from the grasps of tyranny and oppression.

A neo-con isn't bad because he promotes Total War. He is bad because he is a collectivist, who will lie, stage attacks and wars (as taught by neo-con professor Leo Strauss) to reach his goal -- any means are justified for the righteous action. Thus the neo-con lies and says we go to war not for oil, or not to create collectivist-regional governments but to protect freedom.

We all have the chance to influence Obama and his administration. Let us not just be on the outside throwing rocks at the windows. Let's be smart, work hard and provide an alternative yet pragmatic foreign policy, monetary policy and concept of globalization for the US and the world to embrace.

Michigan Police Taser Durango Bride & Groom at Wedding Reception

Someone should start cataloging these corrupt police officers names, addresses and information. It's a sad day that good Americans stand by and watch as our local police forces are turned into an aggressive, dangerous group of criminals.

---------------------

Mich. police taser Durango newlyweds during wedding reception
Witness: Officers overreacted
July 24, 2008
By Ted Holteen | Herald Staff Writer

The Michigan wedding of Durango newlyweds Andy and Ania Somora came to an abrupt end last weekend after the bride and groom were tasered by local police and spent their wedding night in jail.Police arrest Ania Somora at her wedding reception Saturday night at Burnison Art Gallery in Chikaming Township, Mich.

According to a news release from the Chikaming Township (Mich.) Police Department, Officer Jeff Enders responded Saturday to the Burnison Art Gallery in Lakeside, Mich., after gallery owner Judi Burnison asked for assistance with unruly guests at the Somoras’ wedding reception.

Burnison, who rented the gallery to the Somoras for the reception, told Enders the party had gotten out of hand, and there were broken glasses and spilled drinks.

Burnison declined to comment Wednesday, but she said her lawyer would respond to questions.

However, no call was received as of Wednesday evening.

Enders told the assembled guests to leave, but many became upset, police said. Enders called for backup, and 14 law-enforcement agencies responded to help clear the crowd. Police said that many of the 100 guests left peacefully, but several continued to be disorderly and to swear at the officers.

However, eyewitness Kacpar Skowron, a professional Chicago photographer and friend of Ania Somora, said police overreacted and ruined a perfectly good wedding.

“My perspective is that the main officer (Enders) handling it was cool at first, but then he started threatening that everybody would be arrested. But trying to kick the party out at 11:20 (p.m.) on a wedding night when we had a contract to be there? He was a big jerk,” Skowron said.

Skowron said the crowd got particularly unruly after police handcuffed Andy Somora’s father and put him in the back of a police cruiser. He said the elder Somora, whom he described as “a distinguished older gentleman,” was trying to talk to Enders to defuse the situation.

“I didn’t believe it, but I witnessed it. It was brutal, and that’s when Andy got really mad,” he said.



Skowron said Andy Somora had to be restrained by police and was tasered at least twice. His wife also received a shock because she was touching her husband during one of the incidents. Skowron said husband and wife were both arrested, but Chikaming police would not confirm that claim, and no mention of the use of a taser is included in the news release.

Chikaming police arrested four men and one woman, but the department would not release the names of those arrested until they were arraigned.

The charges against those arrested include assault and battery, disorderly conduct, resisting and obstruction of police officers, and damage to property.

An arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday, and media calls were referred to Enders as the investigating officer. However, Enders was off duty Wednesday and did not return a phone call for this story.

Maryland State Police win Karl Rove's COINTELPRO Award 2008

Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel Terrence Sheridan denies any involvement in the 14-month undercover spy ring set up to monitor anti-war and anti-death penality groups.

Even though Sheridan was Baltimore Police Commissioner at the time, he claims he was unaware of the COINTELPRO like operation. Instead, Sheridan blames the program on an unnamed previous Commander of the Homeland Security and Intelligence Commission. He says the Maryland COINTELPRO program will not continue under his administration.

Ozark Police Taser 16 Year Old Kid, Causing Him to Fall Off A Bridge, Break His Back -- Only to Be Tasered More, 19 Times Total

Someone called the cops when they saw 16 year old Mace Hutchinson walking on a bridge. They thought the cops could help remind Hutchinson how dangerous the highways are. Unfortunately for Hutchinson, the cops proved much more dangerous.

After the cops arrived, Hutchinson somehow fell off the bridge overpass. He broke his back and heel when he fell.

The cops say they Tasered him once he was on the ground to keep him from entering the highway. It is not clear if he was Tasered prior to falling but it's unlikely they Tasered a kid with a broken back 19 times after he fell.

He was probably Tasered 15 times which caused him to fall off the overpass where he was Tasered 4 times. The cops claim he was making incoherent statements like "Shoot cops, kill cops" but perhaps that was after being Tasered and falling and being Tasered again.

The original person who called the cops said that the teenager didn't look intoxicated, only maybe agitated from trying to cross the bridge. No alcohol and no drugs were found in his system.

More likely, the kid was walking perhaps illegally on a highway. The cops arrive, aggressively ask for his ID or yell at him -- the kid responds in a verbally negative way and out come the Tasers. It happens all the time.

Government Takes Over 1st National Bank and First Heritage Bank, Closes 28 Branches

Jul 26, 6:41 AM (ET)
By BRENDAN RILEY

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - The 28 branches of 1st National Bank of Nevada and First Heritage Bank, operating in Nevada, Arizona and California, were closed Friday by federal regulators.

The banks, owned by Scottsdale, Ariz.-based First National Bank Holding Co., were scheduled to reopen on Monday as Mutual of Omaha Bank branches, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said.


A bank employee posts a notice that 1st National Bank of Nevada is in FDIC receivership on Friday, July 25, 2008, after federal regulators closed the bank in Carson City, Nev.

The FDIC said the takeover of the failed banks was the least costly resolution and all depositors - including those with funds in excess of FDIC insurance limits - will switch to Mutual of Omaha with "the full amount of their deposits."

The FDIC also said accountholders can access their funds during the weekend by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards.

As of June 30, the closed banks had total assets of $3.6 billion. That's down from $4.1 billion six months earlier. Most of the assets are in 1st National while First Heritage accounts for $254 million.


Carson City Sheriff's detective David LeGros locks the door at 1st National Bank of Nevada on Friday, July 25, 2008, after federal regulators closed the bank in Carson City, Nev.

Calls to 1st National were referred by a receptionist to Joe Martony, an executive vice president in Scottsdale, Ariz. Martony didn't return repeated calls to his office.

In Nevada, 1st National has 10 branches and employs about 350 people. Five of its branches are in Las Vegas, three are in the Reno-Sparks area, one is in Carson City and one is in Laughlin. Notices of the closure were being posted late Friday.

Fifteen 1st National branches are in Arizona, while Newport Beach-based First Heritage has three branches in Southern California.

Bill Uffelman of the Nevada Bankers Association said Friday the FDIC action "is a reflection of the times for the banks. It's a poor economy."

Uffelman cautioned against the sort of consumer concern that prompted many customers of IndyMac Bank branches to wait for hours in line to withdraw funds across Southern California last week after that bank was seized by federal regulators. All FDIC-insured bank deposits are guaranteed by the FDIC up to $100,000, he noted.

Gov. Jim Gibbons said the bank takeover will be closely monitored in Nevada "to ensure there's minimal disruption to business and that employees' jobs are protected as much as possible."

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano spokeswoman Shilo Mitchell said in a statement that the FDIC's takeover of 1st National is not indicative of the overall banking climate in Arizona.

"It's very important that Arizonans know that their deposits are secure," said Felecia Rotellini, superintendent of Arizona Department of Financial Institutions. "They are well-managed and the 1st National Bank of Arizona issues should not cause any panic in Arizona."

---

On the Net:

FDIC: http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2008/pr08063.html

1st National Bank of Nevada: http://www.fnbaonlinehb.com

First Heritage Bank: http://www.firstheritage.net

Wexler: "This committee should immediately begin impeachment hearings."

Rep. Robert Wexler breathes fire at the House hearing on the limits of executive power on "how we can begin to take our government and country back":

"Never before in the history of this nation, has an administration so successfully diminished the Constitutional powers of the legislative branch. It is unacceptable and it must not stand."

"Faced with this litany of wrongful actions, I am convinced that the most appropriate response to this unprecedented behavior is to hold hearings for impeachment. The power of impeachment — excuse me — the power of to impeach, which our founding fathers provided to the House of Representatives was designed for this type of wrongdoing."

Kucinich: "Unneccesary, unprovoked and unjust war" killed up to 1 million Iraqis

Rep. Dennis Kucinich's opening statement at the House Judiciary Committee hearing on executive power. Kucinich's essential statement is in order to support and defend the Constitution we must impeach Bush/Cheney or endorse their crimes.

Bugliosi on Capitol Hill: "More than enough evidence" that Bush guilty of over 100,000 deaths

The speech of the century? Wow. Bugliosi for Attorney General!

Another Day, Another Taser

This is brutally common and an ever increasing phenomenon.

Recently, a Denver Police Officer named Greg pushed an anger management counselor outside of a nightclub downtown called Beta -- for literally no reason. This counselor doesn't drink and simply asked the officer what his name was. The officer turned to the bouncers and said "Is this one of them...is this one of them?" and the bouncers said no. The officer then pushed the counselor and said "get the f- out of here".

These cops below need to be fired and serve at least 1 month in jail.

John Edwards Destroyed by Invasive Ruthless Tabloid Media

John Edwards' political ambitions are over.

Once the videotape from the Beverly Hilton Hotel is released, the mainstream media will start to cover the story and he'll be forced to admit the truth.

I'm not sure what's more unethical, making a personal private mistake like John Edwards did by having an affair or siccing ruthless investigators into someone's private life in order to destroy their public life.

UPDATE: Here's the FOXNews article confirming the security guard's story. Here's the first mention of a mystery with videotapes produced by the other woman, Rielle Hunter, for the Edwards campaign and then mysteriously removed (9/26/07). Here's the LATimes e-mail stating that the LATimes bloggers should ignore the story.

UPDATE 2: Someone should tell Edwards' wife to take glyconutrients. It worked for one of the most famous and well respected doctors in the world.

Ron Paul on Plane Malfunction - "Dangerous" but not a Nosedive

From GCN Radio, Ron Paul talks about his plane's emergency landing and the weak dollar.

Ron Paul on Fox News and in the House [videos]

"We'll do it live!" - The McCain Version

Brilliant.



The original:

DISTORTION - CBS Commits Fraud by Editing McCain Interview to Coverup Gaffe

Cosmic Irony - "I dont know how you respond to something that is such a false depiction of what happened." - McCain during the interview

Whoever did this should immediately be fired -- it is a complete distortion of the news and should be a criminally indictable offense. This is about 1,000 times worse than Dan Rather producing/reporting an ambiguous story that was probably more true than false.

MGM Executive on Life Support with Multi-Organ Failure Saved by [CENSORED]

Back From the Brink
Doctor's last-ditch effort saves Las Vegan's life, sets him on path to recovery
By SONYA PADGETT
REVIEW-JOURNAL Sunday, April 22, 2001

Greg Letourneau likes sweets.

He's even been known to eat, in one sitting, an entire lemon merengue pie. Or two.

Conventional wisdom -- and many mothers -- would say Letourneau's health is at risk because of his all-too-human love of sugar.

But not Letourneau, 44, or his sister, Jeanie Stenberg, 40. No, they both believe Letourneau owes his life to the granulated white stuff.

"It saved his life," Stenberg said. "He's my living proof."

The substance Stenberg credits with saving her brother's life isn't the kind of sugar that comes in cubes or 5-pound bags. It's actually in the form of glyconutritional supplements, a combination of sugars that are said to help cells communicate, leading to better health.

Letourneau has taken the capsules dutifully every day since November. However, his introduction to glyconutrition came the first week in October, when he received about one year's supply of the supplement intravenously while he lay in a local hospital, dying, his organs failing one by one.

Hooked up to machines that kept his heart and lungs working and his blood pressure at a life-sustaining level, Letourneau received the nutritional supplement only after his doctors exhausted every bit of conventional medicine to treat his deadly illness, which started out as a simple sore throat in mid-September.

It wasn't until Oct. 1 when Letourneau was admitted to MountainView Hospital that his family discovered he was suffering from streptococcal toxic-shock syndrome, or TSS, a life-threatening disease that among survivors usually results in the loss of arms, legs or other muscle and flesh.

"I was working a lot of extra hours," said Letourneau, executive technical director for MGM Grand. "So you expect to get worn down. My first trigger sign is a sore throat. As soon as I feel that first tingle I know I'm (worn out)."

"So I got a sore throat. I would start the day off taking four aspirin, then when that wore off I'd take Tylenol. I did that for two straight weeks."

During that time period, Letourneau continued to work even as he experienced near-crippling back pain, too.

Going to the doctor wasn't an option because, as Letourneau put it, "growing up in Minnesota you don't go to the doctor, you push yourself through (illness). I had never missed a day of work (at MGM) for six years. I made it 13 years in the Ice Capades, until I had to have back surgery. I had powered myself through a hundred other sore throats. That's what I was going to do with that one. The shame is I could have prevented this."

Finally, on a Sunday afternoon, Letourneau realized he should probably see a doctor, so he packed a bag, anticipating his hospitalization and drove to the local emergency room.

Michael Schlachter, an internist specializing in pulmonary disease and critical care, was on call at MountainView when Letourneau came into the emergency room.

"The (admitting) doctor said, `He's kind of sick, we're going to put him on the floor,' " Schlachter recalled. "When I saw Greg, it wasn't clear what was going on. He was in multi-organ failure and within 24 hours he was on life support."

After consulting with an infectious disease specialist from California, Schlachter diagnosed Letourneau with TSS, something he'd seen about five times during his 20-year medical career. Only two or three of those patients survived, but their bodies were so devastated they usually lost extremities to amputation.

The illness is caused by the same bacteria that causes strep throat. If a strep infection isn't treated in a timely fashion, it can, as in Letourneau's case, infect the blood causing TSS.

A little more than a day after being admitted to the hospital, Letourneau's arms and legs were blue and cold and had no pulses, which meant they weren't receiving blood flow.

Schlachter worked to keep Letourneau alive as his temperature soared to 107 degrees and his blood pressure plummeted to dangerously low readings.

"In my experience, when patients get to that point they don't survive," Schlachter said. "I looked at all the evidence and said, `This patient is going to die.' There was basically no hope. He was maxed out on every med we could give him."

Stenberg sat by her brother's side through the whole ordeal waiting for doctors to help him. But nine other doctors consulted with Schlachter and all gave up hope for his recovery.

"The doctor came in and said, `If you've got family you'd better get them,' " Stenberg said, fresh tears running down her face. Stenberg called a priest to give her brother last rites. "Ten doctors came to me and said he was going to die. I said, `He can't die, he's only 44. Please do something.' "

Luckily, Schlachter had an ace up his sleeve, something he could try but not make any promises about: glyconutrition.

Six hours after administering the first dose of glyconutrition, the color began to return to Letourneau's limbs. It was several days before his life was out of danger and seven weeks before he was released from the hospital, but his recovery has amazed Schlachter, who plans to write a journal article about the case.

"I've never seen it before, let alone heard of it," Schlachter said. "The whole thing is remarkable."

Looking at Letourneau now, with his athletic frame, tanned skin and overall appearance of good health and vitality, it's hard to believe he was all but dead six months ago.

Schlachter said Letourneau was fortunate not to lose his limbs, but the illness did leave its mark on his body. He lost function in both kidneys and suffered some damage to his heart, liver and gall bladder.

Letourneau was ready to wait up to two years for a kidney transplant but, as luck -- or fate -- would have it, Stenberg turned out to be a perfect match and will give her brother one of her kidneys in July.

"I love him more than life," she said in a voice strained with emotion.

Letourneau has returned to work full time even though he has to undergo dialysis and physical therapy three times weekly, for about five hours at a time. But he is happy just to be alive.

"Even from the first moment I woke up I haven't felt bad at all," he said. "Every day I feel absolutely wonderful, full of pep. I couldn't be happier. I'm absolutely amazed."

14 Olympians Taking [CENSORED] Supplements Despite Attorney General of Texas's Lawsuit

14 Olympians taking [CENSORED] supplements
09:53 PM CDT on Friday, July 4, 2008
By JASON ROBERSON / The Dallas Morning News
jroberson@dallasnews.com

The Texas attorney general may be suing [CENSORED], but more than a dozen Olympics-bound athletes are happily using the Coppell company's products.

Jayson Jones, a Washington, D.C.-based 30-year-old set to compete in the 200-meter race in Beijing next month, is one of 14 athletes using [CENSORED] products who have qualified for the Olympics so far. Mr. Jones said he uses [CENSORED]'s [CENSORED], a blend of enzymes and plant cell membranes marketed as reducing soreness and stiffness.

Mr. Jones and the 13 other athletes take only [CENSORED] products, according to Butch Johnson, a former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver who leads Team [CENSORED].

Neither the shareholder lawsuits settled last month nor the ongoing AG suit alleging that the company exaggerated the benefits of its products for people with various diseases have dissuaded athletes, Mr. Johnson said. He said he has a waiting list of 70 athletes eager to join Team [CENSORED], whose members receive free products in return for their endorsement.

"We're not talking about a condition or disease; we're talking about response and performance," Mr. Johnson said in explaining the difference between products the AG's office investigated and what Team [CENSORED] uses. "We're in a completely different world."

The athletic team is part of a marketing strategy [CENSORED] is using to keep its image above the legal fray.

Although the Olympics allows companies to pay athletes, [CENSORED] instead exchanges products for endorsements.

"I'm always asked by people 'How do you do this? And, what kind of supplements do you take?'" said Mr. Jones. "I tell them."

TEAM [CENSORED] OLYMPIANS

Team [CENSORED] athletes who have made their Olympic teams so far (trials continue in July):

Australia

Donna MacFarlane, steeplechase

Deborah Lovely, weightlifting

Glen Saville, basketball

Madeleine Pape, track

Melissa Gorman, swimming

New Zealand

Kirk Pittman, Jason Lockhead, beach volleyball

Natalie Wiegersma, swimming

Eric Murray, rowing

United States

Christal Ransom, judo

Clarissa Chun, Spenser Mango, Joseph Betterman, wrestling

Belize

Jayson Jones, track

SOURCE: [CENSORED]

WHAT THEY'RE TAKING

Fourteen athletes headed for the Olympics take supplements made by Coppell-based [CENSORED]. Here are the main products they use and what the company says they do:

Sport: A blend of herbs and herbal extracts featuring sterol complex and [CENSORED] complex designed to help maintain normal blood sugar levels and support carbohydrate utilization

Plus: A blend of nutrients formulated to help the endocrine system

[CENSORED]: A heart-care formula

[CENSORED]: An energy booster

[CENSORED]: A combination of [CENSORED] complex plant polysaccharides with an herbal blend that yields sources of vitamin C

[CENSORED]: Supports energy levels and contains vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and antioxidants, plus [CENSORED] complex

[CENSORED]: A blend of proteolytic enzymes and phytosterols that help maintain joint health and reduce soreness and stiffness due to physical activity

Empact: Provides fuel and biochemicals to enhance cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance

SOURCE: [CENSORED]

Louisiana Cop Tasers Man 9 Times, 3 Times While Handcuffed, Killing Him

It's not because it was a white cop and a black man, it's because the police are trained to be aggressive, militant and to Taser people at will. Racism likely played a role but the real cause is the militarization of our local police forces and their complete disregard to Constitutional limitations on their authority.

Lewis Black: Weak Dollar Makes America World’s Wal-mart

FRAUD: Wachovia Gives Out Counterfeit FED Notes and Won't Refund Any Money

Bank Gave Counterfeit Bills, Couple Says
Different Customer Given Refund After Fake Money Claim, Report Says
UPDATED: 9:49 am EDT July 23, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A couple has contacted the Secret Service claiming a Central Florida bank gave them 10 counterfeit bills during a transaction.

Ulises Garcia said he was withdrawing cash from a Wachovia Bank and depositing it into a Bank of America so he could pay his bills online.

However, the Bank of America teller noticed something funny about 10 of the 36 $100 bills Garcia said he received from Wachovia Bank -- they were counterfeit, Local 6's Tony Pipitone reported.



However, the bank has not given Garcia or his fiancé, Joann Rodriguez, any money.

"We have big plans," Rodriguez said. "We were planning to get married in about two or three months."

"And this money's pretty important?" Pipitone asked.

"Very important," Rodrguez said. "It's a big part of our wedding."

"It is really frustrating for us," Garcia said. "The bank is not doing anything about it. (It's) just not giving us any solutions at all."

A Wachovia representative said it will not refund any money because it can't verify the $1,000 in counterfeit notes were the same bills Garcia was handed by their teller.

But weeks later, Wachovia did refund $40 to another customer with a similar story, Local 6 has learned.

Garcia said Wachovia is ripping him off and has alerted the sheriff's office, the Secret Service and the media.

"Ten (bills) in one transaction to come from one bank, that is definitely unusual," U.S. Secret Service representative Jim Glendinning said.

"But is it possible?" Pipitone asked.

"Remotely, yes it is," Glendinning said.

Glendinning said he was not surprised the Bank of America caught the counterfeits but wondered how a Wachovia could pass the bills unless a bank employee was in on it, Pipitone reported.

The United States Secret Service Web site shows people how to detect counterfeit money.

[NOTE-Of course all FED notes are counterfeit, known as lawful tender but not lawful money (only gold, silver, etc). The US Congress granted the FED a legal cartel to counterfeit money.]

Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Could Cost Americans $25 Billion

Mortgage giant rescue could cost $25b
Tuesday July 22, 12:08 pm ET
By Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Associated Press Writer
Congressional analysts peg cost of propping up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as high as $25b

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal rescue of troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cost taxpayers as much as $25 billion, Congress' top budget analyst said Tuesday.

But Peter R. Orszag, director of the Congressional Budget Office, predicted in a letter to lawmakers that there's a better than even chance the government will not have to step in to prop up the companies by lending them money or buying stock.

Congress is expected to vote this week on a housing measure that would give the Treasury Department authority to throw Fannie and Freddie a temporary lifeline.

Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, who has been pressing for the power, says it's intended as a backup plan to help calm investors and stabilize financial markets.

Orszag said it's most likely that the companies will remain afloat and the government won't have to put up any money, but there's a very small possibility that Treasury will have to step in to help cover losses at Fannie and Freddie topping $100 billion. The $25 billion estimate reflects his office's best guess of how big a federal infusion would be needed.

With financial markets now assuming the measure will be approved, Orszag suggested the cost of inaction could be steep, too.

"It is arguable that if it were not enacted at this point, that the consequences could be quite severe," he told reporters.

Paulson said in a New York speech Tuesday that Congress needs to quickly approve a support package for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- which guarantee or own almost half of the home mortgages in the country -- to make sure they maintain their critically important role in housing finance. He said their continued operations were "central to the speed with which we emerge from this housing correction."

Treasury officials confirmed that bank examiners from both the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller are currently inspecting the books at both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Paulson said in an interview published Tuesday in the New York Times that he believed the results of those examinations would provide an important signal of confidence for the markets.

After a period of market turbulence in which fears grew about the fiscal soundness of both institutions, the administration on July 13 unveiled a plan to provide unlimited government loans to the two mortgage giants and also to purchase stock in the two companies if needed. Paulson has stressed that the proposal is a backup effort that would be in effect for 18 months.

Critics have charged that the open-ended offer of support exposes taxpayers to billions of dollars of losses.

Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., told reporters Tuesday that Paulson is trying to "ram down" his proposal to shore up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which Bunning said "smacks of socialism."

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, head of the conservative Republican Study Committee, said if Congress is "forced to bail out" the two companies, they should be privatized.

"If Congress is forced to bailout Fannie and Freddie, I believe that we must take all the necessary steps to protect taxpayers from" a potential collapse of the companies in the future, he said in a statement.

Paulson said that Fannie and Freddie have issued $5 trillion in debt and mortgage backed securities. Of that amount more than $3 trillion is held by U.S. financial institutions and more than $1.5 trillion is held by foreign institutions, making the stabilization of the two companies essential to the global economy.

"Because of their size and scope, Fannie and Freddie's stability is critical to financial market stability," Paulson told an audience at the New York Public Library. "Investors in our nation and around the world need to know that we understand how important these institutions are to our capital markets broadly and to the U.S. economy."

During a question and answer period, Paulson said that housing was at the "heart of our nation's economy." He added that a key to turning the housing market around was bringing home buyers back into the market, an area where he said Fannie and Freddie needed to play a critical role to provide mortgage financing.

The effort to provide support to the two mortgage giants follows the government's involvement in dealing with the near-collapse of Bear Stearns in March when the Federal Reserve provided a $30 billion loan to facilitate the sale of Bear Stearns to JPMorgan.

AP reporters Candice Choi in New York and Jeannine Aversa in Washington contributed to this report.

DISASTER: Wachovia Loses $8.9 Billion in 2nd Quarter, Fires 6,350 Workers

Wachovia loses $8.9B, cuts 6,350 workers, dividend
Tuesday July 22, 11:08 am ET
By Ieva M. Augstums, AP Business Writer
Wachovia slashes dividend, jobs, to shut mortgage unit after $8.86B loss in second quarter

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Wachovia Corp. reported a surprisingly large second-quarter loss Tuesday, deflating Wall Street's hopes that the nation's big banks are weathering the credit crisis well. The nation's fourth-largest bank by assets said it lost $8.86 billion, is slashing its dividend and eliminating 10,750 positions after losses tied to mortgages soared.

Even excluding one-time items, the results substantially missed Wall Street estimates.

"These bottom-line results are disappointing and unacceptable," Chairman Lanty Smith said in a statement. "While to some degree they reflect industry headwinds and weaker macroeconomic conditions, they also reflect performance for which we at Wachovia accept responsibility."

Wachovia said it lost the equivalent of $4.20 per share in the April-June period. In the same timeframe last year, the bank earned $2.34 billion, or $1.22 per share.

Excluding $6.1 billion in write-downs to the value of its intangible assets and merger-related and restructuring charges of $128 million, Wachovia lost $2.67 billion, or $1.27 per share. Second quarter results include the bank's October acquisition of A.G. Edwards Inc.

Analysts on average expected a loss of 78 cents per share on revenue of almost $8.4 billion.

Earlier this month, Wachovia had projected a $2.6 billion to $2.8 billion quarterly loss, equal to $1.23 to $1.33 per share, excluding goodwill items.

The Charlotte-based bank cut its quarterly dividend to 5 cents per share from 37.5 cents, which will conserve approximately $700 million of capital per quarter. In April, Wachovia slashed its dividend 41 percent.

As part of a plan to cut 2009 expenses by $1.5 billion, the bank said it would lay off 6,350 workers and eliminate 4,400 open positions and contractors.

During the quarter, the Wachovia boosted its provision for loan losses to $5.57 billion from $179 million a year ago, and added $4.2 billion to its reserves for bad loans.

Wachovia has been suffering from its 2006 acquisition of Golden West Financial Corp. The bank paid roughly $25 billion for the California mortgage lender known for exotic loans.

The so-called "Pick-a-Payment" loans, which Wachovia inherited from Golden West, have proved a headache for the bank and a lightning rod for shareholders, defaulting at higher rates than other mortgages.

Wachovia recently discontinued offering the "Pick-A-Payment" loan option, which allows customers to pay a less-than-full interest payment on all new home loans. The bank also had hired The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to conduct an analysis of its loan portfolio and advise it on strategic alternatives.

Late Monday, Wachovia announced plans to leave the wholesale mortgage lending business. And beginning Friday, the company will no longer offer mortgages through brokers, joining other lenders making similar moves to exit the troubled sector.

Big banks, such as Bank of America Corp. and National City Corp., have stopped making loans through brokers entirely, relying instead on their loan officers. National City said it was forced to do so by a continuing downturn in loan demand, while Bank of America said it saw better "long-term opportunity" in working through its own loan officers.

Wachovia spokesman Don Vecchiarello said in a statement that the company "recognized some opportunities to re-position our business" given the current market conditions.

Earlier this month, Wachovia named former Treasury Undersecretary and Goldman Sachs executive Robert Steel as chief executive, replacing the ousted Ken Thompson. Within a week of being on the job, the bank's shares tumbled to a new 17-year low.

[Headline taken from Drudge!]

Send Rove to Jail

Send Rove to Jail