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Demonstrators led by Alex Jones chant “treason” in response to federal government threat to close down Texas airports
Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Alex Jones’ spontaneous decision calling on Texans to protest the government’s egregious threat of a federal blockade if the Texas Senate passed an anti-TSA groping bill resulted in hundreds of protesters storming the Capitol in Austin yesterday afternoon.
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As we reported yesterday, the TSA and the Department of Justice resorted to financial terrorism by threatening a federal blockade that would have closed down Texas airports if the Texas Senate had followed the House in unanimously passing a bill that would have made TSA groping in the state a felony.
“There’s never a dull moment at the Texas Legislature. The House and Senate were going about their regular end-of-session business on Wednesday when loud screams could be heard coming from the rotunda. Outside the chambers, a group of mostly men and a few women were screaming, “Cri-mi-nal! Cri-mi-nal!” and “Treason! Treason!” reports the Texas Tribune.
The quickly arranged demonstration was announced during Jones’ radio show just hours beforehand. Next time around, there would be 50,000 protesters in attendance, he promised.
Media reaction to the event was mixed, with some accurately reporting the protest and others resorting to the usual brand of sneering arrogance we’ve come to expect from the corporate press.
Despite the fact that the intimidation tactics of the federal government, which will surely backfire as a massive shot in the arm for the states’ rights movement, scuttled the anti-grope bill in Texas, there are numerous other states that are already debating or preparing to introduce similar bills.
The feds cannot keep relying on mafia-like behavior to preserve the ability of their criminal army of minimum wage perverts to molest children, at some point down the line lawmakers will have the guts to stand up and say no, and at that point a wave of TSA resistance will sweep legislatures across the country.
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The Economic Collapse
May 26, 2011
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If you listen to Ben Bernanke, Barack Obama and the mainstream media long enough, and if you didn’t know any better, you might be tempted to think that the economic crisis is long gone and that we are in the midst of a burgeoning economic recovery. Unfortunately, the truth is that the economic crisis is far from over. In 2010, more homes were repossessed than ever before, more Americans were on food stamps than ever before and a smaller percentage of American men had jobs than ever before. The reality is that the United States is an economic basket case and all of these natural disasters certainly are not helping things. The Federal Reserve has been printing gigantic piles of money and the U.S. government has been borrowing and spending cash at a dizzying pace in an all-out effort to stabilize things. They have succeeded for the moment, but our long-term economic problems are worse then ever. We are still in the middle of a full-blown economic crisis and things are about to get even worse.
If you know someone that is foolish enough to believe that the economic crisis is over and that our economic problems are behind us, just ask that person the following questions…. #1 During the 23 months of the “Obama recovery”, an average of about 23,000 jobs a month have been created. It takes somewhere in the neighborhood of 150,000 jobs a month just to keep up with population growth. So shouldn’t we hold off a bit before we declare the economic crisis to be over? #2 During the “recession”, somewhere between 6.3 million and 7.5 million jobs were lost. During the “Obama recovery”, approximately 535,000 jobs have been added. When will the rest of the jobs finally come back? #3 Of the 535,000 jobs that have been created during the “Obama recovery”, only about 35,000 of them are permanent full-time jobs. Today, “low income jobs” account for 41 percent of all jobs in the United States. If our economy is recovering, then why can’t it produce large numbers of good jobs that will enable people to provide for their families? #4 Agricultural commodities have been absolutely soaring this decade. The combined price of cotton, wheat, gasoline and hogs is now more than 3 times higher than it was back in 2002. So how in the world can the Federal Reserve claim that inflation has been at minimal levels all this time? #5 Back in 2008, banks had a total of 27 billion dollars in excess reserves at the Fed. Today, banks have a total of approximately 1.5 trillion dollars in excess reserves at the Fed. So what is going to happen when all of this money eventually hits the economy?…. #6 If the U.S. economy is recovering, then why are shipments by U.S. factories still substantially below 2008 levels? #7 Why are imports of goods from overseas growing much more rapidly than shipments of goods from U.S. factories? #8 According to Zillow, the average price of a home in the U.S. is about 8 percent lower than it was a year ago and that it continues to fall about 1 percent a month. During the first quarter of 2011, home values declined at the fastest rate since late 2008. So can we really talk about a “recovery” when the real estate crisis continues to get worse? #9 According to a shocking new survey, 54 percent of Americans believe that a housing recovery is “unlikely” until at least 2014. So how is the housing industry supposed to improve if so many people are convinced that it will not? #10 The latest GDP numbers out of Japan are a complete and total disaster. During the first quarter GDP declined by a stunning 3.7 percent. Of course I have been saying for months that the Japanese economy is collapsing, but most mainstream economists were absolutely stunned by the latest figures. So will the rest of the world be able to avoid slipping into a recession as well?
#11 Next week, Republicans in the House of Representatives are going to allow a vote on raising the debt ceiling. Everyone knows that this is an opportunity for Republican lawmakers to “look tough” to their constituents (the vast majority of which do not want the debt ceiling raised). Everyone also knows that eventually the Republicans are almost certainly going to cave on the debt ceiling after minimal concessions by the Democrats. The truth is that neither “establishment Republicans” nor “establishment Democrats” are actually serious about significantly cutting government debt. So why do we need all of this political theater? #12 Why are so many of our once great manufacturing cities being transformed into hellholes? In the city of Detroit today, there are over 33,000 abandoned houses, 70 schools are being permanently closed down, the mayor wants to bulldoze one-fourth of the city and you can literally buy a house for one dollar in the worst areas. #13 According to one new survey, about half of all Baby Boomers fear that when they retire they are going to end up living in poverty. So who is going to take care of them all when the money runs out? #14 According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average of about 5 million Americans were being hired every single month during 2006. Today, an average of about 3.5 million Americans are being hired every single month. So why are our politicians talking about “economic recovery” instead of “the collapse of the economy” when hiring remains about 50 percent below normal? #15 Since August, 2 million more Americans have left the labor force. But the entire period from August to today was supposed to have been a time of economic growth and recovery. So why are so many Americans giving up on looking for a job? #16According to Gallup, 41 percent of Americans believed that the economy was “getting better” at this time last year. Today, that number is at just 27 percent. Are Americans losing faith in the U.S. economy? #17 According to the U.S. Census, the number of children living in poverty has gone up by about 2 million in just the past 2 years, and one out of every four American children is currently on food stamps. During this same time period, Barack Obama and Ben Bernanke have told us over and over that the U.S. economy has been getting better. So what is the truth? #18 America has become absolutely addicted to government money. 59 percent of all Americans now receive money from the federal government in one form or another. U.S. households are now receiving more income from the U.S. government than they are paying to the government in taxes. Americans hate having their taxes raised and they hate having their government benefits cut. So is there any hope that this will ever be turned around before disaster strikes? #19 The combined debt of the major GSEs (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Sallie Mae) has increased from 3.2 trillion in 2008 to 6.4 trillion in 2011. How in the world is the U.S. government going to be able to afford to guarantee all of that debt on top of everything else? #20 If the U.S. national debt (more than 14 trillion dollars) was reduced to a stack of 5 dollar bills, it would reach three quarters of the way to the moon. The U.S. government borrows about 168 million dollars every single hour. If Bill Gates gave every penny of his fortune to the U.S. government, it would only cover the U.S. budget deficit for 15 days. So how in the world can our politicians tell us that everything is going to be okay?
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Blunt Wants Federal Government To Do More For Joplin
Kevin Killeen KMOX
May 26, 2011 ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Missouri Senator Roy Blunt says he’s asking the federal government to reimburse 100 percent of the cost to local governments dealing with the Joplin tornado aftermath.
Blunt, who had an office in Joplin for 14 years, says he toured the town earlier this week and found it almost “unrecognizable” with a six-mile long swath wiped almost clean and lacking familiar landmarks except some knocked over street signs.
The latest death toll in Joplin is 126 and President Obama is scheduled to visit the town on Sunday.
In a phone conference with reporters Thursday, Blunt says he has asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to do more.
“I’m asking for 100 percent federal reimbursement to local governments,” Blunt said, “They’ve agreed to 75. I think they have to come to a better number than that, and the right number, I think, would be 100 percent.”
When asked to rate the federal response to the Joplin disaster, Blunt gave generally good marks to FEMA, but noted that FEMA’s director didn’t show up in Joplin right away. With the damage estimate in Joplin estimated from $2 to $3 billion, Blunt was asked if it’s possible insurance rates could be going up for all Missourians.
“Well, it could happen,” Blunt said, “I think there is generally a community rating for property damage. These tornados of this spring may very well be figured into that to some extent. I don’t think they’ll have great impact, because so much of the country can be affected by this kind of storms.” READ MORE
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May 26, 2011 www.emissourian.com
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Chad Burkholder, a 36-year-old carpenter from Union, won $1.1 million in the Missouri Lotto drawing May 21 after matching all six numbers drawn. His Quick Pick ticket was purchased at U-Gas, 3628 W. Osage St. in Pacific. The father of three children said both he and his wife were "in shock" after learning they were holding the winning Lotto ticket. The couple plan to pay off their home and add to their savings. They will "still work," Burkholder said, but added that the prize will make life "a little more comfortable." He described his overall Lottery-winning experience as "excited, happy (and) numb." For selling the winning $1.1 million Lotto prize, U-Gas received $11,000, which is equal to 1 percent of the advertised jackpot. . . Click Here to Read More.
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The Los Angeles Police Department is expected to debut the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV) in mid-2011.
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New LAPD Patrol Car To Sport Infrared Night Vision, License Plate Scanner
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — If you thought the patrol car in the 1987 action movie “Robocop” was high-tech, wait until you see what L.A.’s finest will be soon be driving. AOL’s Translogic caught a sneak peek of the new squad car of choice for the Los Angeles Police Department: the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV).
Billed as the “sum total of all the law enforcement community has learned about patrol cars to date”, the PPV boasts a 6.0L V-8 engine with 355 horsepower, 18-inch steel wheels, and a host of gadgets that puts any Hollywood squad car to shame.
The Caprice, which replaces the long-used Ford Crown Victoria, is equipped with an infrared night vision camera, automated license plate scanner, and a touch-screen center console that replaces the older computers traditionally used by officers.
In addition to horsepower and firepower, the cruiser is also outfitted with the latest in information technology, with ethernet, Wi-Fi and an experimental wireless-mesh network in the trunk.
Even the bad guys can ride in comfort: cut-outs in the back seat are custom-made to accommodate any handcuffed suspect.
At a taxpayer cost of $20,000, LAPD officials say vehicle wrapping was used on the all-black sedans instead of the traditional paint to minimize repair expenses and protect resale value.
Drivers can expect to see the new 2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV cruising city streets as early as mid-2011.
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May 26, 2011
Tuesday, May 24th a Franklin County Traffic Control Deputy conducted a traffic stop on Interstate-44 near Sullivan. Upon intial talks with the driver, the officer noticed containers in the car smeared with peanut butter. When the driver and passenger noticed the traffic deputy saw the containers, they began to act suspicious. According to law enforcement officials, peanut butter is often used to mask the smell of narcotics. Franklin County Police brought in a K-9 unit to search the vehicle and drugs were quickly located. In a hidden side wall of the vehicle's trunk police found a bottle containing what was believed to be cocaine. Police also found ecstasy and marijuana in the car. The 28-year-old Massachusetts man was taken into custody. The name of the suspect is withheld pending charges.
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Huge backlog of distressed properties means any housing recovery is a long way away
By ALEX VEIGA
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May 26, 2100
LOS ANGELES — Sales of homes in some stage of foreclosure declined in the first three months of the year, but they still accounted for 28 percent of all home sales — a share nearly six times higher than what it would be in a healthy housing market.
Foreclosure sales, which include homes purchased after they received a notice of default or were repossessed by lenders, hit the highest share of overall sales in a year during the first quarter, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.
"It's an astronomically high number," said Rick Sharga, a senior vice president at RealtyTrac. "In a normal market, you're looking at the percentage of homes sold in foreclosure to be below 5 percent."
The pace at which homes are entering the foreclosure process has slowed in recent months amid bank and court delays. But distressed properties remain a fixture of a housing market still searching for a sustained recovery. The properties, often in need of repair, typically sell at a discount, weakening prices for other types of homes. Story: No end in sight to foreclosure quagmire
As a slice of all home purchases, foreclosure sales peaked two years ago at 37.4 percent. In the first quarter, they rose from 27 percent in prior quarter, but fell from 29 percent a year earlier, according to RealtyTrac.
Sales of foreclosure properties didn't fare much better than other types of homes, however.
Major Market Indices In all, 158,434 homes in some stage of foreclosure were sold in the first quarter, down 16 percent from the last three months of 2010 and down 36 percent versus a year ago. Sales of all other types of homes also declined sharply, according to RealtyTrac's figures, which differ from other home-sales estimates.
While the number of bank-owned properties sold declined, they grew as a share of all home sales. Bank-owned homes accounted for nearly 19 percent of all sales, up from 17 percent in the fourth quarter and up from 18 percent a year ago, the firm said.
That's not good news for the housing market.
RealtyTrac estimates there are 872,000 homes that have been repossessed by lenders, but have yet to be sold. At the first-quarter's sales pace, it will take three years to clear the inventory of 1.9 million properties already in some stage of foreclosure.
For bank-owned properties alone, that amounts to a 2-year supply.
"Clearly, the housing market is not out of the woods," Sharga said.
Homebuyers who purchased a bank-owned home in the first quarter saved an average of 35 percent versus the average price of other types of homes, RealtyTrac said.
That discount is unchanged from the previous quarter, but up from an average of 33 percent a year ago.
Buyers who snapped up other homes in the foreclosure process, including short sales, got an average discount of 9 percent, the firm said. That's down from an average of 13 percent in the fourth quarter and an average of 14 percent a year ago. In a short sale, the seller and their lender agree to sell the home for less than what is owned on the mortgage.
The biggest foreclosure discounts were to be had in Ohio, where foreclosure properties sold for an average of 41 percent less than other types of homes, RealtyTrac said.
The average sales price of a foreclosure property was $168,321, down 1.9 percent from the fourth quarter and 1.5 percent from the first quarter last year, the firm said.
At a state level, Nevada led the nation with foreclosure sales accounting for 53 percent of all home sales, RealtyTrac said. That was down from 59 percent the year before.
The state has the highest foreclosure rate in the nation and an inventory of nearly 28,000 bank-owned properties on bank's books. Buyers scooping up foreclosure properties there in the first quarter got an average discount of nearly 18 percent compared to the average sales price of other types of homes, RealtyTrac said.
In California, foreclosure sales accounted for 45 percent of all home sales in the first quarter, down from nearly 48 percent a year earlier. The average foreclosure property sold for nearly 34 percent less than the average sales price of homes not in foreclosure.
In Arizona, foreclosure sales represented 45 percent of all home sales for the quarter, down from 47 percent a year earlier.
Several other states had foreclosure sales that accounted for at least one quarter of all home sales in the first quarter: Idaho, Florida, Michigan, Oregon, Virginia, Colorado, Illinois, Georgia and Ohio.
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Dangerous: The tornado in Joplin is thought to be the eighth most deadly in American history - at least 125 people have died.
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The six-block scar: Amazing satellite photos pinpoint devastation of Joplin as it emerges that 232 people are still missing
26th May 2011
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The Joplin tornado has already killed at least 125 people, now officials say that 232 remain unaccounted for
Following the devastating tornado which ripped though Joplin at the weekend, these satellite images show the extent of the damage. Before and after aerial photos show the shocking extent of the damage caused by the twister in the Missouri city - this image shows a six-block path of destruction. Authorities say it's the deadliest single tornado in America since modern record-keeping began over 60 years ago. It's claimed the lives of at least 125 people and reports now say that 232 people are still missing.
Andrea Spillars, deputy director and general counsel for the Missouri Department of Public Safety, said a list of the 232 names will be released later today. She urged survivors to check in. Officials said previously they believe people who are unaccounted for aren't necessarily dead or trapped in debris. They say many are probably safe and but failed to tell friends and family where they are. Cell phone service in Joplin remains spotty. 'Our goal is to get that number to zero,' Spillars said of the missing. 'We will dedicate as much state resources as needed around the clock to ensure those family who have loved ones that they cannot find are connected.' Search-and-rescue teams have made multiple sweeps through the destruction, using dozens of dogs and listening devices in hopes of picking up the faint sound of anyone still alive beneath the collapsed homes and businesses. No new survivors have been pulled from the rubble since Tuesday. So far 750 people have been taken to hospitals in the area and these images show lucky some people were, and how close they came to having their homes destroyed. Joplin is reckoned to be the eighth deadliest in U.S. history - The so called Tri-State Tornado which hit Missouri, Illinois and Indiana on March 18, 1925, is believed to be the most deadly. That four-hour twister killed 695 people. Meanwhile powerful storms roared through middle America again yesterday, with weak tornadoes touching down in isolated spots and severe thunderstorms threatening such strikes in several states. The National Weather Service issued tornado watches and a series of warnings in a dozen states, stretching northeast from Texas though the Mississippi River valley to Ohio.
'Everybody's working as fast and furious as possible,' said Beverly Poole, the chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service's office in Kentucky, which covers southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois. 'This is just a wild ride.'
There were no immediate reports of deaths from the new round of storms, though authorities reported dozens of minor injuries following brief tornado touchdowns in Missouri and Indiana.
Yesterday's storms followed a deadly outbreak on Tuesday in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas that killed at least 15 people. The nation's deadliest single tornado since 1950 killed 125 on Sunday in the southwest Missouri city.
Heavy rain, hail and lightning pounded Memphis last night as a tornado warning sounded.
Menacing clouds showed some rotation, but there were no confirmed reports of tornadoes touching down.
Southern Indiana authorities said at least 12 people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries after a tornado touched down along a highway east of Bedford, flattening homes, barns and other structures in its path.
'The guys on the ground there say it's a predominantly rural area, which is fortunate for the masses but of course not for the people nearby,' said Sergeant Brian Olehy of Indiana State Police.
There were also injuries reported when a storm struck a mobile home park west of Bloomington, state police said. Authorities were on their way to the scene but had to clear downed tree limbs and power lines from the roads first.
The Herald-Times reported emergency services in the area were conducting search and rescue operations and that a gas line in the area ruptured. Earlier in the day, as many as 25 people suffered minor injuries when a tornado damaged several homes and businesses in the central Missouri city of Sedalia. Officials said most were able to get themselves the hospital for treatment.
'Considering the destruction that occurred in Joplin - being that we're in tornado alley and Sedalia has historically been hit by tornadoes in the past - I think people heeded that warning,' Sheriff Kevin Bond said. 'And so, I think that helped tremendously.'
Officials in Sedalia ended the school year several days early because of damage to buses. In one hard-hit neighbourhood, law officers stood on corners and electrical crews worked on power lines as people cleaned debris and sifted through belongings.
One of the heavily damaged homes was the house of Priscilla McCabe, 61, and her 30-year-old son Sean McCabe, who was home when the tornado struck. Mr McCabe was heading to the basement and says the storm shoved him down the final flight of steps. He had scraps and cuts on his hands, wrists, back and feet. Blood was visible in the house, and much of the roof of the house was gone.
In Illinois, high winds, rain and at least four possible tornadoes knocked down power lines and damaged at least one home and a number of farm buildings across the central and eastern parts of the state.
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