More This & That & Whatever.... The Best Of Intellectual Froglegs

[Warph]

Large Holes Forming Near The New Madrid Fault And A Giant Crack In The Earth In North Mexico

By Michael Snyder, on August 21st, 2014

Did you know that the number of big earthquakes during the first three months of 2014 was more than double the yearly average of what we have experienced since 1979? And did you know that the number of earthquakes in the central and eastern U.S. has quintupled in recent years?  If you do not believe this, just keep reading.  We live at a time when earthquakes are increasing in frequency and severity.  And we are starting to see some very unusual activity in places that have been quiet for a very long time.  For example, large holes are starting to mysteriously appear in Indiana near the New Madrid fault zone.  And a giant crack in the ground nearly a kilometer long has appeared in northern Mexico.  Could these be indications that even greater earthquake activity is on the way?

Most Americans don't realize that the greatest earthquakes in U.S. history happened along the New Madrid fault zone.  Back during the early part of the 19th century, a series of immensely powerful earthquakes rattled the entire eastern half of the nation.  Documents that we have from that era say that those earthquakes were so powerful that they were felt more than 1,000 miles away.  And there are many that believe that if we had a similar earthquake today that the damage caused would almost be incalculable.

That is why what has been happening in Indiana is so alarming.  According to reports, half a dozen mystery holes have been discovered on Mount Baldy...
More than a year after a 6-year-old boy was almost buried alive in a popular sand dune, more holes are appearing and scientists still aren't sure why. The 126 foot sand dune, called Mount Baldy, in Indiana, remains closed as new potentially dangerous holes are appearing. Three geologists arrived last week with high tech equipment in the hope of using radio waves and core samples to see if they can determine what's causing the holes. Their plan? To eventually build a three dimensional map of the dune to try and see it's internal structure.

You can view a video news report about these mysterious holes right here:

So what should we think about all of this?

Well it could be something or it could be nothing.

But any weird activity near the New Madrid fault always gets my attention.  This fault is so dangerous that it could literally change the shape of the country overnight.  For much more on how dangerous the New Madrid fault is, just check out this video:

Most Americans never even give the New Madrid fault a second thought, but the federal government considered it important enough to hold a major five day simulation known as "National Level Exercise 11″ just a few years ago...
In May, the federal government simulated an earthquake so massive, it killed 100,000 Midwesterners instantly, and forced more than 7 million people out of their homes. At the time, National Level Exercise 11 went largely unnoticed; the scenario seemed too far-fetched — states like Illinois and Missouri are in the middle of a tectonic plate, not at the edge of one. A major quake happens there once every several generations.

[...]
National Level Exercise 11, or NLE 11, was, in essence, a replay of a disaster that happened 200 years earlier. On Dec. 16, 1811, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit the New Madrid fault line, which lies on the border region of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. It's by far the largest earthquake ever to strike the United States east of the Rockies. Up to 129,000 square kilometers [50,000 square miles] were hit with "raised or sunken lands, fissures, sinks, sand blows, and large landslides," according to the U.S. Geological Service. "Huge waves on the Mississippi River overwhelmed many boats and washed others high onto the shore. High banks caved and collapsed into the river; sand bars and points of islands gave way; whole islands disappeared." People as far away as New York City were awakened by the shaking.

More quakes, of a similar size, followed. But the loss of life was minimal: Not too many people lived in the area at the time. Today, there are more than 15 million people living in the quake zone. If a similar quake hit, "7.2 million people could be displaced, with 2 million seeking temporary shelter" in the first three days, FEMA Associate Adminsitrator William Carwile told a Congressional panel in 2010. "Direct economic losses for the eight states could total nearly $300 billion, while indirect losses at least twice that amount."
And officials at the U.S. Geological Survey recently released a report that stated that the New Madrid fault zone has the "potential for larger and more powerful quakes than previously thought".
That certainly sounds quite chilling.

In addition, retail powerhouse Wal-Mart is so concerned about the potential for a major quake that it "participated in an exercise to prepare for an earthquake on the New Madrid fault line" earlier this year...
Walmart Stores Inc., with its huge network of stores and facilities, has also taken note. "We are seeing increased earthquake activity in the central U.S. That is an area we are focusing on even more," said Mark Cooper, senior director of emergency management at Walmart, in an interview. He explained that Walmart takes an "all-hazard" approach to emergency preparedness, but focuses on specific risks in areas of the country where those risks are particularly relevant, such as hurricanes in Louisiana. "A few weeks ago, we participated in an exercise to prepare for an earthquake on the New Madrid fault line," he said.

But the New Madrid fault zone is certainly not the only area to be keeping an eye on.

Down in north Mexico, a giant crack in the ground about a kilometer long has recently appeared.  It is estimated to be approximately 16 feet across and 8 feet deep.  You can view some stunning aerial footage of this giant crack in the Earth right here...

Some believe that an earthquake along the San Andreas Fault may be to blame for this giant fissure.

Others believe that it is being caused by an underground stream.

While footage of giant cracks in the Earth such as you have just seen can be quite spectacular, what is far more alarming to me personally are the cold, hard earthquake numbers.

For example, as I mentioned above, the number of big earthquakes that we have seen this year has been far higher than usual.  The following is from a recent CBS News report...
If you think there have been more earthquakes than usual this year, you're right. A new study finds there were more than twice as many big earthquakes in the first quarter of 2014 as compared with the average since 1979.

And this is not something that has just started happening.  As that same article explained, this is all part of a much longer trend...
The average rate of big earthquakes — those larger than magnitude 7 — has been 10 per year since 1979, the study reports. That rate rose to 12.5 per year starting in 1992, and then jumped to 16.7 per year starting in 2010 — a 65 percent increase compared to the rate since 1979. This increase accelerated in the first three months of 2014 to more than double the average since 1979, the researchers report.

In particular, things really seem to be heating up in the middle portion of the United States.  As I mentioned at the start of this article, the frequency of earthquakes in the central and eastern parts of the nation has quintupled over the past 30 years...
According to the USGS, the frequency of earthquakes in the central and eastern U.S. has quintupled, to an average of 100 a year during the 2011-2013 period, up from only 20 per year during the 30-year period to 2000.

Most of these quakes were minor, but research published by the USGS earlier this year demonstrated that a relatively minor magnitude 5.0 quake caused by wastewater injection after conventional oil drilling triggered a much bigger, 5.7 magnitude quake in Prague, Okla.

"We know the hazard has increased for small and moderate size earthquakes. We don't know as well how much the hazard has increased for large earthquakes. Our suspicion is it has but we are working on understanding this," said William Ellsworth, a scientist with the USGS.What we are watching happen is truly unprecedented.  Oklahoma alone has experienced more than 2,300 earthquakes so far this year.  Scientists don't really know what to make of this alarming increase in seismic activity.

Could all of this be leading up to something really big?

And what will things look like if we do get hit by a magnitude 8 or a magnitude 9 earthquake in a very heavily populated area?

Check out this Doomsday Map:

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php

[Warph]

A Guide To Middle East Politics In 2014

From Egypt to Syria, Palestine to Iraq, the hopes of the Arab spring lie in tatters.
And with the latest conflict in Gaza, the Middle East is more violent,
volatile and complex than ever.

Monday 4 August 2014

It's complicated – and extremely violent – in the Middle East these days. Iraq is in a state of war again after Sunni jihadis conquered swaths of territory. US troops – though now only "advisers" – are back in Shia-ruled Baghdad. In Syria, next door, the conflict rages on – bleeding into Iraq across a desert border drawn up during the first world war and now effectively erased by the Islamic State (Isis), the triumphant advocates of a seventh-century Islamic caliphate. Palestine, the region's oldest conflict, has exploded spectacularly with the latest bout of fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

In Damascus, Bashar al-Assad has the upper hand. But large areas of the country remain beyond his control. The US, Britain and their allies shied away from overt intervention even when Assad crossed Barack Obama's "red line" and used chemical weapons against his own people. Sunni Saudi Arabia and its autocratic Gulf allies want the Syrian president to go, and have armed the rebels fighting him – though they fear "blowback" from Isis and al-Qaida. The Gulf states loathe Shia Iran, supporting Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad as well as Assad. The UK and other western countries fret about radicalised Muslims coming home from the battlefields of the Levant.

Everywhere the hopes of the Arab spring have been bitterly disappointed. Egypt, the most populous Arab country, is ruled by Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi, another repressive soldier-turned-president. Tahrir Square is a fading memory. The Gulf monarchs – maverick pro-Islamist Qatar apart – are using their oil wealth to bankroll counter-revolution at home and abroad.

Abdel Fatah al-Sisi

In a landscape dominated by generals, autocrats and extremists, with the mainstream Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood repressed or discredited, political space is shrinking. Elections have been held in Syria and Egypt but these have hardly been shining examples of democracy and pluralism. Al-Qaida, hammered in its Afghan and Pakistani hideouts, seemed a spent force when Osama bin Laden was gunned down by US special forces three years ago. But now the jihadis are back — from Mosul to Mali. "Turkey, Israel and Iran are the only strong states in the region," laments one veteran leader. "The Arabs are hell's firewood."

Internationally, strategies are being re-thought and alliances shifting as enemies' enemies become friends, however temporarily. Allies on one issue back different sides on others. The US and Iran, at loggerheads for 35 years, share some interests in Iraq but remain at loggerheads over Syria and Israel. The intractable conflict between the nuclear-armed Jewish state and the still stateless Palestinians is experiencing another vicious bout of carnage in Gaza. More than 1,800 Palestinian dead, the majority civilians, is one consequence of years of missed opportunities and the failure of US efforts to revive a long-moribund peace process. The old idea of a two-state solution has few believers these days. But military might is no answer either. The coming months will tell whether a landmark nuclear deal can be struck between Washington and Tehran. Could that, as some hope, unlock the door to wider change across the Middle East? Or is that wishful thinking in the face of a chaotic and bloody reality?

Iraq

Population: 33 million

The country's prospects depend on the ability of its dysfunctional post-2003 political system to become more inclusive – after its Shia prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, provoked an angry backlash from minority Sunnis who have never got used to losing the status they enjoyed under Saddam Hussein. Isis is cruel and sectarian, its extremism fuelled by anti-Sunni discrimination. It is provoking a counter-reaction by Shia militias linked to Iran. But Sunni tribes and Kurds have also been fighting back. The fall of Mosul and the capture of disputed Kirkuk have given the already autonomous Kurds, now exporting oil independently, a far stronger position. The division of Iraq into Kurdish, Sunni and Shia areas is a likely outcome. But formal partition will likely mean death on an epic scale.

Backs: Assad.

Against: Isis, Saudi Arabia.

Watch: Maliki, Kurds, ISIS

Iran

Population: 81 million

Iran is more powerful in Iraq than the US these days. General Qassem Suleimani of the Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards rushed to Baghdad to organise its defences against Isis. Iranians talk a lot about defending the historic Iraqi Shia shrines of Karbala and Najaf – and loathe the Sunni extremists they blame the Saudis for backing. Hopes for internal change in the Islamic Republic have risen under President Hassan Rouhani but domestic politics are complex, with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling the shots on national security issues, including the contentious nuclear programme. Tehran attaches huge strategic value to its relationship with its well-armed Lebanese ally Hezbollah, deployed in support of Assad as well as in the front line against Israel.

Backs: Assad, Maliki, Hamas.

Against: Isis, Israel, Saudi Arabia.

Watch: Nuclear talks.

Syria

Population: 22 million

Assad, who hails from the country's Alawite minority, was elected for a third presidential term in June. He has good reason to see things going his way in the fourth year of the war. Government forces, backed by Hezbollah and Iraqi Shia militiamen, have the upper hand, controlling Damascus and a corridor to the coast and the country's largest city, Aleppo. But with an estimated 150,000 dead and millions of Syrian refugees abroad or displaced at home, the economy is in ruins. Isis's embryonic Islamic caliphate, straddling the border with Iraq, is likely to continue to be a magnet for Sunni extremists. Fear of Isis has weakened western support for Assad's enemies and boosted his image as a bulwark against extremism. The last UN envoy warned that Syria was becoming "another Somalia".

Backs: Iran, Hezbollah, Maliki.

Against: Saudi Arabia, ISIS, Gulf states, Israel.

Watch: Reduced western backing for rebels. Signs of Assad's rehabilitation.

Lebanon

Population: 5.9 million

A deeply fractured polity at the best of times, Lebanon has suffered in the wake of the war in Syria and is hosting more than one million refugees. Hezbollah's defence of Assad has exacerbated tension with the country's Sunni community, with several bomb blasts blamed on hardline groups.

Backs: No one too clearly because of the country's ever-delicate internal political balance.

Against: Israel.

Watch: Hezbollah.

Jordan

Population: 7.9 million

Jordan has taken in 600,000 Syrian refugees – following on from waves of displaced Palestinians and Iraqis in the past. The small, resource-poor but staunchly pro-western monarchy has weathered the strains of the Arab spring more successfully than others. Jordan discreetly allowed CIA training and Saudi arms to cross the border into Syria. Its leaders fear the appeal of Isis to disaffected Sunnis – al-Qaida in Iraq was founded by the Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi – but it has the best intelligence service in the Arab world. Maintains peace treaty with Israel.

Backs: Saudi Arabia, Sisi.

Against: Assad, Isis.

Watch: Security responses to unrest.

Turkey

Population: 81 million

Turkey does not want a divided Iraq. Wary of attacks by Isis and worries about Kurdish independence – not least because of the effect on its own Kurdish minority. The government kept quiet about the takeover of the nothern Iraqi city of Kirkuk by the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Turkey has important energy interests in northern Iraq and has provided extensive backing for anti-Assad rebels. Like Qatar it favours the Muslim Brotherhood elements of the Syrian opposition. Has banned Jabhat al-Nusra, a Syrian jihadi group linked to al-Qaida – reflecting worries about "blowback".

Backs: Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas.

Against: Assad, Sisi.

Watch: Reactions to Kurdish assertiveness.

Palestine

Population: 1.8 million (Gaza); 2.7 million (West Bank)

The latest Gaza war has been a terrible reminder of untenable status quo. Prospects for peace with Israel weakened by the Arab spring and divisions between PLO in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza, isolated by Israel and anti-Islamist military in Cairo, and by chaos in Syria. Rapprochement with the PLO was a rare move towards unity. Israel blamed Hamas for murder of three teenagers in the West Bank and launched crackdown. Western-backed Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas looks weak, with nothing to show for security cooperation with Israel. No peace process for the first time in 20 years.

Backs: (PLO) all Arab states; (Hamas) Turkey, Qatar.

Against: (PLO) Israel; (Hamas) Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt.

Watch: Hamas-PLO unity moves; PLO quest for international recognition. Boycott and sanctions campaign.

Saudi Arabia

Population: 27.3 million

Saudi Arabia (with Qatar, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates) funded Sunni rebels in Syria and Iraq. Businessmen and clerics promoted Isis and Jabhat al-Nusra, but the government is now coordinating with the US in backing only "vetted" non-jihadi Islamist units. The dismissal of Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan reflected a sharper counter-terrorist focus, sparked by fears of Afghan-style "blowback" from returning fighters. Saudi citizens travelling to Iraq now face fines. King Abdullah, 92, was horrified by the overthrow of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak in 2011, and furious with Barack Obama. Saudis fear a deal over Iran's nuclear programme – and being abandoned by a US "pivoting" to Asia. Accused of quietly backing Israel's war on Hamas.

Backs: Syrian rebels (not Isis), Sisi, Bahrain.

Against: Assad, Maliki, Iran, Hamas/Muslim Brotherhood.

Watch: Strains over royal succession. Counter-terrorist moves.

Bahrain

Population: 1.3 million

Western-backed Sunni monarchy, hosting US naval base, repressing island state's restive Shia majority despite professed committment to political reform. At the heart of the region's sectarian fault line.

Backs: Saudi Arabia.

Against: Iran.

Watch: Unrest.

Qatar

Population: 2.1 million

Fabulously wealthy Gulf state uses Al Jazeera TV and support for Islamists to punch above its weight with an independent foreign policy at odds with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf neighbours.

Backs: Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas.

Against: Sisi.

Watch: Fence-mending with Gulf neighbours.

Yemen

Population: 26 million

Poorest country in the Arab world. Running out of water as well as oil. US drone strikes, launched from Saudi Arabia, target al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula but often kill innocents. Attempts to reach a ceasefire between Yemeni army and Houthi rebels (said to be backed by Iran) failed. Tribal sabotage of the electrical grid left the capital city Sana'a without fuel or electricity earlier this year, prompting mass protests calling for the overthrow of the government.

Backs: Saudis.

Against: al-Qaida. Iran.

Watch: Fuel and food shortages. Drone strikes.

Egypt

Population: 86.9 million

President (formerly Field Marshal) Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi, elected in June, has vowed to crush the Muslim Brotherhood and banned it as a terrorist organisation. His military government overthrew democratically elected but unpopular Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi, killing and imprisoning thousands. Egypt emphasises commitment to crushing jihadis in Sinai, the strategically vital peninsula bordering Israel. Maintains a peace treaty with Israel and keen for continued US military aid. Receiving massive financial support from Saudis and Emiratis. Accused of effectively backing Israel against Hamas.

Backs: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Assad.

Against: Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Isis, Iran, Qatar.

Watch: Sisi's grip on the economy. Relations with US.

Libya

Population: 6.2 million

Risks becoming a failed state three years after Nato-backed rebels overthrew Muammar Gaddafi. Central government in Tripoli is unable to control hundreds of militias, especially Benghazi-based jihadists of Ansar al-Sharia. Former general Khalifa Haftar is waging a war of "dignity" against Islamists. Low turnout in parliamentary elections; militia violence, as well as power, fuel and water shortages disrupt daily life. Evacuation of US, UK and other foreign embassies underline growing international alarm.

Backs: Sisi.

Against: Qatar.

Watch: Political dialogue between rival groups. Slide to civil war

Tunisia

Population: 10.9 million

Lone poster child for the success of Arab spring uprisings. Its deposed dictator, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, lives in gilded exile in Saudi Arabia. The Islamist al-Nahda party, close to the Muslim Brotherhood, stands out for accepting the need for power-sharing with rivals and playing down interest in Sharia law. The political system is still fragile, while polarisation and violence in Egypt and Libya make Tunisia's transition all the more difficult.

Backs: Algeria, Morocco, Libya.

Against: Jihadis.

Watch: Elections in October.

[Bullwinkle]

 


media matters    August 26

Why isn't the media covering the killing of an unarmed white youth by a black police officer?



The case of Michael Brown, the unarmed, black teenager shot and killed by a white police officer, continues to make headlines weeks after the incident sparked riots and outrage in Ferguson, Missouri, and prompted a national debate.

Meanwhile, the case of Dillon Taylor, a white 20-year-old shot and killed by a black policeman outside a 7-Eleven in Utah has received virtually no media coverage beyond local news reports. His brother, who was with him at the 7-Eleven, says Taylor was unarmed.

The negligible coverage of the Taylor case by the mainstream media prompted many conservative critics to address the racial double standard. The Washington Times reports: "Talk-show host Rush Limbaugh blamed the discrepancy between the two cases on 'the liberal world view' that portrays whites as oppressors and blacks as victims."

The Times noted that CNN news host Jake Tapper acknowledged the discrepancy between the two cases, and noted that "the press often undercovers such topics as inner-city violence and the high rates of black-on-black crime."
According to Tapper, though, the Brown case is more newsworthy because of the national reaction it sparked, though some question whether the excessive media coverage of the violent protests actually served to fuel them.
- - Teresa Mull   

[Ross]

http://madworldnews.com/commonly-spoken-languages-state-english-spanish/

[Ross]

[Warph]

CAGW Goes Trick-or-Treating

October 28, 2014   

(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) celebrates All Hallow's Eve with its annual compendium of scary, grotesque, and spine-tingling examples of wasteful government spending.  The list of nominees for inclusion in this Fiscal House of Horrors was longer than last year, as it was difficult to unearth the full breadth of the mayhem.  So consider this as a shadow of the creepy crawlies lurking around corners and skulking down every dark stairwell, nook and cranny of the federal government.  Not one agency is free of the scourge of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.  Be very afraid...   


Trick:  Obamacare - The ghastly parade of horribles related to Obamacare continues unabated.  On March 11, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a delay in federal Obamacare exchange enrollment and 2015 premium prices until after the elections.  Like the Walking Dead, there seems to be no end to the long line of politically-motivated machinations designed to hide the true depravity of the law.


Trick or Treat?  Are Earmarks Withering like Dorian Gray's Portrait or Slithering Back in the Dark? 

Even though Congress certified that the fiscal year (FY) 2014 appropriations bills were earmark-free according to its definition, CAGW found 109 earmarks costing taxpayers $2.7 billion, the second lowest amount since CAGW began tracking earmarks in FY 1991.  At the very least, the earmark moratorium has succeeded in decreasing the number and cost of earmarks under anyone's criteria.  However, only a few of these 109 projects carried sufficient information to determine who requested the project and where the money was being directed.  Added to the fact that members of Congress are no longer required to add their names to earmarks, transparency in the appropriations process has been reduced immeasurably.


Treat:  Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository Is Alive!  And, in this case, that is good for taxpayers and utility ratepayers.  On October 16, 2014, after trying to bury it deep within the bureaucracy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued its Yucca Mountain Safety Evaluation Report 3.  The report confirms that the Yucca Mountain, Nevada site meets all the NRC's safety requirements for the safe long-term storage of the nation's spent nuclear fuel.  The Department of Energy and taxpayers have oozed an estimated $20 billion annually because of the agency's failure to comply with the law.  It is time to revivify the Yucca Mountain program.


Trick:  RACs on the Rack.  The highly successful Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program has rooted out and clawed back $8.9 billion in improper overpayments from Medicare providers since 2010.  Nevertheless, the RACs have suffered the assault of a thousand cuts, stalked relentlessly by hospitals (who prefer not to return improper overpayments), members of Congress (who are doing the hospitals' bidding like sightless automatons), and some CMS officials, who have conspired to gut the program through the end of FY 2014.  RACs analyze millions of Medicare claims, identify those that have been paid erroneously, and retrieve the overpayments to replenish the Medicare Trust Fund.  Considering how critically important the program is to Medicare program integrity, one wonders if some of those out to degrade RACs have had half of their brains eaten.


Trick or Treat?  Export-Import Bank Gets Wounded; Now, on the Attack.  Unlike pop culture depictions of the Frankenstein monster, which was the grotesque result of crudely stitching together of disparate human body parts, the Export-Import Bank has, at least legislatively speaking, been severed from inclusion in any other "must-pass" legislative vehicle.  Although Ex-Im whistled past the graveyard when it was attached to omnibus appropriations bill for FY 2014, its new date with doom (June 2015) means that, as a standalone bill, this corporate welfare monster could finally meet the demise it so richly deserves.  However, when angry villagers came after Frankenstein's monster with pitchforks, both the monster and its creator reacted badly.  And just like the mad scientist's creature, Ex-Im loan recipients and their congressional allies are trying to drive the taxpayers back.  While the end of the Ex-Im Bank story has yet to be written, in every single version of Frankenstein, the monster dies.


Treat:  A Stake Through the Heart of MEADS.  Capping several years of bloated costs and underperformance, legislators finally stripped funding for the troubled Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) in the FY 2014 omnibus appropriations bill.  President Obama did not request funding for MEADS in his FY 2014 budget request, and members of Congress agreed, eliminating a program that has been roundly criticized.


Trick:  Harry Reid Stars as The Senate's Montresor.   In Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," the vengeful protagonist Montresor lures his enemy down into dark catacombs with the promise of a rare bottle of wine.  There, he traps his victim, and gleefully bricks him up in a squalid niche for all eternity.  Harry Reid's Senate has become a moldy subterranean tomb where legislation goes to rot in the dark, shrilly screaming to be released, never to be seen again.


Treat:  Sequestration's Heart Still Beats.  Sequestration, in and of itself, won't usher in a new era of fiscal sanity in Washington, D.C., and there are far better ways to save money.  However, it has proven to be the best thing that has happened for taxpayers in decades.  As long as the Congress' Creepy Clowns don't repeal the spending caps established in the 2011 Budget Control Act, domestic discretionary spending will continue to increase at a slower rate than it would otherwise.


Trick:  Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  The Department of Defense has cannibalized the parts from 16 G222 airplanes and sold them as scrap to an Afghan construction company.  The plan was to use the 20 G222 planes, which cost U.S. taxpayers $486 million, to equip the Afghan Air Force (AAF).  Somewhere along the line, it was determined that C-130 aircraft would be more suitable, so the DOD purchased four such aircraft for the AAF.  In order to "minimize impact on drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan," 16 G222s sitting on the tarmac of the Kabul International Airport were sold as scrap to an Afghan construction company for a grand total of $32,000, or 6 cents per pound of scrapped metal


Treat:  The 2014 Wastebook.  Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has been one of the taxpayers' most ardent defenders during his 16 years in Congress.  His annual "Wastebook," published since 2010, is a compendium of terrifying transgressions against taxpayers.  This year's tome uncovered 100 frightful expenditures costing $25 billion.  While Dr. Coburn will be laying down his sword and taking early retirement in January, 2015, CAGW plans to help prevent this taxpayer treasure from being buried alive and the federal government from goblin' up the taxpayers' green. 


Trick:  Special Delivery to the USPS Spook House.   The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has lost money in 20 of the last 23 quarters.  Instead of focusing on its core mission, it has taken to slinking around, trolling for new business ventures outside of mail delivery in areas that are already well-served by existing, private-sector businesses.  Its latest experiment is delivering groceries to Amazon customers in several western cities.  While the backroom financial details of the deal are under wraps, making sense of the USPS' cost-allocation structure is like peering through a grimy window into a dilapidated spook house:  you never know what is going to pop up, but it is not going to be good.


Trick:  Getting Snagged in the Web of Operation Chokepoint.  Taxpayers can be forgiven if they suffer from fiscal arachnophobia.  In some dank corner of the federal leviathan, bureaucrats from the Department of Justice, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the newly-minted Consumer Financial Protection Board are weaving a complex web to strong-arm banks who handle the electronic transactions for disfavored industries or companies, such as short-term lenders to gun dealers.  Indeed, no wrongdoing is necessary to attract the DOJ's beady eyes, which is choosing its victims due to their "suspect" activities and "asking" banks to cut them off.


Trick:  Information Superhighway to Hell.  On April 30, 2014, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler announced that he firmly believes "the FCC has the power – and I intend to exercise that power – to preempt state laws that ban competition from community broadband."  Aside from the questionable constitutional grounds for his claim of federal supremacy over state laws, including a 1996 Supreme Court case that held the FCC does not have the authority to overrule state laws regulating how municipal governments engage in telecommunications services, Chairman Wheeler is ignoring the ample competition for broadband access.  More than 1,600 private-sector companies provide broadband access throughout the U.S., which is one of many reasons that 20 states have seen the light and restricted or prevented the construction of municipal broadband systems.  These states know that government-owned networks are frightfully expensive, often compete directly against existing private sector businesses, and frequently fail.  Wilson, North Carolina and Chattanooga, Tennessee have taken Wheeler at his word and filed petitions asking the FCC to overturn the state laws in their respective communities in order to allow them to expand their existing municipal broadband networks, despite state laws that prohibit them from taking such action.  Should Wheeler's view prevail, the information superhighway will be filled the wreckage of failed municipal broadband projects, and "insurers" (taxpayers) will be left holding the bag for a hellacious amount of damages.

http://cagw.org/media/press-releases/cagw-goes-trick-or-treating-0

[Warph]

Obamacare Horror Stories.

http://cagw.org/stories

One month after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) declared that all of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) horror stories were lies, he claimed that he never said such a thing.

But Citizens Against Government Waste always knew the stories were true, and we asked our members to provide their own ObamaCare horror stories.  Hundreds have responded.  They include individuals, entrepreneurs and small business owners, those who will most acutely experience the ObamaCare morass.  But the negative effects of President Obama's healthcare reform law will not end with them.  If ObamaCare becomes more embedded in the healthcare sector, all Americans will get to experience its harmful consequences.

Some of the horror stories have been posted on CAGW.org (with the permission of the authors).  As you read them, you will discover real people who had a health insurance plan that they liked, were promised they could keep, and then lost because of ObamaCare.  In spite of what the president said, they knew that their old health insurance was not a "junk" or "substandard" policy that was sold to them by a "bad apple" insurance company.   The policy provided the kind of care they wanted, not what the government forced upon them. More often than not, the ObamaCare health plans they now have are not delivering the benefits they want and are costing more. 

You will read how the cuts to Medicare Advantage plans in order to help pay for ObamaCare are harming many of our nation's seniors.  (Interestingly, the next round of cuts to Medicare Advantage has been canceled because of squealing from vulnerable Senate Democrats in this election year.)

As we receive more horror stories from all the "liars" about ObamaCare, they will be posted on our website. Do any of these sound similar to your experience? Let us know by telling your own Obamacare Horror Story!


Mike S. of California:
I am 64-years old and a small business owner. My wife and I have had an HSA policy with Anthem for many years. Our premium in 2012 was $540 per month and increased to $670 per month in 2013 in preparation for the start of the Obamacare law. Our new "replacement policy" premium that started in 2014 is $1,269 per month. The plan is not as good as the policy we had. Because of Obamacare, our premium is 2.35 times higher than it was in 2012, an increase of 135% in just two years!


Melissa K from Pennsylvania:
My husband owns a crane rental company and the insurance premiums for each employee are going up significantly. One employee, whose wife has health issues, is going to have a rate increase to $2,000 per month! My husband covers all of the insurance costs and will not pass the increases onto the employees, but he will have to raise his rates to his customers. Is this any way to run a business? My brother-in-law's family will lose their insurance at the end of this month because of the Affordable Health Care Act. What is so affordable about this act, that's what I would like to know?


Carol B from Florida:
I lost my favorite doctor because she says she can't practice with all the government interference! My son in NC lost his doctor and my other son and daughter-in-law liked their insurance but lost it because of Obamacare! The administration lied when they said you could keep your plan if you like it!


Linda R. from Florida:
I am on Medicare Advantage.  Because of the reimbursement changes ObamaCare made to the program, I lost my doctors and all the co-pays are much more.



Virginia F. from Idaho:
I got a cancellation notice from Blue Cross.  At the time I had a catastrophic plan that cost $210 per month with a $2,000 deductible.  I did check on the exchange for the cost of a plan and it was horrible!  The Bronze plan was $530 per month with a $6,700 deductible and a 30 percent co-pay.  Fortunately, Idaho allowed me to keep my plan for a year.  My husband is on Medicare and his costs have also gone up.  We were told by a dermatologist they are no longer taking Medicare patients.



Anna M. from Virginia:
I had an individual insurance policy through the Farm Bureau that was deemed "illegal" by ObamaCare and was cancelled 12/31/13.  I later learned Anthem decided that I was "grandfathered" in and could continue my old policy but my premiums went up and I decided it was not worth it. So, now I am without any insurance.  I'll just take my chances



Roger S. from Oregon:
In late 2012 my doctor decided to leave medicine because of ObamaCare.  During open enrollment 2013, my plan was dropped by my employer and replaced with a plan that costs more than double what I was paying.  I could not keep my doctor, I could not keep my plan and my costs doubled.  ObamaCare was sold to us on lies.  We need to replace Obamcare with pure market solutions and competition.



Mike S. from Colorado:
My insurance company was forced to cancel my high deductible $777 per month family plan.  The least expensive replacement was a plan with a premium of $1147 per month with a higher deductible of $6,000 per person or $12,000 family deductible.  Ouch.



William W. from Missouri:
My wife and I own and operate two businesses.  I had a high deductible health plan with an HSA to which I contributed annually.  In 2013, I received notice that my plan was no longer compliant with the new "Affordable Care Act" and that my plan would change.  I worked with a person that helped my wife and I find coverage on the ObamaCare website.  It took over 3 hours to weave our way through the maze of questions and pages of applications to finalize our insurance.  ObamaCare caused my deductible to be reduced but raised my monthly premium.  I also had dental coverage wrapped in my old package, which I lost.  I just found that out when I needed a crown.  My annual income is low and I qualified for subsidies but this would not have been necessary if our government hadn't meddled in the healthcare industry in the first place.  Without the subsidies my cost is almost 1.5 times what I was paying.  If make more this year than last year, my subsidies will evaporate and I will be in worse shape.  Thanks to ObamaCare, my life just got more complicated.  I couldn't keep the plan I wanted.  At least I get to keep the doctors ... so far.



Daniel S. from Ohio:
Simply put, my 2013 plan cost me approximately $14,000 per year for me, my wife, and 2 employees in 2013.  For the same plan in 2014 it would have cost over $20,000 thanks to ObamaCare.  I was able to put this huge increase off for 11 months by renewing my current plan in Dec. 2013 before the law actually took effect.  My increase was about $900 for the year. I have received my quotes for renewal in Dec. 2014 and all of the plans - Bronze thru Platinum, are more expensive than my current plan.  My choice is to pay $6000 to $7500 more per year for the same or a little better coverage or pay $3500 to $5000 more for less coverage



Roger N. from California:
My insurer, Kaiser Permanente, informed me my plan was no longer available due to the Affordable Care Act because it didn't meet the requirements of providing a prescription drug plan.  My rate increased 60% from $250 per month to over $350 per month, just so I can get $20 worth of prescriptions per month, which makes no sense.  I don't even use Kaiser's prescription pharmacy because I have found that Costco is cheaper



J.D.G. from California:
I'm what you would call the working poor.  I have been underemployed for years and live on about $16,000 per year.  Up to the end of 2013 I got by with no health coverage and went to free clinics when I needed to.  But now, thanks to ObamaCare, I've got insurance.  It's subsidized, about $400 per month, but I am only charged $1 per month.  The catch is the plan has a huge deductible of $5,000 per year, which I can never possibly pay. So in effect I have zero usable coverage.  What makes it worse is, now that I'm "insured" I'm no longer eligible for either the free clinics or free emergency room service.  I would be told to use my insurance, which means coming up with the impossible co-pays.  I would like to see every one of the imbeciles who wrote this law forced to walk in my shoes until they fix it.



Reginald R. from North Dakota:
It took almost 20 years for my Blue Cross Blue Shield premiums to go from $350 a month to $738 a month.  In the few years since the passage of ObamaCare my premiums have gone from $738 to $1261 a month.  I just received my rate increase and my premium will now cost an additional $181 for a total of $1442 per month.  Obama told us the law would save us $2500 a year.  The reality is his plan will cost me nearly $8500 more a year.



Pam H. from Missouri:
My private insurance was canceled in the fall of 2013.  My only alternative was the healthcare.gov website.  I now pay $150 per month more in premiums, NONE of my doctors are in network, and I have a $6500 deductible for out-of-network providers.  My husband just received a letter from his insurance company stating that they were raising his premiums $300 per month!  So he now pays almost $1000 per month. We are not wealthy, and yet, we are paying exorbitant amounts just because of ObamaCare.  I was very happy with my former insurance plan, and unlike I was promised, couldn't keep it.



Clark M. from Washington:
My insurance premium went up 41% as a direct result of ObamaCare.  The law has caused a massive increase in cost and a decrease in coverage.



Valerie H. from Florida:
We relocated to Jacksonville last year and were awaiting the 90-day time frame to have insurance provided through my husband's employer.  I am self-employed and don't have any insurance myself.  I was checking insurance rates prior to my husband's employers information being presented to us.  At that time, the rate for my husband, myself, and our young son was $350 a month for total coverage, including dental and vision.  It had a deductible of $2000 and free well-care checks.  Upon receiving our insurance information from my husband's employer, we decided we were not able to pay what they were requiring ($1200 a month for all 3 of us) so we opted to select the plan we found online earlier.  I went back to purchase the plan but by then ObamaCare had kicked in. The same plan was now $1250 a month with a $10,000 deductible!  My rent is $995 a month and I can't afford to pay more than that for insurance. The lowest plan we could find was the emergency plan, only good for emergencies and nothing else, at a cost of nearly $400 a month.  That didn't include well-care for my son, which would be an additional $250 a month through Florida Kid Care.  We applied for assistance with the cost and were denied.  So we are now forced to decide between paying the penalty and being able to see the doctor out-of-pocket as needed, or paying for insurance that we can't afford that doesn't cover anything, and still having to pay to visit the doctor.  Like many other middle class Americans, we work hard to support our family and can't afford an additional $1200 a month, plus doctor costs until the insane deductible is met. The Affordable Care Act is not affordable for us at all and I pray daily that no one in my family gets sick.



Donna B. from Texas:
I am a full time graduate student. My field of study is in diabetes in honor of my son who died of the disease.  I earn $800 a month as a graduate assistant and $200 working at my church. When I applied for insurance, I was shocked that based on my income, the "affordable" premium was over $500 a month with a $6000 deductible.  My prescriptions alone without insurance will be another $400 a month.  How is that affordable?  I'm sorry, but the penalty is more affordable for me.  I'll continue to pay for my prescriptions and pray I don't become ill.  I am disappointed.



Alex Y. from Michigan:
I am a self-employed, sole-bread winner, husband, and father to three children.  Our individual policy premium increased in price by 26% ($234) in November 2013.  This is a $2,808 annual increase that pushes our total annual premium to $13,620 per year, plus $2,500 deductible per person.  So how is a $2,808 annual increase supposed to be affordable?



Clifford P. from Washington:
My wife is 64. We had a major medical policy with Blue Shield, a $3,500 deductible with a premium of $321.00 per month.  In November we received notice that due to ObamaCare the deductible would be $5,000.00 and the premium over $500 per month for the Bronze plan starting Jan 1, 2014.  We canceled the insurance and will wait until her 65th birthday in Oct. 2014 when she will able to sign-up for Medicare.



Jay M. from Florida:
I was shocked to find that my health insurance will go from $168 per month to $395 per month. I have contacted my congresswoman Cathy Castor for help.  The response was "go to the web site." I have never asked for one dime of government hand outs since I arrived in this county in 1964.  My mother raised me on her own without any help from a man or the government.  Now our government is doing back flips to subsidize people's health coverage and when I ask for help I get none! The help that has been advertised is certainly not what is happening to me.



Ronald T. from North Carolina:
Those who support ACA are either those who qualify for the subsidies or who work for the government or some large organization where they are somewhat insulated from the fallout of the ACA.  But small business owners and the self-employed are opposed to ACA.  I own a small business with my brother.  We received notices of rate increases of about 2.5 times what we had been paying.  Fortunately, we were able to get a reprieve from BCBS so we could keep the policy that we had been using. The same thing happened to the gentleman who owns a small salon and cuts my hair.  His family rates more than doubled and he did not know how he was going to pay for it. Fortunately he got a reprieve too.  The only people who will benefit are those that get a subsidy.  The super rich won't be affected.  But the middle class and small businesses like ours will be harmed.



Lorraine N. from California:
The Medicare Advantage changes have affected me this way. A visit to my doctor, which prior to this year was $25 is now $45.  Tomorrow when I see the two specialists, it will be another $90. Hospital admissions are now more costly, as are deductibles.   Congress took millions of our Medicare dollars, which we paid into, to help finance the Affordable Care Act and then added much more costs to the elderly for treatment.



James B. from Florida:
My son has a learning disability.  He has been working at Red Lobster, which is owned by Darden Restaurants, for 25 years as a dishwasher.  The restaurant had excellent medical insurance until ObamaCare.  Now he has to work less than 30 hours per week and has to obtain his own medical insurance.  They also had an excellent profit sharing plan.  Since he will be getting less hours he will have less in his profit sharing each year.



Michael W. from California:
I am a biotech entrepreneur in San Diego, having started two successful personalized medicine companies, both eventually employing hundreds of fine people nationwide.  Through both companies, I selected Aetna as our health insurance provider, a relationship dating back to the late 1990s.  As I transitioned to a consulting practice, I selected Aetna for myself and my family, and held this personal policy for about three years, as a satisfied health care consumer.  In late June of 2013, I received a letter from Aetna informing me that they were canceling my family health care policy, due to non-compliance with the ACA regulations, effective January 1st, 2014.  After an extensive search, I was forced to accept a policy from Blue Shield to maintain relatively similar benefits, at a 40% increase in premium.  Today, I am a very unhappy health consumer.  Despite the increased premiums, I now find that several of the network of physicians and health care organizations that I had been using are no longer "in-network" and we have been scrambling to find alternatives.  Each of the medical offices appear to be confused, many are finding out only now that they are no longer an "in-network" provider for many of their patients and their families.  This is an unmitigated disaster - destruction of the best health care on the planet for the transparent purpose of wealth redistribution, and no one is being held accountable. Nor is there any tangible progress towards repealing this legislation.  And the worst is yet to come, as the business community, already limiting employment due to this law, prepares to send tens of millions of innocent, tax-paying Americans out into the streets to fight for demonstrably lower quality care at much higher prices. Americans deserve better.



Sara T. from Georgia wrote:
I had a plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia that was working well but is no longer offered at an affordable rate due to the Affordable Care Act. This forced me to turn to the marketplace to seek insurance.  After jumping through multiple hoops with incompetent people and filling out multiple forms I was sent a letter, in the mail, stating that I was eligible for a tax credit.  After receiving the letter I called to find the next step and was advised the letter was not in my file and so I was not eligible for any assistance.  I have been fighting this since October and I am no closer to purchasing a plan.



Thomas P. of New Jersey:
I was paying approx $8000 per year for my brother and me.  It was a basic policy and it worked very well for us.  If we keep this policy, it will now cost us over $14,000 per year.  There is nothing affordable about ObamaCare.



Therese M from Michigan:
We are a family of 5 and have been without medical insurance for 13 years now.  When we have needed a doctor or a chiropractor, we have paid out-of-pocket.  I don't believe there has ever been a year that we have paid more out-of-pocket expenses than what it would cost us now just to pay monthly premiums for one year on Obamacare.  Plus Obamacare won't pay anything until we pay a $12,000 deductible!  What is the point of buying insurance when we have to pay so much before insurance kicks in?  Also, we are much more interested in alternative therapies, which are not even covered under Obamacare.  So, we're not buying it.  No Affordable Care Act for our family.
..

[Warph]

How does it feel to live under a government that is getting even more paranoid with each passing day? 

Yes, we live in a world that is becoming increasingly unstable, but that is no excuse for how ultra-paranoid the federal government has become.  Today, every single one of us is viewed as a "potential threat" by the government.  As a result, the government feels the need to intercept our emails, record our phone calls and track our expenditures.  But they aren't just spying on individuals.  The government keeps tabs on thousands of organizations all over the planet, it spies on our enemies and our allies, and it even spies on itself.  The American people are told that the emerging Big Brother police state is for our safety, but the truth is that it isn't there to protect us.  It is there to protect them.  Our government has become kind of like a crazy rich uncle that is constantly spying on everyone else in the family because he believes that they are "out to get him".

The following are 15 signs that we live during a time of rampant government paranoia...


#1 Former CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson says that the federal government was so concerned about her reporting on Benghazi, Fast and Furious and other Obama scandals that they hacked her computer, monitored every keystroke and even planted classified material in an apparent attempt to potentially frame her.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062322842/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0062322842&linkCode=as2&tag=shatteparadi-20&linkId=PSKMQL5C2EB7OKFE


#2 The United States has become the nation of the "permanent emergency".  In fact, there has been at least one "state of emergency" in effect in this country since 1979.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/10/22/president-obama-states-of-emergency/16851775/


#3 In America today, almost everyone is considered to be a criminal.  At this point, nearly one out of every three Americans has a file in the FBI's master criminal database.
http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2014/10/21/1-in-3-americans-are-on-file-with-the-fbi-in-the-u-s-police-state/

#4 Most people don't realize this, but the FBI also systematically records talk radio programs.  The FBI says that it is looking for "potential evidence".http://www.wnd.com/2011/10/355881/#!


#5 In Wisconsin, 24 armed police officers are an armored military vehicle were recently sent to collect a civil judgment from a 75-year-old retiree.  It is being reported that officials feared that he might be "argumentative".

http://m.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/armored-vehicle-helps-collect-civil-judgment-in-small-town-b99376798z1-280427872.html


#6 According to guidelines that were recently made public, purchasing Amtrak train tickets with cash is considered to be "suspicious activity" and needs to be reported to the authorities.
http://www.infowars.com/amtrak-purchasing-train-tickets-with-cash-is-a-suspicious-activity/


#7 The IRS can now seize your bank accounts on suspicion alone.  If you are successful fighting the IRS in court, you might get your money back years later.http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/us/law-lets-irs-seize-accounts-on-suspicion-no-crime-required.html?rref=us&module=Ribbon&version=origin&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&pgtype=article&_r=1


#8 Thousands of Americans have their mail spied on by the U.S. Postal Service.  If you are on "the list", all of your mail and packages are shown to a supervisor before they are delivered to you.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/us/monitoring-of-snail-mail.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


#9 Most people don't realize that the U.S. border is now considered to be a "Constitution-free zone" where officials can freely grab your computer and copy your hard drive.
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-u-s-border-a-constitution-free-zone-where-officials-can-grab-your-computer-and-copy-your-hard-drive


#10 The feds have apparently become extremely concerned about what all of us are saying on the Internet.  In fact, they have even been caught manipulating discussions on Reddit and editing Wikipedia.
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/07/eglin-air-force-base-busted-gaming-reddit.html
http://www.infowars.com/u-s-govt-editing-wikipedia-to-smear-independent-media-personalities/


#11 The U.S. government has become so paranoid that it even spies on our European allies.  Needless to say, our allies over in Europe are quite upset about this but we continue to do it.

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/the-rest-of-the-world-is-absolutely-disgusted-with-our-big-brother-spying-methods


#12 To the government, each citizen is a "potential threat", and this justifies the militarization of our entire society.  The following is an excerpt from an excellent commentary by John Whitehead...
Just take a stroll through your city's downtown. Spend an afternoon in your local mall. Get in your car and drive to your parents' house. Catch the next flight to that business conference. While you're doing so, pay careful attention to how you and your fellow citizens are treated by government officials—the ones whose salaries you are paying.

You might walk past a police officer outfitted in tactical gear, holding an assault rifle, or drive past a police cruiser scanning license plates. There might be a surveillance camera on the street corner tracking your movements. At the airport, you may be put through your paces by government agents who will want to either pat you down or run scans of your body. And each time you make a call or send a text message, your communications will most likely be logged and filed. When you return home, you might find that government agents have been questioning your neighbors about you, as part of a "census" questionnaire. After you retire to sleep, you might find yourself awakened by a SWAT team crashing through your door (you'll later discover they were at the wrong address), and if you make the mistake of reaching for your eyeglasses, you might find yourself shot by a cop who felt threatened.

Is this the behavior of a government that respects you? One that looks upon you as having inviolate rights? One that regards you as its employer, its master, its purpose for being?

I don't think so. While this hyper-militarization of the government is being sold to the public as a means of preventing terrorism and maintaining national security, it is little more than a wolf in sheep's clothing. In fact, as I document in my book A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, what we are dealing with is a police state disguised as a benevolent democracy, a run-away government hyped up on its own power and afraid of its citizenry, whose policies are dictated more by paranoia than need.[/color][/i]
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/paranoia_surveillance_and_military_tactics_have_we_become_enemies_of_t


#13 As our police departments have become militarized, SWAT team deployments have gone through the roof.  As I wrote about recently, there were only about 3,000 SWAT raids in the United States back in 1980.  But today, there are more than 80,000 SWAT raids per year in this country.

https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/are_police_in_america_now_a_military_occupying_force


#14 The federal government is so paranoid that it is actually spying on itself.  The "Insider Threat Program" encourages federal employees to closely watch one another and to report any hint of suspicious activity...
The federal effort, called the Insider Threat Program, was launched in October 2011, and it certainly hasn't diminished since Edward Snowden disclosed details of the National Security Agency's domestic spying. As McClatchy reporters Marisa Taylor and Jonathan S. Landay have described, federal employees and contractors are encouraged to keep an eye on allegedly suspicious indicators in their co-workers' lives, from financial troubles to divorce. A brochure produced by the Defense Security Service, titled "INSIDER THREATS: Combating the ENEMY within your organization," sums up the spirit of the program: "It is better to have reported overzealously than never to have reported at all."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-new-paranoia-a-government-afraid-of-itself/2013/08/15/1f3db594-038a-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html


#15 Last, but certainly not least, there is the matter of the NSA constantly spying on all of us.  The NSA is monitoring and recording billions of our phone calls and emails, and most Americans don't seem to care.  But they should care.  I like how an article in the New York Post described what is happening to our society...

Through a combination of fear, cowardice, political opportunism and bureaucratic metastasis, the erstwhile land of the free has been transformed into a nation of closely watched subjects — a country of 300 million potential criminals, whose daily activities need constant monitoring.

Once the most secret of organizations, the NSA has become even more famous than the CIA, the public face of Big Brother himself. At its headquarters on Savage Road in Fort Meade, Md., its omnivorous Black Widow supercomputer hoovers up data both foreign and domestic, while its new $2 billion data center near Bluffdale, Utah — the highly classified Intelligence Community Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative Data Center — houses, well, just about everything. As James Bamford wrote in Wired magazine two years ago, as the center was being completed:

"Flowing through its servers and routers and stored in near-bottomless databases will be all forms of communication, including the complete contents of private e-mails, cellphone calls, and Google searches, as well as all sorts of personal data trails — parking receipts, travel itineraries, bookstore purchases, and other digital 'pocket litter.' "
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/21-facts-about-nsa-snooping-that-every-american-should-know

http://nypost.com/2014/02/01/welcome-to-the-united-states-of-paranoia/

[redcliffsw]

Good one! 

Tyrants!  That's Obama and the Republicans - socialists and looters - working across party lines as tyrants.

[Warph]

Mission Accomplished: The Death Of America by Barack Obama

By Darwin Rockantansky November 15, 2014

http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/11/mission-accomplished-death-america-barack-obama/

The "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal -- the redness and the horror of blood.

---The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe

.


People tend to hear what they want to hear and not hear anything that is unpleasant. And when that Shuckin' and Jivin' Minstrel From Nowhere mounted the political stage, America was ripe for the picking.

And the siren's song of "Rainbow Stew" blared from every carefully positioned speaker surrounding the stage, gayly decorated with countless race cards, and the message resonated deeply with the uneducated and the generations that had long been conditioned to suckle at the teat of the American Taxpayer.

And as the liberals and minorities were blinded by the color of the man's skin and enthralled with the mantra of "hope and change," nobody was ever able to clearly articulate exactly what they were hoping for or what changes were needed. None recognized that the color of his skin was neither black nor white but rather was the color hate—hate for all things American and all non-Muslim Americans; a hate that burns in the very depths of that place where most men have a soul. This man has none; only a failed philosophy of which he is unable to divest himself, even when constantly buffeted by real world events.

The recent results of the midterm elections have only served to annoy but have not deterred this self-anointed demigod in the least bit. His first press conference following the election served only to assure his supporters (handlers?) that he is prepared to increase the intensity of his attack on this country in rabid desperation in the dying days of his regime.

Hopefully, history will fully expose Barack Obama as the greatest traitor in American history; far overshadowing Benedict Arnold.

The vast majority of those recently educated in our liberal schools will not even recognize the name of Benedict Arnold and those that do will no doubt see him in the favorable light of rewritten history being put out by the Democrats.

And there is an uncomfortable parallel in the depth and breadth of the treason of these two individuals. Anyone who takes the time to read the full history of Benedict Arnold will see those parallels in a frightening light.

In short synopsis, both men did their best to expose the soft underbelly of this nation to our enemies.

Benedict Arnold conspired with General Sir Henry Clinton, a key British general to surrender the military stronghold at West Point New York which would enable the British unrestricted access deep into the American interior with the potential of destroying the strong resistance in Pennsylvania and a backdoor assault on Philadelphia.

Barack Obama has front loaded our courts with liberal judges who will support him while he forcibly holds open ALL our borders for a massive influx of anti-Americans of every possible persuasion in an effort to assure an electorate that will eventually succeed in erecting the headstone that reads:

"Here Lies The Greatest Nation God Ever Bestowed Upon Mankind."

And the eulogy will praise the most powerful weapons ever conceived that brought down this once proud nation: Political Correctness and American Citizen apathy.