[An Nahar] Police in Massachusetts responding to reports of an intruder in a woman's home quickly quacked the case.
A North Reading (REH'-ding) woman called police Saturday from her upstairs bedroom to report that she heard loud banging noises downstairs and feared someone had broken into her home.
Officers who responded found no sign of a break-in.
But during a quick search of the home, police found a soot-covered wood duck.
Police say it appears the duck got in through the chimney.
An officer caught the duck and released it into a nearby pond.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Considering it's Massachusetts, I'm surprised the cops didn't arrest the woman for harboring a wildfowl without a permit.
Militia groups are rallying behind a rancher whose cattle are being seized by the federal government.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that two militia members from Montana and one from Utah have arrived at Cliven Bundy's ranch.
"We need to be the barrier between the oppressed and the tyrants," Ryan Payne of the West Mountain Rangers told the Review-Journal. "Expect to see a band of soldiers."
Payne said that militias from New Hampshire, Texas and Florida are likely to join and stand with Bundy and stay at his ranch.
"They all tell me they are in the process of mobilizing as we speak," Payne told the Review-Journal, adding that hundreds of militia members are expected.
The Review-Journal also reports that Bundy's son, Ammon Bundy, was shot with a stun gun by law enforcement officers Wednesday and that the rancher's sister, Margaret Houston, was pushed to the ground.
"I pulled the tasers out of him," Cheryl Teerlink told the Review-Journal.
Lawmakers are adding their voices into the fray, criticizing the federal cattle roundup fought by Cliven Bundy who claims longstanding grazing rights on remote public rangeland about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada said he told new U.S. Bureau of Land Management chief Neil Kornze in Washington, D.C., that law-abiding Nevadans shouldn't be penalized by an "overreaching" agency.
Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval pointed earlier to what he called "an atmosphere of intimidation," resulting from the roundup and said he believed constitutional rights were being trampled.
Heller said he heard from local officials, residents and the Nevada Cattlemen's Association and remained "extremely concerned about the size of this closure and disruptions with access to roads, water and electrical infrastructure."
#3
BLM spokeswoman Kirsten Cannon and Park Service spokeswoman Christie Vanover have told reporters during daily conference calls that free-speech areas were established so agents could ensure the safety of contractors, protesters, the rancher and his supporters.
#5
"...free-speech areas were established to provide areas where you could express your displeasure without getting shot or tazed." Do we like this glimpse into a possible future?
Per BLM, the Bundy's have not paid grazing fees for the past 20 yrs. <LINK>
#6
Federal Agents have seized thousands of artifacts including a piece of Adolf HitlerÂ’s bunker from the suburban Indianapolis home of a 91-year-old World War II veteran.
About 100 FBI agents have taken truckloads of items from Australia, China, Haiti, New Guinea, Peru and even Native Americans that Don Miller insists he obtained legally.
Officials havenÂ’t said whether charges will be filed against Miller since he obtained most of them legally or before laws aimed at curbing their import were even written, FBI Special Agent Robert Jones told WRTV.
#7
Some miners in Alaska want the feds to start digging for answers.
A task force including members of 10 state and federal law enforcement agencies descended on a gold mine in the tiny town of Chicken (pop. 17) last month, in what locals described as a raid.
“Imagine coming up to your diggings, only to see agents swarming over it like ants, wearing full body armor, with jackets that say "POLICE" emblazoned on them, and all packing side arms,” gold miner C.R. Hammond told the Alaska Dispatch. “How would you have felt? You would be wondering, ‘My God, what have I done now?”
#8
USA Brass over alleged “environmental violations” early Thursday morning.
NBC Montana was tipped off by witnesses that federal investigators were there until at least 4 a.m. on Thursday. Federal agents could be seen going through the company’s building and taking items to a truck parked outside. EPA lead criminal investigator Bert Marsden said that the agency was looking into alleged “environmental violations” by USA Brass.
“We are investigating alleged violations of environmental law,” Marsden said on Thursday. “An investigation takes as long as it takes, and I can’t provide any details as it relates to that.”
#10
A man known internationally as the “Machine Gun Preacher” said Friday that federal agents interrupted his charity work in Africa when they raided his Pennsylvania home, business and warehouse Wednesday.
“They went into a container that was packed and ready to come to the orphanage and totally destroyed it,” Sam Childers, currently in Africa, told WJAC-TV over the phone. “I mean, destroyed it, and what’s so sad is that it was all children’s clothes.”
The “Machine Gun Preacher,” who was previously the recipient of the Mother Theresa Award, said that he thinks the joint FBI/IRS Wednesday raid stems from false allegations that he is smuggling firearms made by a former son-in-law. According to Childers, that son-in-law has stolen thousands of dollars from his Angels of East Africa nonprofit.
“This guy is in a lot of problems so what he’s been doing is he’s been telling the FBI that I’m smuggling guns and that I’m misusing funds,” Childers said. “To start with, it’s all lies and I’m telling everyone we’ve got nothing to hide.”
“They’re hurting the kids. This stuff is sent from all over the world and people’s hearts and they just come in and just treat it like it’s garbage,” Kim Growden told WJAC-TV. “When you do God’s work you have to you know, I’ll just start all over. That’s all I can do. It’s not for me or for us, it’s for the kids.”
Childers’ life story was the subject of the 2011 film “Machine Gun Preacher,” which according to IMBd is the incredible true story of a “former drug-dealing biker tough guy who found God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children.”
#11
CrazyFool, the difference is that the KGB and Gestapo didn't even try to pretend they were following the law.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/10/2014 19:11 Comments ||
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#12
"Free speech areas were established....?"
Yes, it was by the Founders, it covers pretty much all of America. The autocrats however believe otherwise. Remember boys and girls, "I was only obeying orders" was established NOT as a defense.
#13
What you people need to realize from the summaries above is the billions of rounds of ammunition purchased by the Federal Government under control of this regime is intended for theft of your property. Period.
#15
Gibson Guitar in February released a Government Quitar built from wood confiscated from two raids where which ended up with Gibson having been found innocent of any wrong doing.
#17
According to someone local to that area, the guy IS paying grazing rights, it's being held in a state controlled escrow account.
Not sure if that's true but it does certainly put a different spin on it. And word is he's trying to make sure none of the protesters are wearing camo, no open carry of rifles, lots of cameras etc. No interviews, only the family or elected officials should allow an interview.
So it looks like he's trying pretty hard to ensure nobody does anything crazy in his name.
#18
Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA.org) and Oathkeepers are said to be sending a number of representatives. A number of militia as well. One Threeper (III) group wants their local members to go to Nevada.
#4 Bubba, I had several comments of mine removed a couple of years ago for posting similar comments, without the cool graphics.
Let's see how the situation develops.
Posted by: AlanC 2014-04-10 18:34
Don't know how to respond, except on my own behalf, apologizing for being so blind to the actual nature of what is going on.
#20
According to comments in Western Rifle Shooters Assoc, a cattle auction house in Utah the BLM uses is refusing to host an auction, and a number of others are asking the Utah AG for a ruling about stolen cattle.
It appears also that BLM operatives are harassing the signatories of a petition protesting the actions of the BLM, a sign of an out of control government as there ever has been.
#23
btw, who the hell made the decision that this Fed action should take place with "First Amendment Zone" pre-printed signs to be posted at containment areas?
How many of these signs are out there? Under whose control? A little spooky if you think about it.
a number of others are asking the Utah AG for a ruling about stolen cattle
Sure would be a pity of a bunch of BLM idiots got arrested for cattle rustling.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
04/10/2014 23:39 Comments ||
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#26
"According to comments in Western Rifle Shooters Assoc, a cattle auction house in Utah the BLM uses is refusing to host an auction, and a number of others are asking the Utah AG for a ruling about stolen cattle."
My understanding is that the cattle are branded, and all the local laws in the region states that a branded animal cannot be bought or sold without the signature of the brand holder.
I would love to see the Governor of Nevada activate a National Guard Infantry Unit, and deploy it to that section of highway, to prevent Federal agents from disrupting the local way of life.
[An Nahar] Congolese ex-militia boss Germain Katanga and his prosecutors have appealed his war-crimes conviction for arming an ethnic militia that massacred scores of villagers in 2003, the International Criminal Court ... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ... said Wednesday.
The ICC convicted Katanga last month of complicity in the attack on Bogoro village in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... .
It found that he armed the fighters who carried out the massacre but cleared him of rape, sexual slavery and using child soldiers.
Katanga's defense has told the ICC appeals chamber it will challenge that verdict, the court said.
"The appeals will be directed to the whole of the decision of conviction and it will seek to reverse the decision of conviction on each charge," it said.
The prosecution has also filed an appeal against the ruling which acquitted Katanga on charges of rape and sexual slavery.
"The Prosecution will request the Appeals Chamber to reverse or amend the decision, and/or order a new (partial) trial before a different trial chamber," the ICC's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in court papers.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Kuwait's royal court appealed for calm Wednesday as the country was abuzz with rumors about a videotape allegedly showing former bigwigs plotting to overthrow the oil-rich Gulf state's government.
The appeal comes two days after Sheikh Ahmad Fahad al-Sabah, a senior member of the family and former minister, was questioned by the public prosecutor for five hours about the tape, which he said he had handed over to Kuwait's leaders.
Local media reported that the tape includes a segment in which the former officials plot against the regime, ruled by the Al-Sabahs for more than 250 years.
The Amiri Diwan (royal court) acknowledged that there were reports of a tape and said the matter "is currently being handled by the public prosecution."
In its brief statement it said it "appeals to all people to avoid debating the issue and leave it to the public prosecution take the necessary measures."
It did not provide any details.
After his questioning, Sheikh Ahmad said he told the prosecutor he had a videotape dealing with financial and political matters as well as the ruling family and regional issues.
A number of MPs and the opposition called for an immediate investigation into the issue and demanded that the government reveal the content of the video.
MP Ali al-Rashed asked Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah if the video included a plot to overthrow the regime and requested the names of the people involved in any conspiracy.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth ordered the entire 614th quadrant searched. The Green Lensman must be found!... a number of MPs appealed for calm, also urging people to allow the judiciary to deal with the issue.
Since 2006, Kuwait has been rocked by a series of political disputes between the Sabah-controlled government and MPs. About a dozen governments have been formed and parliament dissolved on six occasions.
After July parliamentary elections, in which pro-government candidates gained a majority, Kuwait has been relatively calm.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Venezuela said Wednesday it had formally invited the Vatican's secretary of state to be a "good faith witness" to talks on ending two months of deadly anti-government protests.
President Nicolas Maduro and opposition coalition representatives had agreed the night before to the talks, which are tentatively set to begin Thursday under the oversight of UNASUR, a regional South American grouping, and the Vatican.
"We want to convey the invitation of President Nicolas Maduro to His Holiness, Pope Francis," for the Vatican official, Pietro Parolin, to act "as a good faith witness," said a letter sent by Venezuela's foreign minister.
Among the conditions set by the two sides for the talks was the presence of witnesses, including Parolin, who until about six months ago was the Vatican's envoy to Venezuela.
Since early February, 39 people have died and 600 people have been maimed in festivities between security forces and protesters angered by soaring crime, high inflation and shortages of basics such as toilet paper, which they blame on Maduro's socialist government.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2014 00:00 ||
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[Stars & Stripes] CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Have security operatives from a Chesapeake-based company been injected into the tense standoff between Ukraine and Russia?
That's what Russia says.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said about 150 Americans supplied by the private military company Greystone Ltd., a former affiliate of Blackwater, have been operating in southeastern Ukraine disguised as Ukrainian soldiers.
"The organizers and participants of this provocation assume responsibility for creating a huge threat to the rights, freedoms and the lives of innocent citizens of Ukraine and to the stability of the Ukrainian state," the ministry said, warning of imminent civil war.
The report has been picked up by several news outlets, including ABC and the Wall Street Journal, both of which quoted a Greystone representative denying the allegation. A call to the company this morning was not immediately returned.
According to its website, Greystone began in 2004 as an affiliate of Blackwater, now known as Academi, which gained notoriety supplying private security operatives from its compound in Moyock, N.C., in support of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
When Blackwater was sold by founder Erik Prince in 2010, Greystone was acquired by its current management and now operates as a standalone provider of aviation and protective support services and training, according to the website.
The company has offices in Chesapeake, Bermuda and the United Arab Emirates. According to the website, Greystone has recently been awarded contracts for executive protection services in Russia and the Caucasus region of Eurasia, southeast of Ukraine.
Four former Blackwater security guards are awaiting trial on manslaughter charges arising from a 2007 shooting in Baghdad in which 17 Iraqi civilians died.
[RIA/Novosti] Broadcasting of the Voice of America radio station in Russia has been stopped due to the expiration of its contract to operate in the country, Dmitry Kiselev, the head of the Rossiya Segodnya news agency, said on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
More dividends of post-election "flexibility" ?
[An Nahar] Ukraine on Wednesday detained a young Russian activist on suspicion of organizing sabotage during pro-Kremlin protests in which she claims to have shot and maimed several people.
Ukraine's SBU security service said that 22-year-old Maria Koleda had been tossed in the calaboose You have the right to remain silent... in southern Ukraine "while carrying out a mission from the (Russian) secret services to destabilize the situation".
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2014 00:00 ||
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#4
America's NATO's mission ended when the Wall came down and Yeltsin took the reigns in Russia. However, the Euros enjoyed the military welfare and mission creep set in along the Potomac due to institutional inertia. You can have open borders, or a welfare state, or a worldwide police force, but can't afford more than one.
#6
...given the reality of Beltway economics (the Venezuelan model of government spending and central planning), we'll be left with open borders by default, though it will only be open for coming in, not going out.
#8
Gotta say I somewhat agree with mr Kucinich for once.
Perhaps a new alliance could be made but just keeping NATO around is somewhat a finger to Russia (which I enjoy now but which was unhelpful the last decade or so).
[DAWN] India's first mission to Mars successfully crossed the half-way mark on Wednesday, four months after leaving on an voyage to the Red Planet scheduled to take 11 months, the space agency said.
"The spacecraft crossed the half-way mark Wednesday at 9:50 am on its journey to Mars," the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement from the southern city of Bangalore.
"The spacecraft and its five scientific instruments are in good health." The gold-coloured probe, the size of a small car, will aim to detect methane in the Martian atmosphere, which could provide evidence of some sort of life form on the fourth planet from the Sun.
The country has never before attempted inter-planetary travel, and more than half of all missions to Mars have ended in failure, including China's in 2011 and Japan's in 2003.
The low-cost Mars Orbiter Mission, known as "Mangalyaan" in India, was revealed in August 2012 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, shortly after China's attempt flopped.
The timing and place of the announcement -- in an Independence Day speech -- led to speculation that India was seeking to make a point to its militarily and economically superior neighbour, despite denials from ISRO.
NASA has also launched a spacecraft to Mars, on a mission to study how the air on the planet has changed over time, and is also expected to reach its destination in September.
India's mission cost 4.5 billion rupees ($75 million), a fraction of the cost of the US unmanned MAVEN spacecraft at $671 million.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2014 00:00 ||
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[Telegraph] Couple convicted of blasphemy in case their lawyer claims was motivated by a personal grudge
A Christian couple in Pakistain have become the latest to be sentenced to death for blasphemy, after they were accused of sending a text message deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed.
Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar, from the eastern town of Gojra, were sentenced after what the couple's lawyer said was a case motivated by a personal grudge.
Maulvi Mohammed Hussain, a Moslem leader from a mosque in Gojra, lodged the complaint last year, claiming that Mr Emmanuel had used his wife's mobile phone to send the offending message. Nadeem Hassan, the couple's lawyer, said that the couple denied the offence and that the text message originated from a mobile phone that had been lost beforehand.
Mr Hassan said a "bogus SIM card" was presented as evidence. "The complainant was involved in a dispute with the pair and had made a threat with the full knowledge that they would face the death penalty," he said. An appeal against the sentencing will be presented to the High Court in Lahore today.
Gojra, in Punjab province, has been the scene of religious strife in the past. In 2009 a mob attacked a Christian neighbourhood there, killing seven people and destroying dozens of houses after rumours emerged that a copy of the Koran had been desecrated.
Last month, another Christian, Sawan Masih, from Lahore, was sentenced to death for insulting the Prophet Mohammed. The complainant, a neighbour from the same area of Joseph Colony, claimed that Mr Masih had made a blasphemous remark during a conversation.
Pakistain's strict laws against defaming Islam are often used to settle personal disputes, human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... campaigners say.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/10/2014 00:00 ||
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Despite the ban on alcohol and frequent police raids, drinking in Iran is widespread, especially among the wealthy. Because the Shiite-dominated Muslim state has no discotheques or nightclubs, it all takes place at home, behind closed doors.
Some of the alcohol is smuggled in, but many resourceful Iranians make their own.
Some take considerable pride in their results, to the delight of their acquaintances.
Only members of religious minorities -- Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians -- are allowed to brew, distill, ferment -- and drink -- discreetly in the privacy of their homes, and trade in liquor is forbidden. Catholic priests make their own wine for mass. Back in the days before telephones, there were certain stumps up in the hills where you could leave your money & come back a few hours later to pick up your shine.
Part of what started the Arab Spring rebellions across the region...
[AnNahar] The U.N.'s food aid agency warned on Tuesday that Syria was facing a drought that could put millions of people's lives at risk, compounding the impact of years of war.
"WFP is concerned about the impact of a looming drought hitting the northwest of the country -- mainly Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama -- with rainfall less than half of the long-term average and potentially major impacts on the next cereal harvest," said World Food Program spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs.
"This could put the lives of millions at risk if the drought continues," she told news hounds.
Byrs said there were huge concerns about the drought's impact on Syrian agriculture, given that irrigation systems and farm machines have already been hit by the war.
In addition to fears for the cereal sector, there are also worries over the impact of water shortages on livestock farming.
"All this comes together to give a picture of a situation that isn't going to get better," Byrs said.
The WFP is currently able to get aid to 4.5 million people in Syria out of the 6.5 million it estimates need help.
Byrs said it was not clear how many more people would end up counting on food aid supplies because of the drought.
The affected regions of Syria normally account for more than half the country's annual wheat harvest.
According to U.N. experts, this year's harvest could hit a historic low of between 1.7 million and two million tonnes.
Syria was last hit by a major drought in 2008, three years before the country slid into a civil war that has killed more than 150,000 people and driven nine million from their homes, including the 2.6 million refugees who have fled abroad.
The U.N.'s refugee agency said Tuesday that the numbers crossing the border could rise if there is no rainfall.
#3
Make sure the MREs are stamped "Gift from the Great Satan United States." If they choose to starve themselve and their children instead of eat, so be it.
As I understand it, the Koranimal says if they can't find moslem-approved food, they don't have to starve to death. Let 'em prove it.
Posted by: Barbara ||
04/10/2014 13:16 Comments ||
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I'm sure the list of past awardees is nothing less than stunning.
Per Wikipedia:
Founded by Mr. Spielberg in 1999 with the state mission: "The original aim of the Foundation was to record testimonies of survivors and other witnesses of the Holocaust (which in Hebrew is called the Shoah) as a collection of videotaped interviews."
In January 2006, the Foundation partnered with and relocated to the University of Southern California and was renamed the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education. Its mission is "to overcome prejudice, intolerance, and bigotry - and the suffering they cause - through the educational use of the Institute's visual history testimonies.".
#5
Ever ask yourself WHY Obama's mother was in Indonesia where she got pregnant? Is that where? Maybe it was someplace else. Who was paying the bills at that time? Was "Frank" paying the bills or some other guy?
Oh, the Award? I can't read Booga. Maybe if you hold it upside down.
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 ||
04/10/2014 7:02 Comments ||
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#6
Ever ask yourself WHY Obama's mother was in Indonesia where she got pregnant?
You mean for the president's younger half-siblings? Because she was married to an Indonesian man whose job was in Indonesia. Surely you aren't silly enough to mean when she was pregnant with the dear little future president -- all the biographers agree she was on Hawaii, except the Kenyan grandmother, who is quite sure she witnessed the birth in Kenya. So in answer to your question, my dear Big Thromoth3646, no, never wondered even a little bit. Sorry.
#21
It's Hemingway Angelton9 Holder-of-Many-Nyms-With-Lousy-Prose*. I'd use something stronger than "silly", but I'm not very charitable. Or tolerant.
Yes, Pappy dear, I know all of that. But I'm quite certain I lack much of your vocabulary. And sometimes silly does not mean funny faces and giggling when I use it.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[An Nahar] Police in Massachusetts responding to reports of an intruder in a woman's home quickly quacked the case.
International Criminal Court
[An Nahar] Ukraine on Wednesday detained a young Russian activist on suspicion of organizing sabotage during pro-Kremlin protests in which she claims to have shot and 
[DAWN] India's first mission to Mars successfully crossed the half-way mark on Wednesday, four months after leaving on an voyage to the Red Planet scheduled to take 11 months, the space agency said.
[Telegraph] Couple convicted of blasphemy in case their lawyer claims was motivated by a personal grudge
