CNN poll confirms: Most Americans believe their government is a threat to their welfare

A majority of Americans think the federal government poses a threat to rights of Americans, according to a new national poll. Fifty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they think the federal government’s become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and [...]

Atheists meet with White House officials

The White House has been known to confer with religious leaders on important political and social issues — for instance, a meeting on torture with several religious denominations in June or Obama’s meeting with Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama just last week. On Friday, however, White House officials met with 60 members of atheist advocacy [...]

Liberalism, atheism, male sexual exclusivity linked to IQ

(CNN) — Political, religious and sexual behaviors may be reflections of intelligence, a new study finds. Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa at the the London School of Economics and Political Science correlated data on these behaviors with Intelligence Quotients (IQ) from a large national U.S. sample and found that, on average, people who identified as liberal [...]

Priest offered sex for sale on internet

A PARISH priest has been sacked amid claims he offered sex for sale over the internet. Samuel Martin, 27, posed in his underpants in an advert offering €120-an- hour services for women and couples, reports say. The revelations have caused a scandal in Catholic Spain, after pictures of Martin in his grey briefs were published [...]

‘Hot Rod’ Mossberg Shotguns

The Mossberg 590A1 is an ideal platform for personalizing a pump-action shotgun, says Mike Shain of AIMPRO Tactical.  Shain is one of several shops that offer action jobs, Magnaporting, accesorization and cleaning, polishing and refinishing of police scatterguns. Vang Comp and Wilson Combat are two others that offer shotgun modifications. For less than $250, Shain [...]

Nebraska State Penitentiary Guards suspended over Facebook posting

Update: LINCOLN — Three Nebraska prison guards have been suspended after one allegedly posted Facebook comments expressing enjoyment at roughing up an inmate, and the others supported his actions. State prison officials said the three were suspended pending an investigation. LINCOLN — A man who identified himself as a Nebraska State Penitentiary guard posted a [...]

Major Drug Conference in Mexican Drug War Says Prohibition Has Failed, Calls for New Policy

Coming as Mexico‘s war on drugs turns bloodier by the day, the conference concluded that current prohibitionist policies are a disaster. Editor’s Note: With 137 people killled last week in the Mexican drug war, a conference on this topic couldn’t come at a more opportune time. On Monday and Tuesday in Mexico City, political figures, [...]

Hamas Leader Was ‘Drugged And Suffocated’

[  Succinylcholine is NOT a sedative.  It is a muscle relaxer used to induce paralysis, so the victim can die awake, while his lungs refuse to work.  Mossad also knew it would be detected. ] The Hamas commander who was killed in his Dubai hotel room was drugged and then suffocated, police have said. It [...]

Study Links Religion and Racism

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus warned religious listeners against what today would be called “ingroup prejudice”: the tendency to think less of outsiders, especially those of another race. The Samaritan, a member of a group despised by Israelites of that time, proves himself more charitable to an injured traveler than two members [...]

Karl Rove Chased Out of UCSB

We Need To Stop Circumcision

In the weeks ahead, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) are likely to publish a recommendation that all infant boys undergo circumcision. This is a huge mistake. Circumcision is an unnecessary procedure that is painful and can lead to complications, including death. No organization in the [...]

Cubans Nominate their Candidates

Havana, February 26 (RHC) –Thousands of Cubans began attending community meetings countrywide to nominate candidates suitable for the post of delegates to be elected by direct, secret voting in the upcoming polls, scheduled for April 25. As part of the Cuban electoral system, based on mass participation of the population, nearly 51,000 such meetings have [...]

Google, NSA alliance posing security threats to users

A deal between internet giant Google and the US National Security Agency on cyber-attacks may pose serious threats to other countries’ national security and internet users. Analysts worry the collaboration would allow Google’s data to flow to the spy agency. Journalists and experts have announced their concern over the deal as the National Security Agency [...]

The Chemist’s War

The little-told story of how the U.S. government poisoned alcohol during Prohibition with deadly consequences. It was Christmas Eve 1926, the streets aglitter with snow and lights, when the man afraid of Santa Claus stumbled into the emergency room at New York City’s Bellevue Hospital. He was flushed, gasping with fear: Santa Claus, he kept [...]

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department buys gear from company targeted by sweatshop investigators

The Safariland website is a virtual big box retailer of tactical equipment, chemical weapons and forensics for police departments, military and private security contractors. The Premium Wallbanger System is used for SWAT team entry operations and can create a shooting port through a wall. It can use an explosive charge to breach metal doors and [...]

Lake Elsinore pastor from Murrieta pleads guilty to taking upskirt photos

A registered sex offender who used a cell phone camera to peek up skirts pleaded guilty today to one misdemeanor count of concealing a camera with the intent to invade privacy and will spend the next 30 weekends in jail. John Albert Kleinpeter, 51, was also sentenced to three years probation. Kleinpeter listed his occupation [...]

Former Murrieta Marine beat, strangled ex-girlfriend

A former Marine from Murrieta beat and strangled an ex-girlfriend because she had left him and was seeing someone else, a prosecutor said today, but a defense attorney said her client did not commit the murder. Wade Griffin III, 41, is accused of killing 34-year-old Ever Council on March 19, 2007. In addition to a [...]

Corrections Officer Pleads Not Guilty to Theft from Target Store

A state corrections officer pleaded not guilty Thursday to grand theft charges, which stem from allegations that she took property from a Target store in December and didn’t pay for it.Tonya Denice Henderson entered the plea during a scheduled appearance in Victorville Superior Court, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. She returns [...]

San Bernardino County sheriff says deputies will not ask immigration status on the street

In a department address Thursday, San Bernardino County’s sheriff reaffirmed positions on two hot-button topics, saying deputies would enforce medical marijuana laws though he feels they’re “greatly flawed,” and only broach someone’s immigration status inside jails. Rod Hoops delivered a wide-ranging state of the department address, his first since being appointed last February, to a [...]

SPLC Suit Wins $2.75 Million Settlement for Exploited Workers

COLUMBIA, Tenn. – In one of the largest settlements of its kind, an Arkansas forestry company has agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle the legal claims of foreign guest workers who say they were cheated out of the wages they earned planting trees for the company. Superior Forestry Service Inc.’s agreement to pay more [...]

Let Dr. Aafia go home, Mr. President

Reading all those legal thrillers by John Grisham and watching Hollywood blockbusters that portray innocent individuals framed and ensnared by a powerful system, one always thought: Of course, these things do not happen in real life. I am not so sure anymore though. The abduction, persecution and now conviction of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Massachusetts [...]

Army Alcoholics: More Soldiers Hitting the Bottle

After Army Sgt. Edison Bayas‘s car finally came to a rest on its roof, his jumbled, drunken thoughts immediately turned to the men he left in Iraq, as if he was still on the battlefield. But he wasn’t in Iraq. He was in an El Paso intersection with a blood alcohol content more than three [...]

RIP: DARPATech Mad-Science Fair Lives No More

The Pentagon’s biannual mad-science fair is no more. A Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency representative confirmed to IEEE Spectrum that the agency will no longer host its defense-technology showcase. Bummer! The conferences were a favorite among defense and tech media: the latest-and-greatest in gear, gadgets and science, along with Pentagon-themed M&Ms and heaps of free [...]

SIG Sauer Introduces Five Variations To P238 .380 Pistol

SIG Sauer has introduced a variety of new styles to the .380 ACP P238 subcompact, an all-metal frame pistol ideal for concealed carry that’s 5.5 inches long and weighs less than 1 pound. When it was introduced a year ago, SIG offered the P238 only in two-tone or with the corrosion resistant Nitron finish. The [...]

Judge: Police violated San Bernardino man’s rights

A federal judge has found that members of a San Bernardino Police Department narcotics team intentionally violated a suspected drug dealer’s rights when they arrested him and inspected his apartment before a search warrant was signed.This means that evidence found in 46-year-old Vincent Young‘s North Mountain View Avenue home last year – allegedly including ammunition, [...]

Kentucky jury recommends death for former soldier who killed 3 children

SMITHLAND, Ky. — A western Kentucky jury has recommended a death sentence for a former soldier who admitted killing three children. The recommendation to send Kevin Wayne Dunlap to death row came Wednesday after nearly three hours of deliberation in Livingston County Circuit Court. Dunlap pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to the slayings along with an [...]

Idaho Bill Would Remove Personal Information of Law Enforcement Officials from Public Record

Idaho law enforcement officials support legislation that would remove personal information, such as home addresses and phone numbers, from the public record. Proponents say the measure is designed to promote the safety of law enforcement. The Idaho Press Club opposes the bill as it does goes against the presumption of openness in government. Read more [...]

Happy birthday, Comrade Kim

PYONGYANG – It’s a cold, crisp, sunny morning in the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and there could not be a more important game in town. Billboards bearing the numbers “2.16 [February 16]” – usually decorated with huge red flowers – are all over the place. The flowers are the only [...]

Former soldier convicted of stealing pay, lying

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A former soldier has been convicted of stealing $100,000 in pay and lying to federal agents. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte said that 60-year-old Dyrrle Gene Osborne of Charlotte was found guilty on Tuesday. A statement from federal officials said Osborne, a former master sergeant, was paid after he was no [...]

Police escort student out of class after refusal to recite Pledge of Allegiance

A middle school teacher in Montgomery County, Maryland, will have to apologize to a 13-year-old student after yelling at her and having her escorted out of class by school police when the student refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, a 13-year-old female student at Roberto [...]

North Carolina County Seeks to Remove Public Officials from Online Property Database

Mecklenburg County wants the public to use an online survey to weigh in on a debate over access to public officials’ tax information online. Arguing that it is too easy for violent criminals to find out where public officials live, some North Carolina county and federal officials sent a letter to county commissioners asking them [...]

“Honored” Miramar Marine Beats Son of 4 Months to Death

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Days after he was first questioned by police, San Diego police arrested a Marine whose infant son died one day after he was brought to a hospital with injuries. Police and military authorities said Lance Cpl. Michael D. Bixby, 22, was arrested shortly after noon Tuesday. He is expected to be arraigned [...]

Kentucky troopers caught on tape attending cockfight

MANCHESTER, Ky. — Two roosters tear at each other in a fenced ring in a recent match in Kentucky. But even more shocking then the illegal fight in the ring may be who was in the crowd watching, says the Humane Society of the United States. Camera footage from an undercover operation shows children and [...]

Manifesto of Joe Stack

If you’re reading this, you’re no doubt asking yourself, “Why did this have to happen?”  The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time.  The writing process, started many months ago, was intended to be therapy in the face of the looming realization that there isn’t enough therapy [...]

Report to Congress about the USA PATRIOT Act

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, released a new report Report to Congress on Implementation of Section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act. This report details “Section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act (Patriot Act), Public Law 107-56, directs the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of [...]

New name for Iraq war: Operation New Dawn

Effective Sept. 1, the War on Iraq will acquire a new official moniker: “Operation New Dawn.” Defense Secretary Robert Michael Gates announced the move Wednesday in a memo to Gen. David Howell Petraeus, chief of United States Central Command, that was first reported by ABC News. In the brief, one-paragraph memo, a copy of which [...]

Interpol adds suspected Dubai assassins to most wanted list

Interpol added the 11 suspected assassins allegedly responsible for last month’s Dubai assassination of a Hamas strongman to their most wanted list, Haaretz learned on Thursday. The individuals who were charged by Dubai police as responsible for the killing of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh were tagged with “Red Notices,” according to the Interpol’s official website. [...]

Feds Can Search, Seize P2P Files Without Warrant

The authorities do not need court warrants to view and download files traded on peer-to-peer networks, a federal appeals court says. Wednesday’s 3-0 ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concerned a Nevada man convicted of possessing child pornography as part of an FBI investigation. Defendant Charles Borowy claimed the [...]

DHS Controls Over Firearms

Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General Report, DHS Controls Over Firearms This report addresses the efficacy of the Department of Homeland Security‘s management and oversight of its components to ensure that personnel are sufficiently safeguarding and controlling firearms. It is based on interviews with employees and officials of relevant agencies and institutions, direct [...]

FBI probes US school webcam ‘spy’ case

The FBI is investigating a Pennsylvania school district officials accused of secretly activating webcams inside students’ homes, a law enforcement official with knowledge of the case told The Associated Press. The Federal Bureau of Investigation will explore whether Lower Merion School District officials broke any federal wiretap or computer-intrusion laws, said the official, who spoke [...]

Former New York Police Commissioner Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

New York, February 20 (RHC)– Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Bailey “Bernie” Kerik has been sentenced to four years in prison. Kerik pleaded guilty in November to lying to the White House when he was nominated to head the Department of Homeland Security. The former Commish admitted to tax evasion and receiving renovations [...]

Guns are now permitted — but not necessarily welcomed — in national parks

A federal law taking effect Monday may alter the standard checklist for many Americans as they pack to visit their national parks: insect repellent, snacks, hiking boots . . . double-barreled shotgun. Visitors now can pack heat in any national park from Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve to Everglades National Park, provided [...]

U.S. Reaches $1.25 Billion Settlement With Black Farmers

Washington, February 20 (RHC)– The Barack Obama administration has reached a $1.25 billion dollar settlement in a class-action lawsuit over longtime racial discrimination against African-American farmers in the United States. The government settled a first round of claims in 1999 after a group of farmers accused the Department of Agriculture of systemically denying them aid [...]

US lifts travel warning for Syria

The US Department of State has lifted its advisories warning American travelers of security concerns in Syria. “After carefully assessing the current situation in Syria, we determined that circumstances didn’t merit extending the travel warning,” said Tracy Roberts Pounds, a spokeswoman at the US Embassy in Damascus. Though Washington tries to boost ties with a [...]

Canadian military chief charged with murder

A Canadian military base commander has been charged with the murder of two women and sexually assaulting two other women, according to police. Colonel Russell Williams was arrested in Ottawa Sunday on suspicion of murder of 27-year-old Jessica Lloyd and 38-year-old corporal Marie Comeau. The 46-year-old Williams also was charged on two counts of breaking [...]

ACLU sues USAID for FOIA violations over abstinence-only programs

The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for failing to provide documents regarding its overseas religiously-influenced abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. In July and September 2009, the ACLU sent USAID requests for the programs funded through HIV/AIDs grants, including requests for proposals, contracts with USAID, curricula used by grantees, communications [...]

12-year-old American arrested for doodling on desk

A 12-year-old girl from New York has been handcuffed and arrested by the police for doodling on the classroom desk, an incident that has shaken the US education system to its core. Alexa Gonzales, a seventh grader at the Junior High School in Forest Hills, had written the words “I love my friends Abby and [...]

Justice Lawyers Try to Define Cyber War

Run for the hills! The Department of Justice‘s lawyers are trying to figure out just what would constitute an act of war during a cyber attack. OK, it may not be that bad, but the specter of a room full of government lawyers trying to decide what constitutes an act of war when it occurs [...]

Supervisors order surveillance sweeps for ‘bugs’

SAN BERNARDINO – County supervisors spent $22,500 last month to sweep their offices and other parts of the government center for secret recording devices and other hidden surveillance equipment. The first sweep of the fourth and fifth floors of the county building occurred Jan. 23, and the purchase order provides for four more sweeps at [...]

Charges against San Bernardino police officer’s accuser dropped

FONTANA – Criminal charges against a man who accused an embattled San Bernardino Police Department sergeant of illegally detaining and searching him were dismissed Friday.Gregory Parker has spent nearly three years questioning the circumstances of his Sept. 18, 2007, arrest and fighting the two counts of possessing marijuana and receiving stolen property he was later [...]