Iran minister optimistic nuclear talks will go ahead
AFP - Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Tuesday he was optimistic that talks with the international community over its controversial atomic activities would go ahead. "We expect the dialogue that has started will continue," Salehi told reporters after giving a speech to the UN Conference on Disarmament in which he repeated Iran's stance that it considers nuclear weapons a "great sin".

Iran warns Azerbaijan over Israeli 'arms buy': reports
AFP - Iran challenged Azerbaijan on Tuesday over $1.5 billion in arms it said were purchased from arch-foe Israel, state media reported, in a sign of further strains between the neighbouring countries. Azebaijan's ambassador to Tehran was called in to the foreign ministry to explain the weapons and to receive a warning that Israel must not be permitted to use Azerbaijan to stage "terrorist acts" against Iran.

Sanctions-hit Iran accepting gold for trade payments
AFP - "Iran doesn't only work with the dollar, and each country can pay with its own currency," Mahmoud Bahmani was quoted as saying on Tuesday. "If a country also wants to pay in gold, we will accept that too," he said. The remarks suggested Iran was broadening its payment system in the face of increasingly tough financial sanctions imposed by the West over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.

Palestinians call for UN Council visit to occupied territory
AFP - The Palestinian UN envoy, Riyad Mansour, made the request as UN under secretary general for political affairs, B. Lynne Pascoe, told the Security Council that events in Gaza and the West Bank are "dangerous and ultimately unsustainable."

Israel raids private Palestinian television station
Reuters - Ahmed Milhem said soldiers gave no reason for the raid on privately-owned Watan TV in Ramallah, which began at 0200 a.m. (1200 GMT) and lasted for three hours. "They seized computers, broadcast equipment and administrative files," Milhem told Reuters by telephone. "The station is now off the air," he added. An Israeli military spokeswoman said she had no initial information but was checking for details.

Syria walks out of UN human rights debate
AFP - Syria boycotted a UN debate on the human rights situation in the violence-wracked country on Tuesday, while its ally Russia urged Damascus to cooperate with efforts to allow in humanitarian aid.... Tuesday's meeting at the Human Rights Council in Geneva took place after Qatar, the European Union and the United States called for an urgent debate on the escalating crisis.

Syrian troops advance on rebel-held area of Homs
AP - A Syrian official says security forces are advancing on the rebel-held neighborhood of Baba Amr in the restive central city of Homs. Homs, and particularly Baba Amr, have been heavily shelled by tanks, artillery and rockets for weeks already by security forces trying to quell the 11-month-old uprising to oust President Bashar Assad. But the statement on Wednesday indicated a ground offensive was under way.

Greek unions hit back at minimum wage cuts, join European anti-austerity protests
AP - Greece's largest unions are planning protests and a work stoppage Wednesday, as the crisis-hit country's coalition government presses ahead with wage cuts and other austerity measures. The stoppage planned for 12 noon to 3:00 p.m. Wednesday is set to disrupt services at tax offices and other public agencies, while a central Athens protest is planned for 6:00 p.m., as unions in Greece join Europe-wide anti-austerity protests.

Gitmo prisoner emerges from shadows for plea deal
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) — A man held in secret U.S. government confinement for nearly a decade is expected to emerge Wednesday to take a plea deal, becoming the first "high-value" Guantanamo detainee to be convicted in a war crimes tribunal. Majid Khan, a Pakistani who graduated from a suburban Baltimore high school, agreed to plead guilty to charges that include conspiracy and murder as part of a deal that would give him no more than 25 years in prison, and possibly less, according to court documents released a day before his first hearing before a military judge at this U.S. Navy base in Cuba.

Keystone breakthrough may muffle Republican attack on Obama
Reuters - A Canadian company's decision on Monday to proceed with part of a U.S. pipeline might end up muffling one of the Republicans' loudest arguments in this election year: that President Barack Obama has pursued failed energy policies. TransCanada Corp announced it intended to begin work on the southern leg of the $7 billion Keystone XL project, from Oklahoma to Texas, leaving for later another run at the more controversial, and complicated, northern segment.

VIDEO: Probe finds Japan withheld risks of nuke disaster
AP - The Japanese government withheld information about the full danger of last year's nuclear disaster from its own people and from the United States, putting U.S.-Japan relations at risk in the first days after the accident, according to an independent report released Tuesday. The report, compiled from interviews with more than 300 people, delivers a scathing view of how leaders played down the risks of the meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant that followed a massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

‘It's a sin’: Iran calls on treaty to ban nuclear weapons
RT - Iran, who is suspected by many western nations of secretly developing weapons of mass destruction, has proposed a ban on nuclear weapons, calling their production or possession as “a great sin.” “The production, possession, use or threat of use of nuclear weapons are illegitimate, futile, harmful, dangerous and prohibited as a great sin,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in a speech to the UN-hosted Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday. He said Iran does not see any glory, pride or power in nuclear weapons, but, “quite the opposite.”

Interpol Carries Out Worldwide Raids Against 'Anonymous' Hackers
Fox News - LYON, France - Interpol has arrested 25 suspected members of the Anonymous hackers group in a swoop covering more than a dozen cities in Europe and Latin America, the global police body said Tuesday. "Operation Unmask was launched in mid-February following a series of coordinated cyber-attacks originating from Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Spain," Interpol said.

E.U. tells Google that privacy policy could violate laws, asks for delay
Washington Post -European regulators on Tuesday warned Google that its new privacy policy set to take effect Thursday appears to violate privacy rules, and they asked the search giant to delay the changes.

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Occupy London camp destroyed by police in riot gear
RT - The Occupy London camp outside St Paul's Cathedral was destroyed early Tuesday. Hundreds of officers converged on the camp just before midnight local time and began to dismantle what had been home to around 70 activists. Bailiffs in high-visibility jackets dragged tents and their contents to garbage trucks and dumpsters where they were crushed. Police in riot gear formed cordons to keep protesters and their supporters out of the camp. Activists say the police were met with peaceful resistance. However, media reports say around 20 protesters have been detained.

With dinner for a few, Obama pays tribute to all Iraq war vets, but some seek grander event
AP - Richard Nixon threw a huge gala for Vietnam POWs. Harry Truman cheered at multiple parades honouring veterans of World War II. Andrew Johnson presided over the pageantry of a two-day review of Union troops at the end of the Civil War. Now President Barack Obama is honouring the more than 1 million American troops who served in Iraq by welcoming a small cross-section to a formal dinner at the White House on Wednesday night. The dinner for 200 — about half military personnel or veterans and the rest their guests — will include service members from all 50 states and the U.S. territories.

Obama to sign order creating trade enforcement unit
Reuters - President Barack Obama, following through on a promise to beef up enforcement of trade agreements, on Tuesday will sign an executive order creating a new government team to make sure China and others play by the rules, the White House said. The move comes as Obama has faced criticism from Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney over his handling of China and the U.S. trade deficit with the world's second largest economy has soared to record $295.5 billion in 2011.

Goodbye, First Amendment: ‘Trespass Bill’ will make protest illegal
RT - The House of Representatives approved a bill on Monday that outlaws protests in instances where some government officials are nearby, whether or not you even know it. The US House of Representatives voted 388-to-3 in favor of H.R. 347 late Monday, a bill which is being dubbed the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011. In the bill, Congress officially makes it illegal to trespass on the grounds of the White House... Under the act, the government is also given the power to bring charges against Americans engaged in political protest anywhere in the country.

VIDEO: Portions of 9/11 victims’ remains taken to landfill
Washington Post - Some small portions of unidentified human remains recovered from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pa., were incinerated and ultimately dumped in a landfill, the Defense Department acknowledged Tuesday. It was the first time that the Pentagon has said that some remains of Sept. 11 victims taken to the Dover Air Force Base mortuary later ended up in a landfill.

VIDEO: Congresswoman on birth control mandate: ‘The intrusion here is astounding’
Daily Caller- New York Republican Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle said Monday that the Obama administration’s new rule mandating that religious employers provide health insurance plans covering contraceptives is “the largest single intrusion of the federal government on our constitutional rights.”

Rights Groups Petition FAA On Use Of Drones In US Skies
Steve Watson - Over 30 rights groups, including The American Civil Liberties Union, The Electronic Privacy Information Center and The Bill of Rights Defense Committee are demanding that the FAA hold a rulemaking session to consider the privacy and safety threats posed by the increased use of drones.

Federal Money Linked to NYPD’s Muslim Surveillance Program
Atlantic Wire - The Associated Press reports that the New York Police Department's controversial program to monitor Muslim neighborhoods and organizations was funded, at least in part, by White House grants meant to pay for the drug war. The money was given to the NYPD through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, which was established years ago to fight gangs and drug trafficking. After September 11, 2001, however, local authorities were permitted to redirect some of that money to fight terrorism. The HIDTA has given out around $2.3 billion over the last 10 years, with about $135 million given to officials in the New York/New Jersey metro area.

VIDEO: Constitutional Sheriffs And Peace Officers Association Conference
February 27th, 2012 - Oath Keepers presents a collection of videos taken at Sheriff Mack’s Constitutional Sheriffs And Peace Officers Association Conference.

11 Reasons To Get Your Kids Out Of The Government Schools
American Dream - Hopefully the school shooting that just happened in Ohio will be a wake up call to millions of parents out there. Drugs, sex and violence are rampant in American public schools today. The "teachers" are endlessly pushing specific political and social agendas down the throats of our kids, and the skills that our children really need such as reading, writing and mathematics are often badly neglected.... The following are 11 reasons to get your kids out of the government schools....

Ethicists Argue Killing Newborn Babies Should Be Allowed
Paul Joseph Watson - A paper published in the Journal of Medical Ethics argues that abortion should be extended to make the killing of newborn babies permissible, even if the baby is perfectly healthy.... The authors argue that “both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons,” and that because abortion is allowed even when there is no problem with the fetus’ health, “killing a newborn should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled.”

Forced DNA extraction of suspects, without a warrant, fully approved by federal court
(NaturalNews) The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the nation's most liberal, ruled recently that California cops can continue collecting DNA samples to put in a national database from everyone they arrest on a felony, even before that suspect has been proven guilty in a court of law and, worse, without a warrant or court order directing them to be collected.

Mitt Romney wins Arizona, Michigan primaries
Washington Post - Mitt Romney won both of Tuesday’s Republican presidential primaries, routing Rick Santorum in Arizona and narrowly securing Michigan, his birth state. The victories will provide an important boost for Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who has sought to cast himself as the GOP’s inevitable nominee. He has now won primary contests in six states: New Hampshire, Florida, Nevada, Maine, Michigan and Arizona.

Primary Vote Results
Real Clear Politics - 2012 Republican Popular Vote

CNN Primary Delegate Tally

Still Winless, Upbeat Ron Paul Vows to Keep Picking Up Delegates
ABC News - Ron Paul may not have been a major player in tonight's primaries in Michigan and Arizona, but he promised to continue to be noisy in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.... "Everyone keeps asking me about winning states," said Paul. "We are winning delegates, and that's what counts."... Paul said he will reach out to Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum supporters over the next week in an effort to defeat Mitt Romney in the state. The congressman said the strategy will work because his message appeals to Democrats, independents, and to the Republican base.

YouTube: Ron Paul Full Speech Springfield, VA Rally 2/28/12
Ron Paul gives a campaign Speech in Springfield, Virginia. Rand Paul gives the introduction speech. An amazing 2,000 crowd, with 500 people the Fire Marshal wont let in.

Happy Birthday Carol Paul! Feb 29 B-Day M-Bomb
Daily Paul - Because Carol Paul is the bomb! Happy birthday Mrs. Paul, and many happy returns!

YouTube: Ron Paul CNN Interview During GOP Michigan Voting
February 28, 2012 - Wolf Blitzer Interviews Ron Paul.

PHOTO: Ron Paul's Crowd vs. Mitt's Crowd in Michigan

Ron Paul's Photo Won “Fist of Support” and “Political Photo of the Year”
Washington Times photographer Andrew Harnik has won four first-place awards in the White House News Photographers Association’s annual “Eyes of History” competition... Mr. Harnik led the “Insiders Washington” category for “Fist of Support” — his striking image of Republican presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul, the frame dominated by an American flag and punctuated by a lone, powerful fist. The image also has been named “Political Photo of the Year.” Full size image here.

VIDEO: Dem Operative with CIA Background Calls for Open Primary Shenanigans
Kurt Nimmo - Former Republican Markos Moulitsas instructs Democrats to vote for Rick Santorum. In an effort to get the war criminal Barry Obama re-elected in November, Markos Moulitsas has launched “Operation Hilarity,” a plan to exploit open primaries in Michigan, North Dakota, Vermont and Tennessee in order to get Rick Santorum nominated.

Santorum: High gas prices caused recession
CBS News - Rick Santorum said Monday that high gas prices sapped homeowners' ability to pay their mortgages and plunged the United States into recession, a far different reading of the causes of the recession than that of the economists who studied the crisis.... "We went into a recession in 2008 because of gasoline prices. The bubble burst in housing because people couldn't pay their mortgages because we're looking at $4 a gallon gasoline. And look at what happened, economic decline," Santorum said at a campaign stop.

YouTube: Zak Carter, Veteran for Ron Paul - I AM NOT A HIPPIE!
Uploaded by AdamKokesh on Feb 27, 2012 - Speech delivered at the RON PAUL IS THE CHOICE OF THE TROOPS rally on February 20th, 2012.

OWS bank statement shows $99,000 balance, expenses for housing, property damage, bail
The Daily Caller has obtained a copy of a December 2011 bank statement mailed to Occupy Wall Street... On the Dec. 30 closing date, Amalgamated Bank reported $99,549.58 in the account, including $23,120 in deposits during that month alone. Amalgamated is owned by the Workers United labor union. TheDC has also obtained copies of two December statement pages from a second bank account owned by an Occupy Wall Street-affiliated organization called Friends of Liberty Park.

Israel, Kurdish fighters destroyed Iran nuclear facility, email released by WikiLeaks claims
In exchange released by website, worker at Stratfor intelligence firm doubts validity of a source claiming an Israeli ground force had already wiped out Iran's nuclear infrastructure.

Iran may be "struggling" with new nuclear machines
VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran is still relying on old technology to expand its nuclear program, in what may be a sign it is having difficulties developing modern machines that could speed up production of potential bomb material. A report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog last week said Iran was significantly stepping up its uranium enrichment, a finding that sent oil prices higher on fears tensions between with the West could escalate into military conflict.

VIDEO: 'CIA feeds us bad info on Iran nukes' - IAEA ex-head
RT - UN nuclear watchdog IAEA has been closely cooperating with the world's spy agencies, including on Iran, for years, former head of the agency, Hans Blix, told RT.

Mystery virus kills thousands of lambs
London Telegraph - The Schmallenberg virus causes lambs to be born dead or with serious deformities such as fused limbs and twisted necks, which mean they cannot survive. Scientists are urgently trying to find out how the disease, which also affects cattle, spreads and how to fight it, as the number of farms affected increases by the day. So far, 74 farms across southern and eastern England have been hit by the virus, which arrived in this country in January.

S. Korea to Install Smart Meters in Half of Houses to Curb Costs
Bloomberg - The country joins the U.S. and China in developing grids that use digital technology to increase the efficiency and reliability of electricity supply. The fourth-largest user of energy in Asia is planning a 14- fold increase in the number of meters to 10 million units in five years, the Prime Minister’s Office said in an e-mailed statement today.

Bin Laden Death Coverup Continues: Compound Demolished
Activist Post - The compound in& Abbottabad, Pakistan, which authorities claim was Osama Bin Laden's home for several years before his supposed killing by a US special forces team last May, has this weekend been totally demolished. Pakistani authorities began tearing down the house on Saturday night, working under floodlights, with the local population subject to a strict curfew and Pakistan Army soldiers and police personnel reportedly deployed in large numbers.

Greece In Selective Default, S&P Says
Forbes - Greece’s credit rating was cut to selective default by Standard & Poor’s after the bell on Monday, reflecting the implementation of collective action clauses (CACs) on its debt. Greece is in the middle of one of the largest sovereign debt restructurings ever and needs to secure significant private sector participation rate; CACs are designed to forcibly increase that rate.

Costa Cruises liner adrift after fire on board
ROME (Reuters) - A liner owned by the same company as the Costa Concordia, on which at least 25 people died when it ran aground off Italy last month, was adrift in the Indian Ocean Monday after a fire in the engine room left it without power, the company said. Costa Cruises said the fire on the 29,000-tonne (31,900-ton) Costa Allegra had been put out and none of the passengers or crew were hurt. The cause of the fire was still unclear.

Obama to cut healthcare benefits for active duty and retired US military
Free Beacon - The Obama administration’s proposed defense budget calls for military families and retirees to pay sharply more for their healthcare, while leaving unionized civilian defense workers’ benefits untouched. The proposal is causing a major rift within the Pentagon, according to U.S. officials. Several congressional aides suggested the move is designed to increase the enrollment in Obamacare’s state-run insurance exchanges.

Utah Lawmakers Urge Congress to Repeal ‘Indefinite Detention’ Law
Paul Joseph Watson -Utah has become the latest state to revolt against the indefinite detention provision of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), introducing a resolution urging Congress to repeal the law that allows Americans to be incarcerated without trial.

5 Reasons Iran is NOT a Threat to the U.S.
Activist Post - The Obama Administration, by Executive Order, has moved another step closer to preemptive war with Iran by declaring a National Emergency [video] to deal with this supposed threat.... Given the immense power the executive receives during such “emergencies”, one would think the U.S. must face a clear and present danger in order to justify such actions. Here are 5 reasons why a National Emergency should not be declared to deal with Iran:

Wyoming House advances doomsday bill
Trib.com - House Bill 85 passed on first reading by a voice vote. It would create a state-run government continuity task force, which would study and prepare Wyoming for potential catastrophes, from disruptions in food and energy supplies to a complete meltdown of the federal government. The task force would look at the feasibility of Wyoming issuing its own alternative currency, if needed. ...also examine conditions under which Wyoming would need to implement its own military draft, raise a standing army, and acquire strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier.

YouTube: Illegal Everything- John Stossel
This Stossel special will blow your mind! The government, especially the EPA is out of control as well as local prosecutors trying to make a name for themselves.

YouTube: The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
Speaking at a benefit event for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a social justice research institute. The Shock Doctrine is the gripping story of how America's "free market" policies have come to dominate the world-- through the exploitation of disaster-shocked people and countries.

FEMA Puts Out Contract For Emergency Camps to House “Displaced Citizens”
Paul Joseph Watson - The National Responder Support Camp contract, posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website, calls on contractors to “provide all necessary supervision, professional staff, labor support, material, supplies and equipment as necessary to make a RSC within a disaster-impacted area anywhere within the CONUS (Continental United States) within 72 hours after notification.”

The Secret Government (CIA Overthrow of Mossadeq)
Video description from G. Edward Griffin website - US: In a vintage video from 1987, Bill Moyers tells how the CIA covertly led the overthrow of the Iranian government and that there was, even then, a secret US government more powerful than elected officials. [The video includes an incredibly accurate prediction of how this hidden group would grow more powerful with the passage of time and, eventually, bring dictatorship to America. Remember, this was broadcast in 1987.]

U.S. museums cite safety in saying no to Fukushima exhibition
The Fogg Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art said they will exclude Fukushima from the recipient museums. Officials cited radiation concerns, according to the Fukushima museum. The remaining four U.S. museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, said they will watch the situation, consider the issue and reply again or gave similar responses. The Fukushima museum gave up on borrowing works from them as well.

Today! Arizona & Michigan Primaries
Politico - Live coverage of the primaries listed here.

FINAL PUSH FOR SUPER TUESDAY
Ron Paul: A new poll just released shows that I am the candidate who can take on and defeat Barack Obama [Paul 43% Obama 41%]. Over 400 delegates are at stake in the ten states where voters go to the polls on March 6, and I need your support right away.

Ron Paul Endorsed by Prominent Pro-Life Leader from North Dakota
Paul Maloney says Paul “has been on the front lines of the pro-life fight not only in Congress but as an obstetrician who has delivered over 4,000 babies” BISMARCK, North Dakota – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul was endorsed today by Paul Maloney, one of North Dakota’s most prominent pro-life leaders.

YouTube: Mitt Romney FAKE "grassroots" signs at rally in a church
In the face of low crowd turn outs, the Romney campaign has resorted to passing out fake "grassroots" signs at his rallies to people seated in front of press cameras to make it appear as if he has real support. Filmed at a rally at the Tri-City Baptist church in Chandler, AZ on February 22nd, 2012.

Ron Paul Breaks His 2012 Rally Attendance Record—4,000 Supporters at MSU
ANN ARBOR, Michigan – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul shattered his already-impressive record of drawing supporters and undecided voters to his campaign events. Today, in a phenomenon unique to the Paul campaign, the 12-term Congressman from Texas drew an impressive 4,000 supporters to a youth rally held at Michigan State University.

First Short Video: Ron Paul at MSU
Daily Paul - This is just 1:32 minutes, but it shows the crowd... the intro...and the OVATION!

YouTube: Ron Paul Speech at MSU
Amazing! An audience the other candidates could only wish for.

Ron Paul on the Front Page of The Detroit News; Monday, Feb. 27
Daily Paul - Crowds in state give Ron Paul rousing welcome.

Video: Paul in Hudsonville, MI
Wood TV - Paul talked with 24 Hour News 8 Political Reporter Rick Albin about cutting $1 trillion from the federal budget, which he said he would do by closing foreign military bases, which he said would cut militarism but not defense. He also said he would return to the 2006 budget line and get rid of automatic budget increases.

Health Freedom Exclusive — Free E-Book Download of the book Rigged
How America's elections are stolen and who steals them by Dr. Kaasem Khaleel.

Anonymous joins forces with OWS against NDAA-supporting politicians
America’s most powerful protest groups are joining forces to warn elected officials that they will be held accountable for their actions. The campaign is called Our Polls and its being launched with help from both Anonymous and the Occupy movement. The AnonOps Communications website revealed details early Monday this week regarding the hacktivist collective’s latest campaign. Along with the nation-wide Occupy Wall Street movement, Anonymous says they are going after the politicians in America that supported legislation that both entities have largely advocated against.

Evacuate Tokyo and All US Forces From Japan
Veterans Today - Tokyo station is as contaminated as the mandatory evacuation zone in Fukushima. It's a Death Sentence for US Troops if they stay.... Widely known Physicist Dr Paolo Scampa, the publisher of the EU AIPRI Blog and an eminent chemical physicist, announced today his latest calculations of deadly radioactivity in Tokyo itself.... This is a tragedy of huge proportions. There are 30 Plus Million People in Greater Tokyo.... There are thousands of US troops stationed with their families in Japan. American politicians must remove all US Troops and dependents from Japan immediately.

Fukushima: Official Commits Suicide After Measuring Radiation in Tokyo Park
Sott.net - Mr. Takashi Kabayama was found dead with a plastic bag over his head in his home office. Kabayama was a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly for the Liberal Democratic Party and had been measuring radiation in an assortment of locations throughout Tokyo. He would then upload his findings to his blog for the world to read and on the day before he died (June 30, 2011) he measured 0.25 microSv/h in Mizumoto Park in the Katsushika ward located in Tokyo. Fukushima Diary reported on February 22, 2012 via Gendai that ludicrously high levels of cesium contamination were discovered, also in Mizumoto Park.

Afghanistan Nato officers shot dead in Kabul ministry
BBC February 25 , 2012 - Afghan security officials said those killed were an American colonel and major. Local media reports suggest the incident followed a "verbal clash". Nato commander Gen John Allen said all Nato personnel were being recalled from Afghan ministries on security grounds.... The shootings come amid five days of deadly protests over the burning of copies of the Koran by US soldiers.

U.S. shouldn't speed up Afghanistan pull out: ambassador
Reuters - The United States should resist any urge to pull troops out of Afghanistan ahead of schedule in response to the violence against Americans sparked by a burning of the Koran at a U.S. military base, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker said on Sunday.

MSM says just a small amount of children killed by Drone attacks… So its OK?
Deadline Live With Jack Blood - American drone strikes inside Pakistan are killing far fewer civilians than many in the country are led to believe, according to a rare on-the-ground investigation by The Associated Press of 10 of the deadliest attacks in the past 18 months. The widespread perception in Pakistan that civilians, not militants, are the principal victims — a view that is fostered by leading right-wing politicians, clerics and the fighters themselves — fuels pervasive anti-American sentiment and, some argue, has swelled the ranks of al-Qaida and the Taliban.

‘US does not believe Iran trying to build nuclear bomb’
Jerusalem Post - US intelligence agencies do not believe that Iran is actively trying to build a nuclear weapon, The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday, citing a highly classified intelligence assessment from early 2011. According to the report, the intelligence estimate holds that Tehran halted efforts to develop and build a nuclear warhead in 2003.

US pressures India to give up Iranian oil
RT - “Anyone but Iran,” is what the United States is telling India, as America attempts to persuade the country to go elsewhere for its oil needs. There are currently no sanctions that would restrict India from continuing to do business with Iran, but any disruption in their relationship could cause the Iranian economy to be impacted significantly. Traditionally, India purchases around 12 percent of all its crude from Iran, a transaction that is worth around $12 billion each year.

John Bolton’s One Trick Pony: Iran’s Imaginary Nuke
Kurt Nimmo - Bolton claims Iran’s “nuclear activities are broad and deep, and it is close to winning the strategically important race to the nuclear-weapons finish line,” a claim completely at odds with the assessment of 16 U.S. intelligence agencies that says Iran is conducting research that could eventually enable it to develop a nuclear weapon, but that it is not doing so.

US to announce aerial blockade on Syria
ynetnews.com - The Pentagon is readying for the possibility of intervention in Syria, aiming to halt Syrian President Bashsar Assad's violent crackdown on protesters, the newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported Saturday, citing a US military official. According to the official, the intervention scenario calls for the establishment of a buffer zone on the Turkish border, in order to receive Syrian refugees. The Red Cross would then provide the civilians humanitarian aid, before NATO crews would arrive from Turkey and join the efforts.

Clinton appeals for all Syrians to abandon Assad
AP - Syrians in the military and business who still support President Bashar Assad should turn against him, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday. "The longer you support the regime's campaign of violence against your brothers and sisters, the more it will stain your honor. If you refuse, however, to prop up the regime or take part in attacks on your fellow citizens, your countrymen and women will hail you as heroes," Clinton said at a news conference in Morocco as she conveyed a message to those holdouts backers of the embattled leader.

VIDEO: Red Cross evacuating people from Homs, Syria
RT February 24 , 2012 - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed it is evacuating people from the besieged Syrian city of Homs. It made a new attempt on Saturday to evacuate people who are trapped, two of whom are wounded Western journalists, according to Agence France Presse.­

VIDEO: CIA-NATO Front Group Drafts “Humanitarian Aid” for Syria
Kurt Nimmo -An effort to impose the sort of “humanitarian aid” on Syria that ultimately killed around 30,000 people in Libya is underway in Tunisia. CNN reports that “world powers” – corrupt states belonging to the Arab League and ultimately members of the European Union – are “mapping out a plan to deliver humanitarian aid” in Syria under the banner of “Friends of Syria.”

VIDEO: Massive Resignations Have Started
Recently, the WhiteHats released this video of Lord James of BlackHeath urging the House of Lords to conduct an investigation into a possible bank heist to the tune of US$ 15 Trillion. This is a very significant measure as it is now put on public record, right at the very heart of the British Empire, those “wild rumors” being passed around in the alternative media.

VIDEO: “I Won’t Pay Movement”
Kurt Nimmo - In the above video, we see students and unemployed workers shutting down public transportation toll collection. It’s called the “I Won’t Pay” movement. It began last year in Greece and has spread to other locales on the continent, including Spain and Sweden. Thousands of Greeks are now refusing to validate their public transit tickets following well-publicized protests by leftists and communists in response to ticket price hikes by the government.

Russians protest against Vladimir Putin by forming human chain in Moscow
Guardian - Russians protesting against the likely return of Vladimir Putin as president in elections next weekend have made a final push to show their discontent by forming a human chain around the capital.... The Kremlin has organised its own protests in response, but they have lacked the festive mood that has marked the opposition's gatherings. There have been widespread reports that many participants in the pro-Putin rallies have been paid or forced to attend.

Man shocked by arrest after daughter draws picture of a toy gun at school
Canada - A Kitchener father is upset that police arrested him at his children’s’ school Wednesday, hauled him down to the station and strip-searched him, all because his four-year-old daughter drew a picture of a gun at school.... The school principal, police and child welfare officials, however, all stand by their actions. They said they had to investigate to determine whether there was a gun in Sansone’s house that children had access to.... A plastic toy gun is to blame for the mayhem that saw a man arrested.

YouTube: Judge Naplitano: From 2.5 hours to 17 minutes per week – BOYCOTT FOX
Join the boycott of FOX News advertisers here.

VIDEO: Feds sue anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan over back taxes
SACRAMENTO, CA - The federal government has filed a lawsuit to force anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan to provide her financial records to the Internal Revenue Service. An IRS revenue officer said Sheehan refused to answer any questions about her finances after receiving a summons at her Vacaville home.

YouTube: Commander Kerchner's (Ret) Obama Ballot Challenge Hearing in Pennsylvania Set for March 1st, 2012
The Manning Report.

WND TV to live-stream Arpaio eligibility report
PHOENIX, Ariz. – When Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio announces the findings of the first official law-enforcement investigation into the questions surrounding Barack Obama’s constitutional eligibility for office at a news conference Thursday, March 1, WND TV will be there to provide exclusive live-streaming, founder and editor Joseph Farah announced today.

NYPD monitoring of Muslims enters mayoral race
NEW YORK (AP) -- Potential candidates for Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office are taking stands on the New York Police Department's surveillance of Muslim students, ranging from cautious support to a warning about curtailing civil liberties. Bloomberg, who leaves office after the 2013 election, has said that he finds "worrisome" the idea that his successor might abandon NYPD policies that have kept New Yorkers safe.

'Retirement' missing from vocabulary of NY judges
NEW YORK (AP) -- Some are old enough to recall pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh's tickertape parade. Others can share vivid memories of World War II or the Great Depression.

VIDEO: Let Your Life Be a Friction to Stop the Machine
Information Clearing House - Nightmare and insanity are akin: mysterious and involuntary states that skew and distort objective reality. One wakens from nightmare; from insanity there is no awakening. Whether Americans live in the one state or the other is the paramount question of this era.

YouTube: MTV's Aimee Allen, Ron Paul Anthem Music Video MUST SEE!
The best Ron Paul anthem for the young patriot!

VIDEO: Ron Paul hopes Internet is “…bigger than any government around!” 2,000 Attend CMU Rally
Daily Paul - Ron Paul, speaking to a capacity crowd of more than 2,000 at Central Michigan University, Saturday, 2-25-12. Detroit News: Packed House Hears Paul at CMU.

How does it feel being at the back of the line? Ron Paul Rally, Hudsonville Michigan
Daily Paul - Sunday February 26, 2012. Hudsonville, Michigan. 36 degrees outside & in line to hear Doctor Ron Paul....

Massive Video Trove: Full RP Speech @ MI, OK, & R3VOL Music Rally, Marietta GA + Doug Wead! - Feb 25 & 26
Daily Paul - Dr. Paul speaks to 2000+ at Pinnacle Ctr., Hudsonville, MI, Sunday Feb. 26, 2012, C-Span and much more.

Video Update: SF Bay / North California Rally for Ron Paul @ CA GOP Convention
Daily Paul 2/24/2012.

Diving for delegates: Ron Paul’s not-so-secret strategy
RT - Campaigning heavily in caucus states is a strategy that Paul projects will give his rivals a run for their money. Although the mainstream media continues to discredit the candidate, Paul’s campaign is still going strong. As the competition ignores the peculiar strategy, Paul is left to take advantage of trying his darndest to grab as many delegates as he can.

How to become a delegate for Ron Paul
The only way for Ron Paul to become President is if he gets the GOP nomination; The only way for Ron Paul to get the GOP nomination is if we become delegates. As delegates, we'll be voting to pick the GOP nominee just like the electors in the electoral college vote to pick the President; Delegates determine and decide who the GOP nominee is—it's that critical!contention.

YouTube: Ron Paul on Kudlow Report
CNBC February 24, 2012 - Larry Kudlow interviews Ron Paul about the shocking charge that Ron Paul has an alliance with Romney. Kudlow also questions Paul about his tax plan, the chronic rise in the price of oil and the Iran crisis.

VIDEO: Insider Says Talk of Paul-Romney Alliance is “Establishment Trick”
Paul Joseph Watson - Former Ron Paul staffer Lew Rockwell says that talk of an alliance between Mitt Romney and Ron Paul is an “establishment trick” to smear Paul by making him appear as a sell out. Rockwell, who served as Ron Paul’s congressional chief of staff from 1978 to 1982 and remains close to Paul and several campaign insiders, told the Alex Jones Show that rhetoric about a potential partnership wherein Ron Paul would be granted a VP slot was merely a political ruse to “make Ron Paul supporters like Romney”.

YouTube: Fox Focus Group Praise Ron Paul, Criticize Santorum
America Live With Megyn Kelly February 23, 2012 - Focus group reacts to Arizona debate and its impact on 2012 race.

Wow just heard this on local Detroit radio
Daily Paul February 24th, 2012 - Romney, in his home state, speaks at Ford Field (Detroit Lions Stadium) which can seat 70,000, speaks to a crowd of less than 300 people on the field. The radio guy then said "The field house was as empty as his words". Wow, this came from the largest conservative AM radio station here in Michigan. Photo showing Romney's audience.

Fox News report on Romney at Ford Field
The Detroit Economic Club boasted that the event sold all 1,200 tickets in a matter of hours, forcing them to relocate to the 65,000-seat Ford Field. But the enormity of the setting gobbled up both the audience and the crowd's dozen or so moments of applause. More than 100 seats remained empty on one side of the stage.

UAW members, other unions hold anti-Romney rally in Detroit
MyDesert.com February 24, 2012 - About 200 union members from the UAW and other unions gathered this morning on the roof of the GEM & Century Theaters parking garage in Detroit to protest against Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and is position on the automotive industry.

YouTube: Ben Swann's 30 min Special Edition: Republican Nominees & Their Positions
Fox News Reality Check Feb 25, 2012.

VIDEO; Obama Plays Race Card, Calls on Churches to Support Campaign
Paul Joseph Watson - Imagine if Ron Paul announced a national campaign called ‘Whites for Ron Paul’ – he’d be vilified as a racist. And yet Barack Obama has done the equivalent of precisely that with his launch of ‘African Americans for Obama’.... Not only is Obama playing the race card in an attempt to pressure black Americans into voting for him, he is also violating the separation between church and state. In the video promo for the campaign, Obama urges black people to pressure churches into supporting his administration by getting his message out via “the faith community”. He also calls on voters to become “congregation captains”.

Gingrich criticizes US apology for Qur'an desecration in military base
US News February 23, 2012 - GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Thursday a U.S. apology to Afghan authorities for burned Qurans on a military base was "astonishing" and undeserved. Gingrich lashed out at President Barack Obama for the formal apology after copies of the Muslim holy book were found burned in a garbage pit on a U.S. air field earlier in the week.... Campaigning in Washington state, Gingrich said Afghan President Hamid Karzi owes the U.S. an apology for the shootings.

VIDEO: FOX edits, fakes applause for John Bolton pro-war statement
Washington Post - The 2-minute video is a public meeting of former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton responding to a US war veteran’s question. The video shows that FOX then edits-out the audience response to replace it with applause from a different person’s question. The proof is that the applause-segment shows a different person walking away from the microphone than the person who asked the question. The veteran testified that the audience booed Mr. Bolton’s answer.

Occupy’s Return From Hibernation
Sally Kohn - From my conversations with Occupy organizers and supporters, my sense is that the main thrust of organizing energy and attention will go toward Occupy Our Homes— a coalition of Occupy activists joining with existing grassroots groups to support families that are facing foreclosure or have been evicted by big banks.

Iran wants more UN nuclear talks after Tehran stalemate
Reuters - Iran wants more talks with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, its ambassador to the body said, despite what one Western envoy called "very long and fruitless" negotiations this week on addressing growing suspicions about Tehran's atomic activities. The relatively upbeat comments by Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were in stark contrast to a terse statement issued by the U.N. agency on Wednesday after the two days of discussions in Tehran.

Al-Qaida claims deadly attacks on Iraqi cities
AP - Iraq's al-Qaida branch has claimed responsibility for the latest wave of bombings and other attacks that killed dozens in Baghdad and across the country in a single day, raising concerns over the government's ability to provide security after the U.S. troop pullout.

YouTube: Friends of Syria? Peaceful resolution vs intervention
RT - World leaders and Syrian opposition are attending the "Friends of Syria" forum in Tunisia, seeking a solution to the escalating bloodshed. Humanitarian aid will top the agenda, amid rising suspicions this may be a pretext for military intervention.

UN handed list of Syria crimes against humanity suspects
Raw Story - International investigators on Thursday handed the UN a list of Syrian officials suspected of crimes against humanity, as a defiant regime brushed off an outcry over the killing of two journalists.... The report said Syria’s government had “manifestly failed” to protect its people, but also said it had found instances of gross abuses committed by rebel fighters, many of them army defectors.

Afghan protesters march towards presidential palace
Reuters - Hundreds of demonstrators marched towards the palace of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul on Friday, as a fourth day of protests erupted over the burning of Korans at a NATO base, with riot police and soldiers on high alert.... Police fired into the air to try to disperse the crowd of men throwing stones and chanting "Death to America!" and "Long live Islam!" after they left the city's Blue Mosque following Friday prayers.

Obama sends letter of apology to Afghan president
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan president's office says it has received a letter from President Barack Obama formally apologizing for the burning of Qurans at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan. The statement from President Hamid Karzai's office says the U.S. ambassador delivered the letter on Thursday. In the letter, which is quoted in the statement, Obama expresses his "deep regret for the reported incident" and offers his "sincere apologies."

YouTube : Internet Freedom Killer ACTA Suspended for Questionable Legality
RT - Known as ACTA, the bill has been heavily criticised by web freedom activists, sparking multiple protests across Europe. If passed, the legislation will allow customs officers at airports to examine all devices that may contain pirated data. The authorities will also gain unlimited access to private digital information. So far, 22 EU countries have signed up to the deal which was negotiated in secret.

YouTube: Declassified: Massive Israeli manipulation of US media exposed
RT - Files declassified in America have revealed covert public relations and lobbying activities of Israel in the U.S. The National Archive made the documents public following a Senate investigation. They suggest Israel has been trying to shape media coverage of issues it regards as important. You can download the files from the web-site of the Institute for Research on Middle Eastern policy. And we can cross to Washington now and talk to Grant F. Smith who is a director at that Institute.

US restarted Pakistan drone strikes despite objections
Press TV - The resumption of U.S. assassination drone strikes against Pakistan’s tribal areas last month came amid rumors of ongoing negotiations with the Pakistani government, and a putative deal to keep the strikes to a minimum. This appears not to have been the case, however, as new reports indicate that the U.S. simply “informed” Pakistan that the drones would restart, and did so despite objections from the Pakistani government.

War and neglect leaves 500,000 Afghans homeless: Amnesty
Raw Story - Half a million Afghans displaced by war have been left homeless and struggling to survive because of government and international neglect, Amnesty International said Thursday. Around 400 people join makeshift shelters around the country every day, Amnesty said in a report entitled “Fleeing war, finding misery”, based on three years of research.... The government is “not only looking the other way but even preventing help from reaching them” in an attempt to avoid making the settlements permanent, Amnesty researcher Horia Mosadiq said.

VIDEO: Secular sell-out: Islamist lobby directs US policy in Egypt
RT - Egypt’s ex-president Hosni Mubarak is standing trial for ordering a crackdown on crowds during the 2011 revolt and faces the death penalty if found guilty. The date for the verdict is set for June but the battle for power in Egypt has already begun. Walid Phares, an anti-terrorism advisor to the US government, believes that Egypt’s revolt, which started as a protest by the masses, was hijacked by organized groups.

Tsunami of debt: Japan faces costs of credit
RT - While the world’s attention has been focused on the eurozone debt crisis, Japan’s borrowing has hit a record high of 235% of the country’s GDP. The prospect of going down credit rating ladders as its debt costs increase is hanging over the country. According to the OECD, 2012 will see the highest level of debt repayments among the developed nations. Japan will have to extinguish $3 trillion of debt, with over 40% of the sum to be paid in Q1 2012.

Coke and Pepsi accused of cheating in UAE
RT - Black gold is leaving the United Arab Emirates. But we’re not talking oil - the consumer protection department at the UAE Ministry of Economy says Coca Cola and Pepsi have just one month to take all 300 ml cans off the shelves. The department accuses the world’s two largest soft drinks makers of violating consumer rights by selling these cans for the price of 330ml and 350 ml sizes. Plus, the manufacturers fail to provide a list of ingredients in Arabic.

Bomb Iran.org - New Freeway Billboard Causing a Stir
Daily Paul - Check out this billboard causing a ruckus that just went up in Utah!

Cindy Sheehan sued by the IRS
RT - War activist Cindy Sheehan says giving America her son was enough of a sacrifice and hasn’t paid federal taxes since he was killed in Iraq in 2004.... Only recently did Sheehan, 54, find out that the IRS was intending to take her to court over her past financial history. It was a revelation she only discovered with Sacramento, California network News10 sprang it on her during a recent interview. “Isn’t it nice of the IRS to tell the media where to ambush me before they tell me that the US Attorney is suing me?” Sheehan writes on her blog. She addressed the issue this week by commenting under the headline, “Surprise, the US Attorney Has Filed a Law Suit Against You!”

Bradley Manning postpones offering a plea in WikiLeaks case
RT - Private First Class Bradley Manning sat quietly before a military judge in rural Maryland on Thursday and was formally arraigned on the 22 counts that could put him in prison for life. Manning, only 24, declined to offer a plea. Nearly two years after he was first put behind bars, the court martial against Manning officially began on Thursday, but it could be months before the trial progresses further. After being formally arraigned for the first time, Manning deferred entering a plea and now it will take another
appearance before the case advances onward.

15 Ways Politics Steals Our Energy
Activist Post - From grade school on we are taught to appreciate the American government and its civic processes as the cornerstone of freedom in the world, the ‘shining beacon on the hill.’ We are taught how to pledge allegiance to and revere a flag. We are told that goodness will prevail if we all just participate heartily and enthusiastically, playing by the rules.

Pentagon Says US Citizens Accused Of Supporting Terrorism Can Be Assassinated
Steve Watson - A high ranking Pentagon lawyer argued Wednesday that US citizens accused of having ties to terror groups can legitimately be targeted for assassination. In a speech at Yale Law School, Jeh C. Johnson, the Defense Department general counsel, also said that US courts do not have the right to review such cases, or pass judgment on decisions taken by the Executive branch on such matters. “Belligerents who also happen to be U.S. citizens do not enjoy immunity where non-citizen belligerents are valid military objectives,” said Johnson.

Seven States Sue U.S. Seeking to Block Health-Care Law Birth-Control Order
Bloomberg - The lawsuit, filed today in federal court in Nebraska by the state’s attorney General Jon Bruning, claims the requirement violates free exercise of religion and freedom of speech rights. The case, brought on behalf of Catholic schools, organizations, and individuals, was joined by Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.

CIA raising prices on declassification reviews, National Security Archive fights back
Activist Post - The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been actively working in a covert manner to fight back against the American public’s ability to get secret CIA documents declassified, known as the Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR). Without any notices for public comment, the CIA printed a two page document in the Federal Register on September 23, 2011 which radically changed the MDR process, and not for the better. These two pages made it so that overnight the costs associated with MDRs were raised to such a ludicrously high degree that it prohibits all but the wealthiest individuals from pursuing such a review.

Congress Gives States the Right to Drug Test the Unemployed
AllGov.com - As part of the compromise reached to extend the [payroll] tax cut, Democrats agreed to a Republican provision giving states the right to require those seeking unemployment benefits who were fired for drug use to undergo testing administered by the state. What’s strange about this concession is that workers who are fired for drug use are not eligible for unemployment benefits anyway. However, a second section of the bill is likely to impact hundreds of thousands of individuals. This section applies to workers applying for jobs in industries where drug testing is prevalent even if the workers have never been laid off because of drug use.

Congress members threatened with biological attack
Reuters - A number of media organizations and TV shows, including the New York Times and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, received mail postmarked Oregon warning that letters had been sent to the Washington or local offices of all 100 U.S. senators and that 10 contained a deadly pathogen, a law enforcement source said.... "The FBI is aware of this situation and is responding accordingly. So far, none of the letters have contained a hazardous substance," said FBI spokesman Chris Allen in Washington.

New Government Initiative Would Circumvent 2nd Amendment By Targeting Ammunition Not Guns
Mac Slavo - Like New Jersey’s recent attempt to ban ammunition, Illinois is now taking aim at ammo. This latest legislation would add a surtax to every box of ammunition sold, and if allowed, would set an alarming precedent that effectively threatens our ability to utilize a firearm for its intended purpose.

LAPD chief backs driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants
LA Times - Wading into a divisive, politically charged debate, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Wednesday that California should issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.... The proposed changes set off an angry protest from police union officials and some Angelenos, who argued that the changes would reward people for breaking the law and allow potentially dangerous drivers to remain on the roads — claims that Beck rebutted. The department is delaying the new changes until city officials can review a recent legal opinion from state lawyers that questioned the legality of the moves.

White House refuses to reveal ties with Monsanto
RT - Despite requests made under the Freedom of Information Act for correspondence out of the White House, the Obama administration is refusing to comply with calls to disclose discussions with Monsanto-linked lobbyists. The US-based non-profit group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) is demanding that the White House comply with a FOIA request for information that might link the Obama administration with lobbyists tied to the Monsanto corporation.

Police Use Laws To Paint Cold Med Buyers as “Meth Heads”
Activist Post - Apparently anytime...especially in an increasing number of states where law enforcement are tracing and cracking down on users of cold medication. One Indiana grandmother was arrested and jailed in 2009 for purchasing Zyrtec-D and Mucinex D medicines for her husband – in the same week. The other grandma in question was recently busted over one box of Sudafed bought at the behest of her scuba instructor for sinus issues underwater.

Ron Paul's plan: the only one that cuts debt, study shows
RT - In Ron Paul’s latest campaign, he calls out rival Rick Santorum as being anything but the fiscal conservative he claims to be. According to a new report, the only GOP candidate capable of bringing down America’s debt is Congressman Paul himself. Should America undergo any of the tax plans favored by the other three GOP frontrunners, the US Budget Watch predicts that America’s massive national debt will only increase. An administration governed by Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich, says the group, would fail to reverse the increasing debt and instead only add to America’s financial woes.

Ron Paul in Detroit on Monday for a very different event
Daily Paul - Dr. Paul will participate in a townhall event in Highland Park, a city next to Detroit and hit hard. Why this is so different, is that it is a townall with a demographic not normally addressed by candidates of any party...the poor and minorities of the inner city.... Any candidate can speak at Ford Field or the Detroit economic club, few if any will speak to the citizens in hard hit communities. Dr. Paul is one in a million. Fun fact, the last presidential candidate to speak in the inner city in Detroit was Harry Truman in 1952.

Ron Paul is coming to MSU! Let's make this the biggest showing yet!
Daily Paul - Ok everyone, time to quit talking and start doing! I am calling on everyone from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin to call in to work load up the car and head up to East Lansing Michigan on Monday at 4 o'clock on the campus of Michigan State University.

YouTube: Ron Paul Joins Viewing Party After Debate - Mesa, AZ 2/22/12
Wow!!!Great crowd!

Santorum: Romney deal to make Ron Paul running mate?
Daily Mail - After tonight's debate, in which Ron Paul and Mitt Romney repeatedly attacked Rick Santorum over his 16-year record in Congress, the former US Senator for Pennsylvania hinted that something nefarious was going on. "You have to ask Congressman Paul and Governor Romney what they've got going together," Santorum told reporters in the spin room in Mesa, Arizona.

Based on Where the Top 1 Percent Lives, the Occupy Crowd Should Be Protesting Against Big Government
Forbes - I’ve written before about how big government is enriching people in the Washington metropolitan area. This is for two reasons. First, bureaucrats are paid too much, getting twice as much compensation, on average, as people in the productive sector of the economy. Second, lobbyists, contractors, and interest groups have figured out how to get lucrative positions at the federal trough. A new report from MSN Money illustrates how the political elite is getting very rich by plundering honest Americans. America has 3,033 counties, and they identified the 15 richest jurisdictions from that list.

UC Davis 'pepper-spray cop' to go on trial
RT - Nearly two-dozen students that were doused with military-grade pepper-spray while protesting at a California college last year are now taking their assailant to court. The American Civil Liberties Union of North California is aiding in a just-filed lawsuit against employees of the University of California, Davis, where 19 students and alumni were sprayed by a campus cop during a protest last November.

Rapid attacks across Iraq kill 50 people
BAGHDAD (AP) - A rapid series of attacks spread over a wide swath of Iraqi territory killed at least 50 people on Thursday, targeting mostly security forces in what appeared to be another strike by al-Qaida militants bent on destabilizing the country. The apparently coordinated bombings and shootings unfolded over four hours in the capital Baghdad - where most of the deaths were - and 11 other cities. They struck government offices, restaurants and one in the town of Musayyib hit close to a primary school. At least 225 people were wounded.

Afghan soldier kills two NATO troops at protest
KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan soldier at a U.S. base in the country's east joined violent protests against the burning of copies of the Koran and shot dead two foreign troops, Western military sources said. Protesters charged the base in Nangarhar province after the Taliban urged Afghans to target foreign bases and kill Westerners in retaliation for the burning of copies of the Koran at NATO's main base in Afghanistan.

Syrian forces shell Homs as crisis in city deepens
BEIRUT (AP) -- Warnings from Syrian activists of a humanitarian catastrophe in Homs grew more desperate Thursday as government forces resumed shelling an opposition stronghold in the restive central city, where hundreds have died in a weeks-long siege.

UN panel draws up list of Syria leaders to probe
GENEVA (AP) -- The United Nations has a secret list of top Syrian officials who could face investigation for crimes against humanity carried out by security forces in their crackdown against an anti-government uprising, a panel of U.N. human rights experts said Thursday.

VIDEO: Trance, Britain demand Syria return bodies, provide aid to injured journalists
(CNN) -- Britain and France demanded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cease attacks against the besieged opposition stronghold of Homs to allow three journalists to receive medical care even as reports emerged Thursday of renewed shelling in the flashpoint city. The demands come on the eve of a meeting where world leaders will look to mount pressure against al-Assad to end a nearly year-long brutal crackdown on Syrians calling for his ouster.

VIDEO: "Iran Has The Third Largest Jewish Population In The World Behind Only US & Israel"
Young Turks February 21, 2012 - Talks about the people who are against an attack on Iran.

Thai Religious Leader Says Anti-Iran Terrorists Behind Car Bombs
Bangkok Post - Four Iranians suspected of involvement in a botched bomb plot targeting Israeli diplomats in Bangkok were members of an exiled Iranian opposition group which wanted the incident to reflect badly on Teheran, Syedsulaiman Husaini, Shia leader of Thailand, said on Sunday. He claimed the four belonged to the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organisation (also known as MEK, MKO and the People's Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran, or PMOI) which aims to overthrow the current Iranian government.

Russia warns Israel not to attack Iran
Reuters - Russia warned Israel not to attack Iran over its nuclear program, saying on Wednesday that military action would have catastrophic consequences. "Of course any possible military scenario against Iran will be catastrophic for the region and for the whole system of international relations," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said. "Therefore I hope Israel understands all these consequences ... and they should also consider the consequences of such action for themselves," Gatilov said at a news conference.

Putin warns US against rearming Georgia
RT - Vladimir Putin said that Russia still hoped to become friends with the Georgian people and criticized the US authorities for rearming the current Georgian regime. At the meeting with military commanders in the Moscow Region Putin said that the severing of relations between Russia and Georgia was not Russia’s fault or initiative. Putin also called a mistake the US activities aimed to increase Georgia’s military potential and warned Georgia against repeating attempts at aggression.

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Several killed in clashes with Kabul cops over Koran burning
RT - Seven people have been killed and dozens wounded by gunshots fired on anti-American demonstrations in Afghanistan, says the country's Interior Ministry. The American embassy in Kabul is blocked by protesters.... Kabul provincial police reported that hundreds of protesters are gathering on Wednesday outside the Camp Phoenix base on the main highway linking Kabul with the eastern city of Jalalabad, closing the main trade route. Protesters are shouting “Death to…” slogans, mentioning Bush, Obama, Karzai and America....US embassy in Kabul is locked down; the staff suspended all travels because of the protests.

VIDEO: 'Afghans expected to continue anti-US protests'
Press TV - “The statements from the Americans and from the Afghan government did not make the people of Afghanistan calm,” said Dr. Habib Hakimi in an interview with Press TV’s U.S. desk on Wednesday.

VIDEO: Perpetrators of Quran burning must be brought to justice'
Press TV - “The culprits who have done this act of inhumanity” should “be brought to justice”, Mohammad Azizi, an Afghan Political Analyst, told press TV’s US desk on Wednesday. He also blasted the authorities for the killing of protesters who are simply “using their civil rights to protest.”

Two journalists killed in Homs
RT - A Frenchman and an American woman have been killed in the Syrian city of Homs as the clashes between the government forces and the rebels continue.... Opposition activists claim that the two were killed when shells fired by government tanks hit the house they were staying in during an early morning assault on the neighborhood of Bab Amr.

Tax revenue plunges in UK after 50% rate implemented
Telegraph - Senior sources said that the first official figures indicated that there had been “manoeuvring” by well-off Britons to avoid the new higher rate. The figures will add to pressure on the Coalition to drop the levy amid fears it is forcing entrepreneurs to relocate abroad.

Fitch downgrades Greece
AP - Fitch ratings agency says it has downgraded Greece further into junk status, from 'CCC' to 'C' following the announcement of the details of the country's debt swap deal with private creditors. The agency said Wednesday the downgrade indicated "that default is highly likely in the near term." In June, the agency had said it would consider Greece to be in restricted default if the bond swap deal went ahead.

VIDEO: US officer ‘hired’ to help crackdown Bahrain protests
Press TV - In an attempt “to make themselves look better” in the international community, Bahrain’s authorities have “hired a U.S. police officer” to help crack down anti-government protests in the crisis-stricken country, says Medea Benjamin, co-founder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization, Global Exchange....Benjamin said the U.S. officer is encouraging police to use tear gas grenades against protesters despite the fact that several people have been killed by such grenades.

US troops now in 4 African countries to fight LRA
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- U.S. troops helping in the fight against a brutal rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army are now deployed in four Central African countries, the top U.S. special operations commander for Africa said Wednesday. The U.S. announced in October it was sending about 100 U.S. troops - mostly special operations forces - to Central Africa to advise in the fight against the LRA and its leader Joseph Kony, a bush fighter wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

Chinese… but made in Europe
Euronews The first Chinese carmaker to assemble vehicles in the European Union has started production in Bulgaria. Great Wall Motors, in partnership with Bulgarian car manufacturer Litex, plans to make 2,000 vehicles a year initially selling them locally before gradually expanding elsewhere in Europe with annual output rising to 50,000 by 2014.... The fact that the country is an EU member means Great Wall Motors can sell cars elsewhere in Europe without paying additional import taxes.

Teen arrested in flight ruckus sang of bin Laden
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A Saudi Arabian teenager has been indicted on charges of interfering with a flight crew after authorities alleged he tried to hit fellow passengers, took a swing at a flight attendant and referred to Osama bin Laden during a flight to Houston.

Violent crime in D.C. spikes by 40 percent in 2012
(NaturalNews) Planning on visiting the nation's capital anytime soon? You might want to rethink your trip or, at least, where you plan to stay and visit.

Facts You Didn't Know About U.S. Presidents (44 pics)

Bloomberg stands by spying on Muslims
RT - Never mind the boundaries between New York City and the rest of the world, Mayor Bloomberg now says that it is the NYPD’s duty to "keep this country safe,” no matter where it takes them. This statement comes in the aftermath of an investigation revealed by the AP last week that linked the NYPD to conducting surveillance of Muslim students and faculties at over a dozen colleges across the northeast United States, including the University at Buffalo, the University of Pennsylvania and the Ivy League institute Yale.

Counter-Terrorism and Northern Border Drug Strategy Tied to Perimeter Security Deal
Dana Gabrieln - a move that went largely unnoticed, the U.S. government unveiled a new counter-narcotics strategy for the northern border which will work towards closer cooperation with Canada in the war on drugs. This includes both countries strengthening integrated cross-border intelligence sharing and law enforcement operations. Canada has also released a comprehensive counter-terrorism plan aimed at combating the threats of domestic and international violent extremism. The separate U.S.-Canada undertakings are both tied to the Beyond the Border deal and efforts to establish a North American security perimeter.

Supreme Court agrees to reconsider use of race in college admission decisions
Washington Post - The court will hear a white student’s claims that the University of Texas’s race-conscious admissions policy cost her a spot in the freshman class. A divided court only nine years ago said that universities were allowed to take race into account as one of many factors in considering applicants, when attempting to assemble a diverse student body.

Alabama Supreme Court takes on Roe v. Wade
Daily Caller - In a unanimous decision issued Friday, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that a DeKalb County, Ala. woman could pursue a wrongful death claim against her doctors on behalf of her unborn child, even though the fetus died before being able to survive outside her womb. The court’s ruling reversed the lower DeKalb Circuit Court’s decision, which held that the woman, Amy Hamilton, could not sue because the child was not yet viable.

YouTube: Ron Paul after the AZ Republican Debate
CNN interviews Ron Paul.

YouTube: CNN admits Ron Paul second in delegates!
During post debate interview CNN admited that Ron Paul is second in the number of delegates.

YouTube: Ron Paul Highlights in CNN / Arizona Debate

VIDEO: "Ron Paul Wins CNN Arizona Republican Debate"
Policymic - Paul opened his time by defending his criticism of Santorum as fake fiscal conservative. In response to CNN moderator John King's question, "Why did you call Senator Santorum a fake fiscal conservative?" Paul quipped, "Because he's a fake!" After the massive applause died down, Paul pointed out that most politicians are fiscal hawks during their campaigns, but they tend to be far less principled once elected. Santorum, who admitted he wouldn't cut defense spending, and supported dozens of federal spending increases while in Congress, perfectly fits this description.

POLLS: Who won the 2/22/2012 Arizona GOP presidential debate?
CNN: Mitt Romney 40% Ron Paul 29% Rick Santorum 26% (CNN left off Newt Gingrich)
Drudge Report: Ron Paul 36%
The Swash: Ron Paul 83%
We Polls: Ron Paul 89%
World Today's News: Ron Paul 72%
Your Political News Group: Ron Paul 65%

“Consistent”
Jack Hunter - What Ron Paul said when the candidates were asked to explain themselves in one word. No other candidate on that stage tonight can say this. And they know it.

VIDEO: Debate Audience Boos Santorum Over Support For Title X
Real Clear Politics _ Rick Santorum says he has a moral objection to it, however that he still voted for it. Title X is a federal grant program "completely devoted to providing comprehensive family planning and other related preventive health services to individuals."

Ron Paul to Hold Campaign Rally in Oklahoma City
The rally will take place on the plaza facing the Oklahoma State Capitol on Saturday, February 25th.

Whose Policies Favor the Middle Class?
Political Ticker - This was the question asked in a recent CNN presidential poll. Ron Paul won handily with a whopping 52%. There it is below, right at the top, just like most poll results:

VIDEO: Reality Check w/ Ben Swann: What's the point of voting? Dirty Dealings in an Ohio GOP Race
Daily Paul - Ben Swann does it again! Reality Check exclusive: Votes counted in secret, destroyed afterward, rules changed and broken, the head of State GOP in Ohio exposed tonight...just think... only 2 weeks until March 6th primary and this stuff is already going on!

Paul Tied with Obama in Key Swing State of Virginia
LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Paul ties Obama at 43 percent of combined Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, and the 12-term Congressman from Texas bests the sitting President decisively among the latter category. Among independent voters, Paul leads Obama by 12 percent in the general election, garnering 47 to 35 percent. Paul also does slightly better than his rivals among Virginia’s traditionally-conservative Democrats, with 6 percent preferring Paul over Obama in the general election.

Ron Paul Is Being Cheated Out of the Republican Nomination
Paul Joseph Watson - The GOP establishment has resorted to vote fraud in almost every state. Despite his runaway success in terms of straw poll victories, campaign contributions and grass roots energy, a plethora of evidence strongly indicates that Ron Paul is being cheated out of winning any of the Republican caucuses, with the GOP establishment desperate to prevent the Texan Congressman from building any kind of momentum that the likes of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have been afforded.

YouTube: Jesse Benton Interview on MSNBC
Discussion focuses on Dr. Ron Paul and Mitt Romney's cordial relationship.

VIDEO: Adam Kokesh On Why the Media Ignored the Veterans for Ron Paul Rally
Infowars.com - Aaron speaks with Adam Kokesh, the founder of Veterans For Ron Paul.

UN nuke agency reports failed Iran talks
AP - The U.N. nuclear agency on Wednesday acknowledged its renewed failure in trying to probe suspicions that Tehran has worked secretly on atomic arms, in a statement issued shortly after an Iranian general warned of a pre-emptive strike against any nation that threatens Iran. The double signs of defiance reflected continued Iranian determination not to bow to demands that it defuse suspicions about its nuclear activities despite rapidly growing international sanctions imposed over its refusal to signal it is ready to compromise.

Photos show alleged Iran bombs hidden in portable radio
ABC News - An alleged Iranian hit squad used $27 portable radios to hide at least five bombs that Israeli and American authorities say they intended to use against Israeli targets in Bangkok, Thailand.... Israeli authorities and U.S. bomb experts say the bomb in the photos is strikingly similar to those used in other attacks last week in the republic of Georgia and India. "While there are small differences," said one U.S. expert, "they appear to be factory made."

‘Part of Syrian opposition wants violence to continue’
RT - Lawrence Davidson, a professor of Middle-East History at West Chester University, believes that it would be premature to state that Syria is on the brink of all-out civil war. However, a part of the country’s opposition, he says, wants the violence to continue, whereas the voice of peaceful protesters has been lost amid the foreign-funded uprising. “There is an element within the opposition that wants, essentially, that kind of violence, and that element is being funded and armed largely from the outside, largely from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf,” he told RT. “To a certain extent you’ve got the infiltration of mercenaries into Syria from the northern part of Lebanon.”

No rest for Libya: Over 130 killed in tribal clashes
RT - More than 130 people have been killed in fighting between two tribes in Libya’s remote south-eastern area. This comes as NTC forces struggle to secure full control over Libya following the fall of the Gaddafi regime. Some 113 people from the Toubu tribe and 23 from the Zwai tribe have been killed in the remote town of Kufra in the Sahara Desert, tribal sources told Agence-France-Presse on Tuesday. The ruling NTC has so far not intervened. "We tried calling the NTC but they have not responded," the chief of the Toubu tribe told AFP.

Special ops forces killed in air crash in Horn of Africa
NAIROBI — Four U.S. soldiers returning from a reconnaissance mission have been killed in an air crash near a U.S. military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, U.S. officials said. "The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four airmen who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom ... The cause of the accident is under investigation," the statement said. Operation Enduring Freedom includes the war in Afghanistan, but also covers U.S. operations in a number of other locations including the Horn of Africa.

Chernobyl still affects Norway
23 years have gone by since the Chernobyl disaster but Norway continues to suffer the effects of and be vulnerable to nuclear fallout..... Today, reports have surfaced that some sheep in certain parts of Norway contain 4,000 Becquerel per kilo of meat, almost six times higher than recommended by Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) officials.

Radiation detected 400 miles off Japanese coast
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Radioactive contamination from the Fukushima power plant disaster has been detected as far as almost 400 miles off Japan in the Pacific Ocean, with water showing readings of up to 1,000 times more than prior levels, scientists reported Tuesday.... The results are for water samples taken in June, about three months after the power plant disaster, Buesseler said. In addition to thousands of water samples, researchers also sampled fish and plankton and found cesium-137 levels well below the legal health limit.

US presses Pakistan to allow intelligence bases near Iran
Press TV - An Indian newspaper says the United States is putting pressure on Pakistan to allow Washington to establish espionage bases in the country’s Balochistan province to gather intelligence on Iran. According to a report published by The Times of India on Monday, the US Congress has been discussing a resolution to recognize the right of Baloch people to self-determination as a means of putting pressure on Islamabad to give in to the US demands.

IEA: China buys more oil from Iran
Press TV - The International Energy Agency (IEA) says China has bought an additional 200,000 barrels per day of Iran’s oil in recent months. Didier Houssin, IEA director of energy markets and security, said on Tuesday that Beijing is the world's second-biggest crude consumer and may continue to increase oil imports from Iran.... The increase in Beijing’s oil purchase from Tehran comes despite the recent Iran’s oil embargo imposed by the European Union.

Greece bailout wards off Europe meltdown
AP - The bailout has saved Europe, for now, but it's unlikely to save Greece.
The euro130 billion ($172 billion) rescue — agreed to Tuesday after an all-night summit of European ministers — prevented an uncontrolled bankrupcty and calmed investors worried that a Greek default would have started a chain reaction across Europe. But it left key problems unresolved.

VIDEO: Afghans vent fury over Koran burning, U.S. apologizes
Reuters - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta issued an apology for "inappropriate treatment" of Islam's holy book at the base to try and contain fury over the incident - a public relations disaster for Washington as it tries to pacify the country ahead of the withdrawal of foreign troops in 2014.... As many as 2,000 Afghans massed outside several gates to the base, the main center for NATO-led forces just north of the capital Kabul, chanting anti-foreigner slogans and throwing stones, said Reuters reporters at the scene. Both Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Taliban in Afghanistan condemned the incident, both of them saying the values of Islam had been "degraded."

The Northern and Western European Housing Bubble
Jesse Colombo - Could Sweden or Finland be the scene of the next European financial crisis? It is actually far likelier than most people realize. While the world has been laser-focused on the woes of the heavily-indebted PIIGS nations for the last couple of years, property markets in Northern and Western European countries have been bubbling up to dizzying new heights in a repeat performance of the very property bubbles that caused the global financial crisis in the first place.

London advertisement targets consumers by gender with facial recognition
Digital Trends - Utilizing facial recognition technology, the interactive advertisement uses a high definition camera to scan pedestrians walking by a specific bus stop on Oxford Street. With a 90 percent accuracy rating, the computer built into the placement analyzes and guesses gender based on specific facial attributes of the jawline, cheekbones, nose and eyes. Based on the current guess of a pedestrian’s gender, the digital placement shows an advertisement targeted at a man or a woman.

VIDEO: Den of antiquity: Flower reanimated from 30,000 year old seeds
RT - Russian scientists have resurrected a flowering plant from 30,000-year-old seeds found in an Ice Age squirrel’s treasure chamber in the Siberian permafrost. This pioneering experiment paves the way for the revival of other species.

INFLUENCE GAME: Leaks show group's climate efforts
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Leaked documents from a prominent conservative think tank show how it sought to teach schoolchildren skepticism about global warming and planned other behind -the-scenes tactics using millions of dollars in donations from big corporate names.... David Wojick, a Virginia-based federal database contractor, said in an email that the document was accurate about his project to put curriculum materials in schools that promote climate skepticism."My goal is to help them teach one of the greatest scientific debates in history," Wojick said. "This means teaching both sides of the science, more science, not less."

NYPD monitoring of Muslim students sparks outrage
NEW YORK (AP) -- The mayor faced off with the president of Yale University on Tuesday over an effort by the city's police department to monitor Muslim student groups for any signs that their members harbored terrorist sympathies. The Associated Press revealed over the weekend that in recent years the New York Police Department has kept close watch on Muslim student associations across the Northeast. The effort included daily tracking of student websites and blogs, monitoring who was speaking to the groups and sending an undercover officer on a whitewater rafting trip with students from the City College of New York.

Quartzsite Update: County Attorney Writes To FBI
Oath Keepers - Paul Staudt has sent a pdf copy of a letter from the La Paz County Attorney to the FBI, requesting assistance and investigation into allegations of corruption in the Town of Quartzsite. At present time, we have yet to receive an update from Representative Seel, who attended the Oath Keepers muster and march at Quartzsite and vowed to get the records which the Town Council has been withholding from public scrutiny. Not familiar with the conflicts at Quartzsite? Read our initial coverage here:

Detroit Lawmakers Consider Making Toy Gun Possession A Crime
CBS - State lawmakers are currently reviewing legislation that targets the use of certain toy guns. A planned proposal before the Senate would make it a crime to possess a toy gun that has its required markings removed or by having a real gun that is made up to look like a toy. State Senate Republican Rick Jones said that this has become a major problem, especially within the gang community. “People are taking imitation firearms that look real, cutting off the orange end and then threatening people,” he said.

Feds Purposely Keeping U.S. Borders Wide Open, Experts Say
New American - Under the guise of environmentalism, various federal agencies and departments are blocking Border Patrol agents’ access to critical areas while contributing to widespread lawlessness along the U.S. border, according to experts. Criminals, meanwhile, are taking full advantage of the rapidly deteriorating situation. Despite claims by the Obama administration that the American border is “safer” or “more secure” than ever, sources with knowledge of the reality on the ground say that is simply not true.

YouTube: FBI Tries To Coax Muslim Into Bombing US Capitol
February 20, 2012 Russia Today News.

YouTube: C-SPAN Callers School Terror War Profiteers Cheerleader On Underwear Bomber Fairy Tale
February 20, 2012 C-SPAN.

Chicago school draws scrutiny over student fines
AP - Noble Network of Charter Schools charges students at its 10 Chicago high schools $5 for detentions stemming from infractions that include chewing gum and having untied shoelaces. Last school year it collected almost $190,000 in discipline "fees" from detentions and behavior classes — a policy drawing fire from some parents, advocacy groups and education experts.

New Hampshire man arrested for firing gun into ground while catching suspected burglar
Fox News - A New Hampshire man who fired his handgun into the ground to scare an alleged burglar he caught crawling out of a neighbor's window is now facing a felony charge -- and the same potential prison sentence as the man he stopped!

YouTube: Ron Paul vs News "There is NO more News, it's ALL Entertainment"
This goes to show you that you cannot trust the news.

'There are forces of evil in the world': Santorum defends warning that 'Satan has set his sights on US'... by comparing himself to Reagan
Daily Mail - Rick Santorum has sought to deflect controversy over a 2008 speech in which he said that "Satan has set his sights on the United States" by drawing a parallel with
Ronald Reagan branding the Soviet Union an "evil empire".

Today: Ron Paul in CNN / Arizona Debate - Open Thread
Daily Paul - Dr. Ron Paul will participate in the CNN / Arizona GOP being held at the Mesa Art Center, Mesa, AZ on Wednesday, February 22nd at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Post your observations and insights. Live internet coverage at CNN.com Live.

VIDEO: New Ron Paul 2012 Ad Slams Santorum As “Fake”
Steve Watson - A new Ron Paul 2012 campaign ad has been released today that takes direct aim at GOP rival Rick Santorum’s voting record. Entitled simply “Fake”, the 30 second spot makes the case that it is a myth that Santorum is in any way a fiscal conservative.

The Real Delegate Score: Romney 93, Paul 82
Daily Paul - Every media outlet seems to have a different delegate count. But almost invariably we're told Ron Paul is in last place and far behind the leader Mitt Romney. But none of these delegate counters properly estimate how the caucuses will allocate their delegates. According to the Paul campaign, Ron is well positioned to win 50% of the delegates in Iowa, 75% in Minnesota, 50% in Colorado, and 75% in Maine. So what is likely to be the true delegate count once the caucus states select their national delegates?

Returning active military allege job discrimination by federal government
Washington Post - TIt is against federal law for employers to penalize service members because of their military service. And yet, in some cases, the U.S. government has withdrawn job offers to service members unable to get released from active duty fast enough; in others, service members have been fired after absences. In fiscal 2011, more than 18 percent of the 1,548 complaints of violations of that law involved federal agencies, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

VIDEO: Sheriff & Oath Keeper Running For Congress Disgusted By Police Brutality Against Occupy Protesters
RevolutionaryPolitics.tv - February 20, 2012 Russia Today News.

Occupy protesters rally against prison conditions
SAN QUENTIN, California (Reuters) – Hundreds of anti-Wall Street demonstrators and prison reform activists joined forces outside the gates of a prison in San Quentin, California on Monday to protest high incarceration rates and harsh living conditions. Speakers rallying at the San Quentin State Prison said the state’s sentencing laws are too strict. They called for an end to solitary confinement and the death penalty and said children should not be tried as adults.

Iran to unleash 'God’s vengeance' against potential air strike
RT - The four-day drill will unite missile defense systems, radars and interceptor planes in southern Iran.... The news comes on the heels of mounting speculation that Israel may attempt to derail Iran’s nuclear program by attacking its nuclear processing facilities. Israel has repeatedly claimed that Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has consistently denied. The Iranian operation has been codenamed “Sarollah,” which translates as God’s Vengeance.

VIDEO: America’s crusade ‘utterly utopian’ - Pat Buchanan
RT - Today, running a budget deficit of 10 per cent of its GDP, America simply cannot afford to continue “to carry this enormous burden, defending 40 or 50 countries around the world,” Buchanan says, “We have to bring troops home.” Getting rid of these bases essentially means dismantling the American Empire to help the US survive beyond 2025. America’s crusade under the banner of ending tyranny in the world is “utterly utopian”.

Greece secures bailout to avoid debt default
AP - Greece won a second massive financial bailout in the early hours of Tuesday morning when its partners in the 17-country eurozone finally stitched together a euro130 billion ($170 billion) rescue, meant to avoid a potentially disastrous default and secure the euro currency's future. But the patchwork of measures - including the implementation of austerity measures in Greece and approval by skeptical German and Dutch Parliaments - required to give the rescue even a chance of success means it's unlikely to be the end of the continent's debt crisis.

VIDEO: Spain: Hundreds of thousands of protesters march against austerity
Occupy America - Protesters and police clashed in the streets of Valencia, Monday, Feb. 20. Union organizers said around 1 million people had marched by mid-afternoon, but official figures were not released.

US and Israel clash over attack on Iran
RT - The visit of a top Obama administration official was supposed to ease tensions between the countries but instead it might have only widened the gap regarding attitudes toward the Iranian nuclear problem.... The Obama administration has so far avoided any military action against Iran, hoping instead that international sanctions and strong words will serve as enough of a warning to keep Tehran from working on warheads. Netanyahu, on the other hand, is not convinced. He is not willing to wait for an optimistic outcome and doesn't rule out a strike on Iran.

Gen. Dempsey: Iran rational actor, not after nukes
Press TV - Speaking in a nationally televised interview with the CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” show on Sunday, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said, “We are of the opinion that Iran is a rational actor.” Dempsey pointed out that US officials aren’t convinced Iran has decided to build atomic armaments. “We also know, or we believe we know that Iran has not decided to make a nuclear weapon,” General Dempsey said. Elsewhere in his remarks, the top US general also described any Israeli attack on Iran as “destabilizing.”

U.S. Says Iran Active in Yemen
Reuters Iran is becoming more active in Yemen and could pose a deeper threat to its stability and security, the US envoy to Yemen said on Monday, highlighting what would be yet another layer of uncertainty in a near-failed state. US Ambassador Gerald Feierstein’s warning is likely to reinforce long-held fears among Sunni Gulf monarchies that Shi’ite Muslim power Iran is trying exploit regional unrest.

Israeli media reports that the Air Force is deploying the Iron Dome rocket defense system over Tel-Aviv for the first time
Alexander Higgins - Israel and Iran are inching ever closer to war, with just making the sudden announcement they are cutting that oil supplies to UK and France. The announcement has set oil and gas prices spiking, especially in the Euro nations where oil prices are were already near record highs. In another sign that war is imminent, Israel is now deploying the Iran Battery in Tel-Aviv, were it was earlier reported that western media outlets rented roof tops to cover the war with Iran. For those not familiar with the Iron Dome, this video explains they system.

VIDEO: Pentagon report says U.S. pays $400/gal for gas in Afghanistan
The astronomical cost of fuel is due in part to how it must be delivered: by parachute. Huge military cargo planes operated by the Air Force fly to a remote drop zone and send dozens of pallets to the ground, containing items like food, water and, of course, fuel. There's more bad news. Due to the dangers of setting up ground-based supply convoys, the military fully expects that air-drops will be increasingly necessary in the coming months and years. And that means our military's fuel bill is only going to get more and more expensive.

U.S. Super-Sizing Afghan Jail It Promised to Abandon
Wired - There once was a plan to turn over the main U.S. detention center in Afghanistan to control of the Afghans in 2011. That’s out the window. Instead, the military is offering millions to vastly expand the center’s inmate intake. Specifically, $35 million will fund expansions necessary to house “approximately 2,000 detainees” at the Detention Facility at Parwan on the outskirts of Bagram Air Field, an hour’s drive from Kabul.

Press TV signals jammed in Europe says Report
Jamming signals have been reportedly interrupting the broadcast of Press TV, Iran’s 24-hour English-language news channel, in various locations across Europe.

McCain wants to arm Syrian rebels
RT - American Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham proposed ways of handling the issue of Syria this week during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan.... McCain said from Kabul that he hopes to arm the Syrian rebels, but does not think that direct intervention from the United States is necessary. “I believe there are ways to get weapons to the opposition without direct United States involvement,” said McCain.

Iceland’s Viking Victory
London Telegraph - Congratulations to Iceland. Fitch has upgraded the country to investment grade BBB – with stable outlook, expecting government debt to peak at 100pc of GDP. The OECD's latest forecast said growth will be 2.4pc this year, after 2.9pc in 2011. Unemployment will fall from 7pc last year to 6.1pc this year and then 5.3pc in 2013.

Experts fear diseases ‘impossible to treat’
Independent - Britain is facing a "massive" rise in antibiotic-resistant blood poisoning caused by the bacterium E.coli – bringing closer the spectre of diseases that are impossible to treat. Experts say the growth of antibiotic resistance now poses as great a threat to global health as the emergence of new diseases such as Aids and pandemic flu.

Obama 'First Family' Photos?
Rense.com - How come we haven't seen or known about some of these...?

Indiana next state for Obama eligibility protest
WND - Even as a challenge to Barack Obama’s name on the 2012 primary election ballot in Georgia moves to the appeals court level, the next state up for the arguments appears to be Indiana, which in just the last few weeks has removed a state official from office over eligibility issues. And there appear to be other state challenges lined up to follow even that one, including pending cases in Mississippi and Arizona.

Former CIA Boss Says Iran Will Attack Statue of Liberty
Kurt Nimmo - Former CIA boss James Woolsey told WABC Radio in New York that Iran will retaliate against the United States by taking out the Statue of Liberty. “We will have a very serious problem from terrorism if we insist on Iran shutting down its nuclear program, but we have to do that. And so we have to get ready to deal with assaults on government facilities, on famous symbols of the country like the Statue of Liberty, on Jewish synagogues, there are a number of things Hezbollah could go after… and they probably will,” Woolsey told Aaron Klein.

Big Sis Hires Hundreds Of Security Guards To Protect Government Buildings
Paul Joseph Watson - The Department of Homeland Security has hired hundreds of security guards to protect scores of government buildings across the country as the federal agency prepares for terror threats and potential civil disorder in the United States. “One company, Vendtech-SGI, LLC, of McLean, VA, landed a contract worth more than $311.5 million to provide about 600 guards to protect approximately 200 different posts at more than 130 separate buildings in the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, according to a DHS notice posted online on Feb. 14,” reports GSN.

Bathing, sex habits fair game for Census?
WND - FOIA filing now demanding information from federal questioners. The Rutherford Institute is expanding its fight against the federal government’s American Community Survey, a list of privacy-invading questions sent to some 3 million homes every year with instructions that answers must be provided under penalty of law. The questions ask for details about mortgages, marital histories, bathing habits, utility costs, telephone numbers and other personal issues.

Michelle's ski trip marks 16 Obama vacations
Washington Examiner - Accounting for trips out of Washington for several days, the total number of vacations Washington Secrets tabulated is 16, 10 where the family was together, such as for Christmas and summer vacations, one by the president and five by the first lady. Not included were Camp David visits or trips like the first family’s New York City date night in May, 2009.

CNN and Arizona GOP Debate
Congressman Ron Paul will participate in a Debate sponsored by CNN and the Arizona GOP being held at the Mesa Art Center, Mesa, AZ on Wednesday, February 22nd at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.

YouTube: Ron Paul Leads Super Tuesday
CNN Entrance Poll shows Ron Paul leading.

Pro-Obama super PAC a bust in January fundraising
Washington Times - The big-money vehicle intended to raise astronomical sums to serve as the Democratic counter to similar action by Republican-funded super PACs and outside groups is failing miserably, federal documents filed Monday showed. Priorities USA Action, a super PAC that former top aides to President Obama left the White House last February to run, had only a single substantial donor last month, of $50,000.

VIDEO: Will Michigan be Mitt Romney's Waterloo?
Fox News - (WJBK) - Mitt’s presidential ambitions may meet their Waterloo in the Big Mitten and if they do, Mitt might have Bob to thank. That’s because Romney and Bob Ficano, the Wayne County executive who is caught in the crosshairs of an FBI corruption probe, have a certain friend in common -- John Rakolta. Rakolta is a prominent Detroit developer whose company Walbridge won a $300 million contract last summer to build the new Wayne County jail. In turns out Rakolta is Romney’s co-national finance chairman.

USA Today Scrubs Headline: ‘PayPal founder gives $1.7M to Ron Paul super PAC’
Alexander Higgins - USA Today just ran a story with a headline “PayPal founder gives $1.7M to Ron Paul super PAC”, which was quickly edited and had its headline and focus changed to spotlight Romney’s super PAC. Yet another blatant example of the corporate media’s outright manipulation, censorship and blackout of the Ron Paul campaign to become the GOP nominee for the 2012 presidential election rears its ugly head.

Ron Paul Frontrunner in Washington
Examiner - His mostly volunteer campaign workers have a larger presence in Washington than any other Presidential candidate. They have been out doing nuts and bolts politics by identifying Ron Paul supporters, teaching them how to participate in the caucus process and encouraging them to get out on March 3. In this process, they have been reaching out to independent voters who previously have not thought of themselves as Republicans. The Ron Paul campaign is growing the Republican Party in the state of Washington.

Billionaire Peter Thiel Gives Another $1.7 Million to Ron Paul Super PAC
Forbes - Billionaire Peter Thiel has poured $1.7 million more into a super PAC supporting presidential candidate Ron Paul, bringing his total contributions to $2.6 million. PayPal co-founders Luke Nosek and Scott Banister also have donated to Paul’s super PAC, although in much smaller amounts. Banister gave $50,000 in December. Nosek gave $10,001 in January.

Ron Paul Leads in Defense Contributions
Jack Hunter - Ron Paul may not support increasing defense spending, but he is certainly receiving the support of those who work in the defense industry. U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) contribution records analyzed by Defense News showed that the GOP presidential hopeful received both the most contributions and the largest total amount of cash among Republican candidates from employees of the world’s top 100 defense companies.

Ron Paul Campaign Raises $4.5 Million in January Preparing Candidate for Long Road Ahead
The campaign of 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul raised $4.5 million in the month of January and is on track to exceed its Q4 fundraising of about $13.3 million. The Paul campaign has $1.6 million in cash on hand. The amount raised in January excludes more than $1.7 million that the campaign has so far raised via its online fund-raising event, or ‘money bomb.’

Iowa Poll, the match-ups: Paul does best vs. Obama; then Santorum, Romney
DesMoinesRegister.com - For the two GOP rivals who are doing best nationally — Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney — there’s just a two-point difference in their advantage over Obama. Santorum leads Obama 48 percent to 44 percent, and Romney leads the president 46 percent to 44 percent. “To start re-election under 45 percent suggests real trouble,” said Brian Kennedy, a Romney backer from the Quad Cities and former Iowa GOP chairman.... The Republican candidate who does best in Iowa matchups against Barack Obama is Ron Paul, a three -time presidential candidate and a libertarian-leaning congressman from Texas.

YouTube: Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk 2/20/12
Defend America, Not the World.

VIDEO: Veterans March on White House for Ron Paul
Below is a collection of video coverage on the Veterans for Ron Paul March on the White House on February 20th, 2012.

YouTube: Veterans for Ron Paul March
TheRevolutionPAC - A short sample of images and interviews from the Monday 2/20/12 event. Stay tuned for more interviews and speeches. ‎8 minutes of salute: One second for every suicide of returning veterans under Obama. 20 minutes of silent prayer: One second for every veteran's death overseas under Obama.

YouTube: Troops March on White House for Ron Paul
RT - Ron Paul's consistently strong anti-war message is one that resonates with many U.S. troops today. Hundreds of active duty troops, veterans, and Paul supporters marched from the Washington Monument to the White House this afternoon. Sick of fighting seemingly never-ending wars overseas, troops that took part in the march say they are ready for radical change. Liz Wahl spoke to veterans that say their only hope for that is getting Paul into the White House.

Veterans For Ron Paul March 2012
HubPages -You might be forgiven if you did not realize that there was a Veterans For Ron Paul 2012 march that took place at the White House today, 2/20/2012 , as that is exactly how the news media outlets wanted it to be. Certainly, the mainstream media and the government it serves would rather distract you with gas price manipulations or the New York Knick's Jeremy... Santorum can ruin a good dinner at a meet and greet with 15 people and it gets broadcast live on CSPAN, but a march by hundreds of troops in support of the Republican presidential candidate will hardly be noted...

VIDEO: Veterans march to White House for Ron Paul
Daily Caller - Paul is “for the limited constitutional level of government,” one attendee told The Daily Caller. “He’s really for pulling back all the excessive controls that the government exercises over us, and basically allows the American people the freedom that we fought for.”

An Open Letter to President Obama from a Veteran
Dear President Obama, I am writing to you as just one veteran, just one man, but today, you may see that I am joined by many more. We gather today before you in support of Ron Paul and not because we think he would merely be a better administrator of government than you, but because we believe your policies to be fundamentally immoral. We are demanding peaceful, orderly change through the ballot box....

Saudi Arabia Cuts Oil Output, Export: Industry Report
CNBC - The world’s top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, appears to have cut both its oil production and export in December, according to the latest update by the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI), an official source of oil production, consumption and export data.

Iranian warships dock at Syrian port after crossing Suez Canal
Press TV reports the arrival of two Iranian warships at the Syrian city of Tartous; crossing of the Suez Canal is the second in a year by Iranian warships. The vessels - a destroyer and a supply ship - are to provide maritime training to Syria's navy under an agreement between the two countries, according to the report.

US, Britain urge Israel not to attack
AP - The U.S. and Britain on Sunday urged Israel not to attack Iran's nuclear program as the White House's national security adviser arrived in the region, reflecting growing international jitters that the Israelis are poised to strike.

Seoul holds military drills despite North Korea threat
AP - South Korea conducted live-fire military drills near its disputed sea boundary with North Korea on Monday despite Pyongyang's threat to respond with a "merciless" attack. North Korea did not carry out the threat as it focuses on internal stability two months after the death of longtime leader Kim Jong Il and prepares for nuclear disarmament talks with the United States later this week. But with American forces scheduled to conduct additional military exercises with ally South Korea over the next few months, tensions are expected to remain high in the region.

UN nuke inspectors arrive for key talks in Tehran
AP - U.N. nuclear inspectors arrived in Iran on Monday in the latest push to hold key talks with Iranian officials about how far the country's nuclear program has come. The trip is the second in less than a month by the International Atomic Energy Agency team, reflecting growing concerns over alleged weapons experiments - something Iran has so far both denied and refused to discuss.

VIDEO: Greek déjà vu: austerity, tear gas, bailout
RT - European ministers are going to decide if Greece has done enough blood letting to get its additional 130 billion euro financial aid package. The country, which is living under a looming default, is increasingly tired of submitting to more cuts. Finance ministers of the eurozone are meeting in Brussels to agree the second bailout program for debt-burdened Greece. The 17 members of the so-called eurogroup are to debate whether the Greek government has done enough to reduce its budget deficit to receive the money it needs.

Deadly bird flu studies to stay secret for now: WHO
(Reuters) - Two studies showing how scientists mutated the H5N1 bird flu virus into a form that could cause a deadly human pandemic will be published only after experts fully assess the risks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

Iran stops oil sales to British, French companies
(Reuters) - Iran has stopped selling crude to British and French companies, the oil ministry said on Sunday, in a retaliatory measure against fresh EU sanctions on the Islamic state's lifeblood, oil. "Exporting crude to British and French companies has been stopped ... we will sell our oil to new customers," spokesman Alireza Nikzad was quoted as saying by the ministry of petroleum website.

VIDEO: 'Economic blockade of Iran is an act of war’
RT - Tension around Iran has spiralled. Tehran is carefully avoiding being provoked so as not to vie the US and Israel an excuse for military action. Though activists believe the extra sanctions and economic blockade of Tehran is already an ‘act of war’. RT has talked to Brian Becker, the national coordinator of the A.N.S.W.E.R. anti-war coalition on the reasons behind the instability in the region. He believes the US government has manufactured an artificial crisis in the area. “Iran is complying with the IAEA. Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, Iran is not threatening its neighbors, Iran has not started a war with any of its neighbors,” says Becker.

US officials believe Iran sanctions will fail, making military action likely
Guardian - Officials in key parts of the Obama administration are increasingly convinced that sanctions will not deter Tehran from pursuing its nuclear programme, and believe that the US will be left with no option but to launch an attack on Iran or watch Israel do so.

Britain fears new Cold War over Iran
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the Foreign Secretary says that Iran is threatening to spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East which could be more dangerous than the original East-West Cold War as there are not the same “safety mechanisms” in place. “It is a crisis coming down the tracks,” he said. “Because they are clearly continuing their nuclear weapons programme … If they obtain nuclear weapons capability, then I think other nations across the Middle East will want to develop nuclear weapons.

Turkey will not allow NATO to share intelligence with Israel
Breitbart - Turkey will never allow any third country, particularly Israel, to use intelligence obtained by a NATO radar system, its foreign minister said on Friday. "We will never allow any third country to use any NATO facility. Our position will be even more clear if it is particularly Israel," Davutoglu told a joint news conference with visiting NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Ankara.

Pakistan allies with Iran against US
RT - Pakistan has pledged to support Iran if the US launches a military attack against the Islamic Republic. The Pakistani president assured the Iranian leader that his country’s territory will not be used as a launch pad for such an assault. Should the United Stated decide to attack Iran, Pakistan will not support the move and will not allow the US to use its local airbases for military operations, the Pakistani leader Asif Ali Zardari said on Friday.

VIDEO: Pakistan-Iran-Afghan talks ‘a message of defiance’ to the US
RT - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in Pakistan for a trilateral summit aimed at addressing how Islamabad should facilitate negotiations between Afghanistan and the Taliban. Many see the move as a defiance of US will by two traditional American allies – Pakistan and Afghanistan – who are now seeking to include Iran, a stated adversary of the US, into the negotiation process.

In Russia, Putin allies sharpen anti-American attacks ahead of elections
Washington Post - A nasty spate of anti-Americanism set off by Vladimir V. Putin has grown into waves of attacks aimed at the new American ambassador and Russian opposition leaders, raising questions about the future of U.S.-Russian relations.... A main target of the attacks is Michael McFaul, the new ambassador, a longtime democracy advocate and
Russia expert who as a top aide to Obama has been an architect of what the White House calls a “reset’’ with Moscow.

Afghan army to cost U.S. billions of dollars after 2014 withdrawal
Washington Post - The U.S. military expects that sustaining the Afghan army and police forces after the planned withdrawal of American combat forces in 2014 will cost about $4? billion a year and that most of that money will have to come from the United States and other outside donors, said a senior military official Thursday. The Obama administration plans to announce the enduring price tag for the Afghan troops at a NATO summit in May.

BBC spent £350,000 on legal battle to keep its ‘biased’ Middle East coverage secret
Mail Online - A seven-year campaign to gain access to the 2004 document, which examined the corporation’s coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ended in defeat yesterday after the Supreme Court ruled it could remain secret. Lawyer Steven Sugar, who passed away last year, made a Freedom of Information request in 2005 for disclosure of the 20,000-word Balen Report.

Report: Insider Documents Detail a March 23 Greek Default Plan; Gov to Freeze Bank Accounts
Mac Slavo - The document asserts that Greece will officially be declared in default by all the ratings agencies after the close of business on Friday march 23rd. At the weekend all Greek bank accounts will be frozen, with emergency measures detailed to prevent the flight of capital. Included in the paperwork is a list of very limited exceptions to the ‘no withdrawals’ order.... If and when this event happens – because dates set forth by the powers that be are always subject to change – it will be a tell-tale sign that a similar collapse in confidence of the US dollar and US debt instruments will soon follow.

Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago: Snipers in Response to NATO/G8 Protests
Truth Out - National security event requires “snipers that will stand guard from above.” As part of the expanded powers given to Mayor Rahm Emanuel for the May summits, the city has authority to accept contracts for goods or services without approval of the City Council or the expected competitive bidding process. The face shields and aerial surveillance technology are the first use of this allowance.

You May Already Be an FBI Terror Suspect: 85 Things Not to Do
The FBI and DOJ have launched the “Communities Against Terrorism” program. The campaign seeks assistance from workers in 25 industries to spy on their fellow citizens ferret out the terrorists among us. Citizen spies are being recruited from hotel and motel personnel, dive shop operators, car and property rental agents, the inky patriots who run tattoo parlors, gun dealers and baristas at Internet cafes.

NYPD monitored Muslim students all over Northeast
AP - The New York Police Department monitored Muslim college students far more broadly than previously known, at schools far beyond the city limits, including the elite Ivy League colleges of Yale and the University of Pennsylvania, The Associated Press has learned. Police talked with local authorities about professors 300 miles (480 kilometers) away in Buffalo and even sent an undercover agent on a whitewater rafting trip, where he recorded students' names and noted in police intelligence files how many times they prayed.

Virginia House Passes NDAA Nullification 96-4
Kurt Nimmo - In a move completely ignored by the establishment media, the Virginia House of Delegates has voted in favor of House Bill 1160 (HB1160), legislation that codifies in Virginia law noncompliance with the “kidnapping provisions” of section 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA).

Arizona bill would fund volunteer militia to patrol border
Tucson Citizen - The bill calls for a one-time cost of $500,000 from the general fund and an additional $1.4 million each year from a gang task-force fund. While there’s an anticipated budget surplus, lawmakers must deal with long-term debt and the May 2013 expiration of the 1-cent-per-dollar sales-tax increase, so it is unclear how much support this bill would have. Arizona would join 23 other states and territories with active guards, but experts say the state would stand alone if its militia was focused on border enforcement and “combating international criminal activity.”

YouTube: Sheriff Richard Mack Running for Congress Against Major SOPA Pusher
Intel Hub - An Exclusive Interview with Sheriff Richard Mack who is running for Congress against SOPA and TSA supporter Lamar Smith. Smith was one of the MAIN backers of the internet censorship bill.

Citizens shoot down private surveillance drone
A remote-controlled aircraft owned by an animal rights group was reportedly shot down near Broxton Bridge Plantation Sunday near Ehrhardt, S.C. Steve Hindi, president of SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness), said his group was preparing to launch its Mikrokopter drone to video what he called a live pigeon shoot on Sunday when law enforcement officers and an attorney claiming to represent the privately-owned plantation near Ehrhardt tried to stop the aircraft from flying.

Secretive Navy SEALs take starring role in new film
In "Act of Valor," the select troops who call themselves "the quiet professionals" take a turn as leading men on the big screen, reciting lines from a script as they race to prevent terrorists from carrying out an attack on the United States.... The officer who oversees the SEALs and other elite troops as head of Special Operations Command, Admiral William McRaven, has defended the movie as a valuable recruiting tool that reveals no classified tactics or techniques.... The names of the commandos in the film do not appear in the credits, and instead the movie lists naval special warfare troops killed since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

YouTube: Kansas City Ron Paul Rally - Over 3,000 in Attendance!!!
Feb 18, 2012 - An estimated 3,000, enthusiastic crowd showed up for this event. This is what it looked liked one hour before the event. Way to go Missouri!

Ron Paul Draws More Than 2,300 Voters to Kansas City, Missouri Campaign Rally
2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul again drew thousands of supporters to a campaign rally, this time in Kansas City, Missouri. The high turnout was notable because of the short notice given as Dr. Paul concluded his Pacific Northwest visit to Washington and Idaho, and made his way to Missouri’s largest city. For other instances when Dr. Paul drew thousands of supporters, please click here and here.

Ron Paul Kansas City Rally Speech Part 1 of 4
Ron Paul speaks to a packed Union Station in Kansas City, MO Saturday night, 2-18-12. Panoramic view of the rally here.

YouTube: Dr. Paul on CNN State of The Union with Candy Crowley
February 18, 2012 - CNN down plays Ron Paul's chances of winning... again.

YouTube: Ron Paul announced winner of Washington County Maine Caucus 2012
Announcement of Ron Paul's Maine caucus straw poll victory in Washington County Maine 2/18/2012. Total at super caucus: Ron Paul 163, Romney 80, Santorum 57, Newt 4.

YouTube: Ron Paul Robbed by SPAM, Maine GOP Chairman Claims!
MSNBC - Al Sharpton on the Maine GOP's latest excuse for electoral fraud against Dr. Paul. Chairman, Charlie Webster, doesn't even want to count tomorrow's results!

VIDEO: Ron Paul Draws More Than 2,000 Voters To Moscow Idaho, Doubling Expectations
KIFI ABC Idaho Falls, ID Feb. 16, 2012 - The Moscow Rally took place at 4:00 p.m. at the campus’ Student Union Ballroom. Campaign officials planned to accommodate 1,000 guests – roughly a room capacity crowd – yet more than 1,000 additional people arrived.

YouTube: Ron Paul wins poll, Chris Matthews leaves him out
Chris Matthews omits Ron Paul from a poll charting the favorability ratings of Republican presidential candidates. Ron Paul had the winning favorable score at 46%.

YouTube: Ron Paul leaks his choice for VP 2012
Original, unedited footage of the question to Ron Paul as to who he is considering for his VP running mate. Recorded by Jeffrey Phillips at a breakfast fund-raising event in Simi Valley, California.

YouTube: The Thomas Jefferson of Our Day
Judge Napolitano: "The Thomas Jefferson of our day, Ron Paul is one of us!"

Corporatocracy: Ron Paul says US ‘slipping into fascism’
RT - Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul slammed America's system of governance at a rally in Kansas City, saying businesses and government are pushing the country into twenty-first century fascism.... “We’ve slipped away from a true republic,” Paul told thousands of his supporters at the rally. “Now we’re slipping into a fascist system where it’s a combination of government, big business and authoritarian rule, and the suppression of the individual rights of each and every American citizen.”

PRESS: Record 19 reporters, media execs join Team Obama
For some Washington reporters and media execs, cheering their team from the sidelines just isn’t good enough: Tugging on a red, white and blue Team Obama jersey is the answer. That’s the case for a whopping 19 journalists and media executives, including five from the Washington Post and three each from ABC and CNN, who’ve gone into the administration or center-left groups supporting the president.

Santorum requests Secret Service protection after 'rowdy' rally
The difference between a Ron Paul rally and Santorum's... Fox News reports - Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum's campaign wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Wednesday requesting Secret Service protection.... Santorum hosted an outdoor rally adjacent to the campsite of Tacoma, Wash., Occupy protesters Monday night. They chanted and yelled during most of the event. Two protesters were dragged away by police.

YouTube: Rick Santorum Bombarded with Truth, Supporter Snaps
On Feb 15th, I attended the Rick Santorum rally held in Fargo ND. I aimed several crucial, untouched questions at the senator but received zero response. I then aimed my attention at confronting the globalist on several issues where his policies are truly un-american including Iran, the NDAA, and central banking. A few minutes into my questioning I was physically attacked by a Santorum supporter and pushed 30 yards to the exit while being screamed at hysterically....

VIDEO: Leaked Email: Military Top Brass Warn Troops Off March For Ron Paul
Steve Watson - The email, apparently sent by Joel A. Weger, Senior Attorney at the Office of the Assistant General Counsel (Ethics) in the Department of the Navy, was sent on high importance and warns recipients “You may wish to advise your command regarding this particular event because of the apparent solicitation of active duty personnel”.

Israel says Iran, Hezbollah plotting more attacks
AP - Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah are plotting more attacks on Israelis overseas, an Israeli counterterrorism official said Friday, warning travelers abroad to be especially vigilant. The official did not identify specific countries where Israelis might be targeted. But he said Israel has "general information reflecting intent," citing findings from investigations into the attacks overseas. "Iran and Hezbollah are continuing to try to carry out other attacks on targets abroad," he said, without offering details. "That means asking Israelis abroad to be vigilant." He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Iran offers "new initiatives" for talks with powers
(Reuters) - Iran, facing sanctions that could cripple its oil exports, has told world powers it wants to resume long-stalled talks with "new initiatives," and France said it might be open to addressing suspicions about its nuclear program.... VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran, facing sanctions that could cripple its oil exports, has told world powers it wants to resume long-stalled talks with "new initiatives," and France said it might be open to addressing suspicions about its nuclear program.

France, Britain to sign nuclear deals, talk Syria
(Reuters) - France and Britain will agree a series of deals on civil nuclear cooperation and developing a next-generation combat drone when their two leaders meet on Friday for the first time since an acrimonious clash over Europe.... "Today's summit shows the strength and depth of Britain's ties with France," Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement. "One year on from the Libya uprising, we are working together to stand up to the murderous Syrian regime and to stop a nuclear weapon in the hands of Iran."

Intel Official: Iran has the ability to hit U.S. targets
US News - Tehran has a missile arsenal capable of reaching "targets throughout the region and into Eastern Europe," Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess, Defense Intelligence Agency director, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Iran has … threatened to launch missiles against the United States and our allies in the region in response to an attack" on its nuclear facilities or other targets, he said. What's more, Iran "could also employ its terrorist surrogates worldwide," Burgess said.

UN General Assembly condemns Syria
AP - The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday for a resolution backing an Arab League plan calling for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and strongly condemning human rights violations by his regime. The vote in the 193-member world body on the Arab-sponsored resolution was 137-12 with 17 abstentions. Several countries complained immediately afterward that they unable to vote due to problems with the U.N.'s voting machine.

Venezuela ships fuel to Syria
(Reuters) - The government of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is emerging as a rare supplier of diesel to Syria, potentially undermining Western sanctions and helping the Syrian government fuel its military in the middle of a bloody crackdown on civilian protests.

Bye, bye, privacy. Canada introduces online-spying bill
RT - Move over, SOPA and say your prayers, PIPA. There’s a new bill in the works that, if passed, will pull the plug on how the Internet is used in Canada.... The Investigative Powers for the 21st Century Act (Bill C-51) is legislation that isn’t new to Canadian Parliament, but after a series of additions and other changes, lawmakers there are expected to begin discussion on it this week. If passed, law enforcement there will be able to monitor all Internet and telephone activity from anyone, anywhere in the country, without having to obtain a warrant.

VIDEO: Canada Ends Gun Registry
National Post - The historic vote to dismantle the long-gun registry will take place Wednesday evening. The Conservative government says its MPs will celebrate after a historic vote to end the long-gun registry Wednesday evening, despite vehement opposition to the move in Quebec and much of urban Canada. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews told reporters Wednesday, hours before the vote, that the government’s actions are long overdue. “It does nothing to help put an end to gun crimes, nor has it saved one Canadian life,” he said.

Attempted bomber of Detroit-bound plane gets life in prison
Washington Post - Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian who tried to bring down a U.S. commercial flight on Christmas Day 2009 by detonating a bomb hidden in his underwear, was sentenced to life in prison Thursday in federal court in Detroit.

VIDEO: Eighters Intercept Drug-Carrying Cessna Near Air Force One
As Air Force One sat on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport this morning, the North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to intercept a small private plane that had invaded the airspace.... One law enforcement source told ABC News the plane was carrying 40 pounds of marijuana. Officials with the Long Beach Police Department did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request to confirm the type or quantity of the drugs.

US couple get 8 years each in son's cancer death
AP - The parents of an 8-year-old boy who died from Hodgkin lymphoma after suffering for months from undiagnosed swollen glands were sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday following their guilty pleas to denying him medical treatment. Attorneys for Monica Hussing, 37, and William Robinson Sr., 40, had said the parents had financial problems and tried to get checkups for their son but couldn't afford it.

FBI internal documents reveal anti-Muslim bias
RT - Following calls from Muslim advocacy groups for an investigation into training materials, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has revealed around 1,000 documents that an internal probe has described as inappropriate. Some of the papers are filled with “factual errors.” Others, says the FBI, were created in “poor taste.” After digging through around 160,000 pieces of training material, the FBI says they’ve identified a plethora of questionable content that was used within the agency that could be considered offensive to Arabs or Muslims.

Muslims ask for probe of NYPD monitoring
Press TV - Sixteen New Jersey organizations have signed a letter asking the governor to investigate the extent of the surveillance in New Jersey and whether local law enforcement agencies were involved. The letter cites a series of stories by The Associated Press that detailed the monitoring or recommended surveillance of Muslims in New York and surrounding states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, by the NYPD.

BREAKING: Kurt Haskell Exposes Government False Flag Operation During Underwear Bomber Sentencing
Kurt Haskell - Every victim of a crime in Michigan is entitled to make a statement in open court regarding the impact of the crime on their life. The statement is limited to the victim’s physical, emotional and financial well being as it relates to the crime. Keep that in mind as you read my statement. Below is a copy of the victim impact statement I gave today at the Underwear Bomber sentencing hearing.

Amnesty International: 500 Americans killed by Tasers
Press TV - According to data collected by Amnesty International, at least 500 people in the U.S. have died since 2001 after being shocked with Tasers either during their arrest or while in jail... Among the cases reviewed, 90 percent of those who died were unarmed. Many of the victims were subjected to multiple shocks.

Federal Biometric ID Program "Secure Communities" Expands to its 27th State
ICE announced in February, 2011 that it would begin using biometric identification as a key component of an information-sharing nexus with 58 California counties meant to identify aliens who are booked for crimes by local police. However, a Freedom of Information Act request by several justice organizations revealed a program involving extensive Homeland Security coordination to expand the Secure Communities biometrics program to include even law-abiding American citizens.

Washington's Insouciance Has No Rival
Paul Craig Roberts - Is Obama a hypocrite or merely insouciant? Or is he an idiot? According to news reports Obama’s White House meeting on Valentine’s day with China’s Vice President, Xi Jinping, provided an opportunity for Obama to raise “a sensitive human rights issue with the Chinese leader-in-waiting.” The brave and forthright Obama didn’t let etiquette or decorum get in his way. Afterwards, Obama declared that Washington would “continue to emphasize what we believe is the importance of realizing the aspirations and rights of all people.”

Big Sis Admits U.S. Does Not Face Terror Threat from Iran or Hezbollah
Kurt Nimmo - House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Pete King fretted over a Hezbollah attack on the fatherland – specifically synagogues – but DHS boss Napolitano was obliged to admit no such threat exists. She said, however, that there is “a threat that bears watching.” Big Sis told King and his colleagues DHS and partners like the FBI “are constantly monitoring [Hezbollah's] activities around the world.”

DHS Stonewalls Congress On Social Media Spying
Paul Joseph Watson - Representatives from the Department of Homeland Security speaking today at a Congressional hearing regarding the federal agency’s monitoring of social media networks and news websites, including the Drudge Report, were evasive about who ordered them to look for reports or comments that “reflect adversely on the U.S. government and the DHS.”

VIDEO: Mother Of Fallen Marine Offended By Half-Staff Flags For Singer
CBS News - Flags will be lowered in New Jersey Saturday, the day of Whitney Houston’s funeral. But a Marine mom in Arlington says it’s an honor Houston doesn’t deserve. When Phyllis McGeath heard Gov. Chris Christie had ordered flags lowered to half-staff for Houston, she said she felt a pain deep inside her. “I was hurt and offended. Disappointed. Saddened,” she said. “I felt like the honor that was given to my son was tarnished.”

VIDEO: Plutonium Files: How the U.S. Secretly Fed Radioactivity to Thousands of Americans
Democracy Now - Denver-based journalist Eileen Welsome reveals how as a reporter for the tiny Albuquerque Tribune (circulation 35,000) she uncovered one of the country’s great Cold War secrets: the U.S. government had knowingly exposed thousands of human Guinea pigs with radiation poisoning including 18 Americans who had plutonium injected directly into their bloodstream. [includes rush transcript]

VIDEO: Real Tear Jerker: Vancouver Washington - Ron Paul Supporters overflowing
Amazing!

Maine GOP recounting caucus votes
The Maine Republican Party, under fire from Ron Paul supporters for its mishandling of the state’s recent caucuses, is now re-canvassing counties and municipalities to recount vote totals. POLITICO obtained an email from the State Republican Party asking local chairmen to send them the vote totals from their local straw polls.

VIDEO: Reality Check: Maine GOP releasing ‘corrected’ caucus numbers, why there may be a new winner Saturday
February 17, 2012.

YouTube: Ron Paul Local Fox Station Seattle, Washington campaign coverage
Fox News 2/16/12 - Seattle local Fox station Media coverage of Ron Pauls stop in Vancouver, Wa. Over 1000 in attendance with 800 turned away!!

VIDEO: Mark Levin Gets Canned From WSPD Radio For Lies About Ron Paul, Hilarity Ensues
Airing Date Feb.15, 2012 - One station, WSPD in Toledo Ohio canceled Mark Levin yesterday and was replaced with Free Talk Live. Station director Brian Wilson sent a notice starting with: "In response to Mark Levin's outrageous diatribes, mis and disinformation slanderously leveled at Ron Paul, Tom Woods, Lew Rockwell (personal and professional friends of mine), I will be exploring other options effective immediately."...and ending with "If Mark ever gets a grip on his rational self or develops the class and courtesy to apologize to the three gentleman mentioned above, I'll give him another listen."

No One But Paul Money Bomb
Extended through Friday!

YouTube: Ron Paul Attracts More Than 1,350 Voters in Twin Falls, Idaho
BOISE, Idaho 2/16/12– 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul draw a remarkable crowd of more than 1,350 supporters and undecided voters in Twin Falls, Idaho today. It was the first of many events comprising a three-day, multi-stop visit to the key caucus states of Idaho and Washington.

Belfast caucus chairman talking about the need for Charlie Webster to Resign
WABI-TV February 15, 2012.

Gingrich declines to release ethics documents
AP - Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich on Wednesday declined to ask the Justice Department to release thousands of records from the House Ethics Committee's investigation into his conduct as speaker in the 1990s.... The organization asked the Justice Department to release documents forwarded from the House in 1997 after it investigated Gingrich's use of tax-exempt organizations for political gain.

Santorum's tax returns show rise in wealth
AP - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum released four years of federal income tax returns on Wednesday night, showing a sharp rise in his personal wealth spurred by his growing work as Washington-based corporate consultant and media commentator. The former Pennsylvania senator's tax returns show that his annual income surged from nearly $660,000 in 2007 to $1.1 million in 2009 before slipping to $923,000 in 2010.... . Santorum paid a combined tax rate of 28 percent over the four years, putting him in a high tax bracket but not in the top 35 percent.

Jobless youth flee Obama
Washington Examiner - Obama, who won 66 percent of the 24 million voters age 18-29 in 2008, has seen that support slashed. And in a new poll from Generation Opportunity, a nonprofit that seeks to engage younger voters, only 31 percent approve of Obama’s handling of youth unemployment, a number that threatens to rob him of the voter group that pushed him to victory.

VIDEO: Joe Kennedy III announces run for Barney Frank’s seat
Washington Post - “Congressman Frank has done so much for Massachusetts and America during his service in Congress and he leaves very big shoes to fill,” Kennedy said in his announcement video for the 4th district. “I believe this country was founded on a simple idea: that every person deserves to be treated fairly, by each other and by their government.”

Ron Paul is the Choice of the Troops! March on the White House - Monday Feb 20
Daily Paul - We need to get the word out about the March on the White House organized by Veterans for Ron Paul. Here are a few sites with info on the march for all to share!

VA Participates in Settlement with Mortgage Banks
“Through this historic settlement, VA has ensured that Veterans, Servicemembers, and National Guard and Reserve members will continue to receive every possible opportunity to retain their homes,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.... The nation’s five largest mortgage servicers have agreed to this landmark $25 billion settlement that addresses past mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure abuses, provides substantial financial relief to borrowers, and establishes significant new homeowner protections in the future.

Occupy LA Takes Over Bank To Prevent Foreclosure
Feb. 16, 2012 - Earlier today, a family who has been wrongly foreclosed upon occupied a Citibank branch in Los Angeles. Crowds of protesters, including Occupy LA, gathered in the lobby to show support. The family, including four children, are facing homelessness in spite of having enough money to make payments. The protesters refused to leave until Freddie Mack negotiate to keep the family in their home.... The homeowner and father of the family, along with other protesters, was led away in handcuffs while hundreds chanted "save our homes, we want justice!"

Let Them Eat Yellowcake: Iran Gives Enemies Another Excuse to Bomb Them
Kurt Nimmo - Iran has provided the United States and Israel with another excuse to attack – the country has announced it will now produce yellowcake. The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Fereydoun Abbasim said on Wednesday Iran has installed a new generation centrifuges at the Natanz facility. Yellowcake, also known as urania, is a concentrated powder produced through processing uranium ore. It is used in the preparation of uranium fuel for nuclear reactors.

VIDEO: Israel Exploits Holocaust, Diplomat Attacks in Renewed Call for Iran Attack
Kurt Nimmo - Binyamin Netanyahu wasted little time exploiting two attacks on Israeli embassies in India and Georgia and a similar attack in Bangkok yesterday. He carefully packaged them together with the unsubstantiated accusation that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon as part of the ongoing propaganda effort to drum up support for an attack on the Islamic country. The Israeli PM made his comments after Iran announced it will produce yellowcake uranium.

Russia: Do not undermine Iran-IAEA ties
Press TV - Speaking at a press conference in The Hague on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said anything that might undermine cooperation between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran, including sanctions, should be avoided. "The important thing is that whatever is being announced and done in the nuclear area must have the full control of the IAEA," Lavrov noted. The Russian official also expressed support for the resumption of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

Japan PM warns Israel against attacking Iran
Press TV - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiko Noda has warned Israel against the ramifications of launching a military strike on Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program. Noda told visiting Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak in a meeting that an attack on Iran would be ''extremely dangerous'' and would ''escalate'' the situation in the region.

Iran warns against military bid on Syria
Press TV - Those (countries) that are pursuing such policies pay no heed to general interests in the region, Mehmanparast told reporters in the southwestern city of Bushehr on Wednesday, noting that a military intervention in Syria will be “very dangerous” to regional security and stability. He pointed to the abduction of Iranian nationals in Syria and added that certain countries outside the region and some currents inside the region seek to meet their interests by stoking instability in the Middle Eastern state.

Contagion fears back on Greek bailout uncertainty
LONDON (AP) -- Mounting confusion over whether Greece will get vital bailout cash to avoid defaulting next month is rekindling fears that Europe's debt crisis will spread to bigger countries like Italy.

UK's Cameron: Scotland must snub independence
LONDON (AP) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday he would fight "head, heart and soul" to prevent the breakup of the United Kingdom as he headed to Scotland for talks to set the ground rules for an independence referendum. Cameron was scheduled to hold his first meeting on the issue with Scottish leader Alex Salmond, whose separatist party has long campaigned for Scotland to leave its neighbors behind for the first time in more than 300 years.

Nuclear special: New study links childhood leukaemia to nuclear power plant radiation
Ecologist - The UK government's scientific advisory group found no link between childhood leukaemia and proximity to nuclear power plants, but German and French research has found an alarming doubling of risk. Matilda Lee reports. In the latest development in the debate over to what extent there is a link between childhood leukaemia and radiation from nuclear power plants, a French study has found a doubling in the incidence of the disease among children under 5 living within 5-kilometre radius of a nuclear plant.

NATO to buy U.S.-made unmanned drone aircraft
Reuters - NATO is to buy five U.S.-made unmanned drone aircraft capable of countering Afghan insurgents, hunting pirates off Somalia or monitoring arms embargoes, an alliance official said on Wednesday. The drones are part of the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) project, scheduled to begin operating between 2015 and 2017.

Iran trumpets nuclear advances, deepening standoff with West
Reuters - Iran proclaimed advances in nuclear know-how on Wednesday, including new centrifuges able to enrich uranium much faster, a move that may hasten a drift towards confrontation with the West over suspicions it is seeking the means to make atomic bombs.... "The era of bullying nations has past. The arrogant powers cannot monopolize nuclear technology. They tried to prevent us by issuing sanctions and resolutions but failed," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a live television broadcast. "Our nuclear path will continue."

Taliban says the U.S. to repeat Soviet defeat in Afghanistan
Reuters - The Taliban used the 23rd anniversary of the humiliating Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan on Wednesday to taunt the United States that it would suffer. "Selfish Americans must learn a lesson from ... the Russian defeat and no longer fight a meaningless battle with zealous Afghans and take their invading forces out as soon as possible," the Afghan Taliban said in an e-mailed statement to media.

Syrian opposition seeks to wipe the Assad name off the map – via Google
Washington Post | Syrian regime changers are already using Google to alter reality and rewrite history. Anti-government activists in recent weeks have used a Google crowdsourcing program, Map Maker, to rename key streets, bridges and boulevards after their revolutionary heroes, according to opposition figures and the Syrian government.

French BPA ban will ‘jeopardise’ US exports – USDA
A French ban on food packaging chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) will “jeopardize” US exports to the European country, according to a US government report.

NYPD Ups Security Around Israeli Locations
ABC News - A spokesman for the New York City police says it has heightened security around Israeli government offices and synagogues. Paul Browne said Wednesday there were no specific threats. He said the security measures were put in place as a precaution amid mounting tension with Iran over its nuclear advances.

NJ gov strongly defends lowering flags for Houston
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Gov. Chris Christie has strongly defended his decision to have flags flown at half-staff Saturday for Whitney Houston despite receiving emails and other messages disparaging the singer and criticizing him.

Exclusive: Clinton in talks about possible move to World Bank
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been in discussions with the White House about leaving her job next year to become head of the World Bank, sources familiar with the discussions said on Thursday.... She has said publicly she did not plan to stay on at the State Department for more than four years. Associates say Clinton has expressed interest in having the World Bank job should the bank's current president, Robert Zoellick, leave at the end of his term, in the middle of 2012.

Armored SUV could not protect U.S. agents in Mexico
Washington Post - When U.S. special agent Jaime Zapata was shot dead one year ago on a notorious stretch of highway in central Mexico, he was driving a $160,000 armored Chevy Suburban, built to exacting government standards, designed to defeat high-velocity gunfire, fragmentation grenades and land mines. But the vehicle had a basic, fatal flaw.… The door locks popped up.

DHS: 'CBP Stops Thousands of Unsafe Hair Dryers'
President Obama's border enforcement officials prevented over 13,000 dangerous hair dryers from entering the country, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) trumpeted today. "U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized thousands of hair dryers recently that were determined to constitute a “substantial product hazard” under U.S. law, for failing to have adequate immersion protection," DHS announced.

Cops to sticker New Orleans homes with a 'Scarlet Letter'
RT - New Orleans Police Chief Ronal Serpas revealed to the media this week that the NOPD will soon be responding to allegations of drug activity with a campaign that some feel will create more problems than it could solve. Acting on citizen tips provided to the New Orleans Crimestroppers Inc website, the NOPD will now descend on homes alleged to engage in drug activity and, regardless of the outcome, place a large, bright orange sticker on the home.

Ron Paul Responds to Obama Administration’s ‘Global Tax’
“Gene Sperling’s call for a global minimum tax is yet another example of this administration’s hostility toward liberty, as well as its ignorance of economics. A global minimum tax would logically require some sort of global IRS to ensure the tax was paid, and it would give the government even more excuses to invade our financial privacy."

Waldo County, Maine: GOP calls for censure of state chairman
Party members angered that their votes weren't counted. Controversy over the omission of local Republican caucus results from statewide tallies drew a larger-than-usual crowd to the regular meeting of Waldo County Republicans Feb. 14, a meeting which ended with a strong call to action.

VIDEO: Maine Republican Party Cancels Missing Votes In Three Counties
MSNBC Rachel Maddow - Washington County was the only county that Ron Paul carried in Maine 4 years ago according to Doug Wead, senior advisor to the Paul campaign. The man responsible for canceling the Washington County caucus was a Mitt Romney supporter. In Waldo County, caucuses were held a week before the Maine republican party announced Mitt Romney as the winner. However, the majority of the votes in that county will also not be counted. The Rachel Maddow Show contacted the Maine republican party to question why these votes weren't counted and they did not respond.

Oil rises above $101 as Middle East tensions rise
BANGKOK (AP) -- Oil rose above $101 a barrel Wednesday in Asia as escalating tensions in the Middle East outweighed lingering concerns about Greece's ability to implement austerity measures to resolve its debt crisis.

VIDEO: (Un)friendly dictatorship puzzle: Democracy lessons in Bahrain
Washington has been arming Bahrain’s ruling dynasty against protesters, and now demanding that the “dictator must go” in Syria. Why such a difference? Right – Bahrain hosts the US' Fifth Fleet, the “free world” defender crucial in containing Iran.... They insist that the Syrian "dictator" step down from his post, while experts say the violent opposition receives not-so-humanitarian aid from the West to achieve its goals. At the same time, Bahraini demonstrators face the grenades and tear gas the al-Khalifa dynasty has been importing from the US to maintain “stability.”

Bulgaria refuses to ratify ACTA
RT - Bulgaria has become the sixth country that has refused to support the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)... Bulgarian authorities have made the decision to halt the already signed agreement after street protests. Thousands marched through the capital Sofia and 16 other cities.

U.S. carrier crosses Hormuz amid rising Gulf tensions
(Reuters) - A U.S. aircraft carrier strike group sailed through the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday more than a month after Iran warned a different carrier -- USS John C. Stennis -- not to return to the Gulf as Iranian navy boats sailed by.... "If you listen to the (Iranian) rhetoric ... you might think that there are some tensions," Admiral Troy Shoemaker, commander of the carrier strike group nine, told Reuters.

VIDEO: Navy Seals Say False Flag to be Blamed on Iran May Happen at Anytime says Ed Asner
Kurt Nimmo - Navy Seals told Asner a military action against Iran is forthcoming and will be preceded by a false flag attack.... Asner said it is up to the American people to recognize and prevent an imminent false flag operation and stop another disastrous war before it gets started. He said the Navy Seals are now coming forward because they are worried that an Iran false flag attack “runs the danger” of creating a “world-wide conflict if it gets out of hand.”

Israeli attack on Iran would be complex operation
USA Today - If Israel attacked Iran's nuclear facilities, the strike would probably take the form of a complex air assault involving scores of planes that would have to penetrate Iranian air defenses and attack up to a couple of dozen targets simultaneously, analysts say. "This would be way more sophisticated than anything that's ever been done before," said Charles Wald, a retired Air Force general who led the coalition air campaign in Afghanistan that helped topple the Taliban.

VIDEO: Israel blames Iran for Bangkok blasts
Telegraph -Israel's defence minister has accused Iran of being behind a bombing that rocked a crowded residential area of Bangkok on Tuesday. Ehud Barak said Tuesday's explosion "proves once again that Iran and its proxies continue to perpetrate terror". He said that Iran and its Lebanese ally Hizbollah are "unrelenting terror elements endangering the stability of the region and endangering the stability of the world". "We know who carried out the terror attacks, we know who sent them, and Israel will settle the score with them," he said.

US, Europe look at fast but risky penalty on Iran
The Obama administration wants Iran evicted from SWIFT, an independent financial clearinghouse that is crucial to the country's overseas oil sales. That would leapfrog the current slow-pressure campaign of sanctions aimed at persuading Iran to drop what the U.S. and its allies contend is a drive toward developing and building nuclear weapons. It also perhaps would buy time for the U.S. to persuade Israel not to launch a pre-emptive military strike on Iran this spring.

Heightened Security in US Over Iran Threat
ABC News - With Iran allegedly striking out at Israeli citizens and Jewish targets around the world, Israeli and American security officials in the U.S. are on high alert. "We expect it and we are ready," one senior Israeli official told ABC News. Israeli officials told ABC News that the level of personal security on high-ranking Embassy officials as well as other, lower profile officials in the U.S. is at its highest in at least five years, a response to what they called "a coordinated series of attacks." When Israeli officials travel to and from events, ABC News has observed a notable increase in the security presence.

Muslim Brotherhood Warns U.S. Aid Cut May Affect Egypt’s Peace Treaty With Israel
CNS News – A top Muslim Brotherhood official has warned that any cuts in U.S. aid to Egypt could affect Cairo’s peace treaty with Israel – the latest sign that Egypt’s emerging political forces intend to call Washington’s bluff over the diplomatic dispute triggered by a crackdown on non-governmental organizations.... Any U.S. aid cut to Egypt, top MB lawmaker Essam el-Erian told the pan-Arabic al-Hayat newspaper, would violate the U.S.-brokered 1979 peace agreement with Israel.

The Bankers’ Next Meal: Portugal
Dollar Collapse - It looks like Greece will get its debt restructuring, which presumably delays its collapse by a few months. So now the spotlight shifts to the other functionally bankrupt eurozone countries which have no choice but to demand the same deal. Portugal, by general consensus, is next in line. It hasn’t blatantly lied about its problems the way Greece has. And it hasn’t accumulated quite as much debt as Greece, though at 105% of GDP its government is still deep in the danger zone.

'Lay down your arms!' Anonymous attacks US tear-gas maker
RT - Hackers have sent a sweet Valentine to an American weapons manufacturer, knocking out its website. The group says it was an act of retaliation for the company’s arming of security forces against pro-democracy protests in Egypt, Bahrain, and the US.

Pentagon wants $3 billion for the War in Iraq that we thought was over
Wired News - Thought the Iraq war was over? The Obama administration certainly wants you to think so, the better for its re-election campaign. Inconvenient fact, though: The Pentagon is asking for nearly $3 billion for a war it isn’t actually fighting. To be specific, the Pentagon’s brand-new budget request asks for $2.9 billion for what it calls “Post-Operation NEW DAWN (OND)/Iraq Activities.” That’s almost as much money as the Pentagon spends on Darpa, its mad-science arm. And there are practically no U.S. troops in Iraq.

What money? Ponzi scheme cash not too dirty for Obama & Co.
RT - A number of prominent US politicians, including President Barack Obama, are refusing to comply with a federal court order that they return donations from a known Ponzi scheme. The funds amount to $1.8 million in losses for the bilked investors.

Do TV Networks 'Practice' for War?
Alexander Cockburn's latest piece at CounterPunch (2/10/12) included this from a tipster: I was visiting ABC News the other day to see a friend who works on graphics. When I went to his room, he showed me all the graphics he was making in anticipation of the Israeli attack on Iran; not just maps, but flight patterns, trajectories and 3-D models of
U.S. aircraft carrier fleets. But what was most disturbing--was that ABC, and presumably other networks, have been rehearsing these scenarios for over two weeks...

Congress to Holder: Quit
American Free Press - Republican lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee called on Attorney General Eric Holder to resign even as the country’s top lawyer dodged questions about his involvement in what many are calling a criminal scheme by the U.S. government to traffic weapons to Mexican drug gangs. During his testimony, Holder ranted angrily about the alleged “unfairness” of him having to answer questions about why he used bogus documents to conceal the fact that weapons sold in the government gunrunning operation were used to murder U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

VIDEO: Susan Daniels Discloses New Evidence Orly Taitz Refused To Allow Presented At Georgia Hearing
BirtherReport.com - Dr. Manning Interviews Private Investigator Susan Daniels About Obama's Connecticut Social Security Number.

100,000 Petitions Sent To Sheriff Joe Arpaio In Support Of Obama Eligibility Investigation
BirtherReport.com - Officials with Grassfire Nation, a key coordinating group for tea-party-type activities and issues, say the Department of Justice’s investigation of Maricopa, Ariz., County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is nothing more than a political attack. And to offer encouragement to the sheriff, Darla Dawald, representing the Grassfire Nation group, has presented Arpaio with a petition of some 100,000 signatures from people who have declared their support for the law-enforcement officer.

NYPD Stops And Questions Record-Breaking 1,900 People A Day
Federal Jack - In 2010, when the NYPD broke its previousall-time-high record for stop-and-frisks with a sensational 601,055 street stops, many “frisk fans” said there was no way NYPers could top that in 2011! But Coach Ray Kelly’s dream team has just clinched another champion season, breaking the previous record by stopping and questioning an all-time-high of 684,330 people.

911 IS A JOKE: Detroit citizens no longer rely on police as self-defense killings skyrocket
The Daily - The people of Detroit are taking no prisoners. Justifiable homicide in the city shot up 79 percent in 2011 from the previous year, as citizens in the long-suffering city armed themselves and took matters into their own hands. The local rate of self-defense killings now stands 2,200 percent above the national average. Residents, unable to rely on a dwindling police force to keep them safe, are fighting back against the criminal scourge on their own. And they’re offering no apologies.

YouTube: Police Officer Caught On Tape Saying He Can "Make Up" Evidence
KOMO 4 News February 13, 2012.

VIDEO: Female Passengers Say They’re Targeted By TSA
CBS News - Women passengers complain that TSA agents are targeting them for extra screening. The Transportation Security Administration has a policy to randomly select people for extra screening, but some female passengers are complaining. They believe there is nothing “random” about the way they were picked.

Private prison company offers to buy 48 states’ prisons
Raw Story - In exchange for keeping at least a 90 percent occupancy rate, the private prison company Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) has sent a letter to 48 states offering to manage their prisons for the low price of $250 million per year, according to a letter obtained by the Huffington Post.

YouTube: Reality Check: GOP Scrambles Under Allegations of Rampant Voter Fraud In Maine Caucus
FOX News Feb 14, 2012 - More details on the vote count fraud in Maine.

Maine objections getting serious?
Politico - As far as national political types are concerned, the Maine presidential caucus has been over and done with since Saturday; Ron Paul supporters' objections to the outcome have been treated more or less as sore-loser griping. The Bangor Daily News reports, however, that local complaints about the Maine process have been building, as communities that held their caucuses before Feb. 11 learn that their votes didn't necessarily factor into the statewide count:

YouTube: Doug Wead Interview On Maddow About Maine & Delegates
MSNBC February 14, 2012.

“No One But Ron Paul” Money Bomb Aims To Raise $3m
Steve Watson - Supporters of GOP presidential contender Ron Paul have today kicked off a money bomb and hope to raise over $3 million in an effort to bolster the campaign coffers ahead of Super Tuesday and the upcoming primaries in Arizona and Michigan.
“No one will stop the corrupt politicians. No one will repeal the Patriot Act. No one has a plan to balance the budget. No one understands the economy. No one but Ron Paul.” declares a slick promotional video for the fundraiser.

FORBES: The Empire Of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson, Ron Paul And The Sacred Fire Of Freedom
Who stands in opposition to “the [central] bank of the United States, public debt, a navy, a standing army, American manufacturing, federally funded improvement of the interior, the role of a world power, military glory, an extensive foreign ministry, loose construction of the Constitution, and subordination of the states to the federal government”? Hint, these words were not written about Rep. Ron Paul.

YouTube: Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk: The Latest Obamacare Overreach
Ron Paul's weekly report for 2/13/12. Transcript below the video, or listen by calling 888-322-1414.

Citizens Sue To Force Government To Stop Linking Votes
BlackBoxVoting.org - Public officials now admit they can see how you voted and link it to your name. This issue affects Colorado, almost all of Washington State, as well as some locations in California, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia and likely other states as well. If you vote by mail or at combined-precinct "vote centers" your vote may be viewable by public officials and/or vendors.

Study: 1.8 Million Dead People Still Registered To Vote
A new report by the Pew Center on the States finds that more than 1.8 million dead people are currently registered to vote. And 24 million registrations are either invalid or inaccurate.

NYPD 'pepper-spray cop' sued by OWS protesters
RT - Anthony Bologna is back in hot-water. Bologna, the NYPD officer-turned-YouTube legend, is being sued by the two young women he infamously assaulted with blasts of pepper-spray on the streets of New York during the early days of Occupy Wall Street.

Occupy and Tea Party Join Forces to Defeat Unconstitutional NDAA
Activist Post - In what many activists have been hoping to see for quite a while, it appears that some in the Occupy movement and the Tea Party have finally found a bit of common ground

Clinton: We need Assad's consent to put troops in Syria
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had a clear and unified message coming out of their meeting in Washington, D.C. Monday: They are looking for a political solution in Syria and won't consider putting international troops there unless the Syrian regime agrees.

MOODY'S Downgrades Italy, Portugal; Changes Outlook on France, UK to Negative
London, 13 February 2012 -- As anticipated in November 2011, Moody's Investors Service has today adjusted the sovereign debt ratings of selected EU countries in order to reflect their susceptibility to the growing financial and macroeconomic risks emanating from the euro area crisis and how these risks exacerbate the affected countries' own specific challenges.

Mossad Boss Secretly Trekked to U.S. Looking for Iran Attack Green Light
Kurt Nimmo - Mossad boss Tamir Pardo made a secret visit to officials in the United States earlier this month, according to a Newsweek article. An unnamed official involved in the discussion told Newsweek Mossad “wanted to take the pulse of the Obama administration and determine what the consequences would be if Israel bombed Iranian nuclear sites over American objections,” the authors write. Pardo had a number of questions, including: “What is our posture on Iran? Are we ready to bomb? Would we [do so later]? What does it mean if [Israel] does it anyway?”

Israeli Embassies Attacked In India And Georgia
Business Insider - At a press conference, Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman said... "We know exactly who is responsible for the attack and who planned it, and we're not going to take it lying down." The incident comes a day after the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah's deputy leader, Imad Mughniyah. The Islamist organization has accused Israel of the assassination though no one has officially taken responsibility for the attack.

Israeli prime minister accuses Iran of being behind car bombings in New Delhi, Tbilisi
Times of India - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday blamed Iran for attacks on Israeli embassy staff in Georgia and India that wounded at least two people, one of them an Israeli woman. "Iran is behind these attacks. It is the biggest exporter of terror in the world," Netanyahu told members of his rightwing Likud party.

VIDEO: Al-Qaeda and West in cahoots in Syria?
RT - Journalist and author Afshin Rattansi told RT that Al-Qaeda’s presence was indicative of alliance between the West and Al-Qaeda. He said the US had used the presence of Al-Qaeda militants to suit its own ends before in both Libya and in Afghanistan. “Once again, the US and European Union states as usual supporting Al-Qaeda as they did in Afghanistan prior to 9/11. Will they never learn?” He suggested their embroilment in the conflict betrays the US’s real motivations in the conflict, describing them as not “protecting the interests of the US citizens nor European leaders.” Many see the West’s moves towards military intervention in Syria as a move to assert “hegemonic power” in the region.

YouTube: Burning Banks: More footage of Greek chaos & riots
RT - The worst riot damage in years has struck Greek cities as MPs pass harsh new austerity measures. Amateur video shows violent protests in central Volos, where a branch of one of Greece's largest banks - Eurobank - was torched.

YouTube: Bailout Sellout: 'Germany desperate to chop Greek gangreen'
RT - Germany's finance minister has declared that promises aren't enough anymore, saying that Greece must now implement reforms to prove it's not a bottomless pit. John Laughland, of the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation in Paris, says there are more radical plans currently being drawn up by the Germans...

BBC forced to issue global apology in paid-for-documentaries scandal
Independent - The BBC will today apologise to an estimated 74 million people around the world for a news fixing scandal, exposed by The Independent, in which it broadcast documentaries made by a London TV company that was earning millions of pounds from PR clients which it featured in its programming.

Fukushima Reactor Temperature Surpasses 752 Degrees … More Than 4 Times Maximum for “Cold Shutdown”
Washington Blog - Pretending that the Fukushima reactors achieved a state of “cold shutdown” was a political – rather than scientific - decision. Tepco itself said the state of cold shutdown could only continue so long as the temperature within the nuclear reactors stayed below 100 degrees Celsius. (Because the thermometers within the reactors have a 20 degree margin of error, Tepco says that any reading over 80 degrees violates the conditions for a cold shutdown.)

Japan’s Tepco to suspend all nuclear operations
MarketWatch - Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Thursday it will suspend operations of the No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture on March 26 for a periodic check, a plan that will take all of its 17 reactors out of service, Kyodo News reported.... It will be the first time all 17 units have been halted since the April 15-May 6 period of 2002, when they were suspended after a public outcry over revelations that TEPCO had hidden problems at its nuclear plants.

Mystery disease kills thousands in Central America
AP - A mysterious epidemic is devastating the Pacific coast of Central America, killing more than 24,000 people in El Salvador and Nicaragua since 2000 and striking thousands of others with chronic kidney disease at rates unseen virtually anywhere else.... "I think that everything points away from pesticides," said Dr. Catharina Wesseling, an occupational and environmental epidemiologist who also is regional director of the Program on Work, Health and Environment in Central America. "It is too multinational; it is too spread out. "I would place my bet on repeated dehydration, acute attacks everyday. That is my bet, my guess, but nothing is proved."

Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning in France
PARIS (Reuters) - A French court on Monday declared U.S. biotech giant Monsanto(MON.N) guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer, a judgment that could lend weight to other health claims against pesticides. In the first such case heard in court in France, grain grower Paul Francois says he suffered neurological problems including memory loss, headaches and stammering after inhaling Monsanto's (MON.N) Lasso weedkiller in 2004. He blames the agri-business giant for not providing adequate warnings on the product label.

Modern Book Burning: Banning Natural Medicine in Educational Institutions
An Australian group of doctors and modern medical researchers call themselves Friends of Science in Medicine. They have set themselves up as the arbiters of what may or may not be taught, and what modes of treatment insurance companies may cover. To this end, they are calling for the end of alternative medicine training in universities. Their attacks include any and all alternatives: traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, chiropractic, naturopathic, and aromatherapy.

The Coming World Government
New Dawn - The dream of erecting a world government controlled by a very small, extremely powerful and elusive minority goes back several centuries. Its roots lie not just on the political stage but, more so, in social, cultural and religious spheres, often with symbolic, “occult” overtones.

Pentagon May Oust Troops Involuntarily to Meet Reductions in Obama Plan
Bloomberg Feb 13, 2012 - The Defense Department may have to force soldiers, Marines or other members of the military out of the services for the first time since the aftermath of the Cold War to achieve the spending reductions in its budget proposal. The Pentagon plans to cut 67,100 soldiers from active and reserve Army units and the Army National Guard in the five years starting Oct. 1, as well as 15,200 from the active and reserve ranks of the Marine Corps as part of an effort to save $487 billion over a decade, according to the budget sent to Congress today.

YouTube: JUDGE ANDREW NAPOLITANO: Freedom Watch's THE PLAIN TRUTH
February 13, 2012 final episode.

YouTube: US police officer kills Marine in front of his children in California
Press TV Feb 13, 2012 - Police in the US state of California have shot dead an unarmed Marine in a high school parking-lot in front of his two children.

VIDEO: 'Doomsday Prepper’s’ Guns Taken After Declared a ‘Mental Defective’
From OffGridSurvival: Just days after appearing on the National Geographic TV Show Doomsday Prepper, a prepper from Tennessee has been declared Mentally Defective and his guns have been seized by the government. The Prepper, David Sarti is a character to say the least, but his story is somewhat disturbing and should be a wake up call for everyone.

Emerging movement encourages sheriffs to act as shield against federal tyranny
Denver Post - The 100 or so sheriffs gathered in a Las Vegas hotel ballroom two weeks ago learned that some weighty titles have been attached to the stars they wear on their chests. "Ultimate enforcers of the Constitution." "Protectors against government tyranny." "America's last hope." "Brave oath keepers."... Colorado had the largest representation at this convention, along with California and Utah. "I think sheriffs went because they just wanted to be informed about what is expected of a sheriff," said Montezuma County Sheriff Dennis Spruell. "I know I want to make sure the federal government does what it's supposed to do and doesn't encroach on the rights of my citizens.

VIDEO: Detroit Columnist Calls for Sterilants in Drinking Water to Curb Poverty Numbers
Aaron Dykes - The Detroit News has published a call to add contraceptives to the water supply, a dangerous and repugnant proposal for gross state power over life and death– all in the name of fighting the “breeding poverty” of the welfare class. Editorial page editor Nolan Finley writes: “Since the national attention is on birth control, here’s my idea: If we want to fight poverty, reduce violent crime and bring down our embarrassing drop-out rate, we should swap contraceptives for fluoride in Michigan’s drinking water.“

Minnesota Joins Secure Communities Program
Conservative Patriot All 87 counties in Minnesota finally began participating last week in the federal immigration enforcement program known as Secure Communities. Minnesota is the 27th state to fully join the mandatory electronic data-gathering program used by the Department of Homeland Security to check the backgrounds of those booked into county jails. More than 110,000 illegal immigrants convicted of crimes – including more than 39,000 convicted of aggravated felonies – were deported through the program, which began in 2008.

Police union demands info on 9/11 toxic debris
WABC - New York City's police union is demanding more information about the effects of toxic debris from the 9/11 attacks. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association called on the city to release all data about officers who suffered cancer after responding at the World Trade Center at a news conference on Sunday. The union also showed the uniform worn that day by Officer Alonzo Harris. It was tested and found to have dangerous carcinogens on it. The P.B.A. says the city has dragged its feet on providing information about first responders.

Lets Make it Happen! - Adam Kokesh gives a great speech
Freedom is Inevitable! Recorded at LibertyFest West, February 11, 2012.

Now! No One But Paul Money Bomb

YouTube: Ron Paul Interview On Cavuto talking Maine Results
Fox News 02/13/12.

More bases for Maine caucus complaints from Ron Paul
Bangor Daily News - Another emerging issue involves different tallies being reported from some of the caucuses. Often there are errors that are corrected later. However, a poster (Larry in Augusta) at the conservative site As Maine Goes suggests that these may be skewed toward Romney, since the Portland numbers were incorrect and Waterville results were omitted. Looking at both list below is the error rate and if these errors hold true throughout the State Paul will win the straw poll by six votes. Paul would have 2289 to Romneys 2283. How does this sort of thing happen? 15% of Ron Paul votes were not counted…..

RP Supporting Chairman of Belfast caucus in Maine calls State GOP to confirm vote tally, #s "not even close" to the actual vote!
Daily Paul - I served as the Chairman of my Caucus in Belfast and I just called the State office to make sure they had the numbers from Belfast and the number they had wasn't not even close to the actually vote [sic]. They said that Romney won, when in fact Ron Paul won. This is happening all over Maine.

Republicans see need to give Paul a voice
Washington Times - “It would be a dramatic error for the winning campaign to disavow Ron Paul’s contributions to the process,” said Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union, which hosted the CPAC gathering.

OBAMA VS ROMNEY: What's The Difference?
Business Insider - If you like Obamacare, then vote for Romney or vote for Obama. It really does not matter. If you support war-mongering then vote for Obama or vote for Romney, it really does not matter. On Mideast policies, it does not matter. On trade, it does not matter. Other than a small number of social issues like abortion, it simply does not matter. If you want a change, then vote for Ron Paul.

Santorum: No Friend of Limited Government?
Freedom Watch February 9, 2012 - Reason’s Matt Welch explains why a Rick Santorum candidacy could be the death knell of limited government principles in the GOP.

Chairman Obama's 2-million person Truth Team
RT - Desperate to win re-election, President Obama is taking inspiration from a tactic used by China’s Chairman Mao during so-called "Cultural Revolution."... Modern days hongweibings (Chinese for red guards) are called the Truth Team, and if everything goes as planned, the president will have an army of over two million Americans on his side.

$1M to see a cabinet secretary? New Obama ruling reopens the door
Politico - President Obama's decision to encourage his donors to give to a super PAC does more than just empower an outside group looking to level the playing field with Republican groups.... By granting permission for White House staffers and Cabinet secretaries to appear at super PAC events, the White House has returned to a system where corporate donors, unions and other wealthy individuals are able to pay big money for access to policymakers, lawmakers and key administration aides.

YouTube: Air Force Lt. Colonel Kwiatkowski (ret) Will be at the Ron Paul is the Choice of the Troops March - Feb 20
Karen Kwiatkowski talks about the march and explains why Ron Paul is the choice of the troops. Event info here

Germany refuses to sign copyright treaty
Berlin - Germany will not sign an international copyright treaty [Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)], despite having already agreed to it in principal, government sources in Berlin said Friday, after protests over its implications for internet users.

The Pentagon has drawn up plans for military intervention in Syria
Global Research - A military strike would be coordinated with Turkey, the Gulf States and the NATO powers, according to reports that acknowledge such plans officially for the first time. The plan is described as an “internal review” by Pentagon Central Command, to allow President Barack Obama to maintain the pretense that the White House is still seeking a diplomatic solution. This is considered vital, as military intervention would most likely be conducted through various Middle East proxies, which the US and NATO could then back with airpower.

Al-Qaeda leader backs Syrian revolt against Assad
Reuters - Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, in a video recording posted on the Internet on Sunday, urged Syrians not to rely on the West or Arab governments in their uprising to topple President Bashar al-Assad. In the eight-minute video, entitled "Onwards, Lions of Syria" and posted on an Islamist website, the Egyptian-born Zawahri also urged Muslims in Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan to come to the aid of Syrian rebels confronting Assad's forces.

Leftist Media Resorts To ‘Conspiracy Theories’ To Sell Syria Invasion
Paul Joseph Watson - Desperate to sell another “humanitarian” invasion, the leftist media in the United Kingdom has resorted to inventing conspiracy theories about events in Syria as part of a campaign to depict President Bashar Assad’s government as genocidal, while completely failing to acknowledge that the country is in a state of civil war.

US admiral says Navy forces are prepared to confront Iran
Fox News - Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of the 5th Fleet, told reporters at the naval force's Bahrain headquarters that the Navy has "built a wide range of potential options to give the president" and is "ready today" to confront any hostile action by Tehran. He did not outline specifically how the Navy might answer an Iranian strike or an effort to shut the entrance to the Persian Gulf, though any response would likely involve the two U.S. aircraft carriers and other warships cruising the waters off Iran.

Iran Says Be Ready For Its 'Big New' Nuclear Achievements
Business Insider - While Ahmadinejad failed to elaborate upon what type of achievements to expect, he did confirm that Iran would never consider giving up its uranium enrichment efforts. Enrichment is the process that makes fuel for nuclear reactors and for weapons. "Within the next few days the world will witness the inauguration of several big new achievements in the nuclear field," the president said.

Iran prepares suicide bomb boats in Gulf
Reuters - Iran has built up its naval forces in the Gulf and prepared boats that could be used in suicide attacks, but the U.S. Navy can prevent it from blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the commander of U.S. naval forces in the region said on Sunday. Iran has made a series of threats in recent weeks to disrupt shipping in the Gulf or strike U.S. forces in retaliation if its oil trade is shut down by sanctions, or if its disputed nuclear programme comes under attack.

Spy networks near Iran an open secret’
Ynet - London Times claims Mossad agent in Azerbaijan confirmed existence of intelligence agency's base near Iran; says Baku is 'ground zero for intelligence work'

Turkish diplomat: Iran is ready to cut a deal
Washington Post - Turkey’s top diplomat said Friday that Iran is ready to negotiate an end to the standoff with Western powers over its nuclear program, suggesting that the controversy could be resolved quickly if the deep distrust between the two sides could be overcome.

US groups deny Egypt charges of political meddling
Raw Story - Accused of interference in Egypt’s affairs, US pro-democracy groups whose staff are to be tried in Cairo reject charges they are working secretly for the US government, which largely finances them. Barrie Freeman, director of the North Africa region for the National Democratic Institute (NDI), one of the US groups whose offices were raided in December, denied the NDI has a hidden agenda.

Greek lawmakers approve austerity bill as Athens burns
Reuters - The Greek parliament approved a deeply unpopular austerity bill to secure a second EU/IMF bailout and avoid national bankruptcy, as buildings burned across central Athens and violence spread around the country.

S&P downgrades 34 Italian banks
Reuters - Rating agency Standard & Poor's downgraded 34 Italian banks on Friday, including heavyweights UniCredit (CRDI.MI) and Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MI), citing a reduced ability to roll over their wholesale debt and expected weak profitability. The move follows S&P's downgrade of Italy's sovereign rating last month to BBB+, part of a mass downgrade of nine euro zone countries.

Sen. Peterlini Presents Glass-Steagall Bill in Italy
LaRouchePac - Italian Sen. Oskar Peterlini has presented a draft bill for the reintroduction of a banking separation system following the Glass-Steagall model in Italy, with the stated goal of both helping the Italian economy immediately and serving as an example for the rest of the world.

VIDEO: Striking Brussels firemen soak cops, PM office
RT - When the Belgian government decided to pour cold water on the country’s firefighters and increase their retirement age, the men struck back with the same method…literally. Several hundred firemen broke through police cordons and hosed down the prime minister's office. The men, dressed in full gear, were smiling as they directed the water at the building…and the small bunch of police officers huddled in front of it.... Showing a rather wicked sense of humor, the firemen then turned to fire extinguishers – and the soaked representatives of Belgium’s police force ...

Japanese pharmaceutical company tries to ban generic versions of Prograf drug to extend its monopoly
(NaturalNews) A group of consumers has filed a class-action lawsuit against Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma for presenting what they say is a "sham" petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to extend the market exclusivity period for its transplant drug Prograf. According to Courthouse News Service, the lawsuit alleges that Astellas filed its petition not out of a concern for public health, but rather to simply extend its monopoly on the overpriced drug, which reportedly rakes in nearly $1 billion a year for Astellas.

Acta protests: Thousands take to streets across Europe
BBC News - Thousands of people have taken part in co-ordinated protests across Europe in opposition to a controversial anti-piracy agreement. Significant marches were held in Germany, Poland and the Netherlands against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta). Around 200 protesters gathered in central London outside the offices of rights holder representative groups.

The end of liquid restrictions for European fliers could be in sight
(NaturalNews) (NaturalNews) The European Union has approved the use of an airport liquid scanner, which could replace current technology and see the lifting of restrictions on carrying liquids of more than 100ml on European airlines.

1984 World Bank Report Contemplates “Sterilization Vans” & “Camps”
Jurriaan Maessen - In its 1984 World Development Report, the World Bank suggests using “sterilization vans” and “camps” to facilitate its sterilization policies for the third world. The report also threatens nations who are slow in implementing the bank’s population policies with “drastic steps, less compatible with individual choice and freedom.”

Chicago Police to pay millions to anti-war protesters
RT - The city of Chicago will be forced to pay $6.2 million to over 700 protesters that were arrested in 2003. Almost nine years ago, tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Chicago to protest the invasion of Iraq, one of the longest wars in US history. On Thursday lawyers on both sides of the table agreed to the sum in the class-action law that charges Chicago PD of unlawfully arresting peaceful protesters, bypassing the need for a trial that was set to kick off late March.

Former DEA chief says 3 other federal agencies knew about Operation Fast and Furious
Fox News - Tony Coulson, the DEA’s agent in charge of Southern Arizona during Fast and Furious, says many federal field agents knew the ATF was walking guns to Mexico, but supervisors told them to back off when they objected. “Clearly, we went too far,” Coulson said. “The question we had among rank and file law enforcement was, ‘When is someone going to call ATF on this, when is someone going to tell them to stop?’”

YouTube: Fox Cancels Popular Show for Supporting Ron Paul
RT - Russia Today interviews Wayne Allen Root, author of 'The Conscience Of A Libertarian'. He also works for Fox, so just like Fox News, he is also biased.

VIDEO: What if this is why Freedom Watch was canceled? What if it is already too late?
Daily Paul - "Plain Truth" segment from last week. -- What if the elections are rigged? What if the President secretly wants to decrease the population? . . . . Some very good questions by the Judge in one of his more powerful monologues. Originally aired 2/03/12.

The Judge Napalitano Says Tone It Down...
It will be far more productive for my work at Fox and the work of my friends and colleagues here--many of whom share our values--if the email traffic to Fox toned down considerably. I will continue to voice the message of freedom in many more Fox venues, and you will hear that message, and we will do our best to alert you in advance of those venues and the times that I will be on them; and we will post those alerts right here on this site. PLEASE BE SURE TO WATCH THE FINAL FreedomWatch SHOW ON MONDAY FEBRUARY 13TH, ON FOX BUSINESS AT 8:00 PM, EASTERN TIME. You have been very strong in your views and generous in your comments about the show, but now is the time to relax and lay low and prepare for the future. God bless each of you

Michael Hastings: The Afghanistan Report the Pentagon Doesn't Want You to Read
Earlier this week, the New York Times’ Scott Shane published a bombshell piece about Lt. Colonel Daniel Davis, a 17-year Army veteran recently returned from a second tour in Afghanistan. According to the Times, the 48-year-old Davis had written an 84-page unclassified report, as well as a classified report, offering his assessment of the decade-long war. That assessment is essentially that the war has been a disaster and the military's top brass has not leveled with the American public about just how badly it’s been going. "How many more men must die in support of a mission that is not succeeding?" Davis boldly asks in an article summarizing his views in The Armed Forces Journal.

Cost a bomb: Congress approves $82 million for army’s biggest weapon
RT - It weighs as much as the bell in Big Ben; it’s capable of plunging through 60 feet of reinforced concrete... the Massive Ordnance Penetrator is THE bomb, says the Pentagon.... Bloomberg reported that, in response to “an urgent request” from the Pentagon, immediate approval was given to shift $81.6 million to the so-called MOP program. The urgency is not explained – but it can be speculated that the Pentagon does not want to mop up a potential mess if (or when) it goes to war with Iran. So they’re putting a rush on something that can easily destroy things like underground labs, or secret nuclear facilities.

YouTube: David Swanson: 'The clean-up would take half of the Pentagon budget'
RT - It seems the US military leaves traces everywhere it goes around the globe, even in America. The Defense department is said to be the biggest polluter on the planet and the mess may just be too expensive for the Pentagon to clean up. David Swanson of the Roots Action had his say on the matter when joining RT's Liz Wahl.

Press-free NATO summit? Filming cops on the street illegal in Chicago
RT - Chicago, Illinois plans to host more than 7,500 international dignitaries and 3,000 journalists at the G8 Summit this spring.... And as police prepare to clash with protesters who picket the annual meeting of the minds, the crime scenes that are expected to be marred by messy arrests might never be made available outside of Chicago. In the state of Illinois, an obscure eavesdropping law prohibits recordings of unknowing individuals. Even if a cop is caught clobbering a protester on the streets of Chicago, recording the incident can land both amateur photographers and seasoned journalists alike behind bars, where they could face sentencing on par with charges of rape and murder.

“See Something Say Something” Campaign Could Allow People to Label ANY AMERICAN a Suspected “Terrorist” … Just Like in Nazi Germany or Stasi East Germany
Washington’s Blog - List of Actions or Beliefs Which May Get You Labeled a Terrorist Grows Daily. Every American could – literally – be labeled a suspected terrorist under current governmental criteria. Specifically, the following actions may get a U.S. citizen labeled as a suspected terrorist today...

VIDEO: No female TSA agents means no flight for Denver woman
Fox 31 Denver - A Denver woman claims she couldn’t board a flight from Wyoming to Denver because of her gender. Jennifer Winning makes the flight from the small airport of Rock Springs, WY to Denver often, but on January 29th it was different. “They wouldn`t let me get on the plane because I`m female,” Winning said.

White firefighters won racial discrimination suit
RT - On Tuesday twelve members of the Buffalo's firefighter squad were rewarded $2.7 million for emotional distress after a judge ruled that the city of Buffalo racially discriminated white men.... The group of all white men alleged the fire department allowed promotional lists in which they were named to expire so they could endorse their black counter parts that had tested significantly lower on their civil service exams. According to the plaintiffs, the city of Buffalo wanted to give minorities the upper hand.

VIDEO: No One But Paul - February 14th Money Bomb
Please join us on February 14th for the largest one-day donation event of the 2012 presidential campaign. Our goal is to bring together 20,000 Facebook attendees and 10,000 Pledges to support a one-day donation total of $3,000,000.

New York Times (blog at least) has caught on to the happenings in Maine
Daily Paul - Could Ron Paul Still Win Maine? "Ron Paul’s campaign is claiming that it could still win the presidential preference poll in the Maine caucus because of a county that postponed its vote and will hold its caucus next Saturday, Feb. 18.

NRA official: Obama wants to outlaw guns in 2nd term
Washington Times - While delivering one of the liveliest and best-received speeches at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said the president's low-key approach to gun rights during his first term was "a "conspiracy to ensure re-election by lulling gun owners to sleep."... Mr. LaPierre said the president's two Supreme Court appointees — Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan— are "two of the most rabid anti-gun justices in history." He also accused Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of being a foe of gun rights.

Iran War Would Cost Trillions: Will GOP Pay More Taxes for That?
Atlantic - While GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul is doing all he can in this election cycle to gin up a debate about US foreign policy and a measure of the costs and benefits, the debate about Iran, China, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel's security has been taking place in a gravityless environment. Mitt Romney's opening foreign policy opus at the Citadel criticized Obama for defense cuts with promises to boost America's defense commitments abroad, to boost military spending on hardware and ships in the Pacific -- to do everything we have been doing but more.

Maine GOP chairman says Romney wins caucuses
AP - Republican Chairman Charlie Webster announced Romney had won with 2,190 votes, or 39 percent, compared to 1,996 - about 36 percent - for Ron Paul... The totals reflected about 84 percent of the state's precincts. Webster insisted that any caucus results that come in after Saturday wouldn't be counted no matter how close the vote. "Some caucuses decided not to participate in this poll and will caucus after this announcement," Webster said. "Their results will not be factored in. The absent votes will not be factored into this announcement after the fact."... Caucuses in Washington County that had been scheduled for Saturday were postponed until Feb. 18 because of a major snowstorm that blanketed the region.

VIDEO: Ron Paul Speech & CNN Interview After Maine Caucus Straw Vote Announcement
CNN - February 11, 2012.

YouTube: Ron Paul on CBS's Face The Nation
Airing Date Feb.12, 2012

Google accidentally releases final Maine Caucus results a day early
Examiner - Once again, an establishment media source has mistakenly released the final results of a state caucus too early, this time prior to the Maine Caucus. As America geared up for Saturday’s Maine Caucus finally, Friday evening witnessed another major media mishap as AP and Google teamed up in preparation for the tallying of votes by Maine’s Caucus goers and produced final results more than 24 hours in advance [VIDEO] of possibly knowing how the result would turn out.

Tell Maine GOP Chairman Charlie it's unacceptable that 17% of Maine votes will not be counted. Contact him right now
Daily Paul - Tell Maine GOP Chairman Charlie it's unacceptable that 17% of Maine votes will not be counted. Contact him right now and demand he count all the votes! Maine GOP contact information.

Petition Maine GOP, Mainstream Media: COUNT ALL caucus results including Washington County
Change.org - We DEMAND GOP leadership not arbitrarily cheat voters from the process solely because they fear the result. We further demand the media respect their OWN code of ethics and report the facts they find, not those they hope to create ( http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp ).

Ron Paul Campaign Comments on Maine Caucus Results
Business Wire - “In Washington County - where Ron Paul was incredibly strong - the caucus was delayed until next week just so the votes wouldn’t be reported by the national media today. “Of course, their excuse for the delay was ‘snow.’ “That’s right. A prediction of 3-4 inches - that turned into nothing more than a dusting - was enough for a local GOP official to postpone the caucuses just so the results wouldn’t be reported tonight. “This is MAINE we’re talking about.... “And just the votes of Washington County would have been enough to put us over the top.

Politico: Romney's campaign might be involved in canceling the caucus that Paul is doing well with only 80% reported!
Daily Paul - In particular, a senior Paul aide had suggested that the Romney campaign was involved in the cancellation of Washington County’s caucuses, a small county where Paul’s campaign had expected to do well. “It’s not completely insidious, but they knew we were going to swamp it up there,” said Paul campaign chairman Jesse Benton.

YouTube: Doug Wead talks Delegate Strategy on Rachel Maddow
MSNBC 2/10/12.

YouTube: Former Ron Paul Staffer Don Rasmussen Breaks Down the Delegate Race
Adam Kokesh interviews Don Rasmussen on on Feb 10, 2012.

YouTube: Adam Kokesh & Kurt Wallace on CPAC
CPAC is not the same without Ron Paul.

Gingrich Is Done: Billionaire Supporter To Cut Support
Business Insider - While billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson may have rescued Newt Gingrich’s campaign in its early days, today, he may have just buried it.

More Threats that Bush III Could Emerge at Brokered GOP Convention
Daily Mail - Al Cardenas, head of the American Conservative Union, has said that Republican turmoil might lead to a brokered convention in which Jeb Bush, former Florida governor, would emerge as a “possible alternative” party nominee.

Veterans File for Class Certification in Chemical, Biological Weapons Testing Case
Veterans Today - San Francisco, Calif. 2/9/12 — On behalf of two non-profits, Vietnam Veterans of America and Swords to Plowshares, and eight individual disabled veterans, Morrison & Foerster today filed a petition for class certification in a more than two-year battle with the U.S. military over secret testing of chemical and biological weapons on its own soldiers.

Depressed Army reservist attacked by police force after calling for help
(NaturalNews) The military spends tens of thousands of man hours annually and no small amounts of money training its personnel to seek help for any feelings of hopelessness or depression they may experience. The Army, especially, focuses on this issue because the suicide rate among its members has hit new highs in the wake of a decade of war in two separate theaters involving multiple deployments for millions of soldiers.

AUDIO: Veterans for Ron Paul March on Washington D.C. - Adam Kokesh Interview
Adam Kokesh of Veterans for Ron Paul and host of Adam vs. The Man joins Daily Paul Radio with Kurt Wallace to discuss veteran support for Ron Paul and the upcoming Ron Paul is the Choice of the Troops Veterans for Ron Paul March to the Whitehouse in Washington D.C. on February 20th. Adam also talks on foreign policy and the active military support for Dr. Paul.

Outrageous: Agent Orange Maker Monsanto Seeks Return to Vietnam for GMO Crops
Activist Post - Vietnam here we come! At least that is what biotech giant Monsanto is saying. The multinational agricultural corporation most known for creating the hazardous chemical Agent Orange, which led to thousands of deaths and birth defects due to its widespread use within the country, is now attempting to begin providing Vietnam with their genetically modified foods.

Media Making Emergency Preparations To Cover War With Iran
Alexander Higgins - Israel news agencies are reporting the western media outlets are obtaining assets and gearing up infrastructure to provide live coverage of war with between Iran and Israel. News outlets, including FOX, CBS, NBC and Reuters have started renting rooftops in Tel-Aviv and Helena to pprovide live video broadcast of a war that that those familiar with the situation say will start within the next few months.

Iran Training Thousands Of Female Ninjas Ahead Of Inevitable War
Alexander Higgins - The headlines coming out of the media right now – “Iran is training thousands of female ninja assassins, diplomats order gas masks as embassies in Israel prepare for Iran strike and the Israeli press runs headlines warning war with Iran in inevitable.

Mossad Works With Terror Group to Assassinate Iranian Nuclear Scientists
Kurt Nimmo - Mossad is working with the terror group MEK to assassinate Iranian nuclear scientists, officials told NBC News today. The Israeli intelligence service trained and armed Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization, or MEK, which is officially designated as a terrorist group by the State Department. Despite the designation, the group is supported by the CIA. MEK has killed U.S. servicemen and contractors and supported the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The U.S. has worked closely with MEK and provided it with protected status and allowed it to continue to launch attacks on Iran from its base in occupied Iraq.

REPORT: Assad mulls using chemical weapons in Homs
Opposition activists said they had received reports that the Syrian army had transferred a significant quantity of grenades and mortars containing chemical agents to a school building in Homs. The opposition also reported that gas masks were being distributed to soldiers at roadblocks.

Syria regime change PR in high gear: More ‘newborn baby slaughter’ propaganda
Patrick Henningsen - We can already see exact parallels with the current PR operation to bring down Syria with how Libya went down. In one story published today, it seems that one award-winning mainstream newspaper has been caught red-handed running faux news on Syria - and incredibly, it’s not the first time this exact story has been used.t seems The Independent have been caught red-handed running faux news on Syria- and it’s a recycled story.

Erasing History In Afghanistan
In a country where the recent past has unfolded like a war epic, officials think they have found a way to teach Afghan history without widening the fractures between long-quarreling ethnic and political groups: leave out the past four decades. A series of government-issued textbooks funded by the United States and several foreign aid organizations do just that, pausing history in 1973. There is no mention of the Soviet war, the mujaheddin, the Taliban or the U.S. military presence. In their efforts to promote a single national identity, Afghan leaders have deemed their own history too controversial.

US kills al-Qaida-linked militant in Pakistan
AP - A U.S. drone fired two missiles at a house in Pakistan's northwest tribal region Thursday, killing five suspected militants, intelligence officials said. The Taliban identified one of them as a prominent commander who has served as a key link to al-Qaida..... Pakistani intelligence officials could not confirm that Mansoor was one of the five suspected militants killed in the strike in the main bazaar in Miran Shah, the biggest town in North Waziristan. The intelligence officials and Taliban fighter spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Palestinian prisoner on 55th day of hunger strike
AP - In a high-stakes gamble, an imprisoned member of a Palestinian militant group has waged a hunger strike for almost two months, trying to draw attention to Israel's military justice system and its treatment of detainees who can be held without charge for lengthy periods.... Israeli authorities, who consider him a terrorist, are nonetheless scrambling to keep him alive. His death could turn the previously obscure Adnan into a Palestinian hero and set off new violence.

No way of stopping leak of deadly new flu, says terror chief
London Independent - The bioterrorism expert responsible for censoring scientific research which could lead to the creation of a devastating pandemic has admitted the information "is going to get out" eventually.... In an exclusive interview with The Independent, he argued it had been necessary to limit the release of the scientific details because of fears that terrorists may use the information to create their own H5N1 virus that could be spread easily between people.

Parents furious as 13-year-old girls given contraceptive implants at school without their knowledge
Mail Online - Girls as young as 13 are being given contraceptive implants at school without their parents’ knowledge. Nurses insert devices into their arms which temporarily prevent pregnancy by releasing hormones into the blood. Last year 1,700 girls aged 13 and 14 were fitted with implants, while 800 had injections which have the same effect. The 2010/11 NHS figures also show that 3,200 15-year-old girls were fitted with implants, and 1,700 had injections. But under strict ‘patient confidentiality’ rules, staff are banned from seeking the permission of parents beforehand – or even informing them afterwards.

Chinese Government Demands 250 Million Internet Users Provide Real Identities
Paul Joseph Watson - The Communist Chinese government has demanded some 250 million users of the Twitter-style micro-blogging platform Weibo provide their real names, addresses and identity numbers, marking a new era of Internet censorship and one that the likes of Joe Lieberman want to see enforced in the United States.

Mexican army finds 15 tons of pure methamphetamine
AP - Mexican troops have made a historic seizure of 15 tons of pure methamphetamine in the western state of Jalisco, an amount equivalent to half of all meth seizures worldwide in 2009.... The haul could have supplied 13 million doses worth over $4 billion on U.S. streets.

U.S. ‘ocean fence’ aims to curb smuggling from Mexico
Reuters - U.S. authorities are building a steel and concrete barrier 300 feet (90 meters) out into the Pacific Ocean south of San Diego to curb dangerous attempts by illegal immigrants and smugglers to slip through the breakers to California. The new maritime fence is being built at a cost of $4.3 million at the point where the U.S.-Mexico border plunges into the ocean between San Diego and the industrial powerhouse of Tijuana, in northwest Mexico.

U.S. extends travel warning to Mexico over violence
Reuters - Spreading drug violence, kidnappings and carjackings in Mexico have led the State Department to increase the number of places it says Americans should avoid for safety reasons for the second time in less than a year. A travel advisory issued this week urged U.S. citizens to avoid all but essential travel to 14 states in northern and central Mexico, warning that U.S. citizens have fallen victim to drug-cartel related activity "including homicide, gunbattles, kidnapping, carjacking and highway robbery."

FOX cancels FreedomWatch with Judge Andrew Napolitano?
FOX Business Network (FBN) will debut a new primetime schedule featuring encore presentations of the channel's top post-market programs, announced Kevin Magee, Executive Vice President of the network. Starting February 20th at 8 PM/ET, viewers will find additional airings of The Willis Report (5PM & 8PM/ET), Cavuto (6PM & 9PM/ET) and Lou Dobbs Tonight (7PM & 10PM/ET). The new lineup will replace FreedomWatch with Judge Andrew Napolitano, Power & Money with David Asman and Follow the Money with Eric Bolling.
****Protest the Cancellation of 'Freedom Watch'

Video shows officers beating motorist in diabetic shock
Las Vegas Review- The video, recorded more than a year ago by a police car dashboard camera, was released Tuesday by Greene's lawyers. The same night, the Henderson City Council approved a settlement of $158,500 for Greene. His wife received $99,000 from Henderson, which is just under the minimum amount that requires council approval.

Poll finds broad support for Obama’s counterterrorism policies
Washington Post - The sharpest edges of President Obama’s counterterrorism policy, including the use of drone aircraft to kill suspected terrorists abroad and keeping open the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, have broad public support, including from the left wing of the Democratic Party. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that Obama, who campaigned on a pledge to close the brig in Cuba and to change national security policies he criticized as inconsistent with U.S. law and values, has little to fear politically for failing to live up to all of those promises.

VIDEO: LAPD Pioneers High-Tech Crime-Fighting ‘War Room’
CBS - The LAPD is fighting crime from a high-tech war room that gives it eyes all over the city. The surveillance hub is now a model for police forces around the world and KCAL9 got an exclusive tour inside from Chief Charlie Beck.

Source Exposes FEMA Training Camp in Missouri
Infowars.com -The FEMA camp whistleblower was contracted to work at the camp. He describes it as a “civilian inmate training camp” and told Infowars.com he has spotted foreign troops in maroon and purple uniforms instructing troops in the use of baton tactics and crowd control techniques. He said there has been “incredible activity” at the camp since the passage of NDAA.

Revolutionaries: The Best Way to Tear Down the System is to Build Something New
Activist Post - Due to gross injustices built into the current system, angry mobs of disenfranchised protesters are pushing most of the world to the edge of global revolution. It's wonderful to see people find solidarity in opposing the destructive nature of the system. However, the idea that the public will ever force the entrenched corporate-states around the world to bend to their will because they're on the streets is very unlikely. Even if the protests become violent riots like in Greece, the controllers will not release their clutches. In fact, history says they'll only tighten them.

VIDEO: Reality Check: Hard Facts Point to Total Chaos
Wide Awake News - Hard Facts Point to Total Chaos - Charlie McGrath.

Catholic TV network sues to block U.S. contraception rule
Reuters - A U.S. Roman Catholic television network said on Thursday it has filed suit in federal court to block President Barack Obama's new rule on contraceptives, while a Catholic Church leader and top Republicans stepped up their criticism of Obama. The rule, implemented on January 20, requires religious-oriented groups such as charities, hospitals and universities, but not churches, to provide coverage for birth control as other health insurance providers must do. The Catholic Church opposes most methods of birth control.

10 states get education waivers
AP -President Barack Obama on Thursday will free 10 states from the strict and sweeping requirements of the No Child Left Behind education law in exchange for promises to improve the way schools teach and evaluate students. The move is a tacit acknowledgement that the law's main goal, getting all students up to par in reading and math by 2014, is not within reach. The first 10 states to receive the waivers are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee, the White House said. The only state that applied for the flexibility and did not get it, New Mexico, is working with the administration to get approval.

VIDEO: Rand Paul: "Obama Doesn't Hate All Rich People, He Hates Poor People Only With Jobs"
Rand Paul's speech at CPAC.

YouTube: Ron Paul Interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer
CNN Feb 9, 2012.

VIDEO: CPAC to Avoid Another Ron Paul Straw Poll Win. How? They are going electronic, no Paper Voting. This way they can "Assure" Ron Paul Won't win.... It's Called Fraud!
Remember last year the CPAC straw poll WIN for Ron Paul? Remember how FOX News literally lied and committed and got caught creating FAUX News? In case you don't here is FOX News lying about the reaction to Ron Paul's CPAC straw poll win.... It has now been announced CPAC is going completely electronic for this years vote. Considering we know all electronic voting is rigged and fraud. They don't want the embarrassment of Ron Paul winning again. Oh, I bet FOX News won't play the straw poll results if there are boos to their man Romney winning by fraud and simply due to CPAC rigging the voting for him to win.

VIDEO: Rick Santorum: Dead Foreign Scientists Are A 'Wonderful Thing'
Business Insider - "On occasion scientists working on the nuclear program in Iran turn up dead. I think that's a wonderful thing, candidly," said Rick Santorum at a recent campaign stop in Greenville, South Carolina. But it isn't just dead Iranian scientists that gladden Santorum's heart. He continued: "I think we should send a very clear message that if you are a scientist from Russia, North Korea, or from Iran and you are going to work on a nuclear program to develop a bomb for Iran, you are not safe."

Santorum: "People Have This Idea That They Should Be Left Alone"
Every so often, however, even the most careful politician lets his true inner self slip out. Mr. Santorum did so in a recent radio interview: One of the criticisms I make is to what I refer to as more of a Libertarianish right. They have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do, government should keep our taxes down, keep our regulations low, and that we shouldn’t get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn’t get involved in cultural issues. That is not how traditional conservatives view the world. There is no such society that I am aware of, where we’ve had radical individualism and that it succeeds as a culture.

Group wants Supreme Court to save war memorial
AP - Supporters of a war memorial cross deemed unconstitutional last year by a federal court plan to ask the Supreme Court to reverse the decision, amid a growing fight nationwide over the use of religious symbols to honor fallen troops.... The supporters told the opponents that the cross isn't about religion, but about honoring service members. The memorial's plaques have names and stories of about 3,000 who served in conflicts from World War I to Iraq. Retired Marine Lt. Col. Jack Harkins said people come to Mount Soledad from across the country to reflect and remember those who fought for the values of the American people. "Let future generations enjoy their right to that experience," he said. "Let this monument stand."

Aerial Photos: Spying on Europe’s farms with satellites and drones
BBC - Farmers who claim more EU subsidies than they should, or who break Common Agricultural Policy rules, are now more likely to be caught out by a camera in the sky than an inspector calling with a clipboard. How do they feel about being watched from above?

Goal of Iran Sanctions: Malnutrition and Starvation
Kurt Nimmo - Article 54 of the Geneva Protocol prohibits starvation as a method of war. This is precisely what the United States, Europe and the United Nations did in Iraq. They imposed a medieval embargo and tried to starve the nation into submission. The result was over 500,000 dead children, which Clinton’s Secretary of State, Madeline Albright said was a price worth paying. Over the span of ten years, child mortality in Iraq went from one of the lowest in the world, to the highest.

Signs build that Iran sanctions disrupt food imports
(Reuters) - More evidence emerged of the crippling impact of new sanctions on Iran, with international traders saying Tehran is having trouble buying rice, cooking oil and other staples to feed its 74 million people weeks before an election. New U.S. financial sanctions imposed since the beginning of this year to punish Tehran over its nuclear program are playing havoc with Iran's ability to buy imports and receive payment for its oil exports, commodities traders said.

Sarkozy advises against military strike on Iran
AP - French President Nicolas Sarkozy put his reputation as a stalwart friend of Israel on the line Wednesday, warning that military action was no way to deal with nuclear-minded Iran at a dinner hosted by France's main Jewish group — and his likely presidential election rival in the audience. In the wake of new U.S. concerns that Israel might strike Iran's nuclear facilities this spring, Sarkozy reiterated his ironclad commitment to Israel's security but emphasized "the solution is never military."

EU threatens new sanctions on Syria
AP - The European Union will impose harsher sanctions on Syria, a senior EU official said Wednesday, as Russia tried to broker talks between the vice president and the opposition to calm violence. Activists reported at least 50 killed in the regime's siege of the restive city of Homs. Russia, a close ally of Syria, and the West are pushing down starkly different paths in trying to deal with Syria's nearly 11 months of bloodshed. After blocking a Western and Arab attempt to bring U.N. pressure on President Bashar Assad to step down, Russia has launched a bid to show it can resolve the turmoil.

International 'militarisation' in Syria growing closer, warns US official
Telegraph - The international community may be forced to 'militarise' the crisis in Syria unless president Bashar al-Assad stops the onsalught on his people, a senior US official warned on Wednesday. The official from the State Department told The Daily Telegraph that while the White House wants to exhaust all its diplomatic options, the debate in Washington has shifted away from diplomacy and towards more robust action since Russia and China blocked a United Nations resolution condemning Syria.

VIDEO: Spain pain: ‘Iran oil embargo to backfire on Madrid’
RT - Madrid is becoming concerned at how it is going to compensate for the half of its oil imports which will be lost due to the EU embargo on Iranian oil. The economic crisis is only adding to Spain’s woes. “Spain is suffering the greatest damage from the embargoes against Iran and has always expressed support for the resumption of talks,” said Pedro Antonio Villena Perez, Spain’s new ambassador to Iran on Tuesday in Tehran, as quoted by Iran’s Press TV.

VIDEO: Legal framework required to stop CIA drone carnage
RT - СIA drones are attacking funeral processions and civilian and Taliban rescue teams in Pakistan. A staggering report exposing the practice has outraged NGOs and legal experts, who are demanding international laws to govern drone warfare. The investigation is a follow-up to last summer’s report issued by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, says Chris Woods, the author of the report.

Egypt will not be swayed by aid threat in NGO case: PM
Reuters - Egypt said on Wednesday it would not be swayed by threats to aid when probing NGOs over charges they received foreign cash without official approval, a case that has led Washington to warn that $1.3 billion a year of military aid may be at risk. A total of 43 foreign and local activists have been banned from leaving Egypt and their cases have been referred to a criminal court. Egypt said top U.S. army officials would visit Cairo soon in an attempt to resolve the impasse.

RAF helicopter death revelation leads to secret Iraq detention camp
Guardian - Death in RAF helicopter and secret prison camp in Iraq desert raises questions about legality of British and US operations.

US to decimate the largest embassy in the world
RT - After the US military left Iraq, the US State Department has announced that it plans to reduce the largest embassy in the world in half. The US embassy in Baghdad staffs approximately 16,000 employees, 2,000 of those diplomats and the rest contractors. Lately the $750 million US embassy building has taken more of a prison role due to workers being confined to the space.

Time to Act on Companies Selling Mass Spy Gear to Authoritarian Regimes
On Wednesday, EFF will give recommendations to the European Parliament for how to combat one of the most troubling problems facing democracy activists around the world: the fact that European and American companies are providing key surveillance technology to authoritarian governments that is then being used to aid repression.

Aid sent by helicopter as thousands cut off in Europe
AFP - Helicopters ferried food and medicine to iced-in villagers Wednesday as Europe's 12-day-old cold snap tightened its frigid grip on the continent, where more than 400 have died as a result.

House reviews DOE money upgrading yacht
The Port of Los Angeles spent $489,000 of a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Energy to retrofit a city-owned yacht with "hydro-electric propulsion system," according to Issa's letter, rather than the diesel engines it already had in operation. The yacht is used to conduct tours of the port. "This is the American people’s money that was borrowed in stimulus," said House Oversight and Government Reform Chair Darrell Issa in a local CBS broadcast. "It was supposed to create net new jobs.

Judges To Decide Whether Church Confessions Can Be Used In Court
AP - In a case that could set national precedent, the three-judge Michigan Court of Appeals panel plans to hear arguments Thursday about whether a pastor’s testimony related to a possible confession in a child sexual assault case may be used in court.

UPDATE: Sales Soar, Website Crashes After Story On Anti-Obama Painting Goes Viral
CBS - While sales of the painting went up, McNaughton said he got reactions from a “mixed bag of people” over the story. “People really loved the painting and some were really angry,” he told CBS Las Vegas. “Our country is really divided and emotions run high on both sides of the aisle.” Because of the delicate subject matter raised in his art, McNaughton was often accused of racism. “I think racism is a legitimate issue. But I think if you want to speak out against Obama and his policies is one thing, but being called a racist gets tiresome when it has nothing to do with the painting.”

Feds Label Bulk Buying of Food a Potential Terrorist Activity
Paul Joseph Watson - A flyer aimed at Military Surplus stores produced under the auspices of the FBI’s Communities Against Terrorism project, encourages owners to report people who “make bulk purchases of items to include….meals ready to eat”. According to the flyer, the FBI advises store owners to demand ID’s from all new customers, as well as asking them questions about their purchase and being aware of “suspicious statements”.

Globalist Campaign Calls for Abolishment of Constitution
Kurt Nimmo and Alex Jones - New York Times publishes front page article depicting Constitution as archaic and outdated. Entitled ‘We the People’ Lose Appeal With People Around the World, the article by Adam Liptak argues that the Constitution is outdated, inflexible and no longer trendy.

Bill Clears Path For 30,000 Surveillance Drones Over US In Next Ten Years
Steve Watson - A bill passed in by Congress this week paves the way for the use of surveillance drones in US skies. The FAA predicts that by 2020 there could be up to 30,000 drones in operation. Once signed by president Obama, the FAA Reauthorization Act allows for the FAA to permit the use of drones and develop regulations for testing and licensing by 2015.

VIDEO: 28 more airports will test lower-hassle screening
AP - The program works this way: Participating travelers will walk through a dedicated lane at airport security checkpoints. They will provide the TSA officer with a specially marked boarding pass. A machine will read the barcode, and travelers deemed "low-risk," will likely be allowed to keep on belts, shoes and jackets and leave laptops and liquids in bags when being screened.

Democrats say Obama 'reinforced' his stance on contraception mandate at retreat
ABC - President Obama “reinforced” his stance on the controversial contraception mandate while speaking at the Democrats’ annual retreat at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. today, Senate Democrats said.

Pa. vending machine dispenses 'morning-after' pill
AP - Students at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania can get the "morning-after" pill by sliding $25 into a vending machine, an idea that has drawn the attention of federal regulators and raised questions about how accessible emergency contraception should be. The student health center at Shippensburg, a secluded public institution of 8,300 students tucked between mountain ridges in the Cumberland Valley, provides the Plan B One Step emergency contraceptive in the vending machine along with condoms, decongestants and pregnancy tests.

19 Crazy Things That School Children Are Being Arrested For In America
American Dream - With each passing year, the difference between America's prisons and America's public schools becomes smaller and smaller. As you read the rest of this article, you will be absolutely amazed at some of the crazy things that school children in America are being arrested for. When I was growing up, I don't remember a single police officer ever coming to my school.

This Looks Like A Fortified Sniper’s Nest At The Super Bowl
Some photos with no backstory are making the rounds, showing what appears to be an Indianapolis police sniper checking out his post in the rafters of Lucas Oil Stadium in the hours or days before the Super Bowl, a post that would be manned when the game began.

Madonna’s Black Mass, New World Order Rite in Diana’s Place
Here’s what happened on the night of Sunday, February 5th, 2012 in Indianapolis, on the 39th parallel: Last night’s epic ‘war’ between the Patriots (those who hope to prevent the New World Order) and the Giants (the Overlords, or even the Biblical Nephilim) drew, according to NBC’s estimates, 111 Million viewers. This 111 number represents, not only a perverse sort of trinity in occult circles, but is also a shorthand way of saying ’666′.

GOP Strategist: Ron Paul Will be on GOP Ticket
Freedom watch 2/08/2012 - Republican consultant Jack Burkman explains what he sees as Ron Paul’s path to get on the ticket at the RNC convention in Tampa this summer.

YouTube: The Judge with Rand on What Happened to Ron Paul's Vote in Nevada
Freedom watch 2/07/2012.

RevEVOLution - No One But Paul Money Bomb
In all states, we are increasing our totals from 2008 and securing key delegate spots crucial to winning the nomination! Now, our attention turns to Maine's results this weekend - and more states looming soon on the horizon, including the Super Tuesday elections. One thing has become clear after these early contests - it's anybody's race. That's why we need to make the February 14th No One But Ron Paul Money Bomb a massive success.

Straw Polls vs. Collecting Delegates
Ron Paul 2012 - Last night was a good night for Ron Paul. But it was a better night than many might realize. The desire to accumulate as many delegates as possible has long been the campaign’s primary focus. After all, this is how one becomes the nominee. But collecting delegates is not the same thing as winning the straw polls, which obviously make the headlines.

YouTube: Ron Paul Phone Interview /w Neil Cavuto
Fox Business - February 8, 2012.

Activists converge on Washington for largest conservative conference in U.S.
For two consecutive years, Ron Paul has won the straw poll, in part because his campaign has offered free and heavily subsidized conference registrations to students, to the ire of some CPAC officials, who see Paul as an outlier. (Paul turned down an invitation to speak this year, citing his duties on the campaign trail. His son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, is slated to address the conference on Thursday.)

"Dirtiest Politician" Hired For The Nevada Caucus?
Black Box Voting - You may be hearing lately that the problem with Iowa caucuses (reported the wrong result, "lost" results) and Nevada (more votes than voters, took stupidly long to count a one-race ballot) were due to "amateurs." But have you heard that Nevada and Iowa hired professionals to run the the caucus?

Paul says GOP result 'opens up the door'
AP - The Texas congressman was headed for a solid second-place in Minnesota's caucuses, which were won by former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Santorum also won Missouri and was in the hunt for a victory in Colorado's caucuses. "I'm a little surprised. I thought Romney would have some of this automatic carryover," Paul told The Associated. "It certainly doesn't hurt us." Paul was on course to capture more than a quarter of Minnesota's vote. He was a distant third in Missouri's non-binding primary and far back in Colorado. Paul said of the night's results, "I think it splits the vote and sort of opens up the door to us."

Ron Paul Action Figures
A fundraising project of the RevolutionPAC. All proceeds go to support efforts to elect Ron Paul. Not endorsed by any candidate or candidate's committee

VIDEO: The Story Behind "The Battle Of Oakland": Perspectives From Move-In Day
"On January 28th, 2012, Occupy Oakland moved to take a vacant building to use as a social center and a new place to continue organizing. This is the story of what happened that day as told by those who were a part of it. Features rare footage and interviews with Boots Riley, David Graeber, Maria Lewis, and several other witnesses to key events."

Foreign Embassies in Israel Plan Evacuation, Request Gas Masks
Kurt Nimmo - The news media in Israel this evening reports foreign embassies are organizing contingency plans for the evacuation of their nationals and diplomats and are requesting gas masks from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Diplomats and their families are worried about a missile strike that may prompt a mass evacuation of Israeli citizens with passports. The European Union does not currently have the resources to undertake an evacuation of its citizens in a short period of time.

Israel to build migrant detention camp
Israeli planning authorities on Tuesday approved construction of a detention centre for illegal immigrants, at a projected cost of 250 million shekels ($67 million, 51 million euros), the defence ministry said. The formal authorisation follows a November 2010 cabinet decision to build a facility for mostly African migrants smuggled across Israel's borders but who for legal reasons cannot immediately be deported to their countries.

Report: Iran deploys 15,000 troops to help Syria's Assad
A top Iranian military official is activily aiding the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad in suppressing popular unrest throughout the country, a top member of the National Syrian Council said on Monday. According to the Syrian official, Kassam Salimani, commander of the Quds Force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard special forces unit, has arrived in Syria recently and has taken up a spot in the war room which manages army maneuvers against opposition forces.

Pakistan: Stop American 'Drone Wars' that are killing our civilians
Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain Wajid Shamsul Hasan told The Sun in an exclusive interview that his country's relations with America are at their lowest ebb. He said: "Patience is definitely reaching exhaustion levels." Mr Hasan said Pakistan backs the War on Terror waged by Britain and the US. But he urged PM David Cameron to condemn US drone attacks on al-Qaeda and Taliban training camps in the north west of his country — dubbing them as "war crimes" and "little more than state executions".

Israel Believes GOP Candidates Will Not “Dare to Oppose” Iran Attack
Kurt Nimmo - According to a report posted by the Inter Press Service, experts on foreign relations believe Israel’s attack on Iran will seek to influence U.S. presidential elections in November. Francois Heisbourg, president of the French International Institute for Strategic Studies, said if Israel conducts an attack during the summer before the elections, it will not fear “any immediate political consequences, since none of the U.S. candidates would dare to oppose the attack during the campaign.”

VIDEO: MSNBC POLL : American's DO NOT Support Israel Attack on Iran!!!
MSNBC News February 06, 2012 - 26% said that they support Israel striking Iran in the next few months and 75% said no.

Lebanese security officials seize ‘regime change’ cargo from US, Brazil
Press TV - Lebanon’s security officials say a suspicious cargo containing huge amounts of US dollars, guns, special passports and credit cards have been seized upon arrival in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, from the US and Brazil.

YouTube: Syrian Signals: Assad 'ready for talks' after meeting Lavrov
RT - Members of the Syrian opposition say they would welcome Russia mediating talks with the Syrian authorities. The reaction came after Russia's Foreign Minister's talks with President Bashar Assad in Damascus. Following the meeting, Sergey Lavrov said Moscow will continue its efforts to settle the crisis in the Middle Eastern country.

VIDEO: Justice Ginsburg on Egypt TV: ‘I Would Not Look to the U.S. Constitution’ to Craft Modern Law Document
The Blaze - The justice, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, and her daughter, Jane, a legal expert on intellectual property, spent four days in Cairo and Alexandria meeting with judges, legal scholars and students. Egypt is set to start rewriting its constitution next month.

24-hour general strike under way in Greece
24-hour general strike is under way in Greece against the Cabinet’s austerity policy. Railway and maritime traffic has come to a halt, and public transport disruptions have been reported. Doctors, teachers and bank employees have also joined the strike that was organized by the largest national unions and timed for the ongoing talks in Athens between the Cabinet and international moneylenders.

UK Government to sanction ‘nerve-agent use on rioters’
The Independent - Leading neuroscientists believe that the UK Government may be about to sanction the development of nerve agents for British police that would be banned in warfare under an international treaty on chemical weapons.

PHOTO: Ice age Europe: How the big freeze, with temperatures as low as MINUS 40, has turned Britain and the continent BLUE
Daily Mail - Europe continues to be blanketed in snow as the cold snap which has so far killed hundreds across the continent shows no signs of stopping. Hundreds of villages across Eastern Europe were today completely cut off as temperatures plummeted in some places to -40C.

PHOTO: Blue alert as mercury hits minus 50 C
China Daily - Temperatures in Hulunbuir plummeted to minus 50.7 Celsius after a cold front hit the city last Friday. The National Meteorological Center issued a blue alert on Monday, the lowest level in the country's four-scale alert system.

Marines 'assault' US beaches in drill
With beach landings, 25 naval ships and an air assault, the United States and eight other countries are staging a major amphibious exercise on the US East Coast this week, fighting a fictional enemy that bears more than a passing resemblance to Iran.... About 20,000 US forces, plus hundreds of British, Dutch and French troops as well as liaison officers from Italy, Spain, New Zealand and Australia are taking part in the exercise along the Atlantic coast off Virginia and North Carolina. An American aircraft carrier, amphibious assault ships including France's Mistral, Canadian mine sweepers and dozens of aircraft have been deployed for the drill, which began on January 30 and runs through mid-February.

Lawmakers Protest Removal of 'GOD' reference from Air Force Patch
A group of Republican lawmakers is protesting the removal a reference to God in the patch logo for the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO). The 35 lawmakers, led by Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), wrote a letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz urging them to restore the logo with a reference to God. Forbes warned that the action taken by the RCO could set a “dangerous precedent” when it comes to religion and the military.

All That Is Wrong with Georgia State Judge Michael M. Malihi’s Decision that Putative President Obama Is a “Natural Born Citizen”
The Court held: “For purposes of this analysis, this Court considered that President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Therefore, as discussed in Arkeny [sic meant Ankeny], he became a citizen at birth and is a natural born citizen.” But there is no evidence before the Court that Obama was born in the United States. The court can only rest its finding of fact on evidence that is part of the court record. The judge tells us that he decided the merits of the plaintiffs’ claims. But he does not tell us in his decision what evidence he relied upon to “consider[]” that Obama was born in the United States. The judge “considered” that Obama was born in the United States. What does “considered” mean?

New show preps viewers for 'Doomsday' survival
Such is the concept of National Geographic Channel's new reality show Doomsday Preppers, which profiles Americans who have taken extreme measures to plan for a forthcoming apocalypse — whether natural disaster, nuclear war or economic crisis. The show premieres tonight with back-to-back episodes at 9 and 10 ET/PT. The channel commissioned an online survey of 1,007 adults in the USA, and found that 61% of Americans believe the country will experience a major catastrophic event within the next 20 years, but only 15% feel they are fully prepared for it.

VIDEO: Obama Invokes NDAA Declaring Threat From Iran A National Emergency
Alexander Higgins - The video below shows this issuance of President Obama executive order which declares Iran’s threat to cut off oil supplies a national emergency. The executive order directs all government agencies to respond immediately to the threat. It further invokes the authority of the 2012 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) which gives the President the power to launch military action against any nation without the approval of Congress. Ironically, the State of Emergency order also accuses the Iranian central bank of deceptive banking practices.

Procurement chief knocks early F-35 production
Air Force Times - The Pentagon’s top weapons buyer denounced a previous U.S. Defense Department decision to start production of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter years before the tri-service jet’s first flight. “Putting the F-35 into production years before the first test flight was acquisition malpractice,” said acting Pentagon procurement chief Frank Kendall, speaking at a Monday event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “It should not have been done.”

FBI Attempts to Make 'Libertarians' the Poster Children for Domestic Extremism
Activist Post - The FBI held a press conference Monday to "increase the visibility of the threat" that people who oppose taxes and regulations, government intrusions into their private property, and the desire for sound money allegedly pose to local authorities. Although the FBI vaguely attempts to label this group as "sometimes known as 'sovereign citizens'", the description sounds an awful lot like me, and millions of other liberty-minded people in America that don't associate with any group.

VIDEO: FBI Drug Squad Uses Chainsaw To Raid …the Wrong Apartment
Alexander Higgins - A team of FBI agents swarmed a Fitchburg apartment building as part of a massive citywide drug and weapons gang raid. The problem is, they raided the wrong apartment.

VIDEO: The DHS Defends Globalism, Not America
Activist Post - Average citizens would assume that the DHS is a U.S.-centric institution, and regardless of its Orwellian behavior, is at the very least a distinctly American brand of tyranny. However, under encroaching strategies enforced since 2006 through the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), it is becoming very apparent that the Department Of Homeland Security is quickly taking on an “all-of-nation” role, most prominently in the defense of globalization.

Elections Results (Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri)
Detailed election results for February 7, 2012.

Ron Paul Takes Second in Minnesota
Last night was a good one for Rick Santorum, but Ron Paul also got a bump, beating out Mitt Romney to come in second place in Minnesota. Paul got 27 percent of the vote in Minnesota, 10 points more than Romney and better than Paul’s previous best of 22.9 percent in New Hampshire. It’s a much-needed boost after Paul’s disappointing third-place finish in the Nevada caucuses this weekend. “We had a very, very strong second place—and it’s going to continue,” he told supporters.

VIDEO: Ron Paul 2nd Place speech in Golden Valley, MN - CNN - 2-7-12
CNN February 7th, 2012.

Romney's bad day is Santorum's best in GOP race
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican Rick Santorum is looking to capitalize on a string of stunning victories that snapped his four-state losing streak and raised new questions about front-runner Mitt Romney's clout with conservatives

VIDEO: Secret Service Apprehend Man At Romney Event
The 'Glitter Bomb' Thug'!

*How To Become A Delegate Today!*
You have to go to the caucus, and of course VOTE for Ron Paul. Then after the straw poll, many people will leave, but DON'T! The next step is delegate election. Each precinct (neighborhood) is allotted a certain number of delegate positions and alternate positions. You vote for the people in your neighborhood to fill each position. Bring your spouse/family members/friends (whoever lives in your precinct) and vote for each other. You can also nominate yourself. Alternates are very important, too, especially the first position, as if any one of the main delegates don't show up at the next level, you're automatically in! More information can be found at this site.

YouTube: Ron Paul Interview with John King on CNN
Congressman Ron Paul interview with John King on CNN Tuesday, February 7th.

Romney's lead dips despite wins: poll
(Reuters) - Despite his strong showing in early state contests in the race for the Republican U.S. presidential nomination, Mitt Romney's support nationwide has dipped slightly during the past month, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.... Support for Ron Paul, a U.S. congressman from Texas, grew by 5 percentage points to 21 percent. That moved him into second place and ahead of former House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich, whose support slipped to 19 percent from 20 percent.

Mitt Romney’s son Matt makes major gaffe on campaign trail; brother cuts him off
NY Daily News - Mitt Romney's son stole a bit of the news cycle on Friday after he joked to a group of seniors in New Hampshire that his dad would release his tax records when President Obama released his birth certificate.

Under the Radar: South Carolina Rushes Through Yet another Voter Suppression Bill
House Bill 4549, modeled after a Florida law that forced the League of Women Voters and other civic organizations to abandon voter registration efforts in the state, would effectively shut down community-based voter registration drives in South Carolina, requiring any individual or organization to register with the state before assisting other South Carolinians in registering to vote, and subjecting those individuals or organizations to up to $1,000 in fines, even for honest mistakes like sending the forms to the wrong county or not putting enough postage on the envelopes.

Nevada vote fraud official
Examiner - So far, the overall magnitude of the circumstances has gone largely unnoticed by the people of the US in general, but that didn’t deter NV GOP Chairwoman, Amy Tarkanian from filing her resignation the very next morning on Sunday, as obvious and rampant, widespread election fraud is sweeping through the country in an establishment elite attempt to hide the real results, in favor of a pre-chosen candidate, despite the wishes of the American people.

YouTube: Eternal Disgrace: US politicians display gross ignorance
RT - The blunders of U.S. politicians have inspired jokes and parodies for decades. With the Presidential election campaign heating up, there's a whole new supply of ammunition. But as Marina Portnaya reports, some believe the comments are displays of ignorance and disregard for world affairs ... and no laughing matter. [No mention of Ron Paul here!]

VIDEO: Obama campaign to support super PAC fundraising
(CNN) - In a change of position, Barack Obama's reelection campaign will begin using administration and campaign aides to fundraise for Priorities USA Action, a super PAC backing the president. Obama has been an outspoken critic of current campaign financing laws, in particular a Supreme Court ruling that allowed the creation of super PACs. Until now he has kept his distance from Priorities USA Action.

Obama to Return Major Donations Tied to Fugitive
NY Times - Two American brothers of a Mexican casino magnate who fled drug and fraud charges in the United States and has been seeking a pardon enabling him to return have emerged as major fund-raisers and donors for President Obama’s re-election campaign.

White House, US Courts & EPA Shaft Veterans to Protect Monsanto
Natural Society - American veterans and the entire country of Viet Nam affected by Agent Orange have been shafted beyond imagination due to corruption within the US government and US courts. US courts have protected Monsanto and Dow Chemical from liability and criminal prosecution. The US government has shielded Monsanto and Dow from the massive cost of medical treatment for victims and environmental remediation cleanup costs that would drive these corporations into bankruptcy.

REPORT: Occupy DC Plans Mayhem for Major Conservative Political Action Conference
Occupiers reportedly discussed a number of tactics for getting protesters into the conference, where they would be able to do more damage than a street protest could muster....“In order to avoid having to shower and dress in business attire to blend in,” Scribe’s source said, “they plan to wear Ron Paul 2012 gear because they believe Paul supporters ‘generally look like hippies.’”

VIDEO: Iranian scientists afraid to leave their homes
RT - Iran's Foreign Minister says Tehran wants the assassinations of its scientists to receive official international recognition. Iran also wants external legal cooperation in investigating the deaths of its nuclear experts. Ali Akbar Salehi said that Iran had lodged complaints with a number of international organizations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN, and the Islamic Cooperation Organization.

Time Is Running Out for Greece to Accept Bailout Conditions, Merkel Says
Bloomberg - European leaders stepped up pressure on Greek politicians to meet the conditions of a 130 billion- euro ($171 billion) bailout, saying time was running out. French President Nicolas Sarkozy met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris today as Greece’s interim prime minister, Lucas Papademos, prepared to negotiate with the so-called troika of international lenders in Athens for a second day. A gathering of Greek political leaders was delayed until tomorrow as they struggled for a unified response.

‘Less equal civilizations’: French Minister stirs xenophobic controversy
RT - France is outraged with new cultural standards hammered out by French Interior Minister Claude Gueant, who insists that all civilizations “are not of equal value” - and that France needs protection from the inferior ones.... Gueant never used the word “Muslim,” but the record of his immigration comments, as well as the picture he drew of an inferior civilization, left little room for deliberation.

VIDEO: Breivik demands medal of honor for Norway massacre
RT - Anders Breivik, the Norwegian who killed 77 people last July, told a court that he deserves a medal of honor for the act, and demanded his release. He spoke Monday after a judge allowed him to explain why he had pleaded not guilty despite acknowledging responsibility for the massacre that became Norway’s deadliest attack since World War II. The right-wing extremist's explanation took the form of a tirade against immigration.

Obama orders global US Iran asset block
RT - US President Barack Obama has signed an executive order to freeze all Iranian government assets held in the United States. "I have determined that additional sanctions are warranted, particularly in light of the deceptive practices of the Central Bank of Iran and other Iranian banks to conceal transactions of sanctioned parties, the deficiencies in Iran's anti-money laundering regime and the weaknesses in its implementation” Obama said in a letter to Congress. Obama claimed Iranian financial activities are posing “continuing and unacceptable risk” to the international financial system.

VIDEO: Somalia hails Iran’s Humanitarian aid
Press TV - President of the Somali Red Crescent Society has expressed gratitude to Iran for Tehran’s significant contribution of humanitarian aid to the famine-stricken African nation, Press TV reports. “[We are here] to express our appreciation and thanks to the Iranian Red Crescent for the assistance they have provided for the Somali people,” Ahmad Mohammad Hassan told Press TV after a meeting with the president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society in Tehran.

U.S. closes embassy, pulls diplomats from Syria as violence intensifies
Washington Post - On Monday, U.S. Ambassador Robert S. Ford and all diplomats and American citizens associated with the embassy left the country. The State Department issued a travel warning recommending that all U.S. citizens in Syria “depart immediately.” It said the Polish Embassy now “serves as protecting power for U.S. interests” in Syria.

Greece caves to pressure and cuts state jobs
Greece's coalition government has agreed to demands to cut civil service jobs, announcing 15,000 positions would go this year, amid mounting international pressure to agree on austerity measures needed to secure major new debt agreements. The announcement on Monday signals a major shift in Greece's policy, as state jobs have so far been protected during the country's acute financial crisis, which started about two years ago.

YouTube: BBC bans the word ‘Palestine’ from recent its broadcast
Press TV - What rapper Mic Righteous was actually trying to say was ‘Free Palestine’, but the word ‘Palestine’, it seems, has been categorized as a dangerous word by the BBC. According to the BBC censors, using the two words together – free and Palestine, is classed as “contentious”.

Czech Government Suspends ACTA Ratification
Following Poland's lead, the Czech Prime Minister, Petr Necas has announced that the government there will suspend the ACTA ratification process until the country has had more time to analyze the agreement. This follows a "wave of protests" across Europe, in which this agreement, that everyone assumed was going through with no questions asked, has suddenly generated significant public interest:

China escalates trade war with EU by banning airlines from paying carbon taxes on flights
Mail Online - China today announced it has banned its airlines from paying European Union charges on carbon emissions, escalating a global dispute over the cost of combating climate change. The charges are aimed at curbing emissions of climate-changing gases but governments including China, the U.S. and Russia oppose them. The ratings agency Fitch warned in December that the conflict could spiral into a global trade dispute.

Have we cracked our battery habit?
The Independent - Of the 9 billion eggs laid in the UK in 2012, 49 per cent will come from free-range hens allowed to roam outdoors, compared with 48 per cent from hens cooped up in cages. A further 3 per cent come from "barn" hens that wander around indoor sheds, according to the British Egg Industry Council.

FBI warns of threat from anti-government extremists
(Reuters) - Anti-government extremists opposed to taxes and regulations pose a growing threat to local law enforcement officers in the United States, the FBI warned on Monday. These extremists, sometimes known as "sovereign citizens," believe they can live outside any type of government authority, FBI agents said at a news conference. The extremists may refuse to pay taxes, defy government environmental regulations and believe the United States went bankrupt by going off the gold standard.

Night raids and hit lists - new Afghan exit strategy for US?
RT - The New York Times writes that the number of Special Ops forces that will stay behind after America’s combat role comes to a close could stretch into the thousands and grow well after the war is officially over. Since beginning their missions, however, those Special Ops teams have been among the most critiqued by concerned Afghans. The US forces have become notorious for a series of night raids that have proven not just deadly, but terrifying for civilians fearing that they will be the next accidental casualty in the lengthy war.

Truth, lies and Afghanistan - How military leaders have let us down
Over the course of 12 months, I covered more than 9,000 miles and talked, traveled and patrolled with troops in Kandahar, Kunar, Ghazni, Khost, Paktika, Kunduz, Balkh, Nangarhar and other provinces. What I saw bore no resemblance to rosy official statements by U.S. military leaders about conditions on the ground.... Instead, I witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level.

Hundreds of 9/11 cops diagnosed with cancer
RT - Of the nearly 300 cases of cancer claimed by cops that survived 9/11, lung cancer is the most predominant. Others, though, have suffered from rare varieties of the disease, including cancers of the bile duct, tongue and nasal passage. The culprit, they say, was the cloud of debris that filled their lungs as they tried to secure the scene in New York City... Frank Tramontao, a research director at the PBA [Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association], adds that "It is our sincere opinion that the City of New York has done nothing to facilitate any cancer study and has been actively working to prevent a comprehensive examination of the issue."

Roman Catholic leaders criticize Barack Obama over healthcare
Telegraph - Roman Catholic leaders have furiously criticised President Barack Obama for approving new regulations that compel religious organizations to include morning-after pills and other contraceptives in employee health insurance coverage.... At least 153 US bishops have spoken out against the change. A letter from a leading bishop, accusing the president of waging a "severe assault on religious liberty", has been read to dozens of congregations.

Army Tries To Silence Chaplains
CNS News - Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who leads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, wrote a letter to be read at all Sunday Masses for U.S. military personnel around the world that said that a regulation issued by the Obama Administration under the new federal health care law was “a blow” to a freedom that U.S. troops have not only fought to defend but for which some have recently died in battle.

Public surveillance from private property questioned
The Citizens Association of Georgetown, a private neighborhood association, plans to pay for the installation of up to 10 cameras in the hopes that the additional surveillance will deter crime.... The Georgetown group’s cameras will tape public spaces such as streets and sidewalks, and video that could be used to solve a crime will be turned over to police, the group’s members said. The cameras will be located on private property, such as in residents’ yards, and as a result they will skirt the stringent rules imposed on the police department’s closed-circuit camera system.

'Halftime in America' ad creates political debate
DETROIT (AP) -- People rarely pick a fight with Dirty Harry. But Chrysler's "Halftime in America" ad featuring quintessential tough guy Clint Eastwood has generated fierce debate about whether it accurately portrays the country's most economically distressed city or amounts to a campaign ad for President Barack Obama and the auto bailouts.

25 Reports That Can Put You on the Terror Watch List
Activist Post - The FBI has now made public their “Communities Against Terrorism” Suspicious Activity Reporting flyers. Listed below are all 25 known flyers that should be read in their entirety if one wishes to discover just how far the United States has traveled in its attempt to replicate a level of citizen snitches not seen since the Stasi of East Germany.

Senate To Vote On Bill That Could Kick TSA Out Of Airports
Paul Joseph Watson February 6, 2012 - Following House approval of the measure on Friday, the Senate is set to vote today on legislation that would allow U.S. airports to replace TSA workers with screeners from private companies, a move that could spell the beginning of the end for the highly unpopular federal agency’s role in airport security.

Lawsuit against Cheney, Rumsfeld: Going after Powerful People Who Think they’re Above the Law is "Frivolous"
Global Research - The message is loud and clear. Go after justice for 9/11 in the courts, and not only will you lose, you’ll be punished. That’s what April Gallop and her lawyer, William Veale, found out as their lawsuit against former vice-president Dick Cheney, former secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, and former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Richard Myers concluded with a final slap in the face. This came in the form of a $15,000 fine levied against Veale for filing a “frivolous” appeal. The decision was handed down by a three-judge panel headed by Justice John M. Walker, who just happens to be George W. Bush’s cousin – proving that the American justice system has a twisted sense of humour at times.

Sheriff Arpaio office lawyers to meet with DOJ
PHOENIX (AP) — Lawyers in Arizona for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and attorneys from the U.S. Justice Department plan Monday to meet for the first time to resolve federal accusations of civil rights violations against the department run by Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The meeting would come nearly two months after the Justice Department released a scathing Dec.15 report accusing the sheriff's office of racially profiling Latinos, basing immigration enforcement on racially charged citizen complaints and punishing Hispanic jail inmates for speaking Spanish in Arizona's most populous county.

Madonna’s NFL Satanic Ritual disguised in the Half Time Show
The Illuminati always has to do its rituals between the New Moon and Full Moon. The Full Moon is in 2 more days, so it is their time for rituals & what better place than a Half Time show with millions of people?

YouTube: Ron Paul "On The Record" w/ Greta Van Susteren, takes the gloves off!
Ron Paul "On The Record" W / Greta Van Susteren, Fox News Channel, Feb 06, 2012.

Ron Paul Speeches in Minneapolis Feb 6
Daily Paul - Ron Paul speaks at St. Cloud Town Hall & Rally and at the Minneapolis Rally.

Tea party: Warming or resigned to Mitt Romney?
DENVER (AP) -- Long skeptical of Mitt Romney, tea party activists are either warming up to the GOP presidential front-runner or reluctantly backing him after abandoning hope of finding a nominee they like better. Whatever the reason, the former Massachusetts governor who is coming off of back-to-back victories in Florida and Nevada now is picking up larger shares of the tea party vote than he did when the Republican nomination fight began.

YouTube: Ron Paul Supporters Started Tea Party Movement
Flashback: The Tea Party Movement was started by Ron Paul supporters in 2006 and was hijacked by Sarah Palin and Washington DC establishment Republicans when they realized the danger it posed to their gravy train of corruption.

Today - February 7 - Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri - Open Thread
Daily Paul - Colorado (caucus), Minnesota (caucus) and Missouri (primary). Post your news, observations, and insights here.

Does this look fishy to anyone else?
Let's take a look at Ron Paul's support in primaries/caucuses so far from 2008 to 2012...anything fishy with Nevada?..

Ron Paul vs. Mitt Romney
The Christian Science Monitor’s Peter Grier writes: Will Ron Paul be Mitt Romney’s last rival standing? We ask that question because if you sort through the Nevada caucus results, look at this week’s GOP events, add in a few financial disclosure forms, and shake, you can produce a scenario where Representative Paul outlasts Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. That would make the Texas libertarian the only non-Romney to run all the way to the Tampa Republican convention in August.

Occupy My Class: OWS becomes a college course
RT - Chicago’s Roosevelt University is now offering a class on the recent Occupy Wall Street movement, allowing students to enroll in an up-to-date political science course that tries to examine the protest campaign that has spread across the US and the globe. Chicago’s Roosevelt University is now offering a class on the recent Occupy Wall Street movement, allowing students to enroll in an up-to-date political science course that tries to examine the protest campaign that has spread across the US and the globe.

War of nerves: Iran’s warships arrive in Saudi Arabia
RT - Two Iranian naval ships have docked in the Saudi port of Jeddah. Iranian officials say the move aims to project the country's "power on the open seas" and “confront Iranophobia.” The supply ship Kharg and destroyer Shaid Qandi docked on Saturday in the Red Sea port in line with orders from the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Iran’s news agency, Fars. “This mission aims to show the power of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the open seas and to confront Iranophobia,” Fars quoted navy commander Admiral Habibollah Sayari as saying.

VIDEO: EU to push new Syria sanctions
RT - The EU is preparing a new batch of sanctions against Syria, which France says will be the harshest yet. The move came as government forces launched a fresh assault on the city of Homs on Monday, with reports of 50 dead. "Europe will again harden sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime,” French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Sunday, according to AFP. “We will try to increase this international pressure and there will come a time when the regime will have to realize that it is completely isolated and cannot continue."

Toxic China: Heavy metal cadmium openly dumped into rivers by mining companies
NaturalNews) China is not exactly the poster child of environmental friendliness, and this was further exemplified this past week when authorities discovered that at least one mining company has been openly discharging toxic cadmium into two major rivers in the southern Guangxi region of the country. Reports indicate that long stretches of the Longjiang River were found to contain high levels of the cancer-causing toxin, which prompted officials to warn nearly three million people to stop drinking water directly from the river.

Australia Becomes First to Ban Travelers Who Refuse Naked Body Scanners
Activist Post - Australia appears to have taken the lead with their latest proposal to ban travelers who refuse being subjected to the full body microwave radiation scans that have proven to be a horrible invasion of privacy, as well as a legitimate threat to one's health.

Europe Rises Up Against ACTA
Washington Blog - The widespread protests against the anti-democracy bill ACTA by the Polish people have forced Poland’s prime minister to stall – or perhaps even back out – of the treaty. As TechDirt notes: Following the growing protests about ACTA in Europe, as well as signs of US meddling, Poland’s prime minister is making it clear that Poland will not ratify ACTA for the time being, leading to speculation that the EU may not actually join ACTA. Tusk’s backtracking could spell the end of ACTA for the entire European Union.

VIDEO: Exclusive: Israel Warns US Jews: Iran Could Strike Here
Israeli facilities in North America -- and around the world -- are on high alert, according to an internal security document obtained by ABC News that predicted the threat from Iran against Jewish targets will increase. "We predict that the threat on our sites around the world will increase … on both our guarded sites and 'soft' sites," stated a letter circulated by the head of security for the Consul General for the Mid-Atlantic States.

VIDEO: U.S. and Israel Set Stage for False Flag and Iran Attack
Kurt Nimmo - Events over the last several days reveal that the United States and Israel plan to conduct a false flag terror event to be blamed on Iran. The event will likely occur within the next six months and will result in an attack on Iran prior to the November election.

'Engineering War on Iran: All Options on the Table?'
RT - Question: How do you convince the world that... you really have “no choice” but make a “pre-emptive military strike” against another country you don’t like?… No, I’m not referring to the State Department, Pentagon, White House, Congress and their counterparts in Britain and Europe. Those folks just take their orders and execute them. I’m referring to the real decision-makers at Bilderberg, Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations and AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) meetings.

Egypt to try 19 Americans for 'banned activities'
(AP) — Egyptian investigating judges on Sunday referred 43 NGO workers, including 19 Americans, to trial before a criminal court for allegedly being involved in banned activities and illegally receiving foreign funds.... The referral is the latest development in a long-running row between Washington and Cairo over an Egyptian crackdown on U.S.-funded groups promoting democracy and human rights. On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned Egypt‘s foreign minister that failure to resolve the dispute may lead to the loss of American aid. Washington is due to give Egypt $1.3 billion in military assistance and $250 million in economic aid in 2012.

VIDEO: Russia and China veto resolution on Syria at UN
BBC - An Arab and Western-backed resolution condemning the violent crackdown in Syria has been vetoed at the UN Security Council by Russia and China. They rejected the draft as "unbalanced" hours after activists accused troops of killing at least 55 people at Homs. Western countries said the move would encourage Syria's government to continue its violent clampdown.

VIDEO: Russia unites in mass protests
RT - Up to 30,000 people have marched “for fair elections” in Russia’s western city of St. Petersburg. They joined thousands of other pro- and anti-government protesters who marched for free and democratic presidential elections all across the country.

UN Wants World Tax To ‘Help The Poor’
Paul Joseph Watson - The United Nations wants a world tax imposed on all financial transactions to fund a global model of social services that will provide “needy people” with a basic income, free healthcare, education and housing. The drive is part of the UN’s mission to create a “social protection floor” under the auspices of the Commission on Social Development, which began this week in New York. The SPF will become the UN’s primary focus from 2015 onwards when the Millennium Development Goals project concludes.

China cuts off Internet in area of Tibetan unrest
Guardian - Chinese officials cut off mobile phone and internet connections to areas where Tibetans were shot dead amid unrest last month, state media has reported. Officials say security forces fired in self-defence after mobs of rioters attacked police and official buildings in the south-western province of Sichuan, resulting in two deaths. Tibetan exiles and campaign groups say police fired at peaceful protesters and killed at least three people.

Correction: victory against GMOs and Monsanto not achieved in UK
(NaturalNews) Editor's note: We regret to inform our readers that this story is based on a Daily Mail article that we have now been informed is from 2003, not 2012. In their own search engine, Daily Mail mistakenly listed their own story as being published on February 3, 2012.... Monsanto even went to the trouble to contact us and inform us that they have not retreated from the UK at all, and in fact, their business across Europe is surging. Sadly, Monsanto has not been defeated in the UK as we had hoped, and the threat of Monsanto's presence in Europe remains ever present.

Health-Care Case Tests Supreme Court’s Ban on Live Broadcasts
Bloomberg - The historic U.S. Supreme Court battle over President Barack Obama’s signature health-care legislation -- with 5 1/2 hours of arguments planned over three days on a matter that affects every American and may influence the 2012 elections -- will test the justices’ refusal to allow live broadcasts of their proceedings. Lawmakers and media organizations are pressing for live television coverage, or failing that, live audio, in a case that will determine whether the government can force people to obtain insurance.

Congress Welcomes Drones Into American Skies ASAP
The treason of American Congress seems to know no bounds, as it has submitted an urgent official request to the Secretary of Transportation to invite potential remote-controlled war upon American soil by integrating Unmanned Aerial Systems into civilian airspace to be overseen by the FAA. (Source).

Obama Eligibility and a Decision of Tyranny
February 4, 2012 - With the ruling by Judge Malihi in Georgia that Obama will remain on the ballot, tyranny has been established. How else does one describe it when the President is above the law?

Marine's failed suicide attempt lands him jail sentence
RT - In 2010, 37 active Marines in the US Military committed suicide. Had Pvt. Lazzaric T. Caldwell been successful in his attempt, he would’ve been number 38. Since discharged, Pvt. Caldwell has battled post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses. In his latest battle, however, he’s fighting the Armed Forces. Pvt. Lazzaric T. Caldwell was stationed in Okinawa, Japan when he attempted suicide in 2010. Caldwell has survived thankfully and is still around, but so are his troubles. He is taking the Marines to court after the US Military sentenced him to 180 days in jail for his attempted suicide.

VIDEO: Report: Historic Constitutional Sheriffs Convention, Las Vegas, Jan. 30-31
Something extraordinary and historic took place mere days ago in Las Vegas, Nevada. For three days, from January 29 and 31, 2012, in the Tuscany Hotel & Casino, more than a hundred county sheriffs from across the United States of America met in a first annual Constitutional Sheriffs Convention. See related article here.

Department of Homeland Security website hacked by Anonymous
RT - Only hours after two of its biggest releases ever, the online collective Anonymous is taking credit for crashing the website of the US Department of Homeland Security. Shortly before 4 p.m. EST Friday afternoon, the Homeland Security Department’s website, DHS.gov, was taken offline. It was announced on the Web by members of the loose-knit hacktivist collective Anonymous and some claiming allegiance to the group have have taken credit for the attack.

27 of 35 Bush Articles of Impeachment Apply to Obama
Veterans Today - President Obama has accumulated his own massive list of high crimes and misdemeanors that were unavailable for Bush’s list... Nonetheless, it is instructive to review the 35 Bush articles in the Obama age. It quickly becomes apparent that Obama has either exactly duplicated or closely paralleled most of the 35.

Controversial Artist Depicts Obama Trampling The Constitution
CBS - In front of the White House a man is sitting on a park bench in the throes of depression. He is surrounded by all 43 presidents. In the forefront, purposefully ignoring the depressed man is President Obama, whose right foot is stepping on the Constitution. James Madison is next to Obama, pleading with him to stop. This tableau is called “The Forgotten Man”, a painting by Jon McNaughton, an artist who is known for his politically-charged work.

Big brother now spies on journalists, keeps records of online activity
(NaturalNews) What began as a simple program to address safety and security issues at the 2010 Winter Olympics has become a massive online spying operation targeted at journalists and writers. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s Media Monitoring Initiative (MMI) has been expanded to collect and track information from online forums, blogs, public websites, message boards, and social networking sites, as well as gather "personally identifiable information" (PII) on journalists and media writers.

Victims of toxic FEMA trailers cannot sue government, rules Big Brother federal judge
(NaturalNews) The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will not be held responsible for providing toxic, formaldehyde-laden trailers to thousands of displaced individuals following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Courthouse News Service (CNS) reports that Judge Carl Stewart from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has struck down an appeal from 10,000 residents who were harmed by the trailers, claiming that these individuals have no jurisdiction to sue the government.

Teen cancer survivor banned from school for growing out hair for Locks of Love
(NaturalNews) After surviving leukemia and grueling chemotherapy, Michigan teen J. T. Gaskins decided to grow out his hair to donate it to Locks of Love for fellow cancer patients. Instead of being praised for his generosity, he has been suspended from high school for violating its strict dress code.

Nevada 2012 Election Results
Politico February 6, 2012 - Romney: 50.1%, Newt Gingrich: 21.1%, Ron Paul: 18.8%, Rick Santorum: 10.0%.

YouTube: Excess Ballots Were Counted In Clark County, Nevada
Fox News Feb 5, 2012.

VIDEO: Sunday Morning: Ron Paul on ABC's "This Week"
This Sunday, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex, comes to "This Week" following the Nevada caucuses to make his case for the nomination. ABC's article on the interview here.

Paul camp cries fraud over Nevada Caucus results
[Daily Paul: You have got to read this. Blow by blow of last night's theft. We are not the only ones that noticed.] The Examiner Feb. 5th - Last night, it appears the same thing may be happening in Nevada. And again like Iowa, critics are accusing the GOP of suspicious activity.... Perhaps it’s indicative that the beneficiary of these recurring vote counting “mistakes” always seems to be former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. He’s just happens to be the same man that both the Republican Party establishment and the four corporations that own all of America’s news media outlets are actively supporting.

GOP Vice Chair Orders Centralized Re-Count For Vegas/Clark County.
Montgomery Advertiser 2:56 AM, Feb. 5, 2012 - Clark County GOP vice chairman Woody Stroupe told The Associated Press late Saturday that party officials were recounting every ballot cast in Nevada’s most populous county to ensure the accuracy of the tally. Complete results would not be made public until every vote was counted, he said, though some 400 votes from 30 out of a total of 1,073 precincts were posted by the party.

VIDEO: Ron Paul 57.73% Landslide in Special Late Night Nevada Caucus
2/04/2012 - 11:00PM - Ron Paul 57.73% Landslide Win In Clark County Nevada Late Vote.

VIDEO: Ron Paul Supporters Dominate Special Late Nevada Caucus - Broadcast Live by CNN
Dr. Paul gets 15 straight minutes of love from supporters when CNN covers special late Nevada caucus.

NY Times: Morning Workers & Ron Paul Voters Who Went To Adelson Caucus Denied Entry For Not Signing Religious Declaration
LAS VEGAS - A special Saturday night Republican caucus intended to accommodate orthodox Jews who couldn’t vote until after sundown became the scene of controversy and confrontation after caucusgoers were told that to gain admittance they had to sign a legal declaration under penalty of perjury that they could not attend their daytime caucus because of “my religious beliefs.” Some officials from Mr. Paul’s campaign suggested that what they described as the “religious test” administered at the caucus would lead to lawsuits.

Frustrated and bewildered, some caucus-goers shut out
Party officials acknowledged that confusion about the caucus process disenfranchised some voters. "We did our best to get the word out that people needed to be there at 9 a.m., but we had some circumstances where people didn't get the word," Clark County Republican Party Chairman Dave Gibbs said. "It's unfortunate that they weren't able to participate today."

VIDEO: Caucus chaos reigns at one Las Vegas location
Henderson, NV (KTVN) - Frustrated voters tell Action News that some in attendance were given "unofficial" ballots. Several people cast their votes on unauthorized pieces of paper and left before the official blue ballots were handed out. Witnesses were alarmed that their peers' votes would go uncounted and blamed the caucus leaders for the disorganization.

VIDEO: Republican Party responds to reports of caucus chaos
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Republicans quickly responded to reports of chaos and confusion as Nevadans caucused on Saturday. "We are aware of the confusion," the Republican Party released in a statement. "We are aware that there are some people that filled out a white ballot of paper indicating their Presidential candidate preference thinking it was official. We are honoring the voting preference of every person that participated and this will be reflected in the final total."

Ron Paul Attracts Over 1,500 People at Final Minnesota Event of the Day—Will Return Monday
Huge crowd greets Dr. Paul at Bethel University MINNETONKA, Minnesota– 2012 GOP Presidential Candidate Ron Paul attracted a remarkable crowd of more than 1,500 supporters and undecided voters at his third and final event of the day in Minnesota. The 12-term Congressman from Texas also enjoyed large crowds earlier, attracting 700-plus voters in Rochester and more than 600 people in Chanhassen.

Ron Paul Military Donations Nearly Twice Those of His GOP Rivals and Obama Combined
A veteran of the Cold War-era, Paul raised more than $150,000 from active military in the fourth quarter. This comes after the Congressman outraised all GOP candidates — including all GOPers combined, and President Obama singularly — in the second and third quarters of last year.... Especially notable is that Paul raised about triple the amount Obama received and about six times that of all currently-competing Republicans–Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Buddy Roemer, and Rick Santorum–combined.

VIDEO: Ron Paul on CNN's Piers Morgan Fri, February 3
Ron Paul Interview On Piers Morgan Part One 02/03/12. (Keep in mind you're watching CNN.)

Gingrich’s Deep Ties to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
NY Times - Mr. Gingrich has faced many questions recently about the more than $1.6 million in consulting fees he got from Freddie Mac since leaving Congress in 1999. But part of the relationship started years earlier, as records and interviews show that Mr. Gingrich, as House leader in the 1990s, aligned himself with Freddie and Fannie on a number of key issues — defending them in Congress against political attacks, joining with them on housing projects and seeing top aides go work for them.

VIDEO: Ron Paul defends Romney and his “poor people” comment
Just another example of how mainstream media wants to report “playgound politics” rather than focusing on real issues

2012 Primary Remaining Schedule
The 2012 GOP primary/caucus schedule is nearly set in stone. The calendar dates below are believed to be accurate unless last minute changes occur to the schedule. Always check with your local board of elections to verify election dates, times and locations ahead of time. Note that "Super Tuesday" in 2012 falls on March 6th, however, it is a little less "super" than it has been in years past.

Marine's failed suicide attempt lands him jail sentence
RT - In 2010, 37 active Marines in the US Military committed suicide. Had Pvt. Lazzaric T. Caldwell been successful in his attempt, he would’ve been number 38. Since discharged, Pvt. Caldwell has battled post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses. In his latest battle, however, he’s fighting the Armed Forces. Pvt. Lazzaric T. Caldwell was stationed in Okinawa, Japan when he attempted suicide in 2010. Caldwell has survived thankfully and is still around, but so are his troubles. He is taking the Marines to court after the US Military sentenced him to 180 days in jail for his attempted suicide.

YouTube: Ron Paul Is The Choice Of The Troops - After Party!
Adam Kokesh announces the 'March on White House After Party & Concert' featuring Aimee Allen, Jordan Page, Golden State, and Rebel Inc. The event takes place Monday, February 20, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM (ET). For more information go here.

Military March for Ron Paul Video Contest Entries
View the entries posted so far here.

VIDEO: Ron Paul Speaks Out for WWII Philippine-American Veterans
The following is a video of a RP2012 Rally held for Filipino American Veterans of WWII who were denied the recognition of their services by the DoD & US Fed. Govt. at the Leatherneck Club, Las Vegas, NV, officiated by the Filipino-American Veterans of Nevada and Justice for Filipino American Veterans, an group based out of San Francisco.

Four arrested as police clear Occupy tent camp in DC
RT - Four people have been arrested as police in riot and hazmat gear are taking down tents in the Occupy camp in DC. It is one of the movement’s last sites in the country.

World court upholds German immunity in Nazi cases
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) -- The U.N.'s highest court confirmed Friday that Germany has legal immunity from being sued in foreign courts by victims of World War II Nazi atrocities. The International Court of Justice said that Italy's Supreme Court violated Germany's sovereignty in 2008 by judging that an Italian civilian, Luigi Ferrini, was entitled to reparations for his deportation to Germany in 1944 to work as a slave laborer in the armaments industry.
 
GM giant quits Britain amid backlash
Mail Online - A massive victory against Monsanto and genetically engineered seeds has been achieved in the United Kingdom today. Monsanto has announced a total withdrawal from the UK, shuttering its Cambridge-based wheat production operation. UK newspaper Daily Mail was instrumental in promoting opposition against Monsanto through its "Frankenstein Foods" educational campaign.... Monsanto is also seeking to sell off crop-breeding centres in France, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Is Israel preparing to attack Iran?
Washington Post - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June — before Iran enters what Israelis described as a “zone of immunity” to commence building a nuclear bomb. Very soon, the Israelis fear, the Iranians will have stored enough enriched uranium in deep underground facilities to make a weapon — and only the United States could then stop them militarily.

C.I.A. Says Iran Makes Progress On Atom Arms - 10 Years Ago
New York Times - Published: November 30, 1992 - A draft Central Intelligence Agency report on Iran concludes that the country is making progress on a nuclear arms program and could develop a nuclear weapon by 2000, senior Administration officials say.

Panetta surprises NATO, Afghans with earlier date for end of mission
National Journal - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s comment while en route to a NATO conference in Brussels -- that the U.S. would end its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2013, a year earlier than thought -- surprised key U.S. allies, alarmed many Afghans, and forced the White House to spend more than a day trying to walk it back.

YouTube: Split over Syria: Russia holds war hawks to letter of law
RT - Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said an embargo on arms supplies to Syria is out of the question -- along with any resolution that could threaten to aggravate conflict in the country.

Dangerous Terrorists Planned to Blow Up Toilet at London Stock Exchange
AFP - Four British Islamists inspired by a former al-Qa’ida leader have admitted in court to plotting to blow up the London Stock Exchange in 2010. The men belonged to a group of fundamentalists who plotted a spate of mail bomb attacks during the run-up to Christmas that year and discussed launching a “Mumbai-style” atrocity, Woolwich Crown Court in London heard. Mohammed Chowdhury, 21, and Shah Rahman, 28, both from London, admitted preparing for acts of terrorism by planning to plant an improvised explosive device (IED) in the toilets of the London Stock Exchange.

EU official: Greece needs extra $20 billion
MSNBC _ Greece needs about an extra €15 billion ($20 billion) to get its debt down to manageable levels — and the rest of 17-country eurozone is being asked to help foot the bill.

VIDEO: TEPCO: Not to Worry About Latest Leak at Fukushima
Kurt Nimmo - TEPCO reported today that more than eight tons of radioactive water has leaked from the number four reactor at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant after a frozen pipe burst. The electric company said none of the water reached outside of the stricken reactor containment building. TEPCO failed to winterize the reactor’s cooling system and this oversight led to fractures in pipes due to frozen water inside, according to reports.

China Rejects Genetically Modified Rice in Opposition to GMO Crops
China recently suspended the distribution of genetically modified rice within its commercial food supplies.... This action helps to preserve the sovereignty and safety of their food supply, something that largely must still be addressed in our own country. In the United States GMO foods are not only accepted by loose regulation standards, but are not even labeled appropriately.

Firecrackers Cover Up Large-Scale Forced Demolition on Chinese New Year
Epoch Times - Nearly one thousand Chinese shopkeepers lost their businesses in the early hours of Chinese New Year’s Day. Under the cover of firecrackers, a mob hired by a local real estate developer, backed by local officials, turned an entire shopping mall in the southern metropolis of Shenzhen into rubble–without any prior public announcement or notification of shop owners.... When people woke up the next day, they found half of the market collapsed, with jewelry, cell phone, shoe, and grocery stores buried under the debris.

Water Industry and World Bank Partner on Scheme to Drive Public Water into Private Hands
Corporate Accountability International - A partnership quietly launched in October with funding from the World Bank, Coca-Cola and Veolia will report on progress towards its stated mission to “transform the water sector” by establishing “new normative approaches to water governance” that put the private sector in the driver’s seat in water management. Calling itself the Water Resources Group (WRG) and headed by Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathei, the corporation has already targeted the countries of Mexico, Jordan, India and South Africa to “shape and test governance processes” that would make water privatization more feasible and profitable.

Government ADMITS secretly SPRAYING POISON on us!!!
Also admit secret tests hundreds of times!

House ready to consider insider trading ban
WASHINGTON (AP) - With members of Congress convinced their political survival depends on their image, the House is wasting no time in considering a Senate-passed bill that would ban insider trading by lawmakers and thousands of executive branch officials. Stock trades would have to be posted online within 30 days. The Senate showed a rare display of bipartisanship Thursday to pass the bill 96-3, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said it would be before the House next week. President Barack Obama repeated a pledge to sign it immediately.

Contraception mandate outrages religious groups
The Obama administration's decision requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control was bound to cause an uproar among Roman Catholics and members of other faiths, no matter their beliefs on contraception. The regulation, finalized a week ago, raises a complex and sensitive legal question: Which institutions qualify as religious and can be exempt from the mandate.

Air Force punished whistle-blowers for exposing mishandling of the fallen
RT - For exposing the US military’s mismanagement of body parts at the Armed Forces’ mortuary in Dover, Delaware, whistle blowing almost cost four civilian workers an arm and a leg. An investigation has revealed that those that exposed the misconduct were disciplined for doing so.

Americans to rally against war with Iran
Press TV- According to the StopWarOnIran website, “No war, no sanctions, no intervention, no assassinations against Iran” will be the demand of the coordinated demonstrations which will be held across the US on February 4, 2012. The ad hoc group organizing the demonstrations has agreed “on the need to stop US imperialism and/or Israel from launching a military attack on Iran.” They all believed that the new sanctions imposed against Iran by the United States “were themselves an act of war aimed at the Iranian people.”

VIDEO: US reduces expenses by using depleted uranium in wars
(Warning graphic material) The United States is using depleted uranium in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because the deadly weapons are inexpensive and abundant, a professor tells Press TV. "It's cheap. It's cheap and plentiful. Depleted uranium is a by-product of uranium enrichment after a certain percent," Lawrence Davidson, professor at West Chester University, told Press TV. The US government has used depleted uranium arms on humans in its two recent wars, at least 1,000 tons in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and 2,400 tons in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Americans get closer to building weapon of the future
The US Navy may have the world's most powerful electromagnetic gun - the so-called railgun - during the forthcoming 15 years.... Raytheon Company, one of the USA's largest defense suppliers, signed an agreement with the Naval Sea Systems Command for the creation of the power system for the railgun. The agreement was evaluated at $10 billion, a message on the website of the company said.

Bill Introduced To Challenge Authority Of NDAA
Steve Watson - Five Washington state representatives have introduced legislation in an attempt to override provisions the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2012 that would allow for the indefinite detention of American citizens without trial. Reps. Jason Overstreet, Matt Shea, Vincent Buys, Cary Condotta, and David Taylor introduced HB 2759, the Washington State Preservation of Liberty Act this week.

Holder: I Knew Nothing About 'Fast and Furious' Gun-Walking
Attorney General Eric Holder vigorously denied a "cover-up" by the Justice Department over "Operation Fast and Furious," telling a House panel investigating the botched gun-running program that he has nothing to hide and suggesting the probe is a "political" effort to embarrass the administration.

VIDEO: Slain Border Patrol Agent’s Family Files Lawsuit in Fast & Furious Scandal
Kurt Nimmo - The family of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government. Terry was killed on December 14, 2010, by drug cartel bandits in Arizona. Investigators found two AK47s at the scene that were linked to the government’s Fast and Furious gun-running operation.

Forgeries of Obama’s Kenyan Birth Certificate
Shortly after the urban legend reference site Snopes “shredded” the story, Jeff Rense, America’s favorite alternative truthslinger, published the image above and the following closeups, he says, “in the interest of reporting the full scope of what is being discussed and displayed online.” His way of saying, ‘feast your eyes on these’...

This Is Your Day! Birther Summit Thursday, March 29th
Thursday, March 29 will start with a Birther Extravaganza, a massive rally at which many of the previous day's conference attendees will address the huge crowd assembled to make our presence known to Washington and the rest of the country. The rally, with poignant messages from some of our leaders, as well as other presentations, will culminate in the reading of our Declaration of Constitutional Dependence.... Stay tuned. Following the rally, we will take our message to the streets in a unified march, protesting Washington's continued cover up of the fraud that has been perpetrated upon us.

Who is Presidential Candidate Dr. Laurie Roth and Why is She Suing Obama?
One of the eight plaintiffs behind the Georgia Obama Ballot Challenge hearings, Laurie is one of the five Presidential candidates openly challenging Obama’s eligibility (NONE of them have been allowed on the MSM debates, NONE are talked up by any of the political parties or MSM).

Secret NYPD Document Describes Which Muslims to Spy On
Details of the NYPD's widespread surveillance of local Muslim communities after 9/11 are now widely known thanks to an ongoing Associated Press investigation of the secretive programs, and the material just keeps mounting. The latest info comes from a confidential NYPD intelligence report, which can be viewed here, entitled, "US-Iran Conflict: The Threat to New York City."

COPS: TSA agent at JFK stole $5K in cash from passenger
Authorities say a TSA agent stole $5,000 from a passenger as he was going through security at Kennedy Airport. Police and the Transportation Security Administration say Alexandra Schmid took the cash from a passenger's jacket as it went along an X-ray conveyor belt around 8 p.m. Wednesday in JFK's Terminal 4. Police spokesman Al Della Fave (fahv) says surveillance video showed Schmid wrapping the money in a plastic glove and taking it to a bathroom.

More than 3000 Private Security Work Hand in Hand with DHS for Super Bowl
Intel Hub - According to Napolitano, no credible terror threats will interrupt the face off between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots in the massive stadium Sunday. Typically security of the game is left up to the local authorities. However, in recent times, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has become much more involved with security of any major event.

VIDEO: 11 Maine State Legislators endorse Ron Paul
Freedom Watch Feb 2, 2012 - Rep. Aaron Libby, (R-Maine), on why he endorsed Paul and how he was able to rally ten of his fellow Congressmen and women to do the same ahead of the Maine Caucuses. List of Representatives at the Daily Paul.

Dr. Paul will be on CNN's Piers Morgan for the Entire Hour on Fri, Feb. 3rd, 9pm EST!
Daily Paul - I believe this maybe the first time that Piers would be actually interviewing him for the entire hour! Piers is also asking his viewers to email and tweet in questions for the Doc, so fire away!

Paul: States should resolve land management issues
ELKO, Nev. (AP) -- Republican Rep. Ron Paul railed against the federal government during campaign stops in Nevada on Thursday, saying states are in the best position to resolve conflicts over the management of wild horses and roads on public lands.

THE TRUTH ABOUT NEVADA: Ron Paul Has Never Looked Happier
Business Insider - The usually all-business candidate interrupted a press conference on the economy this afternoon to surprise his wife Carol with a huge bouquet of flowers — and a big hug — to celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary. It was a surprisingly candid moment of marital bliss, particularly for a political event. Mrs. Paul seemed genuinely surprised by the gift, and her husband was clearly elated that he had pulled off the trick. He was practically blushing. See the video here.

YouTube: Ron Paul Interview on "Face to Face with Jon Ralston"
Over 20 minute interview with Ron Paul in Nevada for "Face to Face with Jon Ralston" February 1st, 2012. Aired on several local NV news stations.

RON PAUL EXPOSED!!! Is this the man we want to see running the U.S.A.?
Ron Paul is a great man and this video shows he has been fighting for the American people for decades and will be there to end the tyranny of psychopathic criminals that have hijacked our great nation. This video exposes the Truth of Ron Paul.

VIDEO: Mitt Romney 'Not Concerned About The Very Poor'
Huffington Post - It took the DNC less than a day to turn Mitt Romney's comment that he's "not concerned about the very poor" into an attack ad. "I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it," Romney told CNN Wednesday morning. "I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of the America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling."

Illinois State Board of Elections Overruled 3 Ballot Challenges Against Obama
Barack Obama's Name Will Appear on Illinois Ballot

5.6 Million Americans Have Switched Their Banks In The Last 90 Days
Think Progress Feb 2, 2012 - Bank Transfer Day and the Occupy Movement have received tremendous attention, and for the first time we have market research data to measure the impact on the financial services industry. Javelin’s research estimates that 5.6 million U.S. adults with a banking relationship changed providers in the past 90 days. Of those switchers, 610,000 US adults (or 11% of the 5.6 million) cited Bank Transfer Day as their reason and actually moved their accounts from a large to a small institution.

Obama planning to release Taliban leaders
Foreign Policy January 31, 2012 - Top Obama administration officials briefed eight senior Senate leaders Tuesday on a pending deal to transfer as many as five Taliban prisoners from the U.S. detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Qatar.... The identities of the administration briefers were not shared, but we were told it was a high-level interagency briefing team. All of the senators refused to discuss the contents of the briefing as they exited the secure briefing room in the Senate Visitors' Center. But Levin and McCain both discussed the issue in question before entering the briefing, namely the administration's negotiations with the Taliban over transferring the Taliban prisoners into Qatari custody.

Rothschild Bank AND Goldman Sachs Are Both On The LIST Of Bondholders Getting U.S. Taxpayer Billions In Ireland
Daily Bail - Guess what, Ireland. Brian Lenihan and Brian Cowen just sold you down the IMF river. Why? To bail out bank bondholders and giant European banks. Of course! That's what governments are for these days, apparently. And they'll tell you that the bailout policy is all for you own good. And for little old ladies and pensioners and orphans. Just don't tell that to the cancer patients. Yep, another nation made IMF debt slaves on behalf of the international banking cartels. And Goldman Sachs and Rothschild & Compagnie are on the list.

Taliban "poised to retake Afghanistan" after NATO pullout
Reuters - The U.S. military said in a secret report that the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, are set to retake control of Afghanistan after NATO-led forces withdraw, raising the prospect of a major failure of Western policy after a costly war. Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, confirmed the existence of the document... But he said it was not a strategic study. "The classified document in question is a compilation of Taliban detainee opinions," he said. "It's not an analysis, nor is it meant to be considered an analysis." Nevertheless, it could be interpreted as a damning assessment of the war, dragging into its 11th year and aimed at blocking a Taliban return to power.

UN nuke official: New trip to Iran planned
VIENNA (AP) — A senior U.N. nuclear expert on Wednesday announced plans to revisit Tehran soon after a "good trip," indicating progress on his team's quest to probe suspicions that the Islamic Republic is secretly working on an atomic arms program.

Think Tank Calls On US To Deploy Another Warship To Threaten Iran
Paul Joseph Watson - An influential bipartisan think tank has called on Washington to deploy yet another carrier battle group in a bid to threaten Iran, despite the presence of two U.S. warships already in the region.... The organization behind the call, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), is a think tank that counts amongst its directors Norman R. Augustine, former CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation, as well as Jane Garvey, an executive director at JPMorgan. The group is headed up by former Senators including Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George J. Mitchell.

US Nuclear Sub Heads Towards Persian Gulf
Paul Joseph Watson - Following the announcement that a third US aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, would be heading to patrol waters near the Strait of Hormuz in March, it has also been revealed that the nuclear submarine USS Annapolis and the destroyer USS Momsen are also likely to heading towards the Persian Gulf in the build up to a possible attack on Iran.

Petrodollar is pumping US policy on Iran – backfire looms
RT - As tensions between the US and Iran heat up, author Michael T. Winter believes the main reason behind America’s harsh stance is Tehran’s move to seek an alternative to the dollar as an oil currency. Economic sanctions, spearheaded by the US and, less willingly, the EU could have a disastrous effect on both of their respective economies. If Iran cannot sell their oil to Europe, there are plenty of customers waiting in the wings, and if they come bearing not petrodollars, but gold and sovereign currencies, then all the better for Iran.

Disgraceful Reporting by the Boston Herald and Others on Iran
LRC Blog - The best way to get news is to read actual testimony, reports, transcripts, and speeches. The worst way is to read headlines, unless you like to be subjected to distortions and misunderstandings.... Case in point: the testimony of Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper today. See here for his actual testimony in written form. Most important is that he said clearly that Iran is not building nuclear weapons and CIA chief David Petraeus said the same thing, and the latter said he had met with the head of Mossad to convey his view. This portion of his testimony was not reported in the Boston Herald article. Instead, it pieced together two unconnected parts of his testimony and left the impression that Iran was making enriched uranium in order to conduct an attack on the U.S.!! See here.

Japan snowstorm kills 52, crushes steel bridge
Heavy snowfall has crippled much of Japan's western coast, killing more than 50 people and injuring nearly 600. The worst snowstorm in six years has dumped more than 10 feet of snow in the hardest-hit regions, causing at least one bridge to collapse and forcing school closures across the region.... Western Japan has been battered by one snowstorm after another since the beginning of the year, overwhelming cash-strapped cities struggling to keep up with cleanup efforts.

AP Exclusive: US No-Fly list doubles in 1 year
WASHINGTON (AP) - Even as the Obama administration says it's close to defeating al-Qaida, the size of the government's secret list of suspected terrorists who are banned from flying to or within the United States has more than doubled in the past year, The Associated Press has learned. The no-fly list jumped from about 10,000 known or suspected terrorists one year ago to about 21,000, according to government figures provided to the AP. Most people on the list are from other countries; about 500 are Americans.

VIDEO: Sen. Rand Paul Proposes Amendment 1490 to the STOCK Act which would force former elected officials to forfeit their benefits if they choose to become lobbyists
January 31, 2012 - Sen. Rand Paul today took to the Senate floor to introduce an amendment to the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act. The amendment would bring an end to the revolving door between federal employees and companies lobbying for federal funding or loans. This corrupt relationship has led to billions in wasted taxpayer dollars—money awarded on highly debatable grounds to companies who were better politically connected than they were capable of actually repaying a government loan. Below is transcript of his speech and background information regarding the amendment.

ACLU Sues U.S. for Information on Targeted Killing Program
ACLU Feb 1st, 2012 - Our suit overlaps with the one recently filed by The New York Times insofar as it seeks the legal memos on which the targeted killing program is based. But our suit is broader. We’re seeking, in addition to the legal memos, the government’s evidentiary basis for strikes that killed three Americans in Yemen in the fall of 2011. We’re also seeking information about the process by which the administration adds Americans to secret government “kill lists.” We think it’s crucial that the administration release the legal memos, but we don’t think the memos alone will allow the public to evaluate the lawfulness and wisdom of the program.

Justice, House GOP tangle over access to documents
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department and Republicans on a House committee looking into a flawed gun smuggling probe called Operation Fast and Furious appear to be headed for an impasse over congressional demands for internal Justice documents. The dispute is expected to be a prime topic at a congressional hearing Thursday, when Attorney General Eric Holder testifies before a panel whose chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has alleged that the Justice Department is engaging in a cover-up.

'Gasland' Journalists Arrested At Hearing By Order Of House Republicans
Huffington Post - In a stunning break with First Amendment policy, House Republicans directed Capitol Hill police to detain a highly regarded documentary crew that was attempting to film a Wednesday hearing on a controversial natural gas procurement practice. Initial reports from sources suggested that an ABC News camera was also prevented from taping the hearing; ABC has since denied that they sent a crew to the hearing.

YouTube: BLOCKBUSTER REVELATION! - MINI Documentary - Illegal Obama "Propped Up" By Congress!
Evidence that we have a fraud and a usurper currently residing in the people’s White House is overwhelming, despite the overt lack of journalistic investigating on the part of the American press. But now new evidence indicates that the conspiracy to carry out that fraud was much broader than originally thought. Continue to read the original article here.

US Intel Director Prepares Public for False Flag Event
Tony Cartalucci - “…it would be far more preferable if the United States could cite an Iranian provocation as justification for the airstrikes before launching them. Clearly, the more outrageous, the more deadly, and the more unprovoked the Iranian action, the better off the United States would be.

Obama’s drones remarks put White House on the defensive
Washington Post - White House spokesman Jay Carney rebuffed questions Tuesday about whether President Obama had violated intelligence restrictions on the secret U.S. drone program in Pakistan when he openly discussed the subject the day before.

Murphy condemns purchase of 9/11 commemoration bracelets from China
New Haven Register - In a letter sent to TSA Administrator John Pistole on Tuesday, Murphy called on agency officials to explain the legal authority by which the contract was awarded. Murphy is co-chairman and founder of the congressional Buy American Caucus. “I was frustrated to learn that your agency recently purchased 70,000 bracelets commemorating the 10 year anniversary of the September 11th 2001 attacks that were made in China,” Murphy wrote to Pistole. “These bracelets cost U.S. taxpayers $17,500, and was another poor decision in a long line of contracting awards throughout the federal government that have cost American jobs and sent American tax dollars to manufacturers overseas.

TSA discovery prompts New York bomb scare – six hours later
CNN - A New York airport screener who removed two pipes from a traveler's bag and set them aside Monday morning prompted a security scare six hours later when the next shift saw the pipes and feared they might be pipe bombs, local and federal officials said.... The bomb squad removed the devices at 5:30 p.m. -- six hours after they were taken from the passenger. The devices were taken to a remote location for examination or disposal, one official said. "We have still not been told what it was or what it was composed of," Della Fave said. Several law enforcement sources told CNN the objects were determined to be homeopathic medical devices.

VIDEO: Senator Rand Paul Joins Lawsuit Against President Obama’s Recess Appointments
Jan 31, 2012 - Today, Sen. Rand Paul announced he will submit an amicus brief supporting a recent lawsuit filed by the National Right to Work Foundation (NRTW), the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and others, challenging the legality of President Barack Obama’s recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Sheriff Who Challenged Feds for Amish Raw Dairy Farmer Receives Award for "Meritorious Valor"; CA Sheriff Vows to Protect Herdshares
One of the best ways to get elected county sheriff these days is to campaign against the encroachments by the federal government on basic rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. And then, to act on your campaign agenda...well, that could win you an award. A good number of the 125 or so sheriffs attending the first convention of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) in Las Vegas over the last couple of days (together with another approximately 100 other enforcement personnel), appear to have been elected in just the last year or two. One of the most heartwarming stories by a recently elected official came from Sheriff Brad Rogers of Elkhart County in Indiana.

Sheriffs Who Won't Be "Milk Police" Gather in Vegas
County sheriffs and federal officials bickering over land, guns and water policies are as old as the West, but the Constitutional Sheriffs Convention, underway for the past three days in Las Vegas, has something new on the menu --- food safety regulation. "I made the decision that the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office was not going to be the milk police," Sheriff John D'Agostini told his Board of Supervisors in California ahead of the convention.

Missouri sheriff tries flashing signs to fight crime
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Short on deputies, a Missouri sheriff's office has turned to electronic stand-ins to combat a surge in crime. Officials in rural Greene County, in the southwest part of the state, are using flashing signs to alert residents to recent burglaries in their neighborhoods and to urge people to report suspicious activity. "We want to let the bad guys know that neighbors will be watching out for neighbors," said Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott.

Kansas Business Coalition Working Toward Backdoor Amnesty Plan
Rant of the Day - As of December 2011, there were 95,507 unemployed U.S. Citizens in Kansas, but a coalition of business groups, including the Kansas Chamber of Congress, are proposing that Kansas start a new program to allow illegal immigrants to remain in the state. According to the coalition, illegal immigrant labor is necessary to avoid “labor shortages” in agriculture and other industries, such as landscaping, roofing, construction. State officials and backers do not have any hard numbers for how many jobs are in “danger of going unfilled,” but estimate the number of illegal-immigrant workers at 45,000 – just under half the total number of unemployed Americans in the state.

Rhode Island Voters Overwhelmingly Support Immigration Enforcement
PR Newswire Nearly three-quarters of Rhode Island voters, 74 percent, say that illegal immigration negatively affects the state. Voters also overwhelmingly oppose an executive order signed by Gov. Chafee preventing Rhode Island police from notifying federal authorities when they arrest or detain an individual they suspect is an illegal alien. The poll also indicates widespread opposition to a new policy which allows illegal aliens to attend public colleges and universities at subsidized in-state tuition rates.

Drug war hypocrisy: drug trafficking's big money benefits Big Brother and corrupt banksters
(NaturalNews) The hypocrisy of the war on drugs is outrageous when compared to the amount of drug trafficking that benefits the CIA and international banking system. The son of a convicted notorious mobster, John Gotti Jr, when asked in court if the family still dealt drugs cracked, "No, we can't compete with the government." Today in Afghanistan, American troops have been seen guarding poppy fields used to make heroin. Those fields were all but wiped out by 2001 when the Taliban destroyed them and forbade that agricultural pursuit. Now they're flourishing again after the American occupation.

VIDEO: Ron and Rand Paul Vindicated On “Civil Rights Act / Right To Discriminate” Issue
Both Congressman Ron Paul and his son Senator Rand Paul have been repeatedly vilified by the mainstream media for stating certain parts of the 1964 Civil Rights Act go too far when violating a private business owners right to discriminate. Yet today CNN is lauding a private business owner, who discriminated against a customer, as a hero.

Paul campaign: Newt must pay medical bills for broken foot
Daily Caller - The Ron Paul campaign is demanding that Newt Gingrich pay the medical bills for Eddie Dillard, a Paul supporter whose foot was broken Tuesday after Gingrich staffers intentionally stomped on it. Campaigning at a Florida polling place Tuesday, Gingrich was greeted by Dillard, who held his Paul sign as Gingrich supporters rallied around their candidate. Gingrich staffers were not pleased with this and, according to a report by Yahoo! News’ Chris Moody, encouraged one another to physically impede the flip-flop wearing Dillard.

GALLUP: State polls predict huge Obama loss
Gallup released their annual state-by-state presidential approval numbers yesterday, and the results should have 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue very worried. If President Obama carries only those states where he had a net positive approval rating in 2011 (e.g. Michigan where he is up 48 percent to 44 percent), Obama would lose the 2012 election to the Republican nominee 323 electoral votes to 215.

Sources: Trump to endorse Newt
Word started leaking out in Las Vegas earlier that Donald Trump's "major announcement" is to back Newt Gingrich, and sources are confirming it to POLITICO. The move is a bit unexpected since Trump had talked even within the past few days about how he may be compelled to run a third-party campaign of his own if he didn't see a Republican candidate who he thought could beat President Barack Obama.

Republican Establishment Excludes Ron Paul From 2012 CPAC Event
Paul Joseph Watson - Despite winning the event’s annual straw poll for the last two years running, Ron Paul has seemingly been excluded from this year’s CPAC conference... The exclusion of Paul is likely a maneuver by GOP insiders to re-align CPAC, the biggest annual conservative confab, with the Republican establishment and prevent an embarrassing straw poll defeat for likely presidential pick Mitt Romney, who Paul beat in 2010 and 2011. According to the CPAC website, fellow presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum will all address the event scheduled to take place Feb. 8-11 in Washington, but Ron Paul will be absent.

Ron Paul campaign raises $13 million
Politico - About 56 percent of Paul’s contribution total came from people donating $200 or less, federal disclosure reports his campaign filed just before midnight Wednesday indicate. The haul is about $3.5 million more than fellow GOP hopeful Newt Gingrich raised during the same period but still well off the torrid cash-collecting pace set by Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama.

Why Ron Paul Has A Good Chance Of Winning In Nevada & Maine
Steve Watson - Paul’s campaign has a lot riding on Nevada where the Congressman, scheduled to hold a major press conference in Las Vegas today, has polled consistently high for weeks. Indeed, Paul has been running ads in The Silver State since last summer in anticipation of the caucuses which begin this Saturday, Feb 4th. When Paul unveiled his centerpiece budget plan last October, he did it in Las Vegas. Four years ago Paul placed second in Nevada behind Mitt Romney. This time around Paul’s support has grown exponentially, while Romney’s has more or less remained the same.

New Poll Shows That Only Paul Or Romney Can Beat Obama
Steve Watson - A new USA Today/Gallup poll indicates that of the four remaining contenders for the GOP nomination, only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are capable of challenging and defeating the incumbent president. According to the poll, Congressman Paul trails Obama by just three percentage points at 49 to 46 percent. That is within the five point margin of error and could easily be overturned if Paul were to win the nomination.

Gingrich Ballot Fraud: Virginia Election Officials Confirm Criminal Investigation
The Brad Blog has received confirmation from two different state agencies that the 1,500 alleged cases of ballot petition fraud said to have been carried out on behalf of the Gingrich campaign, in their unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the Republican primary ballot in Virginia, are now being carried out by the state Attorney General’s office. In late December, after Gingrich had failed to turn in enough valid signatures to qualify for the Virginia primary ballot, he was caught on video tape telling a supporter in Iowa that the reason for the failure was due to a campaign worker who created 1,500 fraudulent signatures.

Iraq veterans reveal horrors of war at N.Y. forum
Soldiers share their harrowing combat experiences

Bid to halt no-camping rule for DC protesters denied
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge denied a petition on Tuesday that would have allowed anti-Wall Street protesters to keep camping - at least temporarily - in two parks in the nation's capital where they have lived for months.

Obama, Saakashvili and a telling slip of the tongue
RT - ... during a press conference with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in the White House on Monday, Obama had a rare slip of the tongue that revealed far more than anything that was properly articulated. “One of the first things that I did was to express my appreciation for the institution building that’s been taking place in Russia,” Obama declared, before quickly correcting himself. “Er, in Georgia…” Then, after speaking about the possibility of a free trade agreement with Georgia, Obama held out the golden bait of NATO membership to Saakashvili. We talked about how we will strengthen our defense cooperation,” Obama said. “I reaffirmed to the president and assured him that the United States will continue to support Georgia’s aspirations for ultimately becoming a member of NATO.”

US, allies urge UN action to end violence in Syria
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Vowing to avoid "another Libya," the U.S. and its allies challenged Russia on Tuesday to overcome its opposition to a U.N. draft resolution demanding that Syrian President Bashar Assad yield power and end the violence that has killed thousands. "It is time for the international community to put aside our own differences and send a clear message of support to the people of Syria," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the U.N. Security Council in backing an Arab League plan for the country.

Serbia buys U.S. Steel plant; Price: $1
(AP) BELGRADE, Serbia - The Serbian government on Tuesday bought a loss-making plant from U.S. Steel for the symbolic sum of $1, hoping to avoid its closure and keep 5,400 workers employed at a time of widespread joblessness and economic hardship in the Balkan country. Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said the deal was a "forced move" caused by the global economic crisis and that the government aims to restructure and resell the plant.

Iran, perceiving threat from West, willing to attack on U.S. soil, U.S. intelligence report finds
Washington Post - Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. said in prepared testimony that an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington that was uncovered last year reflects an aggressive new willingness within the upper ranks of the Islamist republic to authorize attacks against the United States....The assessment signals a potentially dire new direction in the adversarial relationship between the United States and Iran, at a time when there are indications that a covert campaign is already underway to thwart Iran’s alleged ambition to develop a nuclear weapon.

Turkey defies US, EU ban on Iran oil
Press TV - Turkey is the latest defector from Washington economic gang stalking of Iran. A Turkish Energy Ministry spokesman said on Monday, “We are not bound by EU or US decisions.” On Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu ruled out the possibility of Ankara complying with the unilateral sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic, saying Turkey is currently trying to facilitate talks between Tehran and Western nations on Iran's nuclear program.

Intervention in Syria is coming
Lebanon Now - The United States faces a terrible conundrum regarding Syria. The Obama administration wants the regime of Bashar al-Assad gone, but it does not want to see the unfolding of the very processes—conflict and possible international intervention—that seem to be emerging as the only viable means to achieve that. This means that the United States has condemned itself to thus far playing an almost entirely reactive role, even in the context of the limited means at its disposal to influence events in Syria. However, standing on the sidelines and warning all players not to do what they are already doing.

Opposition Leader Wants Syrian President and His Family Sodomized and Murdered
Kurt Nimmo - Haitham Maleh, a founding member of the executive committee of the Syrian National Council, has called for murdering president Bashar al-Assad, his British wife and three children. Maleh wants the al-Assad family murdered the same way Muammar Gaddafi was.

Landmark Case: Greek Court Writes Off EMPLOYED Bank Customer’s Debt
Zero Hedge While previously we have reported that Greek courts had written off "untenable" debts of unemployed Greeks owed to local banks, Kathimerini describes a landmark case which may have profound implications for the indebted country, in which a fully employed woman has had the bulk of her debt written off. From Kathimerini: "In what could turn out to be a significant ruling for Greeks suffering from the economic crisis, a court in Hania, Crete, has become the first in the country to order that the majority of the debt owed to banks by someone still in full employment be wiped out.

EU to spend 3 million Euros promoting insects ‘as alternative source of protein’
Food experts agree that insects would probably have to be disguised for European audiences, so the insect 'food' could be used as an additive in burgers and other fast food. The UN's Food Standards Authority says of the research: 'While insects have not traditionally been used for food in the UK or elsewhere in the European Union, it is estimated that about 2.5 billion people across the world have diets that routinely include insects.

China Buying Record Quantities of Gold
Forbes - Analysts believe China bought as much as 490 tons of gold in 2011, double the estimated 245 tons in 2010. “The thing that’s caught people’s minds is the massive increase in Chinese buying,” remarked Ross Norman of Sharps Pixley, a London gold brokerage, this month.

Homeowner stunned as hailstorm showers his garden with goo-like material
Mail Online - When it comes to the weather, the British have proudly come to expect the unexpected. But blue jelly-like balls descending from the heavens is perhaps pushing it. That is what Steve Hornsby, 61, saw when he was caught in a freak 20-second hail storm. He sheltered beneath the eaves of his garage amid the downpour, which turned the sky over Bournemouth a peculiar dark yellow.

VIDEO: Shipwreck hunters find mysterious ‘Millennium Falcon’ object at bottom of Baltic Sea
Daily Mail - Shipwreck surveyors found a remarkable object in the depths of the Baltic Sea, but before they start celebrating, they need to figure out what it is. A Swedish company named Ocean Explorer have discovered an unidentified object using their sonar technology in a secret location in the Baltic Sea. Because of a lack of funding and bad timing, they have not been able to pull a team together to see for themselves.

California Nuclear plant shuts down reactor as precaution
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - One of two reactors at the San Onofre nuclear power station in Southern California was shut down on Tuesday after a small leak was detected in a steam generator tube, but the incident posed no risk to the public or plant workers, the facility operator said.

SHOWDOWN: Issa threatens Eric Holder with contempt
Politico - House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) threatened Tuesday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress if the Justice Department did not provide certain documents in response to the committee’s subpoena. In a letter to Holder, Issa wrote that “this committee will have no alternative but to move forward with proceedings to hold you in contempt of Congress” if Holder and the DOJ didn’t produce documents they demanded relating to the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal. Holder has until Thursday, Feb. 9. to comply, according to Issa.

VIDEO: New Jersey Government Moves to Force Fluoridation on Public
Kurt Nimmo - Despite numerous studies showing the danger of fluoride and cities and municipalities deciding to no longer poison their citizens with the neurotoxin, officialdom in New Jersey has moved to add it to the state’s water. Disregarding the warnings of environmentalists and utility officials, New Jersey’s Health Committee, at the behest of Assemblyman Herb Conaway, a Camden Democrat, has required the state’s water companies to add fluoride.

Senate Bill Will Force Radiation Testing Of TSA Scanners
Steve Watson - The ranking Republican Senator on the Homeland Security Committee is poised to introduce legislation this week that would force the TSA to have independent tests carried out on the Backscatter radiation body scanners currently in use in hundreds of airports nationwide. “Our bill would require the independent study on the possible health effects of the x-ray radiation emitted by some of the scanning machines and give airline passengers, especially those passengers in sensitive groups, such as pregnant women, clear notice of their ability to choose another screening option in lieu of exposure to ionizing radiation,” Senator Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) told The Register in an email.

Obama plays his Catholic allies for fools
Washington Post - In politics, the timing is often the message. On Jan. 20 — three days before the annual March for Life — the Obama administration announced its final decision that Catholic universities, hospitals and charities will be compelled to pay for health insurance that covers sterilization, contraceptives and abortifacients.

Park ranger zaps man with stun gun for walking dogs off-leash
A Montana man walking two lapdogs off leash was hit with an electric-shock gun by a National Park Service ranger after allegedly giving a false name and trying to walk away, authorities said Monday.... Witnesses said the use of a stun gun and the arrest seemed excessive for someone walking two small dogs off leash.

YouTube: Ron Paul Gives Energetic Speech In Nevada After Florida Voting
MSNBC - The Congressman rouses his supporters, explains why he has chosen to focus on the caucus states, and talks of the long campaign ahead.

Florida Primary Election Results

Drudge Report Poll 1/31/12
Ron Paul 30%, Mitt Romney 28%, Newt Gingrich 24%, Rick Santorum 18%.

Holder plots to stop states from enforcing "Voter ID" laws, says legal group
Examiner - The Attorney General, in a speech, stated that "all citizens should be automatically registered to vote" and is critical of voter ID laws passed in Arizona, Texas and other states. In fact, Holder has put the wheels in motion for a series of DOJ federal lawsuits against states that attempts to require photo identification before a person is allowed to vote.

PayPal co-founders fund pro-Paul Super PAC
(Reuters) - PayPal co-founders Peter Thiel and Luke Nosek and Scott Banister, an early adviser and board member, put their support behind the Endorse Liberty Super PAC, alongside Internet advertising veteran Stephen Oskoui and entrepreneur Jeffrey Harmon, who founded Endorse Liberty in November.... "Too often in this country we learn things the hard way ... With its unsustainable deficits, government spending is heading down the same path. Men and women who want freedom and growth should take action. A good place to start is voting for Ron Paul," Thiel said in a statement.

Thiel’s $900,000 makes him the single largest contributor
Politico - Endorse Liberty, a super PAC supporting Rep. Ron Paul’s presidential campaign, received nearly a million dollars from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, new documents show. Thiel’s $900,000 makes him the single largest contributor in the short time since the PAC was founded on December 20, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Since founding PayPal in 1998, Thiel now runs the hedge fund Clarium Capital. His net worth has been reported to be at least $1.5 billion.

Romney wins Florida GOP primary, Fox News projects
Fox News - Mitt Romney defeated Newt Gingrich in the Florida Republican presidential primary Tuesday night, Fox News projects, surging from a second-place finish in South Carolina to sweep the winner-take-all contest and reassert his frontrunner status.

Ron Paul Draws 1,200 Colorado Supporters in Fort Collins
2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul again drew a huge crowd of supporters. The 12-term Congressman from Texas attracted more than 1,200 supporters and undecided voters in Fort Collins, Colorado earlier today. The crowd gathered for Dr. Paul in the Lory Student Center’s Main Ballroom at Colorado State University. Video of the event here.

Ron Paul to Make Statewide Campaign Visit to Nevada
On their 55th wedding anniversary, Dr. & Mrs. Paul to tour the Silver State for a consequential visit Henderson, Nevada – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul will make a far-reaching visit to the early voting state of Nevada, cementing the aggressive posture his campaign has taken as it presents Dr. Paul as the sole authentic conservative vying for the Republican nomination.

Ron Paul: Stop taxing tips
Las Vegas Sun - I’ve introduced the Tax Free Tips Act in Congress, which would exempt tips from federal income and payroll taxes, meaning no more taxes on tips. That’s because I understand ending taxes on tips will give these workers a pay raise, letting them keep more money to put toward things like a house or car payment, their retirement, or their own and/or their children’s education. If elected president, I will end this injustice on service-industry workers all across our nation by abolishing all taxes on tips once and for all.

VIDEO’09 Recording Reveals Gingrich’s Support for an Individual Health Care Mandate
Newt Gingrich has spent the leadup to the state’s presidential primary casting Mitt Romney as Barack Obama’s Republican twin, telling reporters this morning that Romney’s Massachusetts healtcare reform law “is Obamacare.” But it turns out Newt has some serious Obamacare problems of his own.

Gingrich sued for using Rocky III theme song at rallies
The claim for copyright infringement, lodged on Monday by Rude Music Inc in an Illinois federal court, relates to Gingrich's use of the song at his political rallies. Rude Music Inc is owned by Frank Sullivan, who co-wrote the Grammy award-winning song. In addition to Gingrich, the complaint names as defendants his campaign, Newt 2012 Inc, and the American Conservative Union, an advocacy organisation. The complaint states that the violation it alleges is intentional since Gingrich is "sophisticated and knowledgeable" concerning copyright laws.

‘Everyone step on his toes!’ Gingrich security harasses Ron Paul supporter
WINDERMERE, Fla.--Next time, Eddie Dillard won't wear flip-flops. “Everyone step on his toes!” a Gingrich campaign aide said. Gingrich aides and security personnel swarmed Dillard, trying to intimidate him into moving. One of Gingrich's security agents stepped in front of him. When Dillard didn't budge, the agent lifted his heeled shoe over Dillard's bare foot and dug the back of it into his skin, twisting it side-to-side like he was stomping out a cigarette. Shocked, Dillard kept his ground and took a picture of the agent with his phone, which was quickly knocked out of his hand. Dillard slipped off his flip-flop to pick up the phone with his foot, and a Gingrich supporter kicked the sandal away.

YouTube: Veterans March on the White House
February 20th at 12:00 PM EST in front of the Washington Monument as we prepare to march to the White House. The march itself will start at 2:00 PM EST. Please share this with any vet you know and spread the word. We are marching to raise awareness that Ron Paul is the choice of the troops to be our commander in chief. Ron Paul has more active military donations than all other candidates combined. Come join us to see why.

Twitter is being asked to turn over Occupy-related tweets for the second time
New York City has issued a subpoena for Twitter, Inc., demanding that the company hand over a collection of tweets and related information pertaining to an account belonging to an Occupy Wall Street protester.... Neither Twitter nor the NYC Court has explained the subpoena so far, but the social networking site is asked to hand in all material on February 8 to be used in a criminal action against Harris.

VIDEO: Former Israeli army commander heading private security firm says he's ready to crush #OccupyMiami
Huffington Post - A sign of uncertain times, or marketing of questionable taste? As Occupy Miami received its most certain eviction notice yet, possibly leading to a sunset showdown of sorts with police, a Miami security company issued a statement boasting their readiness to "intervene, should riots occur." Apparently, should Tuesday's deadline send tents flying, police should look for help from Bryant Security -- who recommend the community prepare for "data protection...community/group support, natural disasters/hurricanes, and a two-day continuous plan" "in case of riots or other emergencies." Referring to Bryant's president, listed as a former long-range reconnaissance unit commander for the Israeli Defense Force, the release claims...

Occupy Oakland protesters split over violence
SF Gate - For many Occupy activists outside Oakland and San Francisco, the violent clashes with police and destruction that attended protests in those cities over the past two weeks not only went against the Occupy message - they've started to undercut its essence. Even within the cities, there is a deepening split between those who accept violence as a tactic and those who oppose it.