Ukraine says 100,000 Russian troops near border

Yahoo news
March 26, 2014

Washington (AFP) - Nearly 100,000 Russian forces have massed on Ukraine's border, a top Ukrainian defense official told an American audience Thursday, giving a number far higher than US military estimates.

"Almost 100,000 soldiers are stationed on the borders of Ukraine and in the direction ... of Kharkiv, Donetsk, " Andriy Parubiy, chairman of Ukraine's national security council, said via a webcast from Kiev.
Read the entire article:

http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-claims-100-000-russian-troops-near-border-151112283.html;_ylt=AwrTWfycSTRTzxkAs3_QtDMD

Hand-to-mouth nation

MyBudget360
March 25, 2014

 Roughly 40 percent of US households living paycheck to paycheck but two thirds of these families are not considered poor by economic definitions.

People have a hard time believing that in the wealthiest country in the world, we have close to half of our population living hand-to-mouth bouncing from one paycheck to another.  A recent paper released by the Brookings Institution’s BPEA conference shows that people living hand-to-mouth are largely those with“middle class” incomes.  Of course middle class doesn’t say much in a world where banks are inflating our debt away and the US dollar has lost considerable purchasing power over the last generation.  What was telling from the report was that 40 percent of US households live paycheck to paycheck.  This might not be a surprise given the vast number of people working in low wage jobs.  What was telling from the report was that two out of three of these households represent a part of the “wealthier” income segment of our society.  The paper discusses how many of these people are house rich but cash poor.  These people basically live in their retirement fund.

Hand-to-mouth nation

The paper was telling but also had a very low threshold as to what it considers “substantial” holdings.  The paper placed the bar at $50,000 where a family would be considered “wealthy” which is rather low.  What the paper found was that many of these families that hold some chunk of wealth are actually living very similar lives to the poor in America.  This all makes sense.  If you own a home and most of your net worth is tied up in your property, this does very little in addressing short-term cash flow issues which unfortunately are extremely common.

Those that are considered to be “wealthy hand-to-mouth” tend to be older and more educated:

What is significant about the paper is how low the bar is getting for someone to be considered wealthy.  After all, we do have over 47 million people on food stamps with virtually no liquid savings.  The median net worth for young Americans is actually negative thanks to the mountains of debt they are carrying via student loans.  What you realize is that slowly the avenues towards wealth are being closed off or are certainly becoming much harder to pass through.  This ties in with policy actions from the Fed which amount to a large wealth transfer to the rich.  It was interesting to hear the President of the Dallas Fed mention this in regards to QE.

When we look at where jobs are being created, we can only forecast that those living hand-to-mouth will be increasing in the next decade:

While the US lost 4 million good paying jobs since the recession hit we have added 3.6 million low-wage jobs.  We now have the largest number of Americans working in low-wage jobs as a percentage of our entire work force.

This hand-to-mouth living may not seem like a big deal but it does say more about how we view economic policy and the impact of larger scale bailouts.  The financial sector is doing well thanks to targeted bailouts but it is certainly not trickling down.  This much is clear and the above figures merely reflect a slow erosion of the middle class.

It should matter that our nation is seeing a dramatically higher number of people living paycheck to paycheck.  The income and wealth inequality in the nation is staggering.  Just take a look at where wealth stands:

The top 1 percent control 43 percent of all available wealth.  The top 5 percent control 72 percent of all available wealth.  The bottom 80 percent only has control of 7 percent of total wealth. 

It isn’t a surprise that many middle class families are living hand-to-mouth.  I wouldn’t consider $50,000 in savings to be substantial especially if you are nearing retirement age and the only asset you have is a home.  Yet this is how low the bar is now being placed for someone to be considered financially well off.

It almost seems like things that were once accepted as part of the middle class like good healthcare, quality education, and access to affordable housing are now becoming items of luxury.  Do people still think that inflation is a good policy action especially when the inflation is being spurred on by bailouts to the financial sector?  I’m sure those living hand-to-mouth have something to say about this.

TSA wants armed law enforcement at checkpoints

Yahoo News
March 26, 2014

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration recommended Wednesday that airports post armed law enforcement officers at security checkpoints and ticket counters during peak hours.

The recommendation was one of 14 determined after a nationwide review of security at airports prompted by a fatal shooting at Los Angeles International Airport last fall.

The 25-page report to Congress was obtained by The Associated Press. Congress will now review the recommendations.

The AP has reported that the two armed officers at the LAX terminal had left for breaks and were out of the terminal at the time of the shooting. Airport police decided months earlier to have officers roam terminals instead of staffing checkpoints such as the one approached by a gunman.

The Transportation Security Administration conducted its own review of security at nearly 450 airports nationwide after the Nov. 1 shooting at LAX that killed TSA Officer Gerardo Hernandez — the agency's first line of duty death. Two officers and a passenger were also wounded.

Paul Ciancia, 24, opened fire with an assault rifle in an attack targeting the TSA, authorities said. The Pennsville, N.J.-native has pleaded not guilty to 11 federal charges, including murder of a federal officer.

TSA has held over 100 town hall meetings with officers across the country since the shooting to field suggestions to improve airport security. Dozens of groups have provided input, including law enforcement, airlines, airport operators and the TSA union.

Report recommendations include requiring that TSA employees go through twice yearly active shooter training and participate in related training exercises. The TSA also recommends acquiring panic alarms for areas where gaps have been identified, having these alarms routinely tested and encouraging that these alarms be linked to security cameras.

The Associated Press has reported that though TSA officers told airport officials that an officer hit the panic button, there was no evidence it happened. An airport-wide audit of red phones and panic buttons found some of those devices weren't working properly, including in Terminal 3— where the shooting took place.

A TSA supervisor picked up an emergency phone but fled the gunman before being able to speak. The airport police dispatcher only heard shouts and gunshots because the phone system didn't provide a location.

Because officers weren't in the terminal, an airline contractor called police dispatch directly on his cellphone, alerting officers nearly a minute and a half after the shooting began.

Another recommendation would extend the temporary redeployment of special teams to conduct random security sweeps.

Read the entire article

College Students Fail to Name a Single U.S. Senator

CNS News
March 26, 2014

Last week, MRCTV's Dan Joseph went to American University to give the student body a little general knowledge quiz.

When asked if they could name a SINGLE U.S. senator, the students blanked.  Also, very few knew that each state has two senators.  The guesses were all over the map, with some crediting each state with twelve, thirteen, and five senators. 

So, when it comes to politics, the students at American University are a little rusty - but, they passed with flying colors when it comes to pop culture.

Almost everyone MRCTV interviewed was able name the Academy Award winner for Best Original Song: "Let It Go" from the movie "Frozen."

Israel Closes Embassies/Obama Turning against Israel

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!!!
Mark Matheny
March 26, 2014

The Truthseeker: Media 'staged' Syria chem attack

RT News
March 23, 2014




BBC 'total fabrication from beginning to end' of Syria 'atrocity'; call to revoke visas for intel agents posing as reporters in NATO targets; CIA caught infiltrating CNN, and Operation Mockingbird is back.

Seek truth from facts with UK Member of Parliament George Galloway; Illinois University Professor of International Law Francis Boyle; investigative reporter John Helmer; ordinary Syrians; and Ukraine covergirl 'Julia'.

Read the full transcript http://on.rt.com/r4608l 

Cupid Drone armed with taser gaining interest from military

My Fox DC
March 24, 2014

A new drone, armed with a taser, is gaining a lot of interest from military and law enforcement agencies.
It is called the ‘Cupid Drone’ and was developed at Chaotic Moon Studios. The newly developed Chaotic Unmanned Personal Intercept Drone can shoot 80-thousand volts of electricity into a subject.
"If you imagine a S.W.A.T. raid and people running - why send officers, with gun blazing, down an alley way where they can shoot and harm an innocent person or whatever, when you could just have the drone follow them," said Chaotic Moon co-founder, William "Whurley" Hurley.

See the video here
DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG

Willey: America Deserves Better Than Clintons

Kathleen Willey
WND
March 24, 2014

“What difference does it make?”

Indeed, Madam Secretary, Madam Senator, former first lady and FLOA, it makes a very big difference.

The last time we saw Hillary Clinton as our secretary of state, she was testifying before a congressional committee about Benghazi. During that meeting on Jan. 22, 2013, we heard her shriek, “What difference does it make?”

Earlier, right before one of the presidential debates, on Oct. 15, 2012, Hillary stated during a series of interviews that she, as secretary of state, was responsible for the security of the embassy staff. “The buck stops here.”

I remember being so surprised when I heard it, but I was immediately suspicious.

Nothing – absolutely nothing – is happenstance in the Clintons’ world. Everything they do or say is weighed, measured, practiced and tested. Taking responsibility for anything is rare for them, so I waited for follow-up, the next step. Of course, there was none. It was only a symbolic gesture as the head of her department. Saying it is easy. Doing something about it is a whole different matter. To make it stick, problems needed to be identified and corrected.

Read more

Watch Alex Jones’ interview with Kathleen Willey exposing how Hillary Clinton is engaged in a “war on women” by attacking women who Clinton believes are standing in her way.