We Are Change

Media Matters founder David Brick has suffered a heart attack but is expected to make a “swift recovery,” according to reports that emerged on Wednesday.

David Brock, longtime Clinton adviser, super PAC guy & MMFA founder, suffered heart attack yesterday, spox says. Hoping for “swift recovery”

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) March 22, 2017

Bradley Beychok, Brock’s chief of staff, released a statement saying, “David Brock suffered a heart attack while working in the Washington DC office early Tuesday”. He went on to say that Brock was “…quickly transported to a local hospital, received prompt medical treatment, and we are looking forward to a swift recovery.”

Beychok also said “We thank everyone for their well wishes, and especially want to thank the wonderful doctors and staff who treated David. We kindly ask for privacy as he recovers”.

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Have you ever felt so badly hurt by someone that you refused to forgive them?  Have you ever felt so disappointed with your own behavior that you refused to forgive yourself?

Why is it so hard to let go and forgive others?  Why is it often times most difficult to let go and forgive yourself?

There is a parable about two Buddhist monks walking along a river bank.  Suddenly, they notice a naked woman lying unconscious beside the shore.

Without hesitation, the wiser and elder of the two ran to pick her up.  His pupil followed and together they took a raft across the river, bringing the helpless woman to shelter and safety.

For the entire journey the elder monk held the naked woman in his arms as the younger monk stared at him in bewilderment.  As part of the commitment to their spiritual path the monks had taken a vow to never touch nor behold a naked woman.

The younger monk could not understand how the elder monk could break his vow so easily.  Every passing minute since they had dropped off the woman, the younger monk became more and more filled with judgment towards his companion.

Three hours had gone by and the younger monk could no longer contain himself.  He gathered his strength and asked his companion, “how could you hold that naked woman for so long”?

The elder monk calmly replied, “if I did not rescue that woman, who knows what tragedies would have befallen her.  Besides, I let go of her hours ago.  You on the other hand, are still holding onto her now”.  The younger monk smiled as he realized the lesson the elder monk was trying to teach him:

Letting go is a psychological process.  It involves making a conscious decision to forgive and move past whatever or whoever is troubling you.

I am not suggesting that you become a push over and allow people to walk all over you.  In fact, I highly recommend you to be courageous enough to remove the people in your life who are causing more harm than help.

Once you have determined a relationship to be toxic, cut the chord and let go of all the resentments attached to that individual.

After all, what good will come out of holding a grudge against someone who is no longer a part of your reality?  Why force yourself to relive a moment of unhappiness and disappointment that belongs to your past?  Why cause yourself physical and mental distress while the person who caused it roams free and without worry?

The young monk in the story carried the naked woman in his mind three hours longer than he had to.  How many times in your life have you carried negative emotions for hours, weeks, months, even years longer than was necessary?

Letting go does not always mean letting go of a relationship.  Sometimes it means working through the hurt emotions you feel and granting the person you care about forgiveness.

Every relationship, whether good or bad, will come with a price.  In fact, often times the greatest relationships are the most expensive (require the most effort and many times the most forgiveness).

It is much easier to repress and hold onto ill feelings than it is to process and release them.  It requires an effort to let go and forgive yourself as well as others.

Whether you decide to end a relationship or maintain a relationship, letting go of negative emotions is always the wise decision.

Life becomes lighter.  Your head becomes clearer.  Your heart becomes freer.  Your soul ascends higher.

Once you acknowledge that letting go is more for your own peace of mind than anyone else’s, the next step is speaking about whatever is weighing heavy on your heart.  It is often times most effective to communicate directly with the individual who has caused you distress.

At times when you find this method to be inappropriate you can speak out loud to the universe, with a close and trustworthy friend, or perhaps even write out your feelings onto a page.  By verbally communicating about your negative emotions you allow them to be released from your mind, body, and spirit.

Like the younger monk, you allow yourself to release your judgments and resentments and open yourself up to gain insight and clarity from a universe that has your best interest in mind.

One of the reasons why so many people are unhappy today is because they have no space for happiness to enter their lives.  They allow themselves (for all the right reasons) to remain imprisoned by ill feelings towards themselves, others, the universe, etc.

Today, make the decision to set yourself free by letting go of the negative emotions that are bombarding your life and
create a space for happiness and clarity to penetrate your being.

The post How “Letting Go” Can Positively Enhance Your Life appeared first on We Are Change.

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Recently, Dr. Ron Paul broke down his views on the recent interest rate hike at the Federal Reserve and the direction he believes we’re heading within the monetary system.

Dr. Paul made a familiar prediction, that we are headed towards stagflation, or an inflationary depression like we’ve never seen before.

Stagflation is defined as a high inflation rate teamed with high unemployment and low economic growth. When the government spends unthinkable amounts of money while the Federal Reserve prints currency out of thin air, devaluing the currency, creating debt and inflation, this is a sad inevitability.

Now, former Congressman Ron Paul has made these predictions in the past, but of course he did not put a date on it. The fact is, with the level of absolute manipulation of the markets and monetary system, economic fundamentals are off the table, making trends futile.

It’s seems inevitable but we can’t put a date on it. Just because Ron Paul has claimed it’s inevitable does not make him incorrect, it means he thinks forward unlike so many.

All fiat currency of the past has eventually reverted to its intrinsic value of zero, considering it’s based on faith or hot air rather than physical quantity or sound money.

John Sneisen and I dig deep into Ron Paul’s claims on the Ron Paul Liberty Report and look at some revealing charts including M2’s current trend as well as the M2 Velocity which has hit a historic low of about 1.48, a low which author and economic analyst John Sneisen explains in greater detail.

Dr. Paul also broke down the worrisome fact that in 11 years, interest rates have only been raised a couple of times, all combined to less than an entire point. Interest rates should certainly not be artificial but the notion that it hasn’t been raised in 11 years says a lot about the direction of the U.S. monetary system.

Of course Dr. Paul has made the point many times in the past that President Donald Trump cannot do anything to change the inevitable fall of the economy. It’s out of his hands and in the hands of the Federal Reserve, Treasury (which often acts outside the state) and global manipulators.

With the explanation of worthless currency coming from the Federal Reserve, Ron Paul also brought up the use of gold and silver for long term monetary insurance of individuals. Of course banks like Deutsche Bank, HSBC, BNP Paribas and the Bank of Nova Scotia have been caught red-handed in the past year manipulating the value of gold and silver for the ESF (Exchange Stabilization Fund), however once the system collapses, so do the chains connected to the artificial bear market in the precious metals industry.

That which is decentralized will stand far above that which is centrally planned. This will lead to a currency revolution. Perhaps we may even see competing currencies in the near future with the assumption of a free market and a free monetary system following the crash.

First, the populace must understand basic economics which is purposely complicated despite its simplicity. So education is key to a true financial revolution.

The post Ron Paul Predicts Inflationary Depression, Stagflation and Dollar Crash appeared first on We Are Change.

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In a speech addressing the House of Representatives yesterday, Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard advocated for a new bill calling for the federal decriminalization of marijuana.

The bill would make marijuana legal in the same way as alcohol and tobacco.

Gabbard introduced the bipartisan legislation called Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act or H.R.1227. U.S. Rep. Tom Garrett, of Virginia, an Army veteran, former prosecutor and Gabbard’s colleague urged her fellow constituents to pass the law.

She said federally decriminalizing marijuana is a key part of criminal justice reform efforts.

“Our outdated policies on marijuana are having devastating ripple effects on individuals and communities across the country,” said Gabbard.

Since the bill was originally proposed on February 27, several other Democrats and Republicans have signed their support, including Jared Polis of Colorado (D), Earl Blumenauer of Oregon (D), Don Young of Arkansas (R), Justin Amash of Michigan (R), and Dana Rohrabacher of California(R), Trofire reported.

So far, the bill has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the House Judiciary. Last week, the bill was further referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations – where it’s expected to face its strongest resistance.

“If passed, the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act (H.R.1227) would take marijuana off the federal controlled substances list—joining other industries such as alcohol and tobacco,” a press release said.

Last month, Gabbard visited several Hawaii Community Correctional Centers in an effort to focus on reforming the criminal justice system.

“Our outdated policies on marijuana are having devastating ripple effects on individuals and communities across the country. They have turned everyday Americans into criminals, torn apart families, and wasted huge amounts of taxpayer dollars to arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate people for non-violent marijuana charges,” said Gabbard. “Differences in state and federal law have also created confusion and uncertainty for our local businesses, who face contradictory regulations that affect their bottom line and ability to operate. I urge our colleagues to support our bipartisan legislation which would decriminalize marijuana, bringing about long overdue and common sense reform.”

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Five people in a Pakistani family that were employed by members of the House of Representatives are now under criminal investigation after unauthorized access to Congressional computers has resulted in one of the largest breaches of national security in U.S. history.

The investigation started late last year, Politico reported in February.

Three brothers, Abid, Jamal and Imran Awan, and two of their wives, Hina Alvi and Natalia Sova worked as employees for several members of the House. All worked as information technology (IT) aides from July 2009 to 2017.

Rao Abbas is also under investigation according to Russia Today.

Their jobs were related to intelligence, terrorism, and cybersecurity. This included the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces of the Armed Services Committee.

The brothers are accused of serious allegations including accessing members’ computer networks without their knowledge, funneling out data to an external server, and stealing equipment from Congress.

Among those members of the House that may have had their computers compromised is Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz who was previously the target of an email hack. She served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 campaign, and was forced to step down after her bias for Hillary Clinton was revealed.

News of the brothers’ investigation has sparked speculation that it may be tied to the hack of the DNC servers.

As IT employees, they set up user accounts for numerous Democrat politicians. As such, they had superuser privileges and could see all of the emails and files saved on the computers of the House members.

The FBI requested access to the DNC’s server to examine server metadata and find out who was responsible, but the DNC refused, FBI Director James Comey said, according to The Hill.

The investigation into the Awan family is still ongoing, and no arrests have been made. Staffers who were there claimed previous customers were “asked to update their security settings,” Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki said The Daily Caller reported.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said last week that Capitol Police are receiving additional help for the massive investigation.

“I won’t speak to the nature of their investigation, but they’re getting the kind of technical assistance they need to do that, this is under an active criminal investigation, their capabilities are pretty strong but they’re also able to go and get the kind of help they need from other sources,” Ryan said.

It’s worth noting that the staffers were linked to the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah. Through an LLC they set up called Cars International A (CIA), a car dealership with strange peculiar finances. For example, they took a $100,000 loan and subsequently didn’t pay it back from Dr. Ali Al-Attar. A fugitive who has had numerous run-ins with the law, the Daily Caller reported.

“After moving to the U.S., Attar made his money practicing medicine in Maryland and Virginia and defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and insurance companies by billing for non-existent medical procedures. The FBI raided his offices in 2009 and the Department of Health and Human Services sued his business partner in 2011.

Attar was indicted in March 2012 on separate tax fraud charges after the IRS and FBI found he used multiple bank accounts to hide income. He fled back to Iraq to avoid prison.”

Youtuber and investigative journalist George Webb has been questioning and making connections for the past few weeks about the Awans. This case is massive and what’s mentioned in this article is only merely scratching the surface. I imagine further information will come out as more of the puzzle pieces are put together.

Popular author Mike Cernovich tweeted that “ISIS saw every email to and from Congress. This should be the biggest story of the year.”

The post Pakistani Family Under Investigation For Largest Breach Of U.S. National Security In History appeared first on We Are Change.

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Goldman Sachs is up to no good once again as they recently sold $5.7 billion in bad mortgages. Fannie Mae auctioned off these bad mortgages, which were then purchased by Goldman Sachs over the past year and a half.

The bank then sells them as collateralized debt obligations (C.D.O.) which they’ll give a ‘triple A’ rating. Just as they did in 2008 to many risky packages. They will then insure them with a credit default swap (CDS) to ensure they won’t lose despite their continued failure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfxYRvXXDdw

First, let us explain what Collateralized Debt Obligations are:
A C.D.O. is when banks take mortgages and put them into a package and sell them to other people. Often a few of the mortgages are indeed good. However, they’re packaged with almost entirely bad mortgages in order to rate them by the two or three top loans, but still profit from the terrible deals. Most of the mortgages aren’t worth a thing.

Then they sell them off to a bunch of pension funds, usually government administrated.

In Norway, government pension funds went bankrupt due to collateralized debt obligations which had collapsed.

Banks then go and insure these investments, having a direct hand in their creation to then bet against them. They package them and sell them off without touching the loans themselves.

For more in depth information on ‘Mortgage Backed Securities’, ‘Credit Default Swaps’ and ‘Collateralized Debt Obligations’, please see the below video we produced with financial trends expert Stephen Kendal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRtFnluZB4A

Since 2008, banks like Citi Bank have hired theologians to ensure “ethics” in their operations. This is all a big joke to make the surface appears more friendly as the banks are continually being exposed. These banksters do not care about people. They care only about making as much money as humanly possible. By enslaving people in debt, pushing them into servitude and thriving off the debt of the populace.
As author and economic analyst John Sneisen puts it:

“They have hired countless lawyers and have put aside a fund to fund all the fines they get from this corrupt activity. They own the Federal Reserve and they own your life if you have your money in these institutions. They only care about making money off of your money at any cost.”

When your money is in a bank, of course, it is not your money, it’s the bank’s. They make risky investments with your loaned money which can leave a person in financial trouble. This practice is called fractional reserve banking. Also worth mentioning, most major banks have instituted “bail-in regimes” which empty depositors’ bank accounts in order to pay off their accumulated debts due to their insane risks.

Bail-ins have been implemented into the Federal budget in Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Also note it has been utilized in Cyprus, Greece, Austria and at the oldest bank ‘Monte dei Paschi di Siena’ in Italy among others. According to documents World Alternative Media uncovered last year, bail-ins have been planned out. For more than 20 years as 1997 Exchange Stabilization Fund papers have proven.
The video on the Exchange Stabilization Fund findings can be found here:

John Sneisen and I quickly break down the insanity of the perpetual corrupt actions of major banks like Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. Thorough education on these specific matters are key to avoiding the iron grip of bankster criminals. Basic economics are avoided by most due to the fact that it seems mind numbing despite its simplicity. The complicated lingo of economics is written that way on purpose, in order to repel the populace. After all, if people knew what the globalist financial manipulators were doing, there would be torches in the streets of every major city.

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For four years, the mainstream media has accused Edward Snowden of being a foreign spy due to the unknown nature of where Snowden spent his first 11 days in Hong Kong. Those rumors have been put to rest today by Intercept journalist Glenn Greenwald, who obtained documents debunking the conspiracy.

“They insist that contrary to what Snowden had asserted, he did not check into the Mira Hotel on May 21, 2013, the day after he arrived in Hong Kong. Instead, they assert that he checked-in on June 1, which means Snowden has 11 “unaccounted-for” days from the time he arrived in Hong Kong. This was all before he met with journalists at the Mira in the beginning of June,” Greenwald writes.

These missing “11 days” has spawned frivolous baseless conspiracy theories. Many mainstream pundits have said that this is proof that Snowden was working for a foreign government either Russia or China.

But as Greenwald notes, Snowden’s claims have never changed: “he boarded a flight from Honolulu to Hong Kong, checked into the Mira Hotel on May 21 under his own name, and then stayed continuously in Room 1014 at the Mira as he waited for the arrival of the journalists.”

Obama’s own acting CIA Director Michael Morell even denied the ridiculous claims that Snowden was working for foreign intelligence in 2015.

“My own view on this question is that both Chinese and Russian intelligence officers undoubtedly pitched him — offering him millions of dollars to share the documents he had stolen and to answer any questions they had about the NSA and CIA. But my guess is that Snowden said, “No, thank you,” given his mind-set and his clear dislike for intelligence services of any stripe,” Morell said to the Daily Beast.

Several documents provided by the Mira Hotel and Booking.com to Snowden’s lawyers in Hong Kong prove that Snowden has always told the truth that he checked into the hotel on May 21st. The first two documents show that Snowden checked in on May 21st and booked the hotel, the last document shows that Snowden accumulated $2,700 in fees for his original one day stay at the hotel from May 20th-21st which he later extended twice until June 10th when he left for Moscow.

These documents conclusively prove that it’s a false accusation that Snowden did not check into the Mira prior to June 1, and that the missing 11 days never happened.

The story which apparently was started by Edward Jay Epstein of the WSJ on the grounds that an anonymous official told him that “U.S. investigative agencies have been unable to find any credit-card charges or hotel records indicating his whereabouts” given that the hotel records and credit cards were all in Snowden’s name,” Greenwald writes.

Greenwald then goes on to expose the problem with journalism now-a-days: blind belief in a claim without any further investigation by others. Just parroting what another “well respected” establishment figure said, or reading a government funded pre-packaged news without discernment. You can read Greenwald’s full explosive expose of the missing eleven days here on the Intercept.

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There have been reports of a terrorist attack at the U.K. Parliament. Two people have been reported dead after the attacks, and around a dozen more are injured. We will not be able to identify these people until the investigations have been released.

Incident in #Westminster: We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 22, 2017

A man wielding an ‘eight inch’ knife has been shot outside Parliament after charging the gates and stabbing a police officers. Police officers have have declared it to be a “terrorist incident” at the capital “until we know otherwise.” Up to a dozen of innocent pedestrians were apparently mowed down on Westminster Bridge by a grey 4×4, which then crashed into the gates outside of Parliament.

The area is now on lockdown as helicopters have come in to assist casualties, and police investigate the situation. David Lidington, the leader of the House of Commons has been reported to say that “it seems that a police officer has been stabbed; that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police. An air ambulance is attending the scene to remove the casualties. There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity.”

Dramatic pictures display bodies littering Westminster Bridge and the vicinity outside Parliament.

Earlier reports suggested sounds of an explosion but have yet to be confirmed.

Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs: “What I am able to say to the House is there has been a serious incident within the estate.”

Watch video below of Lidington addressing in the chamber that they are to remain in lockdown following advice from police.

It seems as if the alleged ring-leader of the terrorist attack has been shot, but we do not know whether he is still alive or dead at this point.

SEVERAL PEOPLE INJURD AFTER A SHOOTING AT THE HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT IN LONDON #London #LondonAttack #BrusselsAttacks #Orly #Shooting #terror pic.twitter.com/XVweuzLnUw

— DWP- SITUATION DESK (@daniel_site) March 22, 2017

This incident comes exactly one year after the 2016 Brussels bombings, in which 32 people were killed. The known order of events of today’s attack can be seen below.

In response to the crisis, UK Prime Minister Theresa May was quickly evacuated through an underground tunnel system. It seems that the House of Commons had to suspend debates due to the incident.

There is no clear motive, intent, or affiliation of the attacker at this point.

Prime Minister May was evacuated by underground tunnels from the Westminster#London #Westminster #LondonAttack #terrorism

— DWP- SITUATION DESK (@daniel_site) March 22, 2017

This is a breaking story, and updates will be added as they come in. Stay tuned on We Are Change.

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Article via Truth Theory by Luke Miller

Sarah Silverman has moved all her money to a credit union after learning her bank is an investor in the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

You don’t have to be a bystander and can do the same as by taking a look at this list of banks that are supporting DAPL and if you have money with them moving it to a credit union.

How To Contact The 17 Banks Funding The Dakota Access Pipeline

THIS ARTICLE IS OFFERED UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE. IT’S OKAY TO REPUBLISH IT ANYWHERE AS LONG AS ATTRIBUTION BIO IS INCLUDED AND ALL LINKS REMAIN INTACT.

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Article via Zero Hedge

Having demanded Donald Trump’s impeachment before he became President, called his cabinet “scumbags,“ and slammed him for supporting “Korea-invading Putin;” it appears Maxine Waters is doubling down, tweeting today that it’s time to “get ready for impeachment.”

As a reminder, Waters brought the crazy in January – before President Trump had been inaugurated, going so far as to suggest that the nicknames Trump used against all his political opponents, even Republicans, were fed to him by Russia.

“If we discover that Donald Trump or his advocates played a role to help provide strategy – if they’re the ones who came up with ‘Crooked Hillary,’ if they’re the ones who came up with, ‘she’s ill, something’s wrong with her energy,’ and the way that he basically described her during the campaign – I think that is something that would put the question squarely on the table whether or not he should be impeached.”

“So, you think you can commit an impeachable offense before you take office?” Matthews probed further.

“Well, I think that at the point that investigations discover and confirm and can document any of that role in helping to strategize – they had a role in attempting to determine the outcome,” Waters said, not answering the question.

She attempted further reasoning on the fly, again failing to deliver any logical conclusion:

“…In many ways they used the information they got when they hacked into emails etc. — if that was used against Hillary Clinton in some way, yes I think that’s impeachable.” Waters suggested.

Matthews also suggested that “Russian television was running a lot of propaganda that Hillary was mentally and physically impaired. That was their – That was the propaganda message.”

“Do you believe that Trump is somehow being held hostage by Vladimir Putin because of information on his behavior?” Matthews then asked, despite the fact that the story was revealed to be totally fake last week.

“You know, what we have heard, not in the classified briefing, but in this information about the dossier that has been collected by the man in London on him,” Waters replied, “It talks about some things that appears to ring true based on what we have learned about Trump.”

That’s right, MSNBC are STILL pushing fake news about Trump as if it’s real. In fact, Matthews himself admitted last week that the dossier was complete “misinformation”.

Nevertheless, Waters continued to bring the crazy:

“Ok, what I have learn or heard about the dossier, it’s about his involvement with women. It’s probably prostitutes that are involved and those kinds of things. And he has sounded that way. He has acted that way, and it gives you reason to think maybe something is to this and we need to find out more,” the Congresswoman declared.

“The only thing that I am focused on is credible investigations to bring out the facts. … If the facts are there, then I think we should move very quickly to do something about it. And if there was collusion, and any support for undermining our democracy, I think the president should be impeached,” Waters said earlier this month. “I’ve said that, and that’s where I stand.”

And today, following yesterday’s confirmations that there is no evidence of President Trump (or his team’s) collusion with any Russian officials, Democratic congresswoman Maxine Waters is not giving up on her cunning plan…“to lead him right into impeachment…”

As The Hill notes, doubling down on that call, Waters tweeted today…

Get ready for impeachment.

— Maxine Waters (@MaxineWaters) March 21, 2017

Does she know something that Comey (and the rest of law enforcement in America) does not?

Oh California’s 43rd congressional district should be so proud.

This article first appeared on ZeroHedge.com and was authored by Tyler Durden.

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Second Raid Against Jobar District This Week

Article via Antiwar

Despite a large number of troops deployed there, the Syrian capital of Damascus appears far from secure, as for the second time this week rebels from al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front and other factions have infiltrated the area around Jobar District, leading to fighting throughout the day.

The groups appear to be of the same factions that attacked on Sunday, seizing parts of the district for around 24 hours before a military offensive backed with airstrikes finally repelled them. The Syrian military sought to downplay the latest incursion, insisting they have the rebels “surrounded.”

Whether that’s actually the case or not is unclear, however, as in the Sunday offensive officials conceded that the rebels had got in through a series of tunnels, and it isn’t totally certain that the tunnels are entirely under control, or if the rebels can still use them to come and go as they please.

The Syrian military has been removing a lot of the rebel forces from the areas around Damascus, but they remain in a handful of different areas. This is likely to fuel a new push to consolidate control over the metro area, and to force the remaining rebels to sign evacuation deals.

This article first appeared on Antiwar.com and was authored by Jason Ditz.

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Bipartisan Bills Aim to Stop Escalation of War, Arming of Islamists

Article via Antiwar

While the Pentagon provides plans for the Trump Administration for a major escalation of the US involvement in the war in Syria, new bipartisan legislation is being pushed in both the House and the Senate aiming to oppose the escalation and put legal obstacles in the way of it.

Reps. Barbara Lee (D – CA) and Walter Jones (R – NC) are pushing one such bill, aiming to force Congress to debate US involvement in Syria, and to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) to prevent the administration from using it as an excuse for the operation.

With the repeal of the AUMF, the bill would also explicitly forbid the deployment of additional US ground troops to Syria without any permission from Congress. The bill is gaining some support in both parties, though past efforts to repeal the AUMF, and to try to limit the wars in Iraq and Syria, have never gained enough support to pass.

If it does get support, this might force a significant shift in policy, with the US nominally having capped their Syrian force at 503, but having closer to 2,000 by most recent estimates. This mirrors caps that were in place in Iraq, which were similarly long since blown past.

This is just one of the bills aimed at US policy is Syria, with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D – HI) and Sen. Rand Paul (R – KY) offering a bipartisan “Stop Arming Terrorists Act,” which would forbid US government funds from being used to support al-Qaeda, ISIS, or any other terrorist group.

While that seems like common sense, the bill would effectively kill the CIA’s program to arm Syrian rebels, as many of the recipient factions are allies of al-Qaeda, or ideologically similar groups. Rep. Gabbard visited Syria shortly before the Trump inauguration, and met with President Assad.

The Gabbard bill would also require the Director of National Intelligence to provide up to date lists every six months of the individuals and groups forbidden to receive aid, either because they are terrorist groups or are working with them. This is another piece of information that the CIA has previously, desperately, sought to avoid as part of its arming program.

This bill is more likely to get some support from the Trump Administration, as President Trump had similarly argued against arming rebels repeatedly throughout the election campaign, though since the inauguration, there has yet to be a public move to end the CIA program.

This article first appeared on Antiwar.com and was authored by Jason Ditz.

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Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey is set to resign from duty tomorrow following allegations that he solicited sex from a 17-year-old boy. Shortey was first elected in 2010 and has since become eligible for a federally-funded pension.

Shortey has officially been charged with engaging in prostitution, engaging in prostitution within 1,000 feet of a church, and transporting a minor for prostitution. These reports led to a public outcry spurring from the Senate leader, and the governor of Oklahoma calling for his resignation.

News reports and active legislature suggest that he would be able to keep his state retirement even if he is convicted, a sum which totals $9,000 a year. It is unclear at this point whether his resignation will affect his ability to receive his retirement funds. Since the law apparently doesn’t specifically list prostitution as an offense which can lead to your pension being revoked, it seems that Shortey may still be eligible, despite what happens in the case.

Police reports detail a graphic conversation between Shortey and the 17-year old, with the senator saying that he would engage in sexual activities with the teen “like a little boy if you keep calling me daddy.” There are many other electronic messages between Shortey and the boy that have been discovered through the use of the messaging app Kik.

Another police report, seen below, illustrates that Sen. Shortey had been using the screen name “Jamie Tilley” during his digital interactions with the boy, that they engaged in the use of marijuana together, and that the boy was asking for ways to make money from Shortey. When asked for money, Shortey responded by saying “I don’t really have any legitimate things I need help with right now. Would you be interested in ‘sexual stuff?’”

The U.S. Secret Service and FBI in Oklahoma city have officially joined the investigation. FBI spokesperson Jessica Rice claimed that a search warrant has been carried out at Shortey’s Oklahoma home, but declined to provide additional details due to the “sensitive ongoing investigation.” Accordingly, we will have to wait for more information on this story.

The post State Senator Resigns Amid Charges of Minor Prostitution appeared first on We Are Change.

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Two big reporters were suspended this week each from their respective publications — Tomi Lahren and Judge Andrew Napolitano.

Lahren, a conservative host of The Blaze has been suspended for a week due to her “pro-choice” comments made while visiting The View.

“I can’t sit here and be a hypocrite and say I’m for limited government but I think the government should decide what women do with their bodies,” Lahren said.

Lahren then went on to Twitter to defend her beliefs in a series of tweets clarifying that she doesn’t “personally advocate for abortion and doesn’t think it’s the government’s place to dictate.”

I speak my truth. If you don’t like it, tough. I will always be honest and stand in my truth.

— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) March 18, 2017

I have moderate, conservative, and libertarian views. I’m human. I will never apologize, to anyone, for being an independent thinker.

— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) March 18, 2017

Listen, I am not glorifying abortion. I don’t personally advocate for it. I just don’t think it’s the government’s place to dictate. https://t.co/qRjbAtJdo7

— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) March 19, 2017

Glenn Beck responded by publicly bashing his star reporter on his radio show.

“Bomb throwing is — bomb throwing in today’s world is dangerous. Freedom of speech, it’s not free. Speech isn’t free. It comes with a very high price tag. First, being intellectually honest and intellectually curious. Speech is not free. It comes with another cost and usually to the other people at the other end of your argument. The pen is mightier than the sword, and it can destroy people if your aim is clicks, views, and ratings.”

Meanwhile, Fox News’ legal analyst Judge Napolitano was suspended indefinitely (which is just a nicer way of saying fired) for his comments about Obama wire tapping Trump through the British intelligence services GCHQ.

The Los Angeles Times, citing anonymous sources, stated that “Napolitano is not expected to be on Fox News Channel any time in the near future.”

In early March, in an appearance on “Fox and Friends,” Napolitano said that he had spoke with three sources in the intelligence community who said former president Obama “went outside the chain of command” to conduct secret surveillance on Trump. Specifically, Napolitano made the allegation that then President Obama went through Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, to keep “American fingerprints” off the surveillance operation.

Then on March 16, Napolitano reiterated his claims in a piece for FoxNews.com.

“The question of whether former President Barack Obama actually spied on President Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition has been tantalizing Washington since President Trump first made the allegation nearly two weeks ago. Since then, three investigations have been launched — one by the FBI, one by the House of Representatives and one by the Senate. Are the investigators chasing a phantom, or did this actually happen? … Sources have told me the that the British foreign surveillance service, the … GCHQ, most likely provided Obama with transcripts of Trump’s calls. … So by bypassing all American intelligence services, Obama would have had access to what he wanted with no Obama administration fingerprints,” Napolitano wrote.

The post Tomi Lahren and Judge Napolitano Both Suspended From Their Publications appeared first on We Are Change.

We Are Change

The map above illustrates all of the countries in the world that have fluoride in their water, either naturally or unnaturally, as well as the countries that choose not to fluoridate their water. Water fluoridation has turned into one of the world’s popular practices, but the impacts of doing this have yet to be fully assessed.

Many countries that are marked on the map for purposeful fluoridation may find fluoride in their drinking water through natural means as well. Since fluoride is a natural chemical in the Earth, it can also be added into the water unintentionally through natural means. The water in India and China is fluoridated to extreme levels through naturally added fluoride.

Other countries have a limited supply of fluoridated water. Japan for example only issues fluoridated water through its school programs. Similarly Russia, Peru, Chile, Thailand and the UK have milk fluoridation programs which are targeted at the younger generation. Many of these milk fluoridation programs are carried out by the Borrow Foundation.

When you throw in the factor of bottled water, there are many countries who are added to the map for purposeful fluoridation. Then, there are many countries for which we do not have any measurable data to assess. Many countries in Central America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East either have varying accounts, or no information available on the topic of water fluoridation.

Is it Safe to Drink Fluoridated Water?

Science has had varying accounts as to whether or not it is safe to drink fluoridated water. One study from the National Academies Press said that high levels of fluoride intake can cause skeletal fluorosis, reproductive harm, developmental harm, and even potential damage on the brain chemistry. Another study from Harvard confirmed the latter claim, and said high levels of fluoride causes neurotoxicity for adults.

Scientists who support water fluoridation only seem to focus in on its reported benefits, the ability to prevent tooth decay and cavities. A resulting study from the CDC reiterates these claims. Studies conducted by The American Dental Association also concluded that water fluoridation is safe, and that the negative side effects described by the scientists above are untrue.

What do you think? Is fluoridated water safe or unsafe?

Sources Used for the Map:

“One in a Million: The facts about water fluoridation” 2^nd Edition, accessed here

“Fluoride in Drinking-Water” Accessed here.

“Fluoride and Water Information” Accessed here

“Impact of Fluoride Content in Drinking Water” Accessed here

“Milk – A New Vehicle for Fluorides: A Review” Accessed here.

“America’s third-world government dumps fluoride in drinking water while Ethiopia seeks to remove toxin from water to protect public health” Accessed here

“Fluoride Concentration of Drinking Water in Babil-Iraq” Accessed here.

“Human Exposure to Arsenic and Other Potentially Toxic Metals in Some Waters of Biu Volcanic Province, North-Eastern Nigeria: The effect of leaching from rocks into surrounding waters” Accessed here.

“A map of natural fluoride in drinking water in Sudan” Accessed here.

“Hydrogeology of Chad” Accessed here.

“Groundwater Quality: Mali” Accessed here.

The post Which Countries Have Fluoride In Their Water – And What Science Says About it appeared first on We Are Change.