The Real World News - Breaking Texas Insurance news, US news and more

Iran is Surrounded by US Troops in 10 Countries

Iran literally is surrounded by American troops, notes an oil market analyst, Energy and Capital editor Christian A. DeHaemer. There is no evidence of an imminent attack, but he connects a number of recent events and the presence of American soldiers to warn that oil prices might soar -- with or without a pre-emptive strike aimed at stopping Iran’s nuclear power ambitions.

Iran is bordered on the east by Pakistan and Afghanistan, where U.S. troops have been waging a costly war, in terms of money and lives, against Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other terrorists...

Iran on war alert over “US and Israeli concentrations” in Azerbaijan

In a rare move, Iran has declared a state of war on its northwestern border, debkafile’s military and Iranian sources report. Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps men and equipment units are being massed in the Caspian Sea region against what Tehran claims are US and Israeli forces concentrated on army and air bases in Azerbaijan ready to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The announcement came on Tuesday, June 22 from Brig.-Gen Mehdi Moini of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), commander of the forces tasked with “repelling” this American-Israeli offensive. He said: “The mobilization is due to the presence of American and Israeli forces on the western border,” adding, “Reinforcements are being dispatched to West Azerbaijan Province because some western countries are fueling ethnic conflicts to destabilize the situation in the region.”...

Rahm Emanuel and Rod Blagojevich: Trading Favors

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel tried trading favors with Rod Blagojevich, according to e-mails revealed yesterday.

Within hours of agreeing to sign a letter of support for Blagojevich — the former governor of Illinois now on trial facing corruption charges — in the Chicago Tribune during one of his many controversies, then-Congressman Emanuel asked for help releasing a $2 million grant payment to a school in the district Emanuel represented at the time...

The Global Warming Inquisition Has Begun

A new “study” has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) which has examined the credentials and publication records of climate scientists who are global warming skeptics versus those who accept the “tenets of anthropogenic climate change”.

Not surprisingly, the study finds that the skeptical scientists have fewer publications or are less credentialed than the marching army of scientists who have been paid hundreds of millions of dollars over the last 20 years to find every potential connection between fossil fuel use and changes in nature...

Mexican drug cartel threatens to harm U.S. police officers who bust drug shipments while off-duty

Mexican cartels added a new twist to the drug war this week by threatening to kill U.S. cops who seize their goods.

Nogales, Ariz., Police Chief Jeffrey Kirkham said his officers received threats a couple weeks ago after off-duty police busted a pot smuggling ring.

“America is based on freedom. We’re not going to be intimidated by the threats, but we are taking them seriously,” Kirkham told CNN.

“I’ve told my officers if they venture into that area off-duty to be armed,” he said…

Amid crises, Obama declares war -- on Arizona

The Obama administration has a lot of fights on its hands. Putting aside real wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, there's the battle against leaking oil in the Gulf, the struggle against 9.7 percent unemployment across the country, and clashes over the president's agenda on Capitol Hill. Despite all that, the White House has found time to issue a new declaration of war, this time against an unlikely enemy: the state of Arizona.

The Justice Department is preparing to sue Arizona over its new immigration law. The president has stiffed Gov. Jan Brewer's call for meaningful assistance in efforts to secure the border. And the White House has accused Arizona's junior senator, Republican Jon Kyl, of lying about an Oval Office discussion with the president over comprehensive immigration reform. Put them all together, and you have an ugly state of affairs that's getting uglier by the day.

Australian Government To Force Internet Users To Install State-Approved Software

The Australian government is set to intensify its war against Internet freedom by forcing web users to install state-approved anti-virus software. If they fail to do so, they will be denied an Internet connection, or if their computer is later infected, the user’s connection will be terminated.

“AUSTRALIANS would be forced to install anti-virus and firewall software on their computers before being allowed to connect to the internet under a new plan to fight cyber crime. And if their computer did get infected, internet service providers like Telstra and Optus could cut off their connection until the problem was resolved,” reports News.com.au…

Iran Attack Moves Forward

Iran permitted the U.S. and Israel to score a propaganda victory on Monday when it refused to allow two International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors entry into the country for an inspection of its nuclear program.

“This action [banning the inspectors from entering Iran] is in reality a regulatory notice to Amano to be careful so that the agency’s inspectors do not violate the international entity’s charter,” Iran’s state news agency IRNA quoted Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki as saying on Tuesday. “Amano should manage the agency professionally.”

Plastic bags to be put over Birmingham 'terror cameras'

Bags are to be put over dozens of surveillance cameras in parts of Birmingham with large Muslim populations, after local objections.

Safer Birmingham Partnership (SBP) said 218 cameras were put up, including hidden ones, mainly in the Washwood Heath and Sparkbrook districts.

The cameras were financed through a counter-terrorism fund, but the SBP said they would tackle all crime…

Arlington woman pleads guilty to federal charges after 3 pipe bombs found in truck

A 45-year-old Arlington woman who has had past run-ins with counterterrorism agents has pleaded guilty to federal charges after police found three pipe bombs in a pickup she was driving.

Kimberly Al-Homsi and Yasinul Ansari, her 18-year-old accomplice, both entered pleas before U.S. District Judge John McBryde in Fort Worth. They admitted to one count each of possession of an unregistered firearm. In this case, that was the homemade pipe bombs found in the truck in February.

The $600 Billion challenge

Just over a year ago, in May 2009, word leaked to the press that the two richest men in America, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, had organized and presided over a confidential dinner meeting of billionaires in New York City. David Rockefeller was said to have been a host, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Oprah Winfrey to have been among those attending, and philanthropy to have been the main subject.

Pushed by the press to explain, Buffett and Gates declined. But that certainly didn't dim the media's interest in reaching for descriptions of the meeting: The Chronicle of Philanthropy called it "unprecedented"; both ABC News and the Houston Chronicle went for "clandestine"; a New York magazine parody gleefully imagined George Soros to have been starstruck in the presence of Oprah. One radio broadcaster painted a dark picture: "Ladies and gentlemen, there's mischief afoot and it does not bode well for the rest of us." No, no, rebutted the former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Patty Stonesifer, who had been at the meeting and had reluctantly emerged to combat the rumors. The event, she told the Seattle Times, was simply a group of friends and colleagues "discussing ideas" about philanthropy.

Kagan had role in Clinton White House's big fights

For four years as a White House lawyer and aide, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan had a hand in many of the major issues that drove and vexed the Clinton administration.

Nearly 90,000 pages of records from the Clinton White House, released at the request of senators who will vote on her nomination, show that Kagan played a role in crafting Clinton's policies on abortion, gun control, welfare reform and tobacco…

More Than 90 Banks Miss TARP Payments

More than 90 U.S. banks and thrifts missed making a May 17 payment to the U.S. government under its main bank bailout program, signaling a rising number of lenders are struggling to meet their obligations.

The statistics, compiled by SNL Financial from U.S. Treasury data, showed 91 banks and thrifts skipped the May dividend payment under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. It was the first missed payment for 23 of the banks; for the others, it was at least their second miss

House Democrats Drop Ron Paul’s Audit of Federal Reserve

Yes, you read that right. Ron Paul’s push to audit the Federal Reserve Bank and see who received how much money in the last few years has been drastically reduced. Amidst the many costly bailouts, recipients have included banks, large companies, and even foreign countries. And now it appears that much of what has happened will remain behind closed doors.

So much for transparency. So much for accountability. Remember those bright promises made a couple years ago, opening up a new era of hope and change? In fact, you can still read those promises made by our President on the official government web site. I’ll quote some of it:

My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.

Government should be transparent. Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing. Information maintained by the Federal Government is a national asset. My Administration will take appropriate action, consistent with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use. Executive departments and agencies should harness new technologies to put information about their operations and decisions online and readily available to the public. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.

Done laughing? (Or crying?)...

Supes back posting of cell phone emission levels

San Francisco moved a step closer Tuesday to becoming the first city in the nation to require that retailers post in their stores notices on the level of radiation emitted by the cell phones they offer.

The Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to give preliminary approval to the proposal. Final approval is expected next week. Supervisor Sean Elsbernd was the lone vote in opposition. Mayor Gavin Newsom, an early proponent of the legislation, plans to sign it into law when it reaches his desk...

Obama administration spends $1.2 billion on cycling and walking initiatives

Spending on biking and walking projects rose from less than $600 million (£407 million) in 2008, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Twenty years ago, the federal government was spending only $6 million a year on such projects.

The spending on biking and walking projects was scheduled to rise last year anyway, but the administration boosted it with $400 million in funds set aside under the economic recovery program...

Prosecutors want gag order on Blagojevich, defense lawyers

Federal prosecutors are seeking a gag order to keep ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his lawyers from making public comments, saying Blagojevich has attempted to manipulate media coverage to gain favorable attention and influence the jury in his corruption case.

In a 16-page filing today with U.S. District Judge James Zagel, prosecutors said Blagojevich and his attorneys made comments to reporters Tuesday at the end of testimony by government witness Alonzo "Lon" Monk, Blagojevich's former friend and chief of staff...

Hollywood Actor Jeremy London Kidnapped; Held At Gun Point, Robbed & Forced To Smoke Drugs

Armed bandits abducted and robbed Party of Five star Jeremy London and forced him to smoke drugs during a harrowing five hour ordeal in Palm Springs, California, police have revealed to RadarOnline.com.

London, 37, was attempting to change a flat tire on his vehicle when a man stopped to help him, outside the Bahama Hotel & Apartments on North Palm Canyon Drive, late on the evening of Thursday, June 10...

Uptick in Violence Forces Closing of Parkland Along Mexico Border to Americans

About 3,500 acres of southern Arizona along the Mexican border is closed to U.S. citizens due to increased violence in the region.

The closed off area stretches 80 miles along the border and includes part of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. It was closed in October 2006 "due to human safety concerns," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday in response to news reports on the closure...

New jobless claims up sharply as layoffs persist

The number of people filing new claims for jobless benefits jumped last week after three straight declines, another sign that the pace of layoffs has not slowed.

Initial claims for jobless benefits rose by 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 472,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It was the highest level in a month and overshadowed a report that showed consumer prices remain essentially flat...

Out-of-work job applicants told unemployed need not apply

The last thing someone who is unemployed needs to be told is that they shouldn’t even apply for the limited number of job openings that are available. But some companies and recruiters are doing just that.

Employment experts say they believe companies are increasingly interested only in applicants who already have a job...

MSNBC Goons Assault Tea Party Activists While Pointing Fingers At Others For Violence

As MSNBC prepares to air a monumental hit piece on the increasingly popular anti-incumbent sentiment sweeping the U.S., attempting to portray the Tea Party movement as violent, an important video from the Alex Jones archives provides a timely reminder that those pointing fingers at others for being violent are actually the only ones engaging in any violence.

Back in early September 2008, it was MSNBC staff members who attempted to silence free speech by physically assaulting a group of 9/11 truth activists and Ron Paul supporters (the original Tea Party), led by Alex Jones, during the takeover of a live Chris Matthews broadcast at the DNC in Denver...

Americans Not Inclined To Pay More To Fight Global Warming

Democratic Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman declared yesterday that a new EPA study shows their new global warming legislation won't cost Americans much after all. But so far most Americans don't show an inclination to pay anything for such legislation.

"There'll be some people who will want to demagogue that politically, but that's less than $1 a day," The Politico quoted Lieberman saying at a press conference yesterday. "Is the American household willing to pay less than $1 so we don't have to buy oil from foreign countries, so we can create millions of new jobs, so we can clean up our environment? I think the answer is going to be yes."...

National Guard Training For Riot Control, Mass Detentions

Further information made available after our report, much of which was published in the comment section by contributors who scoured the web for more information on the subject, suggests that the report was true and that national guard units had indeed been called up for training and possible deployment for domestic emergencies.

With the BP oil leak heating up (literally), there is a distinct possibility of noxious fumes and toxic hurricanes hitting our coasts over the coming months. Because there is minimal research on the subject available to the public, it is difficult to establish what is or is not a threat. Nonetheless, we advise those of our readers on or near the coast to remain aware of any developments regarding the possibility of emergencies or evacuations in their areas...

Obamacare's control plan? 'Behavior modification'

The online Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders says "behavior modification," a controversial psychological treatment, can be accomplished through positive reinforcement or "punishment" - and now President Obama has signed an executive order specifying the treatment for all Americans, to be prescribed by government bureaucrats.

Obama's order appoints members to a new government committee set up by the Democrats' new health law that will evaluate, make recommendations about and establish rules for everything from how people exercise to whether they smoke to the food they eat and the medicines they use. And it specifically requires the committee list the priorities for "lifestyle behavior modification" that the government will pursue...

Free Speech Gag Bill Moving in House

Earth and space are about to come into contact in a way that's new to human history. To make preparations, authorities in Washington DC are holding a meeting: The Space Weather Enterprise Forum at the National Press Club on June 8th.

Now, in an effort to undo the victory at the Supreme Court, liberals in Congress are attempting to pass the so-called DISCLOSE Act, which would severely limit the ability of GOA to communicate to our members and the general public.

This unconstitutional bill could come to the floor of the House as early as Thursday...

Afghan War Now Country's Longest

The Afghan war was enormously popular when it began on a fall Sunday eight and a half years ago. Less than a month had passed since the September 11 attacks, and President Bush could draw on deep wells of support when he ordered air strikes against Kabul , Jalalabad and the Taliban stronghold at Kandahar...

Al Qaeda Number 3 Killed. Again

The next time you consider voicing opposition to the illegal bombardment of Pakistan with drone delivered U.S. missiles, consider this - the drones are effective. So effective, in fact, that they can kill terrorists who have already previously been killed...

Fidel Castro claims Obama lives in fantasy world

Fidel Castro speculated Wednesday that a nuclear strike on Iran might help President Barack Obama win a second term in the White House and also suggested the United States could attack North Korea.

The former leader of Cuba, who has not been seen in public for nearly four years, also portrayed the U.S. president as a victim of fantasies planted in his mind by sinister advisers...

Soaring costs force Canada to reassess health model

Pressured by an aging population and the need to rein in budget deficits, Canada's provinces are taking tough measures to curb healthcare costs, a trend that could erode the principles of the popular state-funded system.

Ontario, Canada's most populous province, kicked off a fierce battle with drug companies and pharmacies when it said earlier this year it would halve generic drug prices and eliminate "incentive fees" to generic drug manufacturers...