Saturday, December 24, 2011

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Fed’s Once-Secret Data Compiled by Bloomberg Released to Public

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 02:49 PM PST

By Phil Kuntz and Bob Ivry, Bloomberg.com

Bloomberg News today released spreadsheets showing daily borrowing totals for 407 banks and companies that tapped Federal Reserve emergency programs during the 2007 to 2009 financial crisis. It's the first time such data have been publicly available in this form.

To download a zip file of the spreadsheets, go to http://bit.ly/Bloomberg-Fed-Data. For an explanation of the files, see the one labeled "1a Fed Data Roadmap."

The day-by-day, bank-by-bank numbers, culled from about 50,000 transactions the U.S. central bank made through seven facilities, formed the basis of a series of Bloomberg News articles this year about the largest financial bailout in history.

"Scholars can now examine the data and continue the analysis of the Fed's crisis management," said Allan H. Meltzer, a professor of political economy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the author of three books on the history of the U.S. central bank.

The data reflect lending from the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility, the Commercial Paper Funding Facility, the Primary Dealer Credit Facility, the Term Auction Facility, the Term Securities Lending Facility, the discount window and single-tranche open market operations, or ST OMO.

Bloomberg News obtained information about the discount window and ST OMO through the Freedom of Information Act. While the Fed initially rejected a request for discount-window information, Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, filed a federal lawsuit to force disclosure and won in the lower courts. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to intervene in the case, and the Fed released more than 29,000 pages of transaction data.

To read more, visit:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-23/fed-s-once-secret-data-compiled-by-bloomberg-released-to-public.html

Congress To Fund Massive Expansion Of TSA Checkpoints

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 02:45 PM PST

By: Paul Joseph Watson, Infowars.com

Congress is set to give the green light on funding for a massive expansion of TSA checkpoints, with the federal agency already responsible for over 9,000 such checkpoints in the last year amidst increased fears America is turning into a police state following the passage of the 'indefinite detention' bill.

The increase in funding has nothing to do with the TSA's role in airports – this is about creating 12 more VIPR teams to add the federal agency's 25 units that are already scattered across the country and responsible for manning checkpoints on highways, in bus and train terminals, at sports events and even high school prom nights.

"The TSA's 25 "viper" teams — for Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response — have run more than 9,300 unannounced checkpoints and other search operations in the last year. Department of Homeland Security officials have asked Congress for funding to add 12 more teams next year," reports the L.A. Times.

The demand for $24 million in extra funding is in addition to the $110 million spent in fiscal year 2011. The figures are completely independent from the federal agency's role inside the nation's airports, which costs taxpayers $5 billion a year.

The extra money is being demanded despite the fact that there is "no proof that the roving viper teams have foiled any terrorist plots or thwarted any major threat to public safety," according to the L.A. Times report, which also highlights how the TSA's sniffer dogs are used to single out people for questioning if the dog smells the scent of the owner's pets on their clothing.

The appearance of thousands more checkpoints on America's highways and at key transport hubs will only heighten concerns that the country is headed towards a Soviet-style police state.

To read more, visit:  http://www.infowars.com/congress-to-fund-massive-expansion-of-tsa-checkpoints/

Discover the doomsday seed vault’s secrets

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 02:41 PM PST

By: PF Louis, NaturalNews.com

Are you aware of the Arctic Circle Doomsday Seed Vault? Technically it’s the Svalbard International Seed Vault. The media has hailed it as an attempt to create a doomsday ark containing a wide variety of seeds to ensure the future of agriculture in the event of widespread crop disasters. A closer look behind the curtains finds some suspicious characters heavily vested in the vault’s activity.

The doomsday vault’s operation

The doomsday seed vault is situated on the island of Spitzbergen, Norway, located in the Svalbard island group within the Arctic Circle. It exists in an old copper mine, which is connected by a long steel tunnel from outside of the mine’s mountain. It is steel and concrete fortified with all the latest technological innovations for supplying power and maintaining seed security.

It is considered a safety deposit box back up for all other seed banks located throughout the world, of which there are many. Because of its remote but accessible location, entrance at 400 feet above sea level, and the permafrost protection for the vault if there is a power failure. On the surface, the project makes ecological sense.

Norway technically owns the vault, and endows those who place seeds into the vault with absolute ownership and access of the seeds. The Global Crop Diversity Trust based in Rome is the prime coordinating international agency for the doomsday vault, and they have strong Rockefeller connections.

An earlier LA Times article mentioned that all seeds are accepted, except for genetically modified seeds. However, this stipulation wasn’t noticed on the vault FAQs web page. The doomsday vault donors listed include the Gates Foundation, Rockefeller, Monsanto, and Syngenta, an international counterpart to Monsanto based in Switzerland.

To read more, visit:  http://www.naturalnews.com/034468_doomsday_seed_vault_secrets.html

Alleged Tea Party HD Scammer Countersues Former Business Partners

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 12:44 PM PST

By: JILLIAN RAYFIELD, TPMMuckraker

A conservative businessman, accused of scamming investors in a Tea Party television venture, is countersuing his former business partners, claiming that they conspired against him and that he "has suffered shame and humiliation" as a result of their suit.

In his countersuit, California businessman Anthony Loiacono asks for $1 million in damages each from Bill Hemrick and five other Tennessee investors, over a video website, Tea Party HD, aimed at tea partiers.

Hemrick and the others sued Loiacono in November, claiming that he never put in his share of the start-up money and used the rest of the funds as his "personal bank account." The complaint says he used the money to pay himself, his employees, and even his family members "exorbitant rates" for just a few TPHD projects.

"The alleged purpose of Tea Party HD was to be the 'world's first HD provider of news about the Tea Party,'" the initial lawsuit stated. "In reality it was an investment scheme to defraud politically conservative-minded citizens who support the Tea Party mission." The suit requested $19 million in punitive damages and a return of the initial investments.

Loiacono claims that he and Hemrick came up with the idea in 2010, and each agreed to invest $60,000 and split ownership of the company. Hemrick was in charge of raising money, and Loiacono was in charge of producing the video. "Extensive amounts of time and effort were expended by" Loiacono and employees of Heads & Tails, Inc., in "the production, editing, and presenting of videos and other media materials for Tea Party HD, LLC, on its internet website." Loiacono adds that the videos were "of high professional quality and were well accepted by the public, and produced income from advertisers."

But, Loiacono claims, Hemrick "was unable or unwilling to fulfill his obligation of raising capital for the venture" and that "as capital for the venture dwindled, the investors became polarized against him." He also claims that the investors pressured him to buy them out, and conspired to violate the initial agreement among the group.

To read more, visit:  http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/alleged_tea_party_hd_scammer_countersues_former_bu.php

Paul criticizes Dems & GOP, elevates tea party, Occupy movement

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 08:45 AM PST

By Shannon Travis, CNN.com

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul rolled out some equal opportunity scorn late Thursday in Iowa, criticizing Democrats and Republicans while elevating the concerns of the tea party and Occupy Wall Street movements.

But before he zinged the two political parties, the Texas congressman began his speech in front of over 300 people in Cedar Rapids with a joke about a matter he takes very seriously.

“I was told we were having a little trouble with our microphone,” Paul said as the mic screeched with mild feedback. “First thing I thought was, ‘Ben Bernanke got to us, you know. It was a sabotage. The Fed is after me.’”

“Thank you very much for coming,” Paul continued. “We have been very busy these last couple of days. And we’ve been very encouraged. Has anybody noticed that the polls have changed significantly?”

To read more, visit: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/23/paul-criticizes-dems-gop-elevates-tea-party-occupy-movement/

Over 40 Internet Companies Come Out Publicly Against SOPA

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 08:41 AM PST

By Alexia Tsotsis, TechCrunch.com

Since the list of 120 or so SOPA supporting companies hit the Internet yesterday, the lines have been drawn; People are publicly promising to pull thousands of domains from domain registrar Godaddy after it appeared on the list as a supporter. Other people are calling those people "bullies."

Whether you're for or against it SOPA has become somewhat of a pain point amongst techies, with the overwhelming majority, including myself and almost every other writer on the TechCrunch team, leaning heavily towards "against."

SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) essentially allows ISPs to block entire domains because a piece of hosted content infringes copyright. As the bill approaches deliberation in House of Representatives next month, a steady stream of Internet companies have taken anti-SOPA stands. After all, sacrificing innovation to save a dying business model is a close as it gets to anathema in these parts.

To read more, visit:  http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/22/over-40-internet-companies-have-come-out-publicly-against-sopa/

Rep. West: Payroll tax extension deal ‘a sad day for America’

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 08:32 AM PST

By Justin Sink – The Hill

Tea Party freshman Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) said Thursday that the agreement to extend the payroll tax was “a sad day for America” and an example of when “the politics of demagoguery trump policy and also principle” in a post to his Facebook wall.

“I cannot support this, but it seems the politics of demagoguery have won over policy and principle with the concession to enact tax policy on two-month basis,” West wrote. “This is a sad day for America and further evidences our continuing decline. Men and women of principle are become a dying breed in this Republic.”

West went on to criticize a conference call held by House Republican leadership Friday in which the deal, in which Republican agreed to pass the two-month extension of the tax cuts in exchange for a promise to appoint conferees to strike a year-long deal by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

“The conference lasted less than 15 minutes and we were not allowed to ask questions,” West wrote. “We were told that by unanimous consent the House will pass the Senate Amendment with a correction to the new payroll reporting procedures. Harry Reid agreed to appoint conferees but we were not told any timeline for this move.”

In an interview later Thursday on Fox News, West warned that the American people “were duped by the president of the United States.”

“The American people lose out because this is bad policy. You cannot do tax policy every two months. And I think all across the world, people are laughing at us right now,” West said.

He also said that other Tea Party freshmen were similarly upset with the establishment congressional leadership.

To read more, visit:  http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/201133-rep-west-tax-cut-extension-a-sad-day-for-america
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