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Italian lawyer demands public prosecutor to investigate Bilderberg group

Alfonso Luigi Marra charges secretive organization colluded to pick Mario Monti as Prime Minister

by Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com

Mario PontiMario Ponti

Italian lawyer Alfonso Luigi Marra has requested that the Public Prosecutor of Rome investigate the secretive Bilderberg Group for criminal activity, questioning whether the elitist organization’s 2011 meeting in Switzerland led to the selection of Mario Monti as Prime Minister of Italy.

The Bilderberg Group is an annual confab of around 120 of the most influential power brokers on the planet from the world of politics, business, banking, academia, media, and even royalty. Mainstream press reports routinely downplay the significance of the meeting despite the fact that it has proven its kingmaker status on numerous occasions in the past and is clearly not just a “talking shop,” as some have characterized Bilderberg.

Marra’s full request that the Public Prosecutor of Rome investigate Bilderberg, identifies the organization as a “secret world government seeking to destabilize democracies through carnage,” that has relied on “institutional collusion” to keep its agenda largely secret.

Marra cites article 18 of the Italian Constitution, which explicitly bans secret societies from engaging in political activities.

Labeling the group a “unique, illegal brotherhood” of elitists who consider themselves to be “above the law,” Marra points the finger at Bilderberg for engineering wars, economic collapses, and arming dictators, activities which, “constitute an obvious, blatant violation, to say the least, of the articles of the Criminal Code.”

Marra urges the Public Prosecutor to investigate Bilderberg for engaging in illegal activities, “with particular reference to the legality of the conduct of Mario Monti as a member of Bilderberg,” and an “assessment of whether there are connections between some politicians” who attended the 2011 Bilderberg meeting in St. Moritz “and his appointment to the Presidency of the Council.”

Mario Monti, a former international advisor for Goldman Sachs, the European Chairman of David Rockefeller’s Trilateral Commission and also a leading member of the Bilderberg Group, assumed office as Italian Prime Minister following the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi in November 2011.

Monti’s cabinet was entirely comprised of unelected bureaucrats, prompting charges that Monti was merely the latest of a growing list of ex-Goldman Sachs technocrats selected undemocratically to seize control of European economies http://www.infowars.com/banker-coup-goldman-sachs-takes-over-europe/.

Monti attended the 2011 Bilderberg meeting in St. Moritz, Switzerland, at which Luigi suggests a deal may have been struck to appoint Monti as Berlusconi’s successor. http://www.infowars.com/bilderberg-2011-full-official-attendee-list/.

Since the conference took place in June, five months before Monti’s appointment as PM, if evidence of this was uncovered by the Public Prosecutor it would clearly indicate that underhanded scheming had secured the position for Monti.

There are innumerable other examples of how Bilderberg has influenced major global events ahead of time, picking Presidents and Prime Ministers on a regular basis with total contempt for the democratic process.
In 2009, Bilderberg chairman Étienne Davignon even bragged about how the Euro single currency was a brainchild of the Bilderberg Group.

The former Prime Minister of Belgium, Herman Van Rompuy, was picked for the role of European Union President just days after he attended a Bilderberg Group dinner meeting in November 2009.

In 2010, former NATO Secretary-General and Bilderberg member Willy Claes admitted that Bilderberg attendees are mandated to implement decisions that are formulated during the annual conference of power brokers. http://www.infowars.com/former-nato-secretary-general-admits-bilderberg-sets-global-policy/.

If this is the case, it would violate laws in numerous countries that forbid politicians from being influenced by foreign agents in secret.

During the 2011 meeting in St. Moritz, Dominique Baettig, a prominent member of Switzerland’s largest political party, attempted to confront other Swiss politicians attending the secretive confab and called for a parliamentary investigation into the activities of the group. http://www.prisonplanet.com/prominent-swiss-politician-calls-for-arrest-of-kissinger-at-bilderberg.html.

(Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a host for Infowars Nightly News).

Boxing

Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013 Atlantic City, N.J.

Adrien Broner (No. 1, No. 6 P4P) vs. Gavin Rees (No. )

12 rounds – Lightweight division (for Broner’s WBC title) Johnathon Banks vs. Seth Mitchell.

12 rounds – Heavyweight division Sakio Bika (No. 8) vs. Nikola Sjekloca.

12 rounds – Super middleweight division Vicente Escobedo vs. TBA12 rounds – Junior lightweight division.

Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013 Detroit (Showtime)

Devon Alexander (No. 10) vs. Kell Brook (No. 5).

12 rounds – Welterweight division (for Alexander’s IBF title) Cornelius Bundrage (No. 9) vs. Ishe Smith12 rounds – Junior middleweight division (for Bundrage’s IBF title).

Montes de María, Colombia, a place where 50 % of the population has been displaced by paramilitaries

The neighborhood San Rafael de la Bonga in San Basilio of Palenque, where the displaced people of The Bonga live. (PHOTO BY ORSETTA BELLANI)

by Orsetta Bellani

Montes de María is an area located in the south of the Bolívar department, in the Caribbean region of Colombia. It is one of the areas that has suffered the consequences of the conflict in Colombia and is located about 50 km from Cartagena de Indias.According to official data, nearly 50 percent of the population of Montes de Maria has been displaced by the armed groups operating in the area: the guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the paramilitaries of the Heroes Block of Montes de María of the defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), created in 1998 to defend the interests of the landowners and fight the Marxist guerrillas.
In Montes de Maria is San Basilio de Palenque, an African-descent community founded by slaves who ran away from the port of Cartagena de Indias, which from 1533 was a slave port. San Basilio de Palenque is known for being the first town in America that was recognized as free in 1713.
To that people the people of the community the Bonga were displaced. “On April 5th, 2001, gentlemen of the AUC arrived in La Bonga leafleting, saying that we had to vacate the community within 48 hours, and otherwise we would have been kicked out”, says Primitivo Pérez de La Bonga.

“So we moved and relocated in San Basilio de Palenque, where we built our homes with the support of some NGOs, as we had no help from the government. Most of us are still working his plot in La Bonga, covering twelve kilometers daily. One day there were some officials from INCODER (Colombian Rural Development Institute) to offer us land further away from here. We told them to invest their resources so we can work the land we already have, but they left. Then some entrepreneurs came and offered to sell our plots, only one accepted. In April 2012 we obtained the collective title to our land, so nobody could sell.”

Luis Alfredo Torres from El Salado, Montes de Maria community, experienced an even more tragic episode, when the AUC committed some of his most bloody actions: in February 2000, a raid of 450 paramilitaries, backed by helicopters, left 66 victims and caused the displacement of over 600 families. The slaughter lasted four days and, according to survivors, consisted of dismemberment and torture with chain saws, screwdrivers and rocks. Witnesses have also said that during the slaughter, paramilitaries drank liquor, raped women and played soccer with decapitated heads, while listening to loud music.

“At this time in all the region of Montes de Maria is experiencing displacements, which are evictions in disguise: fear and pressures force people to sell their land cheaply to large companies,” says Luis Alfredo Torres of El Salado.

A pressure element was represented by the debt that farmers in Montes de María had with banks. These were caused by the crisis in the sale of rice, occurred at the beginning of the last decade, the cultivation of which had been driven by the government during the failed land reform of the 1960s. When the Colombian market was opened to U.S. and Chinese rice, the business failed and the farmers who produced only rice, began to borrow.

After the demobilization of the paramilitaries in 2004 and the death in 2007 of Gustavo Rueda Diaz, known as Martin Caballero, head of Front 37 attached to the Caribbean Bloc of the FARC, violence decreased in the Montes de María. However, it didn´t stop the massive purchase of land to massively debtors peasants.

In October 2010, the Alternative Democratic Pole Congressman Ivan Cepeda requested information from the Ministry of Agriculture on the bulk purchase of 37,273 hectares of land in Montes de Maria, denouncing how these allegedly legal forms of acquisition apparently occur in an area where over 120,000 people were displaced. “It’s not about the chainsaw, or weapons to gain land, but it is apparently legal forms of bulk purchases,” Cepeda stated.

As the La Silla Vacía newspaper states, the result of the investigation of the Superintendency of Notaries and Registration was that the 133 titles selected for analysis are in the hands of a few companies – interested in agribusiness, reforestation and exploration oil – all three trusts administered.

However, in an interview with newspaper El Tiempo, businessman Alvaro Ignacio Echeverría said: “Of these acres, around one thousand belonged to sharecroppers and nobody pressed them. Everything is legal.” However, the report of the Superintendency of Notaries and Registries also alleged irregularities that allowed the concentration of land, such as falsifying documents or the purchase of a Family Agricultural Unit (FAU). This because Montes de Maria is a Peasant Reserve Zone (CRZ, currently in Colombia there are seven) figure created by Law 160 of 1994 which establishes the existence of geographically defined areas where farmers would not have lots of extension greater than a UAF and where, according to the government, a sustainable development plan should be concluded.

 

Jesse Jackson pushes new ‘occupy’ plan: have homeland security occupy Chicago with armed TSA agents

by Mike Adams
Natural News

Don’t say we didn’t warn ya, but now the long-anticipated plan for armed TSA agents to patrol U.S. cities has been invoked by none other than Jesse Jackson. Today he called on President Obama to unleash “Homeland Security” on the streets of Chicago, a city racked by murders and violence even though it has the strictest gun laws in the country. The only group within DHS that has the manpower to “occupy” a U.S. city is the TSA, a widely-hated government agency which has already begun running roadside checkpoints across the country.

Jackson’s call is essentially a demand that DHS send in armed agents (TSA with guns) because the situation is so bad in Chicago that “something must be done.”

But how did the situation in Chicago get so bad in the first place? The city’s leaders disarmed all law-abiding citizens by passing outrageous gun control laws that gave criminals the upper hand. By definition, criminals don’t follow gun laws, so they remain armed and more confident than ever. Police are outgunned and citizens are outgunned, and the result is that Chicago has the highest murder rate of any city in the world. (This is called cause and effect.)

As even the mainstream media now admits, the murder rate in Chicago today is far worse than during the Al Capone “gangland” days. “The surprising stats show the city is worse off now in the category of murder than at the height of the era that has driven Chicago’s reputation for almost a century, Capone’s ‘gangland’ Chicago,” reports ABC News.

In 2012 alone, there were over 500 murders in the city of Chicago, making it the murder capitol of the modern world.

The real solution to all this, of course, would be to arm the citizens.

Imagine 500,000 concealed carry permit holders packing heat all across the city. The violent shootings would all but cease, and criminals would run for the shadows. But instead of allowing citizens to defend themselves and help protect their own communities, Jesse Jackson — whose words are right on cue for the nationwide rollout of armed TSA agents — wants the government to bring in a new domestic security force that sounds an awful lot like Hitler’s Brownshirts.

Obama even talked about this “civilian national security force” in 2008, when he explained that it needed to be as well-armed and well-funded as the military! His exact words, as WND.com reminds us, were:

We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.
For the record, the TSA is Obama’s so-called “civilian national security force.” They are the new non-military, non-sworn “army” that’s slated to occupy U.S. cities.

This was the plan all along, of course: Disarm the citizens then wait for violence to get so bad that the public screams for the government to intervene. The TSA is ready to step in with its army of perverts, child molesters, drug dealers, thieves and child porn distributors — yes, these are precisely the kind of people who work for the TSA. Now Jesse Jackson apparently wants to put guns in their hands and give them “authority” over the disarmed citizens.

Jackson, by the way, calls people who don’t trust government “domestic terrorists” and claims that firearms provide them with the weapons they need to attack the government.

Armed TSA on our city streets?

Here’s why all this is a big deal. For starters, TSA agents do not swear any oath to the Constitution. They have loyalty only to their paycheck, not to any principles. In fact, if you actually try to talk with a TSA goon, you will quickly discover they have absolutely no historical knowledge of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or U.S. history. They are the most idiotic, ignorant workers in the federal force today — the laughing stock of the feds. FBI agents, in contrast, are highly trained professionals who must pass rigorous exams to become gun-carrying agents. TSA goons are recruited with ads placed on pizza boxes.

Secondly, TSA agents are not “officers” of any kind, and they receive no law enforcement training. They are, in effect, government employees wearing costumes. They have no actual authority whatsoever and exist only as a charade of false authority.

Thirdly, everybody hates the TSA. The hatred toward the TSA is so bad that the evening news will typically interview 20 people at the airport just to find 2-3 that say something nice about the TSA. And then, of course, they will run only the positive statements and ignore the huge outrage against the TSA to try to create the impression that people are fine with the TSA. In reality, nobody likes to be molested by a government goon. No parent likes having her children taken away from her and felt up by a pedophile wearing a government uniform at the airport. People hate the TSA! (And for good reason.)

Fourth, local law enforcement hates the TSA, too. Local sheriffs won’t put up with the TSA trying to move in and run their city. Local police departments would also hugely resent the TSA trying to run their city streets. The TSA is a bunch of buffoons and everybody in law enforcement knows it.

Finally, if the TSA tries its little airport sexual molestation tactics on the streets of U.S. cities, the person they molest is going to go home and tell their friends, and the TSA goons who pulled off their little “feel up” stunt are going to be targeted for retaliation by the outraged citizenry. Once the abuses begin, no TSA “official” will be safe in a U.S. city. Even if they have guns, they won’t be able to fight back against an armed, outraged citizenry that’s fed up with being treated like cattle in their own cities. And no, the government’s stockpiling of 1.6 billion bullets won’t matter as much as you think since the TSA has no gun skills whatsoever and probably couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with a 12 gauge, as the saying goes.

Government occupation of our cities?

Bottom line? What Jesse Jackson is calling for is the rise of an armed domestic security force like Hitler’s Brownshirts. This is a blatant attempt to try to exploit the sky-high murder rate in Chicago to justify an armed government occupation of U.S. cities.

This is, in essence, a call for a militant dictatorship enforced at the end of a gun. And it’s doomed to fail. Jackson apparently has no clue that Americans don’t want to be slaves no matter what their skin color. Don’t you find it odd that Jackson, a man of dark skin color, wants his own brothers and sisters in the inner cities to be enslaved by armed government goons?

That’s the one thing I don’t get about democrats and gun control: Do they not realize it is precisely their people who have historically been enslaved due to a lack of self defense ability? If anybody has the justification for carrying a concealed weapon in Chicago for the purposes of self defense, it’s a black man! And I say that in full support of people of every color and religion to carry tools of personal defense, as is described by the Second Amendment of our sacred Bill of Rights.

Nicaragua ready for 9th International Poetry Festival

by the El Reportero’s news services

Ernesto CardenalErnesto Cardenal

More than 130 poets from 60 countries have confirmed attendance so far, at the Ninth International Poetry Festival to be held from Feb, 17 to 24 in the southwestern city of Granada.

This is the largest festival of this kind in the world, with 91 poets from five continents and the rest coming from Nicaragua to participate, said Francisco de Asís Fernández, president of the event.

According to Asis, everything is ready for the event that will be held under the slogan of “La poesía es el cántico del cosmos” (Poetry is the song of the cosmos) and will pay tribute to the poet and former priest, Ernesto Cardenal.

In that week, he added, we will learn what France, Germany, Japan, China, Bangladesh, Spain, United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, Cuba, Belize, Haiti, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Nicaragua are doing in poetry.

This is one of the most important festivals in the world and it marks a milestone in the cultural history of Nicaragua, the Spanish ambassador to Nicaragua, Leon de la Torre declared in Managua.

The also honorary president of the event announced that the annual poetry celebration will be devoted, in its tenth edition, to poet Rubén Darío, one of the greatest modernist artists in Latin America.

For his part, the director of the Nicaraguan Cultural Institute, Luis Morales, explained that due to the significance of this event, the San Francisco Convent Cultural Center founded by Fray Benavente in 1529 has been dedicated to the festival.

There will be readings, recitals, book launches, and a dialogue on the life and work of Cardenal, said Bayardo Martínez, one of the festival’s founders, in remarks to the press.

According to the member of the organizing committee, another panel will be held in that patrimonial building, about Central American  poetry as a source of regionalidentity, sponsored by the European Union.

The Ninth Festival will try to consolidate new ways towards regional integration in culture, so it will share space with the 17th International Book Fair in Central America (Filcen) and with the Craft Fair, said official spokesman Arnulfo Aguero.

FAO Extols Reduction of Hunger in Nicaragua Nicaragua is one of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with more advances in the reduction of hunger, assured the United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO).

According to the report on the Panorama of the Feeding and Nutritional Security in Latin America and the Caribbean, Nicaragua reduced the prevalence of hunger that affected 55 percent of the population in 1990-92 to 20 percent in 2010-12.

Except for the increase of chronic malnutrition in 1998, as much the extreme poverty as hunger diminished visibly in the country, said the report.

“Nicaragua has achieved a tremendous progress, two decades ago half of its inhabitants suffered alimentary insecurity, said the general director of the FAO, José Graziano da Silva, by means of the official message.

The progress shows the possibility to eradicate the lash of hunger, “if there is a resolved action on behalf of the countries,” the official commented.

The FAO representative of the FAO had a meeting with President Ortega during the summit of the Latin American and Caribbean Community of States in Chile and he invited the Nicaraguan leader to participate in the Council of April 26, in which Nicaragua will receive the distinction.

Among the facts appreciated here by the UN entity there is the establishment in October 2011 of the Parliamentary Front against Hunger, with the purpose of impelling legislative initiatives, programs and political policies in favor of feeding the poorest people. (Reported by Prensa Latina).

5 reasons to quit drinking soda drinks – and how to do it

Previously publised at Personal Excellence

Do you drink soda drinks? How often do you drink it?

Here are 5 simple reasons why you should quit drinking Coca-Cola and soda drinks.

1. Counteractive to Weight Loss Efforts

One 330ml can of Coke contains around 160 calories. Assuming you drink one can of Coke every day: that’s 4800 extra calories every month or 1.4lbs. In a year, that adds up to 57,600 extra calories or 16.8 lbs. Granted, you will not be gaining an absolute 16.8lbs since our body metabolism adapts accordingly from consuming more/less calories, but you will clearly be gaining weight by drinking Coke/soda drinks over other healthier, lower calories options.

Contrary to popular belief, Diet Coke/soda is counteractive to weight loss efforts as well. I used to think Diet Coke should be a diet staple when I was trying to lose weight, which I later I found out wasn’t the case at all. Diet soda has been found to increase possibility of weight gain by 41%.

The most plausible explanation I found is artificial sugar in diet sodas confuses your body when it tastes something sweet that isn’t sugar. As a result, it makes your body crave for actual, sweet food.

2. Stains and corrodes your teeth

Coca-Cola and colored sodas stain your teeth. In addition, they have been shown to destroy 10 times more teeth material than fruit juices in just the first three minutes of drinking in a test.

3. Limited hydration

Coke and soft drinks contain caffeine, which is a diuretic. A diuretic is a drug that speeds up the rate of urine production – meaning it removes water from your body. While you can get your thirst quenched when drinking Coke, you do not get as hydrated as compared to if you just drink pure water.

4. Artificial stimulant

Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant drug. It affects the central nervous system and alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior. By increasing the levels of adrenaline (a stress hormone) in your body, you end off setting off feelings of anxiety and tension in your body. Instead of being able to operate as a fully conscious being, you end up having less control of your thoughts, emotions and behavior.

I noticed that whenever I do drink Coca-Cola or soda, my mental thinking is not as clear. It feels as though my thoughts become more rapid, jumbled and haphazard. Even though I’m supposedly more alert, I’m not fully in control of the higher faculties of my mind. It feels more like my mind is operating by itself and my conscious self is only allowed to observe in the background to give limited inputs. If this was in the past where I was drinking Coke every day, I would never have been able to make this observation. However, drinking Coke after being Coke/soda-free for many months made the contrast very stark to me.

5. Causes insomnia and sleeping disorders

The caffeine prevents drowsiness by (i) blocking the effects of hormones serotonin and melatonin and (ii) blocking adenosine receptors (sleep-inducers) from being binded. Apart from causing insomnia, it also prevents you from getting the full benefits of sleep, as the excerpt below from How Stuff Works shows: The most important long-term problem (of caffeine) is the effect (it) has on sleep. Adenosine reception (sleep inducers) is important to sleep, and especially to deep sleep. The half-life of caffeine in your body is about six hours. That means that if you consume a big cup of coffee with 200 mg of caffeine in it at 3:00 p.m., by 9:00 p.m. about 100 mg of that caffeine is still in your system. You may be able to fall asleep, but your body will probably miss out on the benefits of deep sleep.

The last time I drank (diet) coke, it kept me up all night until 6am, even though I tried turning in at 2am. My mind just went into overdrive mode and I could not sleep even though my body felt physically tired. If you drink coke/soda and you are finding it hard to manage your sleeping schedule, it might be the caffeine causing the problem. The problem is further aggravated if you are a naturally hyperactive person too (like me).

While you may appreciate caffeine for keeping you awake for a particular morning meeting or presentation, bear in mind that the boost is only temporary and at the expense of the natural functions of your mind (see point 5 above). While you may feel more alert after a dose of caffeine, it is just a stimulated feeling.

To make things worse, after the initial effects wear off, I am left with a state of fatigue worse than before since I was denying your body of the rest it deserved. To quote Jacob Teitelbaum, “Caffeine is an energy loan shark. What it lends you in the morning it takes back with heavy interest in the afternoon.”

Ron Paul’s farewell to the United States: Embrace liberty or face self-destruction – Part 8 and last

by Marvin J. Ramirez

Marvin J. RamirezMarvin J. Ramirez

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Dear readers: I am introducing to you, a memorable speech, which I consider the speech of the century. It is by a man who I believe has the biggest conviction on liberty than any one I have ever known. This man is Congressman Ron Paul, who is leaving Congress after 36 years. Mike Adams, editor of Natural News, took the time to transcribe it. Because the text came out too long, El Reportero will publish it in parts for several weeks. I hope you will enjoy it, and see for yourself, how this man’s vision brings out the raw corruption of our political system, with the hope that we all can help stop on time, the destruction of our Republic. PART 8

Ron Paul’s farewell message to America: Embrace liberty or face self-destruction

by Mike Adams

Ron Paul’s recent farewell speech is arguable the single most important speech in American history. Dr. Paul lays out the fatal problems facing America while pulling no punches. This speech is a must-read piece by anyone who seeks to understand the real reasons why America remains in a downward spiral of social and economic failure under the endless growth of Big Government and runaway debt.

Here’s the last part of the full text:

Conclusion

What are the greatest dangers that the American people face today and impede the goal of a free society? There are five.

1. The continuous attack on our civil liberties which threatens the rule of law and our ability to resist the onrush of tyranny.

2. Violent anti-Americanism that has engulfed the world. Because the phenomenon of “blow-back” is not understood or denied, our foreign policy is destined to keep us involved in many wars that we have no business being in. National bankruptcy and a greater threat to our national security will result.

3. The ease in which we go to war, without a declaration by Congress, but accepting international authority from the UN or NATO even for preemptive wars, otherwise known as aggression.

4. A financial political crisis as a consequence of excessive debt, unfunded liabilities, spending, bailouts, and gross discrepancy in wealth distribution going from the middle class to the rich. The danger of central economic planning, by the Federal Reserve must be understood.

5. World government taking over local and US sovereignty by getting involved in the issues of war, welfare, trade, banking, a world currency, taxes, property ownership, and private ownership of guns.

Happily, there is an answer for thes every dangerous trends.

What a wonderful world it would be if everyone accepted the simple moral premise of rejecting all acts of aggression. The retort to such a suggestion is always: it’s too simplistic, too idealistic, impractical, naïve, utopian, dangerous, and unrealistic to strive for such an ideal.

The answer to that is that for thousands of years the acceptance of government force, to rule over the people, at the sacrifice of liberty, was considered moral and the only available option for achieving peace and prosperity.

What could be more utopian than that myth — considering the results especially looking at the state sponsored killing, by nearly every government during the 20th Century, estimated to be in the hundreds of millions. It’s time to reconsider this grant of authority to the state.

No good has ever come from granting monopoly power to the state to use aggression against the people to arbitrarily mold human behavior. Such power, when left unchecked, becomes the seed of an ugly tyranny.

This method of governance has been adequately tested, and the results are in: reality dictates we try liberty.

The idealism of nonaggression and rejecting all offensive use of force should be tried. The idealism of government sanctioned violence has been abused throughout history and is the primary source of poverty and war.

The theory of a society being based on individual freedom has been around for a long time. It’s time to take a bold step and actually permit it by advancing this cause, rather than taking a step backwards as some would like us to do.

Today the principle of habeas corpus, established when King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215, is under attack. There’s every reason to believe that a renewed effort with the use of the internet that we can instead advance the cause of liberty by spreading an uncensored message that will serve to rein in government authority and challenge the obsession with war and welfare.

What I’m talking about is a system of government guided by the moral principles of peace and tolerance.

The Founders were convinced that a free society could not exist without a moral people. Just writing rules won’t work if the people choose to ignore them. Today the rule of law written in the Constitution has little meaning for most Americans, especially those who work in Washington DC.

Benjamin Franklin claimed “only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.” John Adams concurred: “Our  Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
A moral people must reject all violence in an effort to mold people’s beliefs or habits.

A society that boos or ridicules the Golden Rule is not a moral society. All great religions endorse the Golden Rule. The same moral standards that individuals are required to follow should apply to all government officials. They cannot be exempt.

The ultimate solution is not in the hands of the government.

The solution falls on each and every individual, with guidance from family, friends and community.

The #1 responsibility for each of us is to change ourselves with hope that others will follow. This is of greater importance than working on changing the government; that is secondary to promoting a virtuous society. If we can achieve this, then the government will change.

It doesn’t mean that political action or holding office has no value. At times it does nudge policy in the right direction. But what is true is that when seeking office is done for personal aggrandizement, money or power, it becomes useless if not harmful. When political action is taken for the right reasons it’s easy to understand why compromise should be avoided. It also becomes clear why progress is best achieved by working with coalitions, which bring people together, without anyone sacrificing his principles.

Political action, to be truly beneficial, must be directed toward changing the hearts and minds of the people, rec2ognizing that it’s the virtue and morality of the people that allow liberty to flourish.

The Constitution or more laws per se, have no value if the people’s attitudes aren’t changed.

To achieve liberty and peace, two powerful human emotions have to be overcome. Number one is “envy” which leads to hate and class warfare. Number two is “intolerance” which leads to bigoted and judgmental policies.

These emotions must be replaced with a much better understanding of love, compassion, tolerance and free market economics. Freedom, when understood, brings people together. When tried, freedom is popular.

The problem we have faced over the years has been that economic interventionists are swayed by envy, whereas social interventionists are swayed by intolerance of habits and lifestyles. The misunderstanding that tolerance is an endorsement of certain activities, motivates many to legislate moral standards which should only be set by individuals making their own choices. Both sides use force to deal with these misplaced emotions. Both are authoritarians. Neither endorses voluntarism. Both views ought to be rejected.

I have come to one firm conviction after these many years of trying to figure out “the plain truth of things.” The best chance for achieving peace and prosperity, for the maximum number of people world-wide, is to pursue the cause of LIBERTY.

If you find this to be a worthwhile message, spread it throughout the land.
http://www.naturalnews.com/038006_Ron_Paul_farewell_speech_liberty.html#ixzz2CYxtXcni.

Rival immigration reform plans could ignite Capitol Hill fireworks

by Basilisa Alonso

The comprehensive immigration reform proposal spread out Jan. 29 in Las Vegas by President Obama could eventually put as many as 11 million undocumented immigrants, about 80 percent of whom are Hispanic, on a path to U.S. citizenship.

It is could also light up the sky with an awesome display of political fireworks by the Fourth of July.

While Obama’s 25-minute televised speech was seen and heard by millions and then regurgitated and analyzed for days by print as well as broadcast media, its message was clearly directed to those 535 members of Congress who must sign off before it reaches his desk for signature.

The stakes — the President’s reputation, the future viability of the Republican Party and the welfare of the Hispanic community — are enormous.

Obama’s plan came a day after “the gang of eight” senators — Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menéndez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Coloradoand Republicans Marco Rubio of Florida, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and John McCain and Jeff Flake, both of Arizona — introduced theirs. In the president’s framework, a path to citizenship not tied to border enforcement would be included. It would also afford petitioning rights to same-sex couples.

The president offered extra considerations for agribusiness and family reunification, easing sponsorship regulations and raising the annual cap from seven to 15 percent. It would provide an expedited path to “innocent” young people who commit to serve in the military or pursue higher education. The Senate’s plan would do the same for undocumented youth and agricultural workers.

Both proposals emphasize border and workplace security, but the senators make citizenship contingent on stronger border enforcement measures. Immigrants in STEM fields would have an easier visa path. Both plans call for stricter criteria that would include background checks, paying any due taxes and penalties, and learning English for permanent residency.

At a Jan. 30 news conference called by Senate Democratic leadership in which only Senators Schumer and Durbin, along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid participated, Schumer responded to a reporter’s question whether citizenship is tied to verification of a “secure border.” He said a “metric” system would be established by the Department of Homeland Security to ascertain when border security guidelines have been met. He added, “Dick and I, and Bob as well as our … Republican friends want to make sure the border is secured but not to use it as a barrier to prevent 11 million from eventually gaining path to citizenship.”

For immigrants who pass initial background checks and pay fines, the Senate’s proposal would grant “lawful probationary status.” Only after those who are “in line” are processed and the border is secure, will immigrants be able to apply for residency. The President’s plan would also provide provisional status, and only after backlogged cases have been processed, could an immigrant apply for permanent residency.

A mandated national employment verification system and more funding of anti-fraud agencies and technology along with exclusion of public benefits while under lawful status are called for in both packages.

Agri-jobs receive priority in both plans, with big business and labor expressing support. U.S. Chamber of Commerce president Tom Donohue unveiled the “Republicans for immigration” super-pac at the National Press Club earlier this month, stressing that the U.S. economy cannot run without immigrants. “Businesses have millions of job openings that go unfilled,” he said.

At the same news conference, Citigroup chairman Carlos Gutiérrez, who served as Secretary of the Interior under President George W. Bush, pointed out that many U.S. family farms have shut down and some have moved to Mexico because of a shortage of workers.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka shared later that a few dozen of the nation’s unions “are undertaking a national campaign to support the 11 million undocumented immigrants. The Senate plan would make visas accessible for immigrants who commit to agricultural jobs.

United Farm Workers president Arturo Rodríguez called both proposals encouraging. He said they recognize the need for agricultural workers, who “sacrifice so much to bring the harvest to our table.”UFW members “are prepared to go out and do the work necessary to ensure a fair and decent process,” he promised.

Obama lauded most elements of the senators’ plan, saying its principles “are very much in agreement with the principles I campaigned on for the last few yeas”

Both packages underscore the importance for citizenship, reforming the current legal immigration system and border and workplace security.

Julieta Garibay, the United We Dream Educational Empowerment Program coordinator and a DACA recipient says the plans are basically the same, but “we don’t want words. We want actions.”

Many pro-immigrant groups are left wanting for more information after both presentations. Garibey says “we are still waiting on the details of the President’s plan such as how to deal with families being separated and those currently in deportation proceedings.

The time for rigorous debate will come, but what is important is that “the foundation for bipartisan action is already in place,” Obama emphasizes. Wade Henderson, president of The Leadership Conference, acknowledges that there are dozens of concerns still to be addressed “but the president let the people know “the time for reform has come. It set the tone for future discourse.”

The President has clearly warned Congress that if it fails to act in a timely fashion and “vote the right away,” his next step will be to draft a bill himself.

That’s when, for certain, firecrackers will pop all over Capitol Hill and partisan political rockets will ascend and explode across Washington’s sky.

(Basilisa Alonso is a reporter with Hispanic Link News Service in Washington, D.C. Reach her at basilisaalonso@yahoo.com.)

A once undocumented immigrant reflects upon Obama’s plan

First Person, Adrian Avila
New America Media

In a packed high school gym in Las Vegas, Nevada, President Barack Obama calmly spoke on the real possibility of comprehensive immigration reform. As I sat in my chair just 15 feet away from the president, I was trying to understand what was going on in front of me. As an individual that was undocumented for 22 years here in the United States, I couldn’t believe that I was about to hear a speech that I have dreamed of my entire adult life.

Only four months prior, I would have not been allowed in to this event since I wouldn’t have been able to provide proper identification. Back then, I was an undocumented immigrant with very little opportunity in this country.

Words can’t and never will truly explain what it means to be undocumented. It would be like describing what a marathon feels like to someone who has never planran more than a mile. But as someone who has seen both side of the undocumented line, I am hopeful that, this time, change will come.

After surviving as an undocumented immigrant since the age of six, I am now a current U-Visa holder, which grants me legal status in this country for four years. I also now have a path to permanent residency and one day citizenship.

I am following the path that millions of hopefuls would walk if the plan Obama proposed on January 29th passes. That plan includes a background check with biometrics, and penalty fees for entering the country illegal — all things I was more than willing to partake in.

As the president gave his speech recounting stories as to why reform is needed, I thought of some of my older relatives who raised me, as they worked and lived with little hope that their status would ever change. I had images of them driving to their jobs, better new jobs, with a new drivers license they always needed but were always denied. That ability of being able to share the road with all the other citizens of this country, without the fear of prosecution, is a freedom that really feels life-changing.

What some – even advocates for immigration reform – may not know is that legalization is not only about basic privileges, like being able to drive and work legally, but that it relieves the unbelievable, and at times debilitating, stress of being undocumented. Becoming legal transforms a person’s being. I know because I’m experiencing those feelings now. I can have moments now that I’ve always dreamed of — being able to drive my wife around, being able to present proper identification when asked, and being seen as a human being while doing so, and not some kind of Mexican boogie monster.

Now imagine the 11 million undocumented immigrants who will be given the same opportunity – it will change this country in ways that are practically unimaginable. You will have millions of individuals that are willing to work harder than ever before. It would be one of the best investments that this country could make for its people.

When the president introduced deferred action this past June of 2012, it was a small step toward achieving this long awaited aspiration. That policy allowed qualifying undocumented youth who came here before the age of 16, and are under the age of 31, to get a work permit. But the change it brought is small compared to what we have on our hands — a broken immigration system that is a big problem needing big solutions. We need to fix the old broken down laws that govern our immigration system and allow access to individuals of all ages that meet the requirements to be Americans. One never knows at what age they will achieve greatness. So to say, through the deferred action, that America only validates young smart people, is wrong.

I know that the road to victory is a long one, one that will have to travel through the craziness that is the U.S. legislative process, but I hope and pray that the same opportunity that was afforded to me will be given to those individuals wanting to be a positive part in this nation. One thing that many forget is that not all of the 11 million want to be citizens in this country. But for those persons willing to go through the process, whatever it may be, I know that the rewards will be more than worth it. You can’t benefit from anything you don’t put work into, and compared to what immigrants face on the daily, this battle should be a walk in the park.

It’s just a magic place to visit in Nicaragua: Ometepe and Rivas

by the El Reportero’s wire services

Wonderful, wild, OmetepeWonderful, wild, Ometepe. (PHOTO BY TIM ROGERS)

South of Managua, the land crumples into high cloudy ridges and the windblown peak of Las Nubes (934 meters), then falls off slowly until it spills into southwestern Nicaragua’s plains.

Here Lake Cocibolca presses the land into a narrow belt that barely separates the lake from the Pacific Ocean. In fact, geological evidence suggests at one point, it didn’t separate them at all, and Lake Cocibolca once flowed across this slim margin of land to the west, draining into the Pacific near the fishing community of Brito rather than down the Río San Juan into the Atlantic Ocean, as it does today.

The isthmus of Rivas is replete with history. Although known as the land of Nicarao, the area was first inhabited by the Kiribisis tribe, whom the more powerful Chorotegas pushed aside. The Nicaraos came afterward, and by the time the Spanish “discovered” the region, had been residents here for at least seven generations.

Rivas, a languorous colonial town of traders and farmers, watched hundreds of thousands of passengers traveling between New York and California pass through its streets in horse-drawn carts between San Jorge and San Juan del Sur; this was the only dry land crossing of the entire gold rush journey. At about the same time, one of filibuster William Walker’s first military defeats took place here.

These days, Rivas draws less attention than the coastal communities of San Juan del Sur and La Isla de Ometepe, but retains a colonial charm appreciated by many.

But it’s hard to compete with La Isla de Ometepe for attention. As of June 2010, Ometepe was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Preserve.

The magnificent twin-peaked Ometepe rises like a crown from the center of Lake Cocibolca. An intensely volcanic island steeped in tradition and mystery, Ometepe was the ancestral home of the Nahuatl people and today is an alluring destination for travelers, with its sandy beaches, swimming holes, hiking trails, and of course, two breathtaking volcanoes: one hot, one cold (the former remains quite active).

Southwestern Nicaragua does not suffer the same intense, grinding poverty prevalent in the drier lands of the north and west. It rains more in the south, and the rivers flow nearly year-round. The volcanic soils on Lake Cocibolca’s western shore are rich and productive. Cattle graze lazily in immense, lucrative ranches and sugarcane fields drape the valleys south of the foot of Mombacho, one of Nicaragua’s most picturesque peaks.

The island first became inhabited in the Dinarte phase (ca 2000–500 BC), although evidence is questionable. The first known inhabitants were Nahua Indians from Mexico. In their footsteps came the Niquirano Indians, who established an important settlement on the island. Traces of this past can still be found in petroglyphs and stone idols on the northern slopes of Maderas volcano. The oldest date from 300 BC.

After the Spaniards conquered the Central American region in the 16th century, pirates began prowling Lake Nicaragua. They came in from the Caribbean Sea via the San Juan River. The inhabitants of Ometepe were hard hit. The pirates stole the inhabitants’ women, animals, possessions and harvest; and erected settlements on the shore, making it their refuge.

This made the local population, seeking shelter, move to higher grounds on the volcanoes. The island was finally settled by the Spanish conquistadors at the end of the 16th century.