WH Intruder Deep Inside, HK Protests Grow
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Vol. 3, No. 271
Call Security: A man who jumped the White House fence and entered the building made it further inside than previously reported, according to stories in the Washington Post and NY Times. The Secret Service first said Omar Gonzalez made it to just inside the North Portico doors, but the two newspapers report that he actually overpowered a female Secret Service agent just inside the doors, ran through the East Room, and was tackled entering the Green room. He was deep inside the building. Secret Service Director Julia Pierson is being called on the Congressional carpet today to answer questions.
Hong Kong: Tens of thousands of pro-Democracy protesters are building up their street defenses and stockpiling supplies in advance of an anticipated police effort to clear the streets before Chinese National Day. They are protesting Beijing’s ruling that the central government must approve candidates to become Hong Kong’s leader, rather than have fully open elections in 2017. It’s a test of the “One country two systems” agreement made when Britain handed over Hong Kong to China. While it may look like the bad guys are in Beijing, some observers say Hong Kong’s powerful capitalists also are afraid of open elections because things might not land in their favor. They might be working with Beijing to keep control.
Permawar: Islamic State fighters are getting smart and dispersing to avoid air strikes, according to the Pentagon. They’ve stopped moving in large convoys and formations that are easy to hit. Air Force Major General Jeffrey Harrigian said, “They are a smart adversary, and they have seen that that’s not effective for their survival, so they are now dispersing themselves.”
Bananistan: One of the first acts of the new Afghan government today was to sign a security agreement with the US, allowing 9,800 American soldiers to remain in the country to advise and train the Afghan army. The deal protects US soldiers from prosecution in Afghan courts if they break local laws, which had been a sticking point. Soldiers would be prosecuted in the military justice system.
Nation: A Dutch tourist has been fined $3,000 for crashing a drone into one of Yellowstone Park’s colorful mineral pools. He’s the second of three men accused of violating Yellowstone’s no-drone police. A German was already fined $1,600 for crashing his drone into Yellowstone Lake and the case of an American man is pending.
Population Crash: The world’s wildlife population has dropped by half in the last 40 years, according to a report from the London Zoological Society. Lions in Ghana are down 90 percent, and in Nepal hunting and habitat destruction have reduced the population of tigers from 100,000 a hundred years ago to just 3,000 today. While the report notes that climate change is beginning to have an effect, the biggest damage to wildlife comes from habitat reduction and unsustainable human consumption of natural resources.
The Rich Are Different: The 400 richest Americans control $2.3 trillion worth of wealth, according the Forbes Magazine annual list of the richest. That’s about the same amount of money controlled by the poorest half of America, roughly 150 million people. Top of the wealthiest list is Microsoft’s Bill Gates at $81.2 billion. Then you’ve got Larry Ellison, the Koch brothers. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg broke into the top 10 at $34.7 billion. You’d think he could dress in something nicer than a t-shirt.
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