Derren Brown Trick or Treat Season 2 Episode 6 from Wouterk on Vimeo.

White House fears liberal war pressure........

White House officials are increasingly worried liberal, anti-war Democrats will demand a premature end to the Afghanistan war before President Barack Obama can show signs of progress in the eight-year conflict, according to senior administration sources. These fears, which the officials have discussed on the condition of anonymity over the past few weeks, are rising fast after U.S. casualties hit record levels in July and August...Link

Mexico's prison Problems........

Legalize Everything.......................

One cop straight out of The Wire crunches the numbers with Esquire.com's political columnist to discover that America's prohibition of narcotics may be costing more lives than Mexico's — and nearly enough dollars for universal health care. So why not repeal our drug laws? Because cops are making money off them, too...Link

New Plan Needed In Afghanistan.

U.S. military tactics in Afghanistan are likely to continue shifting after the top American commander delivered a long-awaited assessment Monday that says the situation there is "serious," but salvageable. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who issued the confidential report, is pushing for closer integration of U.S., NATO, and Afghan forces. "The situation in Afghanistan is serious but success is achievable and demands a revised implementation strategy and increased unity of effort," McChrystal said in submitting his report...Link

So Fresh and So Clean.

U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul on Monday pledged not to accept campaign contributions from any U.S. Senator who voted for the bank bailout and challenged his opponents to follow suit. Dr. Paul issued this challenge after learning that Trey Grayson has scheduled a Washington D.C. fundraiser co-sponsored by several U.S. Senators, seventeen of whom voted for the so-called TARP bailout in 2008, which was then used to fund an auto industry bailout Congress rejected. “This isn’t about holding politicians to an impossibly high standard of agreeing with everything one’s supporters say or do,” Paul said. “But a primary focus of my campaign is that we need Republicans in office who will have the courage to say no to federal bailouts of big business.” “There is nothing in the Constitution that allows the government to pick winners and losers in the private sector and the Republican party platform specifically condemns bailouts,” Paul said. “I’m running for the U.S. Senate to stand up for true Republican principles and the Republicans I’ve talked to agree that is what we need.”

What Fed-Audit Legislation Would Mean......

Overturning current limits on government audits of the Federal Reserve has become a key goal of the central bank's critics inside and outside Congress. House lawmakers are expected to seek a comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve system by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, as part of a broader overhaul of financial regulation this fall. But the precise scope of such an audit remains undetermined. The move follows a proposal by Rep. Ron Paul (R., Texas), endorsed by two-thirds of the House, that would require the GAO to conduct an audit by the end of 2010. It would override—for at least that period—a law that shields the Fed's monetary-policy decisions from GAO inquiries. Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, is in talks with Mr. Paul on the details of the bill, and has said he expects some version to pass the House this fall. But Mr. Frank said he would ensure the Fed's independence in setting interest rates and other aspects of monetary policy...Link

The Fed's Interesting Week.............

It has been an interesting week indeed for the Federal Reserve. Early this week, it was announced that President Obama intends to reappoint Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second term in January, signaling a vote of confidence in him. Bernanke seems to be popular with the administration and with Wall Street, and with good reason. His lending policies have left big banks flush with newly created cash that covers up old mistakes and allows for new ones. By buying up mountains of Treasury debt he has also enabled spending to soar to ridiculous levels that should startle any responsible economist, and scare any American concerned about the value of the dollar. However, these highly sensitive decisions about our money are not made by economists, they are made by politicians. Bernanke, like most of his predecessors, is the politician’s best friend. However, there is no reason to believe any other central planner would behave any differently, considering the immense political pressure on the Fed...Link

U.S. ranks 28th in Internet speed...........

When it comes to Internet speed, the U.S. remains far down the ladder of industrialized nations, ranking 28th behind leaders South Korea, Japan, Sweden and Holland, according to a study by a labor union for telecommunications workers. Using data gathered from Speed Matters, a site that promotes greater Internet speeds, the Communications Workers of America compiled a list of broadband speeds in U.S. states and territories and came up with the average speed for the nation -- 5.1 megabits per second. That's a quarter of South Korea's 20.4 megabits and about a third of Japan's 15.8 megabits...Link

57% Would Like to Replace Entire Congress.

If they could vote to keep or replace the entire Congress, just 25% of voters nationwide would keep the current batch of legislators. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% would vote to replace the entire Congress and start all over again. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure how they would vote...Link