Freedom's Phoenix Feature Articles

The Cold, Hard Facts Behind Funding Your Retirement

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:35:58 GMT

Read more on this subject: Casey Research Articles
Feature Article by Dennis Miller
Many folks are afraid they simply won't be able to retire � or stay retired � when and how they planned. We can talk about retiring later, taking a part-time job, and cutting back on expenses, but those are only partial solutions. Of the seniors who are still working, very few are earning as much as they did at their peak. Their life savings still needs to make up the difference. I receive a lot of letters from very concerned baby boomers and retirees who are watching their principal erode every year, but they don't know what to do about it. Unfortunately, some have unrealistic expectations. I received a note from a woman in her early 70s who had fired her stockbroker (for good reason), and asked if there was a basket of mutual funds she could invest in that would do the trick. I had to tell her that there simply are no "set it and forget it" solutions anymore. When our parents retired, CDs earned enough interest to keep their portfolios afloat. As long as they had saved
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Are Japanese Bonds Signaling Trouble?

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:48:15 GMT

Read more on this subject: Economy - International
Feature Article by Stephen Lendman
Are Japanese Bonds Signaling Trouble? by Stephen Lendman A previous article discussed the disconnect between soaring markets and troubled economies. Liquidity driven markets only skyrocket so long. What can't go on forever, won't. No one's sure when. Eventually the music stops. When that happens, watch out. Signals provide clues. Fed governors hint at slowing QE. Some analysts think by yearend or sooner. Bond prices affect other markets. Spiking Japanese sovereign yields (JGB) suggest trouble. On May 18, The Japan Times headlined "JGB yield spikes raise alarm bells," saying: "Is it a sign of a full-fledged economic recovery or a looming catastrophe in the monetary making?" On April 5, the benchmark 10-year JGB perhaps bottomed at 0.315%. From there it surged. On May 17, it hit 0.92%. It pulled back. It resumed rising. On May 21, its yield was 0.88%. At the same time, demand for 40-year debt waned. Yields closed at 1.955%. It's their highest lev
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The Campaign to Free Castle Keene, a Modern Robin Hood Moment

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:05:20 GMT

Read more on this subject: Government
Feature Article by Melinda Pillsbury-foster
Lauren Carario started it, putting coins in the parking meters of autos in danger of being ticketed in around 2007 or 2008. It was not an all the time thing, but something she did because she thought it was wrong to fine people for parking on the streets for which they pay. The people are the government, after all. No one asked them if they wanted to fine themselves. Sometimes from small impulses large things grow. Feeding the meters has continued by others following her example, on and off, since Lauren's first impulse. About a month ago, things heated up. In the last two weeks the peaceful Evolution of Robin Hood has captured national, and international, attention as Keene filed a law suit against activists, naming, among others Graham Colson. In response, Graham and others went down to the City Hall to talk to City Attorney Tom Mullins, who refused to hold a discussion on camera, ignoring the public's right to know. The City of Ke
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Reinventing Guatemalan History

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:11:54 GMT

Read more on this subject: Police State
Feature Article by Stephen Lendman
Reinventing Guatemalan History by Stephen Lendman History reinventors support despots. Social democrats are vilified. Crimes of war, against humanity and genocide are sanitized. They're whitewashed. They disappear in plain sight. Wall Street Journal columnist Mary O'Grady tried reinventing Guatemalan history. She failed. More on that below. Washington tolerates no independent governments. Left of center democratic ones are most vulnerable. In 1953, the CIA's first coup deposed Iran's Mohammad Mosaddegh. At the time, The New York Times called him "the most popular politician in the country." Reza Shah Pahlavi replaced him. A generation-long reign of terror followed. In 1954, Washington ousted Guatemala's Jacobo Arbenz Guzman. In 1952, Truman authorized CIA action. Eisenhower followed through. Paramilitary subversion and psychological warfare forced him out. Carlos Castillo Armas replaced him. Death squad justice followed. So did decades of genocide. More on th
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Supreme Court Colludes with Monsanto

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:10:31 GMT

Read more on this subject: Food
Feature Article by Stephen Lendman
Supreme Court Colludes with Monsanto by Stephen Lendman It's no surprise. Michael Parenti calls America's High Court its "autocratic branch." It's notoriously pro-business. It's longstanding. In Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railway (1886), it granted corporations legal personhood. More recently, in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes et al (June 2011), it denied longstanding sexual discrimination class action redress. It overruled a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision doing so. In AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion (April 2011), it did so two months earlier. It blocked class action redress claiming fraud. The company's wireless subsidiary charged sales tax on cellphones it advertised as free. Two California courts rules for plaintiffs. The High Court overruled them. In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled for money power over democratic governance. One dollar = one vote. Corporations and PACs can spend all they want. D
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America: A Modern-Day Sparta

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:58:21 GMT

Read more on this subject: WAR: About that War
Feature Article by Stephen Lendman
America: A Modern-Day Sparta by Stephen Lendman Permanent war is longstanding policy. America deplores peace. Throughout its history, it's waged war annually at home and/or abroad. Today it does so globally. Giving peace a chance is loathed. Direct or proxy wars rage in multiple countries. "Yes we can" reflects Obama's pro-war, pro-imperial, pro-ravage, plunder and dominate agenda. He prioritizes it. He abhors human rights, equity, justice, and other democratic values. Rogue leaders operate that way. Rule of law principles are spurned. Constitutional protections no longer apply. Any nation, organization or person designated a state enemy is targeted. "Change you can believe in" is polar opposite of what most people expected. America's empire of bases is global. US special forces operate in over 120 countries. Proxy death squads supplement them. CIA agents and assets are everywhere. Washington's Blog said America's waging 74 wars. It's "f
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Guantanamo Force-Feeding Constitutes Torture

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:56:03 GMT

Read more on this subject: Police State
Feature Article by Stephen Lendman
Guantanamo Force-Feeding Constitutes Torture by Stephen Lendman Guantanamo detention constitutes torture, abuse and ill-treatment. Long-term detention compounds it. Force-feeding increases unconscionable pain and suffering. Doing so violates core rule of law principles. Around 130 of 166 Guantanamo detainees refuse food. They're hunger striking for justice. They began in February. They passed 100 days. They'd rather die than endure injustice. Their only escape route is death. Pentagon officials at first maintained silence. Belatedly they admitted what's well-known. They consistently downplayed it. Now they admit 102 detainees refuse food. At least 130 are involved. Obama dismissively said nothing. His belated acknowledgement reflected disdain for their pain and suffering. Thirty or more hunger strikers are being force-fed. Doing so constitutes torture. A previous article explained. Detainees are restrained in chairs. They're called "padded cells on wheels.&quo
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STOP AGENDA 21

Sun, 19 May 2013 08:03:45 GMT

Read more on this subject: Activism
Feature Article by Mike Shipley
Mikester and Andrea rocked the activist world tonight with a killer sign-making party at Agenda 21 Park, I mean Hance Park in downtown Phoenix tonight. Thank you Ernie for helping with the stencils, we really turned the tables on Miss "I want free publicity" GMO Free Zone!! After attempting to subvert our planning meeting by thinking she could dictate the content of our outreach literature, and trying to get us to furnish DVD's and sell them to benefit her org (LOL!!) she will just have to settle for having our message plastered all over the Tempe / Mill Avenue area whether she likes it or not, hahaha!! I am sure she will not mind taking credit for our work, having attention-whored for it so strongly. Welcome to the R3/0Lution missy, this ain't our first time at the rodeo!! If you've been missing the fun of the latest activism, you might want to join us on the Stop Agenda 21 Meetup!! You can find out more about the March Against Monsanto, as well as make sure you're on the sched
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America Honors Its Worst

Sun, 19 May 2013 07:16:19 GMT

Read more on this subject: Police State
Feature Article by Stephen Lendman
America Honors Its Worst by Stephen Lendman Presidential Medals of Freedom are awarded annually. They mock what they claim to represent. Many go to deplorable recipients. Previous dishonorees include GHW Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Robert Gates, Henry Kissinger, Tony Blair, Shimon Peres, Margaret Thatcher, Alvaro Uribe, Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, and Alan Greenspan among others. Nobel Peace Prize recipients include notorious war criminals. In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt was honored. He once said "I should welcome almost any war, for I think this country needs one." In 1919, Woodrow Wilson won. He broke his pledge to keep "us out of war." In 1953, George Marshall was honored. He helped create NATO. It's a killing machine. He was involved in aggressive war on North Korea. Other dishonorees included Kofi Annan, Al Gore, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Henry Kissinger, Barack Obama, and the EU. Peacemakers aren't considered. In
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IRS Scandal Headlines: More Than Meets the Eye

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:40:17 GMT

Read more on this subject: Police State
Feature Article by Stephen Lendman
IRS Scandal Headlines: More Than Meets the Eye by Stephen Lendman More than targeting political enemies is involved. More on than below. The practice is longstanding. Republican and Democrat administrations use the IRS abusively. During the Coolidge administration, Republican Senator James Couzens investigated the IRS' predecessor - the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon sued him. University of Virginia Law Professor George Yin called doing so the "greatest tax suit in the history of the world." At issue was political intrigue, backstabbing, and unintended consequences. Franklin Roosevelt targeted William Randolph Hearst, Louisiana Governor Huey Long, and anti-administration critic/popular radio host Father John Coughlin. IRS officials investigated their finances. In the 1940s and 1950s, hundreds of IRS employees were sacked and/or indicted for involvement in widespread corruption and bribery. San Francisco officials colluded
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Prepper quail for food

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:33:36 GMT

Read more on this subject: Prepping
Feature Article by Morpheus Titania
Leo Shares how easy it is to raise quail as a food source. You get 200 eggs per female bird 6-8 weeks after it is hatched. 6-8 days in the incubator. the cages are 2 x 2 x 8in high and you can keep 12 birds per cage.
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4409 -- Bomber conveniently leaves Confession note in Boat

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:17:04 GMT

Read more on this subject: Videos by 4409
Feature Article by Forty Four O Nine
While supposedly bleeding to death in a boat the Boston bomber conveniently left a 'confession' note on the boat wall where he hid. Follow 4409 on Twitter https://twitter.com/tweet4409 The 4409 Store: https://www.wepay.com/stores/4409-store?page=1
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Putin v. Obama et al

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:08:46 GMT

Read more on this subject: WAR: About that War
Feature Article by Stephen Lendman
Putin v. Obama et al by Stephen Lendman On May 16, the Wall Street Journal headlined "Russia Raises Stakes in Syria," saying: Russia "sent a dozen or more warships to patrol waters near its naval base in Syria, a buildup that US and European officials see as a newly aggressive stance meant partly to warn the West and Israel not to intervene in Syria's bloody civil war." RIA Novosti said deployed ships include the Admiral Panteleyev destroyer, the Peresvet and Admiral Nevelsky amphibious vessels, the Pechenga tanker, the Fotiy Krylov salvage/rescue tug, the Severomorsk anti-submarine ship, the Azov Popucha-II Class landing ship, and other vessels. According to the WSJ, "Russia's expanded presence…represents one of its largest sustained naval deployments since the Cold War." Its "presence adds a new source of potential danger for miscalculation in an increasingly combustible region." An unnamed US defense official called it &qu
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How to Choose a Financial Advisor

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:45:59 GMT

Read more on this subject: Casey Research Articles
Feature Article by Dennis Miller
Ninety-eight percent of insurance brokers do not know how to use life insurance optimally. That, anyway, is what one reader wrote in to tell me. I chuckled as I thought to myself, "You could substitute any profession for 'insurance broker' � lawyer, salesperson, politician, etc. � and that statement would still ring true." Sure, I laughed a little, but it wouldn't be funny to realize I'd been misled into investing in something only marginally advantageous when there was a better alternative available. Caveat emptor � let the buyer beware � has been an underlying theme in several of our recent Money Forever premium issues. It's a prudent thought to keep in mind when plunking down your money for any number of alternative investments, such as an annuity or reverse mortgage, and when selecting a professional financial advisor. It's a warning I heard loud and clear while reading an article highlighting the pitfalls of using a stockbroker as a financial advisor. The authors g
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Will Congressional Republicans Ever Be Worth A Damn For Freedom?

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:39:32 GMT

Read more on this subject: Philosophy: Conservatism
Feature Article by Jim Bovard
The American Conservative posted online today my review of Jim Antle's zippety new book, Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?. Antle recognizes the peril of Leviathan and is fairly optimistic on what Republicans can become and achieve. Here are a few of my lines from the review � which is posted in its entirety below. * The friends of freedom are accustomed to being beaten like a rented mule in Washington. * Few Republican congressmen today have the gumption to oppose almost boundless executive power, even when the executive branch is controlled by their arch-enemy. * Government has been growing by leaps in bounds thanks in large part to the mental turpitude and character defects of the typical member of Congress *"Freedom" is a word that Republicans enjoy evoking when Democrats are in charge of the White House and executive branch. * Many of today's Republican members of Congress are so clueless that they do not recognize the peril
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