Louisiana House Votes to Expand Right to Try Act, Further Reject Some FDA Restrictions

BATON ROUGE, La. (May 18, 2017) – Yesterday, the Louisiana House unanimously passed a bill that would expand the state’s Right to Try law to include technology designed to help ALS patients with mobility. Passage into law would set the foundation to nullify in practice a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules that currently denies…

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Michigan House Unanimously Passes Measure to Protect Electronic Data and Communications

LANSING, Mich. (May 17, 2017) – Today, the Michigan House unanimously passed a proposal to put “electronic data and communications” on the same level as “persons, houses, papers, and possessions” in the state constitution. House Joint Resolution C (HJRC) was introduced by Rep. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) along with 11 bipartisan co-sponsors. If approved, voters…

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WaPo: The U.S. will never win the war in Afghanistan

"Obama signed off on a surge that ended with 100,000 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. His generals also promised to break the stalemate. Today, the Taliban controls more of the country than it has since 2001. Why are we still there? We went into Afghanistan after 9/11 to get Osama bin Laden and to punish the Taliban for harboring al-Qaeda. Now bin Laden is dead; al-Qaeda is dispersed; the Taliban has been battered. The United Nations reports that there were more than 11,000 war-related civilian casualties last year, and 660,000 Afghans were displaced, adding to the country’s massive refugee crisis. The war has now cost us over $1 trillion, making it the second-costliest U.S. war." Continue reading

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US Arms Both Sides, Will Supply $100 Billion in Arms to Saudi Arabia, Israel

"Details are still emerging, but the plan is for this to set out a series of growing deals over the next decade that will involve more than $300 billion going to arms dealers, not just to arm the Saudis, but in extra aid to Israel to ensure their 'qualitative military edge' over the Saudis." Continue reading

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Israel Bans Travel For Settlement Opponents, Sparks Expat Backlash

"The Israel travel ban, passed in the Knesset last month, has drawn widespread condemnation, including from mainstream Jewish organizations such as the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and the Reform movement. Since its establishment in 1999, Birthright has brought more than 500,000 young Jewish adults to Israel. Most of the participants in the program are college-age students. The program’s largest benefactor is billionaire casino magnate and Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson." Continue reading

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North Carolina Committee Passes Bill to Encourage Use of Gold and Silver as Money

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 17, 2017) – Yesterday, a North Carolina House committee passed a bill that would exempt the sale and purchase of gold and silver from state sales taxes, encouraging their use and taking the first step toward breaking the Federal Reserve’s monopoly on money. Rep. Dana Bumgardner (R-Gastonia) and Rep. Jeff Collins (R-Rocky…

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