Yearly Archives: 2017

The CIA and the Media: 50 Facts the World Needs to Know

"Since the end of World War Two the Central Intelligence Agency has been a major force in US and foreign news media, exerting considerable influence over what the public sees, hears and reads on a regular basis. CIA publicists and journalists alike will assert they have few, if any, relationships, yet the seldom acknowledged history of their intimate collaboration indicates a far different story–indeed, one that media historians are reluctant to examine."

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What Country Is This? Forced Blood Draws, Cavity Searches and Colonoscopies

"Forced cavity searches, forced colonoscopies, forced blood draws, forced breath-alcohol tests, forced DNA extractions, forced eye scans, forced inclusion in biometric databases: these are just a few ways in which Americans are being forced to accept that we have no control over our bodies, our lives and our property, especially when it comes to interactions with the government."

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Is DACA Unconstitutional? (Again)

In announcing the winding down of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the President yesterday said in part: The legislative branch, not the executive branch, writes these laws – this is the bedrock of our Constitutional system, which I took a solemn oath to preserve, protect, and defend. In June of 2012, President Obama…

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Pennsylvania Bill Would Expand Healthcare Freedom

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Sept. 6, 2017) – A bill introduced in the Pennsylvania House would help facilitate healthcare freedom outside of government regulatory schemes. Rep. Matthew Baker (R-Wellsboro) introduced House Bill 1739 (HB1739) along with 12 co-sponsors on Aug. 24. The legislation specifies that direct primary care agreements (sometimes called medical retainer agreements) do not constitute…

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Bill to End Unchecked Police Surveillance Dies in California Committee

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Sept 5, 2017) –  Last week, a bill that would have required all law enforcement agencies in the state to get local government approval before acquiring or using surveillance technology died in a California Assembly committee. Passage of the bill would have taken the first step toward limiting the unchecked use of surveillance…

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Lysander Spooner and Parchment Barriers

Many people argue that the Constitution has failed. However, the problem is not the Constitution itself, but a failure of the people to enforce it. The Constitution formed a union and authorized the formation of a  general government with very limited powers. The purpose of the Constitution was to create a more perfect union where…

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Wisconsin Bill Would Legalize Marijuana; Foundation to Nullify Federal Prohibition

MADISON, Wisc. (Sept. 2, 2017) – A Wisconsin bill introduced last week would legalize marijuana for recreational use. Passage would take a big step toward nullifying federal cannabis prohibition in practice in the Badger State. Rep. Melissa Sargent (D-Madison) and 17 co-sponsors introduced Assembly Bill 482 (AB482) on Aug. 24. The legislation would legalize marijuana under…

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Documents burn as Trump escalates Russia conflict, ordering SF consulate vacated

"The order to leave the consulate and an official diplomatic residence in San Francisco — home to a longstanding community of Russian emigres and technology workers — escalated an already tense diplomatic standoff between Washington and Moscow, even for those who have long monitored activities inside the closely monitored building."

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