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The Rise of the Antiwar Libertarian Republicans

“If you’re among the majority of war-weary Americans who oppose any sort of military intervention in Syria, thank libertarian Republican lawmakers Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan. If the House and Senate vote against authorizing war next week, the efforts by these two guys will have been instrumental. Indeed, their outspoken, principled pushback is part of the reason that President Barack Obama—the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner—hasn’t already pursued some sort of strike ‘just muscular enough not to get mocked’ by the world while not inciting retaliation by Bashar al-Assad’s allies, Russia and Iran.” Continue reading →

Map: All the Countries John McCain Has Wanted to Attack

“Even before he was caught playing poker on his iPhone at a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) had already sent a message: Anything less than an extensive aerial assault on the Syrian regime by American forces would be an unacceptable approach to the conflict in the Middle East. This was hardly surprising. Over the last two decades, McCain has rarely missed an opportunity to call for the escalation of an international conflict. Since the mid-1990s, he’s pushed for regime change in more than a half-dozen countries—occasionally with disastrous consequences.” Continue reading →

Humanitarian Murder: It’s a Gas

“The true humanitarian position on any question of war is to reject it entirely: war is nothing more than the creation of the collective state, not the individual constituents thereof. US military involvement in Syria will do nothing more than complicate matters not just in Syria, but also the entire region. Indeed, the same politicians who speak so proudly of ‘democracy’ have no problem imposing it upon others (through death and destruction), but when it comes to their own countrymen, it is but a whisper. Today, only 9% of Americans support any intervention in Syria, and this number is low for good reason: Americans simply do not trust their government anymore.” Continue reading →

Florida gov. delays execution for Attorney General Pam Bondi’s fundraiser

“Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) kicked off her re-election campaign by admitting she made a mistake when she asked Gov. Rick Scott to delay an execution because it conflicted with a fundraiser. Marshall Lee Gore, 50, was scheduled to die on Monday for the rape and murder of 30-year-old Robyn Novick and for the murder of 19-year-old Susan Roark. But Scott advised Florida State Prison Warden John Palmer last month that he had moved the execution to Oct 1. When he was asked about the move on Monday, the governor said that he was complying with a ‘request of the attorney general.'” Continue reading →

CDC calls rising E-cigarette among teens ‘deeply troubling’

“Some 1.78 million US middle and high school students — around 11 to 18 years old — smoked so-called e-cigarettes in 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a new study. CDC smoking and health office director Tim McAfee noted that ‘about 90 percent of all smokers begin smoking as teenagers.’ ‘We must keep our youth from experimenting or using any tobacco product.’ The US government is due to announce in October its plans for regulating electronic cigarettes. For the moment, the laws are different according to each state, though a number of them have already forbidden their sale to minors.” Continue reading →

Deputies punished for actions during 1:30 am wrong-address arrest

“Deputies went to a house in Ellenwood on July 26 to serve an arrest warrant. The family told CBS Atlanta News they were startled at 1:30 a.m. when deputies beat on their front door. Fearing for their safety, the family said they took their time to open the door. Once inside, an officer used excessive force and aggressive language, according to one family member. ‘If the police come to your house and need to come in, whether you agree or not that they need to come into the home, you need to open the door,’ said DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown.” Continue reading →

Video gambling ring arrests include councilman, police chief, ex-cops

“Mr. Melocchi’s machines could be found in Allegheny, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties, the presentment said. Operating out of a location in an alley behind a Glassport coffee shop, Mr. Melocchi placed the devices in various businesses and allegedly struck deals with the owners to split gambling proceeds. Video gambling machines are illegal if patrons pay to play, use more chance than skill to win, and are paid off. Business owners told the grand jury that they earned between $75 and $1,000 a week from the devices.” Continue reading →

6 Ways the U.S. Drug War Intrudes On Your Life, Whether Or Not You Use

“Many Americans who do not use illegal ‘drugs’ assume exemption from drug war policies. But regardless of how much marijuana you do or don’t smoke, the U.S. war on drugs affects nearly everyone. While some prohibition tactics are more obvious than others, the drug war has slyly pushed its way into many corners of American life. Be it at the post office, in the workspace, or behind the counter at Walgreens, the war on drugs has established a nagging presence in the everyday lives of Americans, even those who do not get high illegally. Whether or not you are aware that the drug war is behind these creeping invasions, our drug policy has unequivocally curtailed basic civil rights.” Continue reading →