Alt/Indie News

New Jersey Requires a Permit To Preach In Public

"The preachers sued, arguing they were deprived of their right to free expression. They also claimed they were discriminated against on the basis of religion. But true to form, the New Jersey government closed ranks and doubled down on their position. As a state agency, New Jersey Transit argued that they have immunity from civil claims of rights violations. And the worst part is, a U.S. circuit court of appeals agreed with the state of New Jersey. They said state permitting laws trump basic rights like free speech."

Continue ReadingNew Jersey Requires a Permit To Preach In Public

There Will Be No Viking Longboats Cruising the Mississippi

"Switzerland-based Viking Cruises, which wanted to build and send small cruise ships up the Mississippi River, leaving new tourism dollars for river towns in its wake, is backing off its plan. Our own federal laws are to blame. More specifically, President Grover Cleveland's Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA). The 1886 law requires that in order to ferry passengers between ports in the United States, the ship must have been built in the United States and be owned and operated by Americans."

Continue ReadingThere Will Be No Viking Longboats Cruising the Mississippi

Give Haircuts To Homeless Veterans, Receive Threats From Licensing Board

"A cosmetology license requires '25 weeks [of training], more than an EMT, certified nursing assistant or truck driver.' Ducey views the cosmetology board as 'bullies' and is urging the passage of Ugenti-Rita’s bill, which would make it easier to obtain a license."

Continue ReadingGive Haircuts To Homeless Veterans, Receive Threats From Licensing Board

US Experimented on Hundreds of Poor Pregnant Women With Radiation

"Somewhere between 750 and 850 women were given trace amounts of radioactive iron in a 'cocktail' drink during their pregnancies by health officials they trusted. Dr. Paul Hahn, the lead researcher behind the experiments, claimed that the study was intended to record the absorption of iron during pregnancy. Vanderbilt spokesman Wayne Wood told the Washington Post that all of the files were destroyed by the research team in the 1970s."

Continue ReadingUS Experimented on Hundreds of Poor Pregnant Women With Radiation

Jeff Sessions Should Ask Cancer Patients about Cannabis

"Attorney General Jeff Sessions is actively lobbying Congress to overturn existing law prohibiting federal interference in state medical-marijuana policy. As someone who believes in strong constitutional limits on federal power and the rights of patients to choose, I am deeply disappointed. And as a cancer survivor who wanted the choice for myself, I wonder: does Sessions have any idea what it’s like?"

Continue ReadingJeff Sessions Should Ask Cancer Patients about Cannabis

Vermont Becomes the Ninth State to Legalize Recreational Marijuana

"Today Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill making his state the ninth to legalize marijuana for recreational use and the first to do so through the legislature rather than a ballot initiative. The new law, which takes effect on July 1, allows adults 21 or older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana in public, to grow up to six plants (two of them mature at any one time) per household, and to keep whatever they produce."

Continue ReadingVermont Becomes the Ninth State to Legalize Recreational Marijuana

Montana Prosecutor Declares War On Pregnant Mothers Who Drink

"County Attorney Harris announced the crackdown, saying he will seek protection orders restraining pregnant women from any non-medically prescribed use of illicit drugs or alcohol, and those who violate the orders will be jailed to 'incapacitate' them."

Continue ReadingMontana Prosecutor Declares War On Pregnant Mothers Who Drink

Raising Millionaires’ Taxes Will Drive Them Away

"If New Jersey and Massachusetts approve new millionaires’ taxes, it is difficult to predict how much will be raised and where these funds will ultimately wind up. But if New York and California are any guide, income surtaxes will be destructive. When it comes to higher taxation, interstate migration is just the tip of the iceberg. Higher-tax states, for instance, see less innovative activity and scientific research according to an analysis by economists at the Federal Reserve and UC Berkeley. Any benefits of millionaires’ taxes do not make up for the economic and social toll caused by fewer innovative activities and correspondingly lower job creation."

Continue ReadingRaising Millionaires’ Taxes Will Drive Them Away