Sudden Outbreak of Common Sense

Rally at Oklahoma Capitol opposes U.S. intervention in Syria

"An estimated 200 Oklahomans put aside their political and philosophical differences Friday night to join together to oppose U.S. intervention in the Syrian civil war.For an hour Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians, conservatives and liberals, hawks and doves didn't seem to mind the nearly triple-digit temperatures during the anti-war rally on the south steps of the state Capitol. Those attending the rally are concerned the United States may support the armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has regained the upper hand more than two years into an insurgency." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRally at Oklahoma Capitol opposes U.S. intervention in Syria

Oregon: Jesus Malverde Medallion Did Not Justify Traffic Stop

"The Oregon Court of Appeals on Thursday rejected the argument that an image of Jesus Malverde in an automobile is suspicious enough to warrant a search for drugs. When Trooper Wells came to the window to ask Manuel Meza-Garcia for his license and registration, the trooper's suspicion was heightened after he noticed something near the windshield. The appellate judges refused to consider the medallion as evidence and instead rejected the other assertions police used to search Meza-Garcia. The trooper insisted it was inherently suspicious to have two people driving with two cell phones north on I-5 without visible luggage." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOregon: Jesus Malverde Medallion Did Not Justify Traffic Stop

Oregon: Jesus Malverde Medallion Did Not Justify Traffic Stop

"The Oregon Court of Appeals on Thursday rejected the argument that an image of Jesus Malverde in an automobile is suspicious enough to warrant a search for drugs. When Trooper Wells came to the window to ask Manuel Meza-Garcia for his license and registration, the trooper's suspicion was heightened after he noticed something near the windshield. The appellate judges refused to consider the medallion as evidence and instead rejected the other assertions police used to search Meza-Garcia. The trooper insisted it was inherently suspicious to have two people driving with two cell phones north on I-5 without visible luggage." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOregon: Jesus Malverde Medallion Did Not Justify Traffic Stop

A Flourishing $40 Million Medical Marijuana Industry Helps Israelis Forget

"Illegal for recreational use, today medical cannabis is prescribed to some 11,000 Israeli patients, up from 1,800 in 2009, according to the Israeli Health Ministry. It is used to treat an extensive list of illnesses including cancer, Parkinson’s, Tourette syndrome, and PTSD. While government attempts to limit use have sparked a heated debate, legislation is still relatively liberal. In May, Health Minister Yael German announced that an additional 11 doctors would be certified to prescribe cannabis—bumping up the number to 19—by the end of the year. While rabbinic support for medical cannabis has long existed in Israel, government regulation is relatively new." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Flourishing $40 Million Medical Marijuana Industry Helps Israelis Forget

Rights groups challenge widespread Internet spying in France

"Lawyers said the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) and the Human Rights League would file the ‘complaint against X’ in Paris. Under French law, such complaints allow investigators to pursue a wide-ranging probe that does not target any particular individual or company. Daoud told France Info radio the complaint was aimed at determining whether 'the companies made their servers available to the FBI and NSA' for collection of personal data. If so, he said, the companies could face criminal charges in France of violating data protection and privacy rules." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRights groups challenge widespread Internet spying in France

British UKIP Convulsion Significant Threat to Tories

"One can make a case that both UKIP and the US Tea Party movement are the 'managed opposition,' at this point any way. But at the same time, their emergence obviously indicates that there is a larger social movement that has taken shape. If one feels the need to 'manage' something – as those at the top of society evidently and obviously do – it is because there is something that has emerged to begin with. And that something is obviously a deep dissatisfaction with many of the building blocks of modern society, from its military-industrial complex to its central banking economy and the regulatory democracy that flows out of vast government spending." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritish UKIP Convulsion Significant Threat to Tories

Nullification: Not a Temper Tantrum

"When the Supreme Court ruled the feds have the authority to make medicinal marijuana illegal across the U.S., more than 15 states said, 'No,' and created medical cannabis programs anyway. And when the Bush administration pushed through the Real ID Act in 2005, seeking to create a national system of identification, states said, 'No,' and refused to take steps to implement the program. In fact, state governments have utilized nullification to fight a wide range of overreaching federal actions, from military conscription during the War of 1812 to the Fugitive Slave Acts in the 1850s. From overreaching FDA regulations to groping TSA searches today." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNullification: Not a Temper Tantrum

France will no longer cut off Internet for illegal downloading

"The French Ministry of Culture announced Tuesday that people who illegally download copyrighted works off the Internet no longer have to fear being disconnected for a year under the nation’s controversial anti-piracy law, formally named the High Authority of Diffusion of the Art Works and Protection of the Rights on the Internet (HADOPI). The loss of HADOPI’s disconnection provision is more than just a victory for French socialists — it’s a defeat for U.S. industry groups, which fiercely lobbied prior French administrations to adopt harsh punitive measures against anyone who shares copyrighted content." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrance will no longer cut off Internet for illegal downloading

OKC hospital posting surgery prices online, creating bidding war

"An Oklahoma City surgery center is offering a new kind of price transparency, posting guaranteed all-inclusive surgery prices online. The move is revolutionizing medical billing in Oklahoma and around the world. Dr. Keith Smith and Dr. Steven Lantier launched Surgery Center of Oklahoma 15 years ago, founded on the simple principle of price honesty. 'What we’ve discovered is health care really doesn’t cost that much,' Dr. Smith said. 'What people are being charged for is another matter altogether.' Surgery Center of Oklahoma started posting their prices online about four years ago. The prices are all-inclusive quotes and they are guaranteed." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOKC hospital posting surgery prices online, creating bidding war

Pentagon puts 650,000 workers on unpaid leave due to cuts

"Heavy US government spending cuts took a sharp swing as the Pentagon began putting about 650,000 civilian workers on unpaid leave. The Department of Defense’s civilian employees face furloughs of up to 11 days through the end of the fiscal year on September 30. The pay pinch was expected to have the most immediate impact in areas with a large military presence, such as greater Washington DC, California and Texas. The International Monetary Fund last month assailed the sharp spending cuts as 'excessively rapid and ill-designed.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPentagon puts 650,000 workers on unpaid leave due to cuts