Within hours of the tragic shooting in San Bernardino Wednesday, the political class was already clamoring to use the incident to push policies from gun control, to increased surveillance, to more militarized cops. While none of these proposals will prevent the next tragedy, they could have profound ramifications on our day-to-day lives. Fear has a…
Michigan HB5026 would put severe restrictions on the government use of drones in the state. HB5026 must pass through the House Committee on Government Operations before the bill can receive a vote in the full House. PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS to support this important bill. 1. Call the House Committee on Government Operations Chair,…
The federal government spies on you. A lot. And it operates behind a veil of ignorance. Despite revelations by Edward Snowden and other whistleblowers, many Americans still apparently believe warrantless surveillance only happens to “bad guys,” and they have nothing to worry about because of the “I have nothing to hide” myth. Americans simply don’t…
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Dec. 3, 2015) – A bill prefiled in the Alabama Senate would essentially nullify the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, along with subsequent cases, and make most abortions in the state illegal. Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa) recently prefiled Senate Bill 9 (SB9). The legislation would make it illegal for a doctor…
RICHMOND, Va. (Dec. 2, 2015) – A bill prefiled in the Virginia House of Delegates takes an interesting first step toward protecting the right to keep and bear arms from federal infringement by defining it in statute as an individual right unconnected with the militia. Delegates Mark L. Cole and (R) Charles D. Poindexter (R)…
Today we celebrate the power of, “No!” On this date 60 years ago, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus. Her act of defiance – a simple No! – set a brush fire that ultimately consumed Jim Crow. When the white only seats in the front of the Cleveland Avenue bus…
RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 30, 2015) – A bill prefiled in the Virginia House for the 2016 legislative session would reform the state’s asset forfeiture laws, making it more difficult for police to seize property. But a loophole in the legislation would allow law enforcement to work with the feds to skirt the more stringent state laws. Del.…
According to at least one federal judge, warrantless bulk collection of phone data belonging to you and every American fits nicely within the parameters of the Fourth Amendment. In other words, this federal government employee agrees with the federal government that it has the power and authority to collect your phone records, in mass, with…
LANSING, Mich. (Nov. 24, 2015) – A bill under consideration in the Michigan House would restrict the use of drones by state and local law enforcement. The legislation would not only establish important privacy protections at the state level, it would also help thwart the federal surveillance state. Rep. Jim Runestad introduced House Bill 5026…
MADISON, WI (Nov. 24, 2015) – A Wisconsin legislator is planning to introduce a bill for 2016 that would expand consumer access to raw milk in the state, and strengthen the foundation to nullify in practice federal goals to fully ban this natural dairy product nationwide. According to a Journal Sentinel report, Rep. David Murphy (R-Greenville)…