April 15, 2019

Julian Assange and WikiLeaks deserve our thanks for making governments more transparent

fromReason:  The world is a better place now that it's harder than ever for governments to keep secrets.

The Government is Not Us       Government is Watching Every Move You Make     

The Washington establishment seems pretty happy about Julian Assange’s arrest

fromReason:  Deep state tyrants figure to sleep a little better if they can eliminate Assange.

The Government is Not Us       Government is Watching Every Move You Make 

Assisted dying: The death panels are coming

fromGaryNorth:  Rationing is inevitable in a world of scarcity. You can ration by price: high monetary bid wins. You can ration by standing in line: first come, first served. You can ration by bureaucratic procedure: fill out forms. 
But there is always rationing.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Why an internet regulator is a bad idea

fromSpiked:  We should be stripping away curbs on speech – not adding more.

Indoctrination and Censorship

Looking into surveillance

fromProvidenceJournal:  If our government has improperly used its immense power to spy on citizens for political purposes, it is vital that it be stopped, and those involved be punished, lest we become a police state.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make        Police State America

Your Volvo will soon call the cops on you if it thinks you've been drinking

fromZeroHedge:  It is unclear if demand for Volvos will collapse as a result of big brother watching over every move, or if potential customers will welcome this latest incursion of their privacy.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make        Police State America

Feds Want To Lower Legal Driving Limit To One Drink

by Elizabeth Harrington.       More restrictions, less freedom. The National Transportation Safety Board wants to decrease the legal driving limit to one drink, lowering the legal limit on blood-alcohol content to 0.05 “or even lower.” The agency released its “most wanted list” on Wednesday, a laundry list of policies it would like implemented   ... MORE

High Court To Take Up Warrantless Alcohol Testing

by Sam Hananel.   The Fourth Amendment to have its day in court. The Supreme Court will decide whether states can criminalize a driver's refusal to take an alcohol test even if police have not obtained a search warrant. The justices on Friday agreed to hear three cases challenging laws in Minnesota and North Dakota that make it a crime for people   ... MORE

Restrictions On Adult Alcohol Access Don't Make Us Safer

Data explodes popular fallacy.  Violent crime and binge drinking are two potential undesirable outcomes of access to alcohol. But is increased access to alcohol for adult drinkers a sufficient precondition for these attendant negative externalities of drinking? A recent look at the impact of changes to laws governing pub hours in England and Wales 10   ... MORE

Government Study Confirms Marijuana Impairs Drivers Less Than Alcohol, Casts Doubt on Stoned Driving Definitions

by Jacob Sullum.   A new study by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) confirms that marijuana has a less dramatic effect on driving than alcohol does and casts further doubt on the standard that Colorado and Washington use for determining when someone is too stoned to drive. In the double-blind study, 18 occasional cannabis   ... MORE

Sarah Longwell: A Call To Ditch Sobriety Checkpoints

Big hassle, lots of money and a tiny reward.   Americans should buckle up and brace themselves for particularly heavy traffic this Memorial Day weekend. According to estimates from AAA, more than 37 million vacationers will drive to a destination for the three-day break this year, the most in nearly a decade. Unfortunately, crowded highways  ... MORE

Illinois Finds DUI Checkpoints Both Costly And Ineffective

by David Rutter.    When last we visited the unhappy realm of drunken drivers, we were asking a valid question: What if DUI arrests are going down in Illinois because there are fewer sloshed drivers? That was true everywhere but on Lake County's non-municipal roadways where sheriff's deputies made 348 DUI arrests in 2013, the most of any county  ... MORE

NBC Miami: A Legal Way Around DUI Checkpoints?

You may not want to roll down your window.   DUI checkpoints are used by multiple South Florida law enforcement agencies to try to keep the streets clear of intoxicated drivers. But, a local attorney says there’s a legal way around the checkpoints for any driver, while prosecutors say not so fast. “Normally what they look for is:   ... MORE

Jeffrey Tucker: Another Reason Uber Gets Banned

Depressing drunk drivers costs government revenue.  I live in a college town where drunk driving is a way of life. I once asked a policeman what his main job was in my town and he said very plainly: “stopping and arresting drunk drivers.” I asked how he knows whom to stop. His answer is that he has developed a nose for this.    ... MORE

DUI Checkpoints Could Be A Thing Of The Past In N.D.

by Nicole Johnson.    If only the Fourth Amendment protected us from warrantless searches. DUI checkpoints in North Dakota could soon be a thing of the past. Sobriety checkpoints are used in North Dakota by police to deter drunk driving. But, lawmakers in Bismarck are talking about getting rid of them, saying there needs to be a reason to     ... MORE

ND Legislator Calls For End Of Sobriety Checkpoints

by Karee Magee.  Warrantless searches are an inefficient infringement. A bill that would eliminate sobriety checkpoints in North Dakota will appear before the Judiciary Committee Monday. House Bill 1084 says law enforcement would need reasonable suspicion before halting a vehicle. Sponsor, Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck, said the bill questions    ... MORE

N D Lawmakers Recognize Checkpoints Invade Privacy

One state concerned with individual liberty.  Some North Dakota lawmakers say sobriety checkpoints are a nuisance, and an invasion of privacy. They want to do away with them, saying there is a better way to catch drunk drivers than pulling people over by random. The Republican sponsored bill would require police to have reasonable suspicion  ... MORE

Jeffrey Tucker: Legalize Drunk Driving

Criminalize bad behavior, not consumed chemicals.       Most people have been there: a few drinks at a restaurant or bar and then into the car to get home. Am I over the legal limit? Hard to say. Is my driving impaired? It doesn’t seem to be. But what if I get stopped? Will I lose my license, go to jail, and be disgraced in front of the community?   ... MORE

Robert D'Onofrio: Protecting Individual Liberty From Evil

Evil persists when good men do nothing.       Aside from the stunning brutality of the tragedy in France, the most striking thing about the cowardly murders is how unambiguous the enemy is in both intent and action. It’s uncensored, chilling and very real. This isn’t just a U.S. problem or a gun problem. It’s also not a group problem,    ... MORE

Marijuana Legalization Could Bring Unexpected Benefits

by Jacob Sullum.    Why more pot may mean safer roads. The anti-pot group Project SAM claims drug test data show that marijuana legalization in Washington, approved by voters in that state at the end of 2012, already has made the roads more dangerous. The group notes with alarm that the percentage of people arrested for driving under the      ... MORE

VIDEO: What To Do If Pulled Over For DUI

Knowing your rights makes for a better life.

VIDEO: A Police Grade Breathalyzer Tested At A Bar

Why everyone should refuse all DUI tests.

VIDEO: Dodging A DUI Test & The Legality Of Saliva Swabs

Renee Lewis: LAPD Deploys Drug Detection Roadblocks

The state against citizens.         The Los Angeles police department has announced a New Year’s crackdown on intoxicated drivers – with checkpoints to be set up across the county complete with breathalyzers and cheek swab tests that can detect recent drug use, the L.A. Times reported. Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer told CBS        ... MORE

John Stossel: Banning The Things That Make Us Happy

People say America is a free country.     But what if you want to drink, have a cigarette or make a bet? Government often says "no" to protect us from ourselves. It's as if the government is still run by the Puritans who settled this land four centuries ago. They said pleasure and luxury are sinful. Today's government has a better argument    ... MORE