Biden's Gun Schemes Illustrate the
Foolishness of Firearms Regulations
Posted By: zoidberg, 6/18/2021 10:03:38 AM
As expected, the Biden administration released proposed new rules for pistol braces and model legislation for "red flag" laws that make it easier to confiscate privately owned firearms. Also as expected, the proposals are ludicrous. On the one hand, they are pointless and nitpicky rules that are ultimately unenforceable, and on the other hand they are dangerous end-runs around due process that threaten fundamental rights. Taken together, they illustrate the unserious nature of gun regulations which are crafted more to appeal to political audiences than to achieve positive results.
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zoidberg"
As expected, the Biden administration released proposed new rules for pistol braces and model legislation for "red flag" laws that make it easier to confiscate privately owned firearms. Also as expected, the proposals are ludicrous. On the one hand, they are pointless and nitpicky rules that are ultimately unenforceable, and on the other hand they are dangerous end-runs around due process that threaten fundamental rights. Taken together, they illustrate the unserious nature of gun regulations which are crafted more to appeal to political audiences than to achieve positive results.
The U.S. is likely soon to have a fourth vaccine approved for the fight against COVID-19. Novavax just released the results of its Phase 3 clinical trial: Its two-dose vaccine demonstrates 90 percent overall efficacy and 100 percent protection against both moderate and severe COVID-19 disease. The doses are injected three weeks apart.(Snip)The Novavax vaccine uses a technology similar to hepatitis and pertussis vaccines, in which copies of viral proteins provoke the immune system to create antibodies that protect people when they are exposed to the actual viruses. In this case, Novavax employs the coronavirus spike protein that the virus
Most Americans now favor legalizing marijuana, including large majorities across the political spectrum. Just this year, New Mexico, New York, and Virginia have eliminated state bans and opened the door to legal markets in the stuff. Even Congress is considering federal legalization (though the White House isn't necessarily on board). Via the ballot box and through legislation, authorities in the United States are reforming the treatment of marijuana and those who enjoy its use. But, as is so often the case, the impetus for change came much earlier—from scofflaws who did as they pleased, normalized the use of an
Public support for marijuana legalization has reached a new high. According to pollsters at Quinnipiac University, 69 percent of all Americans and clear majorities in every demographic group now favor the legalization of marijuana. That's up from 51 percent of Americans who said they favored legalization in 2012, the first year Quinnipiac included questions about marijuana in their national surveys, and up from 60 percent who backed legalization in 2019. (Snip) Support isn't just growing, it is broadening. The Quinnipiac poll found that 78 percent of self-identified Democrats, 62 percent of self-identified Republicans, and 67 percent of self-identified independents favor legalization.
An Atlanta high school that bears the name of a Confederate Army general who was a leader of the Ku Klux Klan will be renamed for Hank Aaron, the Hall of Famer who broke baseball’s career home record and challenged racial barriers. The Atlanta Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to change the name of Forrest Hill Academy, named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, to Hank Aaron New Beginnings Academy. School district policy requires a five-year waiting period after the death of a notable person unless the vote to change the name of a school building is unanimous.
Do immigrants bring with them the worst attributes of the countries they left behind? (Snip) In their new book, Wretched Refuse?: The Political Economy of Immigration and Institutions, the Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh and Texas Tech University's Benjamin Powell take an exhaustive look at the data and find that destination countries not only benefit economically from immigration but that key markers of liberal democracy—such as support for the rule of law and limited government, belief in private property rights, and trust in government—improve when newcomers arrive en masse.
Rep. Justin Amash (L–Mich.) on Thursday introduced a bill to end civil asset forfeiture, which allows the government to take property from someone without ever charging them with a crime. Law enforcement on the local, state, and federal levels can seize assets if they were thought to be used in connection with illegal activity. That's often based solely on suspicion, though. Many people never receive their items back, even if they were acquitted or never charged in the first place. Since 2000, state and local governments have robbed people of more than $68 billion.
Drugs Declare Victory in War on Drugs
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The 2020 elections delivered a resounding victory for drug policy reformers, who won everywhere their proposals were put to a vote. Across the country, in red and blue states, on both coasts and in between, in the Midwest and the Deep South, voters passed ballot initiatives that not only continued to reverse marijuana prohibition but also broke new ground in making drug laws less punitive and more tolerant. New Jersey's approval of marijuana legalization was expected. Preelection surveys consistently put public support above 60 percent, although the actual margin of victory was a few points bigger than the polls suggested
‘Conservative’: A Term Up for Grabs
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Twenty-five years ago, I met Scott Morris, when we both worked at The Weekly Standard. He asked, “What kind of conservative are you? What is the basis of your conservatism?” I attempted a couple of answers, which did not satisfy him. Scott was an intellectual, who had studied philosophy, including over in Oxford. Finally, I said to him, “Look, Scott, I’m a simple fellow: I just hate the Reds. Hate, hate, hate the Reds.” He laughed and laughed, and let me off the hook, for a while.
Israel could become the third country in the world to legalize marijuana for recreational use under a plan recently announced by the government. The recommendations from an interministerial committee call for the introduction of implementing legislation by the end of the month. Legalization would take effect nine months after the bill is approved by the Knesset, Israel's parliament. "It's time to make progress and legalize cannabis in Israel," said Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn. "This is a significant, holistic and responsible reform, which shows the State of Israel isn't ignoring reality and is going in the footsteps of developed countries."
The third time wasn't the charm for the Pentagon, which has once again failed to successfully complete an audit. Thomas Harker, the Pentagon's comptroller, told Reuters that it could be another seven years before the department can pass an audit—something that it has never accomplished. Previous attempts in 2018 and 2019 turned up literally thousands of problems with the Pentagon's accounting system and millions of dollars' worth of missing equipment.
As Americans head to the polls more divided than ever on social and economic issues, there’s one thing they’re actually coming together on: cannabis. Much has been made of whether a victory for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, or a potential liberal sweep in the Senate, could bolster marijuana companies. But initiatives on the ballot in a handful of conservative states show Republicans are increasingly on board with legalization as well — perhaps paving the way for an end to federal prohibition, no matter who controls Washington.
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How Do We Regain Trust in the FBI?
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Newsmax released an article this week that gives voice to further distrust of America’s once-premiere law enforcement agency. The column was based on a series of questions and concerns presented by Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) regarding the still murky details around the January 6th storming of the Capitol building. Two questions lobbed at the FBI are both haunting and disheartening: “What did the FBI know? And when did they know it?”
The fact that the agency responsible for investigating the lawlessness of that date is itself under scrutiny is alarming.
President Joe Biden signed a law Thursday to make 'Juneteenth National Independence Day' a federal holiday, starting from tomorrow. 'Juneteenth marks both the long, hard night of slavery and subjugation and a promise of a brighter morning to come,' Biden said at the White House signing ceremony, surrounded by Democratic and Republican guests. 'This is a day of profound weight and profound power, a day in which we remember the moral stain and the terrible toll that slavery took on the country - and continues to take.' On Wednesday night, the House of Representatives passed the bill with 14 Republicans voting against it. In the Senate,
Football star Megan Rapinoe and actress and producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas are joining Victoria's Secret in what the lingerie giant is calling a "dramatic shift" for the brand.
They are among several new faces who will help promote the brand which is best known for its lingerie-clad models known as Angels.
Victoria's Secret still generates billions of dollars in sales.
However, its hyper-sexualised image has fallen out of fashion in recent years.
Ms Rapinoe and Ms Chopra Jonas will form part of "The VS Collective" a group of women who will work with the company on "collaborations, business partnerships and cause-related initiatives".
The election of 2020 is going to lay bare the dereliction of the Supreme Court for all to see. The COVD-19 pandemic gave numerous state election officials an excuse to implement far-reaching changes to our election processes. Those changes obviously made our systems vulnerable to fraud. States implemented massive mail-in balloting at the same time they relaxed ballot security and voter identification. They even extended the voting periods -- to give the criminals more time to commit their fraud.
All these changes were unconstitutional. (snip) The Supreme Court declined to get involved.
The Confederate battle flag, which was crafted as a symbol of opposition to the abolishment of slavery, is just recently tired. We don’t see it much anymore. However, on the 6th, when the stormers rained on the nation’s most precious hut, waving Old Glory — the memo was received: the American flag is its replacement.
President Biden, Madame Harris and members of Congress: the American flag has been hijacked as code for a specific belief. God bless those believers, they can have it. Like the Confederate, it is tattered, dated, divisive, and incorrect. It no longer represents democracy and freedom. It no longer represents ALL of us. It’s not fair
Racism against black Chicago residents constitutes a public health crisis within the city, Mayor Lori Lightfoot declared on Thursday. Lightfoot said in a press conference that it is “way past time that as a city” made the declaration, which followed the publication of a Tuesday report by the Chicago Department of Public Health reporting the difference in life expectancy between black and non-black residents is 9.2 years.
The Department of Justice is mounting a case arguing that laws in West Virginia and Arkansas that bar transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports are unconstitutional, despite the overwhelming majority of Americans supporting biological gender segregation in sports, according to a report citing court papers. “The United States has a significant interest in ensuring that all students, including students who are transgender, can participate in an educational environment free of unlawful discrimination,” the DOJ said in court documents filed in a West Virginia court case Thursday, according to a report by the Daily Mail.(Snip)A poll from May found that a majority of Americans don’t support transgender
Black Americans are much more likely to visit emergency rooms (ERs) than whites for car crash injuries, a new report finds. Newly released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data show that about five out of every 1,000 Americans visit the ER for wounds in motor vehicle accidents.
Researchers found black Americans were much more likely to face car crash injuries with have a rate of 15.2 ER visits for every 1,000 people compared to a rate of 4.3 for every 1,000 for white Americans. Additionally, young adults, those in the South, and those with less comprehensive insurance are also more likely to visit
Middle income families are lashing out against Joe Biden's punitive new tax plan that would claim a large chunk of the amount someone leaves to their kids when they die just because it has gone up in value over the course of their lifetime. The harsh new tax - dubbed Biden's 'death tax' - is hidden in his American Families Plan and it's receiving ferocious backlash. It proposes that when someone dies, any asset they leave behind that has appreciated in value by more than $1million since the time they bought it should be taxed. The tax rate would go as high as 40% - double
Pennsylvania appears to be on the precipice of initiating an Arizona-style audit of the 2020 election.State Sen. David Argall, who heads a committee that oversees elections, told local news outlets he favors a forensic audit of the contest that state and federal officials insist was secure.The Republican, under pressure by former President Donald Trump to take action, told the Capital-Star the audit is now a “very real possibility." The report said he is considering subpoenas for ballot information and which jurisdictions to send them.“There are a lot of things under consideration right now, and I told them to check back in a week or two, and we hope to
Darius Dotch chuckled in the midst of a Juneteenth performance last Saturday in St. Cloud. The onstage moment wasn't a mistake. He was re-enacting an 1865 letter from Jourdon Anderson, a Black man who escaped slavery in Tennessee, to his former master, who had wanted him to return to bondage. The actor and hip-hop artist lingered on a moment of droll poignancy.(Snip)Black people mark Juneteenth with recitations of historical texts, theater, poetry, dance, music and art. Some also commune through food and drink, parades and family games. The holiday is seen as one where Black people can be their authentic selves.
“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs……” So goes the opening sentence of Sylvia Plath’s 1963 novel The Bell Jar, referring to the Jewish American couple, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage and sent to the electric chair exactly 68 years ago today. Their execution casts a morbid shadow over Plath’s book, just as it did over the United States, and it is seen by many as the nadir of America’s engagement with the cold war.(Snip) During their trial, Ethel in particular was vilified for prioritising communism over her children, and the prosecution insisted