Loss of Freedom Archives - Page 27 of 33

All-American Light Bulb Dims as Freedom Flickers

Real Clear Politics has an article called “All-American Light Bulb Dims as Freedom Flickers” that discusses the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the law that outlaws the the incandescent light bulb in favor of the dangerous compact fluorescent lights “CFCs) that contain highly toxic mercury and that must be discarded at recycling centers because of the their hazardous content.

“EISA establishes performance criteria that Edisonian bulbs cannot meet. As the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) explains: ‘These standards, which begin in 2012, will eliminate low efficiency incandescent light bulbs from the market”.”

48% See Government Today As A Threat to Individual Rights

Rasmussen Reports: “Nearly half [48%] of American Adults see the government today as a threat to individual rights rather than a protector of those rights.”

California Senate Bill Would Jail Parents if Kid Skips School

Washington Post: “The California Senate just passed a bill that could send parents to jail for up to a year if their kids — from kindergarten through eighth grade — miss too much school.” Wow! This is a perfect example of the blindness of do good legislators to the unintended consequences of their stupid laws. Consider the possible consequences if little Johnny skips school repeatedly and his mommy and daddy go to jail for a year:

Dad loses job
Mom loses job
Family has no money to buy food
Family evicted from home or loses home to mortgage foreclosure
Kids go to foster homes
Kids have no parents for a year
Parents may lose custody of the kids
Kids are ashamed that their parents are criminals
Millions of dollars California does not have spent investigating and prosecuting skip-parents
Violent criminals let out of jail to make room for criminal skip-parents
Little Johnny is proud of himself for the damage he’s done because he hates his Dad and Mom and/or family
California’s unemployment number goes even higher
More money California does not have paid out for unemployment benefits.

Other than those unintended consequences, the new law sounds awesome.

New Bill Gives Obama ‘Kill Switch’ To Shut Down The Internet

Prison Planet: “Government would have ‘absolute power’ to seize control of the world wide web under Lieberman legislation. The federal government would have ‘absolute power’ to shut down the Internet under the terms of a new US Senate bill being pushed by Joe Lieberman, legislation which would hand President Obama a figurative ‘kill switch’ to seize control of the world wide web in response to a Homeland Security directive.”

Traffic Stop Video on YouTube sparks Debate on Police Use of Md. Wiretap Laws

The Washington Post has a story about a very troubling situation in Maryland involving out-of-control police and Anthony Graber, a man who happened to film his police encounter. A 25 year old Air National Guard Staff Sargent was riding his motorcycle north of Baltimore on Interstate 95 with a helmet cam, a video camera on the top of his helmet. He routinely filmed his travels. Suddenly from out of nowhere a gray unmarked car pulled in front of him and forced him to stop.

A man wearing a gray pull over and jeans got out of the sedan with a gun at Graber and ordered him to dismount from the motorcycle. He then said he was a Maryland State Trooper. The cop gave Graber a speeding ticket, which Graber does not contest. A week later Graber posted the video on YouTube and the Gestapo Maryland State Police and prosecutors went legally berserk. Twenty-eight days later while Graber, his wife and kids and parents were sleeping six Gestapo police thugs entered their home and arrested Graber for violating Maryland’s wiretap law that Maryland police and prosecutors say happens whenever somebody films a Maryland cop without the cop’s permission.

From the Washington Post story:

“The case has ignited a debate over whether police are twisting a decades-old statute intended to protect people from government intrusions of privacy to, instead, keep residents from recording police activity. . . . During a 90-minute search of Graber’s parents’ home, police confiscated four computers, the camera, external hard drives and thumb drives.”

Update: “Charges dismissed against Md. man who taped traffic stop.”