Reason 43,578 to Abolish the FDA

Yet another problem — among so very many — that the FDA (and state interference in general) causes: private criminals (scam artists) are posing as public criminals (government agents) and extorting consumers who try to save money buying medicine online.

According to the FDA, via Reuters, the (private) scam artists told victims, “If you refuse to pay up, the caller threatens to search your properties, arrest or deport you, put you in jail, and even physically harm you….”

What is so very sad about this sort of thing is that the victims’ knee-jerk reaction was to pay up, believing they had broken the law, when in fact their activity was perfectly legal, and rightfully so. But because so many thousands of non-violent activities are prohibited, and because people know the state specializes in this sort of violence and coercion, they paid the “fines.”

Millhiser Should Keep His Shirt On

For some strange reason the Left has got themselves all worked up over the GOP’s new platform. They think Mitt Romney is going to end entitlements, or something.

See my latest column on the subject, up now at the Tenth Amendment Center.

I hear this a lot:

“We just need to elect Mitt Romney and then hold his feet to the fire.”

I think that’s dumb. Here’s why.

‘This isn’t the Wild West’

The city of Overland Park passed an ordinance on Monday allowing the open-carry of firearms, which has its residents and those of neighboring municipalities divided along predictably partisan lines. There’s been plenty of handwringing over the issue, with dissenters expressing concerns that just anybody will be allowed to carry a weapon, and how it’s entirely unnecessary, being this isn’t the wild west.

I share their concerns over this issue.

Where I find myself differing slightly is that I’m far more troubled by the idea of allowing individuals to carry firearms who also possess the legal authority to kill or severely injure anyone, often under dubious circumstances. I speak of course about law enforcement officers, who not only carry weapons, including pistols, shotguns, rifles, and tasers, but also operate under what’s known as “qualified immunity.” In essence, it need only be proved that they acted in an official capacity when someone is injured or killed, and police are granted legal immunity from prosecution.

Take the case of John Adams, a 61 year-old man who was shot to death by police in his own home while his 70 year-old widow was handcuffed in the other room. Law enforcement officers were executing a drug warrant (on the wrong house as it turns out) and Adams, who thought he was being robbed, fired at his assailants, who returned fire and killed him. This is unfortunately typical, as William N. Grigg frequently highlights at his blog.

Were qualified immunity revoked, and government agents forced to operate under the same legal framework as everyone else, it’s doubtful so many would fall victim to the police in such an awful way. Of course ending the heinous war on drugs would also prevent the needless deaths of thousands of innocent people. As for the claim that we aren’t living in the wild west, I’d say it’s worse; at least on the frontier gun fighters had to face a jury if they killed someone.

Vote Republican!

What Republicans basically say:

We need to elect strong conservatives to take back our country from the godless, abortion peddling spendthrifts who rammed Obamacare down our throats!

What Republicans are doing:

Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, Allen West, and 162 other GOP representatives joined with Emanuel Cleaver, Lacy Clay, and Nancy Pelosi to vote in favor of funding Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, and increased spending.