Controversies
Air Force Clashes with California over Radioactive Waste Dump
Instead of paying costly expenses to ship the material to dumps, the Air Force could simply bury it on-site and walk away. There are reportedly seven bases in California that could face similar situations.
State regulators rebuffed the Air Force in 2011 when it lobbied hard to classify its McClellan radioactive waste as “naturally occurring” so it could qualify for shipment to Clean Harbors’ Buttonwillow landfill. Instead, it sent 43,000 tons of soil to an Idaho dump.
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As Mass Shootings Continue, Congress Remains Gun Shy about Enacting New Laws
On Capitol Hill, which was only 1.5 miles from the Washington Navy Yard slaughter, lawmakers don’t plan to introduce new bills or revive those that failed following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December.
Many Democrats say they would like to take another try at adopting tougher gun-control measures. But they add that there’s no point in trying right now because support in Congress hasn’t changed, even after 12 people were gunned down on Monday.
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Clicking “Like” on Facebook is Free Speech, But Online Hate May Be another Story
“[Liking] is the Internet equivalent of displaying a political sign in one’s front yard, which the Supreme Court has held is substantive speech,” the three-judge panel wrote in their opinion.
The case centered on a Hampton sheriff’s deputy, Daniel Ray Carter, who claimed he was fired for liking the campaign Facebook page of his boss’s opponent.
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U.S. Still Stores 3,100 Tons of Chemical Weapons
The largest store of chemical munitions exists at Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado, which has 2,611 tons of mustard gas. Officials there expect to finish dismantling this collection by 2019.
Another 523 tons of VX and sarin remain at Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky. The government is still building a facility at the depot for disposing the weapons, which should be destroyed by 2023.
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FISA Court Reveals Why It Allowed NSA to Log Americans’ Calls, Claims Telecoms Didn’t Protest
Eagan’s ruling is the first to be written on this matter since the secret NSA program was disclosed in June by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Whereas previous secret FISC rulings routinely re-authorized the program with little more than a minor reference to its legal underpinning, Eagan’s opinion was written with its eventual public disclosure in mind. read more
Three-Quarters of Weapons Used in Mass Killings in U.S. were Bought Legally
More than half of the 62 shootings took place either at a workplace (20) or a school (12). Forty-four of the killers were white males.
Only one shooter was a woman: Jennifer San Marco (Goleta, California, in 2006.)
The average age of the killers was 35. The youngest shooter was only 11 years old: Andrew Douglas Golden (Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 1998.)
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ATF May Close Loophole Allowing Unregistered Machine Gun Sales through Corporations and Trusts
ATF decided to take this step after realizing the number of legal entities in the gun trade that were not federal firearms licensees had ballooned from about 840 in 2000 to 40,700 in 2012. The reason for the increase, according to ATF, is a growth in the number of trusts. read more
23,000 Americans Die Annually from Antibiotic-Resistant Infections
Some drug-resistant bacteria are becoming widespread, although they haven’t killed a significant number of people yet. One type, known as CRE (carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae), was found in healthcare facilities in 44 states.
On the one hand, CRE causes only 600 fatalities each year. But on the other, this type of bacteria has become resistant to nearly all antibiotics on the market, leaving doctors with no real solutions for stopping it.
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California Legislature Approves Driver’s Licenses for Illegal Immigrants
Supporters of the controversial plan said providing undocumented immigrants with driver’s licenses would make California roads safer, improve national security and allow immigrants to fully contribute to the state economy. The bill passed with overwhelming support, 28-8 in the state Senate and 55-19 in the Assembly. read more
Judge Blocks Shipment of “Mega-Load” Oil Field Equipment through Scenic National Forest Land
U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill temporarily halted the shipment of an oversized water treatment system on U.S. Highway 12 that was bound for Canada’s tar sands fields. Winmill said the government must first conduct a study of environmental, economic and tribal impacts before the equipment move can proceed. read more
Stung by Criticism, FISA Court Judges Ask to Make Public their Decisions
The order, signed by Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV, specifically covers cases concerning the legal interpretation of Section 215 of the Patriot Act used by the National Security Agency (NSA) to justify its indiscriminate collection of domestic telephone metadata. Metadata includes phone numbers of both parties involved in calls, the international mobile subscriber identity number for mobile callers, calling card numbers used in the call, and the time and duration of the calls. read more
Islamist Terror Threat in U.S. Shifts from Groups to Isolated Individuals
“The total number of extremists who have been indicted has declined from 33 in 2010 to six to date in 2013, domestic terrorist incidents are relatively rare, and the character of the perpetrators has shifted from a mix of plots conducted by groups of extremists or individuals to those entirely conducted by individuals or pairs.” read more
Judge Orders Lance Armstrong to Come Clean about Doping throughout his Entire Career…but his Lies are Protected
Lying to the world about your drug use won’t make you liable in court, but lying to your insurance company about it sure will.
That’s the bottom line of two recent decisions in two legal cases filed against disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, who admitted earlier this year to extensive doping during his career—something he had aggressively denied for years. read more
San Francisco Sues Nevada over Dumping of Mentally Ill
San Francisco was forced to spend its own resources (about $500,000) to care for the patients.The city claims “virtually all” of the patients dumped in California required continuing medical care, something the Nevada hospital failed to arrange for. The complaint also notes that “many of these patients were not California residents” at the time they were discharged and put on buses. read more
Illegal Immigrant Who Wants to Be a Lawyer May be Blocked by Federal Law
Garcia was brought to the United States from Mexico by his parents when he was an infant. He returned to Mexico with them at age 9 and came back to the U.S. at 17. The 36-year-old put himself through college and Cal Northern School of Law. Garcia was working as a paralegal when he applied to the bar. He passed the examination on his first try in 2009. Garcia applied for admittance to the bar in 2011 and is applying for U.S. citizenship, which could take up to 15 years. read more
50 “Dirtiest” U.S. Power Plants Release More Greenhouse Gases than All But 6 Nations
The United States has some seriously “dirty” power plants that contribute more towards the problem of global warming than the vast majority of countries in the world.
A report by Environment America concluded 50 American power plants—mostly those burning coal—produce more greenhouse gases than all but six nations (China, the U.S., India, Russia, Japan and Germany).
The “50 dirtiest power plants” generated nearly 33% of the U.S. power sector’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2011. read more