Controversies
California Assembly Passes Legislation to Let Non-Citizens Serve on Juries
Fox News Latino got it right and also pointed out that, “Roughly 8,000 immigrants who have so-called green cards join the armed forces each year, according to Pentagon data. Nearly 30,000 non-citizen immigrants now serve in the armed forces.” Non-citizens can also be attorneys and judges, just not jurors. read more
Rise of Greenhouse Gases Expected to Hit Highest Level in 3 Million Years
The last time CO2 levels were so high was likely between 3.2 million and 5 million years ago, during the Pliocene epoch, when the planet was much warmer than now. During the past 800,000 years, CO2 levels had never exceeded 300ppm.
The tracking of these measurements was begun in March 1958—when the CO2 level was 316ppm.
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Would Gun Background Checks Clash with Health Privacy Laws?
In the rush to do something about mounting gun violence by strengthening the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to weed out gun buyers with a history of mental illness, the health privacy rights of patients could be compromised or outright ignored, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which last week solicited public comments on improving the background check system for mentally ill people deemed dangerous to themselves or others. read more
Justice Dept. Defines Tsarnaevs’ Homemade Bombs as “Weapons of Mass Destruction”
They did not contain anything nuclear, biological or chemical, but the homemade explosives allegedly used by accused Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan were still weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), as far as the federal government is concerned. read more
Fracking Truck Sets Off Radiation Alarm at Pennsylvania Landfill
The truck loaded with shale drill cuttings contained radium 226, which was emitting gamma rays at 10 times the level allowed at the hazardous waste landfill in South Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. The shale drill cuttings in the truck were found to emit 96 microrem per hour of radiation, roughly 84 times higher than EPA’s yearly standard. read more
“Near Absence” of Antibiotics to Combat Deadly New Bacterial Strains
The new strains have been called “nightmare bacteria,” due to their resistance to treatments currently available, and that they often result in death. Furthermore, the strains are able to spread their genetic materials to other bacteria, thereby making them resistant to medications as well.
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Texas Fertilizer Company Hid Dangerous Materials from Regulators
Under rules established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), fertilizer plants are required to report when they have 400 pounds of ammonium nitrate. It turned out the West Fertilizer Co. contained 270 tons of the substance—meaning the plant had 1,350 times the amount allowed by the government. read more
Contaminated Food Illness: No Overall Progress in 7 Years
The most commonly diagnosed cases stem from salmonella (7,800 cases and 33 deaths), which comes from the feces of chickens and other animals and contaminates water and produce. The deadliest pathogen was listeria, with 13 of 121 cases resulting in death. In 2011, an outbreak of listeriosis, caused by cantaloupe from Jensen Farms in Holly, Colorado, led to the deaths of 30 people, making it the worst food-borne outbreak in more than 25 years. read more
Federal Senior Executives Say Promotions Based on Merit, Others Disagree
In the annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government ® survey, 80% of the Senior Executive Service (SES) agreed with the statement: “Promotions in my work unit are based on merit.”
Employees don’t see things the same way, with only 30% agreeing with the above statement.
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The Sloppy Research Used to Justify Austerity
Herndon found multiple problems, including selective exclusion of years with high debt and average growth, a problematic method of weighing countries, and a coding error in the Excel spreadsheet that excludes high-debt and average-growth countries.
The errors all had the effect of overstating the dangers of debt and overselling the benefits of austerity. The data simply do not support the idea that too much debt inevitably ruins an economy.
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Internet is Home to an Arms Bazaar with Guns for All—Even Felons
On Wednesday the Senate rejected a proposed law that would have required background checks through federally licensed dealers on all Internet and gun show sales despite the fact that 56 senators voted for it and only 44 voted against.
Such a restriction might have prevented Gerard Toolin, a wanted fugitive from Rhode Island, from trying to buy an AK-47 assault rifle online.
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Almost 40% in New Jersey Jails are There for being too Poor to Post Bail
38.5% of those incarcerated by the New Jersey County Jail System (NJCJS) remain locked away due to their inability to pay for bail. “This means that the inmates were not serving a sentence, had no holds or detainers, and could have been released if they were able to post bail in the form of cash, cash/bond, 10% option or support arrears,” VanNostrand wrote. read more
Nevada’s Solution to Mentally Disturbed…Ship Them to other States
The busing tactic coincided with the state’s decision to slash funding for mental health services. Between 2009 and 2012, Nevada cut mental health spending by 28%. Prior to those cuts, the state’s funding for those services was already well below the national average. read more
Only 28% of Americans Hold Favorable View of the Federal Government
Even Democrats, who have historically viewed the federal government favorably during Democratic administrations, are fed up. Only 41% said they have a positive outlook, while 51% have a negative one.
Republicans continue to express displeasure towards Washington, with only 13% holding a favorable opinion. Twenty-seven percent of independents said the same.
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Americans with Access to Classified Information Nears 5 Million
Based on the latest data published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the number of individuals cleared for access to classified information was more than 4.9 million last year. This total represents a sizeable increase from a similar report issued in 2010 by ODNI that said the number was 4.2 million. read more
Unions Not Fit to be Covered by TV News
When Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), gave a speech to express the NRA’s official position on the tragedy, he received extensive national media coverage. However, little attention was given to the fact that the six teachers who were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School were members of the Newtown Federation of Teachers Local 1727.
The NRA has about 4 million members, while 14.4 million Americans belong to labor unions.
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