The great-grandson of the Anheuser-Busch company renounced his membership in the National Rifle Association on Thursday, furious that the NRA helped defeat the Senate bill which would have expanded background checks in response to the tragedy in Newtown.Adolphus Busch IV, in a letter to NRA president David Keene obtained by a St. Louis television station, wrote that “I fail to see how the NRA can disregard the overwhelming will of its members who see background checks as reasonable.”He said that the NRA seems to have become a lobby for gun and ammunition manufacturers, rather than one for hunters and gun owners.”One only has to ask why the NRA reversed its original position on background checks. Was it not the NRA position to support background checks when Mr. (Wayne) LaPierre himself stated in 1999 that NRA saw checks as ‘reasonable’?”Continue Reading… … Read More
‘Gang of 8′ admit immigration reform faces perilous future
A bipartisan group of US senators finally rolled out an immigration reform bill Thursday, insisting it was the best chance in a generation to fix a broken system, but admitting perils lie ahead. The comprehensive reform effort, filed with the Senate this week, is a huge measure aimed at bringing 11…
Celebrities condemn Senate for blocking gun control bill
It’s been an especially bad week in America. Adding insult to injury, the Senate failed to pass a gun control measure expanding background checks — a bill that’s been highly anticipated since the Newtown massacre.Celebrities took to Twitter to condemn the Senators and NRA lobbyists who worked to shut down the bill.Aaron Paul retweeted “Breaking Bad” cast member Bryan Cranston:[embedtweet id="324947583946596353"]Actress Elizabeth Banks tweeted a link to an article that shared the Twitter handles of the senators who voted to block the bill:https://twitter.com/ElizabethBanks/statuses/324870675972120576And many other celebs vocalized disappointment and anger and ridicule:[embedtweet id="324704403934281728"][embedtweet id="324642787339427840"][embedtweet id="324620966653210624"][embedtweet id="324654247587229696"][embedtweet id="324630844021026816"][embedtweet id="324633175450083329"][embedtweet id="324635220978585600"]Continue Reading… … Read More
New House Bill Would Create National Commission on Federal Marijuana Policy
Another marijuana reform bill
has been introduced in the House of Represenatives, this one by
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn).
The “National Commission on Federal Marijuana Policy Act”
would ;create a study group much like the Shafer Commission,
which Congress created ;in
the early 1970s, ;and then ignored, after committee members
recommended the decriminalization of marijuana.
According to his website, ;the commission Cohen is
proposing would study the following issues: ;
How federal laws should be reconciled with state marijuana
laws;
The cost of marijuana prohibition and potential regulation of
marijuana, as well as the potential revenue generated by taxation
of marijuana;
The impact of federal banking and tax laws on businesses
operating in compliance with state marijuana laws;
The health impacts, both benefits and risks, related to
marijuana use, and in comparison to alcohol and tobacco use;
The domestic and international public safety effects of
marijuana prohibition and potential regulation of marijuana;
The impact of marijuana prohibition on criminal justice,
including any racial disparities, and the collateral consequences
of prosecution for marijuana possession, including lack of access
to housing, education, and employment;
The appropriate placement of marijuana in the schedule of the
Controlled Substances Act; and
The effects of marijuana prohibition or future regulation and
control of marijuana on international relationships and treaty
obligations.
According to the Marijuana Policy Project, “the commission would
consist of 13 members: five appointed by the president; two
appointed by the Speaker of the House; two appointed by the House
minority leader; two appointed by the Senate majority leader; and
two appointed by the Senate minority leader.” ;
Cohen’s bill is the fourth piece of marijuana reform legislated
introduced in the House since November 2012, when Colorado and
Washington legalized recreational marijuana. In order of
introduction, the other three bills are
the Marijuana Tax Equity Act, the Ending Federal Marijuana
Prohibition Act, and
the ;Respect State Marijuana Laws Act. … Read More
Of Course Immigration Reform Bill Will Lead to Even More Bureaucracy
Let’s hear
it for immigration reform! With bipartisan support, no doubt we’ll
finally simplify the path to citizenship, or at least make it
easier to legally work in the United States, thus reducing the
incentives for immigrants to enter the country illegally in the
first place. Right? Right?
No, don’t be silly. Via
The Hill:
The sweeping immigration reform bill unveiled Wednesday would
bring a raft of new regulations and add more layers to the federal
bureaucracy.
The 844-page Senate bill calls for a dramatic expansion of the
country’s worker verification system, an overhaul of visa programs
and a new set of proposed regulations allowing undocumented workers
to become “registered provisional immigrants.”
The bill would establish penalty systems for employers and
create protections for vulnerable immigrant workers in order to
achieve the largest overhaul of the nation’s immigration system in
decades.
The Hill goes through many of the different cooks with their
spoons in the pot. Angelo Amador, speaking for the National
Restaurant Association, worries about the consequences of the
changes: “The bottom line is we don’t want more bureaucracy created
on a guest worker program where we already have so much bureaucracy
that doesn’t work.”
Follow this story and more at Reason 24/7.
If you have a story that would be of interest to Reason’s
readers please let us know by emailing the 24/7 crew at
24_7@reason.com, or tweet us stories at ;@reason247. … Read More
House passes CISPA
On Thursday the House passed CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, a controversial cybersecurity bill that would make it easier for email and Internet service providers to share users’ personal information with the federal government.The bill passed by a vote of 288-127, with 92 Democrats backing it. The legislation will now head to the Senate, where it’s prospects for success are a bit murkier – a previous version of the legislation passed the House but died in the Senate last year. Obama has already threatened to veto it if it reaches his desk.From CNET:Continue Reading… … Read More
