Free Republic

Animal Rights Activists Get Official Roles In City and County Dog Law Enforcement Undercover Surveillance, Vigilantes, Uniforms and Badges by JOHN YATES American Sporting Dog Alliance http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org asda@csonline.net PALM BEACH, FL – Animal rights activists in many parts of the country are proving the adage that paranoia doesn’t necessarily mean dog owners are crazy. Cities and counties that have enacted repressive ordinances targeting dog owners are increasingly using volunteers as a major tool to enforce the law. Not surprisingly, only animal rights activists are likely to be accepted as volunteers. Many of these activists are opposed to the private ownership...

The youngsters are among almost 5,000 residents who in some cases are being offered £500 rewards if they provide evidence of minor infractions. One in six councils contacted by the Telegraph said they had signed up teams of "environment volunteers" who are being encouraged to photograph or video neighbours guilty of dog fouling, littering or "bin crimes". The "covert human intelligence sources", as some local authorities describe them, are also being asked to pass on the names of neighbours they believe to be responsible, or take down their number-plates. Ealing Council in West London said: "There are hundreds of Junior...

A quick and dirty search of any and all of FreeRepublic thanks to Google 'site:' function. No more excuses... Google results for site:freerepublic.com.

For your input. Thanks.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., June 24 (UPI) -- Higher interstate speed limits on an Indiana highway haven't resulted in additional deaths or serious injuries, a study has determined. Purdue University researchers found that an increase from 65 to 70 mph on Interstate 65 was still safe, a result that adds to mix of research results nationwide since passage of the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, which gave states freedom to set interstate speed limits. Study authors acknowledged the ongoing debate in a Purdue University news release. "These findings are important because the influence of speed limits on roadway safety...

NJ has thousands of far more pressing problems,but... a NJ Assemblyman wants to ban the sale of high-caffeine beverages to "underage" consumers. It never stops !!!

Proposed Law Would Ban Outdoor Smoking POSTED: 10:56 am EDT April 7, 2008 UPDATED: 11:37 am EDT April 7, 2008 NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio -- Some people in North Royalton are fuming over a proposed ban on outdoor smoking. The proposed law would make it illegal to smoke in parks, fields, parking lots and outdoor seating areas. Council members said the outdoor ban is in response to complaints about people smoking around children during youth sports games. The city's safety committee will hold a hearing on the issue on April 15.

CHICAGO - As Illinois secretary of state, Jesse White's usual domain consists of licensing drivers, registering corporations and publishing the state's blue book manual. But he recently turned his attention to people walking across the street in addition to those in automobiles. According to an article on WBBM Radio's Web site, White wants the state to pass a law prohibiting people from walking across the street while using a cell phone. A bill along those lines has already been introduced in the Illinois House.

At a time when the state is trying to eliminate trans fats and junk food from school cafeterias, public schools spend thousands of dollars at fast-food restaurants, pizza joints and doughnut shops. The state’s new nutrition policy eliminates sodas, trans fats and candy from schools in the next few years, but it includes a loophole that allows schools to feed students whatever is convenient anytime outside of “regular school hours” — on field trips, during extracurricular activities or athletic events. GCDN Buses line up outside of Whataburger. Away from regulated cafeterias, school officials often turn to the most convenient or...

DES MOINES, Iowa - The cartoonish plastic frog with bulging eyes could be a children's toy — but for the torch-like flame that bursts from the novelty lighter's head. "They look like something you would get in a McDonald's Happy Meal," said John Dean, president of the National Association of State Fire Marshals, who often shows off the device. "They're cute, they're little" — but they can be deadly. Dean's group is backing an effort to ban novelty lighters across the country, and a handful of states are considering it. In California, Washington and Arkansas, local ordinances have been passed...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois' statewide smoking ban is barely a month old and opponents already are trying to relight the debate. With the General Assembly scheduled to return to Springfield this week, various Illinois interests — casinos, bars, veterans' organizations — are preparing to push state lawmakers to carve out exceptions for various types of facilities from the sweeping ban that went into effect this year in all indoor public places. "I'm a dedicated nonsmoker, but the hair on the back of my neck stands up" at some of the freedom-of-choice issues created by the ban, said state Rep. Bill...

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- Officials of Harrah's Metropolis riverboat casino claim Illinois' new smoking ban has resulted in the layoff of about 30 jobs at the casino. Casino officials claim guests are spending less on entertainment and making fewer trips because of the ban and the casino suffered a drop in visitation compared to the previous six-month average.

The Montgomery County Council yesterday proposed legislation that would require domestic workers and their employers to sign contracts to ensure that the workers receive fair wages, overtime and other protections against abuse. Council members Marc Elrich and George Leventhal, both at-large Democrats, proposed the legislation, which they called the first of its kind in the nation. It would allow workers who spend at least 20 hours a week as housekeepers, nannies or adult-care attendants to negotiate their work conditions and pay. The lawmakers said a written contract would offer protection for workers, most of them immigrant women, who are vulnerable...

I'll admit it: I've been critical of Mike Huckabee. Since learning of his record as Governor and of his statements since, I've harbored the opinion that he is more or less McCain Lite - every Democrat's favorite Republican. I've listened to him talk about banning smoking, about federally subsidized art programs, and about the need for federal action to fight "global warming," and what I've thought I heard was the consumate nanny-stater. When he accused our president of having an "arrogant bunker mentality," and said we should close down Guantamnamo, I heard words that might well have been spoken by...

The frustration of proving one's age to buy things like alcohol and tobacco does not end when you reach the appropriate legal age. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have a youthful appearance are forever burdened with having to carry a state-issued ID card to every place where we might want to buy alcohol or tobacco. Over the past few years, we've been gradually subjected to another, more intrusive ID-related hassle -- that of electronic drivers license scanning. It's one thing when a government representative scans your driver's license; it's another thing entirely when a restaurant does it,...

Neil Cavuto's Common Sense This isn't about banning cupcakes in school. This is about banning personal responsibility in America. Don't you see what's going on here? You can't take care of yourself. Let the food police take care of yourself for you. You can't control your kids' weight. Let the government control their weight for you. You can't read the paperwork on a subprime mortgage you suddenly can't pay, let the government pay it for you. You can't find a level playing field with the rich? Let the government tax them more and level it for you. See a trend...

New Calif. Law Requires Warning When Products Contain Lead Traces CLEVELAND -- As they put up holiday lights this year, some people are noticing something very strange on their new packages of lights – a label warning about possible hazardous chemicals in the lights. NewsChannel5's John Matarese reported that despite the warning label, the lights are not dangerous. Al Shelton went to buy some lights for outside his house, but found a label on the boxes warning about the lights' wires containing lead. The label read, "Handling these coated electric wires in this product exposes you to lead, a chemical...

We progressives have made great strides this year in preventing thousands of shoelace-related deaths among children here in the United States and around the world. As you know earlier this year Al Gore won his second Nobel Peace Prize for his award-winning documentary "Shoelaces Knock Our Kids Off-Balance". George Soros donated one hundred million dollars to found his new SHoelace Alliance For Teenagers to prevent these needless injuries caused by untied and mistied shoelaces. Elementary, Middle and Secondary schools now require Shoelace Injury Training for at least one hundred hours per semester as part of the National Education Association endorsed...

America’s top doc told the Herald yesterday that Santa Claus should slim down, in the latest blow struck in a global politically correct crusade against the jolly fat man. “It is really important that the people who kids look up to as role models are in good shape, eating well and getting exercise. It is absolutely critical,� acting U.S. Surgeon General Rear Adm. Steven K. Galson said in an interview after a presentation on obesity at the Boston Children’s Museum. Touting NFL players who work with kids to promote healthy lifestyles, Galson added: “Santa is no different.� Santa’s waistline is...

The government has a duty to look after the health of everyone and sometimes that means guiding or restricting our choices Lord John Krebs, of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics Government ministers should shrug off media accusations that they are running a nanny state and introduce tougher public health measures, experts say. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics said the time had come to consider a whole host of interventions in the UK after the introduction of a smoking ban. Its proposes raising alcohol prices, restricting pub opening hours and better food labelling to fight obesity. The government said it was...

Igniting a public health war on smoke, the Bay Area's air pollution agency proposed Monday to ban wood fires on bad air nights and to bar new installations of open hearth fireplaces in homes and buildings. Until now, the air quality district has not regulated indoor burning of wood. Instead, the district has asked people to voluntarily refrain from lighting fires on chilly winter "Spare the Air" nights to protect the public from the health effects of tiny smoke particles that can lodge deep in human lungs. The particles can aggravate asthma, emphysema and lead to premature death among the...

How antismoking laws take away liberty I walked into a restaurant in Florida recently and said, "Nonsmoking table for two, please." The greeter replied, "All restaurants in Florida are nonsmoking by law." I thought, "Good! Not a whiff of a cigarette. I like that!" Briefly, I took pleasure in government trampling on the liberties of consenting adults in a private setting. Perhaps, I thought, it wasn't wrong for government to prevent one person from imposing a harmful externality on an unwilling other. But then I realized no one compelled me to enter the place and the restaurant belonged neither to...

Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning America into a Nation of Children

Bail has been set at $1 million in the case of Michael John Anderson, a 19-year-old man from Savage, who has been charged with second degree murder in the killing of a woman while she was answering an ad for a nanny on Craigslist.org. Information released today reveals that Katherine Ann Olson, 24, was shot in the back. Police found a .357 Magnum in Anderson’s house, along with blood stains and drag marks on stairs. A neighbor saw Olson's gold Hyundai Elantra sitting in front of Anderson's house for over two hours Thursday late afternoon. The car was later found...

WASHINGTON — Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has a message for Americans: Quit digging your grave with a knife and fork. Huckabee shed more than 100 pounds after being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2003. He has taken his personal health kick to the next level by running marathons and writing books like "Quit Digging Your Grave With A Knife And Fork." He is also using his success story to wage war on junk food in public schools in hopes of targeting childhood obesity rates. Other states, under pressure to encourage healthier eating habits for children, are developing similar school...

Frontpage Interview's guest today is David Harsanyi, an award-winning columnist at The Denver Post. In addition to a thrice-weekly column, his writings on politics and culture have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Weekly Standard, National Review, New York Press, Christian Science Monitor, Jerusalem Post, Toronto Globe & Mail, The Hill, Sports Illustrated Online, and numerous other publications. He's also a regular guest on radio and television shows across the country, including PBS, NPR and Fox News. He is the author of the new book, Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning...

How much did you drink last week? In Harrogate 26.4% of you had between 12 and 17 “large” glasses of wine (depending on your sex), in Mole Valley 25.5% of you did, and in Leeds 25.3%. Don’t ask me how the government knows this. It apparently wants to “target middle-class drinkers”. Public money must be squandered, so why not measure the nation’s drinking habits? Meanwhile the makers of the film, The Bourne Ultimatum, needed a location where a character could be watched by police as he moved step by step about the city. Did they use Moscow or Berlin or...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Hundreds of citizens and business owners gathered at the statehouse on Tuesday to protest the state's ban on smoking in public restaurants. Those who are opposed to the Ohio Revised Code that bans smoking in bars and restaurants said that since the ban was enacted, they've lost jobs, businesses and millions of dollars in revenue, NBC 4's Tacoma Newsome reported. But some business owners said the most significant loss has been of their control. The protestors were at the statehouse to sign a petition that would allow an exemption to the ban, similar to one in Florida....

(CNN) -- Americans are already among the fattest people in the world and they just keep packing on the pounds. A new report finds that obesity rates have swelled during the last year in 31 states with not one state reporting that its obesity rate shrank. And, for the first time, more than 30 percent of residents in one state -- Mississippi -- are classified as obese. Two-thirds of U.S. adults are obese or overweight, according to the Trust for America's Health. Nationwide, two-thirds of U.S. adults are obese or overweight, according to the fourth annual report from the Trust...

A text message from a virtual stranger saying 'I want to have sex with you tonight' might, on occasion, be considered a compliment. When it comes from the nanny you just hired to look after your eight-month-old baby, it's bad news. Being a nervous first-time mother, I had done my homework to find Carole. I had interviewed her twice at length and spoken to her previous employer. As much as it upset me to leave my baby to go back to work, we needed the money - but at least I thought I had done everything to make sure Lily...

BELMAR, N.J. - How serious is Belmar about cracking down on noise after dark? Just ask Joseph Palermo, who was fined $572 for letting a woman ring the bell on his bicycle. Of course, it was 1:45 a.m. and he had already been warned by police twice to stop. "I just think it's funny that they can do that," said Palermo, a 22-year-old surfer from Kapaa, Hawaii who is spending the summer working on a scallop boat based in Brielle and is staying with friends in Belmar. But the borough is strictly enforcing its quality of life ordinances, particularly those...

Junk food will head to the junk heap in Bay State schools if a bill to be pushed by top health experts on Beacon Hill today succeeds in banning fatty and sugary foods from school vending machines, bake sales and fund-raisers. Backers of the junk food bill say it sets statewide standards, forces students to eat better and cuts down on ads kids see each day. “These are habits that last a lifetime,” said Eric Weltman, spokesman for the Massachusetts Public Health Association, one of the backers of the bill, which would also ban corporate food and soda marketing inside...

Can any legislation be successful in banning all distractions for motorists? Like California, many states are banning the use of cell phones while driving a car, and some bans go way beyond cell phones. So far, Vermont may have the longest list of no-nos for motorists, with a proposed law that even prohibits playing the flute while driving. I've played a bit of flute in my time — not very well — but not as badly as if I were trying to drive and "tootle" at the same time. The Vermont law also would forbid such driving distractions as smoking,...

Who's Your Nanny? As meddling scolds, Democrats and Republicans are equal offenders. Jacob Sullum | February 28, 2007 Several California newspapers recently carried a story about "nanny government" measures in the state legislature that "irk Republicans," including bills that would forbid smoking on state beaches, ban trans fats in restaurant food, and require calorie counts on menu boards. "If somebody wants to go ahead and choose to do something that may not always be in their best interest," said one of those irked Republicans, state Sen. George Runner, "hey, this is America, you get to choose those things." As long...

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Vintners have been using byproducts from milk, eggs, wheat and even fish guts in the winemaking processes for centuries. But a new federal proposal could require American wineries to disclose such unsavory items _ used as "fining" agents to remove grit _ as ingredients. The proposal, which could be passed by the end of the year, would require companies to redesign the labels on every bottle to protect people who are allergic to certain foods. Executives at Sonoma and Napa county wineries and their trade groups say few, if any, wine drinkers suffer allergic reactions from...

I found myself thinking: "Yes, this really is the way we're all heading in New Labour's nanny state." Mr Ternouth's thriller flooded back to me this week when I read of the Government's plan to spend £224million of your money and mine on setting up a database, recording details of the lives of all 12 million children in England and Wales. Among other things, the Children's Index will record whether a child's parents are providing a 'positive role model', how the child is performing at school — and even whether youngsters are eating the daily five portions of fruit and...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A nanny who was arrested after police viewed hidden camera video recordings that appeared to show her shaking a 5-month-old baby is suing the recording system's manufacturer. Claudia Muro, 32, alleges that distorted camera footage wrongfully led to her arrest and imprisonment. She was arrested in October 2003 and spent two years awaiting trial before prosecutors dropped the case because of concerns about the tape. The footage was broadcast on television around the country. The lawsuit was filed against Boca Raton-based Tyco Fire & Security, according to a report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The lawsuit...

With questions being asked about her parenting skills, and reports circulating that her husband has walked out on her, Britney Spears could definitely use a man about the house right now. So it is perhaps no surprise to find this newest staff member - a male nanny - on Miss Spears' payroll. The 24-year-old pop star has hired the male nanny, or "manny" as American showbusiness observers are calling him, to carry out such tasks as lugging around her eight-month-old baby Sean Preston, unload the shopping and wheeling the pram. He is also a trained bodyguard and more than capable...

IRVING, Texas -- The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has taken its fight against drunken driving to a new level. TABC agents, along with Irving police, targeted 36 bars and clubs Friday, arresting some allegedly intoxicated patrons before they departed the businesses. The officers and agents also kept watch on bartenders who might have over-served patrons. Agents arrested 30 people Friday night. Most of the suspects now face charges of public intoxication. The agents and Irving police officers traveled from bar to bar and worked undercover, according to an NBC 5 report. The report also said that some agents shared tables...

In the long run, the battle to make America safer is part of a larger cause—the battle to make the free world safer and, indeed, to make the whole world freer. Victory will come only if representative government prevails, because freedom is the one force strong enough to stop tyranny and terror. In our modern day and age, America appears to have forgotten the guiding principles that have led her thus far. Getting America Right offers not a revolutionary, novel solution, but an answer that is as old as America herself—a conservative one...

The Hennepin County Board will get an earful from the public Tuesday, when it hosts a six-hour public hearing on the county's smoking ban. The board is considering rolling back the ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, after a number of bar owners complained the ban is costing them business. Bar owners want the establishments that make more money off beverage sales than food to be exempt from the ban. Sherm Junker, who owns Sherm's bar in St. Bonifacius, is one of the bar owners who says the smoking ban has been detrimental - even though the ban...

MA!  He's FLIPPING  again...!!!  ...THIS time in California...!!!  

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. A Westchester nanny has been arrested for delivering 14 pounds of marijuana while driving her employers' sport utility vehicle with their one-year-old son inside. Westchester County Police say 24-year-old Sanjay Rodrigues was arrested after police got a tip that the woman was going to deliver pot. Police say they staked out a Dobbs Ferry home about 8 a-m yesterday and saw Rodriques, who worked at that home, pick up a cardboard box from the front of the house. Later in the afternoon, police saw her place the boy in a child seat in the back of the...

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - A Swedish court on Wednesday convicted Volvo Cars of gender discrimination for denying a woman a job at its manufacturing plant because she was too short to work at the conveyor belt. ADVERTISEMENT Sweden's Labor Court ordered Volvo to pay 40,000 kronor ($5,200) to the woman, who was not identified, saying the hiring policy constituted "indirect gender discrimination." Volvo's hiring policy stated that for safety reasons, employees must be between 5 feet 4 inches and 6 feet 5 inches to work at the conveyor belt at its car manufacturing plant outside Goteborg. The woman only measured 5...

One mother fired hers for writing a revealing blog, Jude Law had sex with his. What is it with nannies? We need them, but wish we didn’t SHE came into the smart Brooklyn home carrying her bag, her books — and her oh-so dangerous laptop. Once, her employer might have feared gossip with other nannies at the nursery school door. Now family secrets are on the screen. This week readers of The New York Times have been treated to a further instalment in the worldwide Nanny Sagas, as full of jealousy, rage, betrayal, vengeance and pain as Old Norse literature,...

MasterCard yesterday became the first major credit-card company to warn financial institutions against processing payments to tax-free Internet cigarette companies. MasterCard said such transactions should be approved only if there is documented evidence that Internet companies are complying with all federal, state and local laws, including the collection and payment of sales taxes. "We put out the bulletin to remind our global membership that MasterCard does not tolerate illegal activities of any kind," said MasterCard Senior Vice President Joshua Peirez. State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer applauded the decision and urged other credit-card companies to follow suit. The Post reported in...

Robots to Watch Children and Even Co-Workers Among Technology at Microsoft TechFest By ALLISON LINN The Associated Press REDMOND, Wash. Mar 2, 2005 — The teddy bear sitting in the corner of the child's room might look normal, until his head starts following the kid around using a face recognition program, perhaps also allowing a parent talk to the child through a special phone, or monitor the child via a camera and wireless Internet connection. The plush prototype, on display at Microsoft Corp.'s annual gadget showcase Wednesday, is one of several ideas researchers have for robots. The idea is to...

New York City is a hall of funny mirrors, which is why even its smartest politicians don't know what normal looks like. Thus, it is entirely possible that former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani didn't notice anything strange about Bernard Kerik, who once served as his police commissioner. But while a raffish touch can be charming, a walk on the wild side is quite something else. Bush had no choice but to take a pass on Bernie Kerik. None of this will change Giuliani's political future. Had Kerik been a model Scout, Giuliani would still be facing a most unpromising career on...