by James Plummer with Joshua M. Parker

June 19, 2006

DOJ data retention push
Los Angeles launches, crashes spy plane
SCOTUS: No knock, no privacy, no problem

Conservatives have long asserted that Roe improperly seized power from the states to regulate abortion. Pro-choice cynics have asserted that this federalist position is one of convenience and not of principle. But those Congressional states-rights champions will have a chance this month to prove their commitment to both states' rights and pro-life issues. But will they rise to the challenge?

The challenge in question is the so-called Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment to the State-Science-Justice-Commerce spending bill. This amendment would forbid federal funds to be used for Justice Department operations which arrest doctors and patients who prescribe and ingest cannabis (marijuana) under the protection of state law.

The House of Representatives recently passed funding for a new federal mandate that threatens to put thousands of small farmers and ranchers out of business. The National Animal Identification System, known as NAIS, is an expensive and unnecessary federal program that requires owners of livestock – cattle, dairy, poultry, and even horses – to tag animals with electronic tracking devices. The intrusive monitoring system amounts to nothing more than a tax on livestock owners, allowing the federal government access to detailed information about their private property. (6/1/06)