“The idea that the federal government can comb through the medical records of Americans and label them “mentally defective” is truly chilling,” said Liberty Coalition second amendment policy expert Mike Stollenwerk. “Such labeling is a gross violation of privacy rights and is ripe with potential for abuse.”

The rebellion against the REAL ID Act keeps growing -- last week, Montana became the fifth state to push back against the federal government's national ID mandate. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is currently taking comment on its draft regulations for implementing REAL ID, and it's critical that you make clear that this privacy-invasive law is fundamentally flawed and must be repealed entirely. The May 8 comment deadline is fast approaching --

OpenTheGovernment.org invites you to come join James Madison, Ms. Public, and George W. Bush in a flash video game show - Democracy in Jeopardy! - about government openness and secrecy. The flash video can be viewed at http://democracy.openthegovernment.org - with links provided for ways to take action to fight back against secrecy and promote openness.

"The FBI has clearly abused its power and violated the constitutional rights of tens of thousands of Americans. These actions must not be tolerated in a free society," said Liberty Coalition national director Michael Ostrolenk. "While enhanced public scrutiny and Congressional oversight are a good first step, they are not enough to protect our Nation's liberty from abusive, unchecked power. Congress must act to stop the issuance of National Security Letters!"

This legislation will give Federal employees the Freedom to Tell the Truth when they bring concerns of waste, fraud, abuse, and other misconduct to the attention of their supervisors.

Hersh says the U.S. has been "pumping money, a great deal of money, without congressional authority, without any congressional oversight" for covert operations in the Middle East where it wants to "stop the Shiite spread or the Shiite influence." Hersh says these funds have ended up in the hands of "three Sunni jihadist groups" who are "connected to al Qaeda" but "want to take on Hezbollah."

Professional discretion is essential if the medical profession is to serve individual clinical needs. The guidance constitutes intrusive regulation of the practice of medicine.