Need more proof that the Patriot Act needs an overhaul?

Do you need more proof that the Patriot Act gives law enforcement officials (a la the FBI) too much power, and desperately needs an overhaul? This scary admission by the FBI ought to do it:

The FBI says it sometimes gets the wrong number when it intercepts conversations in terrorism investigations, an admission critics say underscores a need to revise wiretap provisions in the Patriot Act.

The FBI would not say how often these mistakes happen. And, though any incriminating evidence mistakenly collected is not legally admissible in a criminal case, there is no way of knowing whether it is used to begin an investigation.

Day-After Pill Exposes FDA Rift

There’s a major shake-up going on over at the FDA concerning Plan B, the so-called Morning-After pill:

The highly regarded women’s health chief at the Food and Drug Administration resigned Wednesday in protest of her agency’s refusal to allow over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception.

Assistant Commissioner Susan Wood charged that FDA’s leader overruled his own scientists’ determination that the morning-after pill could safely be sold without a prescription, and stunned his employees last week by instead postponing indefinitely a decision on whether to let that happen.

Basically, FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford unilaterally decided to not allow Plan B to be sold without a prescription. Even though the pill has been proven safe, and is currently being used by millions of women world-wide. Plan B can be purchased over-the-counter in most nations in Europe, and I believe in Canada, too. There’s no scientific reason not to sell Plan B OTC.

Which means that this is purely a political move. And my question is, just what the hell business does the FDA have not approving drugs for political reasons? That’s not its charter! That’s not its purpose. The FDA is supposed to make decisions based on scientific evidence, not based on politics!

God, this administration pisses me off. This is not the country that I remember! Where’d America go?

FBI investigating peaceful demonstrators in Colorado

Thank goodness that the FBI is keeping us safe from all the terrorists that are staging peaceful protests against the war.

Wait a minute…. Protesting against the war makes a person a terrorist? Apparently the FBI believes so! “The FBI gave the ACLU documents on its investigations into the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center and the Colorado American Indian Movement, said Mark Silverstein, legal director for Colorado ACLU.

“‘Many people in this country want law enforcement agencies to investigate terrorism,’ he said. ‘That’s obviously a high priority. I don’t think people support investigating people who pose no threat. And that’s what these documents prove.'”

I support both the RMPJC and Colorado AIM. Both are dedicated to peaceful protests. The FBI is wasting time and money investigating these groups. And worse, by doing this the FBI is engaging in unintentional (I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt) intimdation. People will be less likely to join anti-war protests because they are worried they’ll become a target of an FBI investigation.

Rutt Bridges Q&A

Colorado Pols ran an interesting interview with Democratic Colorado Gubernatorial hopeful Rutt Bridges last week. Which made me ask the obvious question, “Who the hell is Rutt Bridges?”

The answer is, he’s done a lot in the state of Colorado, including founding the Bighorn Center. And he almost ran for the senate seat that Ken Salazar won last year. So apparently, I need to pay more attention to local political news.

Anyway, what made Mr. Bridges stand out to me is this brilliant answer to a question asking about Mr. Bridges view of legalized abortion:

I am a conservative on this issue. I don?t believe that government has the right to dictate the decisions we make in our private lives. I support a woman?s right to choose what is best for her and her family.

But choice means choice. We must ensure that women have viable options. I support a more effective and lower-cost adoption process, wider access to nutrition and prenatal care, and emergency contraception for rape victims. I also support sensible sex education so that our young people can make good decisions. As governor, I?ll work hard to ensure that abortion is safe and legal, but, most importantly, also rare.

That, dear readers, is brilliant. And quoteworthy. And probably should be adopted by the Democratic party as part of its official platform.