Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Detroit students suspended for demanding education — RT

Detroit students suspended for demanding education — RT: "Pupils from the boys’ school Frederick Douglass Academy abandoned their classrooms over teacher shortages and a lack of resources on Friday.
They gathered outside the building amid cries of "We want… education! When do we want it? Now!"
Parents reportedly organized the march after the consistent absence of a number of teachers and the dismissal of the principal. Students had allegedly been out of lessons for weeks due to a shortage of staff."

DNA collection bill proposed

DNA collection bill proposed: "And I can tell you that if you know that these lives can be saved and you choose not to do it, that in the weeks, the months, the years to come, there will be a list of Wisconsin residents that could have been saved"

It's not a simple as spending some money to prevent future crimes. If we removed all of the Bill of Rights then it would be easier for police to protect us but most people wouldn't consider that a good trade. Why not require all people in WI to submit DNA samples? Just being charged with a crime doesn't mean you should be treated differently for issues not related to that charge. SB 214 would be an unreasonable search because the info isn't needed for the charged crime.

Hunger Games Doesn't Fit TSA's Dystopian Vision | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary

Hunger Games Doesn't Fit TSA's Dystopian Vision | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Last week on his blog, security expert Bruce Schneier recounted his recent Economist.com debate with a former TSA administrator: "He wants us to trust that a 400-ml bottle of liquid is dangerous, but transferring it to four 100-ml bottles magically makes it safe..."; that "butter knives given to first-class passengers are nevertheless too dangerous to be taken through a security checkpoint"; and that "there's a reason to confiscate a cupcake (Las Vegas), a 3-inch plastic toy gun (London Gatwick)... and a plastic lightsaber that's really a flashlight with a long cone on top (Dallas/Fort Worth).""

"What's worse, the TSA is increasingly taking this show on the road with roving VIPR, or Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response, teams that conducted over 9,300 random searches in 2011 — on cruise ships, at NASCAR races, on buses and at train stations."

Indy Transit Task Force Misses the Mark | Randal O'Toole | Cato Institute: Commentary

Indy Transit Task Force Misses the Mark | Randal O'Toole | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Commuter rail lines in cities comparable to Indianapolis, including Albuquerque, Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale, Nashville, Portland and Seattle, are so expensive and carry so few people it would cost less (and be better for the environment) to give every daily round-trip rider a brand-new Toyota Prius every other year for the rest of their lives."