Saluting Scott Walker

With Comrade Obama in the White House, standing up to union thugs means taking on the federal behemoth. Kudos to Scott Walker for his courage.

Why Food and Drink Bans Won't Solve Childhood Obesity

Despite the fact that almost all the research on in-school nutrition indicates that food bans are ineffective (and sometimes counterproductive), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and food activists from groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest are pushing government regulations on everything from chewing gum to potato chips.

The IOM's narrow standards for foods that should be available in schools effectively squeeze everything but fruit juice, nuts, and a small assortment of produce out of the cafeteria snack bar. And the guidelines outline where and when "permissible" foods can be sold, which athletic teams can have sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade, and whether fundraisers and bake sales qualify as "nutritionally beneficial." Food provided at booster clubs, PTA meetings, parent-teacher nights, and other adult activities held on school grounds would also be subject to government scrutiny.

Dietary decrees like these may seem surreal, but many schools have already taken things to their absurd conclusion. School birthday celebrations are nearly a thing of the past, with cupcakes banned in classrooms across the country. Some schools forbid parents from bringing fast food to their kids. And in October a British boy was sent to the principal's office because the lunch his parents packed for him did not meet the school's guidelines.

DHS Rolls Out Portable DNA Scanners

 

The Department of Homeland Security doesn't want to overreach its authority by doing anything serious about the revolving door that serves as our southern border. But it doesn't hesitate to ogle nude images of us at the airport — or even scan our DNA:

This summer, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to begin testing a portable DNA scanner, The Daily has learned.

The device, which has not yet been unveiled but reportedly resembles a desktop printer, is expected to make genetic tests far more common…

With nothing more than a swab of saliva, security officials can use the device to obtain genetic intel in less than an hour. …

Jim Harper, the director of information policy studies at the Cato Institute and a member of the DHS privacy committee, called the technology a game-changer, and one that officials are rolling out too hastily.

"There's going to be a rapid migration into collecting more DNA from more people," he said. "We're plunging into the unknown here."

Can the sort of people who are running our monstrously power-hungry government be trusted to use this technology in good faith? Hardly:

Harper, for one, is concerned that the DHS didn't consult their privacy advisory committee, of which he is a member, as it prepared to test the scanners.

"I'm frustrated that I'm learning about this from a reporter," he said. "This is exactly the kind of thing our committee should be reviewing."

As pointed out at Right Wing News, Obama et al. "sure seem determined to build themselves one heck of a database with all this info they're capturing."