Keep asking questions and get tasered. by police

A University of Florida student was pinned to the ground, shot with a taser gun, and charged with a felony (resisting arrest or inciting a riot, depending on the source) . His crime? Insisting on asking John Kerry questions about the 2004 election, alleged vote suppression, impeachment, and Kerry's membership in Skull & Bones when event organizers wanted him to stop. Kerry was saying that he wanted to answer the student's "important question" when the organizers of the event turned the student's microphone off and the police grabbed him. Kerry continued to talk about the allegations but never asked the police to stop or leave the man alone.

You can read about it at the New York Times web site
You can watch the video another student took with his cell phone here.

The student was certainly obnoxious, but last time I checked that wasn't a felony. I've got my doubts about the health of free speech in this country.

Great moments in government regulation, or 3 cheers for the FDA

The current regime is so dedicated to public safety. Recently , FDA approved the marketing of a home water purification device to be used by patients with end stage renal (kidney) disease (ESRD) who do their own dialysis at home. Because Medicare covers patients with ESRD, it pays for such items.
CMS , the federal agency that handles Medicare, states that the device that FDA approved does not have the ports needed for the patient to test the water and the dialysis fluid. Testing of both the water and the dialysate is necessary for patient safety and required by law.
Because FDA had previously approved other dialysis testing devices, it compared the new product to them rather than treating it as a new device. Someone must have forgotten about the published standards for water purity and testing of medical equipment. According to CMS, FDA stated that it only regulates the manufacturer and the marketing; patient safety is left to CMS.
Aren't you glad the FDA is looking out for us?

Yet another assault on the First Amendment

Maybe you know about the march on Washington scheduled for this weekend, September 15th. The organizers' purposes are to stop the war and impeach Bush and Cheney.

Well, the Powers that Be in Washington know about it, and they would rather that you didn't. Last month, the organizers were threatened with a $10,000 fine for putting up posters with adhesive that allegedly did not meet regulations. So they announced a press conference at which they placed posters on public property with media present.

D.C. police broke up the news conference by march organizers last week, with mounted officers charging on the media present to disperse them. You can see that here.

Thank you, Agence France Presse and You Tube, without which we would never have known about this.