If I am elected U.S. Representative for the 7th Congressional District, I will be independent, a representative of ALL the people, and will vote for or against legislation based on what best serves the best interests of the majority of my constitutents.
The Patriot Act renewal that just passed with the help of Republicats Mark Udall and John Salazar and Ken Salazar, contains many infringements upon our civil liberties. But it also contains provisions that have nothing to do with combating terrorism.
New laws to fight the methamphetamine drug addiction problem in the country are part of this renewed Patriot Act. And the provisions are just as intrusive and abusvie as the rest of the Act.
Most offensive is that this government fight against the 'meth' abuse problem is going to inconvenience and 'monitor' you and me -- much more than it is going to disrupt professional illegal drug makers and sellers.
In this case, I side with the libertarian-inclined. Once again, in their zeal to be seen as "tough on crime" the establishment politicians pass laws that violate your rights and impede your ability to take care of yourself.
As related in the articles linked to here, starting this September, if your autumn allergies are in high gear, if your sinuses feel like they're full of sawdust -- you won't be able to stop in the local convenience store to buy some 'Sudafed' or other brand of over-the-counter pseudoephedrine. No, you'll have to find a store with a pharmacy. Then you'll have to make your request at the pharmacist's window, and you'll have to show a photo identification -- and you will have to register your name in a book and the amount of medication purchased. Of course, now the central government will keep track of your allergies ... and if you are doing something 'bad' with your 20 tab box of 'Sudafed'.
No doubt, for the methamphetamine abuse problem that has lead to the politician's typical over reaction, we can thank the low-life, sub-human purveyors of destruction -- the criminal drug pushers.
For all of this federal government instigated hassle and intrusion making your miserable allergy season even worse -- you can thank Mark Udall and the Salazar brothers.
Link: Making a Meth of the PATRIOT Act | John Berlau/Reason
If you thought al Qaeda or Iraqi insurgents were the major threats facing America, Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) says you're wrong. According to Dent, "The growing availability of methamphetamine is a form of terrorism unto itself." Many of Dent's colleagues apparently agree, so they've attached surveillance, "smuggling", and "money laundering" provisions to the reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act. These vast new police powers, contained in a new "Combat Methamphetamine Act" (CMA) and other provisions, serve no purpose in the ongoing and serious struggle against terrorism. One proposal could place millions of Americans who purchase cold medicine on a huge government watch list; ...
Ironically, some Democrats who objected to National Security Agency wiretaps in December actually championed provisions that step on privacy in the name of stopping meth. ...
The CMA would move cold medicines such as Sudafed behind the counter, on the grounds that their active ingredient, pseudoephedrine, is a potential meth component. In DiFi's [California Democratic U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein] words, the solution to this non-problem would include "requiring purchasers to show identification and sign a log book."
Once you sign for your medicine, your name becomes part of "a functional monitoring program" that would "allow law enforcement officials to track and ultimately prevent suspicious buying behavior of ingredients for meth production," according to a Feinstein press release describing a similar stand-alone bill. ...
The PATRIOT Act's new anti-meth provisions don't end there. One would classify "methamphetamine precursors" such as pseudoephedrine in the same manner as "Schedule II" drugs" like opium in order to set domestic "production quotas." And there are enhanced penalties and broadened definitions for "smuggling" and "money laundering" with no terrorism prerequisites.
Link: Restricting Cold Medicine Won't Curb Meth Use | Radley Balko/Cato Institute
The latest drug panic is over the rising use of methamphetimine. This time, the outrage seems to stem from the fact that some meth users not only make stuff in their own garages, but that a key ingredient, pseudoephedrine, can be derived from common cold and allergy medicines found in the local pharmacy. ...
According to the DEA's own website, most of this country's meth comes not from garage laboratories in the Midwest, but from clandestine "superlabs" in California and Mexico. These labs smuggle pseudoephedrine in bulk from Mexico and Canada and use it to manufacture street methempamphetamine, which they then distribute across the country. Cold and allergy medicine never enters the picture. ...
Laws like Talent-Feinstein and similar bills in statehouses across the country do little more than inconvenience cold and allergy sufferers. They also create yet another way for authorities to monitor and track our consumer habits. These laws also likely make common cold medicine more expensive for stores to stock and, therefore, more expensive for customers to buy. The registries and purchasing procedures will lead to longer lines at the pharmacy, particularly during cold and allergy season. ...
If Talent and Feinstein get their way, it will soon be impossible to buy common cold and allergy medication containing pseudoephedrine at stores that don’t have pharmacies. At stores that do, you’ll be asked to present identification and sign a registry, which will be monitored. Buy too much, and you could find yourself subject to investigation. Between sniffles, if your head’s clear enough, keep in mind that these hurdles lawmakers have thrown between you and cold-allergy relief will do little, if anything, to curb the actual use of illicit methamphetamine
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