Rand Paul, Drone Buster

“I rise today to begin to filibuster John Brennan’s nomination for the CIA. I will speak until I can no longer speak. I will speak as long as it takes, until the alarm is sounded from coast to coast that our Constitution is important, that your rights to trial by jury are precious, that no American should be killed by a drone on American soil without first being charged with a crime, without first being found to be guilty by a court, that Americans could be killed in a cafe in San Francisco or in a restaurant in Houston or at their home in Bowling Green, Ky., is an abomination. It is something that should not and cannot be tolerated in our country.”

This quote is taken from the ongoing filibuster of Senator Rand Paul that is taking place as I type. I must first applaud Senator Paul for doing a filibuster properly and standing, continually holding the senate floor as long as he can. This is a rarity in our modern government and a symbol iconically portrayed in the film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." The issue at hand is the confirmation of John Brennan as the head of the CIA and, the deeper issue, drone strikes on US soil.

Over the last year we have heard more and more about the US's use of drone strikes. We first heard of drone strikes as an overseas tactic against foreign terrorists. It was then expanded to include the possibility of drone strikes on US citizens overseas. Most recently it has been brought to the public's attention that policies allow for the use of drones on US soil and against US citizens suspected of terrorism.

When Rand Paul asked President Obama "Can you kill an American on American soil?" The President's answer was not the obvious "no" but Rand Paul quotes him as responding "I haven’t killed anyone yet... And I have no intention of killing Americans. But I might."

I wish to remind our President that, although he may have no intention of using drone strikes against American citizens, he is setting a precedent for all who follow after him. This undermining of American liberties must stop. We must be proactive in our protection of American liberties not just from the current administration but for all future generations.

Read more Rand Paul's Filibuster here:
ABC News
New York Times
Huffington Post

On the Lighter Side- Cancer

Recently I have become aware of a site that lists "Known and Probably Human Carcinogens". I had to check it out and what I found was both amusing and disturbing. To make this more understandable, there are two ways that carcinogens are ranked. Those systems and their ranking systems are:

The International Agency for Research on Cancer:

• Group 1: Carcinogenic to humans
• Group 2A: Probably carcinogenic to humans
• Group 2B: Possibly carcinogenic to humans
• Group 3: Unclassifiable as to carcinogenicity in humans
• Group 4: Probably not carcinogenic to humans

The EPA:

• Group A: Carcinogenic to humans
• Group B: Likely to be carcinogenic to humans
• Group C: Suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential
• Group D: Inadequate information to assess carcinogenic potential
• Group E: Not likely to be carcinogenic to humans

The quoted web page lists all substances classified under the International Agency for Research on Cancer's system. For your amusement, here are some of the highlights:

Group 1
Alcoholic beverages
Coke production (I'm assuming they mean the drug but my first thought was for the drink)
Estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives
Leather dust
Mineral oils
Nickel compounds
Salted fish (Chinese style)
Infection with flat worms
Wood dust
Environmental tobacco smoke
Estrogens
Neutrons
Solar radiation

Group 2a
Manufacture of art glass, glass containers, and press ware
Creosotes (i.e. the residue from burning wood and other substances)
Frying
Mate hot (i.e. a type of tea)
Shiftwork that involves circadian disruption (i.e. messes with your sleep schedule)
Glass wool fibers
Nickel
Progesterone (a natural pregnancy hormone)

Do these items cause or are likely to cause cancer? Maybe.

Should we walk around being afraid and avoiding all contact with these items? Not a chance.