Bestiality Finally Banned in All But One-Fifth of U.S. States
A day to celebrate for the great state of New Jersey! At long last, animal-lovers (in the Biblical sense) are no longer welcome in the Garden State.
You Don't Pass a Pool Fencing Law After a Child Drowns, Says Jeb, Who Did Just That
“Stuff happens” was the dumbest and most unfortunate thing Jeb! Bush said Friday in reaction to the mass shooting at an Oregon community college one day earlier, but his fumbling attempt to clean up that mess was nearly as rife with dumbitude and non-fortune.
Arkansas Lawmakers Believe Medically-Induced Abortions Are "Reversible"
Just as several states now legally obligate doctors to lie to women about the dangers of abortion, Arkansas now has its own law forcing doctors to peddle bullshit. Physicians in the state will be required to tell any woman taking abortion-inducing drugs that she can reverse the process mid-treatment—a claim that's…
Three Jailed in Myanmar for Posting Image of a Buddha Wearing Headphones
Three men who tried to promote their bar on Facebook by uploading a fun picture of a Buddha wearing headphones get to spend the next two-and-a-half years locked in a Burmese prison, all thanks to their marketing plan.
The Gun-Law Improvements That No One Is Taking Seriously
America's gun conversation, to the extent that there is one, is facile, extreme and led by monied interests on both ends. The NRA is awful and the vocal anti-gun left is little better—focused on superficial answers to a culture-wide problem. Here are some reform ideas that ought to be taken seriously.
Texas Teen Could Face Life In Prison for Alleged Hash Oil Possession
Nineteen-year-old Jacob Lavoro was arrested last month after police officers reportedly found 1.5 pounds of brownies, a pound of marijuana, digital scales, $1,675 in cash, and dozens of baggies with marijuana and hash oil at his apartment. Authorities in the case are saying he could face from five years to life in…
A federal judge has struck down Wisconsin's 2011 voter ID law, saying that it disproportionately burdens poor and minority voters.
We Must Make Parachutes Mandatory for All Air Travelers
If you're anything like me, your favorite movie of 2013 so far is "Amazing Helmet-Cam Video of Skydivers on One Plane When Another Plane Hits Them," followed by Olympus Has Fallen. How many planes must crash into one another triumphantly before we accept that air travelers should all be wearing parachutes?
New California Law Lets Minors Easily Erase Dumb Shit They Put Online
Have no fear, all you 14-year-old virgin boys in California who find it funny to post social-media bios that say that you're "hung like a rhinosaurus [sic]" and that you "get more ass than a toilet seat." As of 2015, you will be legally guaranteed the right to delete that dumb shit before serious people who can…
New York State Senate Bill Would Make It a Felony to "Annoy" a Cop
I got my black shirt on. I got my black gloves on. I got my ski mask on. This shit's been too long. COP ANNOYER, better you than me! COP ANNOYER, fuck police tranquility!
The Supreme Court ruled today that cops may take D.N.A. from people arrested—but not convicted—for serious crimes. Even Scalia thinks this is some bullshit: "Because of today’s decision, your D.N.A. can be taken and entered into a national database if you are ever arrested, rightly or wrongly, and for whatever reason."
While waiting for bomber facts, Sen. Lindsey Graham has one hand in his pants, dreaming of domestic drones and Gitmo.
North Dakota Inching Ever Closer to Being First State to Enact Personhood Abortion Law
The North Dakota House passed a bill this afternoon that would define life as beginning at conception, effectively moving one step closer to banning all abortion in the state without exception for rape or incest. Approved by the state Senate last month, the bill will now go to voters as a ballot initiative. This…
Judge Blocks NYC's Soda Ban, Calling It 'Arbitrary and Capricious'
One day before Mayor Bloomberg's ban on large sugary drinks was to go in effect in New York City, New York Supreme Court Judge Milton Tingling blocked the restrictive new regulations saying they are "fraught with arbitrary and capricious consequences," reports the Wall Street Journal.
We Need a Federal Law Banning Public Subsidies for Private Companies
American states, counties, and cities routinely offer huge tax incentives and subsidies to private businesses in order to lure those businesses into locating themselves in a particular place. Spend a little to get a lot, the theory goes. Priming the pump of economic development, etc. The problem is that what is…
Boring New York Court Decides Strippers Are Not as Artistic as Ballerinas
The New York State court of appeals isn't known for having the coolest judges in all the judicial land, but they just furthered their lame rep to new lows. In a 4-3 vote, the high-ranking court ruled that strip clubs do in fact have to pay their state sales taxes.
Penises Exposed in Broad Daylight Becoming Less Cool in San Francisco
In 2008 I went to San Francisco's Folsom Street Fair with my then-girlfriend and saw the oddest instance of public nudity I'd ever come across. It was a guy in a mask who was naked from the waist down and sitting motionlessly in a doorway, ostensibly unperturbed by the thousands of people milling around about him. I…
Californians Would Slice Their Mamas' Throats for a Bite of Foie Gras as 'Foie-mageddon' Looms
Everyone in California has lost their damn minds in advance of the state's foie gras ban that goes into effect this Sunday, July 1st.
Anti-Smoking Advocates Fight for Cigarette Tax Against Comically Evil Big Tobacco
On Tuesday, Californians will vote on a ballot initiative for a $1-a-pack cigarette tax. While raising cigarette taxes does discourage smoking, especially among teenagers, support for Proposition 29 has waned.
NJ Town Ticketing Pedestrians Caught Texting While Walking (UPDATE)
The town of Fort Lee, New Jersey, has begun issuing tickets to people caught walking and texting after some 20 people have been struck by cars since the start of 2012.
