Citizen vs. Government (Vol. 4)
Bewildering answers to simple questions
Nanny State
Cuties and Its Critics Both Decry the Sexualization of Children
That point seems to have escaped many people who have not actually watched the controversial film, some of whom think it should banned.
Contrary to What Ted Cruz Thinks, Prepubescent Twerking Does Not Make Cuties Illegal
The federal definition of child pornography does not encompass risqué dancing by clothed 11-year-olds.
Today's Deadline for Seeking FDA Approval of Vaping Products Means Small Businesses Have To Pray for Bureaucratic Flexibility
The industry's fate depends on the whims of an agency charged with deciding what is "appropriate for public health."
'Limited, Arbitrary, and Unsystematic:' Flawed Federal Dietary Report Targets Alcohol
Experts are blasting proposed federal guidelines that call for men to consume no more than one alcoholic beverage per day.
FOSTA Is Unconstitutional, Argue Sexual Freedom Advocates and First Amendment Lawyers in New Motion
Plus: People have doubts about democracy, Washington state sues Juul, and more...
It's Time to Permanently Suspend Regulatory Barriers to Telehealth
Patients and providers should be able to meet remotely without bureaucrats getting in the way.
Kamala Harris' Dishonest Campaign To Destroy Backpage.com
The vice presidential candidate opportunistically painted the site's co-founders as villains when they were actually helping law enforcement to catch sex traffickers.
Citing a Dubious Study, This Congressman Wants the FDA To Ban E-Cigarettes As a COVID-19 Hazard
The study suggests that vaping raises your risk of catching the disease, but only if you stop.
Meet the Trans Activists Fighting for Sex Worker Freedom
Decriminalization bills have floundered in recent months in New York and Washington, D.C, but advocates hope that the latest push for criminal justice reform could re-energize the movement.
Anti-Tech Warriors Are Coming for Your Food Delivery Apps
Plus: Good news on COVID-19 immunity, court nixes California ammunition ban, and more...
Kamala Harris: Drug Warrior, Vice Cop, Draconian Prosecutor
Biden picked a V.P. candidate whose record on police and criminal justice reform is as terrible as his own.
Montana's Ban on Flavored Vaping Endangers Public Health
The debate over flavored vapes really is a debate about whether adult smokers will still have access to products that could save their lives.
Miami Police Setting Up 'Mask Traps,' Issuing $100 Fines to People Wearing Masks Improperly
The theoretical case for government mask mandates has to be weighed against the reality of their enforcement.
Remy: NoMargaritasville (Jimmy Buffett Parody)
Drinking outside would be OK if the government considered you an adult.
Coronavirus Cuisine
In the face of the greatest challenge in generations, America's chefs, bartenders, and restaurant owners are reinventing their food, their businesses, and themselves.
Andrew Cuomo to Chicken Wings: You're Not Real Food
The New York governor requires bars to sell "substantive" offerings if they'd like to stay open.
Sweet Reason
Sweet Reason Beverage Co.'s marketing of the CBD content is so low-key as to make the chemical feel almost incidental.
Sen. Josh Hawley Says He 'Took on an Asian Trafficking Ring' and 'Freed a Dozen Women in Sex Slavery.' That's Not True.
As a state attorney, the young GOP senator oversaw raids of more than a dozen massage parlors, but he didn’t secure a single sex trafficking conviction.
Alcohol Prohibitionists Aren't Happy About COVID-19 Exceptions for Bars and Restaurants
Too bad. Deregulation could (and should) be here to stay.
Massachusetts Regulators Knowingly Drive Vapers to the Black Market
Bay State officials expect a new ban on flavored tobacco products to benefit illegal suppliers.
Robert Kraft and Florida Massage Workers Are Still Fighting Unconstitutional Surveillance Video
"Supreme Court jurisprudence...is heavily weighted against you," an appeals judge told state prosecutors last week.
Let Us Drink Outside! Relaxing Liquor Laws Could Save Bars and Restaurants
Allowing cocktails-to-go and outdoor drinking can help bartenders and restaurant staff survive the COVID-19 shutdowns.
Chicago Youth Nonprofit Sues City After Police Raid Over Free Food for Protesters
Chicago used its food licensing laws to harass a nonprofit providing free food to protesters.
Lindsey Graham's Terrible Anti-Privacy 'EARN IT' Act Passes Senate Committee
This isn't a bill about fighting child porn. Don't fall for it.
Touching Your Phone While Driving Is Now Illegal in Idaho, Illinois, and Indiana
Plus: More (bad, weird, and occasionally good) new state laws that start taking effect today.
Partisan Hypocrisy on Display in Supreme Court Ruling on Anti-Prostitution Pledge and the First Amendment
Can the government compel speech? For Supreme Court justices, that seems to depend on the content of that speech.
Interstate Travel Restrictions Are Just Political Posturing
We should feel free to ignore travel restrictions imposed by political clowns using the public as pawns in their feuds.
Canada's Largest Province Grapples with Food Rules During COVID-19
Ontario has added new protections for agricultural workers and relaxed restaurant regulations.
Florida and Texas Close Their Bars In Response to Surge in New COVID-19 Cases
Rising rates of new cases and hospitalizations have seen both states' governors reverse course on reopening businesses.
NYPD Cops Claimed Shake Shack Employees Put Bleach in Their Milkshakes. An NYPD Investigation Found Otherwise.
Cops have a long history of thinking fast food workers are out to get them.
OnlyFans Didn't Save Sex Workers, Sex Workers Saved Themselves.
Camming sites foster autonomy and creativity, while eliminating middlemen and thwarting vice cops.
The FDA Is Stunting the Growth of America's Nascent Legal Hemp Industry
The hemp boom has failed to materialize, and regulatory uncertainty is to blame.
Scary Stories About Vaping Aren't Helping Anyone
Feel free to reject the advice of this terrible new book.
In Future Crises, Let People Make Their Own Decisions
Top-down, one-size-fits-few mandates are recipes for conflict.
Make 'Temporary' Regulatory Relief Permanent After the Pandemic Passes
The health crisis revealed red tape that hobbles our lives even in good times.
Do Tattoo Shops Have a First Amendment Right To Remain Open During a Pandemic?
The idea is not so far-fetched.
Washington, D.C., May Permanently Legalize To-Go Cocktails
If there's a silver lining for the bars and restaurants that have been hit by the COVID-19 lockdowns, it's the widespread loosening of liquor laws.
ICE Agents Fight Sex Trafficking by Paying Potential Victims for Hand Jobs
In "Operation Asian Touch," federal agents coerced suspected human-trafficking victims into sex acts. Local cops seized money and threw them in jail.
Mission Creep and Wasteful Spending Left the CDC Unprepared for an Actual Public Health Crisis
Spending nearly 14 times as much on the CDC as we did in 1987 did not, apparently, help the agency combat the biggest disease threat America has faced in a century.
Anti-Porn Groups Target Websites' Ability to Accept Credit Card Payments
We've seen this before...
Supreme Court Can Put a Stop to Rule Compelling Anti-Prostitution Speech From Anti-HIV/AIDS Groups
The anti-prostitution pledge is unconstitutional when applied to U.S. nonprofits. But the feds say it's still OK to compel speech from these groups' foreign affiliates.
Lockdown Is Ending, Whether Governments Approve or Not
Executive orders may have encouraged the lockdowns, but they always depended on voluntary behavior.
Hawaiian Brewery Under Investigation for Hand Sanitizer Giveaway
Absurd enforcement of liquor regulations harms public health efforts.
People Stuck at Home Are Making and Watching Porn. Everybody Panic!
Anti-porn crusaders get their panties in a twist about a uptick in porn consumption during COVID-19.
