May 2011

JohnMcKenna's picture
By John McKenna at 12:37PM

North Carolina Bans Rare Burgers?

Flavor:  Now banned in the Tar Heel State.

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We've all heard of government wanting to regulate our health care, the Internet, and what kind of light-bulbs we're allowed to put into our homes. As infuriating as those regulations can be, the state of North Carolina may have just one-upped them all: banning rare burgers.

According to North Carolina state law, restaurants are required to cook burgers until they reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit, or as burger lovers call it, shoe-leather. The reasoning behind this ludicrous law is that 155 degrees is the temperature that dangerous bacteria like E. Coli die, but it also leads to a burger that's dry, unpleasant, and would be more useful as a hockey puck than as food. Most restaurants across the country put warnings on the bottom of their menus warning about the dangers of undercooked meat, yet people still order their burgers rare.

It is the choice of the customer to have his burger done the way he wants it, even raw if he so chooses (steak tartare anybody?). Call this law a war on fast-food or a war on meat, but either way, its nanny-statism gone crazy, and there isn't enough ketchup to make that go down easier.

Rainwater_71's picture
By Aaron Rainwater at 9:42AM

So it's good to ban charity? Really?

Do you ever spend your evenings aimlessly browsing the internet, clicking on whatever links happen to catch your interest? Sometimes it’s a video of a man, in his finest sweatpants and a t-shirt that’s sleeves have been cut off to reveal his tree trunk-like arms, swinging a sledge hammer at a bowling ball. Other times, you find yourself stumbling upon an article describing particular city government officials attempting to strictly regulate, or even end, some of the most genuinely helpful forms of charity. Tonight, I found both.

Members of the City Council of St. Petersburg, Florida are considering placing a ban on feeding homeless people in city parks. This ban is being championed by Karl Nurse, a councilman who apparently believes the city will benefit by punishing the most generous citizens of St. Petersburg, who dare to take pity on those in need. The proposed plan would make it illegal for any individual or group to feed over 25 people at a time, unless that person or group had first obtained a permit. Even if one did, indeed, meet the set requirements and pay any associated fees necessary for the wise local officials to grant a feeding permit, the permit would only allow feeding to occur twice a year and in specifically designated locations.


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Bonnie Kristian's picture
By Bonnie Kristian at 9:06AM

Memorial Day Pledge

I will not raise my precious child to kill your precious child.
And if it is within my power, I will
not hand over my beloved child to others
to kill your beloved child, or
to learn how to kill the one you cherish.

— Fr. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy

Hat tip to LRC.

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AndrewWSharp's picture
By Andrew Sharp at 11:51AM

Paul vs. Reid: An Epic Battle Over the PATRIOT Act

This week, the Senate floor was witness to a back-and-forth skirmish of political maneuvering and parliamentary gamesmanship between Senator Rand Paul and Senator Harry Reid over the reauthorization of the misnamed, unconstitutional PATRIOT Act.

In the end, Sen. Paul was only successful at getting a debate and a vote on two of the amendments he had proposed to the tyrannical legislation, despite Sen. Reid's promises that there would be a week of debate and an open amendment process, but Sen. Paul's efforts to push the issue as far as he could were valiant and admirable nonetheless.

We've put together a timeline of the blow-by-blow of how it all went down below.  But first, some relevant videos:


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AndrewWSharp's picture
By Andrew Sharp at 8:13AM

Summer Activism Idea: Farmers' Market Tabling

Staying active during the summer doesn't have to be a chore.  If you can find events or activities that are enjoyable, it makes activism that much better!

Farmers Market Table

Our Farmers' Market crew.

Last summer, other members of the YAL at Indiana University and I had a lot of fun and a lot of success tabling at our local farmers' market.  The people there were actually very receptive to our group, even though Bloomington is a liberal town and farmers' markets are usually liberal hangouts.

One strategy we used was to ask people to sign our petition to bring Rep. Ron Paul to come speak at IU.  The beauty of it was that we got a lot of people to sign who told us that they weren't supporters of Ron Paul or his ideas; they just thought it would be nice to have him come speak on campus.

Sam Handing Out YAR

Sam handing out a copy of YAR


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Edward King's picture
By Edward King at 8:13AM

Chapter-Building Strategy: Funding Your Chapter

Find out if your school provides startup money to newly forming organizations.  If not available on your campus, create an initial plan to raise approximately $150 to purchase essential materials and resources.

It won’t severely limit your chapter’s first few steps, but if you plan to grow a young chapter, you should have a small pool of money to materials to help present your group as professional.  The more a student views your chapter as legitimate, the more likely he or she will join.

A newly formed chapter won’t likely have the necessary experience or personnel at this point to raise significant funds from large donors; however, you can take a few steps to help with initial purchases.

It Starts With You

Consider how much you can donate personally.  Then, approach your other core members to match your investment.  Think about how much money many college students typically spend, outside of their meal-plan or home-cooking, on food and drinks throughout a typical week.  Let’s assume it’s at least $20 (we all know that’s absurdly low).


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Megan Duffield's picture
By Megan Duffield at 5:00PM

YAL Member from Fordham Scores Internship with Silver Circle!

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With huge deadlines approaching and our film gaining traction in mainstream and niche fields we have expanded as a crew and this Summer we have brought in a new intern to blog, tweet, and market the movie like a champ! His name is John, he's a sophomore at Fordham University in New York studying Political Science and a participating member in his local Young Americans for Liberty chapter, along with various other liberty-oriented activities.

He has already started off on a great foot writing an article about a man who was arrested and spent two nights in jail for drinking Snapple! In his first week the article he wrote was shared 171 times and even linked onto the controversial "Cop Block" Facebook page, so be ready for some writing that will stir the pot a bit and educate you on the latest news in the political sphere.

Megan Duffield's picture
By Megan Duffield at 3:17PM

Rebel of the Week: Rand Paul and His 7-Hour Filibuster

Imagine if this Friday at 12:01 a.m. all law enforcement officials had to cease their "patriotic" behavior adopted since 9/11. No monitoring your bank account, no sifting through your bag without reasonable suspicion at the subway stop, your phone left free from the tapmaster. Due to the persistence of Senator Rand Paul over the past two days we might experience a taste of real liberty -- even for just a moment's time the Patriot Act could be suspended.

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imageLet's start with a recap: The Patriot Act, signed into law by George W. Bush, was created as a reaction to the September 11 terrorist attacks. The Bush administration put together the legislation as a way to better track down terrorists, foreign and domestic, to protect our country from future terrorist attacks. Critics have grown in numbers over the past 5 or so years because the "War on Terror" seemed to turn into the "War on American's Civil Liberties."

Continue reading at SilverUnderground.com.

Bonnie Kristian's picture
By Bonnie Kristian at 3:45PM
Megan Duffield's picture
By Megan Duffield at 12:45PM

Utah Legalizes Gold and Silver as Currency!

If you recall, we covered this hopeful story from the West back in March. Today we can now say that there is a state in this country that has authorized the use of competing currencies, specifically gold and silver. [And the crowd goes wild!] Over 10 states have similar bills drafted, but Utah is paving the way.

The author of the alternative currency bill, Republican State Rep. Brad Galvez, was inspired by the dying dollar and equally inauspicious Federal Reserve. The Fed has consistently been pumping money out of thin air for its third straight year to "prop up" the economy, and this bill is one way conscious Utah citizens can snub their noses at the Fed and make wealth of their own. Business owners will not be required to accept the alternative currency, and the capitol gains tax will now be omitted for people who choose to take part in this alternative investment.

The growing popularity of owning gold and silver became a hot topic following the financial crisis of 2007-2008. Hedging against inflation with commodities has always been a high-profiled investor's priority, however, nowadays you can ask the average Joe or Jane -- continue reading at SilverUnderground.com