The German nanny state.

German government shows cracks over autobahn speed limit

Angela Merkel's coalition government showed another fault line over the Christmas holiday: her conservative transport minister petulantly dismissed Social Democrat calls for an autobahn speed limit.

The German coalition government is embroiled in a fresh row over imposing a speed limit on the autobahn, an old controversy that has been whipped into new life with the urgency of the climate crisis.

Leading members of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), junior partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel's centrist coalition, have accused conservative Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer of an "obstinate blockading attitude" on the issue, after his ministry posted a tweet on Christmas Day that once again underlined Scheuer's antipathy to the idea.

"The Bundestag has rejected a speed limit with 498 to 126 votes," the tweet quoted Scheuer as saying. "Traffic should flow as well as possible — at night when driving is open and at peak time, e.g. Christmas. That's why we would like to control traffic intelligently, digitally and flexibly — without bans."

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What the bureaucrats really think of you, that you are no more capable of handling sharp objects the 5 year old...end this ever increasing insanity.

Now they want to ban the sale of pointed kitchen knives in the UK to reduce knife crime. Brutal mockery follows.

'Next, banning pointed sticks'

 DAVE URBANSKI

Crime experts, politicians, and religious leaders are calling on the U.K. government to ban the sale of pointed kitchen knives, KentOnline reported, to stem the tide of knife crime there, which has risen 80 percent since 2014.

Say what?

Following a Friday conference titled — what else? — The Point, experts penned an open letter urging the government to "take urgent measures to promote the sale of safe kitchen knife designs and restrict those designs which have been used in so many acts of violence," the outlet said.
Research found that points on kitchen or domestic knives are no longer necessary, KentOnline said, citing the letter: "Historically we needed a point on the end of our knife to pick up food because forks weren't invented. Now we only need the point to open packets when we can't be bothered to find the scissors."
The letter added: "A five-year study in Edinburgh found that of the sharp instruments used in homicides, 94% were kitchen knives. Research demonstrates kitchen knives are used in a large percentage of homicides due to their availability and lethal nature. Criminologists have demonstrated that reducing availability in turn reduces crime," the outlet said

"The UK has worked for the public good by restricting handguns, paracetamol [a pain reliever], smoking in public and plastic bags — now it is time to say 'no bloody point,'" the letter concluded, according to KentOnline.

How did folks react to the push to ban the sale of pointed kitchen knives?

As you might expect, Twitter users reacting to the news didn't exactly appreciate the experts' line of thinking:

• "Does anyone want to invade the UK? Figure we only need maybe a few people at this point."
• "This is where Canada is headed under Trudeau and his Merry Band of Marxists."
• "It's NOT about safety it's about control!
• "Next, banning pointed sticks."
• "They won't stop at guns, they won't stop until you are helpless."
• "Pretty soon they'll outlaw fists... It's a mental disorder."
• "I'm so old I remember when 'knife control' was a joke and not a thing that was under serious consideration."

And when there's humor happening, Monty Python can't be far behind:

How did folks react to the push to ban the sale of pointed kitchen knives?

As you might expect, Twitter users reacting to the news didn't exactly appreciate the experts' line of thinking:

• "Does anyone want to invade the UK? Figure we only need maybe a few people at this point."
• "This is where Canada is headed under Trudeau and his Merry Band of Marxists."
• "It's NOT about safety it's about control!
• "Next, banning pointed sticks."
• "They won't stop at guns, they won't stop until you are helpless."
• "Pretty soon they'll outlaw fists... It's a mental disorder."
• "I'm so old I remember when 'knife control' was a joke and not a thing that was under serious consideration."

And when there's humor happening, Monty Python can't be far behind:

Oh, but there's more

The conference was part of a month of related initiatives, including the Knife Angel art installation at Rochester Cathedral, the outlet said. The Knife Angel statue is made of confiscated knives from police stations to raise awareness about the rising tide of knife crime.

The Knife Angel will remain at Rochester Cathedral until the end of September, KentOnline said, adding that over 5,000 visitors to the monument have signed a book pledging not to carry knives.
The cathedral also hosted a special service Saturday that reflected on knife crime, the outlet reported.
Bishop Simon Burton-Jones of Tonbridge told the assembled that "knife crime rips up the lives of families and friends, piercing the networks that give us life, meaning, and support. Knife crime can be reduced if we follow the evidence trail, devote our resources to the right places, share knowledge smartly, and value the organizing power of local communities. The Church has a role to play, for it is located in most, if not all, places," the outlet said.

Anything else?

Among the other measures taken to reduce the knife-crime epidemic in the U.K.:

• Placing "knife free" messages on chicken boxes (which was deemed racist by some).
• Replacing knives with blunt-tipped cutlery in the kitchens of domestic abuse victims.
• Collecting knives through "surrender" boxes (one of which was broken into and cleaned out).
• A member of Parliament even suggested placing GPS trackers in the handles of every knife sold.

Federal police raid home of Australian journalist who revealed government's proposal to spy on the public

JENNI RYALL

JUN 4, 2019

The home of an Australian political journalist has been raided by Australian Federal Police on Tuesday morning. 

The raid follows a story published by News Corp Australia publication, the Daily Telegraph, and written by national political editor, Annika Smethurst, in April 2018. The article, titled “Spying shock: Shades of Big Brother as cyber-security vision comes to light”, detailed a discussion between two government agencies that were reportedly discussing the potential for new surveillance powers for Australia’s electronic spy agency, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD).

The Daily Telegraph article included photographs of top secret internal documents that detailed a proposal to allow the ASD to target Australians — if approved by the Defence and Home Affairs ministers. 

An anonymous source told the publication the proposal would allow spies to access the digital records of Australians, such as financial transactions, health data and phone records, without a warrant. 

The proposal also detailed a plan to grant authorities the ability to forcibly coerce government agencies and private businesses to comply with an order to provide information on Australian citizens, the Telegraph reported. 

It would also allow for the ASD’s hackers to “proactively disrupt and covertly remove” cyber threats within Australia by “hacking into critical infrastructure”, it said. The organisation is currently focused on international threats. 

Under Australian law, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) can spy on Australians but they must have obtained a warrant issued by the Attorney-General. The warrant allows ASIO to enter and search premises, intercept and inspect mail, use surveillance devices, monitor communications and remotely access computers. It is expected to use other methods before using these powers. 

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed via a statement that it had executed a search warrant on the home in Canberra in connection “to an investigation into the alleged unauthorised disclosure of national security information.”

According to the statement, the AFP will allege the release of the documents in a national security breach. The AFP stated that “no arrests are expected today as a result of this activity”.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Smethurst was leaving for work this morning when police officers turned up at her home. They had a warrant from a magistrate that allowed them to search her home, computer and mobile phone.

“The Australian public’s right to know information about government laws that could impact their lives is of fundamental importance in our society,” News Corp Australia said in a statement.

“This raid demonstrates a dangerous act of intimidation towards those committed to telling uncomfortable truths. The raid was outrageous and heavy handed.

“News Corp Australia has expressed the most serious concerns about the willingness of governments to undermine the Australian public’s right to know about important decisions governments are making that can and will impact ordinary Australian citizens.

“What’s gone on this morning sends clear and dangerous signals to journalists and newsrooms across Australia. This will chill public interest reporting.”

NGO Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) told Business Insider Australia via email that the police raid was “authoritarian intimidation” and that we are all entitled to live in a free society without fear of bullying by police.

“We need to have a debate about Australians’ rights to privacy and security, and it needs to be held out in the open with the participation of civil society,” a spokesperson for EFA said. 

“Exposing the government’s secret plans for yet more surveillance of our everyday lives is clearly in the public interest. This heavy-handed reaction from the government, and so soon after being returned to government after an expected loss, indicates that this is about consolidating power, not keeping us safe. That should scare anyone who wants Australia to be a free society.”

Government silliness.

Statesville tries to stop RV dealership from flying massive American flag

Updated: May 22, 2019 - 8:38 AM

Statesville tries to stop RV dealership from flying massive American flag

STATESVILLE, N.C. - The controversy over a massive American flag is now reaching a new level as the company responsible for flying the flag is rallying community support to fight the City of Statesville, which has reportedly filed a lawsuit to have the flag removed.

Camping World posted a message to its Facebook page on Saturday saying the city has filed an injunction against Camping World, fining the company $50 per day going back to Oct. 15, 2018. That totals nearly $11,000.

[PAST COVERAGE: Camping World CEO blasts Statesville council, vows flag 'isn't coming down']

The company said it flies the 40-by-80-foot flag outside of its Gander RV location as a way of paying tribute to the country’s military veterans. The city had compromised last year by allowing an exemption for a larger flag than what city ordinance permits, but not the size that Camping World was seeking.

The company chose to fly the flag anyway and Camping World’s CEO has pushed for a change of the ordinance.

[PAST COVERAGE: City ordinance won't allow giant American flag to be flown over Statesville Camping World]

An online petition has also been started at Change.org in support of the company keeping the flag flying. As of Monday morning, more than 7,900 people had signed the petition.

Channel 9 has covered the debate for years. In 2015, the state said the store couldn't fly the flag because of a city ordinance.

The city's lawsuit claims a flag within 100 feet of a highway cannot be larger than 25 by 40 feet.

The company's CEO told Channel 9 similar flags are up at more than 200 stores across the country, including several cities in North Carolina, none of which have had any problems with them.

“I don’t care if it goes to $500 a day. It's not coming down,” Marcus Lemonis, CEO and chairman of Camping World and Gander RV, said.

Lemonis said it’s personal to him.

“My family has been car dealers, had been car dealers since the 1960s, and our key trademark was always flying our flag in our dealership in south Florida,” he said. “My family is largely immigrants of the country.”

Council minutes from October show leaders tried to amend the ordinance to allow a flag of this size, but the motion failed 3 to 5.

The City of Statesville sent Channel 9 a statement saying Gander RV applied to fly a flag far smaller than the one the company put up.

A spokesperson said the city only started fining the company after asking it to replace the flag several times.

Bernie's angsts or the foolishness of a snowflake. Tired of being nudged by self important nannies?

“I Don’t Know Who ‘I’ Am”: Bernie Sanders’ Brutally Honest Mayoral Memos

In the mid-1980s, the Democratic presidential candidate was a mess—and so was his house.

Advertise with Mother Jones

Sometime in the mid-1980s, about halfway through his eight-year tenure as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Bernie Sanders flipped to a fresh page in a yellow legal pad and poured out his crippling sense of doubt. 

“What can be done?” he scrawled.

“What is hard to see through is the total”—he scratched out “total” and tried again—“almost total degree of powerlessness which presently exists. We can make almost nothing happen.”

“It seemed to me this morning that planning and decision-making were two of the biggest weaknesses that I have.”

Sanders laid out a series of frustrations. He was fighting with the state over where the city dumped trash; there was a labor dispute at the fire department; the police department was in turmoil. The revolution in city government he had promised as a candidate in 1981 had become mired in the mundane.

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https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/05/bernie-sanders-brutally-honest-mayoral-memos/

Pizzas must shrink or lose their toppings under Government anti-obesity plan 

Health officials want smaller pizzas or less toppings on them in order to combat obesity 

•  Laura Donnelly, health editor

11 OCTOBER 2018 • 9:21PM

Pizzas must shrink or lose their toppings under Government plans to cap the calories in thousands of meals sold in restaurants and supermarkets.

Pies, ready meals and sandwiches will also be subject to the new proposed calorie limits, in a desperate bid to tackle Britain’s obesity crisis.

Under the draft proposals, a standard pizza for one should contain no more than 928 calories - far less than many sold by takeaways, restaurants and shops.  And the recommendations suggest that a savoury pie should contain no more than 695 calories.

Public Health England (PHE) said “drastic” measures were needed to combat Britain’s obesity crisis.

Their plans will see recommended limits on thousands of regularly consumed foods, including cooking sauces, soups, burgers and processed meats.

It comes as new figures show rates of severe obesity among children have risen by more than a third in just over a decade.

More than one in five pupils are obese by the time they leave primary school - including around 24,000 children who are classed as “severely obese”.

Dr Alison Tedstone, PHE chief nutritionist, said the threat to children’s health had been “decades in the making”.

Earlier this week officials met with retailers, manufacturers, including Dominos’s pizza, Deliveroo, Just Eat, Macdonalds and KFC to discuss proposed “calorie caps” on thousands of popular foods.

The measures - due to be announced in spring following consultation with the food industry - are part of targets to reduce calories in every day foods by 20 per cent.

They follow Government pledges to halve rates of childhood obesity by 2030.

Dr Tedstone said it was not enough for restaurants to offer healthy options, saying Britain’s weight problem would only be tackled if the calorie content of most foods was cut.

She told The Telegraph: “It could mean less meat on a pizza, it could mean less cheese, it could mean a smaller size. Consumers are saying they want smaller portions and healthier options.”

“We know that just having healthy options on the menu won’t change the nation’s habits - we need the default option to have fewer calories. The default options for pizzas are margherita and pepperoni pizzas, so we need them to get healthier.”

Officials said the proposals were at an early stage, with discussions in coming months to decide what is “feasible and achievable” before decisions are made.

Under current plans, the limits would not be mandatory, but similar targets for sweet foods - which have seen a 2 per cent fall in sugar, against a target of 5 per cent - have prompted warnings from ministers that tougher steps may be taken.

Public Health Minister Steve Brine said the Government was “willing to do whatever it takes to keep children healthy and well in this country.”

Research shows one in five meals are consumed outside the home, with today’s children spending at least twice as much time eating out as those who grew up in the 1970s.

The proposals are part of a Government childhood obesity plan which has proposed calorie counts on restaurant menus, a ban on advertising of unhealthy foods on television before the 9pm watershed, and the removal of such goods from checkouts and two-for-one deals.

Eustace de Souza, national lead for children at PHE, said firm measures were needed to tackle Britain’s growing obesity problem.

New statistics from a national programme to weigh and measure children show that 20.1 per cent of pupils leaving primary school are obese. The figure, from NHS Digital, is a rise from 18.7 per cent when children began being measured in 2009/10.

And 4.2 per cent of children leaving primary school are now classed as “severely obese” - compared with 3.2 per cent in 2006/7 - and just 0.4 per cent in 1990.

Mr De Souza said the trends were “disappointing”.

“This shows why the government is taking drastic action; there are no grounds for complacency,” he said.

Children are deemed severely obese if they are above the 99.6th percentile on growth charts from 1990, which were based on typical measurements at the time.

Calorie counts in common pizzas:

• Domino’s Pepperoni Passion classic crust - 1212 calories
• Goodfella's Deep Pan Pepperoni Pizza  - 1028 calories

Pizza Express American - 1019 calories

Pizza Hut Pepperoni classic - 1050 calories

Pizza Express Margherita - 834 calories

Related Topics

• Steve Brine
 
• Obesity
 
• Children
 
• Restaurants

Liberals spend all their time working on ways to limit your freedoms: California Wants to Ban Kids’ Meals Offering Children Juice, Chocolate Milk

California Wants to Ban Kids’ Meals Offering Children Juice, Chocolate Milk

Justin Sullivan / Getty

25 Jun 2018Newport Beach, CA91

California’s Democrat-controlled legislature could pass a bill that would ban restaurants from offering kids’ meals that include fruit juice or chocolate milk.

The “Children’s Meals” (SB-1192) bill passed the California State Senate in May by a vote of 32 to 7, passed out of the Assembly Health Committee with a bipartisan vote of 8 to 0, and is now headed for a floor vote. If Gov. Jerry Brown signs the legislation into law, California will be pioneering another major regulatory expansion.

The bill amends the “California Retail Food Code” to empower “Environmental Health Officers” to require that restaurants that sell children’s meals at a set price must restrict the “default beverage” to: a) water, sparkling water, or flavored water, with no added natural or artificial sweeteners; b) unflavored milk; or c) a nondairy milk alternative that contains no more than 130 calories per container or serving.

Restaurants would not be prohibited from selling, and customers would be not be prohibited from buying, an alternative drink to the regulated “default beverages.” But restaurants would be banned from advertising an alternative with any kids’ meal.

Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) declared at a committee hearing on June 19 that the State of California has a duty to combat obesity and diabetes by limiting how much soda Californians drink. McCarty raised a jar containing what he claimed was 9.5 teaspoons of sugar to illustrate the added sweetener in a 12 ounce can of soda, according to the Calmatters website.

Democrats led by Bill Monning (D-Carmel) failed four times between 2010 and 2014 to slap a statewide “soda tax” on all sweetened fruit juices, teas, sports drinks, and soda — ostensibly to generate $2 billion in “revenue.”

Despite years of lobbying pushback against the “soda tax,” the American Beverage Association and major grocery chains have not been actively opposing the “Children’s Meals” bill. The only organized criticism has come from libertarians, who complain the bill is another effort to empower government to interfere in what should be parental decisions.

The California Restaurant Association has not taken a position on the bill, but has endorsed the American Beverage Association guidelines that advocate for elementary schools to offer only water, milk ,and 100 percent juice for school lunches and snacks.

McDonald’s discontinued advertising sodas with Happy Meals in 2013, and removed chocolate milk as a default beverage option in February of this year. The only Happy Meal default beverages currently available are plain low-fat milk, or an apple juice-based drink that only has half the sugar content of 100-percent pure apple juice.