Author: Justin Lane

  When news of the patients infected with the Ebola virus traveling back to the United States hit the public, there was, as expected, a fearful response from many. However, that fear is largely baseless as the virus must be transmitted via bodily fluid of the infected and in the US and other high-income nations, the measures are in place to prevent the transmission of the virus and properly quarantine and care for the infected. That doesn’t stop the people desperate for attention from jumping on the fear-train and trying to ride it as far as possible. That’s exactly...

  No one has ever said that Rick Perry is on the cutting edge of foreign policy. The Texas Governor’s latest comments about Hamas though go beyond callousness and enter into that all-too common GOP territory of blatant indifference to the lives and suffering of others. Appearing on CNN on Sunday, Perry, when asked about his thoughts regarding the 1700 dead in Gaza, most of which are thought to be civilians, responded, “War is a horrible thing. There are individuals who lose their lives in war.” “But when we have a fairly good understanding that Hamas is actually using...

What is the NAACP doing? I’ll go ahead and save everyone time. Net Neutrality is the right path. Tiered access, data caps, throttled usage: none of these are the internet of the future. So when the NAACP comes out and sides with the major telecommunication companies and claim that it stands with them on the issue of Net Neutrality, it definitely looks like they’re lining up on the wrong side. Are they starting to take their cues from the Koch brothers? If you don’t know what Net Neutrality is, it’s the basic principle that all traffic on the web...

  Watching grass grow may be more exciting and productive than watching the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) take action on dangerous products.  Recently, the FDA announced that it would recommend that transvaginal mesh used in pelvic organ prolapse repair be reclassified so that manufacturers would be required to show safety and efficacy BEFORE the device is put onto the market.  Why did the FDA wait two years after its July, 2011 public safety announcement to make this decision?  What REAL impact is this going to have on the American public – especially since most pelvic organ prolapse products...

  Today marks one year since the Senate declared July 30 “National Whistleblower Appreciation Day”. The Senate established the day in an effort to honor the tremendous efforts made by those individuals brave enough to come forward and expose fraud, abuse, waste and corruption. “Whistleblowers are critical to the protection of American consumers and taxpayers,” commented Christopher Paulos, an attorney with the Levin, Papantonio who practices in the areas of qui tam or whistleblower and False Claims Act litigation. “Those that defraud the government are stealing from the public coffers, and hurt all of us that pay our taxes or...