Author: Ring of Fire Staff

On Friday, Maryland lawmakers voted to repeal the death penalty. The ban was passed by the Maryland General Assembly and now awaits the stamp of approval from Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley, who has been pushing for the measure since taking office in 2007. When O’Malley signs off on the ban, Maryland will become the 18th state to end capital punishment. Within the past six years, five other U.S. states have abolished execution, including New Jersey, New York, and New Mexico. Supporters of the ban argue that the death penalty is costly, racially biased, and prone to error. Five men...

It seems Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is steadily wearing out his welcome in the House, and some wonder if maybe he is becoming too “old-school” for the changing times. Recently, Democrats have felt as if Reid had “copped out” on the filibuster reform by caving under the pressure of the Republicans. The real issue came to light when Republicans used a filibuster vote to shoot down Chuck Hagel’s nomination for Secretary of Defense. Using a filibuster vote totally defeats the purpose of a proposed reform, and in turn made Reid look gullible and weak. John Fugelsang, host of...

In the face of repeated defeat, it’s business as usual for the Republican Party. At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) yesterday, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), to a cheering crowd, proclaimed that the Vietnam War was winnable, “but people in Washington decided we would not win it.” He said the only lesson of Vietnam is that “You don’t send American men or women to harm’s way unless you’re going to give them the authority and what they need to win and bring them home.” He also stated that President Jimmy Carter should have gone to war with Iran, saying,...

Combat and surveillance technologies on display at the seventh annual Border Security Expo this week are a shocking reminder of how close military-grade technology is to American streets. The expo, which took place in Phoenix, showcased everything from guns to drones that are typically accessible to the military only. Now, they are being sold to law enforcement agencies with multimillion-dollar budgets. The location of the expo should come as no surprise considering the key role Arizona plays in the U.S. government’s increasing efforts to secure the Mexican border. This effort has included arming police and border patrol agents with...

Pfizer took a hit on Tuesday, when the Food and Drug Administration strengthened its Warnings and Precautions label to add a heart warning on the popular antibiotic drug azithromycin, also known as Zithromax, Zmax, or the “Z-Pak”. The FDA warns that prescribing doctors should be wary of patients with heart conditions since there is an increased risk of fatal heart arrhythmia in those prescribed Zithromax. Studies by Pfizer and the FDA showed a slightly increased cardiovascular death rate, especially in instances where the prescribed patient had previous heart problems, was taking additional medicine for a heart arrhythmia, or had...