Libertarian Commentary on the News for the week of 20 - 27 August, 2006 --Page 2

OUR RIGHT TO DEFEND OURSELVES: SC: A camper's tent is his castle
Charleston Post & Courier
"A man's home may be his castle in South Carolina but for self-defense purposes, so is his car, his business and the tent he's pitched in the woods. With little fanfare, the General Assembly this year greatly expanded the scope of the law under which ordinary citizens can use deadly force against intruders to protect themselves and their property." (08/17/06)

Good news, and only what common law would have dictated. Now if we can get the COPS to pay attention to this law, as well.

OUR RIGHT TO DEFEND OURSELVES: IN: Armed customer stops KFC robbery
Indianapolis Star
"Police say a would-be robber is in jail this morning after a customer foiled the suspect's attempted holdup of a restaurant on the Westside. ... McMiller, police said, ordered a bucket of chicken then told cashier Deanne Slaughter: 'Give me the money before I shoot you.' The suspect held his hand in his back pocket as if reaching for a gun, police said, then lifted his foot to jump over the counter. Paul Sherlock, a customer sitting in the dining room, approached and pointed a Taurus 9-mm handgun towards the suspect's back. The suspect raised his hands over his head, police said. Sherlock ordered him to lean against a window with his hands up until police arrived. ... Police found a long screwdriver, not a gun, in McMiller's pocket. Sherlock had a valid gun permit, police said." (08/18/06)

Clearly, Sherlock had every reason to go ahead and shoot the thug - but I'm glad he didn't. At the same time, this made me realize that Indiana is one of those scumbag states that believes that you have to have a permission slip from the guvmint to be able to defend yourself and get thugs like McMiller off the street.

OUR RIGHT TO DEFEND OURSELVES: TX: Bar owner shoots and kills robber
WOAI News
"A robbery suspect who walked into a bar with a gun ended up getting shot himself Friday morning. According to authorities, the bar owner had a gun of his own, and ended up killing the suspect. This happened around 12:30 a.m., at the Old Soldier's Bar on Binz-Engleman near Kirby. The bar owner told deputies that the suspect walked in looking drugged and disoriented. When he was told to leave, the suspect pulled his gun out and demanded money. Instead of complying, the bar owner grabbed his own gun and shot the suspect twice. He died at the scene. Deputies say the bar owner does not face charges, since he was defending himself. Several other people were also inside the bar, but were not hurt." (08/18/06)

You'd think that with a name like "Old Soldier's Bar" the thug might have just happened to think that the bar owner was armed. Yeah, the guy was apparently doped up - but we hold drunk drivers responsible for their actions when drunk or drugged.

OUR RIGHT TO DEFEND OURSELVES: CT: Mayor withdraws gun ordinance
Norwich Bulletin
"Montville Mayor Joseph Jaskiewicz is withdrawing a proposed ordinance regulating target shooting. About 175 people attended a town council meeting last week in opposition to Jaskiewicz's proposal, which has gained the attention of the National Rifle Association. Jaskiewicz proposed the ordinance after it was discovered the state regulates hunting, but not target shooting. It also came shortly after John Dufrat, chief warden of the Milo Light Nature Preserve, became concerned about a neighbor's increased shooting near the preserve. In withdrawing the ordinance, Jaskiewicz said 'this ordinance was drafted with the intent of assuring the public's safety with respect to target shooting, certainly never to take anyone's rights away.'" (08/21/06)

Good show, people. And don't believe this Mayor when he claims it wasn't about taking away people's rights.

OUR RIGHT TO DEFEND OURSELVES: TX: Gun trumps machete in robbery try
Beaumont Enterprise
"A small arms race between a Beaumont man and two would be robbers ended with the suspects fleeing the scene, according to the Beaumont Police. Police received a report of an attempted aggravated robbery just before 2 a.m. Thursday morning. According to police reports, two black men approached the door of a house in the 1200 block of Oregon Street When the lone male resident answered the door one of the men pulled out a machete and demanded cash. The resident then pulled out a hand gun. The two suspects fled the area when the resident fired two rounds into the ground, the police report." (08/24/06)

Screwdrivers, machetes? The bad guys are dumber than usual this week, aren't they?

OUR RIGHT TO DEFEND OURSELVES: FL car dealer: An armed driver is a happy one
Tallahassee Democrat
"The TV and radio ads are true: Buy a truck. Get a free gun. A creative marketing campaign conjured up by Prestige Nissan General Sales Manager Dan Crumpler offers buyers of used or new Nissan SUVs or trucks in August a choice of a Remington 1187 shotgun or a Remington 700 rifle. 'We've given away five or six guns already,' Crumpler said Monday at the Thomasville-based dealership. 'The guns retail for about $699 each, so it's a good deal, especially with dove season starting Labor Day weekend and with deer season starting in early October.'" (08/23/06)

Nice gimmick - I hope that they sell a lot! And I hope a lot of other dealers see this as a great marketing move. How about a motto - "A gun in every SUV for safer roads"

OUR RIGHT TO DEFEND OURSELVES: US offers Japan more Patriot missiles
MSNBC
"Washington has offered to provide Tokyo with up to 80 more advanced Patriot interceptor missiles for deployment in Japan in the wake of North Korea's missile tests last month, a news report said Thursday. Japan's Defense Agency will take up the offer in fiscal 2007 to accelerate the already planned deployment of the advanced missiles on American bases in Japan for the first time, Kyodo News agency reported, citing unidentified individuals familiar with U.S.-Japan relations." (08/23/06)

At last something I can agree with - allowing more nations to buy defensive weapons like this is a good thing. Allowing EVERYONE to buy weapons is an even better thing.

STUPID GOVERNMENT TRICKS: PTSD affected 1 in 5 Vietnam vets
Science
"A new study of Vietnam War veterans provides the strongest evidence yet that combat can leave lasting psychological scars. Researchers from Columbia University and other institutions found that nearly 19 percent of Vietnam War veterans suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a direct result of military combat. Conflicting federal studies from the late 1980s had found higher and lower figures. The recent study, fueled by a renewed interest in the disorder as a result of the ongoing war in Iraq, confirmed the existence of post-traumatic stress disorder but found that the majority of veterans recovered over time, often without treatment from mental health professionals. The findings, based on military records not available to researchers in previous studies, also laid to rest suspicions that some of the 1,200 veterans studied had falsified information about their combat experience." (08/18/06)

PTSD is a natural result of ANY combat, for probably 95% of the human race, whether it is the Vietnam War or the events covered above in the section on self defense - and most of us will recover from it on our own, thank you very much - or with the help of elders, family, and friends - not shrinks and government goons.

STUPID GOVERNMENT TRICKS: FDA eases limits on morning-after pill
Detroit Free Press
"Women can buy the morning-after pill without a prescription, the government declared Thursday, a major step that nevertheless failed to quell the politically charged debate over access to emergency contraception. The manufacturer, lawmakers and other advocates said they will press the government to let minors purchase the pills over the counter. The Food and Drug Administration said women 18 and older -- and men purchasing for their partners -- may buy the Plan B pills without a doctor's note, but only from pharmacies." (08/24/06)

Gee - ain't the FDA wonderful? My 15-year-old can't purchase a cold remedy over the counter, but he'd be able to purchase something that can potentially kill someone in premeditated fashion - not for self-defense (perish the thought that my 15-year-old could defend himself against wild dogs, thugs, or a rattlesnake) but for convenience?

STUPID GOVERNMENT TRICKS: WA: Federal court nixes free smokes ban
Iron Mountain Daily News
"A federal judge struck down Washington state's ban on cigarette giveaways Thursday, agreeing with tobacco heavyweight R.J. Reynolds that the measure is trumped by federal law. State officials said they were considering options for possible appeal. The state law stopped tobacco companies from giving out free product samples to adults anywhere, including adults-only venues such as bars and nightclubs. It was approved by the 2006 Legislature and went into effect in early June." (08/24/06)

Notice it wasn't rejected because it is a violation of human rights and makes a mockery of our claim of freedom - but because a federal law passed illegally (under the commerce clause) trumps it! How sick.

STUPID GOVERNMENT TRICKS: Medicare's $50 million refund error
CNN
"The federal government erroneously has reimbursed about 230,000 Medicare recipients for monthly premiums they paid this year for prescription drug coverage. For many, the checks -- totaling nearly $50 million -- have already arrived. The refund will undoubtedly cause confusion, particularly because it comes with a letter that mistakenly instructs older people that their monthly premiums will no longer be deducted from their Social Security check." (08/23/06)

Since it is the nature of governments to foul things up royally, when they START with a fouled-up program like the prescription drug coverage, it is no wonder that it quickly becomes a REAL mess.

STUPID GOVERNMENT TRICKS: IL: Chefs file suit over foie gras ban
Arizona Republic
"Saying the [Chicago] City Council stuck its beak where it didn't belong, a restaurant association sued the city Tuesday in hope of making foie Gras legal again. Meanwhile, a handful of chefs said they will continue to serve the duck and goose liver delicacy -- it just won't appear on the bill. 'The law says we can't charge for it. It doesn't say we can't give it away,' said Michael Tsonton, chef and partner at Copperblue. The ban was approved by the City Council in April and implemented Tuesday. Animal rights activists contend that the production of foie Gras, which involves force-feeding ducks and geese to enlarge their livers, is inhumane. The lawsuit showed that chefs aren't content muttering in their kitchens about the ban." (08/23/06)

Gee - a chef's revolt! Now if they could just form a united front with everyone else ticked off by the Chicago government - and saw that the real solution is to get RID of the Chicago city government.

STUPID PEOPLE TRICKS: Conservatives try to curtail hotel porn
Seattle Post Intellingencer
"Pornographic movies now seem nearly as pervasive in America's hotel rooms as tiny shampoo bottles, and the lodging industry shows little concern as conservative activists rev up a protest campaign aimed at triggering a federal crackdown. A coalition of 13 conservative groups -- including the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America -- took out full-page ads in some editions of USA Today earlier this month urging the Justice Department and FBI to investigate whether some of the pay-per-view movies widely available in hotels violate federal and state obscenity laws." (08/22/06)

As usual, groups like this confuse cause and effect, and seek to change the results but not the reason for this sort of thing.

STUPID PEOPLE TRICKS: CA: Rights group sues over sidewalks
Sheboygan Press
"A disability rights group sued the state Wednesday alleging sidewalks along California highways violate federal and state law because they are unfit for wheelchairs. The suit filed in federal court against the Department of Transportation by Californians for Disability Rights Inc. seeks no money, but demands the state repair the sidewalks." (08/23/06)

Perhaps someone could tell me exactly where the California Constitution says that CDOT or ANY state agency is required to provide ANY sidewalks - for wheelchairs or any other use? Or gives them the authority to provide them?

THEFT BY GOVERNMENT: CA: Property purchase raises eyebrows
San Francisco Chronicle
"San Francisco building inspectors got word in June 2005 that someone was renovating a dilapidated, one-story home at 838 Alabama St. in the Mission District without the necessary permits. Inspectors checked it out and found that wall shingles were being replaced and the roof was being repaired, and they later slapped an abatement order on the property demanding that construction cease until the proper Department of Building Inspection approvals were obtained. In a matter of months, the owners -- two sisters, one of whom lived abroad and the other who was a DJ living in the city -- not only obtained a permit and completed the work, but also signed over title to the property to Leo McFadden, a senior building inspector at the Department of Building Inspection, in exchange for approximately $500,000." (08/22/06)

A little bit of local tyranny and corruption here, eh? I wonder which illegal aliens did the work?

THEFT BY GOVERNMENT: NJ: Owner seeks fair deal from land thieves
Asbury Park Press
"The three-story Elm Avenue rooming house Andrianna Karagiannis and her family owned is scheduled to be torn down soon to make way for Park Square, a downtown residential and retail redevelopment project. But Karagiannis says she hasn't been fully compensated for the building. She said $335,000 has been placed in escrow for the house. She maintains the building is worth more. An appraisal she authorized indicated the property is worth more than $500,000. ... Karagiannis, 75, said she's lost her only income, other than the Social Security she receives. Karagiannis, who previously lost the family-owned Super Diner, 1419 Irving St., to redevelopment in the city, said she feels like a victim in town. 'I'm very upset. I never did anything wrong. I paid my taxes, $1,200 in taxes every three months. I did pay my bills. I obeyed the rules,' she said. 'It's unfair to say, 'we have to take your property.' This is the second of my property they take. They take property like this, why?'" (08/22/06)

She is one of thousands similarly abused - and just "reforming" eminent domain will not stop this kind of "petty" tyranny. It must be one more power taken away from government in general.

THEFT BY GOVERNMENT: PA: Land thieves back down
Pottstown Mercury
"[Earl] township supervisors have backtracked on their plans to use eminent domain to take several properties, including the Tiki Bar. Eminent domain proceedings were brought against nine properties that lie in a flood plain along the Manatawny Creek earlier this year, with the decision to move on the Tiki Bar and one other property reaffirmed at the Aug. 14 meeting. But the decision was reversed by the supervisors at a special meeting Wednesday. Township officials would not comment on their decision to squash the eminent domain proceedings. ... The plan to acquire the properties through eminent domain is being replaced with a plan to approach property owners with offers to buy the properties, and if the owners don't want to sell, eminent domain will be withdrawn. Jim Finegan, owner of the Tiki Bar, said despite living a nightmare not knowing if the business he's worked hard to establish over the past 17 years would be taken from him, he's happy with the supervisors' decision." (08/25/06)

Yeah, having buildings, especially occupied buildings, in a flood plain is stupid - but we can't protect other people from their own stupidity. So this is good news, and hopefully, the people of Earl Township will continue to fight this kind of local tyranny.

THEFT BY GOVERNMENT: CA: School moves to steal funeral home
Contra Costa Times
"Livermore school trustees Tuesday unanimously authorized their lawyers to begin eminent domain proceedings against a funeral home to gain more room for Livermore High. The school district will contend in Alameda County Superior Court that the 1.05-acre property at 3070 East Ave., near the high school just outside the redeveloping downtown area, be sold for $2 million, said Robert Thurbon, an attorney representing the district. It is owned by the Wilson Family Funeral Chapel. Livermore facilities director Floyd Wilson said the land is needed for 10 new science classrooms the district hopes to start building in the spring. Floyd said the district had an agreement with the landowners to buy the property for $2.1 million. But in May, for reasons unknown to the district, the property owners backed out. New lawyers began representing the owners, who have yet to give a new sale amount." (08/24/06)

Another clear case of abuse of an abusive power - especially in a situation like this, where there are several dozen alternatives to the theft of land.

THEFT BY GOVERNMENT: IRS warns against copycats
USA Today
"The IRS warned taxpayers Wednesday not to be duped by scammers posing as private debt collectors the agency has hired to chase unpaid tax debts. The Internal Revenue Service designed the debt collection program to minimize that risk 'because we know what it's like out there with regard to identity theft nowadays,' said Brady Bennett, IRS director of collection. Identity thieves have posed as IRS agents in 'phishing' schemes that use the tax agency's logo to lure victims. The e-mail schemes are designed to dupe taxpayers into revealing personal financial information." [Editor's note: Because, you know, it's so much worse to have your money stolen by a freelance thug than by an affiliated one - TLK] (08/23/06)

Way to go, Tom. Theft is theft.

THEFT BY GOVERNMENT: Tax thugs eye juicy online victim pool
CNN
"In an effort to crack down on underreporting by individuals and businesses that sell goods online, an IRS official said the tax agency is discussing creating new tax reporting requirements. .... The IRS' attempts to promote better reporting of online profits has been stymied by the fact that most online transactions leave behind very little evidence for the tax man to track, especially if shoppers don't use a credit card or opt for an online payment system such as PayPal, which is also owned by eBay. 'A lot of things go unreported because there's no paper trail,' explains Cindy Hockenberry, a tax information analyst at the National Association of Tax Professionals. One remedy the IRS is considering is third-party reporting, or having an outside source, such as an online auction site, report information to the IRS. Representatives from eBay stressed that maintaining their clients' privacy was of the utmost importance, but that they would turn it over to if the government request were accompanied by a subpoena." (08/23/06)

Hmmm. As we warn time and again, be careful what info you give out to someone - it may be a freelance conman, or the institutional ones.

High Tech and Medical News: NASA workers complete shuttle repair
Reuters
"Workers at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday completed a delicate launch pad repair job on the shuttle Atlantis, which is being prepared for liftoff next week to restart International Space Station construction. Working midair on platforms to reach the top of Atlantis' 60-foot(18-metre)-long payload bay, technicians removed two short bolts that held the main communications antenna in place and installed longer fasteners. ... The wrong bolts have been in place since Atlantis was manufactured 25 years ago. Torque tests done before the old bolts were removed showed that the antenna was securely anchored, Young said." (08/20/06)

Baffled? So am I - but this is your government (stolen) money at work. Now aren't you happy?

High Tech and Medical News: eBay's new fees incite fury
CNN
"With more than $45 billion in yearly gross merchandise sales, eBay's virtual marketplace has attracted many small business owners who have traded in their brick and mortar shops for the virtual marketplace. But many of those owners have decided to close shop recently in response to eBay's (Charts) fee hikes. ... The new prices will raise fees by an average of 6 percent for the approximately 500,000 online store owners." (08/22/06)

It is hard to tell whether eBay is simply getting greedy or whether they simply are not making a profit. But expect new competitors to spring up quickly - eBay isn't YET part of the government.

High Tech and Medical News: FDA calls for new warnings on ADHD drugs
MSNBC
"Several drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder must include new warning information about the risk of heart problems and psychotic behavior, U.S. health officials said on Monday. The drugs, which include GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Dexedrine and Novartis AG's Ritalin, must include a warning about the possible risk of sudden death and serious heart problems, Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Susan Bro told Reuters." (08/21/06)

If you didn't already know how foolish it is to give a child these drugs, you now have another reason. There are better solutions - and ADHD isn't necessarily a condition that needs treating.

High Tech and Medical News: Stem cell breakthrough saves embryos
Buffalo News
"In an innovative move, a biotech company says it has discovered how to make stem cells without destroying embryos, touting it as a way to defuse one of the country's fiercest political and ethical debates. Some opponents of the research said the method still doesn't satisfy their objections, and many stem cell scientists and their supporters called it inefficient and politically wrong-headed. But a spokeswoman for President Bush, who vetoed legislation last month that would have allowed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, called it a step in the right direction." (08/24/06)

So another argument against killing unborn babies and benefiting from their deaths is gone, apparently.

High Tech and Medical News: Study: A few extra pounds could mean fewer years
Washington Post
"Bad news for all those baby boomers starting to pile on the pounds as they go through middle age: You don't have to be obese -- just a little overweight -- to increase your risk of dying prematurely, according to a large government study. The 10-year study of more than 500,000 U.S. adults found that those who were just moderately overweight in their fifties were 20 percent to 40 percent more likely to die in the next decade. Another study involving more than 1 million Korean adults, also being published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, produced similar results." (08/23/06)

Take anything like this with a grain of salt.

High Tech and Medical News: Body parts recalled in tainted tissue scandal
Fox News
"A leading medical firm has quietly recalled hundreds of human tissue products destined for transplants around the nation that were supplied by a North Carolina body parts broker believed to have a tainted history. The broker used an unsterile embalming room to carve up dozens of corpses to procure tissue, a Raleigh funeral home director said Tuesday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration shut down the body broker on Friday, but refuses to say how many people may have received potentially risky tissue." (08/23/06)

Gee - and you thought that making sausage was disgusting! But seriously, these are nothing but accusations - and yet an apparently legal and legitimate business is being shut down based on claims and NOT on any sort of proof.

WORLD WARS: FL: Navy claim seven tons of stolen cocaine
CNN
"A Navy ship brought in 15,000 pounds (6,750 kilograms) of cocaine -- valued at about $480 million (euro374.9 million) -- seized in two drug busts in the Pacific Ocean this summer, authorities said. The USS John L. Hall brought the drugs into Naval Station Mayport on Friday, said Donnie Brzuska, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alert from Astoria, Oregon, captured the first 5,000 pounds (2,250 kilograms) on June 12 after sharpshooters disabled a speedboat about 150 miles (241 kilometers) northeast of the Galapagos Islands." (08/20/06)

Despite all the worries about terrorist nukes, other bombs, gas, and bioweapons being brought into the country by air, land, or sea, the Coast Guard continues to act like a branch of the DEA, and a bunch of pirates in international waters.

WORLD WARS: Russia: Ten dead in Moscow bombing
Casper Star-Tribune
"A bomb blast tore through a Moscow market Monday morning, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens, officials said. Deputy Mayor Vladimir Resin said a homemade bomb detonated in a two-story trading arcade at Cherkizovsky market in the northeastern part of the city about 10:30 a.m. City prosecutor Yuri Syomin told reporters at the scene that 41 people had been hospitalized. The Interfax news agency reported that two suspects had been detained. ... Syomin said the bombing was likely connected with organized crime or a dispute between businessmen, but investigators were not ruling out terrorism." (08/21/06)

Sounds to me like terrorism no matter who set it off - organized crime's protection racket is nothing but terrorism (and very closely related to the kind of racket that Marine General Smedley Butler confessed to years ago) and if businesses use violence against each other, they are nothing but terrorists also. But apparently Russia, like the US, believes that it ain't terrorism unless it is done for political or religious reasons AND by a "non-state" actor.

WORLD WARS: US charges 8 over "Tiger plot"
CNN
"Eight men have been charged with plotting to buy surface-to-air missiles for Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels, U.S. federal prosecutors have announced. The men also are accused of plotting to bribe U.S. State Department officials into removing the Tamil Tiger group from a list of terrorist organizations and of trying to obtain classified information." (08/21/06)

Sounds like they were doing their filibustering too close to home. One problem - they should have been bribing congrus-critturs and not State Department wonks. It isn't a crime to bribe Congress, after all.

WORLD WARS: Last Turk released from Gitmo
Zaman [Turkey]
"Murat Kurnaz, the last Turkish citizen held at the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba, was finally set free -- his German lawyer announced Thursday evening. Kurnaz's lawyer, Bernhard Docke, said his client had been brought to the U.S. Ramstein military base from Guantanamo on Thursday and set free. ... Kurnaz was born in 1982 in Bremen. He was arrested in Pakistan following the 2001 September 11 attacks in New York. He had been held in Guantanamo since early 2002." (08/25/06)

It is very likely that he is just moving into a Turkish jail cell, of course. Or a German one. If he was a jihadist, this is no different than sending Afrika Corps prisoners back to Germany in 1944.

WORLD WARS: China: Times researcher sentenced
Guardian [UK]
"A Chinese court sentenced a New York Times researcher to three years in prison for fraud today. But in a rare and embarrassing setback for the state security ministry, it dismissed more serious charges of leaking national secrets. The jailing of Zhao Yan comes amid a crackdown on civil rights campaigners, lawyers and journalists in an apparent attempt to crush dissent before world attention shifts to Beijing for the Olympics in 2008." (08/25/06)

Sadly, it will probably work - since the world seems to have such a short attention span, this will be long forgotten before the silly Olympic spectacles that show how wonderful China is.

WORLD WARS: Japan: North Korean test "grave threat"
Rockford Register Star
"A nuclear test by North Korea would pose a 'grave threat' to Japan and the rest of Northeast Asia, a top government spokesman said Friday, amid reports Japan is boosting surveillance of the reclusive communist nation. The comments by Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe came after Kyodo News agency reported that vehicles have been seen in recent days at what is thought to be a nuclear testing site in northeastern North Korea." (08/24/06)

Oh, phooey! Given the extremely high demonstrated competence of the North Korean military and scientists, and their strong record of concern for the environment and human health, this couldn't be any worse than a combination of a serious Three Mile Island type accident and Chernobyl rolled together - a far smaller problem than anything like Hiroshima and Nagasaki!

WORLD WARS: 12 arrested in cell phone terror scare
OhMyNews
"Twelve passengers were arrested by Dutch police after the India-bound plane they were aboard returned to the Netherlands escorted by two F-16 fighters, according to reports Wednesday. Authorities said the crew had requested that Northwest flight 42 to Mumbai return to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport while the plane was over German airspace after several passengers were found to be behaving suspiciously. ... According to one passenger interviewed by the AP, several men of south Asian appearance were handcuffed and removed from the plane before other passengers. They reportedly had aroused suspicion by getting out their cellular phones in flight." (08/24/06)

We are going to see this happen more and more often. Last week's cellphone. arrests in the US (Michigan and Ohio) and this are just the start of something big. Expect to see some talk of a complete ban on cell phones in flight cabins, together with baby formula and underarm deodorant.