This just in: Food Is Addictive
Withdrawal symptoms can be fatal!

That bastion of self-reliance and personal responsibility, John Banzhaf is at it again. Now, he's warning restaurants that they'd better start putting up warnings that food can be addictive, or face possible lawsuits.

As you and your members might already know, several courts have held that cigarette manufacturers may be liable for failing to disclose that their products might be addictive, even though the general health dangers of smoking were so well known as to be regarded as common knowledge. ... By analogy, even if all courts find that the general dangers of eating fatty and calorie-rich foods at fast food restaurants are likewise common knowledge, liability for causing obesity and its related diseases may nevertheless be premised on the theory that the public is much less aware of the addictive-like effects of many fast food than they are of the widely-publicized addictive nature of nicotine in cigarettes.

In light of these scientific studies, it may also be prudent for fast food companies to review their policies to be sure that nothing they are doing could be construed by a jury as seeking to take advantage of and/or enhance the possibly addictive properties of their foods. Changing the cooking temperature so as to increase the amount of fat absorbed during cooking, adding sugar to foods like french fries where it is not ordinarily expected, etc. might well seem to jurors like the activities of cigarette manufacturers to increase (“spike”) the addictive effects of their products.

And he's right, you know. Food is addictive. People have to eat food, or their withdrawal symptoms - stomach cramps, wasting, headaches, mood swings, and malnutrition - will eventually grow so severe as to be fatal.

I am a food addict who has several times tried to kick the habit, but my withdrawal symptoms became so bad, that I finally broke down and started eating again. I was experiencing severe stomach cramps (which some people mistakenly called hunger pangs), and such severe wasting that my weight dropped from 120lbs all the way down to 105lbs before I lost the struggle, fell off the wagon, and started eating once again. My struggle with my food addiction has lasted for a painful twenty-seven years now, and I know I am not the only sufferer. I estimate the possible food-addiction rate among U.S. residents could be as high as 100%! This a health crisis that has gone unaddressed for far too long, and I call on congress to add 'food' to the list of controlled substances, for the sake and safety of current and potential food addicts everywhere.

Dream Vacation
I just spent Memorial Day weekend at the Seven Foxes in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina. This was the first time I ever tried renting a cabin for a vacation before, and it was absolutely an ideal experience. Lake Toxaway is a gorgeous area, with mountain laurel all over the place, and some really beautiful parks and waterfalls. The cabin at the Seven Foxes was adorable, comfortable, clean and well stocked, and I don't think I've had better sleep in years. I felt so good at the end of the weekend, I didn't even mind the thought of going back to work... until we left the mountains and my allergies came back.

Keep saying it until people start to listen
Wendy McElroy has an excellent editorial on FoxNews.com called "Cut Men: Do They Not Bleed?" that I think bears repeated reading.

It cannot be overstated: Most men are good, hard-working human beings who love their families and never raise a hand in violence. Because their decency is not sensational, they are ignored by media and politicians who focus instead on men who rape or otherwise give their gender a bad name. A better reaction is to hold the decent men closer to us and value them more.

The vast majority of men I know are upstanding, honorable, decent people who believe in doing the right thing. As a woman who likes being one, a world without men in it, or a world where men have been turned into timid, flaccid, stubbly versions of women, is truly awful to contemplate. Three cheers for men!

Eminent Domain, by any other name, is still Stealing
The Associated Press carried an article today titled "Cities Seize Private Land for Development". It's important reading for homeowners, and anyone else who believes in the rule of law and respect for property rights.

The first time the city of New London, Conn., seized Pasquale Cristofaro's home, it was to make way for a sea wall that never materialized. Instead, private medical offices sprouted over the backyard plot where Cristofaro once grew tomatoes, squash and grapes.

Three decades later, when the city wanted to raze another Cristofaro family home to clear the way for a riverfront hotel, health club and offices, the 77-year-old Italian immigrant dug in and fought back in court.

"When they came to take my house from me a second time, I feel sick," said Cristofaro, whose grandchildren now live in the home he bought in 1972. "It's not right, to take it for a business. The United States of America is supposed to stop this."

Bitter disputes are playing out across the country as city leaders eager to improve their economies condemn homes and small businesses - not for highways, airports or other public projects, but for private development.

This is not a new problem, but one that finally appears to be gaining some well-deserved attention. The Institute for Justice recently published a report documenting eminent domain abuses, which can be found here on their website. James Bovard has been writing books exposing eminent domain and asset forfeiture abuses for years. Yes, just about anyone's land could be more valuable to the state if it were in the hands of a private business, but that doesn't make stealing it from the rightful owner right. Not unless you're living in a communist country.

A more lighthearted, but no less effective look at the unfairness of private property seizures can be found in the movie, The Castle. It's suitable for anyone, gently amusing, and really drives the point home.