Some links of note

Each of these links has been waiting in my tabs for a blog post of its own.  But let's be realistic -- all those blog posts are never going to get written, and I have to restart my computer sometime.  So here's a blurb for each.

FDA - Interstate Raw Milk Ban
This is a ruling of the FDA in which they say that we don't have the right to eat what we want, to buy what we want from someone willing to sell it to us, or to feed our children what we want.  We don't have the right to health or to freedom of contract.

Immune Disorder at the Root of Autism
I can get behind this theory, though I still maintain that autism almost certainly has more than one cause.  Some cases might be genetic and others environmental, for instance.  But definitely our modern immune systems tend toward inflammation, and a lack of healthy gut flora is a contributing factor.  On the other hand, curing autism with worms?  Ick.

Giving Birth to a "Rapist's Child"
This  scholarly article was really enlightening.  The main point is that there should be more legal protection for mothers who choose to raise children conceived in rape, in order to ensure the rapist is not given custody of the child.  (Few states have any law on this topic at all.)  But along the way, it addressed so many other stereotypes: that a woman who conceives in rape will necessarily want an abortion, that if she doesn't want an abortion it means she wasn't really raped, or that most rapists are brought to justice.  (An estimated 98% aren't, and of those who are convicted, the average sentence is 11 months.)  It's full of citations from scholarly sources, proving the falsehood of many of these stereotypes.  And it points out that fewer rape victims might choose abortion if only they could be certain they would be given exclusive custody of their children, rather than having to take a chance on a family court ruling in their favor.