Christopher Law

Christopher Varute Law is a young scholar from the University of California, Merced, who studied Psychology. He belongs to a Thai family and has lived most of his life in Southern California. At UC Merced, he was the Founder and President of Thai/Laos club. Law has been involved in Former Congressman Ron Paul's presidential campaign on multiple levels. Some of his policy interests are Gun Rights, Drug Policy and Vaccines. Chris considers himself a social liberal and a fiscal conservative.

 Policy CornerVendettas of the Week

Public Health Enemy #1

Christopher Law May 27, 2015

The California Senate… References and FootnotesTara Haelle, "California Vaccination Bill SB 277 Clears Senate - And Will Save Taxpayer Money If It Becomes Law," Forbes, May 18, 2015, accessed May 23, 2015. http://www.forbes.com/sites/tarahaelle/2015/05/18/california-vaccination-bill-sb-277-clears-senate-and-will-save-taxpayer-money-if-it-becomes-law/. ↩Jen Christensen and Nadia Kounang, "Childhood Vaccines Are Safe. Seriously," CNN, July 1, 2014, accessed May 23, 2015. http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/01/health/vaccines-for-kids-safe ↩ Max Read, "Medical Journal Calls Anti-Vaccination Study an 'Elaborate Fraud,'" Gawker, January 6, 2011, accessed May 23, 2015, http://gawker.com/5726216/medical-journal-calls-anti-vaccination-study-an-elaborate-fraud. ↩Carrie Dann, "Jeb Bush: 'Parents Ought to Make Sure Their Children Are Vaccinated,'" NBC News, February 4, 2015, accessed May 23, 2015, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/measles-outbreak/jeb-bush-parents-ought-make-sure-their-children-are-vaccinated-n300236. ↩Dan Merica, "Hillary Clinton Hits GOP with Pro-vaccine Tweet," CNN, February 3, 2015, accessed May 23, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/02/politics/hillary-clinton-vaccines/.[/ref] have shown support for vaccines, there is still much opposition to mandatory vaccinations. Rand Paul"Rand Paul: Vaccines Can Lead to 'Mental Disorders,'" States News Service, February 3, 2015, accessed May 23, 2015, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-399964521.html ↩“Six Reasons To Say NO to Vaccination,” The Healthy Home Economist, May 25, 2010, accessed May 25, 2015. ↩ Bahar Gholipour, "Vaccination Has Saved 732,000 Children's Lives Since 1994," Live Science, April 24, 2014, accessed May 23, 2015. ↩ Alexandria Sifferlin, "4 Diseases Making a Comeback Thanks to Anti-Vaxxers," Time, March 17, 2014, Accessed May 23, 2015. http://time.com/27308/4-diseases-making-a-comeback-thanks-to-anti-vaxxers/. ↩Jason Beaubien, "Measles Vaccination Rates: Tanzania Does Better Than U.S.," NPR, February 6, 2015, accessed May 23, 2015, http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/02/06/384068229/measles-vaccination-rates-tanzania-does-better-than-u-s. ↩

Policy CornerVendettas of the Week

A Shadow Over Democracy: The Ineffectiveness of Torture

Christopher Law May 20, 2015

On December 14,… References and FootnotesB. Carson, (2014, December 16), Democrats' Wasteful Torture Report, The Washington Times, retrieved May 6, 2015, from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/16/ben-carson-democrats-torture-report-points-away-fr/ ↩A. Seitz-Wald, "Where Is Hillary Clinton on Torture?" MSNBC, December 9, 2014, accessed May 6, 2015, http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/where-hillary-clinton-torture. ↩D. Corn, "Rand Paul: GOP Should Reject Cheney for Defending ‘Torture,’" Mother Jones, April 10, 2014, accessed May 6, 2015, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/04/rand-paul-bush-cheney-torture. ↩ S. O’Mara, (n.d.), Torturing the Brain, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 497-500. ↩Ibid. ↩R. Janoff-Bulman, (2007), Erroneous Assumptions: Popular Belief in the Effectiveness of Torture Interrogation, Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 2007, 429-435. ↩ Vincent Iacopino, and Stephen N. Xenakis, “Neglect of Medical Evidence of Torture in Guantánamo Bay: A Case Series,” PLOS Medicine, 2011. ↩

Policy CornerVendettas of the Week

The Failing War at Home

Christopher Law May 13, 2015

Forty years ago, in June 1971, President… References and Footnotes Kathleen Miles, "Just How Much The War On Drugs Impacts Our Overcrowded Prisons, In One Chart," Huffington Post, March 10, 2014, Accessed May 8, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/10/war-on-drugs-prisons-infographic_n_4914884.html. ↩Marc Santora, "City’s Annual Cost Per Inmate Is $168,000, Study Finds," The New York Times, August 23, 2013, Accessed August 23, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/nyregion/citys-annual-cost-per-inmate-is-nearly-168000-study-says.html ↩ Jeffery Miron and Jeffery Zwiebel, "Alcohol Consumption During Prohibition," NBER Working Paper Series, 1991. ↩ Tim Nash, "Organized Crime in the 1920's and Prohibition," The Finer Times, Accessed May 8, 2015, http://www.thefinertimes.com/20th-Century-Crime/organised-crime-in-the-1920s.html. ↩ Serena Dai, "A Chart That Says the War on Drugs Isn't Working," The Wire, October 12, 2012, Accessed May 8, 2015, http://www.thewire.com/national/2012/10/chart-says-war-drugs-isnt-working/57913/. ↩ Tina Chen, “Baby in Coma After Police 'Grenade' Dropped in Crib During Drug Raid,” ABC News, May 30, 2014, Accessed May 8, 2015, http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/05/baby-in-coma-after-police-grenade-dropped-in-crib-during-drug-raid/ ↩ Matt Ferner, "End The War On Drugs, Say Nobel Prize-Winning Economists," Huffington Post, May 6, 2014, Accessed May 8, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/06/end-drug-war_n_5275078.html. ↩Katie Lobosco, "Recreational Pot: $53 Million in Tax Revenue to Colorado," CNN Money, February 12, 2015, Accessed May 8, 2015, http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/12/news/economy/colorado-marijuana-tax-revenue/. ↩Carol Tice, "Comedian Tommy Chong's Plan To Become Legal Pot's Sam Walton," Forbes, December 11, 2014, accessed May 8, 2015,  http://www.forbes.com/sites/caroltice/2014/12/11/comedian-tommy-chongs-plan-to-become-legal-pots-sam-walton ↩