cannabisnews.com: Setting The Story Straight On Marijuana
Setting The Story Straight On Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on January 11, 2005 at 08:32:23 PT
Letters To The Editor
Source: Washington Post
If Peter Carlson's caricature of Keith Stroup was the story, why dedicate a page to the man's retirement ["Exhale, Stage Left," Style, Jan. 4.]? The story did not give Mr. Stroup and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) credit for bringing about major change in the nation's drug laws.
Mr. Stroup and NORML won precedent-setting litigation that required a U.S. environmental impact statement for U.S.-funded herbicide spraying of Mexican marijuana. Mr. Stroup and NORML filed a petition in 1972, leading to the Drug Enforcement Administration's chief administrative law judge finding in 1988 that marijuana was safe and had an accepted use in medicine. That litigation laid the groundwork for the laws we have in 10 states that permit medical use of marijuana. In a few months, this issue may result in the most important Supreme Court ruling in 60 years on Congress's power under the Constitution's commerce clause (Ashcroft v. Raich).No contemporary book on drug policy fails to credit the central role Mr. Stroup and NORML played in helping to achieve marijuana decriminalization in the 1970s. Mr. Carlson's attempt to capture Mr. Stroup's legacy went awry when he succumbed to the temptation to write of Mr. Stroup's accomplishments in pot-related cliches.ERIC E. STERLINGPresident Criminal Justice Policy Foundation -- http://www.cjpf.org/Washington•A couple of clarifications regarding Peter Carlson's excellent profile of Keith Stroup:First, no state ballot initiative to legalize medical use of marijuana has ever been defeated at the polls. All have passed overwhelmingly -- the most recent being in November in Montana, where medical marijuana received 62 percent support, outpolling George W. Bush by three percentage points in this quintessential "red state."Second, while the Marijuana Policy Project does receive considerable support from Peter Lewis, our more than 18,000 members are the foundation of our organization. The financial support and volunteer efforts of this army of ordinary Americans have made possible a variety of accomplishments, including passage of medical marijuana laws in Montana and Vermont last year.BRUCE MIRKENDirector of Communications Marijuana Policy Project -- http://www.mpp.org/WashingtonSource: Washington Post (DC)Published: Tuesday, January 11, 2005; Page A14 Copyright: 2005 Washington Post Contact: letterstoed washpost.comWebsite: http://www.washingtonpost.com Related Article & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/ Exhale, Stage Left http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20085.shtmlCannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 21:10:58 PT
For Those Who Are Concerned About The Draft
A conscientious objector is one who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles. Conscientious Objection: http://www.sss.gov/FSconsobj.htm
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Comment #36 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 18:44:46 PT
Dankhank
A video of CopperHead Road is off a link from his web site ( below) . We have a number of his CDs now. We just got Transcendental Blues for Christmas. I really like his music. I don't know why but Real Player always stops for me but never when something is played in Windows Media Player. Oh Technology!http://steveearle.com/http://www.rollingstone.com/artist/_/id/42409/steveearle?rnd=1105497948765&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.1040
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Comment #35 posted by Dankhank on January 11, 2005 at 18:37:45 PT
Steve Earle
I know "Copperhead Road" and a few other songs, but am cognizant of the fact that I know little else of the man or his music.Thanks for the links.
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Comment #34 posted by mayan on January 11, 2005 at 18:16:15 PT
afterburner
Here is some more info on Chertoff. This man is even scarier than Bernard Kerick! I don't like it one bit. Michael Chertoff, Master of the Cover-up:
http://www.dcdave.com/article4/020107.htmlMichael Chertoff: Ashcroft's Top Gremlin
http://www.counterpunch.org/cassel06112003.htmlWhite House Chooses New Homeland Security Chief:
http://www.acsblog.org/news-and-announcements-640-white-house-chooses-new-homeland-security-chief.htmlTHE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...The FBI Agents Who Tried To Stop 9/11:
http://rense.com/general54/ffroe.htmAN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF 9/11 AND THE WAR ON TERRORISM:
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/WTC_STF.htmMike Ruppert to Speak in Seattle - Saturday, January 15th:
http://www.septembereleventh.org/seattle/index.php9/11 Was an Inside Job - A Call to All True Patriots:
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 17:05:04 PT
Dankhank
For those who don't know who Steve Earle is this site seems to be good and has interviews from Air America.http://www.steveearlefans.com/multimedia.htmVideo of One of His New Songs: http://www.steveearlefan.com/richmanwar.ram
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Comment #32 posted by Taylor121 on January 11, 2005 at 16:42:59 PT
Join MPP, NORML, and/or DPA
dongenero, I'm glad you see the truth of the matter. These groups are so narrowly focused on this one issue, it is very easy to agree with them.Hopefully we can get more people like yourself to make the pledge to help finance these three wonderful organizations this year.
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Comment #31 posted by Dankhank on January 11, 2005 at 16:35:20 PT:
Selma ...
Interesting that Selma comes up in the song ...Returning from GA last year, 27th Dec., we departed going straight west from the midsection of GA, arriving in Selma, AL around lunchtime. As we drove into town we saw a sign for the Selma March Museum, hung a left drove 100 feet or so, parked and helped our two granddaughters, 11 and 6, to understand a little of what went on forty years ago this March.http://www.voterights.org/Jubilee '05 is coming ...
Excercise your right to vote!!!
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Comment #30 posted by Sukoi on January 11, 2005 at 16:19:25 PT
Don't search the storage room!
Justices reject search, pot seizurehttp://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2646199,00.html
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Comment #29 posted by Hope on January 11, 2005 at 15:24:34 PT
Siege
I was afraid you were "gone" somehow. It's a relief to see you are still with us. Hope you are ok. We missed you.
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 15:15:04 PT
Siege
You got mail.
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Comment #27 posted by siege on January 11, 2005 at 14:50:05 PT
FoM
Its good to be home again Just a Bad week End that I hope don't happen again.
your Email
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 14:43:10 PT
Siege
It's good to see you. We were worried since you've been gone so long.
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 14:41:06 PT
dongenero
I agree with you. I have contributed money to organizations but I just am not involved with any of them. Giving money to help them is a good thing.
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Comment #24 posted by siege on January 11, 2005 at 14:40:37 PT
governmental abuses
governmental abuses:
the governmental Drug Lords have controld over the marijuana and if we are to see any light on this we will have to vote them out people, I have been talking to these Gov't people since before christmas of 2004 They like stealing your homes and land and cars and trucks and what every else they can The Big One is mine and your
{{{ Health }}}. And they laugh all the way to the bank.
So for all the ones that Vote (against) any Marijuana Bills we have to get them out of office Without hesitation; the better. Live at the Gray Bar Hotel is not fun. Just ask!! Any one that has been there.
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Comment #23 posted by dongenero on January 11, 2005 at 14:35:48 PT
contributions
I'm a non-conformist too but, these groups like Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project and NORML are fighting our battle daily, to change the laws and public opinion.
I don't belong to or contribute to any of these groups currently but, I plan to support each of them this year.I figure if I don't actively support change, I've no room to complain.Just look at what these kind of efforts and lobbying backed by $ do for the big pharma and the NRA etc.
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 14:19:59 PT
afterburner
Thanks for posting that information.
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Comment #21 posted by afterburner on January 11, 2005 at 14:13:34 PT
Good and Bad News About Congress
The following email has been edited for personal content (I apologize in advance if any of the links do not work): From: "Bill Piper, DPAlliance" alerts actioncenter.drugpolicy.org
To: me Subject: Good and Bad News About Congress Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2005 11:06:46 -0500 (EST)
GOOD AND BAD NEWS ABOUT CONGRESS
Dear you,
Happy 2005!
We have good news and bad news.
The good news is that the 108th Congress came to an end last year. The bad
news is the 109th Congress began this week.
The last Congress was one of the most pro-drug-war Congresses in American
history. We dubbed it the "Leave-No-Drug-War-Extremist-Behind" Congress.
But, thanks to you, we have many accomplishments to look back on. You
helped us go toe-to-toe with the drug warriors and win - and we will never
forget that!
With your support, the Drug Policy Alliance continues to advance a new
bottom line in our nation's drug policies:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=2190437&l=73176 . This new
bottom line seeks to reduce the harms caused by both drug abuse and the
"war on drugs".
Here's a brief update on federal issues we've been telling you about for
the last two years (during the 108th Congress):
RAVE ACT/PROTECT LIVE MUSIC
We couldn't stop the RAVE Act, but we made it less draconian - and forced
the DEA to adopt guidelines restricting its use. Not even John Ashcroft was
willing to use the RAVE Act to silence electronic music after the public
thrashing federal officials received when they tried to use it in Billings,
Montana. Dozens of business owners and thousands of music fans signed our
petitions in opposition to the CLEAN-UP Act and the Ecstasy Awareness Act,
both of which have stalled in Congress. We're deeply indebted to allies
like ROAR who fought in the trenches with us to protect live music:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=2190437&l=73177 .
MARIJUANA
For two years in a row Congress has voted on amendments to prevent the DEA
from arresting medical marijuana patients. These amendments failed, but
they received enough votes to rock the political establishment! The U.S.
Supreme Court will rule this year on a case that could stop the
government's war on patients in its tracks. (You can read the Alliance's
legal brief in the case here:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=2190437&l=73183 ) We're also
ecstatic that Rep. Mark Souder (R-In.) was unable to get any support in
Congress for his draconian anti-marijuana bill we warned you about (the
so-called Drug Sentencing Reform Act). We especially want to thank our good
friends at ASA, MPP and NORML who worked with us to battle anti-marijuana
fanatics in and out of Congress.
DRUG TESTING
President Bush made student drug testing one of his top priorities (even
mentioning it in his State of the Union Address last year), but we showed
him that we're a force to be reckoned with. We slashed funding for the
program by more than half last year and hope to eliminate it entirely this
year. The Alliance also raised awareness about legislation that would
encourage states to drug test sober drivers and throw them in jail for
smoking a joint days or weeks in the past. That bill didn't make it through
last year, but we expect a big fight in Congress over it this year.
DRUG CZAR'S OFFICE
Drug war extremists tried to give the drug czar more power, but we took a
buzz saw to their plans. We stopped them from giving the drug czar taxpayer
dollars to run TV ads against pro-reform congressional candidates and
ballot measures. We stopped them from letting the drug czar punish states
that enact medical marijuana laws. We also stopped them from preventing
cities from shifting some of their federal grants from law-enforcement
agencies to drug education efforts. As an added bonus, our supporters
helped us yank those stupid "smoke a joint, you're a terrorist" ads off the
air - and slash the government's overall budget for anti-marijuana ads by
$60 million.
SENTENCING
Every time members of Congress try to increase penalties for non-violent
drug offenses, our supporters help us oppose them. Fortunately, no major
penalty increases have occurred in the last two years. Most notably, vocal
opposition by our supporters in key states helped derail Congressman Rep.
Jim Sensenbrenner's (R-Wisc.) Defending America's Most Vulnerable Act,
which despite its name would have persecuted America's most vulnerable by
subjecting them to long prison sentences. The U.S. Supreme Court could rule
early this year that federal sentencing guidelines are unconstitutional. If
so, there will be a major showdown in Congress over federal drug laws.
HEA REFORM
It's taken many years and work by thousands of people - mostly students -
but we're finally on the verge of reforming the federal law that denies
student loans to nonviolent drug offenders. Reform proposals were included
in numerous bills last year. While none made it into law due to time
constraints, the chances of passing reform this year are extremely high. We
are especially grateful to DRCNet, SSDP, and members of the CHEAR coalition
for taking the lead on this important issue.
LATIN AMERICAN DRUG WAR
Our supporters have helped us raise awareness about the government's
destructive drug policies in Latin America that perpetuate poverty, fuel
violence, and undermine the rule of law. Our media department even teamed
up with the director of "Maria Full of Grace" to educate the public about
Colombian women forced into smuggling drugs into the U.S. and given long
prison sentences when caught. The tide is turning against the Latin
American drug war.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Law enforcement agencies continue to second guess the medical decisions of
doctors and treat prescription drug abuse as a criminal justice problem.
The Alliance's grassroots campaign is working to educate members of
Congress on the growing criminalization of medicine and the pain and
suffering it is causing. The federal legislation we warned you about didn't
pass last year, but it's expected to come up again this year.
As you can probably tell, it's been a long two years (just ask our friends
and family). We had our ups and downs in Congress, but thanks to you, more
ups than downs. Now, we're gearing up to fight the drug war extremists this
year. The 109th Congress has already begun!
Some of our priorities in Congress over the next two years:
1) Challenging the government's war on marijuana users.
2) Stopping the assault on electronic music fans and protecting live music.
3) Reforming federal law-enforcement grant programs that waste taxpayer
dollars and fuel racial disparities and civil rights abuses.
4) Restoring student aid to drug offenders and reforming our draconian
sentencing laws.
5) Rolling back the government's campaign to randomly drug test every
American.
6) Educating more Americans about the Latin American drug war and the new
war on patients and doctors here in the U.S.
7) Reducing drug overdoses and the spread of AIDS and Hepatitis from
injection drug use and setting a new bottom line in drug policy:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=2190437&l=73176
8) Protecting taxpayers by eliminating wasteful drug war spending.
We hope you will continue to fight along side of us! Thanks for your
support
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=2190437&l=73184 .
Sincerely,
Bill Piper
Director, Office of National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ You received this message because xxx is a member of the mailing list
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For problems, please contact Jeanette Irwin at jirwin drugpolicy.org. If
you are accessing the internet from a public library and are unable to open
the links provided in this newsletter please e-mail
webmaster drugpolicy.org with the library name and location, as well as the
url(s).
Please consider joining the Drug Policy Alliance:
https://secure3.ctsg.com/dpa/donation/index.asp?Item=18&MS=email****** Nick Thimmesch, that's a great Steve Earle song. Thanks, for posting it.
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 14:11:19 PT
Me Either
I'm not a member of any organization. I've always been a free spirit kind of person. I don't conform very well. I live in my own la la land.
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Comment #19 posted by Nick Thimmesch on January 11, 2005 at 14:09:09 PT:
Like Groucho...
...THIMMESCH would never become a member of any club/organization/church/tupperware party that would have him: nope. I don't even belong to NORML.There may be a Tin Foil Brigade out there, but nobody who belongs to it would ever fess up they do.There is an obsessive cult culture that revolves around it though...
http://www.blacktable.com/elder040114.htm
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 14:08:23 PT
Thank Nicholas
I dusted off the Steve Earle CD with Christmas in Washington. We're listening to it now. You have good taste in music.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 13:47:34 PT
Nicholas
Are you a member of the Tin Foil Hat Brigade whatever that is? Someone told me once but I forgot. It sure does sound funny.
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Comment #16 posted by Nick Thimmesch on January 11, 2005 at 13:47:15 PT:
One of my favorite Steve Earle songs is...
It's Christmastime in Washington
The Democrats rehearsed
Gettin' into gear for four more years
Things not gettin' worse
The Republicans drink whiskey neat
And thanked their lucky stars
They said, 'He cannot seek another term
They'll be no more FDRs' I sat home in Tennessee
Staring at the screen
With an uneasy feeling in my chest
And I'm wonderin' what it means Chorus:
So come back Woody Guthrie
Come back to us now
Tear your eyes from paradise
And rise again somehow
If you run into Jesus
Maybe he can help you out
Come back Woody Guthrie to us now I followed in your footsteps once
Back in my travelin' days
Somewhere I failed to find your trail
Now I'm stumblin' through the haze
But there's killers on the highway now
And a man can't get around
So I sold my soul for wheels that roll
Now I'm stuck here in this town Chorus There's foxes in the hen house
Cows out in the corn
The unions have been busted
Their proud red banners torn
To listen to the radio
You'd think that all was well
But you and me and Cisco know
It's going straight to hell So come back, Emma Goldman
Rise up, old Joe Hill
The barracades are goin' up
They cannot break our will
Come back to us, Malcolm X
And Martin Luther King
We're marching into Selma
As the bells of freedom ring
http://www.lyricsdownload.com/steve-earle-christmas-in-washington-lyrics.html
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 13:39:43 PT
Steve Earle Quote
Right? I know he said that in one of his songs.
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Comment #14 posted by Nick Thimmesch on January 11, 2005 at 13:31:50 PT:
"Creeping paranoia"...
...yeah, but just 'cause I'm paranoid don't mean they ain't out to git me!"And Dave's still not home, if anyone is asking:Alert the Tin Foil Hat Brigade!
One has to wonder with this report, British Weapons Export Found Dead (washingtonpost.com)...will the conservative gang that declared Vince Foster murdered be back out for this?Nope, I didn't think so. I guess they may wear tin foil hats, but even they know which way to spin.(see link)
http://www.theculturalelite.com/archives/000880.html
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Comment #13 posted by afterburner on January 11, 2005 at 13:20:20 PT
I Also Had a Good Recent Encounter with LEOs
In response to a recent alcohol-related incident and the aggressive talk and action that sometimes accompany that state of mind, the perpetrators were given to option of going to another house to cool of instead of the drunk tank. I was impressed with the truly compassionate handling and how it defused a potentially violent situation. I thanked the lead officer for his humane approach and wished afterward to myself that others would learn from his/her example. The world would be a better place if more LEOs learned to be good "talkers," reserving SWAT responses for dire emergencies.FoM, check your email.
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 13:17:49 PT
Nicholas
I totally understand. People can be made to live in a state of what I call creeping paranoia and that isn't good.PS: About my comment about Keith Stroup I mean it. Life is much better since the laws changed way back in the 70s for everyone. They chase people who drink and drive now and with a vengeance.
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Comment #11 posted by Nick Thimmesch on January 11, 2005 at 13:11:25 PT:
There's no problem with...
...law enforcement or enforcing laws (if the laws are wrong, change them). Nor is there a problem with protecting people from harm (my two year old is well protected by heavily armed guards five days a week at the State Department's Diplotots School, but it does cause me concern that she's somewhere where such dire protection is necessary)in a city such as Washington, a declared and proven target of foreign murderists (I refuse to call them terrorists because I ain't scared of them). The problem is when everyone -- law enforcement, citizens and visitors -- is fearful of each other and those who would actually do the harm are not (especially if they do not fear death upon themselves as well).Now: back to The Washington Pest's letters-to-the-editors!
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Comment #10 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on January 11, 2005 at 13:01:44 PT
Brutality first, questions later
Police beat school principal having a diabetic attack because they thought he was on drugs:http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/01/10/springfield_principal_files_police_brutality_lawsuit/
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 12:51:58 PT
Thanks Nicholas
It sounds really hard to handle. To show a contrast. Last night my husband parked his truck at the garage where he keeps it. He started home and saw a police cruiser sitting nearby. He didn't think anything of it and started home. The cop followed him and after a little bit turned on his flashing lights. My husband pulled over and the cop approached him and wanted him to show his ID. He was very kind to my husband but said they are watching the garage because of a break in recently. My husband thanked him because that meant he wouldn't have to worry about his truck. My husband really appreciated his kindness and concern. That's a good cop to me.
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Comment #8 posted by Nick Thimmesch on January 11, 2005 at 12:42:17 PT:
Just stare them in the eyes....
...when encountering law enforcement on DC's Metro:Metro Officers Keep a Keen Eye on Riders
New Behavioral Profiling Techniques, TSA Training Help Target Suspicious Subway Passengers
By Sara Kehaulani Goo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 10, 2005; Page A06 Metro police officers are using new behavioral profiling techniques as they patrol subway stations, identifying suspicious riders and pulling them aside for questioning. The officers are targeting people who avoid eye contact, loiter or appear to be looking around transit stations more than other passengers, officials said. Anyone identified as suspicious will be stopped and questioned about what they are doing and where they are going.As part of their preparations for tighter security during the presidential inauguration, the officers have been trained by the Transportation Security Administration to take notice of the same behavioral characteristics and patterns that airport security officials watch for. "It is effective," said Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein, who noted that a few pickpockets have been caught over the past six months as officers in uniform and plain clothes have been applying their special observation skills. A similar observation regime at Boston's Logan International Airport has been challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a lawsuit on behalf of an African American ACLU employee who said he was stopped and questioned by police for no reason after arriving on a flight from the West Coast. Security experts say race is not reason alone to approach someone.Metro is also planning to place more of its 380-officer force on patrol in stations during the inauguration and to close two stations. The TSA will lend Metro bomb-sniffing dogs and may deploy airport security screeners to test bags and luggage with explosive-detection devices at the stations. The screeners will not be called upon to inspect every Metro rider but rather to operate machines that detect explosive residue on unattended bags, said an official familiar with the plans. The official was not sure whether Metro would use new handheld explosive-detection machines or more traditional machines, which heat fibers on a cotton swab that was swiped around a bag. "A handful [of screeners] will be placed in strategic locations throughout the area," Farbstein said.The train bombings in Madrid in March prompted Metro Police Chief Polly Hanson to seek the TSA's assistance months ago because of concern that such attacks could be copied in Washington's transit system, which handles about 650,000 riders per day.The TSA is working with the Secret Service, which is overseeing inauguration security, on plans to bring in as many as 500 airport screeners from across the country to assist with the security, according to people familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans are not final. The TSA employees will screen people along the parade routes and other locations using metal-detection equipment.TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield declined to discuss the agency's plans for behavior-observation training at airports but confirmed the agency had trained Metro police. He said the agency has offered to assist Metro for the inauguration, but many of the details, such as how many screeners and bomb-sniffing dogs would be assigned to Metro stations, are to be left to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority."We're providing assets," Hatfield said. "We're looking to WMATA for how they want them deployed and how they want to use them."Law enforcement agencies at airports have increasingly used behavioral profiling methods after a deadly shooting at Los Angeles International Airport in July 2002, when a gunman killed two people and wounded three others near the El Al ticket counter.The Massachusetts State Police has come under criticism for its program at Logan airport after its treatment of ACLU employee King Downing, who said he was threatened with arrest after refusing to show his identification. His belongings also were searched. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Boston against the state police, alleging illegal search and seizure."You can't use this very subjective sense of who's suspicious as a substitute for what the law would otherwise require . . . such as a basis for suspicion that someone is engaged in criminal conduct," said John Reinstein, legal director for the ACLU of Massachusetts.The Massachusetts State Police referred questions about its program to the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan airport. The port authority said its behavior-pattern recognition program has been effective, but it did not provide details on how many arrests had resulted."Logan's Behavior Pattern Recognition program is specifically designed to ensure the protection of everyone's constitutional and civil rights," the agency said in a statement. "Racial profiling is not an effective law enforcement tool and plays no role in behavior pattern recognition."Security experts say such techniques can be useful in a transit system if deployed by well-trained law enforcement officers, but they must be able to explain to travelers why they are being questioned. "If a police officer asks you a question, they have to have a reasonable suspicion that they can articulate. . . . We don't live in a national ID-requirement society," said Charles Slepian, chief executive of the Foreseeable Risk Analysis Center, a security-related think tank for the public and private sectors.Isaac Yeffet, former security official with Israel's El Al airline, said such strategies are best conducted covertly, with officers out of uniform, and they should be considered just one of many security tools. "This can help, but this is only one item from series of items that the security has to cover," Yeffet said.Staff writer Lyndsey Layton contributed to this report.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A61700-2005Jan9?language=printer
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 12:34:20 PT
kapt
At the rate this all is going they soon will be able to make a movie about D.C. I'm not sure if it would qualify to be called a horror movie but it could be close to that. I spent summers when I was young in the D.C. area and they were nice and I have good memories. The times they are a changin' but not in a good way.
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Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on January 11, 2005 at 12:21:35 PT:
The closer to the Beast, the worse the laws.
It should surprise no one that the closer you get to DC, the more support for the Fed DrugWar there is; too many in this region make their bread-and-butter from their 'service' to the Federal juggernaut. The local, State and Federal politicians have been so conditioned (like Pavlov's dogs) by this situation that they can be expected to bark and yelp and salivate on command when a minority of their constituents, who live off of the rest of the country's taxpayers, demand ever more restrictive and destructive laws. They can't conceive of taking an opposing viewpoint, knowing they'll be slammed by that vocal but politically powerful minority.But even that may be changing, if only because the carrot has gotten so small, while the stick has remained the same size. There's less and less incentive for States to toe Washington's line regarding the DrugWar, as there's less and less Federal funding coming to the States all the time. This situation is bound to deteriorate further because of the guiding principle of people like Grover Norquist, who seek to literally starve government at all levels into oblivion. The fire's gone out on the gravy train's boiler; the train itself is running on inertia. Soon its own weight will cause it to slow further until it becomes obvious to the densest person that it just can't be kept running anymore. The proof of this has been the adoption of the 'treatment' scheme by antis to try to revive the funding pipelines, and the use of the slogan "Smart on crime" to replace the more (fiscally) robust "Tough on crime".When you try to cloak a retreat as a "strategic withdrawal", you rarely fool anyone. Least of all the people cutting your rearguard to pieces every time this matter reaches referendum status...as we have been doing.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 11:33:44 PT
afterburner
If I lived in or near D.C. I would be planning on moving. It really seems like it won't be pleasant to live in D.C. or even New York City much longer if a person likes living in a city.
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on January 11, 2005 at 11:29:37 PT
Relevant DueTo Misrepresenting Tokers as Terrorist
Judge tapped as U.S. homeland security chief
Jan. 11, 2005. 12:35 PM"President George W. Bush today chose federal appeals court Judge Michael Chertoff to be his new homeland security chief, turning to a former federal prosecutor who helped craft the early strategy for his war on terror. Chertoff headed the Justice Department’s criminal division from 2001 to 2003, where he played a central role in the nation’s legal response to the Sept. 11 attacks." [Full Story] http://tinyurl.com/6nbhgDoes anyone know the human rights record of Judge Michael Chertoff? Here are some Cannabis News articles mentioning Chertoff http://www.cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=Chertoff*****Interesting sidelight:Graying Hair Yields Skin Cancer Clue.Researchers Pluck Melanoma Secret From Root of Gray Hair.By Daniel DeNoon,
WebMD Medical News, Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Thursday, December 23, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/6p5ne
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 09:42:03 PT
medicinal toker
I wondered that too.
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Comment #2 posted by medicinal toker on January 11, 2005 at 09:06:40 PT
where's Kampia letter of apology?
The original article quoted Kampia as saying, "I view NORML as a small and shrinking dinosaur, NORML's time has come and gone."I guess he forgot to send his letter of apology.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 08:47:36 PT
One More Time
I haven't ever met Keith Stroup but I will be forever grateful for what he did to bring change to the terrible laws that were on the books in Ohio back years ago.
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