cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Still a Growing Risk on Public Lands










  Marijuana Still a Growing Risk on Public Lands

Posted by CN Staff on July 08, 2007 at 07:15:32 PT
Editorial 
Source: Record Searchlight 

California -- The great outdoors is filled with hazards, and north state residents can grow jaded after repeatedly hearing the warnings about heat, ticks, hungry mountain lions, zealously protective mama bears, poison oak and slippery rocks.But one red flag retains its power to shock -- Forest Service alerts to watch out for illegal marijuana plantations and the armed men guarding them on our public lands.
The Shasta-Trinity National Forest issued just such a public heads-up last week, warning about the growing number of marijuana gardens in the backcountry and laying out a list of signs to watch out for.You don't have to be an ace tracker to notice pot growing if you stumble across it, but the Forest Service helpfully notes that tip-offs include isolated tents or trailers far from recreational activity; garden tools, hoses and fertilizer bags; and irrigation and piping; and trash in the forest.And of course, if a recreational user should stumble onto a garden, there's only one thing to do -- leave, quickly, and tell the authorities.It's despicable how the drug traffickers have moved into some of America's finest country, but federal decision-makers back in Washington are belatedly catching up to the scope of the problem and devoting resources to fighting it.A U.S. Senate bill in the works would increase the Forest Service's law enforcement budget to $135 million, about $20 million more than this year's budget, with a little more than half of the new money devoted to anti-drug efforts, according to Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office.In the House of Representatives, Rep. Wally Herger's people say, the related bill would boost the Forest Service budget by $8.8 million, with an additional $29 million for the National Park Service's rangers. Their beat includes Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, where marijuana growers have planted some brazen plots in the past few years.As those differences are resolved, we hope Congress treats pot-growing -- which threatens both the public's safety and our environment -- with the seriousness it deserves and commits enough money to make a real dent. At best, law enforcement faces an uphill battle as steep as Castle Crags.Consider the numbers. For all the millions spent fighting marijuana growing, the stakes are far higher for the other side. The state attorney general's office estimated that last year the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting destroyed crops worth $6.7 billion -- and that's just the stuff drug agents found. (And 80 percent of it was on state and federal lands.) Even making allowance for bureaucrats' self-serving inflation, we're talking about a lot of money.As Congress debates and drug agents stealthily go about their business, hikers and hunters should keep a wary eye on their surroundings.The death of a few more innocent citizens would probably persuade the politicians about the gravity of the problem, but nobody in the north state needs to be that example.Our view: It's despicable how illegal pot-growing on public lands has ballooned, but federal decision-makers back in Washington are belatedly catching up to the scope of the problem and devoting resources to fighting it.Source: Redding Record Searchlight (CA)Published: July 8, 2007Copyright: 2007 Record Searchlight Contact: letters redding.comWebsite: http://www.redding.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #54 posted by Hope on July 10, 2007 at 19:01:01 PT
"better than any ride at Disneyland."
Is what that article in comment 35 should be called.Nice boat, FoM. I hope you guys have a really nice time.
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Comment #53 posted by whig on July 10, 2007 at 14:23:28 PT
New Orleans
Couldn't they use a few helping hands down there?
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Comment #52 posted by whig on July 10, 2007 at 14:22:28 PT
FoM
A well-deserved inferiority complex if they show how tough they are by fighting plants.
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on July 10, 2007 at 14:14:47 PT
whig
I think they know it might come back but if it didn't or no one planted it they would be out of a fun job if a person is into those type of things. I believe that many people in law enforcement have inferiority complexes so it makes the feel macho or something.
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Comment #50 posted by whig on July 10, 2007 at 13:56:46 PT
FoM #35
Do they not understand seeds will cause the cannabis to come back again and again and again forever even without human agency now?
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Comment #49 posted by FoM on July 10, 2007 at 10:53:15 PT
Hope
I found a picture of what our boat looks like. Thanks for the nice conversation.http://www.heckels.com/_images/Used_Boats/1981_starcraft_741181/1981_starcraft_741181_sd_lg.jpg
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on July 10, 2007 at 10:38:46 PT
Hope
Thank you for caring. I promise we will only putt around if we get the motor fixed and can do it. It is a State Park and it is heavily patrolled by Rangers. The Rangers are nice and when you have a problem they are right there to help. The only people killed on this lake were young people going to fast while skiing and getting to close to the rocks and they hit them. You better obey the safety rules or you will get ticketed and I appreciate that. There is no parking except in designated areas which has kept people from partying at the lake and throwing in beer bottles and polluting the lake. This lake is a water supply for a city south of us about 15 miles.
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Comment #47 posted by Hope on July 10, 2007 at 10:25:46 PT
Just be careful.
Don't let me be a buzz-kill. :0)Ok. Let me be a bit of a buzz-kill.Be careful and have fun.
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Comment #46 posted by Hope on July 10, 2007 at 10:21:31 PT
Like...
"He's from the DEA", sounds worse than, "He's of (or "with") the DEA."
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Comment #45 posted by FoM on July 10, 2007 at 10:20:41 PT
Hope
My one friend that has my horses was in a very bad boating accident and a friend was killed. I guess they were going fast and turned the boat to quickly and it went over and crashed. Our boat doesn't have the pointy bottom but a double hull which makes it more stable when walking around in the boat. Our motor isn't for skiing but for cruising. 
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Comment #44 posted by Hope on July 10, 2007 at 10:15:33 PT
The movie was in 3-D, too.
Talk about Saturday afternoon mesmerization!The movie was actually named, "The Creature From The Black Lagoon". I always tend to use the word "of" instead of "from" when I recall the memory. I'm sure, subconsciously, my mind considers "of" a safer term than "from". From means he's not there... he's "from" there. That means he might be anywhere!
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Comment #43 posted by FoM on July 10, 2007 at 10:09:49 PT
Hope
No black lagoons around here! LOL! I did see a black lagoon when we went to our son's wedding and we passed thru Arkansas and stayed at a campsite that had what I thought was a lake. The water was black and yucky. Luckily our water is clean and pretty but it's very deep at many points on the lake. People that like fishing catch big fish there too. The lake is about 11 miles long. You can cover the whole lake in a nice time of a half a day or so.
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Comment #42 posted by Hope on July 10, 2007 at 10:04:24 PT
Serendipity
Daughter was a lifeguard and now granddaughter is. Granddaughter is losing lots and lots of hours, this year, to storms.Don't swim well myself. Have had two or three near drowning situations. Pointed myself in the right direction and walked out, once while carrying a child above my head... the daughter who became a lifeguard...before she was a lifeguard and too adventurous for her own good... or mine. Something very powerful...like a huge movie screen...in my mind...won't let me be comfortable for very long in lakes...or water or lagoons of any sort.
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Comment #41 posted by Hope on July 10, 2007 at 09:50:28 PT
Not a water or boat person...
One word. The Creature of the Black Lagoon.http://tinyurl.com/2au2zsSaw several screenings of it up on the big screen as about a six year old. I was convinced.
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on July 10, 2007 at 09:26:48 PT
Hope
I hope the rain lets up for you soon. Rain is a gift but sometimes enough is enough. I have the boat all waxed and shiny and the guys are checking the motor. We have a couple local marinas that work on outboard motors so we will take it in for them to work on more then likely. We promised the couple that rent from us a day on the lake and I want to be able to do that for them. She has never been boating and we have such a beautiful lake just a few miles from here that we want to go out for a day. We will stay away from the cave! LOL! Thanks for caring.
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Comment #39 posted by Hope on July 10, 2007 at 09:15:05 PT
Ooops.
Sounds like a major job. You don't need to be out on that lake and around that dangerous cliff anyway! :0)Everyone's lawns around here look awful...and you can't mow because the ground is so boggy. Hay is NOT being harvested. It's too wet. If it's not one thing...it's another. Maybe we will be able to get a little hay in after this stops and before the fall rains start. At least it's not as hot and dry as last summer. The last two summers seemed endless and dangerously hot.It's so dark. Everyday. That bothers me. I need to have the sun shining outside to have a good day inside, even.
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Comment #38 posted by FoM on July 10, 2007 at 09:03:39 PT
Hope
You have had a lot of rain this summer. Usually by this time our lawn and fields stop growing but it's still fairly green. Up until the last few days we didn't even need to turn on the air conditioner. Right now I am doing a google search to find out how to clean a Mercury outboard motor's carburetors. It hasn't been started for many years and it turns over, has spark, but won't start. The gas smells foul too. 
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Comment #37 posted by Hope on July 10, 2007 at 08:28:35 PT
Guess what?
It's raining here.Rainiest summer I can recall.
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Comment #36 posted by Hope on July 10, 2007 at 07:50:53 PT
Comment 34
Thank you, FoM.
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on July 10, 2007 at 06:17:03 PT
Related Article from The Record Searchlight
July 10, 2007Shasta County Agencies Launch Operation To Eradicate Marijuana http://www.redding.com/news/2007/jul/10/weed-whackers/
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 13:14:33 PT
Hope
Yes Bush has given Texas and Cowboys a very bad reputation but you dear friend have shown me that Bush isn't a real Texan or a real Cowboy. You are a real Texan. PS: I'm glad it made you laugh. I think it's cute too.
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Comment #33 posted by Hope on July 09, 2007 at 13:08:10 PT
Ahhhh....
So true.But Bush is no cowboy. I promise you, that. He's made cowboy a dirty name. Dang it.
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Comment #32 posted by Hope on July 09, 2007 at 13:06:54 PT
Lol!
Thanks!
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 13:05:52 PT
From Some Humans Ain't Human
Have you ever noticedWhen you're feeling really goodThere's always a pigeonThat'll come shit on your hood***Or you're feeling your freedomAnd the world's off your backSome cowboy from TexasStarts his own war in Iraq
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Comment #30 posted by Hope on July 09, 2007 at 13:05:45 PT
Off topic and further off topic....
That posting of that song had nothing to do with anything. It's a pretty song...I just heard it...shared it.It's raining. Lot's of rain. It's July and it's rained just about, if not, every day since spring. It's a jungle out there....a boggy jungle. The insects are living lush and looking for blood...some of them anyway. It's dangerous out there and gardens and lawns are shaggy and boggy. Rain is good. Mostly. 
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Comment #29 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 13:03:26 PT
John Prine
Hope, we have Fair and Square and Souvenirs. I listen to those albums almost everyday along with the Traveling Wilburys. I really like Some Humans Ain't Human.http://www.jpshrine.org/lyrics/songs/fassomehumansainthuman.htmlhttp://www.jpshrine.org/lyrics/index.html
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Comment #28 posted by Hope on July 09, 2007 at 12:30:20 PT
"All The Best"  John Prine
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/prine-john/all-the-best-10881.html
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 11:03:41 PT
Hope
I understand where people are coming from if they tell me but as far as politics go I believe we need younger blood because all the people in politics are set in their way and lack a youthful vision for our future. We have young people trapped in poverty in cities and young people living on the streets and people who lack any direction or hope for a better country or just a better life. Older politicians seem to miss that big problem. I don't mean that grandparents are insensitive to their grandchildren but politics are different then love of family.
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Comment #26 posted by Hope on July 09, 2007 at 10:56:16 PT
I've found
that the main thing to always remember is that they, children, young people, everyone, are people. Having that kind of respect for others and paying attention to and respecting everyone's equal humanity, no matter their age, color, size, gender, or looks, is, I think, a very important "key" to unlock good things in life.
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 10:45:15 PT
Hope
I said I wouldn't either but I and many people aren't around children anymore so we don't know what their dreams are. 
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 10:43:56 PT
OT: Live Earth Lights Up Seven Continents 
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2007/2007-07-09-03.asp
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Comment #23 posted by Hope on July 09, 2007 at 10:43:40 PT
When I was a child...
In a moment of anger and frustration at adults, I promised myself I would never forget what it was like to be a kid. I haven't. As long as I have a healthy, working mind, I won't, either.
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 10:41:12 PT
Two Articles from OpEdNews.com
July 9, 2007Tell Your Children, a Daradigm of dope, Part IIhttp://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_robert_r_070709_tell_your_children_2c_.htm***July 6, 2007Tell Your Children, a Paradigm of Dope.http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_robert_r_070706_tell_your_children_2c_.htm
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 09:55:04 PT
Sam
I am 59 years old and I am not as sympathetic to the young generation because so many years are between the young and the boomer generation. I looked and Nader was born in 34 so he is now 73. If he won he would be over 80 years old before he would complete his second term. I think that politicians can be too old and stuck in their own mind set as to what is helpful to us in the USA and also they can get Alzheimers or die from old age. I don't want to be governed by old people. I have always felt that way. I have nothing against older people ( I'm one) but somethings just need to be passed on.
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 09:18:12 PT
Hope
I found one in Ohio. What a strange thing to name anything after alcohol. Yuk. http://wendypark.org/
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 09:14:46 PT
Sam
Al Gore was kept out of the loop by Bill Clinton. He was hushed up. The Clintons really are Republicans at heart or Bill Clinton wouldn't be like a second son to Barbara Bush.
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Comment #18 posted by Hope on July 09, 2007 at 08:21:23 PT

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area?
We have a park called "Whiskeytown"?
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Comment #17 posted by Sam Adams on July 09, 2007 at 08:19:10 PT

Showtime
thanks for the notice FOM, for others like me who don't have Showtime, we should be able to order pay per view, depending on what kind of cable access you have.Too bad I missed the Roger Waters show. When I tuned in all I saw was Melissa Etheridge & then Gore.I have problems with Al Gore. Where was he for 8 years as Clinton refused not only to sign the Kyoto treaty, but he also refused to even discuss it, ask Congress to act on it, etc.  I never heard a word coming out of Al Gore during all those 8 years about global warming. When he was actually in a position to do something about it. I'd prefer to see Nader on that stage. Someone who's always been committed to the environment from day 1. Someone who's made great personal sacrifices for the cause. Someone who's family doesn't own half of Occidental Petroleum, which has engaged in virtual genocide against the Uwa people Central America. Sorry, but I think Americans deserve honest heroes, not fake made-up ones. (also ones who's wife spent years attacking rock musicians).http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=468
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Comment #16 posted by Hope on July 09, 2007 at 08:17:08 PT

That last comment
was about the article in comment 12 about the Showtime special.
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Comment #15 posted by Hope on July 09, 2007 at 08:15:13 PT

It's sticking!
Great. They are being called what they are. Prohibitionists."This provocative film explores federal drug policy through the eyes of reform organizations, prohibitionist groups, politicians, drug war critics and scientists in an effort to make sense out of this divisive argument between drug abuse, recreational drug use and medicine."
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 08:14:38 PT

JustGetnby 
Thank you. When I see a name and am not sure what party they are in I do a google search. It seems that many people don't put they are a republican unless you can find it on Wikipedia. I wish they would say they are a republican if they are so I won't have to look or read more then I want about them. I avoid reading anything about republicans. It keeps me sane that way! LOL!
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Comment #13 posted by JustGetnby on July 09, 2007 at 08:01:25 PT

FOM
Wally Herger is a Republican, and a staunch drug warrior.
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on July 09, 2007 at 06:40:00 PT

Showtime Special: In Pot We Trust
IN POT WE TRUSTPROVOCATIVE DOCUMENTARY TAKES AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT
THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING MEDICAL MARIJUANA
PREMIERES JULY 9th ON SHOWTIMELOS ANGELES (June 11, 2007) – IN POT WE TRUST, a new SHOWTIME feature-length documentary about the controversial subject of medical marijuana as told through the unique lives of five chronically ill patients and the many advocates and opponents that surround this contentious issue, will make its television premiere on Monday, July 9th at 8:30 PM ET/PT.IN POT WE TRUST takes an in-depth look at the medicinal value of marijuana by focusing on five chronically ill individuals who receive medical marijuana from the U.S. government even though changes in the law have stopped this practice. Their illnesses range from M.S. and congenital cataracts to neurological dysfunction and incredibly painful maladies which are substantially relieved with marijuana cigarettes that have been provided by the federal government for years. While these individuals continue to get relief within the law, millions of others cannot. This provocative film explores federal drug policy through the eyes of reform organizations, prohibitionist groups, politicians, drug war critics and scientists in an effort to make sense out of this divisive argument between drug abuse, recreational drug use and medicine.Award-winning producer Star Price serves as writer, director and producer. Additionally, Joshua E. Kessler and Mark Wolper serve as producers.http://www.sho.com/site/announcements/20070611inpot.do
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Comment #11 posted by charmed quark on July 09, 2007 at 04:35:43 PT

correct link:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20070709_Its_time_to_rethink_marijuana_laws.html
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Comment #10 posted by charmed quark on July 09, 2007 at 04:34:08 PT

It's time to rethink marijuana laws

It's Time to Rethink Marijuana LawsKathleen Parker is a columnist for the Washington Post Writers Grouphttp://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20070709_Its_time_eto_rethink_marijuana_laws.htmlSame old sensible analysis on our "war on marijuana" that will be ignored by the drug warriors
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Comment #9 posted by The GCW on July 08, 2007 at 09:07:03 PT

Risk Truth
Cannabis Prohibition Still a Growing Risk on Public Lands
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on July 08, 2007 at 08:39:33 PT

About the Article
From the article: In the House of Representatives, Rep. Wally Herger's people say, the related bill would boost the Forest Service budget by $8.8 million, with an additional $29 million for the National Park Service's rangers.I wanted to find out what party he was in and he is a republican.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on July 08, 2007 at 08:37:36 PT

Sam Speaking of Pigs
I was impressed that they flew the pig around during Roger Water's performance of Another Brick in the Wall and everyone knew what the flying pig was about but they painted one side with save our sausage (SOS) on the pig I guess to throw some people off. 
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Comment #6 posted by ekim on July 08, 2007 at 08:37:11 PT

Sen.Feinstein ---no taxs being collected why?
For all the millions spent fighting marijuana growing, the stakes are far higher for the other side. The state attorney general's office estimated that last year the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting destroyed crops worth $6.7 billion -- and that's just the stuff drug agents found
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on July 08, 2007 at 08:35:17 PT

"They"
probably won't let them harvest the meat either.Insurance?Our times.Utter insanity rules. 
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on July 08, 2007 at 08:32:13 PT

Lord, Sam.
That's hideous.So sad. So hideous. So senseless. Did the insurance companies and their "policies" cause this, I wonder? It's horrible. Goats cry and cry when they are afraid, or grieve, or are hurt, or dieing. I can almost hear and see it. How horrible. The panic. The fear.
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Comment #3 posted by sam adams on July 08, 2007 at 08:27:45 PT

Pigs!!!
243 goats die after California trailer wreckBy Reuters | July 8, 2007SAN FRANCISCO -- More than 240 goats needlessly suffocated in an overturned livestock trailer because police would not let their herder free them, their owner said yesterday."They were screaming, screaming, screaming to get out," said Terri Oyarzun, owner of Goats R Us, an Orinda, Calif. , company that rents goats for grazing brush that poses fire hazards. "They died because the police wouldn't let them out of the trailer."In all, 243 goats died Friday after the four-tier truck trailer transporting them flipped when the truck's driver made a sharp turn in San Rafael, a town in Marin County north of San Francisco.Police were so concerned with controlling traffic and preventing another accident that they disregarded pleas by the goat's herder , Oyarzun said. About 150 goats survived, he said."Those goats didn't have to die," she said. "It wasn't necessary. We had herding dogs." 
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Comment #2 posted by John Tyler on July 08, 2007 at 08:16:02 PT

the solution is...
To be brief, re-legalization is the only answer to problem. If something is available and used by otherwise good people in every strata of society and they are all consuming it with no apparent harm and the only problem is that it is prohibited, then prohibition is the problem.  
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Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on July 08, 2007 at 07:34:25 PT

hazard = nazi
The hazard is prohibition itself.
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