cannabisnews.com: Wacky Grassley, Not Tobaccy





Wacky Grassley, Not Tobaccy
Posted by CN Staff on March 23, 2009 at 06:38:00 PT
By DI Editorial Board
Source: Daily Iowan
Iowa -- Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa has indicated that he opposes President Obama’s recent changes to how the federal Drug Enforcement Agency approaches medical marijuana. Grassley’s tired, predictable response demonstrates the extent to which he is out of touch on this issue.During the course of the grueling 2008 election cycle, Obama promised to end federal raids against medical marijuana dispensaries operating in states that legally allow them. Though this pledged policy change didn’t occur immediately after the president’s inauguration, administration officials have now made it clear that Obama intends to keep his word.
“Given the limited resources that we have, our focus will be on people and organizations that are growing, cultivating substantial amounts of marijuana, and doing so in a way that’s inconsistent with federal and state law,” Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters at the Justice Department according to the Associated Press. The federal government would continue to go after those who “use medical marijuana laws as a shield” for other crimes, he said.But it wasn’t the possibility of people abusing the system that upset Grassley. The Iowa senator made it clear that he is strongly opposed to medical marijuana in the abstract.“This attorney general is not doing health-care reform any good,” ABC News reported that Grassley said. “The first rule of medicine — ‘do no harm’ — is being violated by the attorney general with this decision.”Grassley went on to assert that the Obama administration’s new policy is counterproductive because marijuana is a gateway drug that leads people to try and then become addicted to harder drugs, such as methamphetamine. However, this common prohibitionist claim is highly dubious.One can easily find studies purporting to show alternatively that marijuana use does or does not lead to the abuse of more harmful drugs. But groups such as the Office of National Drug Control Policy or the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws only tend to tout research that supports the very positions they exist to advocate. Thus, as is often the case with such politically charged issues, it’s difficult to separate fact from spin.In such a situation it makes sense for the federal government to step back, allow the people of each state to choose their own policies, and wait to see what actually works best. To his credit, that’s exactly what Obama seems to be doing.Currently, 13 states allow for the legal use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Michigan is the most recent state to pass such a law, which was enacted through a referendum that garnered the support of 63 percent of voters last November.But unyielding prohibitionists such as Grassley need not look outside of Iowa to find serious political figures who support medical marijuana. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, has drafted a bill that would allow some patients in this state to use the plant.“The bill is essentially an attempt to address the suffering that people are in,” he told The Daily Iowan, giving cancer and multiple sclerosis as examples of painful diseases that marijuana could potentially ease. “People with severe medical conditions are not being helped by conventional medications. Studies have found that marijuana is an effective treatment.”Bolkcom’s bill didn’t advance to the point where the Iowa Senate could vote on it this year, but he said he would try again in the future. And time seems to be on his side. Though Sen. Merlin Bartz, R-Grafton, doesn’t think the legislation Bolkcom drafted provides enough checks and balances, he told the DI that he was supportive of the general concept.How the federal government’s experiment in allowing states to decriminalize marijuana for medical purposes will work out remains to be seen. Many of those who approve of the new policy remain cautious regarding Obama’s commitment to it.“Thus far, it’s been hard to tell if the administration’s statements on medical marijuana are style or substance,” libertarian drug-war critic Radley Balko wrote on his blog. “But if Sen. Charles Grassley is pissed off about it, that’s a pretty sign that they’re doing the right thing.”Source: Daily Iowan, The (IA Edu)Published: March 23, 2009Copyright: 2009 The Daily IowanContact: daily-iowan uiowa.eduWebsite: http://www.dailyiowan.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/jZUPmkCbRelated Article:GOP Senator Blasts New Med Marijuana Policyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24596.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #44 posted by Hope on March 24, 2009 at 10:50:31 PT
These people. These prohibitionists. 
Our law enforcement. They are like bandits. They are like holes in the ground. They are snares and traps.Is that good government and law enforcement?
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Comment #43 posted by Dankhank on March 24, 2009 at 04:31:14 PT
yes
they should ... damn maroons ...
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Comment #42 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 20:51:41 PT
Some, many people benefit from cannabinoids.
Some more than others. Some people direly need them.Prohibitionists should be so ashamed. They've killed many animals, many people, even so many children, to keep people from consuming cannabinoids.
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Comment #41 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 20:47:25 PT
The maroons should be so very ashamed.
I think. 
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Comment #40 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 20:42:39 PT
Mmmmm
That picture on that Cannazine page... makes me want a few of those drizzled in some seasoned olive oil... or hemp oil, for some reason.Three in a small bowl. Drizzled in oil. Nice salad.Maybe more bitter herbs and greens with them. Maybe just them.Mmmmm.
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on March 23, 2009 at 20:38:05 PT
Excerpt From Canna Zine News
The study by Manuel Guzmán of Madrid Spain found that cannabinoids, the active components of marijuana, inhibit tumor growth in laboratory animals.They do so by modulating key cell-signalling pathways, thereby inducing direct growth arrest and death of tumor cells, as well as by inhibiting the growth of blood vessels that supply the tumor.The Guzman study is very important according to Dr. Ethan Russo , a neurologist and world authority on medical cannabis:"Cancer occurs because cells become immortalized; they fail to heed normal signals to turn off growth. A normal function of remodelling in the body requires that cells die on cue. This is called apoptosis, or programmed cell death.That process fails to work in tumors. THC promotes its reappearance so that gliomas, leukemias, melanomas and other cell types will in fact heed the signals, stop dividing, and die.""But, that is not all," explains Dr. Russo: "The other way that tumors grow is by ensuring that they are nourished: they send out signals to promote angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels. Cannabinoids turn off these signals as well. It is truly incredible, and elegant."URL: http://drugsense.org/url/mnsY1JGL
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Comment #38 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 20:37:53 PT
Sorry
Straining at them damned gnats and swallowing them danged camels.
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Comment #37 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 20:37:18 PT
Comment 35
Lol!Now there's the one they'll let blow on by them.Straining at them damn gnats and missing them danged camels. 
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Comment #36 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 20:34:36 PT
Maybe we won't have to.
"I posted this link so that people can get prepared to blast holes in the next wave of propaganda."It's already pretty full of holes. Maybe it'll blow on by like so many others like it have. Let them publish it. It might be relevant and helpful to someone, some where.This one's not as bed as some. It's not as bad as the possible testicular cancer or the possible schizophrenia one. At least everyone afflicted with this possible, but apparently rare, outcome, has a cure for it and get's clean, to boot."Dramatic?" Puking is always dramatic, though. Good grief.
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on March 23, 2009 at 20:33:35 PT
News Article From Canna Zine News
Cannabis Could Save Thousands of Cancer Patients Say DoctorsURL: http://drugsense.org/url/mnsY1JGL
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Comment #34 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 20:24:28 PT
Twenty one in the world?
Know how many people in the world have wound up puking after alcohol consumption of varying degrees, from time to time, over the years? It is hard to believe. I don't think I've ever witnessed or experienced this "Dramatic" phenomenon the researcher speaks of. I think it's more likely they've been using contaminated cannabis. But then again... how much are they smoking? Two or three ounces a day? I might feel a bit smoked to the bone, smoke "cured", and puky, too, if I smoked that much.
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Comment #33 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 20:16:13 PT
That area of Australia, as I recall,
and I could be wrong about this, but I think it's riddled with mines and refinement waste. Hazardous waste. There was a huge struggle between the people living there and the polluting the big mining companies were doing.Man, BGreen, I know about that bone stuff. All my teeth started hurting and getting loose. Loose! I'm so glad I got off of it as soon as I did. There was a lot of pain all over, too. Especially my legs and jaws. It was rough. I couldn't do it. It was bad. Not quite as bad as getting phloxed by the leviquen stuff... but it was miserable.Doc told me when I couldn't take it, and other people, too, "Broken bones hurt, too." I told her, and them, "I've had broken bones. The pain brought on from that medicine, for me, is like many broken bones."
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Comment #32 posted by christ on March 23, 2009 at 19:46:27 PT
australian vomiting story
I seem to remember reading reports from our federal agencies that dismissed mmj research simply because it was conducted in a foreign country like Israel, or others in western Europe. Since this report only has ONE US case, then it is an isolated incident, right? This story shows that it's unfortunate that the Australian government isn't taking responsibility to protect its citizens by regulating the manufacture, purity, and potency of cannabis. Did sativex have to run lab rat tests that would expose those rats to daily and "heavy" doses... to see if they threw up too? Maybe at a given potency, there is some usage ceiling that rats or people generally shouldn't exceed... for example 1oz of vodka or 5oz wine. Come to think of it, this article doesn't show what exactly the guy in the US consumed.
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Comment #31 posted by BGreen on March 23, 2009 at 19:45:26 PT
Bogus Australian BS
Due to the isolated geography and rare occurrence of this alleged "syndrome," I would argue that the alleged "syndrome" is a result of a contamination of the cannabis that was consumed. Maybe the local Barney Fife's decided to spray something to try to kill the growing cannabis or maybe some unscrupulous black market profiteer used pesticides on the cannabis, something a real cannabis connoisseur would NEVER dream of doing.But, even if it were true, tell me one other side effect of ANY legal or illegal drug where that undesirable effect is alleviated by a simple bath or shower. Those drugs that build bone density can cause jaw bone necrosis which means the bone in your jaw dies. That's a legal group of commonly prescribed drugs that can kill your jaw bone and cause half of your face to disintegrate but a shower-alleviated bout of nausea is a "syndrome" that we should be worried about?Give me a break!The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #30 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 19:04:28 PT
Comment 24
Dang!I've never seen or heard of anything like that before. Except people usually do want to shower when they've been puking their guts out, for whatever reason, as soon as they can.It might be a reaction to overuse.Dang! Again.I don't know whether to believe it or not. I guess it's possible... but... Dang!
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Comment #29 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 18:57:07 PT
Bugs
Hence, the childhood joy.Chomp chomp chomp.... "Yehnnnn... What's up, Doc?"I don't want to call people "Fools" or "Idiots"... for heaven's sake... it's against my religion. For real.But "Maroons"? There's something about my childhood that makes it pretty danged irresistible sometimes.Brings back memories of my little brother saying, "Mama! She called me a "Maroon"!" and "Don't call your brother a maroon."
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Comment #28 posted by mykeyb420 on March 23, 2009 at 18:46:14 PT
oops
I meant 67
tweety
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Comment #27 posted by mykeyb420 on March 23, 2009 at 18:43:33 PT
off topic
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to TWEETY BIRD,,,from Warner Bros cartoons..He is 60
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Comment #26 posted by mykeyb420 on March 23, 2009 at 18:40:36 PT
comment #24
It sounds like they are smoking other than cannabis,,or there is something added to the pot,,,
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Comment #25 posted by GeoChemist on March 23, 2009 at 18:05:07 PT
Sure, and
where did the information come from? Generally, dot com sites are the least credible for information. But think about it; heavy abuse world-wide and, what was it, 5 alleged cases? It is however good to know if this "condition" surfaces a hot shower and a break cures it. I'll take MY chance........
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Comment #24 posted by Cheebs1 on March 23, 2009 at 17:25:03 PT:
Here We Go
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/researchers-find-new-cannabis-syndrome-20090324-97ne.htmlHere we go folks. This is apparently going to be the "downfall" of marijuana as medicine. I posted this link so that people can get prepared to blast holes in the next wave of propaganda.The research is in and, as always, facts are going to be twisted to help the status quo. How many here believe this one? 
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Comment #23 posted by fight_4_freedom on March 23, 2009 at 17:00:03 PT
Calm, but he quickly disputed the claim
that marijuana smoke contains more carcinogens than tobacco smoke does. And I like how he added our favorite fun facts. No overdoses and no cases of lung cancer caused by Cannabis.But I do really like his cool demeanor. Great spokesperson for our movement. And finally it's starting to seem like the people doing these interviews are more on our side.Things are finally turning around for us. This is a wonderful time to be alive.
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Comment #22 posted by dankhank on March 23, 2009 at 16:57:54 PT
Morans ...
I read you comment and I agree ...
plus ... when I see maroons, I always think of Bugs ...
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 16:52:40 PT
Dankhank, re: Maroons, morons, and morans....
I think I'm more comfortable with "Maroon". "Moran" without quotes just looks like I can't spell. That's a funny picture, though.
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 16:47:29 PT
He did very, very, very well. 
He did extraordinarily well!He may be the coolest, calmest, most focused man alive.Very well done.
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 16:43:37 PT
Rob Kampia
Did anyone see the video of him dealing with Joyce Nalepka, recently, at a press conference MPP had called to announce the findings about those field drug testing kits?He was restrained, polite, but firm, forthright, and honest. He did very well.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on March 23, 2009 at 16:00:02 PT
fight_4_freedom 
Thank you for the video. Rob Kampia does a good job of representing our issue.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on March 23, 2009 at 15:47:36 PT
Maine: Legislature To Decide on MMJ Treatment
Legislature To Decide on Medical Marijuana TreatmentReported By Susan SharonMarch 23, 2009   Sometime in the next couple of months, Maine lawmakers will take up a bill that could revolutionize the way medical marijuana patients are treated in Maine and how they get access to the drug. If the Legislature fails to approve the Maine Medical Marijuana Act, the measure will be headed for Maine voters this fall. That's because supporters have gathered more than 55,000 valid signatures to get it on the ballot. In the second part of our report on medical marijuana, Susan Sharon looks at what the initiative would do and how it would be regulated.  
URL: http://www.mpbn.net/News/MaineNews/tabid/181/ctl/ViewItem/mid/1858/ItemId/9811/Default.aspx
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Comment #16 posted by Cheebs1 on March 23, 2009 at 15:47:16 PT:
Typical
In response to the article from the Baptist Press "touting" the ills of medicinal marijuana, I have this to say. Your site is typical of any of the propaganda spewing, "faith based", right wing, and that includes the ONDCP, DEA, and NIDA, sites that don't allow people to comment on the posted articles. It seems to me that if you aren't interested in anyone's opinion but your's you can never learn anything. Lies are easy to tell if there is no discussion about the facts presented. If you really feel this is something that is terrible, open it up to discussion on your site and admit that you are giving your own personal opinion as to what is right and what is not. Unfortunately some people misconstrue preacher's, father's , reverend's words as coming from God. I am very sorry to say that they do not. They come from regular men that are easily bought, lied to, and corrupted. Any site that posts news and doesn't allow people to comment isn't posting news. It's posting an opinion that they don't want to know may be wrong. 
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Comment #15 posted by fight_4_freedom on March 23, 2009 at 15:45:44 PT
MPP making some noise
http://tinyurl.com/dhwn5cRob Kampia Debates Marijuana Regulation on CNBC Power Lunch
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on March 23, 2009 at 14:50:04 PT
No Sentence Yet in Landmark Medical Pot Trial
URL: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/health/topics/No-Sentence-Yet-in-Landmark-Medical-Pot-Trial.html
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on March 23, 2009 at 13:53:42 PT
Two Articles From The Baptist Press
Federal Shift in Marijuana Policy is Called 'Disastrous'March 23, 2009WASHINGTON (BP)--The Obama administration's "surrender to bad state policies on so-called medicinal marijuana will have disastrous effects," a Southern Baptist ethics leader said in response to a shift in marijuana policy indicated by Attorney General Eric Holder.URL: http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=30120***Legalizing Marijuana IncrementallyMarch 23, 2009URL: http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=30124
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on March 23, 2009 at 13:36:36 PT
Hope
I don't know how much money went into his pocket and that might make a difference in sentencing. I'm surprised they didn't try to go after who supplied the 200 kilos (I think that was the amount quoted) over that short time. I really am at a loss for words.
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 13:32:02 PT
The Lynch verdict...
A moran could figure that one out. But a moran might want to punish, feed the prison and law industry, and waste as much money as possible, too.I suspect the fact that there is a heck of a lot of money involved, too, has more bearing on the case than it ought to. I know there was a lot of money involved, but I don't remember how much it was and what came from where. How much of it was, if any, unreasonable, or outlandish profit drawn by Lynch? I hope there was none. Lynch seems sincere and a lot of people are grateful for his help. That means a lot.I've been hoping for "Time Served".
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on March 23, 2009 at 13:25:06 PT
Hope
I've been anxious about the sentencing that was to have happened today. Heaven knows what will happen until it's finally over.
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Comment #9 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 13:20:36 PT
That's good. 
I've been anxious, knowing today was the day he was supposed to be sentenced.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on March 23, 2009 at 13:16:50 PT
LA Times Blog: Charles Lynch
Federal Judge Postpones Medical Marijuana Sentencing March 23, 2009A federal judge in Los Angeles this morning postponed the sentencing of a man who emerged as a key figure in the national debate over medical marijuana, saying he wanted additional information about a reported change in the Justice Department’s policy regarding such prosecutions.U.S. District Court Judge George H. Wu asked prosecutors for a written response from the Justice Department about its position on medical marijuana prosecutions in light of recent comments from Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr.Holder said last week that the Justice Department under President Obama had no plans to prosecute dispensary owners who operated within their state's law.Wu said he did not believe that any change in policy would affect the conviction of Charles Lynch, 47. But the judge said he wanted to consider any new information about the policy before imposing sentence.Lynch’s trial this summer showcased the issue of conflicting state and federal marijuana laws.Cultivating, using, and selling doctor-recommended medical marijuana is allowed under some circumstances in California and a dozen other states, but federal law bans the drug altogether.Lynch, of Morro Bay, argued at trial that he had the blessing of the mayor and other city officials when he opened his Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers in spring 2006. Lynch’s defense attorneys wanted to present evidence that Lynch was providing a service to seriously ill patients for whom doctors had recommended marijuana. But they were barred from doing so because the U.S. Supreme Court has concluded that the reason someone distributes marijuana in violation of federal law is irrelevant.Prosecutors portrayed Lynch as a cynical entrepreneur who took advantage of the state’s medical marijuana law to sell about $2 million worth of pot from 2006 until last year, when his store was raided. They accused him of carrying around a backpack stuffed with cash, like a common drug dealer.Following the verdict in August, the jury forewoman said jurors believed Lynch “meant well” but concluded that he was breaking federal law.-- Scott GloverCopyright:
 2009 Los Angeles TimesURL: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/03/federal-judge-p.html
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 12:24:06 PT
"Morans"
That's funny, Dankhank.Saved. 
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Comment #6 posted by Dankhank on March 23, 2009 at 11:22:46 PT
Maroons ...
are everywhere ...and they continue to amaze ...Here's one that presents a variation on the term ...http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blpic-moran.htmwe can use both ... :-)be sure to save a copy of the photo ...I originally saw this photo on an alternet story ...enjoy ...peace
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 10:46:49 PT
Runruff
That's so funny that you should mention "Maroon". When I was thinking about cussing and name calling the other day, I remembered what great use we used to make of that phrase. For several years it was sprinkled liberally through these comments.I like it. It adds a note of childhood joy, and takes the sting of the bitterness out of using the one o word.
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 09:50:08 PT
‘do no harm’
We were just talking about that here, a few days ago.He's certainly got a different view than we do.Has he ever read the side effects or even heard the commercials on TV about what some pharmaceuticals can do to you? I'd say cannabis was a wonderful thing in the 'do no harm', but maybe, 'do some good', department.
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Comment #3 posted by runruff on March 23, 2009 at 09:19:19 PT
Sin Chas. Grass Lee?
"But if Sen. Charles Grassley is pissed off about it, that’s a pretty good sign that they’re doing the right thing.”Look and appreciate with an historical perspective, the relic from the last century. A dying breed of confusion and misplaced loyalties. campaigning with an ideal based on the perpetration ignorance and fear.Whenever I come across one of these hatched dinosaur eggs I wonder who would vote for such an obvious maroon?-[Yosemite Sam's version of moron]. Then I look for the tell-tale "R" next to their name and then realize what the attraction is? He is one of the leaders in the Maroon Club!Maybe if all Repubs wore a maroon hat we could sight identify them. We could point and shout, "hey look at the maroons"!This man is a perfect example of how ignorance and politics, when mixed, can cause people to suffer. That is why this man deserves to spend his day in the public stocks!
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Comment #2 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 09:06:27 PT
Wow!
The first thing I notice about this article is that it was actually published in Grassley's home state, Iowa.
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Comment #1 posted by Hope on March 23, 2009 at 09:05:02 PT
A good column.
http://www.thestar.com/World/Columnist/article/606049A fresh approach in American war on drugs
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