Apparently, even if the referendum passes it doesn't mean that possession of small amounts of marijuana will be legal. Federal Law bans marijuana possession, and the US Supreme Court has indicated that States cannot make exceptions for medical use.
What I found interesting as I read the Newsweek article was the poll by people who had visited the MSNBC site. Obviously, this poll is not reliable, if the point is to find out what a "representative" group of people think. And perhaps the nature of the article is going to attract more people who are interested in legalizing marijuana. Ok, fine.
I'm interested in the issue of legalizing marijuana because it is one of those topics that I don't think gets discussed as much as it should. There are some non-wacko people who favor decriminalizing marijuana possession and use. For example, New Mexico's Republican governor believes that the nation's multi-million dollar war on drugs has been a failure that puts too many people in prison. I think that the movie Traffic did a great job of addressing this issue in an artistic way. The War on Drugs costs a lot of money, and there is little mainstream discussion of what the return on that investment is. Are people simply afraid to discuss it? Why?
Harvey Birdman - "Once a third-rate superhero, Harvey Birdman is now a third-rate lawyer trying like hell to get by in a fancy law firm." Sounds like my kind of superhero. via Howard
6:19:42 PM
University at Albany, N.Y. is Helping Government with Technology
Gimme that Old Time Religion? - I assume this is not what they mean when they say "spare the rod and spoil the child."
2:19:45 PM
Lands End sued for copyright infringement - Suit was brought by a Texas Author and motivational speaker because Lands End supposedly didn't get permission to use her written materials. [Story Link]
Interesting article about this in Slate that I missed until Howard inadvertently pointed me to it. I don't have a dog in the hunt on this one, as they say. But, Dahlia Lithwick raises a provocative question:
Is the "wall" between church and state, as conceived by Thomas Jefferson, truly a wall, or a drive-thru, wherein the Constitution is not violated so long as everyone has equal access to what's on the other side and so long as everyone freely chooses to order? [Story Link]
Well, okay, maybe I do own a small dog. Frankly, I favor vouchers because the public schools system in New Orleans is so bad, and most people (me included) send their kids to private religious schools. But I don't think the constitutional analysis should be based on what outcome is desirable for my community, or some other group of communities.
9:48:45 AM
