Saturday, March 31, 2007

Karen Tandy speaking the truth This gem from a speech by DEA head Karen Tandy back in 2005 has been making the rounds, and it is so true that I had to include it here as the quote of the day: Our fight against drugs clearly knows no borders, it respects no age, and it respects no jurisdictions. We are all shared partners in the travesty that it wreaks upon our children and the future generations for all our countries. Yes, Karen, that is a perfect description of your drug war. 5:16:58 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Huh? You know those horrible, nasty terrorists that they've been keeping on Guantánamo? You know how we've been giving up all our civil liberties supposedly because we're in such danger? Well, they finally finished the trial for one of the most "dangerous." Australian David Hicks pleaded guilty at the Guantánamo Bay Navy Base yesterday to supporting terrorism in exchange for a nine-month prison sentence under a plea deal that forbids him from claiming he was abused in U.S. custody. In return, Hicks, 31, will be allowed to leave Guantánamo within 60 days to serve out the sentence in his native Australia. He will be free by New Year's Eve. Meanwhile, Richard Paey is still serving 25 years in prison for taking medicine for multiple sclerosis and failed spine surgery. I am angry on so many levels, I can't sort through them all right now. 12:41:42 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Weekend Updates Server problems. Sorry for those of you who were having problems accessing the site yesterday. Salonblogs was undergoing emergency server repair and the comments were out (and tended to freeze up the loading of this page). Welcome to WJBC listeners who caught me on the Steve Fast show yesterday. I had a fun time on the show, although it was way too short to really get the points across about the problems with prohibition. If you have any comments, questions, or disagreements, please feel free to post them here. WJBC also has this very short (just a few seconds) audio clip of Greg Francisco from Thursday's panel. Nice pick. For some light reading, check out this entertaining piece: Bong Hits' Dude Strikes a Blow for Class Clowns With Passover beginning Monday, there may be some Ashkenazim wishing they were Sephardim. More drug war victims of one kind or another via The Agitator: Botched Drug Raid Kills Ex-Marine (disturbing story with more here); Colorado Makes Way for the Next Peter McWilliams (read the entire Denver Post article -- it's heartwrenching); John Tierney covers the pain doctor re-trial in Opening Salvos at the Hurwitz Trial. 8:56:51 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []