Friday, June 24, 2005

“I am looking for a kind society where the human mind and the human heart are the most important elements, not the elbow."
Stefan Heym 1913-2001

Federal authorities raided three San Francisco medical marijuana spots on Wednesday and arrested 13 people. That's what's happening in the picture above.

It was just a week or so ago the Supreme Court gave the green light to such things by denying states the right to regulate such activity without the paternal arm of the federal government putting the squeeze on.

The Feds say the raids had nothing to do with the decision and were part of a long-running investigation of an ecstasy/marijuana ring. One can hope, but the Feds also said prisoners aren’t being mistreated at Guantanamo and that Saddam Hussein was ready to dispense with an American city or two if we didn’t flatten his country and our finances.

This is what happens when you lie. People stop believing you.

In California a Field Poll demonstrated there is support for limiting the use of union dues to wage political battle. This is the purpose behind one of the immensely unpopular (g)overnor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (r) “special election” initiatives.

Special elections, for those of you who don’t live in the Golden State, are what governors that can’t work things out with the peoples’ representatives convoke.

It’s the body builder’s whole reason for being politically. If you doubt the (r)epublican desire to eliminate points of view and political forces other than their own, just remember what Karl Rove said the other day about liberals aiding the enemy after 9/11 etc.

This is how the right wing operates everywhere: link moderation and anti-militarism with weakness and the enemy itself. Hitler, Franco, Mussolini, Pinochet and Nixon all made a religion of tying the tolerant to the extremes of the left and too many innocent people suffered or died as a result.

Don’t let this happen, folks. Were it not for these unions taking the fight to him, the Austrian autocrat would be greasing the wheels of a presidential bid instead of mulling a return to the warm confines of his B-movie production house in Santa Monica.

He is not a friend of “the people” and he is not to be trusted.

And remember, some times this democracy stuff works, because the House backed down from its plan for dealing a death knell to public broadcasting thanks to thee the phone calls, e-mails, and exhortations of those who need an alternative to “Fear Factor” and pop singer competitions.

And finally, this from the California governor’s office:

[g]overnor Arnold Schwarzenegger today released the following statement regarding the death of Petty Officer 2nd Class Cesar O. Baez of Pomona:

“Maria and I want to join all Californians in expressing our sympathies to Cesar’s family. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and we are forever indebted to him for service.”

Baez, 37, died June 15, as a result of enemy small arms fire while conducting combat operations in al-Anbar province, Iraq. He was a hospital corpsman assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.

In honor of Baez, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff."

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