As It Stands: Up in smoke: Obama’s promise to medical marijuana users

                                                  

                By Dave Stancliff/For The Times Standard
Remember how President Obama assured us he would work with the states who enacted medical marijuana laws when he campaigned for the presidency?
 He sure was blowing smoke on that one, wasn‘t he?
"The Obama administration really is more aggressive than the administration of his predecessor," said Americans for Safe Access (ASA) spokesman Kris Hermes in a  recent interview.
 The vast difference between Obama’s promises and what his administration is doing against medical marijuana has shocked many who voted for him. The “bringer of change” dangled some hope to states that approved medical marijuana, thereby snagging many votes. Obama clearly forgot what he had promised the states and the people living there after he got elected.  
  Obama’s war on medical marijuana is escalating and he’s blatantly trashing his promises. Incredible as it may seem, his administration has stated, “There are no medicinal properties in marijuana.” Not only is that a ridiculous thing to say, it’s a lie. 

  In the last twenty years, numerous independent studies and research done at universities across the country have revealed an ever-increasing number of medical applications for marijuana. Yet the Obama administration refuses to conduct any research on its own that might prove marijuana has medicinal properties.  
  Instead, they’ve chosen to conduct a search-and-destroy mission in California to eliminate state-approved pot dispensaries. A reign of terror intended to send a message.  It doesn’t matter that they take away people’s medicine and their way to get it safely.
 “We're not at war with people in this country," Obama's drug czar Gil Kerlikowske told The Wall Street Journal in May. I beg to differ. The raids on medical marijuana dispensaries have actually increased under Obama’s watch.
  The DEA propaganda machine tells the public marijuana has no medical qualities and is as dangerous as heroin. These outright lies are easily disproved by current and past research.
  Over the past eight months Obama has become arguably the worst president in U.S. history regarding medical marijuana. The most recent example is what happened to Northstone Organics, a Mendocino collective. They are the perfect example of cooperating with state law enforcement. The non-profit has been featured on Frontline (The Pot Republic), and was a pioneer for Mendocino County’s “ziptie” program.
   The Feds raided them anyway. California NORML Coordinator, Dale Gieringer, denounced the raid as a “shameful and despicable” attack on California’s most successful legally regulated marijuana cultivation program.”

  Escalating the war, US Attorney Laura Duffy says she’ll go after any marijuana advertising in the media. On September 21, Obama's ATF issued an open letter saying gun shops cannot sell guns to medical marijuana patients -- or people who are known to be addicted to drugs other than alcohol or tobacco, ironically enough.
Despite a previous Department Of Justice memo that targeting medical marijuana is an inefficient use of time and resources, four California-based U.S. Attorneys and their staffs have vowed an aggressive new crackdown on medical marijuana operations throughout the state.
   After Obama's inauguration, Attorney General Eric Holder said federal prosecutors would not enforce action against patients or providers who adhered to state law. Six months later, the new policy was officially articulated in the landmark Ogden memo: "Prosecution of individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable state law, or those caregivers in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state law who provide such individuals with marijuana, is unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources."
  What happened? Why the rabid all-out assault now? Either Obama has a short memory, or he’s been lying all along and waiting for an opportunity to step up the senseless war on marijuana. Also, look at the ties between Big Pharma (opposed to marijuana legislation for competition reasons) and the Obama administration.

 As Obama campaigns for his second term, one thing stands out to me: he’s an expert flip-flopper when it comes to political expediency.
 What you can do about this senseless war is to urge your Representative to co-sponsor HR1983, a bill forcing the Feds to stop their raids on state-approved medical marijuana programs.
  As It Stands, I suspect Obama (a former pot smoker) is going to have to answer to a large block of medical marijuana users who vote in 2012.

WEBSITES CARRYING THIS COLUMN: 

#1 http://newstweeters.com/2011/10/up-in-smoke-obama%E2%80%99s-promise-to-medical-marijuana-users-%E2%80%93-times/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=up-in-smoke-obama%25e2%2580%2599s-promise-to-medical-marijuana-users-%25e2%2580%2593-times
#2 Drug Sense

#3 http://www.brianccg.com/wp-content/plugins/FooterSpeed/display.php?dm=tw&k=Medical&t=search&baseurl=www.brianccg.com/wp-content/plugins/FooterSpeed/

#4 Hydrochronic Medical Marijuana Blog

#5 Social Toker – Where smokers socialize

Meet 1 % er John Hammergen: Nation’s Top ‘Robber Baron’

CEO: John Hammergren

Company: McKesson (MCK) Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Compensation: $131.2 million last year

Company net income (trailing 12 months): $1.2 billion

1-year shareholder return (as of Oct. 17): 17%

• Forbes.com: See the full list of the top 25 CEOs

I thought I’d share this profile of greed as an example of what the 99% ers of Occupy Wall Street are protesting about. His salary is obscene. Especially when you consider he pays less in taxes than you do! Gee…I wonder how Hammergren feels about legalizing marijuana?

Big-rig chicken spill recalls famous Hollywood Freeway Chickens

A big rig that spilled 5,000 live chickens ruffled a few feathers Thursday morning when they shut down lanes of a Northern California interstate near Vacaville, but longtime Angelenos may recall a similar poultry accident on the Hollywood Freeway that became part of L.A. lore.

In that 1969 crash, a truck driver was taking 500 to 1,000 chickens from the Valley to an L.A. slaughterhouse. At least 200 chickens flew the coop, escaping into the brush near the Vineland Avenue on ramp in Studio City.

Former Times columnist Steve Harvey, recalling that accident in a column in 2009, reported that the chickens -– like any good L.A. story –- quickly became famous and even inspired a screenplay.

"Commuters caught in traffic jams passed the time observing the free-living fowl," The Times' T.W. McGarry wrote. "Chickens have a slim repertoire of amusing antics, but it doesn't take much to distract someone inching up Cahuenga Pass at 2.2 mph." The so-called Freeway Chickens were fed by locals and lived for decades along the freeway. "They were dubbed the New Freeway Chickens in honor of Hollywood's love for sequels," Harvey wrote.

Study: Global Warming is real, lawyer brings drugs to jailed client, and a new trio of earthquakes rumble under Berkeley

   Good Morning Humboldt County!

You’re just in time for a cup of coffee and a few short reads to start the day. The weekend is upon us. I hope yours is relaxing and fun.

 

Climate study confirms what skeptics scoffed at: global warming is real

A new climate study shows that since the mid-1950s, global average temperatures over land have risen by 0.9 degrees Celsius (1.6 degrees Fahrenheit), confirming previous studies that have found a climate that has been warming – in fits and starts – since around 1900. The new research, which has yet to be formally published but which appears in four papers posted on BerkeleyEarth.org, uses new analytical techniques and a much larger set of records than the previous studies did.

Attorney arrested on suspicion of bringing drugs to jailed client

Acting on jailhouse intelligence, Los Angeles sheriff's deputies Friday arrested an attorney they say tried to smuggle 26 balloons of heroin and methamphetamine to a gang member in custody at the downtown courthouse.
Attorney Kenneth Markman, 47, was arrested on the 11th floor of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center when he tried to meet with his client in lockup. Deputies used a drug-sniffing dog to locate the narcotics wrapped in tape, said Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker. In addition to the balloons, Parker said, deputies recovered small hypodermic needles and marijuana in a taped package.

    New trio of earthquakes rumble under Berkeley

A trio of earthquakes rattled Berkeley just as Saturday began, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The aftershocks came just two days after a pair of quakes shook Berkeley, include one strong enough to knock items off  shelves.

The first quake Saturday was  magnitude 2.8 and hit at 12:06 a.m., with its epicenter less than 100 feet south of the Claremont Hotel Club and Spa. A 1.3 aftershock hit at 12:14 a.m.in the same neighborhood, followed by a 2.5 quake at 12:45 a.m.

On Twitter, Berkeley residents chatted about the latest quakes. "Much weaker than [Thursday's], but enough to put me back on edge for the night," tweeted @AChanceFind.

On Thursday, a pair of larger quakes rattled the region, a 3.8 in the afternoon and a 4.0 at night. The evening quake was large enough to cause some items to fall from shelves in some homes near the Berkeley epicenter, and some plaster fell from the ceiling of a business in Oakland, according to KRON-TV, KPIX-TV and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Time to walk on down the road…

GOP Chicken Hawks mad that the war in Iraq is ending

I’m not in the least surprised the “Just Say No Party” aka Republicans, are pissed that we’re pulling out of Iraq. Romney and the rest of the rabid right masquerading as senators and representatives for the people, don’t like the war machine to slow down.

Keeping at least one of his campaign promises, President Obama announced that all combat troops would be home for the holidays. Mind you, this pullout has been down on paper for two years, but now the Republicans are squealing like stuffed pigs that it’s too soon to pull out. In their beady little bird brains there is no good time to pull the talons of American’s military out of the oil-rich land they conquered nearly a decade ago.

My fondest wish would be to somehow gather up all of the GOP’s tough Chicken Hawks and put them in a special military unit. Then every dirty little war, or police action, this special unit would be the first to go into combat. What do you want to bet there’d be a world-wide pullout of American troops going back to the states?

graphic

 

Doomsday prediction fails, Wal-Mart cuts health care benefits, and a lawn full of zombie gnomes

           Good Morning Humboldt County!

The weather is getting cooler out and that first cup of hot coffee in the morning is a Zen-like experience. C’mon in and share a cup with me. You’ll be glad to learn that the world isn’t ending today, you’ll be disgusted with Wal-Mart, and amused by some zombie gnomes. Enjoy:

Preacher's doomsday forecast fizzles out ... again

Once again, the world failed to end, despite a high-profile prediction from a radio preacher in California.

Harold Camping, the 90-year-old leader of Family Radio International, stirred a global frenzy when he predicted that the Rapture would take 200 million Christians to heaven on May 21. When the Rapture didn't occur, Camping said he got his Bible-based calculations wrong and revised his prophecy to set the world's end on Friday, Oct. 21. But as the day wore on around the world, there was no sign that doomsday had dawned.

Wal-Mart rolls back health care benefits, NYT reports

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer and the nation's largest private employer, is slashing health benefits for part-time workers and raising premiums for many of its full-time staff, The New York Times reported Friday.

The newspaper said Wal-Mart announced to its workers this week that new part-time employees who work less than 24 hours per week on average would not be eligible for any of the company's health insurance plans. New employees who work 24 to 33 hours per week would not be allowed to add a spouse to their coverage, either, although children would still be covered.

    The night of the zombie gnomes
People like to dress up their lawns for Halloween with all kinds of scary things. I thought I’ve seen it all, but then I saw the zombie gnomes!

Looks like another garden gnome is about to get turned! Imagine a horde of these handmade zombie gnomes on your lawn this Halloween night.

Some wandering aimlessly (babbling incoherently in a British accent about travel plans, no doubt) while others feast on an unfortunate pink flamingo. $39 - Etsy via Nerd Approved

Time to walk on down the road…

 

Clueless Criminals: home raided after 'heroin for sale' fliers posted

This group of six brain-dead Portland, Oregon, drug dealers were so confident their neighborhood was safe to deal drugs that they passed out 8x10 fliers advertising “heroin for sale.”

Here’s what should really get them posted forever in a hall of fame for stupid criminals:  they put their names and the address of the drug house on the fliers.

No really… go here and check it out.

Photo: They had a lot more than heroin to offer. There was marijuana, a sawed-off shotgun, thousands of dollars in cash, and the materials for a methamphetamine lab inside the home.

NBA lockout talks have stopped, things looking extremely grim

Just when things were starting to look up — federal mediators! Marathon bargaining sessions! Small concessions from both sides! — it’s starting to look very, very grim for NBA fans once again.

According to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, talks between the owners and the players have stopped, and the lockout has suffered what Wojnarowski calls a “huge setback”:Talks on a 50-50 BRI split broke down, and labor talks have ended, source tells Y! No new meetings scheduled. Huge setback in this lockout

Take a look at the 10 most secret societies in the world

No matter what their supposed purpose, there’s something inherently sinister about a secret society. Though most are formed with relatively realistic political and religious goals in mind, their focus on mystery and secrecy has made them the target of countless criticisms and conspiracy theories involving everything from aliens and the occult to world domination. Of course, the reality is usually much more innocuous, but that doesn’t mean that the groups don’t have some fascinatingly weird practices, or that they haven’t had an impact on world events.

With this in mind, the following are ten of the most famous and influential secret societies in history:

   Skull and Bones

        Famous Members
  George H.W. Bush, George W.Bush, John Kerry

Ivy League Colleges are known for their many secret societies and student organizations, and of these Yale’s Skull and Bones is probably the most famous. The society taps new students for membership every spring, and the only real prerequisite for membership is that the initiate be a campus leader. As such, athletes, members of the student council, and fraternity presidents are often considered. Skull and Bones counts among its membership U.S. Presidents, Senators, and Supreme Court Justices, which has lead many to argue that the group works as some kind of underground organization for the high-powered political elite. There is no denying that the club is well funded: an alumni organization called the Russell Trust Association bankrolls its activities, and the group supposedly owns an island in upstate New York.

Secret Practices
Skull and Bones’ membership is no longer kept secret, but their practices still are. The order meets twice a week, but just what goes on at their meetings has never been revealed. To the disappointment of conspiracy theorists, what rumors have come out are relatively innocuous. The group has supposedly taken part in a number of pranks, and was once even sued by chairman of the Apache tribe, who claimed the Bonesmen were in possession of the skeleton of Geronimo. Beyond this, the group is known for allegedly forcing new members to relate their sexual history to the rest of the society, and for giving out nicknames to each initiate. In a widely reported rumor, President George H.W. Bush was supposedly known as “Magog,” a name given to the Bonesman with the most sexual experience

Go here to read about the other nine secret societies. 

Gadhafi killed, thief uses crane to steal Jeep, and study reveals how gross public bathrooms are

           Good Morning Humboldt County!

It’s coffee time and all visitors are welcome. I’m serving up some hot Joe and stories to start your day. So c’mon in, pull up a seat, and join me. 

 

'We have been waiting for this moment': Libya confirms Gadhafi is dead

Deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has been killed, the Libyan prime minister confirmed Thursday, following news of his capture and reports of his death.

The ousted dictator died of wounds suffered in his capture near his hometown of Sirte, according to a senior National Transitional Council military official and a government minister. "He was killed in an attack by the fighters. There is footage of that," the NTC's information minister, Mahmoud Shammam, told Reuters.

The military official, Abdel Majid Mlegta, told Reuters that Gadhafi was taken at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy that NATO warplanes had attacked.

UPDATE:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This video just in around 11:00 PST…

Up... and away! Thief uses crane to steal jeep

A thief used a crane to lift a Jeep Wrangler off of a northern Indiana car lot over the weekend, local media reported. Surveillance camera footage at LaPorte Chrysler showed someone driving a truck carrying a crane onto the lot, then circling around to park next to the 2008 Wrangler, Chicago NBC station WMAQ reported. Then the thief hooked the Jeep with the crane and loaded it onto a trailer.The entire operation, which occurred at 6:40 a.m. Sunday, took all of six minutes, according to WMAQ.

Don't touch! Study confirms your worst fears about public potties

No. 1: A new study on the germ orgies going down in America’s public restrooms truly puts the “P” in repulsive, repugnant and “Hey, how awesome are my Depends?”

No. 2: If you can, maybe just hold it until you get home.

Yes, we’re talking about relieving those two basic bodily functions and doing so in some of most bacteria-bedecked spaces anywhere. As long suspected, bathroom surfaces in U.S. restaurants, airplanes, stores, hospitals and other busy locales are often heavily contaminated with illness-causing microbes – and, in some cases, the bug colonies are even too large to measure, according to a paper to be presented Friday to the Infectious Diseases Society of America in Boston.

Time to walk on down the road…

Warning: 'Natural' diet pills tainted with banned prescription drug

Twenty brands of dietary supplements touted as so-called natural weight loss aids have been found to contain a prescription drug pulled from the market for safety concerns, the Food and Drug Administration warned today.

Products marketed under names like “A-Slim 100% Natural Slimming Capsules,” “P57 Hoodia,” “PhentaBurn Slimming Capsules,” and “Dream Body Slimming Capsules,” were found to contain sibutramine. That's actually the medication more commonly known under the brand name Meridia -- a prescription weight-loss drug that was removed from the U.S. market last October  because it was linked to heart attacks and stroke.

According to the FDA warning, “the product poses a threat to consumers because sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients and may present a significant risk for patients with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or stroke.  This product may also interact in life-threatening ways with other medications a consumer may be taking."

Click here for a full list of products listed in the FDA warnings.