Opinion // Current

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1 day ago

Half baked in Alaska, Palins gone fishin'

Half baked in Alaska, Sarah Palins gone fishin' for some explanation for her bizarre resignation as Goverrnor of Alaska. Her... more

unimatrix0
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United Kingdom Talk Video Tuesday 7th July 2009

Tuesday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch or listen to the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs &... more

ChrisReardon
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Good Enough, Smart Enough

A full six months after the freshman class of senators was sworn in to the 111th Congress, Al Franken is now joining its ranks.... more

slovelett
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Foreign Policy Magazine Exposes Folly of Marijuana Ban

The reason why the editor of Foreign Policy magazine Moises Naim's recent column is significant is because for far too long... more

copperdragon
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Marijuana law just a political ploy, Letter to the Editor

Congressman Mark Kirk, a Republican from Highland Park, recently introduced legislation to massively increase penalties for producers and sellers of higher-potency marijuana. It's hard to know what's worse, the congressman's scientific ignorance or his blatant hypocrisy.

Kirk said he thought the penalty for selling high-THC marijuana should be equivalent to that for cocaine. From a scientific perspective, that's laughable. Unlike cocaine, THC is essentially non- toxic. It is literally impossible to fatally overdose on even the highest-strength marijuana. And scientific experts remain unconvinced that higher-THC marijuana is any more dangerous.

A review published last year by the journal Addiction noted that warnings about escalating marijuana potency date back to at least 1975, and that the evidence for claims of major increases in potency is "fragmented and fraught with methodological errors."

The researchers concluded that "more research is needed" to determine whether increased potency increases risk at all. International experts report that when marijuana is more potent, users simply smoke less, just as they drink a smaller amount of bourbon than they would beer. Yet Kirk wants us to believe that marijuana is somehow magically different.

The scientific fact - as verified by another prestigious scientific journal, The Lancet - is that marijuana of any strength is far safer than either tobacco or alcohol: It's less addictive, far less toxic, and massively less likely than booze to provoke violence or aggression.

Over the years, Congressman Kirk has raked in thousands of dollars of campaign cash from the tobacco and alcohol industries, including the company that owns Philip Morris tobacco and the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

Meanwhile, he engages in empty political posturing about a nonexistent threat from high-strength marijuana. It's a cheap and dangerous political ploy that should be soundly rejected.

Bruce Mirken

Marijuana Policy Project

Washington, D.C.Congressman Mark Kirk, a Republican from Highland Park, recently introduced legislation to massively increase penalties for... more

copperdragon
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2 responses

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4 days ago

Cannabis Column: The Top Ten Obstacles to Marijuana Law Reform

A lot of people think that the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most powerful opponents to marijuana’s legalization.... more

copperdragon
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0 responses

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5 days ago

MYTH: “You Can’t Talk about My Religion!”

FACT: “Yes I can.” Religious people tend to think of their religions as, well, sacred. Because of this, they may... more

alivein85
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6 responses

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5 days ago

Men Are the New Women (A Solo Poledance by Sexa Rubelucia)

Around this time last year, I had sex on the balcony of a friend’s apartment. I had sex on the balcony of my friend’s... more

alivein85
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8 responses

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5 days ago

Sexo Grammaticus of The1585.com on Calling People Stupid

Go to http://the1585.com/1585callingstupid.htm to read the related article. And be sure to check out the rest of The 1585 at their... more

alivein85
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6 responses

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5 days ago

On Performative Masculinity

For all the attention focused on how what they’re supposed to do is hard, women at least get to know what it is... more

alivein85
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1 response

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7 days ago

If I Were Barack Obama, What Would I Do for America?

As president, many tasks have taken my heart to be implemented for the betterment of the America. However, at the moment,... more

CHANLEEPENG
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0 responses

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8 days ago

The Real Healthcare Bill

Remember a few weeks ago everyone (i.e. Republicans) was all up in arms that the Health care bill was going to cost $1.6 Trillion... more

slovelett
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1 response

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9 days ago

Cocaine or Marijuana? The everyday problems of a pot smoker

This was a rant that is technically a response to (link at bottom) but I decided to post it alone. I'm really starting to... more

copperdragon
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3 responses

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14 days ago

Pastor urges his flock to bring guns to church

Yeah, this is promising for gun control advocates... (sarcastic, in case it wasn't clear)

slovelett
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29 responses

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15 days ago

Does a 4-year-old Need a Cell Phone?

"Amid worries over sexting (sexually-oriented text messages among or to young people who use mobile phones) and the... more

DeliaTheArtist
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11 responses

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18 days ago

My Big Fat Glowing Review!

I recently went to see Miniature Tigers live at The Incubator in McAllen, Texas. I had already been a fan of their music for some time and also a religious listener of their album, Tell It To The Volcano... so when I had an opportunity to watch them live, I drove my happy ass in my 1980 Ford Bronco with no A/C in 100 plus degree weather, not to mention the humidity. It was well worth the hour long trip... It was the last stop on their tour and they were well traveled and weary so I guess I shouldn't complain... Haha. The Tigers, who are based in Phoenix, Arizona, have had a cult following of sorts since last year, however they are quickly becoming nationally recognized thanks to their video for the single Cannibal Queen being rotated on several video shows on various networks.

Their show was something you hope happens at every concert you attend... They involved the fans and crowd, they played as though it was a farewell tour, and they brought the house down with some awesome new songs! Their set was seamless and almost magical! The band's continuous play and Charlie's soulful pipes filled the room with an energy only a great band can conjure. I am glad to say I witnessed future legends in action! Playing their hearts out, and hearts they had, We All Felt Them! It was a real treat and I look forward to the many live sets I will be attending in the future. They are well on their way to becoming the Indie Rock darlings they are! I also look forward to their next album. I wait with held breath. They are well worth it!

The link is for my review of Tell It To The Volcano... I wrote it a few months back and just recently posted it on Allvoices.com as an independent review. Give it a look at let me know what you all think. And if you haven't heard the Miniature Tigers, give 'em a listen and I can guarantee you'll love 'em! Also attend their shows and show your support! They perform at several Phoenix well known live music venues, and also have a myspace page, http://www.myspace.com/miniaturetigers , and are on Modern Art Records Label. CHECK 'EM OUT!I recently went to see Miniature Tigers live at The Incubator in McAllen, Texas. I had already been a fan of their music for some... more

Mafioso
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18 days ago

The 1585: calling people stupid since 2006

When a good friend of the site was in elementary school, there was a day when the children were all having recess indoors, because... more

alivein85
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0 responses

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18 days ago

Taking sides in Iran

Without doubt, Ahmadinejad is an abrasive figure who has damaged Iran’s international standing with intemperate denunciations of Israel and the West. But that doesn’t always look the same inside a country as it does from outside.

The United States experienced a similar phenomenon in 2004 when John Kerry took the so-called “coastal states” whose better-educated voters reflected the widespread international disapproval of the cowboyish George W. Bush, but many conservative Christians and less-educated voters in “flyover America” went for Bush in defiance of world opinion.

So, despite the hopeful conventional wisdom in the West about Mousavi’s victory, the truth may be that Ahmadinejad won by getting heavy votes from Iran’s poor and its religious traditionalists over Mousavi’s votes from the more sophisticated, reform-minded middle class.

And one of the problems facing President Barack Obama as he tries to figure out the best way to respond to Iran’s unrest is that U.S. intelligence agencies tend to believe Ahmadinejad won even if there were some irregularities.

That is one reason why even a partial recount might be helpful. Access by investigators to the ballots could help gauge how serious and widespread the election irregularities were.

By rejecting the opportunity of a recount, Mousavi – and his supporters including the New York Times editorial board – look like they’re afraid of the truth, that they would rather lay their bets on a new election than on a fair recount of the June 12 election.

From a policy standpoint, easing Ahmadinejad into retirement may make sense for the overall future of the region. His blunderbuss rhetoric has increased fears and sharpened divisions, making him a perfect foil for hardliners in Israel and neoconservatives in the United States who are itching to use force against Iran’s nuclear program and still fantasize about violent “regime change.”

But belief in democracy – the will of the people – is another value. So is honest, unbiased journalism that seeks the truth, rather than politically convenient results.

If the Iranian people really did vote for Ahmadinejad – and Mousavi’s demonstrators are seeking to overturn the will of the majority – shouldn’t the New York Times and the Western news media be supporting efforts to get at the facts, rather than picking favorites and rooting for one side?

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And just what are the facts as we get carried away by the protests? I remember in 2000 that Al Gore offered Bush a state recount of Florida and he refused as well. And we know why. Amazing though, that the media here didn't even cover that theft as much as they are covering the election of another country.Without doubt, Ahmadinejad is an abrasive figure who has damaged Iran’s international standing with intemperate... more