Surprise, Surprise Again

"Kern County’s coroner has fantasized that David Sal Silva, 78 -- no, wait, make that 33, died of heart disease, not the savage attack nine cops dealt with batons and the dog they sicced on him. The eyewitnesses to that attack must have hallucinated, too. You’ll recall that they insisted cops beat Mr. Silva in the head with their batons and, in fact, could have proved that with the video they shot on their cell-phones. But cops robbed them of those phones, and the incriminating footage in one phone has conveniently disappeared. No matter." Continue reading

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Political Savvy of Osama Bin Laden vs. US Foreign Policy Establishment

"In his 1963 book The Pure Theory of Politics, Bertrand de Jouvenal writes of terrorist strategy (p. 179) '... if the terrorist blows are dealt at random, it will almost inevitably happen that reactions [of authorities] will fly wide of the mark and affect the innocent. Goading the authorities into hurting innocent bystanders is essential to terrorist strategy. Its efficiency lies mainly in evoking blind anger and blundering retorts...' Who was more politically savvy on this matter, Osama bin Laden or George W. Bush? Or the neocons who influenced him? Or the U.S. Congress? Or Barack Hussein Obama for that matter?" Continue reading

Continue ReadingPolitical Savvy of Osama Bin Laden vs. US Foreign Policy Establishment

Marijuana By Itself Not a Significant Factor in Fatal and Injury Crashes in 2012

"Fewer than 1 percent of suspected impaired drivers involved in such crashes tested positive for nothing but marijuana. New Times' findings, based on a records request satisfied by DPS this week, jibe with statistics we reported earlier this month in our feature article about Arizona's zero-tolerance marijuana-DUI law. Drivers suspected of impairment in crashes that hurt or killed people in Phoenix, Chandler, and Scottsdale were rarely found to be impaired by marijuana, our earlier research showed." Continue reading

Continue ReadingMarijuana By Itself Not a Significant Factor in Fatal and Injury Crashes in 2012

Revisiting the ‘Crack Babies’ Epidemic That Was Not

"Scientific studies in the 1980s led to predictions that a generation of children would be damaged for life. Those predictions turned out to be wrong. This supposed epidemic — one television reporter talks of a 500 percent increase in damaged babies — was kicked off by a study of just 23 infants that the lead researcher now says was blown out of proportion. And the shocking symptoms — like tremors and low birth weight — are not particular to cocaine-exposed babies, pediatric researchers say; they can be seen in many premature newborns. A much more serious problem, it turns out, is infants who are born with fetal alcohol syndrome." Continue reading

Continue ReadingRevisiting the ‘Crack Babies’ Epidemic That Was Not

U.S. drug czar: Marijuana is drug most often linked to crime

"Kerlikowske, a former Seattle police chief, has consistently opposed legalization since he became President Barack Obama’s top drug policy adviser in 2009. His position puts him at odds with two states, Washington and Colorado, that voted in November to legalize marijuana, a controlled substance that remains illegal under federal law. With the Obama administration doing nothing so far to try to stop them, both states are proceeding with plans to begin selling marijuana for recreational use next year. A third state, Alaska, might follow soon, with legalization supporters aiming to get the measure on the state’s primary ballot in August of next year." Continue reading

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Is This the Best Time for Investors? Don’t Bet On It.

"The stock market is expecting a massive new economic boom, with accelerating growth, widening prosperity and expanding profit margins. Meanwhile, the bond market sees the economy remaining in a funk, with slow growth, widespread unemployment and low inflation. Obviously, they can't both be right. Ominously, though, they could both be wrong. For the first time in 50 years, U.S. investors in a balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds face the near-certainty that they will lose money on a large chunk of their investments, after accounting for inflation—and a significant risk that they will lose money on all of them." Continue reading

Continue ReadingIs This the Best Time for Investors? Don’t Bet On It.

Synthetic Marijuana Turns People Into Zombies, Says Govt. Anti-Drug Propaganda

"The District of Columbia’s Department of Health seems to have a taken a page directly from Reefer Madness for its new advertising campaign, suggesting a synthetic form of marijuana known as 'K2' or 'Spice' will turn people who use it into 'zombies.' The ads recently made their debut on the DC Metro, and are wacky enough to look like a parody. Teenagers – presumably under the influence and grotesquely made up to look like 'Walking Dead' extras – pose in various stages of decay with captions like 'No One Wants to Take a Zombie to the Prom.' Seriously?" Continue reading

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Reefer Madness… by Executive Order

"In Meridian, Idaho, Mayor Tammy de Weerd has taken it upon herself to use tax dollars to spread Reefer Madness to her constituents. By Executive Order, Tammy established the Mayor’s Anti-Drug Coalition (MADC), which received $625,000 from a Drug-Free Community Grant through the federal government. Now a Meridian resident notes that the town has been distributing these anti-marijuana leaflets inserted in the water bill! The flyer is full of discredited nonsense, exaggeration, and misdirection. Remember, this is a city government, most likely using federal grant money, to send false information about a political issue in official communications to their citizens." Continue reading

Continue ReadingReefer Madness… by Executive Order