Free Republic

He's a toker, he's a smoker, he's a fried out joker. Memory, speed of thinking and other cognitive abilities get worse over time with marijuana use, according to a new study published in the March 14, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study found that frequent marijuana users performed worse than non-users on tests of cognitive abilities, including divided attention (ability to pay attention to more than one stimulus at a time) and verbal fluency (number of words generated within a time limit). Those who had used marijuana for 10 years or...

Preamble: As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives, and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others. We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized. Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world...

WAR ON DRUGS A JOKE TO EX-COP In Norm Stamper's world, the "drug store" is a place that is much different from what generally comes to mind. The 28-year police veteran of the San Diego police department and former Seattle police chief wants to see all street drugs legalized, firmly regulated and sold just like we sell alcohol today. And his "shopping list" includes marijuana, cocaine, heroin, even crystal methamphetamine. "The more dangerous the drug, the more addictive and the greater the potential for health risks, the greater the justification for regulation," he said last week in a phone interview...

At a recent National Coal Group meeting, Sen. Robert C. Byrd told audience members that coal needs to play a part in America's new energy policy in the coming years. During this past State of the Union, president Bush outlined a plan that would begin to phase out our reliance on foreign oil and look to more renewable resources. Coal, however, is also a non-renewable resource and is just as bad for the environment. Coal has also been an energy staple in America since the beginning of the 20th century. How then can it be part of a "new" energy...

Conservatives never cease to fascinate me, given their professed devotion to “freedom, free enterprise, and limited government� and their ardent support of policies that violate that principle. One of the most prominent examples is the drug war. In fact, if you’re ever wondering whether a person is a conservative or a libertarian, a good litmus-test question is, How do you feel about the war on drugs? The conservative will respond, “Even though I believe in freedom, free enterprise, and limited government, we’ve got to continue waging the war on drugs.� The libertarian will respond, “End it. It is an immoral...

Another bogus survey from the National Association of Counties. The dukes of deception who run the National Association of Counties are insulting your intelligence once again with a half-cocked "survey" about the methamphetamine menace. Now, before I commence, let me assert that I know all about the dangers—and the pleasures, such as they are—of methamphetamine. While correspondence from readers detailing their personal meth sufferings or those of a family member will cause my Gmail inbox to swell, not even the most horrific testimonial will persuade me to recant what I'm about to write. Thank you. The survey in question, titled...

Essay one addressed Modern Liberalism as the religion, albeit the false religion, that it is. Next, enter stage right, Libertarianism. Libertarianism, or at least that mainstream brand of Libertarianism which zealously waves that oxymoronic political banner "Political Conservative, Social Liberal," has its own pint-sized political party, but more importantly the faith of Libertarianism has a Titanic-sized impact upon the religious inclinations of the leadership ranks of the Republican Party, and upon many of the prestigious think-tanks which preach republicans their gospel. Libertarianism's central claim to fame from a political standpoint is that it represents an anti-statist, limited government answer to...

Sometimes people in law enforcement will hear it whispered that I'm a former cop who favors decriminalization of marijuana laws, & they'll approach me the way they might a traitor or snitch. So let me set the record straight. Yes, I was a cop for 34 years, the last six of which I spent as chief of Seattle's police department. But no, I don't favor decriminalization. I favor legalization, & not just of pot, but also of all drugs, including heroin, cocaine, meth, psychotropics, mushrooms, & LSD.

Think of sexually evocative bumping and grinding to bass-heavy hip-hop tunes. Think of lap dancing, standing up. That's "freak dancing," a trend among high schoolers nationwide for more than a half-decade that Seattle Public Schools is now not only taking notice of but trying to stop. Steve Wilson, the Seattle district's chief academic officer, said at a community meeting at Roosevelt High School Tuesday night that the district was setting a new policy after incidents at Roosevelt and other high schools in which parents had written to complain and students had been disciplined for freak dancing. Parents and school administrators...

NORMAN, Okla. -- Hundreds of students are now under investigation after fake IDs are found on the University of Oklahoma campus. Police said the latest rash of fake IDs have come from Dallas and that an OU fraternity member is selling the bogus Texas driver's licenses for about $100 each. Experts say these IDs are so close to the real thing that they're virtually undetectable. "The ones coming out of Texas are really good, and they're getting better," said O'Connell's bartender Todd Emerson. Emerson has confiscated dozens of fake IDs at the Norman pub. "Most of these IDs are pretty...

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Residents of a southwest Muncie neighborhood thought the 110-year-old former school with purple doors had been vacant these past 14 months. So neighbors were surprised to find out the building -- which was last used as a bingo hall -- is home to one of Indiana's seven swingers clubs. "I thought it was empty, to tell you the truth," Mary Neal, who rents a house across from the club, told The Star Press. "That shocks me. I'm just floored. There are a lot of kids that walk around here." Swinging involves having social and sexual intercourse with...

"The burglars thought they had hit the jackpot when the saw the pale-coloured powder marked “Charlie” — slang for cocaine — in a pot on pet-lover Dee’s mantelpiece. But they were unaware the pot was an urn and the “drugs” really the remains of her beloved Newfoundland Charlie, who died in 1997."

Is it time for conservatives to dump the GOP? Mark Tapscott (archive)August 28, 2005 Thanks to the incredible expansion of federal entitlements, regulations and pork spending sanctioned by the GOP leadership in Congress since 2001, there is virtually no chance that Big Government is going to be shrunk even a little any time soon. And since there is no sign the folks running Congress are willing to change course, why shouldn’t conservatives dump the GOP? Now, all you party loyalists who started gasping while reading that last sentence can take a deep breath. I’m not saying we should just up...

Richmond's Hell's Angels say the Sheriffs Office violated their constitutional rights when it blocked a party in Crockett. The county discriminated against the club when it halted the fund-raising benefit late last year, the club says in a formal claim that county supervisors rejected last week. "If they're not doing anything illegal, targeting them isn't fair," said club attorney Jai Gohel. "These individuals should be allowed to assemble and follow the rules." A county official demurred: It was the club's misrepresentation that led to the action, said county risk manager Ron Harvey. The club violated the county's application rules by...

And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land. -- Ezekiel 34/29 THE REAL REASON CANNABIS HAS BEEN OUTLAWED HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ITS EFFECTS ON THE MIND AND BODY. MARIJUANA is DANGEROUS. Pot is NOT harmful to the human body or mind. Marijuana does NOT pose a threat to the general public. Marijuana is very much a danger to the oil companies, alcohol, tobacco industries and a large number of chemical corporations. Various big businesses, with plenty of dollars and influence, have suppressed the...

About Us: Our vision is a Republican Party that is unified by the basic tenets of fiscal responsibility and personal freedom, but that allows for diverse opinions on social issues by its members. IMP-PAC is chaired by Christie Todd Whitman, a lifelong and loyal Republican and a leader of the party’s moderate wing, who served in the Bush cabinet as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from January 2001 to May 2003. Prior to that, she was the first female elected governor of New Jersey, serving two terms from 1993 to 2000. Advisory Board: Congressman Mike Castle (R-DE) Susan...

WASHINGTON — Pot. Cannabis. Hemp. Weed. Grass. The herb takes many names. But in the nation’s capital, where the marijuana lobby (search) was once the recreational diversion of Playboy Magazine's Hugh Hefner, pro-pot special interest groups have crystallized the divergent issues behind the plant and gained a seemingly unified voice. ________________ Puff, Cough, Puff, Cough________________ "It’s a no-brainer. It makes no sense putting old and sick folks in jail for an herb that makes them feel better," said Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project (search), which was established in 1995 by Rob Kampia, a former mainstay at the...

'This ain't working,' boys declare before taking more-- Six Kirby Middle School students downed strong doses of tranquilizers and passed out in class Thursday. Students said the six boys took several pills before getting dizzy and dropping out of their desks or falling down by lockers. They were taken to Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center about 9:15 a.m., Memphis City Schools spokesman Vince McCaskill said. Their injuries weren't life-threatening. The school at 6670 E. Raines has about 1,200 students in grades 6-8. "It wasn't six students at one time, it was one and then another one. They were in different...

Republicans have given up the pretense that their party is the party of small government. “One of the most misunderstood parts of Hoosier culture is that Hoosiers are reluctant of change of any kind,” State Rep. Luke Messer told Brian Howey, publisher of Indianapolis Eye News, in an article that identifies an undercurrent in Indiana to have a constitutional convention. “If we have a strong leader, Hoosiers are willing to step up and make big changes. Bob Knight and Larry Bird were pretty big figures in Hoosier culture and they have been willing to make big changes. What we want...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Two third-party presidential candidates asked a federal court Thursday to force a second recount of the Ohio vote, alleging county election boards altered votes and didn't follow proper procedures in the recount that ended this week. Lawyers for Green Party candidate David Cobb and the Libertarian Party's Michael Badnarik made their request in federal court in Columbus. The two candidates, who received less than 0.3 percent of the Ohio vote, paid $113,600 for a statewide recount after the vote was certified earlier this month by the secretary of state. They have said they don't expect to...

Two Kinds of Freedom? Gregory Koukl Greg compares the freedom of a hedonist and the freedom of a President Last week, an issue came up that hinged specifically on the definitions of words. Do you know what clear thinking is? It's like a clear picture, one that's in focus. When you get a snapshot back from a holiday and look at it, if it wasn't in focus it will appear blurry. In the same fashion, if we want our thinking to be clear, it must be in focus. If there are words whose meanings are blurry to us, then...

BOCA RATON, Fla. - A month-old baby died while his parents were on a three-day crack cocaine binge that began after Thanksgiving dinner, police said today. The cause of death was not immediately clear. Sonia Thomas, 39, and Neal Anthony Bryan, 46, have been charged with child neglect. More charges could be filed after autopsy results are available, police spokesman Jeff Kelly said. Bryan told police he awoke to find that his son, whose name was not released, was on the bed next to him, not wearing a diaper and not breathing, according to a police report. Thomas told investigators...

http://badnarik.org/plans_civilliberties.php Civil Liberties The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends. As president, my goal will be to to reverse those trends and to restore, respect and enforce the Bill of Rights. In crafting the Bill of Rights, the framers were careful to acknowledge implicitly and explicitly two key truths: The first is that government does not grant rights it acknowledges them. They exist independently of government. They're part of who and what we are. And, as Jefferson noted in the Declaration of Independence, the only legitimate...

Bad Trip kills the government's anti-drug buzz. A Reason interview    October 6, 2004 Tripped Up Joel Miller's Bad Trip kills the government's anti-drug buzz. A Reason interview Jeremy Lott Joel Miller's first book, Bad Trip: How the War Against Drugs is Destroying America, is a devastating examination of government anti-drug policies. Publishers Weekly calls the book a "well-researched, bitingly written account," and "a formidable challenge to the reigning prohibitionist orthodoxy." Miller, a former aide for the California legislature, is a veteran of several now-defunct online startups (including the libertarian e-zine Real Mensch) and the former commentary editor at WorldNetDaily.com....

Cannabis Culture publisher Marc Emery is urging all Americans who share a pro-marijuana, pro-freedom agenda to back Kucinich with their money and by volunteering to assist his campaign. Emery urges American voters to check out Kucinich's website at www.kucinich.us, and to work hard for the candidate as soon as possible. Democratic presidential candidate opposes war on potby Pete Brady (22 Dec, 2003) Courageous congressman Dennis Kucinich needs grassroots help Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich A few weeks ago, best-selling author and Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore visited Vancouver, and was asked during a public appearance why he doesn't run...

In this brave new world of global terrorism, the issue of reliable border control has acquired a new urgency. Yet there are also well-founded concerns that in the effort to keep out malefactors we will sacrifice so many of our liberties and alienate so many people around the world that the terrorists, to use a well-worn phrase, will indeed have won. The debate on safety vs. privacy, particularly in airline travel, has been raging for years, ever since the airports first installed metal detectors and luggage screening. Today, this controversy focuses on biometric screening at borders—digital photos, fingerprinting, and iris...

Texas Libertarian Party officials said they gathered enough petition signatures by Monday's deadline to earn a spot on this year's ballot, but other alternative parties said they came up short. Libertarians presented about 75,000 signatures Monday to the Secretary of State's office in Austin. Election officials must validate 45,540 signatures for the Libertarians to make the November ballot. The signatures must be from registered voters who did not vote in this year's Democratic or Republican primaries. A spokeswoman for the secretary of state said the office hopes to make the determination by early July. The two other parties that mounted...

The wonderful thing about having Canada as a neighbor was always knowing that its Molson-drinking, "eh"-affixing, health-care-socializing denizens were a mostly harmless bunch. Not any longer if you're U.S. drug czar John Walters. Wally is exercised about BC Bud, a high-grade, high-potency, high-price marijuana that will get smokers giggling quicker than the more mundane stuff grown in Mexico or that hollow out behind Uncle Billy's shed in Eastern Kentucky. Walters apparently has it figured that if the old-fashioned stuff could make the characters in "Reefer Madness" act so insanely, this nuevo-reefer must be, well, as bad as crack. "Canada is...

CHICAGO -- Habitual marijuana use increased among U.S. adults over the past decade, particularly among young minorities and baby boomers, government figures show. The prevalence of marijuana abuse or dependence climbed from 1.2 percent of adults in 1991-92 to 1.5 percent in 2001-02, or an estimated 3 million adults 18 and over. That represents an increase of 800,000 people, according to data from two nationally representative surveys that each queried more than 40,000 adults. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, the rate of abuse or dependence remained stable among whites but surged by about 220 percent among black men and women, to...

Michael on The Issues Michael Badnarik has studied the Constitution for twenty years, and has been teaching an eight-hour class on the subject for the last three years. All of his political positions are derived from the principle of individual rights, and are consistent with the Constitution. He would like to see strict enforcement of the Bill of Rights, and would establish a "zero tolerance policy" for all elected officials who violate the supreme law of the land. The RIGHT to keep and bear arms Michael is most passionate about defending the Second Amendment, and holds that 20,000+ gun laws...

Sunday's capture of Saddam Hussein made it a great day — a great day for empty rhetoric and meaningless posturing by politicians and journalists. Somehow it was assumed by politicians and the press, without explanation, that Hussein's capture has vindicated the Bush administration's attack on Iraq. But from September 2002 to March 2003, George Bush said nothing about capturing Saddam Hussein. Instead, Bush talked incessantly about weapons of mass destruction and Iraq's ability to attack the U.S. with them — as well as Al Qaeda camps in the Iraqi desert. How does finding Saddam Hussein make Bush's claims any more...

That Cincinnati Beating by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. Ludwig von Mises often reminded his readers that the state is all about beating, hanging, and killing, that when you advocate a law or a regulation, you are effectively granting the state the permission to kill non-compliers. This, and not compassion, is the essence of statecraft. And while plenty of foreigners know all about the killing power of the American state, few in the US pay much attention, unless it involves race. Thus has the recent Cincinnati case of a police killing gained attention, especially the snippet that shows the police pounding...

The entire nation owes radio broadcaster Rush Limbaugh a debt of gratitude, Libertarians say, because his ordeal has exposed every drug warrior in America as a rank hypocrite. "One thing we don't hear from American politicians very often is silence," said Joe Seehusen, Libertarian Party executive director. "By refusing to criticize Rush Limbaugh, every drug warrior has just been exposed as a shameless, despicable hypocrite. "And that's good news, because the next time they do speak up, there'll be no reason for anyone to listen." The revelation that Limbaugh had become addicted to painkillers -- drugs he is accused of...

he news this summer has been rather bleak for conservatives. The Supreme Court first decided to write "diversity" into the Constitution. A few days later, it issued a ruling on sodomy laws that called into question its willingness to tolerate any state laws based on traditional understandings of sexual morality. In neither case was there much pretense that the Court was merely following the law. At this point it takes real blindness to deny that the Court rules us and, on emotionally charged policy issues, rules us in accord with liberal sensibilities. And while the Court issued its edicts...

=============================== OP-ED FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100 Washington DC 20037 World Wide Web: http://www.LP.org =============================== For release: April 16, 2003 =============================== For additional information: George Getz, Communications Director Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222 E-Mail: GeorgeGetz@hq.LP.org =============================== What have we really won in Iraq? By Geoffrey Neale Iraqis have been freed from the clutches of a ruthless dictator, and that certainly is worth celebrating. But what else has been gained from the speedy victory over Saddam Hussein's regime? Thus far the main justification for the invasion -- to protect the United States from weapons of mass...

ELVY MUSIKKA, 63, says she's one of only seven people in the nation to receive legally prescribed medicinal marijuana from the federal government. She earned that distinction after being arrested for growing pot at her Hollywood, Fla., home in the late 1980s. She decided to cultivate and use the controlled substance, she said, to alleviate the effects of severe glaucoma. Since winning a 1988 court battle, she has traveled the country calling for marijuana's legalization for medical use. In Wisconsin recently for the Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival in Madison, Musikka talked with Journal Sentinel reporter Jesse Garza about her...

TRAVERSE CITY - None of the Legislative candidates attending a health and human services forum Wednesday backed higher taxes, even with a looming state budget deficit, but Democrats and Republicans alike called for more funds for mental health. "We need to increase funding," said Michael McManus, a Republican candidate for 104th state House district representing Grand Traverse and Kalkaska counties. "Community mental health needs that money and I will advocate for more." His Republican primary opponent Howard Walker agreed, saying mental health coverage should be the same as physical health and that it was a priority for him. Republican Morris...