Free Republic

Police state, ho!by John Whitehead6/28/04 With each passing day, America is inching further down a slippery slope toward a police state. Soon, we’ll have picked up so much momentum that there will be no turning back. Incredibly, not too many people appear concerned. Bombarded by media images and a mind-numbing entertainment culture, people seem to be so distracted that they do not even realize that our civil liberties are slowly and stealthily eroding away. Yet the signs of a police state are everywhere. They have infiltrated all aspects of our lives, from the mundane to the downright oppressive. We were...

THE average cannabis joint is no stronger than it was 25 years ago, say EU experts. They have analysed official data from across the EU and concluded there have been no significant changes in cannabis potency. Levels of the drug's active ingredient - D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - has remained virtually constant. Cannabis resin (hashish) produced overseas comprised about 70 per cent of the UK market, with the rest being marijuana, around half of which was imported. On the typical British joint, the report said: "The absence of any decline in the amount of herbal cannabis or resin used may suggest there...

Austin is becoming the headquarters for the Libertarian Party. The Libertarian Party selected an Austinite to run for president and several state party positions are occupied by people in Austin. The Libertarians believe in liberty. The party platform calls for the government to get out of their lives. "It's not the government's job to tell you how to live your life or to do things that they think are in your best interest. The only valid function of government is to protect your property," Libertarian Presidential candidate Michael Badnarik said. Badnarik understands the odds. "Being realistic, my job is to...

Vin Suprynowicz: Libertarians aim to 'cost Bush the election' On June 14, the Seattle Times editorialized that the entrance requirements for the tedious, moribund, rigorously stage-managed turn-offs that today pass for our presidential "debates" should be loosened -- but not too much. The paper's intent was to get Ralph Nader included. The solution? "It's time to reconsider the current format and the lock on presidential debates by the two major parties," the Times recommends. Right on. But wait. There still has to be "some cutoff point in voter popularity," the Seattlites immediately added. "Otherwise, George Bush and John Kerry would...

ENGLAND fans will be allowed to smoke dope before Sunday’s crunch clash with France — to keep them calm. Cops in Lisbon plan to crack down on drunk supporters while turning a blind eye to those spotted puffing on a spliff. Pot-smoking fans have been assured they will not be arrested, cautioned — or even have their drugs confiscated. Last night experts said the Portuguese police’s “Here We Blow” policy would reduce chances of a punch-up between rival fans. Alan Buffry of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance said: “If people are drinking they lose control, if they smoke cannabis they don’t....

Tanya Smith is sporting a broken left arm, and she says a South Bend police officer is to blame. Police Chief Thomas Fautz said he has been reading reports of the incident, and so far he hasn't found any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the officers involved. He said he cannot provide many details about the incident since it is an open investigation, and police policy keeps him from talking about it. He did confirm that the officer injured the woman. Smith, a 25-year-old Elkhart resident, said she and a friend, Felicia Bradley, had gone to Benchwarmers early...

How Police Deal With A Barking Dog Situation Many questions surfaced after a Bixby family's dog is shot. The News on 6 was first to tell you about Fluppy Sunday night. The 6 year old golden retriever had to be put to sleep after a Bixby Police officer shot it three times. John and Cathy Benzinger say Fluppy was tethered to the fence in their backyard when police came out to answer an alarm call Saturday morning. Police say Fluppy was barking and approached Officer Cory Forister, so he shot the dog. He says he had to protect himself....

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...

With pot and porn outstripping corn, America's black economy is flying high Illegal migrants provide the muscle for US black market Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles Friday May 2, 2003 The Guardian Marijuana, pornography and illegal labour have created a hidden market in the United States which now accounts for as much as 10% of the American economy, according to a study. As a cash crop, marijuana is believed to have outstripped maize, and hardcore porn revenue is equal to Hollywood's domestic box office takings. Despite laws that punish marijuana cultivation more strictly than murder in some states, Americans spend...

OK, let's combine into a single thread(easier to bookmark) all our favorite images of the stupid anti-war protests. Ironic or altered, all are welcome. Here's a few to start: On the other hand... This one actually was pretty good...

This is so simple, I am amazed no one has thought of it soonerJust stop using for one year. Just say no.Think of the drug lords of Columbia, Afganistan, etc that would be put out of business.The funds from the federal government would quickly get diverted elsewhere.Then, after the Feds have been asleep for a while , BONGO, your right back at it!