Free Republic

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) _ No tie-dye was on display at a standing-room only hearing held by a California lawmaker on Wednesday in a bid to get his marijuana legalization bill taken seriously. Instead, suits and sober discussion were the rule at the state Capitol as Assemblyman Tom Ammiano presided over what his office said was the first legislative consideration of the issue since California banned the drug in 1913.

the top twenty three best MJ moments...

It'll be on the dopey MSNBC channel. They apparently don't even list it on their website, but I know it will be on at 1PM ET today and again tomorrow (Sunday) at 12 noon ET. In any case, you have got to see it to believe it. "Weird" doesn't begin to describe it.

Michael Jackson rebuilt his nose before his death because extensive plastic surgery had left him with breathing problems, his doctor has disclosed. Arnold Klein, Jackson’s dermatologist, said that he stopped him from going to a plastic surgeon and began rebuilding his nose and cheeks using fillers last year. “I thought he had a nice-looking nose . . . but it got to the point where it was far too thin. It didn’t look natural to me,” Dr Klein told the CNN programme Larry King Live. “I rebuilt it, using fillers. He was beginning to look like the nose was normal...

We appreciate the input of hundreds of people who have voiced their opinions, both positive and negative, on the issue of including Michael Jackson in the 2009 butter sculpture. The ongoing discussion has created a lot of, well, ‘churn.’ Since everyone has an opinion about the sculpture, we’ve decided to put it to a vote and let Fairgoers decide. The concept of the sculpture will be a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk on July 20, 1969. In honor of Armstrong’s “giant leap for mankind,” this year’s sculpture will include an astronaut, an American flag and a...

Michael Jackson's doctor scrambled for 30 minutes to find a working phone to call 911 as the superstar lay dying in his palatial Bel Air mansion, the doctor's lawyer revealed Monday. The land lines in the rented mansion were all shut down for "privacy reasons," and Dr. Carlton Murray didn't use his cell phone to get help because he didn't know Jackson's address, the lawyer said. Amazingly, Murray called for security, but no one answered. The doctor finally had to run downstairs to get a chef to summon help for the dying King of Pop. "This entire time, with the...

"Living with Michael Jackson"Excerpts from the programme transcript (from ITV.com)On Jackson's habit of sharing his bedroom with children: Martin Bashir: "When you are talking about children we met Gavin - and it was a great privilege to meet Gavin because he's had a lot of suffering in his life - when Gavin was there he talked about the fact that he shares your bedroom?" Jackson: "Yes." Bashir: "Can you understand why people would worry about that?" Jackson: "Because they are ignorant." Bashir: "But is it really appropriate for a 44-year-old man to share a bedroom with a child that...

Farrah Fawcett, who skyrocketed to fame as one of a trio of impossibly glamorous private eyes on TV's Charlie's Angels, has died after a long battle with cancer. She was 62. Fawcett died at 9:28 a.m. PST at St. John’s Heath Center in Santa Monica, Calif. She had recently returned to St. John's for treatment of complications from anal cancer, first diagnosed three years ago. Her longtime partner Ryan O'Neal was at her side throughout her final days. Like so much about Fawcett's life – including her bumpy relationship with O'Neal – her heroic struggle to beat the disease was...

This obscure clinical manifestation of severe vomiting sickness due to chronic abuse of marijuana, recognized by Dr. Sontineni and his colleagues at the Creighton University of Omaha, NE, was published on March 14, 2009 World Journal of Gastroenterology. Recent research into the neurobiology of cannabis has led to the identification of different receptor types including two specific types that mediate neuropsychiatric and immunologic effects. According to Dr. Sontineni, doctors and health care workers currently under recognize the syndrome leading to delayed diagnosis and expensive diagnostic investigations. Increasing consistent use of marijuana among United States populations, particularly young people, over several...

The Natural -- Michael Jordan -- should know better than to give Barry Bonds a video salute after slugger's 754th homer SAN FRANCISCO -- He was real. He was natural. His muscular definition, by all accounts, was developed in weight rooms and not in some science lab. His only competitive sin on the court was trying to destroy one's dignity, and when you ponder it all, Michael Jordan's magnificent legacy only should be enhanced by the sleaze surrounding Barry Bonds. So why, after Bonds ripped his 754th home run at AT&T Park, would a tribute from Jordan suddenly appear on...

Willie Nelson Cited for Drug Possession Sep 18 1:06 PM US/Eastern Willie Nelson and several members of his band were issued misdemeanor citations for drug possession early today during a traffic stop in Saint Martin Parish. The traffic stop was conducted on Interstate 10 near Breaux Bridge. Trooper Willie Williams says troopers smelled a strong odor of marijuana when the driver opened the bus door. During a search of the bus, Williams say approximately 1 1/2 pounds of marijuana and approximately 2/10 of a pound of mushrooms were located on the bus. The 73-year-old Nelson of Spicewood, Texas; 59-year-old Tony...

Voters have been losing their taste for the war on drugs lately; in the past few years, states from Arizona and Alaska to California and Hawaii have moved toward making marijuana, in particular, a low priority for law enforcement, with first-offense possession cases often dismissed with small-time fines and medical-marijuana measures on the books in several states. But the initiative voters in Nevada will be considering this fall goes much further: The “tax and regulate” measure, whose supporters got it on the ballot by collecting 86,000 signatures, would allow anyone over 21 to possess up to one ounce for personal...

Michael Jackson, the debt-laden pop star, could begin to lose his grip on his most prized asset -- his stake in the lucrative music-publishing catalog that includes 251 Beatles songs -- under the terms of a proposed $325 million debt refinancing, according to people familiar with the matter. The performer, whose star has fallen in recent years, is expected to announce as early as today that he has refinanced loan agreements originally valued at a total of about $270 million with the New York hedge fund Fortress Investment Group LLC, people familiar with the matter say. As part of his...

'Michael Jackson in serious condition' U.S. tabloid National Enquirer reports singer took overdose of drugs, alcohol; spokesman denies report Yitzhak Benhorin Pop star Michael Jackson has taken an overdose of drugs and alcohol and is in serious condition in Bahrain, the U.S. weekly tabloid National Enquirer reported Friday. The magazine did not mention whether Jackson was hospitalized due to his condition. Anti-Semitic Remarks Jewish group seeks Jackson apology / Reuters Anti-Defamation League demands Michael Jackson apologizes for pop star's alleged anti-Jewish remarks Full story According to the report, associates of the Jackson family reported to the Santa Barbara police in...

Michael Jackson reportedly pestered the Queen to make him a knight, but to no avail. The Bad star's former PR man, Bob Jones, has spoken out about Jackson's ambition after he told him to beat it following 34 years of service. The Sun quotes Jones as saying: "We spent a fortune trying to communicate with the Queen's people to try to get them to make him a knight. But they were not interested." Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney are amongst the music industry's legends to be knighted. According to Jones it was never clear why Jackson thought he...

Both college towns, Boston and Boulder, Colo., share another distinction: They lead the nation in marijuana use. Northwestern Iowa and southern Texas have the lowest use. For the first time, the government looked at the use of drugs, cigarettes, alcohol and various other substances, legal as well as illegal, by region rather than by state for a report Thursday. Regions could be as specific as Riverside, Calif., or as broad as all of the state of New York (minus New York City). Federal officials say the information will help states decide where they should spend money for treatment and prevention...

Smelled marijuana on him, detained him for a little while and then gave him permission to continue his flight.

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The jury in the Michael Jackson trial watched a video Thursday in which the journalist who made a damaging documentary about the pop star actually praised him as a parent. "Your relationship to your children is spectacular," Martin Bashir said to Jackson during the making of the documentary. "It almost makes me weep." The videotape was recorded by Jackson's personal videographer as Bashir and his crew were interviewing the star for "Living With Michael Jackson," which aired in 2003 and caused a stir because Jackson stated that he let children sleep in his bed, though he...

From todays headlines: "Everyone was asleep. I had not slept for so long," she said. "I got up. I figured this was my chance to figure out what was going on back there. And that's when I saw Michael licking (the boy's) head." She sobbed, pounded her chest and said, "I thought I was seeing things. I thought it was me." No it is not you.... If nothing else good comes from the lurid Michael Jackson trial, at least "head licking," long known to insiders as the last taboo is at last out of the closet. "Head lickers are often...