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There are two fairly well-defined positions that have emerged regarding the issue, under consideration by the Supreme Court of the United States of America, of whether the use of marijuana should be legalized for the treatment of certain medical conditions. The first of these sees marijuana's limited legalization as, in almost all cases, the effort of so-called "stoners" (in contemporary parlance people who pretty much can't live without getting high on marijuana on a daily basis) to find a way to circumvent existing laws that criminalize the use of wacky weed so that they (the stoners), with the consent of...

Democrats eye softer image on abortion Leaders urge more welcome for opponents By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff December 19, 2004 WASHINGTON -- Leading Democrats, stung by election losses, are signaling they want the party to embrace antiabortion voters and candidates, softening the image of the party from one fiercely defensive of abortion rights to one that acknowledges the moral and religious qualms some Americans have about the issue. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat who is one of the most ardent supporters of abortion rights in Congress, has encouraged Tim Roemer, a former representative with a strong voting...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

Gal Luft is executive director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security in Washington, D.C. He is a specialist on strategic issues and energy policy with a PhD in strategic studies from Johns Hopkins University. A former lieutenant colonel in the Israel Defense Forces, his writings have appeared in Commentary, Foreign Affairs, the Los Angeles Times, Middle East Review of International Affairs, the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. Mr. Luft addressed the Middle East Forum in Philadelphia on October 27, 2004. Introduction In both World War Two and the Cold War, the side best deploying scientific...

The Mass Explained    CORMAC BURKE The following commentaries on the Holy Mass — one for each day of the month — were first prepared for school use. They can easily be adapted for other uses. ContentsIntroductionChrist's actionLove for the MassFaith The purposes of the MassThe first purpose: adoration The second purpose: to give thanks The third purpose: to make up for our sinsThe fourth purpose: petitionReadingsGospelCreedPresentation of the giftsPresentation of the giftsOrate, fratresSanctusConsecrationConsecration-CommunionThe Our FatherPreparation for CommunionCommunionHoly Mass: self-givingOpening prayer, prayer over the gifts, Prayer after communionMass: presence of God Sorrow for one's sin Thanksgiving IntroductionTo judge the...

<p>When the state's budget problems fully blossomed last year, Gov. Gray Davis and his minions clearly sought to minimize the situation.</p> <p>It was, after all, a year in which Davis would be seeking re-election, and he didn't want to impose large new tax burdens or deeply slash state spending, either of which could alienate significant voter blocs. The 2002-03 budget that was finally enacted in September was "balanced" largely with borrowed money, inflated revenue estimates and bookkeeping tricks.</p>