Ah, it's just like boot camp

This opinion piece by Max Boot misses one key thing: Consent. It is, after all, the thing that is the difference between sex and rape, a gift and robbery, and boot camp and torture.

Bush takes responsibility for faulty intelligence

OK, first off, if it's news that you're taking responsibility for something in your adminstration, that's not a good sign. Also, waiting until pretty much everyone knows something to admit it isn't really all that impressive. Also also, the whole "well, we did it for the wrong reasons, but it was still the right thing to do" argument is crap. If there was a right reason to do it, that reason should have been formulated properly before doing it. And, whether it was the right thing to do or not, is still up for debate. Yes, Saddam's a bad, bad man. But, were there other ways of dealing with him? And I do hope that Iraq is transformed into the wonderous democratic paradise that we are told it will be, but, even if it is, it doesn't mean this was the right way to do it.

Protests about the medical marijuana raids

So, the DEA, in its continued war on drug users, raided several medical marijuana dispensaries this weekend. In typical fashion, while plants and computers and the like were taken, no related arrests were made (there were three non-related arrests).

This is intimidation, pure and simple. The DEA very rarely actually files charges in any of these raids, one assumes because they don't really want these cases going to trial.

There is no justification for this. While they claim that they bought marijuana without a perscription, they didn't actually arrest anyone. You don't hear about 13 bars being raided and their liquor confiscated because one might have sold a drink to a minor.

I'm a pretty strong believer in ending all prohibition, but I can see some rational arguments being made for keeping, say, meth illegal. I disagree with them, but they seem rational to me. I have yet to hear a single rational argument for why marijuana is illegal. Anyone?

The return of the thin white puke

Well, after three years, the Tymblog returns. I've put a few (for now) links to other blogs of various political persuasions over there to the right.

Basically, I started this thing, then started using LJ more, and stopped using this. However, I do believe I will re-start it now.