“Your link to the hit piece from the Nation is beneath you. A couple points about “medical marijuana”: 1. It’s not a question of “states’ rights” to say that states can’t pass laws that are expressly contrary to federal laws — laws passed by Congress. There is such a thing as the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution. The members of Congress who voted for the law and so far have been unwilling to change it, are representing citizens from …… STATES. 2. Congress’ (not the Justice Department’s) prohibition on the manufacture, distribution, and dispensing of marijuana specifically states that it has no medicinal value — as the Supreme Court held a couple years ago. Maybe that is a flawed judgment, and it should be revisited. But there are 535 people in this country that have the authority to start that process, and so far none of them have. Let Nancy Pelosi, Henry Waxman, or Diane Feinstein introduce legislation on the House and Senate calling for exempting medical marijuana from the federal law and have the matter debated. If the med-pot advocates are to be believed, there is a huge majority in the country that favor it, so let their elected representatives speak up and be heard. Until then, quit blaming the Justice Department for enforcing a law that is on the books, and has been enforced for decades in the same manner as it is being enforced now.” – more feedback on the Letters Page.
LETTER FROM BAGHDAD: An email from a reader’s friend who, after twenty years, is back in Iraq. Youwon’tget this on the BBC, so here goes:
Baghdad is wonderful, despite the destruction and neglect, and the obvious presence of the new class that made its wealth through the oil for food programme, and the misery of the Iraqis. Nevertheless, there still remains an educated middle class which is completely aware of all that has happened and is still happening in Iraq. It is these people that make you want to stay and do something to the beloved country. I was made more than welcomed by this type of people, most of whom I had met for the first time in my life. In fact, they did every thing possible to make my life comfortable, for fear that I should otherwise leave them. One person described us (Iraqis from outside) very eloquently, he said that the body of Iraq was bleeding and in need for blood transfusion, and it was the Iraqis who are outside the country who have retained the good healthy blood, of the same blood type which will not be rejected by the body!!! Believe me, only those who support Saddam and want him back, will talk of us as outsiders and half Iraqis, and fight their way to make us leave. Good decent people are yearning to being part of the rest of the world and taking part in the 21st century and feel that they can only achieve that through us.
I have met with hundreds of people, especially women. I have helped form a women’s group named Iraqi Independent Women’s Group. Women have very clear fears, concerns and requirements, and are ready to fight their way into achieving their goals. I held 14 meetings in total with them, and there are many more to come. What surprised me most was the amount of tolerance that all Iraqis had. They respected each other’s thoughts and ideas like never before in Iraq, even when they disagreed. The only exception (of course) were Saddam’s boys and the Baathis, who would throw accusations right left and centre, in an attempt to protect themselves and their interests. No Baathi will ever admit to ever being a Baathi. They all claim that they were forced into it. Some Baathis have grown beards and pretend to be Islamists in order to fight against the occupation that has effected their status. These are the people who have been bombing the electricity and water supplies, and oil pipes. They are very dangerous and despised by all that I know. They do not want life to improve for Iraqis and are behind all the existing unrest, including the lack of law and order. Others are more opportunists, and try to infiltrate political movements. People know them one by one, and no one escapes unnoticed.
A lot of sincere hard work has to be done in Iraq, otherwise it might fall once more in the hands of the ignorant and the extremists. The real struggle today is not between Sunnis and Shias, nor Kurds and Arabs. It is between the secularists and centrists one side, and the religious extremists, part of whom are the Baathis who now wear clerical robes. This war, in my opinion, has to be fought now or else Iraq will be lost forever.
As for the occupation forces, whatever you might think of them and their performance so far, every one that I have met wants them to stay for the time being. Much worse will happen should they decide to pack and leave. I have been in a number of meetings with them and can tell you that their long term plans will turn Iraq into an economical and educational heaven, however, Iraq will play no role in the politics of the region. Their short term plans for keeping law and order in the country leaves much to be desired, however, I sincerely believe that things have and will continue to improve, slowly but surely.
Time to recommit to the task.
The Dish 