BUZZ AWHILE

Party energy has been building up for the last hour or so outside my window. I turned my Christmas lights on to add to the spirit. My bay window frames the porch. I have a feeling this one is going to be big. Just found out they're all friends of the Warren Commission, a band that used to play at the Baystate. As I recall, they were a substantial crowd and it's their last night together after five years in town. Never really got to know them, but I did like them. I'm sure I won't need my earplugs. In fact, I kind of hope the band does an acoustic set at the party.

Guess I'll probably spend some time sitting on the stoop tonight.

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YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING?

I turned on CSPAN when I got home and there was Clarence Thomas taking questions from a roomful of black high school kids living in DC. He is not a great public speaker, his 'um' is the title of the piece, and the kids asked some kick-butt questions. I wish the White House media lemmings would be that tough.

His Honor was thrown by the adjudication of the Bush regime question but he was ready on the affirmative action decision. He hit his element when he started talking about his granddaddy however, who was a veritable fountain of appropriate maxims:

Don't let the sun catch you in bed.

Get up, you think you rich?

You got to work twice as hard, to get half as far

It was interesting. The room warmed up when he started talking like he remembered his roots. You could see it in the kid's faces. He pitched the importance of the voting concept well, particularly in light of being unexpectedly confronted with text taken from the Bush decision in which he said an individual's vote wasn't important and then having to decline the question. Hope those kids grow up to be journalists.

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CHANGES IN LATITUDE

You may scoff at astrology, but all I know is my world started spinning back into a positive orbit practically the moment that Mars hit it's apex, or is that apogee? I had my last heroin argument with Harry yesterday, sitting on the City side of the bars. Harry is the most astute business owner I know, he really listened to me and he understood. I think I got through. In the end, you have to put aside your personal judgments and look at the economic side of the question. It costs less to let them use it than it does to try to stop them.

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SAVE HUMPHREY

Back to the cannabis front at last, there are developments but unfortunately, mostly sad.

From Stopthedrugwar.org, this newsbrief reports that Hemphry, a 1971 Volkswagen van used as a promotional vehicle by the Canadian hemp firm Pure Hemp, is currently being detained by Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE, formerly US Customs) in Maine. Hemphry, which sports a hemp field motif and "Pure Hemp" license plates, was impounded earlier this month after driver Johannes Chapman attempted to cross the border while carrying eight pounds of roasted, seasoned hemp seed. Hemp seed is legal in the United States, but Hemphry was seized and Chapman faces marijuana importation charges.

Hemphry remains in custody pending further tests of the hemp seeds. Chapman was turned back from the United States, but has been invited back to face the marijuana importation charges September 9.

Hemphry was seized on the way to the big Phish concert in Maine by the way. He did nothing illegal, this is just one more outrage perpetrated by the thugs upholding the Bush agenda. I'm reminded of the orcs in Lord of the Rings.

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MIA

A bittersweet victory was won by medical marijuana patient and activist Christopher Robert Giauque in his four-year battle to reclaim an ounce of pot seized during a 1999 traffic stop.

On Monday, Chief Judge Marilyn Patel of the U.S. District Court, Northern California, ruled the ounce of marijuana must be returned to the activist. Unfortunately he has been missing since August 9th. His family suspects foul play and has offered a $50,000 reward for information as to his whereabouts. Good decision. I hope Christopher is merely hiding and is enjoying the outcome.

Funny how judicial conduct has slipped onto the radar screen today. I found this USA TODAY story about downward depatures on mandatory sentencing, a positive development. In this article, even the conservative Justice Rehnquist called the adminstration's latest edict to track the depatures as "troubling" and said it "could amount to an unwarranted and ill-considered effort to intimidate individual judges."

I love it when he talks like that.

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HOUSE OF CARDS

Last word and quote of the day goes to Clarence Thomas' grandaddy:

You can't change the hand you're dealt. You just have to play it.

They say he was a really good Whist player.

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