Called on the carpet

I nearly missed this. The Dare Generation discovers the Senate is not too happy with our drug czar and wants to cut his salary in half. The Senators are apparently a little disgruntled about the "ONDCP's 'lethargy' and lack of communication" and is threatening to cut their appropriations. I have some serious doubts whether this will actually happen but you have to love seeing John Walters called out on his indolence.

On another note, I have to say I'm surprised and puzzled by this news about the SSDP discussion list. It seems they were having some technical issues which required revamping the system. As part of the "upgrade" they're kicking all the non-students out of the listserv. Translate that to mean all the old geezers who participated on the list.

Now I don't have a dog in this fight. I was never on the list, but I've been troubled by the anti-hippie attitude I've encountered from a certain faction in this group for some time now. It appears some of those young folks who view us old pot smokers as part of the problem are gaining strength. They seem to forget, we started the reform movement. Without the foundation laid by us old folks, they wouldn't have had anything to build on.

I think it's a short sighted view and a real mistake. Sidelining willing participants diminishes the strength of their own organization and of the greater reform movement of which they themselves are just a small part. We should be building bridges between us, not throwing up barriers.

Update: I just want to be clear that my beef is with this decision and not with SSDP in general. I'm a huge supporter of these kids and I'm proud of what they've accomplished for reform. They've been enormously effective, particularly on student issues like HEA grants and random drug testing in schools. I would still encourage anyone who's eligible to join the group.