Open Thread

Well, I’m finally back from some excellent quality time with family (which did include some good discussions about drug policy — they’ve come so far…).
I’ve been really out of touch (having to depend on television(!) for news and information), so it’ll take me a bit to catch up.
“bullet” Scott Morgan has the story of another botched raid. The only thing we can be sure of is that these will continue to happen more often as long as law enforcement policies continue in their current direction. And there will be more dead cops and dead innocent civilians.
“bullet” Massachusetts marijuana decrim law goes into effect today. It’s unlikely to change things much, but it does make it clear that Massachusetts law enforcement is apparently populated primarily by whining, confused incompetents. After reading their complaints, I’m really glad I don’t have to depend on them to, oh, say, investigate anything.
“bullet” Judge blasts plan to randomly drug test teachers.

A federal judge halted the Kanawha County school system’s plan to randomly drug test teachers.
U.S. District Judge Joseph Robert Goodwin said the drug testing plan would force teachers to submit to an unconstitutional and unjustified search. He also gave a scathing rebuke of the policy and the school board that approved it. […]
He said that the school board’s argument that something bad could happen while a teacher under the influence of drugs was supervising children was based on an unreasonable kind of worse-case-scenario thinking. Goodwin asked why the board had not also passed a policy to randomly test teachers for tropical diseases.
“Total security for us and our children is only possible — if unlikely — in a totalitarian state,” Goodwin said.
He added, “Who wants to live in a society when a government will stop at nothing to prevent bumps and bruises.”

“bullet” “drcnet”