A Los Angeles police spokesperson said the department, which is normally notified of such operations, got no advance warning from DEA...

Asked about Obama's comments that he did not want to waste Justice Department resources on raiding medical marijuana shops, Pullen said that "marijuana is still illegal under federal law.

"Change," or rogue narcs?

Our governor has SLASHED the budget for health care and education (literally, the university where I work has lost millions of dollars of its state funding so far this year, with more cuts reportedly coming) and he a) refuses to impose a cigarette tax (ours is the lowest in the nation) to help fund health care cuts, and b) threatens to refuse any federal stimulus funds that might be coming.

Whether the Omega people consider that a marketing plus or not has not been determined.  But, the reaction of the sponsors in not dumping him is laudable.  Even perhaps a sign of a little maturity emerging.

Imagine if sponsors dumped their spokespeople for getting a couple drinks too many in their systems.

For what?

because they are not the brightest bulbs in the box down there. bear in mind, this is the state that started an unwinnable war, in april, 1861. they've not learned anything since.

"I hope to put this tragic, criminal lapse of judgment behind me. I look forward to a clean and sober relationship with Omega watchmakers, Speedo, Human Performance Labs, and the Hilton Hotels Corporation. And I promise never to have sex with Paris Hilton when there are cameras or cell phones in the room. Thank you, and God Bless America."

Kellogg, the food company, said Thursday that it would not renew its contract with Phelps when their deal expires at the end of February. It would not disclose the value of its contract.

Later Thursday, USA Swimming suspended Phelps for three months.

"Michael's most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg," Susanne Norwitz, a spokeswoman for the company, said in a statement.

Imagine if all the prominent people who have ever been exposed for drug use argued for their decriminalization? There would be mayhem -- a lot of people might take drugs and no one would arrest them!

[snip]

In 2007 alone, nearly 800,000 Americans were arrested for simple possession of marijuana, according to FBI statistics.

[snip]

But, you're probably thinking, very few presidents, Olympic champions and college students are arrested for drug use. My daughter attends a prominent private university in the city, and she tells me many of her peers smoke pot. Yet neither she nor I had ever heard of a single arrest for this crime on campus.

Who are all of these people getting arrested? And what the heck's the matter with them? Don't they know how to get pot delivered 24/7 to their dorm via carriers from whom you order by cellphone?

Well, here's a hint: 83% of those arrested in New York City in the last decade were African-American or Latino. This occurred even though these groups, while underrepresented among college students, don't actually comprise the majority of drug users.