drat fink

much ruminating on the left about the efficacy and leadership of the recent anti-war protests. i tend to think they are generally a positive endeavor as those who are powerless are given the opportunity to at least feel they are doing something to effect change. for those that think ANSWER is not the answer the next anti-war rally in new york and elsewhere will be sponsored by united for peace. maybe their speakers will stay on message and focus on this struggle and leave the grabbag of tangenial leftist complaints for the appropriate venues. for me, it wasnt about the speakers anyway. it was about showing up and registering my dismay and taking away an impression. sheer numbers spoke louder than words.

here are a few rival perspectives --

high clearing
maxspeak
nathan newman
daily kos


also downplaying the numbers v. how best to make estimates at rallies

rosebud

"On Tuesday, Mr. Rosenthal goes on trial in federal court in San Francisco on charges of marijuana cultivation and conspiracy. The charges stem from a business he ran growing marijuana to be sold for medicinal uses under the auspices of the City of Oakland's medical marijuana ordinance, one of many such municipal statutes in California."

"If convicted on all counts, Mr. Rosenthal, who is 58, faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison; the conspiracy charge carries a possible life sentence."

"The trial has riled his many fans in the marijuana community, but its implications are far broader. At its core, Mr. Rosenthal's prosecution exposes a deepening rift between the State of California and the Bush administration over the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, with no middle ground for compromise in sight."

allied front

"France's opposition to a war, emphatically delivered here by Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, is a major blow for the Bush administration, which has begun pouring tens of thousands of troops into the Persian Gulf in preparation for a military conflict this spring. The administration had hoped to mark the final phase in its confrontation with Iraq when U.N. weapons inspectors deliver a progress report Monday."

garden party

i dont ever trust drudges sources but this smoking ban is almost enough to make me start smoking again.

ahoy hoy

just had the old jewish landlord up to adjust my leaking radiator for the umpteenth time. i had some music playing on the computer and he looked at it quizzically. and then he said, "the computer, it sings?" now i have to light some incense. like old habits, smells linger.