=jpih1130 New shtuyot, ostensibly draft Letters to the Editor, to the Jlem Post, the IHT, and other literate journals, if any. Starting Nov 30 , '04 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Nov '04 -- Believe it or not, the reactionary judges on the U.S. Supreme Court seem to have forsaken law for politics. Hearing an appeal against federal search and seizure of a stash of personal home-grown marijuana used upon a doctor's recommendation to alleviate pain, several judges asked whether declining to rule that use in such a situation was illegal, would encourage its use in illegal situations. Leaving aside the ridiculousness of the whole issue -- for marijuana is as harmless as Lipton's tea -- judges should decide a case on its legal merits, rather than on the basis of guesses at the possible if not likely social and political consequences of their decision. Although it was just such a calculation that the reactionary justices who have IQ's -- I think here it was Scalia -- invoked in 2000 in refusing to allow the Florida recount to proceed. His reasoning was that if Gore won the state, and if the Court then found some reason for disqalifying the recount and throwing the state and electoral college to Bush, that the elecorate might lose respect for the Court. Such reasoning and rationalization is devious, sophmoric, and outside the bounds of law. ----------------------------------------------------------------- It is not clear who is running the Bush Administration, though Cheney and Rumsefeld (who apparently re-appointed himself) seem prominent. It can't be George Jr., who has neither the intelligence, interest nor steadfastness of character to do so. ------------------------------------------------------------------- As for that logistically brilliant destruction of the New York City World Trade Center, I think Wolfkowitz threw the planes at it, and Cheney picked up the pass and ran with it. --------------------------------------------------------------- Evidently the IHT sometimes gratuitously if not tendentiously edits Letters_to_the_Editor. --------------------------------------------------------------- "Now is the time for all goood (wo)men" seriously to consider disinvesting from the USA, and selectively boycotting its products. [ Ref: "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party [or: 'country']. I was told this as a typing exercise in the USA 1950s, but now I can't see why: It ain't "The quick brown fox jumps over thee, lazy dogge." ] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Swiss English News is awesomely uninformative and ineptly written. ------------------------------------------------------------------ "DECLARE A VICTORY AND BUG OUT" Like the LBJ-Kissinger War on Southeast Asia #l2 (which JFK began as a sort of James Bond adventure, #l3 but presumably would have aborted), #l1 the Bush's invasion of Iraq, #l2 (which has recklessly destroyed the Iraq__Iran counterbalance #l3 and thus greatly endangered Israel, #l4 leaving the USA with "a tiger by the tail" #l5 (as the newlywed said)) #l4 (and Israel can at best trust Bush Jr. ("only as far as you can throw him") to fight to the last Israeli -- or more likely run away and let the catastrophe happen, for the USA has no essential loyalty to Israel, a sort of loyal stray dog that each Administraton tries to sell off and out piecemiel, as a sort of minor diplomatic asset) #l1 is an unwinnable quagmire. In the process, Bush has mortgaged the US economy to the Chinese and Saudi's, who could at any time pull the plug. Bush is front-man for an aggegate of robber-barons and Christian Armageddon Manachean fanatics. ------------------------------------------------------------------ To: letters@time.com The story of Charles Robert Jenkins (TIME, 13 Dec '04 (Frederick)) is quite moving, and would make a fine book. Jenkins is clearly somoene of exceptional intelligence and most exceptional moral character. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "DECLARE A VICTORY AND BUG OUT" George Bush Jr.'s Iraq strategy is a self-enclosed Neverland fantasy that only he believes.