driveby headlines
Beaverton Democratic Rep. Chris Barker said the bill would bring pot off the streets and into a “safer and more secure environment.”
Opponents, however, say the state has no idea what it is getting into. They say medical marijuana takes a lot of time and manpower to harvest. The bill’s opponents do not think the state will be able to handle the number of patients who rely on the drug.
There are no animal attack stories today, but we’ll always have pirates:
But while pirates took nearly 38 percent of the vessels they attacked in 2008, they have only seized about 13 percent in the first two months of 2009.
Cmdr. Jane Campbell of the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet, which patrols the Gulf, said the decline in the number of successful pirate attacks could be partly attributed to the increased number of warships in the area — between 15 and 20 at any one time.
Surveillance also is being conducted by unmanned drones, helicopters and aircraft flown from the shore. The helicopters have frequently intervened in attacks, firing at gunmen or even picking up crew who have jumped overboard from the sea.
But a major factor is increased awareness of the danger among mariners, she said.
“Last year, you had a situation where pirates were onboard a ship before the crew was even aware they were being attacked,” Campbell said. “This year, most ships are posting lookouts 24 hours.”
