• U.S. Supreme Court Rejects California Counties’ Challenge to State Medical Marijuana Laws

“The Supreme Court’s order marks a significant victory for medical marijuana patients and advocates nationwide. This case struck at the core of the contentious intersection between state and federal medical marijuana policy, and, once again, it is clear that state medical marijuana laws are fully valid. Coupled with the Department of Justice’s recent pronouncements that the agency will respect state medical marijuana laws, the Court’s order leaves ample room for states to move forward with enacting and implementing independent medical marijuana policies.”

• The Logic of Suicide Terrorism

The central fact is that overwhelmingly suicide-terrorist attacks are not driven by religion as much as they are by a clear strategic objective: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory that the terrorists view as their homeland. From Lebanon to Sri Lanka to Chechnya to Kashmir to the West Bank, every major suicide-terrorist campaign—over 95 percent of all the incidents—has had as its central objective to compel a democratic state to withdraw.

(Thanks to Surrealestate for that.)

That last one actually reminds me of a related story…. Let’s take a moment to mark the passing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam. I don’t know as much about the Sri Lankan civil war as I do about lots of other conflicts, and I certainly don’t have a side I cheer for, but if you’re interested in assymetrical warfare, you should know about the LTTE. The article above mentions that they pioneered the suicide vest, but on top of that, how many guerrilla groups do you know with their own navy and air force?

• Rebels Routed in Sri Lanka After 25 Years of War

Monkey madness at the famed OHSU Primate Research Center (that’s monkey torturing, for those of you without a translator):

• 9 Monkeys Recaptured After OHSU Escape

Suicide squirrel:

• Squirrel leaves Navy base incommunicado

But here at home, one naval installation has discovered a new menace, capable of knocking out key communications in a matter of seconds.

However, this particular hazard doesn’t involve suicide bombers, long-range missiles, space weapons, or even explosives. Indeed, this latest threat can be found in most backyards, or any other wooded area. It typically weighs a pound—or less—and belongs to the Sciuridae family.

We’re referring to the common tree squirrel, and last Saturday night, one of the furry rodents disrupted phone service at Virginia’s Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. Four days later, “land line” phones at the base still aren’t working, making communications difficult.

And now, this:

• Customs says art was framed with marijuana

The 45-year-old shepherd was caught with marijuana in his car as he was setting off for an extended period with his flock in the mountains of Alto Adige, in the far north of the country. Police found 38 grams (about 1.3 ounces) in the car, and the shepherd, identified only as Giorgio D., was convicted of possession. But upholding an appeal against the verdict, the Court of Cassation ruled that the shepherd was justified in possessing this small quantity of the drug on account of “the long and solitary period” he was about to spend “in the countryside and the mountains, due to the migration of his flock of sheep”.

Feds looking to sell arrested anti-sealing ship

However, a release posted earlier this month on the society’s website had Watson saying any potential buyer should note the society does not recognize the validity of the sale. “Whoever buys the ship should be aware that we retain the registry and the original bill of sale and we will take back what is ours at the first opportunity. You don’t steal a ship from a pirate without repercussions,” Watson is quoted as saying.

• Bill proposes that Oregon grow, sell pot to medical users

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:

• Russian warship seizes 3 pirate ships off Somalia
• Somali pirates keep up attacks but seizures fall

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.”

• Monkey ‘kills cruel owner with coconut thrown from tree’

Leilit Janchoom, 48, had employed the monkey to pick coconuts which he could then sell for around 4p each.

The animal – named Brother Kwan – found the work tedious and strenuous but Mr Janchoom refused to let him rest, dishing out beatings if he refused to climb trees.

It is believed that the monkey eventually snapped, and targeted his owner from a high branch with one of the hard-skinned fruits.

• Police seize 1,200 pounds of pot in spinach cans
• Man says he moved pot plants to keep burglars away

And more ALF stuff:

• 10 Easy Ways to Be Labeled a “Terrorist” by the Government

10.) Sabotage corporate property.
9.) Fall in love with an FBI agent.
8.) Attend vegan potlucks.
7.) Protect your privacy.
6.) Beat the good ol’ boys at their own game.
5.) Stop the symbolism.
4.) Be vocal and unapologetic.
3.) Go after their money.
2.) Get to their root of the problem.
1.) Be effective.

• Animal terrorist group foiled by informant dressed as a beagle

Radford, who is now based in Gran Canaria, believes the intelligence he provided from the ALF’s headquarters at a cottage in Hampshire helped the police to target its leaders and protect potential victims.

In a series of trials in recent months, four of the “godfathers” of animal extremism who were befriended by Radford have been jailed.

During one campaign appearance, Obama recalled that his mother had died of cancer and said he saw no difference between doctor-prescribed morphine and marijuana as pain relievers. He told an interviewer in March that it was “entirely appropriate” for a state to legalize the medical use of marijuana “with the same controls as other drugs prescribed by doctors.”

This fish is called psychedelica, but only for its appearance- don’t bother trying to lick one:

• Psychedelic fish ‘is new species’

And finally, more octopus rebellion:

• Octopus sets off flood at aquarium

• Satanist inmate sues county
• China bus thief, 13, causes road chaos

• Taxing pot could become a political toking point

Buoyed by the widely held belief that cannabis is California’s biggest cash crop, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano contends it is time to reap some state revenue from that harvest while putting a damper on drug use by teens, cutting police costs and even helping Mother Nature.

• Steve Irwin raid sparked by Japanese complaint
• Any Sea Shepherd charge needs A-G’s nod

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said Japan’s complaint about the Steve Irwin reached his organisation last week by way of the Japanese embassy in Canberra, and through the Australian embassy in Tokyo.

The official complaint stemmed from the director-general of the Japanese fishing agency.

Police confiscated the ship’s logbook and video footage of dramatic whale-killing scenes.

• FBI Arrests 4 Activists as “Terrorists” for Chalking Slogans, Leafleting and Protesting
• Four arrested in string of animal rights attacks on UC scientists

I’ve posted about the big civil disobedience at the US Capitol’s power plant before, but here’s more about it. All the contact people on their website seems to have Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network emails. It’d be nice if this was the beginning of Greenpeace USA getting serious again. This here is the head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies:

• Civil Disobedience: Climate Change Edition

And finally:

• Geronimo’s heirs sue secret Yale society over his skull

Geronimo died a prisoner of war at Fort Sill, , in 1909. A longstanding tradition among members of Skull and Bones holds that Prescott Bush — father of President George Bush and grandfather of President George W. Bush — broke into the grave with some classmates during World War I and made off with the skull, two bones, a bridle and some stirrups, all of which were put on display at the group’s clubhouse in New Haven, known as the Tomb.

Here’s where he’s supposed to be buried at Fort Sill, OK:

The 18 researchers, most of them based in China, subjected the cannabis to a battery of tests, including carbon dating and genetic analysis. Scientists also tried to germinate 100 of the seeds found in the cache, without success.

The marijuana was found to have a relatively high content of THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis, but the sample was too old to determine a precise percentage.

Researchers also could not determine whether the cannabis was smoked or ingested, as there were no pipes or other clues in the tomb of the shaman, who was about 45 years old.

The large cache was contained in a leather basket and in a wooden bowl, and was likely meant to be used by the shaman in the afterlife.

• British crew jump overboard as pirates hijack another tanker off Somalia
• Pirates release Greek ship
• Pirates assault cargo ship in Aden Gulf

Somalia Piracy Crisis: A Little Law and Order, Please

Two years ago, the hardline Islamic Courts regime, allied with a number of regional warlords, had brought a measure of stability to Somalia after 15 years of civil war. The Courts suppressed piracy to its lowest level in years. But U.S. suspicions that the Courts were actively harboring Al-Qaeda operatives led the U.S. to sponsor an joint invasion by Ethiopia and an alliance of outside Somali clans, destroying the Courts and sparking a bloody, Iraq-style insurgency. In the wake of the invasion, piracy flared up again.

Drug Runners Stepping Up Mini-Sub Use

Mailman Sentenced For Dealing Pot On Route

Woman In Cow Suit Moo-ves Police To Arrest
In pictures: Cow attempts to jump elderly woman – with hilarious results

And since we’re talking about cows and mayhem in the same breath, here’s an old chestnut:

Hugging benefits fractious chimps

Supermarket seeds lead to pot plant

Danny Williams said his young daughter, Lois, planted seeds from a bag of health food mix that was purchased at a store in Huyton and now a healthy marijuana plant sits in their backyard, the Liverpool Echo said Friday.

Unidentified warship captures 14 Somali pirates
3 ships thwart attacks by pirates off Somalia
Yemen to set anti-piracy center, US offers help
Denmark deters pirates off Gulf of Aden

Russia’s new Arctic station
In Canada the Arctic is winning issue
Artic Regulations Need Makeover

Nabucco pipeline ‘on track’ despite Georgia-Russia conflict – CEO
Russia aims to ‘corner’ energy market: US official
Storm Warning: Ike’s Impact Could Go Far Beyond Hurricane Season

The real problem is that thanks to hurricanes, the Gulf of Mexico will never live up to its promise as a mother lode of U.S. domestic oil production, leaving the country even more vulnerable to imports. Then the question becomes—imports from where?

Ukraine prime minister summoned by prosecutors

TROUBLE IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS: Russia’s Restless Muslim Republics

OSCE Report: Poor rule of law still plagues Kosovo

Georgian president vows to reclaim 2 provinces
Russians ‘agree Georgia deadline’
Russia, Georgia dispute in UN court
Should Georgia Become a Black Sea Hezbollah?