ATF say medical marihuna users may not have guns or ammunition

No surprises here really. It's illegal under federal law [pdf] and that's the end of it as far as ATF is concerned. Furthermore in that the feds are the least accountable of the many layers of government we are afflicted with that is indeed that. Congress isn't going touch this issue with a ten foot pole and neither is the administration so unless ATF relents or some federal judge engages in some "judicial activism" this door is shut tight.

My advice to shooters that like to get high is this: Just grow your own, be discreet about it, and leave the feds the hell out of it. What this portends for local stoners with guns around here (especially those with Michigan-issued CPLs) is uncertain.  What is certain, at least to me, is that no amount of permits, licenses, and permissions slips from the bureaucracy is ever going make you free.

Reform: Michigan's Attorney-General needs to be "reformed" right out of a job

Ex-State senator, ex-appeals court judge, ex-US representative, and ex-candidate for everything and current Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, is attempting to undermine the Michigan Medical Marihuana  Act passed by voters in 2008.

AG Schuette and his cats-paws want to "reform" the reform passed in 2008. This voter-passed law was intended to provide a legal path so people who needed or wanted to use cannabis could do so without having to fear a SWAT team crashing through their doors. AG Bill Schuette dislikes this law and wants to redo it so that the police and other LEO types (like him for example) can regulate who can have, distribute, and use cannabis. Well, screw him. Hey Bill! The people voted on this and you should respect that. But he doesn't.

Here's a reform we could use while we're at it. Let's abolish the office of AG as an independent executive office of Michigan state government and have it be a cabinet appointment of the governor's office. The grandstanding typical of state AG's  is mostly reckless and unproductive stuff designed to keep their name in the headlines with a view toward higher office. (Remember how AG's Kelly, Granholm, and Cox all used the AG office as a stepping-stone for higher office ambitions?) Let's reform AG Bill Schuette right out of a job and let him go back to being a right-wing gadfly rather than a free lance  political hack with the weight and authority of the state of Michigan behind him suing and arresting people based on his personal agenda.

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An obvious political hack and a doctor-suing ambulance chaser likely to get nominations to federal court (Robert Snell, Detroit News)"[Likely judicial nominee Marietta Robinson] has given big donations to state and national Democratic candidates, particularly the three who will determine whether she becomes a federal judge. She has given $4,600 to Obama, $6,000 to Stabenow and $2,000 to Levin, according to the Center for Responsive Politics."

Jackson county district court judge James Justin recommended for dismissal for misconduct by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission  (Danielle Salisbury, MLive/Jackson Citizen-Patriot)
" '(Justin’s) deliberate and repeated decisions to circumvent the judicial process — many times to his own benefit — render him unfit to sit as a judge.' ” Justin dismissed traffic tickets issued to himself and his wife nine separate times. So much for "equal justice under law", eh? But I'd still like to keep elected judges instead of appointed ones. At least we can vote 'em out if need be.

 Profile of a Tom Henderson a respected Detroit-area business writer who moonlights as an author of true crime books (Sandra Svoboda, Detroit Metro-Times)
An interesting read.

Ann Arbor set to establish myriad laws, rules, and regulations for medical marijuana clinics (Dave Askins, Ann Arbor Chronicle)
This lengthy and cumbersome effort on the part of the city of Ann Arbor seems stupid, expensive, and pointless to me. Do they do all this micromanaging for wine shops, party and liquor stores?

Ann Althouse gains some insight on the topic of what constitutes "fairness" in union-dominated college towns like Madison, WI (Ann Althouse, Althouse blog)
"I don't see how the city can accept free-form sleeping on the street, with no group taking responsibility. Homeless and transient people are not allowed to sleep on the street, so I don't see how special immunity from the laws can be given to other sleepers based on their political opinions." Bottom line: Politically connected professional agitators have one standard. But the homeless, drunks, drifters, druggies, beggars, and kooks and such have another standard altogether.

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Ann Arbor "medical" marijuana clinic robbed at gunpoint yesterday: I don't get this. Liquor stores, banks, jewelry & coin shops and other places that sell or trade in valuable commodities have known for years that security is the major issue in their business operation. But not these guys. Go figure?

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I really need to concentrate here you guys! - There, I fixed it.com

Can Asian carp survive in Michigan's rivers and streams? - MLive
Maybe, maybe not. I hope not.

Tennessee officials to promote "moonshine tourism" - Daily Caller
"Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Assistant Commissioner Jennifer Spence said she knows of no other such government-sponsored tourism attraction based on moonshine and bootleggers. The White Lightning Trail is one of 16 self-guided driving trails that have opened or are being developed and is intended to be a 'fun attraction ride.' "

Police lobby congress to keep warrentless cellphone tracking legal - CNet (Declan McCullagh)
Two LA pot dispensary workers killed in separate robberies - LA Times
Take a hint from liquor stores, banks, 24 hour convenience stores, and etc.: You need to have better security. You're in business now, not selling weed to your friends.
British cat gets first artificial bone leg-bud implants - Popular Science

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Public employee unions starting to lose "public support" - SF Chronicle (Peter Scheer)
When did the gold-plated bureaucracy ever have it?
For Michigan "progressives" it's come to this: Bernero versus Dillion for governor - MLive
Sheesh. A populist rabble-rouser whose main talent is giving fiery speeches and debate performances but who has accomplished little versus a corporation friendly state capitalist who talks a good game but also has accomplished little.
Gen. Stanley McChrystal the Army's Afghanistan theatre commander disses Obama - Wired News
Italian archeologists think they have found Caravaggio's bones - Seattle Times (via American Scientist)
"The purpose of immigration is make our country better, not help the immigrants out" -iSteve blog
A straight up explanation of Canada's immigration policy. More Chinese and Indians and fewer Latinos and Caribbeans is what it amounts to.
How Bonnaroo went from Harmless Hippie Fest to Corporate Scam - Taki's Magazine
"When I saw Rage Against the Machine play at Lollapalooza back in 1996, their backdrop was an inverted American flag tagged with “666.” It was an ominous warning that a predatory hegemony loomed on the horizon. A decade later, bands played Lollapalooza on the “Bud Light Stage,” the “MySpace Stage,” and the “PlayStation Stage.” Of course, Rage Against the Machine played the “AT&T Stage” in 2008. Is that why they call it a revolutionary act?"
L.A. Medical-Marijuana Outlets Defy City - LA Weekly
Heroic resistence to L.A.'s oppressive drug laws or reluctance to give up a lucrative gig? Hmm...

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Michigan politicians don't give a shit about polite, orderly demonstrations - Skoop's Blog (Tim Skubick)

People that really want to make an impact probably should follow the example of the SEIU demonstrations at bank big-shot's home's in the DC area recently. See, direct-action just works.

Census workers can demand access to your home if you are a renter - The Barr Code (Bob Barr)

Man so upset by wrecking his BMW convertible he made a sculpture from the parts - Gizmodo

Colton Harris-Moore is definitely back in the San Juan Islands. Maybe. - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

San Jose, CA pot farm workers seek to form union - SF Chronicle

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Behavioral clues that someone is carrying a concealed handgun - BoingBoing

Two galaxies locked in gravitational combat - Astronomy Pic of the Day

Your Post-Apocalyptic Future: Container Trucks Recycled Into Mobile Homes - Gizmodo
Interesting, but ah...why go through all that? Wouldn't using conventional mobile homes, Winnebagos and travel trailers which are already set up to be mobile living units be a better option? Seems so to me.

Sabotage or terrorism? - LA Times

Police cars, city vehicles found torched & booby-trapped in Hemet, California. Attacking property or trying to kill?

Consciousness is one of neuroscience's long-standing mysteries - New Scientist
In First Successful Human Trial, Nanotech Robots Deploy Cancer-Fighting RNA - Popular Science

Okay, now lets see if it works.

It would be a wonderful world if everyone had friends like this - SF Chronicle

Medical marijuana clinics being robbed and attacked reveals the problem with the current "legal but...vs. illegal, period" status of cannabis. - Seattle Post-Intelligencer