Would Not Feel So All Alone

Most states with medical marijuana were successful in passing those initiatives because their states allow for voter referenda in their constitutions.

Conventional wisdom holds that in states without access to ballot-box referenda -- that is, states where laws must only be passed through legislative action -- that the concept of passing medical marijuana is a far-fetched dream. Will never happen, they say -- but then, one looks at the polling.

The Harris Poll finds (via the Sacramento Bee):

When asked if Americans would support legalizing marijuana in their state, three quarters of Americans say they support legalization of marijuana for medical treatment (74%) with almost half saying they strongly support it (48%). Significantly fewer Americans say they oppose the legalization of medical marijuana in their state (18%), and even less are not sure (7%) or decline to answer (1%).

So, the nationwide average is 74%, but that can't hold up in a Southern state like Kentucky, right? It's true, the South has a lower percentage of folks in favor of legalized marijuana use -- merely more than two-thirds:

Southerners are least supportive of both medical marijuana legalization (69%) and marijuana legalized for recreational use (34%).

Grain of salt: this was a Harris Interactive Poll conducted online. A phone poll to landlines would likely skew the opposite direction.

But don't make the mistake that advocates for marijuana law reform are all idealistic, young, liberal Democrats. That might have been true once upon a time, but the Tea Party's hatred for the federal government has begun to spill over into the War on Marijuana.

For instance, supporters of Phil Moffett, Tea Party candidate for governor, had their business raided while they were attending a fundraiser for Moffett in Washington, DC (via Lex H-L):

Lexington police on Feb. 10 raided The Botany Bay at 932 Winchester Road and seized a variety of illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, several thousand dollars in cash and two loaded guns, according to court records. Police arrested six people in connection with the raid, including store employees, who face pending felony and misdemeanor drug charges.

Police later charged store owners Ginny and Scott Saville, who were not present, with misdemeanor counts of trafficking in synthetic marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. They have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to appear next month in Fayette District Court.

Ginny Saville helped organize a Dec. 7 fund-raiser for Moffett and, with her husband, donated $2,000 to him. A large Moffett campaign poster hung in the store’s window Friday. When the raid happened, she and her husband were with the Moffett campaign at the Conservative Action Political Conference in Washington, D.C., according to Adams.

See that? Getting in trouble for marijuana isn't just for the left-wing fringe any more -- it's for the right-wing fringe as well, and 69 to 74% of the middle, depending on where you're from.

Catholics for Muslims

In dark days of endless bad news for the Catholic Church, it's always refreshing to see it do the right thing. In this case, the former archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, testified before Congress in defense of Muslims (via the USCCB):

"We remain firmly committed to the defense of religious liberty for all—not just for Catholics—because our commitment is to the dignity of each and every human person,” the Cardinal said, testifying on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights hearing on “Protecting the Civil Rights of American Muslims.”

“As a community that has been the target of religious discrimination, we understand the need today to bring attention to protecting the civil rights of our Muslim brothers and sisters,” Cardinal McCarrick said. “We see religious freedom as an essential foundation for our life together in our own nation and across the globe.”

How did this testimony go over with Kentucky's self-appointed chief Muslim-hating Catholic, Lisa Graas? Five shades of crazy. This woman converted to Catholicism and then basically asserts that the entire US Council of Catholic Bishops is some sort of Manchurian Candidate for jihadists:

As a faithful Catholic, it is difficult for me personally to imagine that our bishops would intentionally facilitate the stealth jihad of ISNA, but considering that I made their Wahhabist ideology clear way back in September, it is becoming more and more difficult for me to believe that the bishops have their heads on straight or their hearts in the right place.

Why would you join a faith, only to attack the entire Church leadership? No clue.

Conway Could Still Win This

The below photo, taken in Marion County FIVE MONTHS after Rand Paul's resounding ass kicking of Jack Conway, illustrates either a) total denial that Conway lost; or b) total disrespect for him.

Either way, would someone please go fetch this sign? Marion County readers will know exactly where this is.

The Once-Great Courier Journal

Here is a full-color example of why the Courier-Journal was once considered to be one of the great newspapers. When Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977, the Courier-Journal Magazine printed this 16-page special edition with several full-color pages and zero advertising:

Now here is a full-color example as to why the Courier-Journal is a shell of its former being. As a reward for starving the Courier-Journal and other newspapers of its reporting work hours through layoffs and furloughs, Gannett has awarded its CEO, Craig Dubow, a $1.9 million cash bonus, in addition to his 2010 salary of $9.4 million -- doubling his 2009 salary. More:

Chief operating officer Gracia Martore was paid $8.2 million, with a cash bonus of $1.25 million. The bonuses were awarded partly on the basis of cost-cutting that included layoffs, unpaid furloughs and other austerity measures, according to a shareholders proxy report filed on Thursday...

• Chief Financal Officer Paul Saleh: $2.9 million; includes a $225,000 bonus, after joining GCI last November.  

• U.S. newspapers president Bob Dickey: $3.4 million, including $600,000 bonus. (His total 2009 pay: $1.9 million.) 

• USA Today Publisher Dave Hunke: $2.5 million, including $375,000 bonus. (Total 2009: $1.9 million.) 

• Broadcasting President Dave Lougee: $2.2 million, including $450,000 bonus. (Total 2009: $1.3 million.)

We now live in a world where an absentee landlord executive directly benefits by cutting hours and jobs in Louisville's newsroom. No glossy, full-color Elvis special editions for you!

Herald Leader FAIL

From today's Lexington Herald Leader, Muhammad "Last Name Here" Ali, apparently does something to bore the pants off the H-L's copy editing staff:

Come on people. He's the greatest (proofreading error) in the world.

What Louisville Needs

On her show this morning, Mandy Connell discussed Louisville's identity crisis, which we are all too familiar with... but since she's only been around for a year, her fresh perspective caused MCL to make a mental list of all the things wrong with Louisville, which we will share with you now:

• Manufacturing -- After a generation of decline, there seems to be some green shoots. GE's return to Beuchel with the assembly of the hybrid water heater and energy efficient front-load laundry products combined with Ford's recent announcement of $900 million investment in its two Louisville plants to build, among other things, the new Ford Escape in hybrid and plug-in hybrid varieties means that Louisville could re-brand itself as a magnet for green collar jobs, and it should. 
• Bridges -- Louisville won't reach its full potential as a full size city until it fully incorporates its Indiana suburbs. Why isn't passenger rail a part of the bridges discussion?
• Pro ball team -- Other cities will never take Louisville seriously until Louisville beats that city's pro team at home. Until Louisville invests in professional sports, the nationwide subconscious opinion of Louisville will be that of a second-class city that is important for two minutes a year. 
• Public transit -- Louisville can't take full advantage of its greatest attribute -- its restaurant, bar and drinking culture -- without reliable mass transit that is popular to use. A light rail train bridge over the Ohio River that drops Indiana pedestrians into downtown Louisville would do wonders to invigorate downtown street life while making our roads safer. 
• School busing -- People who move to Louisville with families either pay for private schools or settle in Oldham County, where there is no forced busing. The Louisville busing plan was a solution to the problems of 1970, but it has become the problem of today. Also, charter schools. 

Am I missing anything?