Arizona voters approved medical marijuana by a narrow margin. Arizona is the 15th state (including Washington, DC) to approve medical marijuana. The measure applies to patients with cancer, AIDS, or any other "chronic or debilitating" disease that meets guidelines. Patients have to get a recommendation from their doctor and register with the Arizona Department of Health Services. Once that occurs, they can grow plants or buy 2.5 ounces of marijuana every two weeks.
The measure was opposed by all of Arizona's sheriffs and county prosecutors, the governor, and the state attorney general. Jeez. I know just the thing that will lighten them up... So, let me get this straight: Arizona's political leaders are fine passing racist, discriminatory, privacy-breaking laws regarding immigrants, but they draw the line at alleviating suffering for people with chronic diseases? Ok... (Full Story)
After more than seven years of house arrest by Myanmar's military junta, pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is now free. She has spent 15 of the last 21 years jailed or under house arrest. I know it's no coincidence that she was released after the election, but I'm glad they actually followed through with her release. However, I feel this "gesture" by Myanmar's military leaders (because it pretty much is a gesture, Suu Kyi is arbitrarily held under house arrest at the whim of the leaders) only goes so far. I believe Suu Kyi will try to play a strong role in promoting democracy in the country, and the military leaders (despite holding this recent election, which was a sham) have no intention of letting any power slip from their hands. It is an extremely repressive regime, and I don't think they're going to allow Suu Kyi to be involved in too much activism in Myanmar.
Only a day after being released, and Suu Kyi jumped back into politics. She has spoken with several diplomats, reporters, and members of her National League for Democracy party. She said she wanted to speak with the Myanmar leader General Than Shwe, that she would work to end the international sanctions on the country if the Burmese people wanted her to, and that she would work to help unite the opposition factions in Myanmar. The chairman of the opposition party National Democratic Force (the NDF split from Suu Kyi's NLD party so that they could run in last week's elections) said he welcomed this and that "we have great expectations that she might be able to lead to conciliate all the different forces in the country." Suu Kyi and the NDF have said they plan to investigate the vote rigging in the recent elections.
Suu Kyi is extremely intelligent, has amazing political skills, is very charismatic, and is pretty universally loved in Myanmar (outside of the military leaders, of course). She has the power to unite many people in Myanmar under one united front. Her popularity and her dedication to the cause of democracy in Myanmar makes her a threat to the military leaders. I'm skeptical that they're going to allow her to organize and promote her activism freely. She has been released from house arrest twice before, and in both instances she was put back under house arrest soon after. They have even resorted to violence in the past. For instance, in 2003 government-backed thugs attacked Suu Kyi's convoy and killed more than a hundred of her supporters and fellow party members. I can't imagine they would attempt violence against Suu Kyi again -- I think that could cause a revolt of the people and the international community would be outraged. But I'm not so sure that they won't try to limit her voice and activism through other means.
Amazingly, Suu Kyi said she holds no grudge against her captors. She's a better person than I would be. Also, what broke my heart in the article is when she said she was excited to be released because she was eager to hear human voices again -- for so many years she could only listen to the radio. (Full Story)
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