dissention in the ranks? or just good old fashioned common sense?

i came across some articles this week on a couple of topics i'm passionate about - marijuana and vegetarianism... could there possibly be a move to a more 'enlightened' attitude on these subjects from countries australia tends to 'follow' (albeit usually quite a lot later - the (very slow) 'trickle-down' effect??)...

on the marijuana front...

"UK drug adviser fired after marijuana comments" by Raphael Satter, Associated Press Writer – Fri Oct 30, 2:57 pm

LONDON – Britain's top drug adviser was fired Friday after saying that marijuana, Ecstasy and LSD were less dangerous than alcohol.

David Nutt's comments have embarrassed the British government, which toughened the penalties for possessing marijuana earlier this year over the protests of many prominent British scientists...

In later comments to BBC radio's "PM" program, Nutt accused British Prime Minister Gordon Brown of making "completely irrational statements" about the dangerousness of marijuana.

"I'm not prepared to mislead the public about the harmfulness of drugs like cannabis and Ecstasy," he said...." read more here

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"Push to Legalize Marijuana Gains Ground in California" by Jesse McKinley, October 27, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO — These are heady times for advocates of legalized marijuana in California — and only in small part because of the newly relaxed approach of the federal government toward medical marijuana.

State lawmakers are holding a hearing on Wednesday on the effects of a bill that would legalize, tax and regulate the drug — in what would be the first such law in the United States. Tax officials estimate the legislation could bring the struggling state about $1.4 billion a year, and though the bill’s fate in the Legislature is uncertain, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has indicated he would be open to a “robust debate” on the issue." read more here

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and this makes very interesting viewing on the issue...

on the vegetarian front...

"Climate-Change Authority Advocates Vegetarianism" by Heather Moore, from the Care2 Causes & News page

"It might take a while for Al Gore and other noted “environmentalists” in the U.S. to branch out from giving “safe” advice like "use energy-efficient light bulbs" and "recycle"—and American politicians may not even be all that quick to promote an official meat-free day—but one of the top climate chiefs in the U.K. is taking the lead. Lord Stern, the author of the 2006 Stern Review on global warming, recently told The Times, “Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world’s resources. A vegetarian diet is better.” read more here

Heather Moore is a freelance writer and a senior writer for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and you can read more of her articles on animal welfare and climate change here.

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I stumbled upon this great banner from LOBSA, a non-profit buddhist vegan abolitionist organisation (now that's a mouthful - and no, i'm not buddhist - but i can definitely appreciate the sentiments expressed!!!)...

and these two buddhist prayers from the same source - for all the suffering animals...

even though i've been a vegetarian for ages - i stopped eating and wearing dead animal over 3 decades ago - i still eat organic, animal rennet-free cheese, free range eggs and drink organic milk - i really need to take that 'final' step and remove them from my 'table' - as much for my conscience as the welfare of the supposedly (hopefully) more humanely treated (but still enslaved) animals in those industries... once i achieve that therein lies a whole 'other' dilemma - my canine and feline companions are carnivores, so how to feed them because they're unable in this society to hunt for themselves??? ahh, another quandary to ponder...