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I just received a call from Peggy Kidwell concerning her husband Joe "Hemp" Kidwell. Joe was an outspoken medical marijuana activist in Southern California who moved to Kentucky. In Kentucky, he was arrested for possession. He was not allowed to ring up his medical conditions or medical use. His wife is very distraught because he is being refused medical assistance in Federal Prison. The last time she saw him (last week), she said he was in terrible condition and the guards were refusing to get him medical help.

Please take a few moments to make some phone calls to Demand he get medical attention!

Sample Call: "It has come to my attention that Joe Kidwell #08559033 in Federal Prison Lexington, KY is being refused medical attention. I am very concerned about his well being and would appreciate it if you would in inquire why he is being denied this right. Please call me back to let me know he is being helped."

Prison Warden: George Synder 859-255-6812

US Senator Mitch McConnell 202-224-2544

KY Governor Paul Frankfort 502-564-2611

News Articles about Joe:

I want to congratulate Harvey Wasserman for a brilliant article on the military defeat in Iraq. I have been reading nothing but concessions to the White House lie that America had a military victory in Iraq. Even writers who are against the invasion are saying, "we may have won militarily but,..." I think Mr. Wasserman's article should be handed out door to door in America.

I am in Amman, Jordan, a volunteer at the human shield office. We have over 500 human shields from over 50 countries who have served in Baghdad. The stories they are bringing out of Iraq are dramatically different than the ones we see in the mainstream media. They are all, to a person, disgusted with the slaughter of Iraqis they witnessed. Call it a turkey shoot, shooting fish in a barrel... it is transparently a huge fat bully slapping the little skinny kid senseless and smashing his glasses, then bragging about his superiority. Shameful and pathetic.

Magdalena Emperatriz was kidnapped on May 31, 1982 during a counter-insurgency campaign carried out by the Salvadoran army. She was 15 days old. The campaign resulted in the killing of hundreds of civilians and the destruction of dozens of towns and hamlets as well as the abduction and disappearance of 54 small children.

In 1995, when Magdalena was 13 years old, she was located in an orphanage in San Salvador. The late Dr. Robert Kirschner, former director of the International Forensic Program of Physicians for Human Rights, identified the girl through an analysis of her and the putative father’s DNA. The two were finally reunited.

Dear Mr. Wasserman,

I just read your fine article (posted at CommonDreams) on "Bush's Military Defeat."

Coincidentally, this morning I heard NPR's Daniel Schorr comment that this was a "brilliant" military victory. (Isn't it a shame about how he's become such a voice of the government -- understandable considering NPR's leadership, which is made up of former Radio Free Europe bosses.)

I'm writing to say that there was no brilliant military victory.

It appears there was a deal made, likely long ago, when Rumsfeld was so confident that 10,000 troops could take the country. Saddam and his generals made virtually no defense of their country at all. No bridges blown up, roads torn up, streets barricaded, surface-to-air missiles fired, few tactical short-range missiles used, none of the at least 100 available fighter jets used. . . . And the Iraqis are courageous people, whose pilots would have risked their lives if they thought it would defend their country and, especially, their honor.

Eye sockets roll down the red carpets,
Mute zombie pedestrians push traffic stand buttons,
Flags lay flat on the backs of young oafs' t-shirts,
DJs pump up the crowd with yankee doodle dandy whistles,
Fat mayors and Century 21 realtors give speeches,
It's a Victory Parade for America,
Only the lemonade tastes bad,
and, no one is...

George W. Bush has fittingly stopped short of declaring victory in Iraq. He doesn't want to claim a definitive triumph because it would legally obligate the US to begin cleaning the place up and enforcing human rights obligations.

But in fact, the US attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan have been shattering defeats.

Let's count the ways:

At least three times US troops have fired live ammunition against angry crowds of "liberated" Iraqis. Far from "dancing in the streets" over the American presence, the people of Iraq have made it clear they want the US out just days after the removal of Saddam Hussein, who most Iraqis understand was put in power by the US in the first place.

US troops have now killed at least twenty Iraqis in demonstrations that appear to be nonviolent. Military claims of self-defense are reminiscent of lies that Kent State students fired weapons during the May, 1970 massacre there. Those four deaths put the US in an uproar; in Iraq, less than 1/10 the size of the US, the equivalent of 20 dead would be more than 200.

Eighteen months from now, citizens will vote for president. If the 2004 campaign is anything like the last one, the election returns will mark the culmination of a depressing media spectacle.

For news watchers, the candidates and the coverage can be hard to take. Appearances on television are apt to become tedious, nauseating or worse. Campaign ads often push the limits of slick pandering. Journalists routinely seem fixated on "horseracing" the contest instead of reporting about the huge financial interests that candidates have served.

Media-driven campaigns now dominate every presidential race, badly skewed in favor of big money. And while millions of progressive-minded Americans are eager to have an impact on the political process, they often face what appears to be a choice between severe compromise and marginalization.

Remarkable transitions occur during presidential campaigns. People who are usually forthright can become evasive or even downright dishonest -- in public anyway -- when they declare themselves to be fervent supporters of a particular contender. Nuances and mixed assessments tend to go out the window.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Don't worry about a thing! The Texas Legislature is riding to the rescue. Oh, sure, we still have a $10 billion deficit, but the House just outlawed gay marriage. At last, we're safe from the hideous threat of gay marriage, which would have directly ruined our entire lives.

Meanwhile, the House has:

-- Eliminated 10,810 state jobs;

-- Cut 250,000 poor children off the Children's Health Insurance Program and about 365,000 from health insurance through Medicaid;

-- Cut prenatal care and delivery for 17,000 pregnant women and services for 366 women with breast and cervical cancer;

-- Closed one state school for the mentally retarded and one state mental hospital;

-- (This one's my favorite) Cut $22 million from a criminal justice program that provides medication and treatment for mentally impaired offenders who are out on probation or parole. (Isn't that nice? They'll be wandering around the state without their meds.)

The Historical Trekkers group will tour Dysart Woods this Saturday, May 3 with muskets and 18th century attire. They say that Dysart Woods is one of the extremely rare places where they can see a historic tract of the old growth forest that once covered 95 percent of Ohio.

They will arrive at the ancient forest between 10-10:30 a.m. this Saturday. Media are welcome to record the event. “With the current permit to mine directly under the ancient forest, this may be the last opportunity of its kind to tour a significant historic forest in Ohio, unless the permit can be stopped in the Ohio Division of Mineral Resources or in court,” said Dysart Defenders Coordinator Chad Kister.

“With only .004 percent of old growth left, this is an extremely important historic resource,” said Kister. “For the Ohio Valley Coal Company to request to mine under every acre of Dysart Woods is wrong and it needs to be challenged and stopped.”

The following is a statement from Thom "Swanny" Swan, Coordinator of Historical Trekkers:

That GLAAD's campaign against the 'Savage Nation' show on MSNBC has itself generated strident criticism should surprise no one. Though considered by many "an act of faith," as William Fulbright so eloquently referred to it, and as GLAAD apparently grasps it, dissent seems today a much-maligned concept both within our community and nation.

Fear of terrorism, the war in Iraq and one party control of all three branches of the federal government have together helped foster an environment in this nation hostile to dissent--however loyal or reasonable it may be. Those who express unpopular or critical views regarding our nation's policies and actions are oft labeled "unpatriotic," and calls for "unity" are frequently utilized by those in power to bully opponents and suppress dissent.