When will the lights be turned on? For the past several months I have noted a large number of areas where the streetlights are not lit along stretches of West Broad Street and areas along North High Street. Of course, the City bureaucrats offer as an excuse the recent storms that came through central Ohio, but the lights in these areas have been dark for much longer than just recently.

Then again, I should ask when will the arches in the Short North be lit? Expensive, ornamental iron arches, installed with much fanfare nearly three years ago, still remain unlit. Perhaps I should suggest the City of Columbus run extension-cords from the White Castle and Papa John’s to light the arches in front of their areas.

No one should be surprised that the City of Columbus has so much difficulty mastering the technicalities of electricity. After all, Columbus is the city whose Mayor’s house burned down twice because of electrical malfunctions; not to mention a city who would rather pay a million dollars to the parents of a little boy electrocuted on the Town Street Bridge than fix the bridge.

Apparently the Electromaniac is still at large.

With America's debacle in Iraq blaring on every TV channel, Democrats in Oregon tuned in eagerly to Kerry as he toured their state in mid-May, awaiting their champion's robust savaging of the commander in chief, tottering through some of the worst news headlines of his presidency.

            They waited in vain. Though Iraq is a simple word of only two syllables, Kerry avoided it, and when reporters cued him to put the boot in, he raised a decorous finger to his lips, saying he wanted to give President Bush "some space to get things done."

If you think like us, then you know that the U.S. prohibition on the use of cannabis is a harmful policy that has broad societal implications. If you also value democracy, then you know that citizenship is not without it’s duties; true democracy requires the citizens to overthrow unreasonable government. The most revolutionary act a citizen can take to end the U.S. fight against cannabis is to simply grow cannabis. So, it is our American duty to overgrow this prohibitionist government. Freedom to grow and utilize this wonderful plant are in store for us at the END of the War on Drugs, but until then, we need brave people to keep cannabis alive. The risks associated with this act are steep in the police state of America nonetheless, gardening is a healthy and rewarding hobby and can even become a supplementary income. Once you smoke homegrown, you’ll be convinced. We’ve provided a grower’s guide to educate and enhance your quest to Overgrow the Government!

1. Be Prepared. Take time to design your grow system to provide the plants with proper light, nutrients, air flow, and water. This should include studying the cannabis plant’s needs. Ed Rosenthal is a guru of cannabis grow and any number of his books are a good investment. Envision numerous scenarios that could occur relating to the care and maintenance of your plants (like mite infestation, power failure, etc.) and plan ahead.

2. Be Secure. Growing marijuana is an illegal activity in many countries, therefore serious precautions must be taken so that the police do not find out about your garden. Be discreet about your cannabis supply and take security measures such as door locks and odor control methods when appropriate.

Since July 2000, the U.S. government has spent over 2 billion dollars to fund an anti-drug program aimed at eradicating cocoa and poppy production in Colombia. The goal of Plan Colombia is to reduce cocao and poppy production by half by 2005. In a two year period from December 2000 to December 2002, U.S. contractors and Colombian drug authorities sprayed 628,828 acres of Colombia with a potent herbicide. A milder version of this glyphosate poison is sold in the U.S. under the brand name Round-up weed killer. This fumigation is done from airplanes which often have to fly higher than recommended when spraying due to risks of being shot at. Spray drift often results in unintended damage and any plant life sprayed by this herbicide dies within several days.