Debbie Campbell will be the guest of Bill Reddish, 7:40 tomorrow morning on WICO 1320 AM
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Debbie Campbell on Reddish
Debbie Campbell will be the guest of Bill Reddish, 7:40 tomorrow morning on WICO 1320 AM
Swiss voters nix legal marijuana but approve legal heroin use
The world's most comprehensive legalized heroin program became permanent Sunday with overwhelming approval from Swiss voters who simultaneously rejected the decriminalization of marijuana.Does this sound strange to anyone else BUT me?And the government will be footing most of the bill....read on.
The heroin program, started in 1994, is offered in 23 centers across Switzerland. It has helped eliminate scenes of large groups of drug users shooting up openly in parks that marred Swiss cities in the 1980s and 1990s and is credited with reducing crime and improving the health and daily lives of addicts.
The nearly 1,300 selected addicts, who have been unhelped by other therapies, visit one of the centers twice a day to receive the carefully measured dose of heroin produced by a government-approved laboratory.
They keep their paraphernalia in cups labeled with their names and use the equipment and clean needles to inject themselves - four at a time - under the supervision of a nurse, and also receive counseling from psychiatrists and social workers.
The aim is to help the addicts learn how to function in society.
The United States and the U.N. narcotics board have criticized the program as potentially fueling drug abuse, but it has attracted attention from governments as far away as Australia and Canada, which in recent years have started or are considering their own programs modeled on the system.
Sixty-eight percent of the 2.26 million Swiss voters casting ballots approved making the heroin program permanent.
By contrast, around 63.2 percent of voters voted against the marijuana proposal, which was based on a separate citizens' initiative to decriminalize the consumption of marijuana and growing the plant for personal use.
Olivier Borer, 35, a musician from the northern town of Solothurn, said he welcomed the outcome in part because state action was required to help heroin addicts, but he said legalizing marijuana was a bad idea.
"I think it's very important to help these people, but not to facilitate the using of drugs," Borer said. "You can just see in the Netherlands how it's going. People just go there to smoke."
Sabina Geissbuehler-Strupler of the right-wing Swiss People's Party, which led the campaign against the heroin program, said she was disappointed in the vote.
"That is only damage limitation," she said. "Ninety-five percent of the addicts are not healed from the addiction."
Health insurance pays for the bulk of the program, which costs 26 million Swiss francs ($22 million) a year. All residents in Switzerland, which has a population of 7.5 million, are required to have health insurance, with the government paying insurance premiums for those who cannot afford it.
Jo Lang, a Green Party member of parliament from the central city of Zug, said he was disappointed in the failure of the marijuana measure because it means 600,000 people in Switzerland will be treated as criminals because they use cannabis.
"People have died from alcohol and heroin, but not from cannabis," Lang said.
The heroin program, started in 1994, is offered in 23 centers across Switzerland. It has helped eliminate scenes of large groups of drug users shooting up openly in parks that marred Swiss cities in the 1980s and 1990s and is credited with reducing crime and improving the health and daily lives of addicts.
The nearly 1,300 selected addicts, who have been unhelped by other therapies, visit one of the centers twice a day to receive the carefully measured dose of heroin produced by a government-approved laboratory.
They keep their paraphernalia in cups labeled with their names and use the equipment and clean needles to inject themselves - four at a time - under the supervision of a nurse, and also receive counseling from psychiatrists and social workers.
The aim is to help the addicts learn how to function in society.
The United States and the U.N. narcotics board have criticized the program as potentially fueling drug abuse, but it has attracted attention from governments as far away as Australia and Canada, which in recent years have started or are considering their own programs modeled on the system.
Sixty-eight percent of the 2.26 million Swiss voters casting ballots approved making the heroin program permanent.
By contrast, around 63.2 percent of voters voted against the marijuana proposal, which was based on a separate citizens' initiative to decriminalize the consumption of marijuana and growing the plant for personal use.
Olivier Borer, 35, a musician from the northern town of Solothurn, said he welcomed the outcome in part because state action was required to help heroin addicts, but he said legalizing marijuana was a bad idea.
"I think it's very important to help these people, but not to facilitate the using of drugs," Borer said. "You can just see in the Netherlands how it's going. People just go there to smoke."
Sabina Geissbuehler-Strupler of the right-wing Swiss People's Party, which led the campaign against the heroin program, said she was disappointed in the vote.
"That is only damage limitation," she said. "Ninety-five percent of the addicts are not healed from the addiction."
Health insurance pays for the bulk of the program, which costs 26 million Swiss francs ($22 million) a year. All residents in Switzerland, which has a population of 7.5 million, are required to have health insurance, with the government paying insurance premiums for those who cannot afford it.
Jo Lang, a Green Party member of parliament from the central city of Zug, said he was disappointed in the failure of the marijuana measure because it means 600,000 people in Switzerland will be treated as criminals because they use cannabis.
"People have died from alcohol and heroin, but not from cannabis," Lang said.
Citizenship Issue on MSNBC
On Dec 5 the Supreme Court will either allow or disallow the usurpation of both the Constitution and the Government of the United States — easily the most pivotal decision since our nation’s founding — and the silence of the news media is deafening (if not downright scary).
Sent in by a loyal reader.
Posts
I have received some e-mails asking if everything is OK and why are things so slow today or this weekend.
Every once in a while I need a break and weekends are usually the best time to do so. The hits are much slower on weekends and the biggest reason why Bloggers like Bill Duvall chose not to post at all on Saturdays.
Nevertheless, even though I need a break every so often, I was actually busy this weekend filling in gaps with the Salvation Army. In fact, I was supposed to be on one of the Boats last night in the Christmas Boat Parade but I got a cal at the very last minute stating how some people were in one location for almost the entire day and they had no one to replace them.
I chose that it was far more important to get out there and take over than it was to take a ride down the river on a Boat. Because of this, I was not able to get out and take photos of the Parade as well as the lights in the Park. So if anyone wants to send in photos of either or, that would be great.
I will say this however. I have received numerous calls about today"s Daily Times and how their three main local articles, I did them almost a month ago. ROTFLMAO! It looks like I can now relax for the next 4 weeks until they catch up to us once again.
Tomorrow's Posts will blow you away. Put that seat belt on Barrie Tilghman and Gary Comegys, we're about to rock the Boat like there's no tomorrow.
Every once in a while I need a break and weekends are usually the best time to do so. The hits are much slower on weekends and the biggest reason why Bloggers like Bill Duvall chose not to post at all on Saturdays.
Nevertheless, even though I need a break every so often, I was actually busy this weekend filling in gaps with the Salvation Army. In fact, I was supposed to be on one of the Boats last night in the Christmas Boat Parade but I got a cal at the very last minute stating how some people were in one location for almost the entire day and they had no one to replace them.
I chose that it was far more important to get out there and take over than it was to take a ride down the river on a Boat. Because of this, I was not able to get out and take photos of the Parade as well as the lights in the Park. So if anyone wants to send in photos of either or, that would be great.
I will say this however. I have received numerous calls about today"s Daily Times and how their three main local articles, I did them almost a month ago. ROTFLMAO! It looks like I can now relax for the next 4 weeks until they catch up to us once again.
Tomorrow's Posts will blow you away. Put that seat belt on Barrie Tilghman and Gary Comegys, we're about to rock the Boat like there's no tomorrow.
Was Blognetnews Listening?
After my article yesterday on Michael Schwartz and his Influential Ratings with Blognetnews with only 82 hits per day, today we were ranked #1 in Maryland, #2 in Delaware and #2 on Delmarva. My guess is they had no choice but to make some immediate changes because there's just no denying someone who only gets an average of 82 hits per day could not be considered the most Influential Blogger in the State.
This week Michael's Rankings jumped to #8 in Maryland and #14 on Delmarva. Makes more sense. Anyhow, we'll have to see how things go from this point forward because like I said yesterday, Blognetnews needs to tweak their system and make things right.
This week Michael's Rankings jumped to #8 in Maryland and #14 on Delmarva. Makes more sense. Anyhow, we'll have to see how things go from this point forward because like I said yesterday, Blognetnews needs to tweak their system and make things right.
The Marine
Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams and a tough old U.S. Marine Sergeant were captured by terrorists in Iraq. The leader of the terrorists told them he'd grant each of them one last request
before they were beheaded and dragged naked through the streets.
Katie Couric said, 'Well, I'm a Southerner, so I'd like one last plate of fried chicken.' The leader nodded to an underling who left and returned with the chicken. Couric ate it all and said, 'Now I can die content.'
Charlie Gibson said, 'I'm living in ' New York , so I'd like to hear the song 'The Moon and Me one last time.' The terrorist's leader nodded to another terrorist who had studied the Western world and knew the music. He returned with some rag-tag musicians and played the song. Gibson was satisfied.
Brian Williams said, 'I'm a reporter to the end. I want to take out my tape recorder and describe the scene here and what's about to happen. Maybe, someday, someone will hear it and know that I was on the job till the end.' The leader directed an aide to hand over the tape recorder and Williams dictated his comments. He then said, 'Now I can die happy.'
The leader turned and said, 'And now, Mr. US Marine, what is your final wish?'
'Kick me in the ass,' said the Marine.
'What?' asked the leader, 'Will you mock us in your last hour?'
'No, I'm NOT kidding. I want you to kick me in the ass,' insisted the Marine.
So the leader shoved him into the yard and kicked him in the ass. The Marine went sprawling, but rolled to his knees, pulled a 9 mm pistol from inside his cammies and shot the leader dead. In the resulting confusion, he emptied his sidearm on six terrorists, with his knife he slashed the throat of one with an AK-47, which he took, and sprayed the rest of the terrorists killing another 11!
In a flash, all of them were either dead or fleeing for their lives.
As the Marine was untying Couric, Gibson and Williams, they asked him, ' Why didn't you just shoot them all in the first place? Why did you ask him to kick you in the ass?'
'What!?!' replied the Marine, 'and have you three assholes report that I was the aggressor....?
before they were beheaded and dragged naked through the streets.
Katie Couric said, 'Well, I'm a Southerner, so I'd like one last plate of fried chicken.' The leader nodded to an underling who left and returned with the chicken. Couric ate it all and said, 'Now I can die content.'
Charlie Gibson said, 'I'm living in ' New York , so I'd like to hear the song 'The Moon and Me one last time.' The terrorist's leader nodded to another terrorist who had studied the Western world and knew the music. He returned with some rag-tag musicians and played the song. Gibson was satisfied.
Brian Williams said, 'I'm a reporter to the end. I want to take out my tape recorder and describe the scene here and what's about to happen. Maybe, someday, someone will hear it and know that I was on the job till the end.' The leader directed an aide to hand over the tape recorder and Williams dictated his comments. He then said, 'Now I can die happy.'
The leader turned and said, 'And now, Mr. US Marine, what is your final wish?'
'Kick me in the ass,' said the Marine.
'What?' asked the leader, 'Will you mock us in your last hour?'
'No, I'm NOT kidding. I want you to kick me in the ass,' insisted the Marine.
So the leader shoved him into the yard and kicked him in the ass. The Marine went sprawling, but rolled to his knees, pulled a 9 mm pistol from inside his cammies and shot the leader dead. In the resulting confusion, he emptied his sidearm on six terrorists, with his knife he slashed the throat of one with an AK-47, which he took, and sprayed the rest of the terrorists killing another 11!
In a flash, all of them were either dead or fleeing for their lives.
As the Marine was untying Couric, Gibson and Williams, they asked him, ' Why didn't you just shoot them all in the first place? Why did you ask him to kick you in the ass?'
'What!?!' replied the Marine, 'and have you three assholes report that I was the aggressor....?
Mardela Town Tour
Sunday afternoon - early evening is the Mardela Town Tour. FREE admission and free parking.
Start at the firehouse for plenty of parking. The firehouse will have the programs of houses open for tour and what is happening in between houses so make sure you get a program so you don't miss anything. At the firehouse, Andy Fox and Chuck Zimmerman will be playing Christmas music, seats will be available to sit and enjoy. There will transportation available to the houses opened for tours. On display at the firehouse will be gingerbread houses drawn, colored and made by the children at Northwestern Schools. Please don' t miss these talented youths.
The tour starts with a parade of antique cars at 3:30pm which will bring Santa to town on the firetruck to go to his temporary Mardela Christmas house for the kids to visit. They will be a live nativity scene at the Spring House, the Church on Barren Creek will be open, Wallace and Joan Catlin's home has been added to the tour this year.
House Tour ends at 8 pm. Millies will be on hand with food near the General Store.
Start at the firehouse for plenty of parking. The firehouse will have the programs of houses open for tour and what is happening in between houses so make sure you get a program so you don't miss anything. At the firehouse, Andy Fox and Chuck Zimmerman will be playing Christmas music, seats will be available to sit and enjoy. There will transportation available to the houses opened for tours. On display at the firehouse will be gingerbread houses drawn, colored and made by the children at Northwestern Schools. Please don' t miss these talented youths.
The tour starts with a parade of antique cars at 3:30pm which will bring Santa to town on the firetruck to go to his temporary Mardela Christmas house for the kids to visit. They will be a live nativity scene at the Spring House, the Church on Barren Creek will be open, Wallace and Joan Catlin's home has been added to the tour this year.
House Tour ends at 8 pm. Millies will be on hand with food near the General Store.