Visit link: Millionaire Cartes wins Paraguay presidential
Two people shot during ’4/20′ rally in Denver
Two people was shot during an annual rally celebrating marijuana in Denver, Colorado on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Police said one victim was shot in the leg and one more person suffered unspecified injuries. Both were taken to a local hospital and were expected to survive. Witnesses…
Paraguayan senator mistakenly catches corruption in his own party
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Obama’s drug czar attacks state marijuana laws
Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told an audience in Washington, DC on Wednesday that the Obama administration does not plan on honoring new state laws that let the millions of adults in Colorado and Washington legally smoke up.Late last year voters in both states passed separate but similar laws allowing residents and visitors over the age of 21 to legally possess up to an ounce of marijuana, in doing so becoming two of the first venues in the nation to relax stringent state legislation.But despite those laws reflecting the overwhelming voice of voters, Kerlikowske says the White House will rely on a longstanding federal statute that puts pot in the same category as heroin, cocaine and other Schedule I narcotics.“No state, no executive can nullify a statute that has been passed by Congress,” Kerlikowske said at a National Press Club luncheon on Wednesday, reports Agence France-Presse.“Let’s be clear: law enforcement officers take an oath of office to uphold federal law and they are going to continue to pursue drug traffickers and drug dealers,” he said.Under current federal legislation, a first-time offender caught with marijuana can be forced to pay a $1,000 fine and spend a year in prison. Repeat offenders face penalties that include three-year prison stints and fines reaching $5,000.According to the Huffington Post, Kerlikowske continued:”Neither a state nor the executive branch can nullify a statute passed by Congress . . . Nor should we lose sight of the fundamental fact that using marijuana has public health consequences, and the most responsible public policy is one that restricts its availability and discourages its use.”"Neither a state nor the executive branch can nullify a statute passed by Congress,” Kerlikowske affirmed.Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has yet to formally respond to the administration’s comment, but he said he supported his constituents’ concerns when they voted to legalize weed last year.“The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will,” Hickenlooper said after the November election. “This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through.”But just weeks after voters in Washington passed a marijuana reform bill in November, state attorney Jenny A. Durkan said it wouldn’t deter federal prosecutors.“Regardless of any changes in state law, including the change that will go into effect on December 6 in Washington State, growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law,” she said. … Read More
Survey finds perception of having sex more frequently than others leads to increased happiness
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German court rules foreign reporters must attend NSU trial
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Germany’s Constitutional Court has upheld an appeal by the Turkish newspaper Sabah to ensure a court in Munich reserves a certain number of places for foreign journalists who want to cover the trial of five suspected neo-Nazis.
Allegedly a founder and members of the previously unknown National Socialist Underground they are accused of 10 racist murders.
“The court ordered an appropriate further number of seats should be provided to representatives of the foreign media with a special connection to the victims of the accused,” said spokesman for the Constitutional Court Bernd Odoerfer.
Eight of the victims were Turks, and the case and the allegedly botched investigation has upset many in Turkey, as has official reluctance to recognise a racial motive for the murders.
“In our view, the Turkish media must be present for a trial of such historic proportions. We are therefore delighted that thanks to us, other Turkish media are now able to report about it,” said Deputy Editor in Chief of “Sabah Europe” Ismail Erel.
The murders were committed between 2000 and 2007. Much of the trial will centre on alleged founder member Beate Zschaepe. The neo-Nazi cell was discovered when two members killed themselves after a failed robbery and Zschaepe set fire to an apartment they used.
More about: Germany, Neo-Nazism, Trial, Turkey, Victims
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Aurora judge delays decision on whether Fox News reporter who kept source secret will face time
The Colorado judge presiding over the Aurora, Colorado shooting case has delayed the decision on whether to subpoena a Fox News reporter until August. Jana Winter could face six months in jail if she refuses to divulge a confidential source.In the days following the July 20, 2012 shooting, Winter reported that James Holmes, the alleged gunman, mailed a notebook outlining his plans to a psychiatrist at the University of Colorado at Denver before the massacre. Holmes’ defense team has said that the police officer who revealed that information to Winter violated a court gag order and could damage the credibility of other law enforcement officials if called to testify.Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. ruled Monday that he would delay his ruling on Winter until after the court decided whether to include the notebook as evidence, the Denver Post reports. Holmes’ attorneys have asserted that the notebook is not permissible because it falls under doctor-patient privilege and can only be introduced if Holmes uses a mental health defense.Winter has argued that revealing her source would ruin her credibility as a member of the media and potentially make it possible for the anonymous law enforcement official to sue her. Her attorney, Dori Ann Hanswirth, said Judge Samour’s initial decision to delay the ruling was “a very positive step” for the reporter.“The Court is not comfortable proceeding on an incomplete record,” Samour wrote on April 8. “If the notebook is not privileged and is ruled admissible, it may well prove to be a critical piece of evidence in the case. On the other hand, if the Court concludes that the notebook is privileged and inadmissible, it is difficult to discern why the credibility of one or more of the … witnesses would be of importance.”Samour also said he would have to investigate whether any of the officers who swore they were not the source of the leak perjured themselves on the witness stand. Holmes’ attorneys were scheduled to spend Wednesday’s hearing re-questioning at least one detective of whom, they admitted, they failed to ask everything they needed.“I’m going to make sure the seeking party jumps through all the legal hoops that are required,” Samour said.Colorado is one of 40 states that have laws protecting journalists from revealing their sources, although state law stipulates that the rule, RCFP 40, can be ignored if the information in question is “directly relevant to a substantial issue involved in the proceedings.”Reporters in Colorado are more often subpoenaed to testify about what a source told them instead of being threatened with jail time. While journalists have been sentenced in recent high profile cases, none are currently behind bars in the United States.Journalism advocates have rallied around Winter, with a statement from the Society of Professional Journalists describing the threat as “nothing more than a witch hunt designed to silence the media on this case.”“Taking information from a confidential source, especially for a case like this, is serious business,” Al Tompkins, a senior faculty member at The Poynter Institute, told CBS News. “There is great peril in reporting around stories that have gag orders. If you’ve granted anonymity it’s a binding legal contract. You can’t just break that.” … Read More
