Drugs and federalism

Last week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Ashcroft v Raich. The government is attempting to overturn the ruling of the Ninth Circuit that, in a nutshell, said that the feds cannot use the Commerce Clause to prohibit the possession of marijuana for medical purposes as authorized under California law. It is a classic struggle between statists who choose to believe that the Tenth Amendment does not exist and libertarians seeking precedence that can be used as a weapon to prevent federal interference in other issues over which the States have constitutional purview. The Weekly Standard's Terry Eastland frames the issues brilliantly. Read his article here.

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Last month I passed through French immigration as I entered DeGuille Airport. This consisted of holding up my passport as I walked passed a lone, bored border agent and dropping a declaration form in a pile. He never glanced up. Last week French terrorism police hid explosives in a piece of baggage and then lost it! Ninety planes had to be searched as they reached their destination. The explosives were never found. Agency representatives have ask the recipient to please return the police their explosives. Thanks.