Inhale that spliff, and a win for Flipper.

Let me start tonight's post with some good news:

"CHICAGO (AP) — Smoking a joint once a week or a bit more apparently doesn't harm the lungs, suggests a 20-year study that bolsters evidence that marijuana doesn't do the kind of damage tobacco does.

The results, from one of the largest and longest studies on the health effects of marijuana, are hazier for heavy users — those who smoke two or more joints daily for several years. The data suggest that using marijuana that often might cause a decline in lung function, but there weren't enough heavy users among the 5,000 young adults in the study to draw firm conclusions.

Still, the authors recommended "caution and moderation when marijuana use is considered."

Marijuana is an illegal drug under federal law although some states allow its use for medical purposes.

The study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham was released Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The findings echo results in some smaller studies that showed while marijuana contains some of the same toxic chemicals as tobacco, it does not carry the same risks for lung disease.

It's not clear why that is so, but it's possible that the main active ingredient in marijuana, a chemical known as THC, makes the difference. THC causes the "high" that users feel. It also helps fight inflammation and may counteract the effects of more irritating chemicals in the drug, said Dr. Donald Tashkin, a marijuana researcher and an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Tashkin was not involved in the new study.

Study co-author Dr. Stefan Kertesz said there are other aspects of marijuana that may help explain the results." [Source]

Now folks, please don't think for a minute that I am encouraging the smoking of something that is illegal here in A-merry-ca. I am, after all, an officer of the court. I am simply trying to pass on some information to help you people become better informed. Because you never know when you might have to use the stuff for......medical purposes.

Finally, congrats to Flipper for winning New Hampshire. I caught his speech on CNN, and I had this funny urge to break out with a verse of "One Bad Apple".

So anywhoo, Mitt says that some of us progressives are envious of rich folks, and that we want to change A-merry-ca. Mitt wants to restore A-merry-ca to what it was: that "shining city on a hill". (Was that the Gipper or Flipper?) Flipper, some of us weren't too welcome in that city, so pardon me if I am not too enthusiastic about going back.

Flipper is right about one thing, we do want to change A-merry-ca. We want to make sure that folks like him don't continue to get rich on the backs of other people, and that everyone will have a chance to "lead the fabulous life" like the one that he has enjoyed ever since he was born on third base.

"Free enterprise will be on trial,” Mr. Romney said in the final hours of campaigning here. “I thought it was going to come from the president, from the Democrats, from the left, but instead it’s coming from Speaker Gingrich and apparently others. And, you know, that’s just part of the process. I’m not worried about that.”       

Flipper, I am glad to know that you are not worried, because it will come from the left and the right. Why? Because your version of "free enterprise" will only serve you and the few people in A-merry-ca who have enjoyed the benefits of your shining city.