We have a new address but our director Dennis Sobin's legal status remains unchanged.

Please note that the new location of the Prisons Foundation is 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC 20006. It is the same location as our Prison Art Gallery. The move will permit a more streamlined and efficient operation. Meanwhile, the popular outdoor art kiosk and information center of the Prison Art Gallery at G and 7th Streets in Washington, DC will be open seven days a week, 10 am to 10 pm.

News About Our Director

Despite our insistance on a speedy trial, Dennis Sobin's trial following his arrest for attending public hearings at City Hall (see complete details in our original email below) has been put off until August 5, 2008. This poses a hardship since there are hearings and meetings at City Hall that Dennis is scheduled to attend, including one on a new bill to help ex-prisoners.

In the meantime, here are the names and contact information of city hall officials who can transfer the person who falsely instigated the arrest, Dennis's estranged son Darrin Sobin. With such a transfer, Dennis will be able to go to city hall to visit these officials and attend hearings and meetings without fear of further arrest. If you haven't contacted them already, please do so today. They are feeling beleagured due to the many calls and emails they have received, and YOURS could be the turning point.

Adrian Fenty, Mayor
202-724-8876 customerservice.eom@dc.gov (Mayor)
202-724-5556 Carla.brailey@dc.gov (Mayor's advisor)

Vincent Gray, City Council Chairperson
202-724-8032 DSlonneger@dccouncil.us (chief of staff)

Jack Evans, City Councilmember
(new phone #) 202-724-8058 jackevans@dccouncil.us

Phil Mendelson, Chair of Judciary Committee
202-724-8064 pmendelson@dccouncil.us

*************************************************************

Below is the original email that the Prisons Foundation sent with details of the arrest of our director Dennis Sobin at a public hearing at city hall in Washington, DC

Dennis Sobin, Director of the Prisons Foundation, went to City Hall to testify at a budget hearing on the priorities of the Attorney General's Office. This is routine for our director as these hearings represent important opportunities to advocate for alternatives to incarceration and the need for prosecutors to focus on serious crimes rather than non-violent offenses.

One of those prosecutors happens to be Dennis Sobin's son, Darrin Sobin. He and his father have not seen eye to eye for some time. Last year the younger Sobin, Darrin, flexed his muscle as a government attorney by getting a stay away order to keep his father a set number of feet from him. Now he has gone the next step by having his father arrested for stepping foot in City Hall because Darrin has moved into an office in that building.

When Dennis arrived for the hearing, his son knew of his presence because Dennis was on the witness list to testify. Dennis never got to testify because his son had him whisked out of the building in handcuffs and put in jail before a judge could release Dennis. By then the hearing was over.

The building security officers who arrested Dennis have acknowledged that they were pressured to take this action by Darrin. They even went so far to try to appease Darrin, short of arresting his father, by offering to accompany Dennis to the City Council Chambers where the hearing was taking place and stay with him throughout his testimony. But Darrin rejected this.

Darrin has let it be known that if his father returns to city hall for any reason, the same fate awaits him.

It is therefore URGENT that the following officials at city hall be called TODAY to let our outrage be known. Says Dennis, "I don't want my son fired. That would be too extreme and a particular hardship for his children, my grandsons Alexander and Tristan."

We are requesting that Darrin Sobin be relocated to the Attorney General's headqurters a few blocks away. That way our director Dennis can conduct Prisons Foundation business at city hall.

Here are the names and phone numbers of officials at city hall who can make this happen. Please call them TODAY to get their assurance that this will indeed occur without delay. Even if you are not a resident of Washington you can demand action as a visitor who is shocked that such a thing could happen in the nation's capital.

Adrian Fenty, Mayor, 202-724-8876
(This is Adrian's private number so please be brief when talking to him and please do not retain this number for any other purpose. He has been a supporter of the Prisons Foundation ever since his childhood friend Donald Thomas ended up in prison and needed our help.)

Vincent Gray, City Council Chairperson, 202-724-8032
(Next to the mayor, Vincent is the most powerful person in city hall and has a reputation as a no-nonsense official. Dennis worked for his campaign and helped get him elected in 2006.)

Jack Evans, City Councilmember, 202-724-8058
(As chair pro temp, Jack is number three in power at city hall. He also happens to be the councilmember representing Dennis in Ward 2. Still, Dennis cannot visit him at city hall as long as Darrin Sobin is there.)

Phil Mendelson, Chair of Judciary Committee, 202-724-8064
(Phil is an at-large councilmember who chaired the hearing at which Dennis was set to testify and is reportedly upset at what happened there. He can bring about Darrin Sobin's transfer in the interest of justice and democracy.)

On a personal note, Dennis is in good spirits and continues to meet his responsibilities daily as our director....

Thank you for calling the above city hall officials and demanding that action be taken TODAY.

Please call us at 202-393-1511 or email staff@PrisonsFoundation.org if you need further information. Thank you for your help and support in this crisis.

Thanks to a grant we received from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, you can attend a free workshop to become a mentor to imprisoned artists.

The Woodhull Freedom Foundation and Prisons Foundation are launching a new annual fundraiser called Eroticon: Erotic Art from Behind Bars.

Thanks to the overwhelming attendance and positive response to last year's "From Prison to the Stage" production at the Kennedy Center, our next edition of "From Prison to the Stage" (scheduled for Labor Day weekend) will be bigger and better, including expanded seating and a larger stage (tentatively set for Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage). This year's production will feature excerpts from plays written by prisoners and ex-prisoners. There's still time to let us know of a work that you believe is worthy of being included. Please email Staff@PrisonsFoundation.org or call 202-393-1511. Thank you.

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery]

Sun Trust bank will give its money (not yours) to your favorite nonprofit organization, whether the Prisons Foundation or any other 501(c)(3) for the asking.

We recently received a donation from one of our long-time supporters, Bryan Jay Parker, Chairman of International Healthcare Access Group in Washington, DC. Though the contribution was Bryan's doing, it didn't come from him directly but rather from Sun Trust. It's part of Sun Trust's "My Cause" promotion, and it's worth checking out for ours or any other nonprofit. Here are the details.

The My Cause promotion gives individuals a unique opportunity to reinvest in their nonprofits of choice. If you haven't had a chance to take advantage of the My Cause program, you have time. Now through June 30, 2008, you can choose to have SunTrust give $100 to the nonprofit organization of your choice, or receive a $50 gift card when you open a new SunTrust Personal or Business Checking account during the promotion period, accept a new SunTrust Visa® Check Card, make any purchase with the new card, and submit a completed online redemption form by August 15, 2008.

If you currently bank with SunTrust and have a SunTrust Visa Signature® or SunTrust Platinum Visa with SunTrust Rewards Credit Card, or SunTrust Visa Check Card enrolled in the SunTrust Rewards program, you can donate your SunPoints (SunTrust's reward points system) to your nonprofit of choice! Donations can be made in $25, $50, or $100 denominations. The best part of this element is SunTrust has decided to make SunPoints for Charity a permanent component of its SunTrust Rewards program - so you can continue to donate your SunPoints even after the My Cause promotion has ended.

If you plan to participate in the My Cause promotion and open a new checking account by June 30, we encourage you to donate your $100 to the Prisons Foundation. And once you receive your applicable card, or if you already have one, turn your SunTrust Rewards into donations as well. We hope that you will spread the word about the My Cause promotion and the SunPoints for Charity program to your friends, family, and personal and business contacts. The more awareness we can generate among our supporters, the greater the opportunity for us to increase our fundraising easily and effortlessly.

For more information about My Cause and how to get involved, please visit www.suntrust.com/mycause. Or you can contact our own supporter who took advantage of this program, Bryan Jay Parker, Chairman, International Healthcare Access Group, LLC, 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20004 202-434-8900.

We are pleased to announce that our director, Dennis Sobin, has been named to the Board of new National Museum of Crime and Punishment.

Long in the planning, and generous in the funding, the new National Museum of Crime and Punishment opens in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2008, with our own director as one of its distinguished board members. To read the news release issued by the 22-million dollar museum about Dennis and the other board members, please visit http://crimemuseum.org/documents/BoardMembersRelease.pdf.

Located on 7th Street NW (a half block from the popular Verizon Center and one block from the famous International Spy Museum), the innovative new museum is destined to become the "must" place to visit in the Nation's capital. We are proud that many of the most beautiful and unusual pieces of prison art from our Prison Art Gallery are featured at the museum. In addition, the museum's creative gift shop carries many of our prison art prints.

You'll want to be among the first to visit this extraordinary museum. With exhibits such as a recreation of Al Capone's plush jail cell and John Dillinger's actual getaway car, and with equipment that will allow you to get your own authentic mug shots and test your skills at outsmarting a lie detector test, your visit will be both interesting and educational. For more information, please visit CrimeMuseum.org.

Yes, the rumors you have heard are true! Our beautiful prison art has a new 22 million dollar home. Announcing the opening of the National Museum of Crime and Punishment on May 23 featuring many of our most striking and gorgeous pieces.

Long in the planning, and generous in the funding, a new museum opens in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2008. Located on 7th Street NW (a half block from the popular Verizon Center and one block form the famous International Spy Museum), the National Museum of Crime and Punishment is destined to become the "must" place to visit in the Nation's capital. We are proud that many of the most beautiful and unusual pieces of prison art from our Prison Art Gallery are featured at the museum. In addition, the museum's large and innovative gift shop carries many of our prison art prints.

You'll want to be among the first to visit this extraordinary museum. With exhibits such as a recreation of Al Capone's plush jail cell and John Dillinger's actual getaway car, and with equipment that will allow you to get your own authentic mug shots and test your skills at outsmarting a lie detector test, your visit will be both interesting and educational. For more information, please visit CrimeMuseum.org.

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery]

Free workshop by ex-prisoner artists and officials from Washington area jails and prisons on May 17 to train you to become a mentor to prison artists. Call 202-393-1511 to reserve your spot.

Thanks to a grant we received from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, you can attend a free workshop to become a mentor to imprisoned artists. Work either as a volunteer or paid staff member in a jail or prison.

Attend this free workshop on Saturday, May 17, 10 am to 4 pm. You'll learn what it takes to work in a jail or prison to foster artistic development among inmates. You'll receive this valuable training from experienced correctional officials (from both public and private jails) while also benefiting from the insights and knowledge of ex-prisoner artists who will also serve as workshop leaders. These knowledgeable people will share their experiences with you in a relaxed and fun setting at the Prison Art Gallery in downtown Washington, DC. Everything you need for a productive and nourishing day (including an authentic jail meal) will be provided free.

This is a rare opportunity to make contacts and obtain valuable information. Plus, we have received word that the workshop will be covered by major media. You can be part of it all.

Whether you're looking for a one afternoon per month volunteer opportunity or a full-time paid career position, you will find this workshop very worthwhile. Meet the people who make hiring decisions while finding out what it takes to be effective in the challenging setting of a jail or prison.

Please call us at 202-393-1511 or email staff@PrisonsFoundation.org for more information. We are also setting up a schedule of additional workshops to accommodate everyone who may be interested. Thank you.

Here in Mexico's capital, several thousand people gathered at the Alameda Central, a large park in the historic center of the city, to celebrate Global Marijuana Day. Punks, Goths, hippies, and members of all the other "urban tribes" that constitute the youth counterculture of one of the world's premier cities came together for a day of respect, tolerance, music, and above all, to call for the legalization of the sacred herb.

Of course, it's not just the youth cultures of Mexico City that we're talking about here; it's the global cannabis culture. Cannabis Nation knows no boundaries. In many respects, I could have been standing in Memphis or Malmo or Madrid or Mombasa or Minsk--the t-shirts and slogan are the same, the concerns roughly identical. I'll say this for the global prohibition of marijuana: It has created a global culture of resistance that supercedes national identities or barriers.

The music and musicians were spot-on, but lyrically and rhythmically. Some of the songs were pure celebration:

We're going to the beach and I wanna smoke
We're going to dance and toke

Some of the songs were highly politicized and, naturally, critical of the US. One rapper compared Bush ("creating hell on earth") with Hitler and Hernan Cortes, placing him squarely in a particularly Mexican pantheon of villains.

Speaking of politics, one of the great battles going on in Mexico right now is over the government's efforts to privatize Pemex, the state oil monopoly. For many Mexicans, Pemex is a symbol of the Revolution a century ago that overthrew foreign domination. After the Revolution, the Mexicans expropriated the foreign oil companies; now they fear the government is going to give the national oil industry back to the foreigners. One sign at the march tied that struggle to the struggle for marijuana legalization:

Mariguana y petroleo
Eso es nuestro patrimonio

Marijuana and Oil
That's our patrimony

The police presence was minimal, and as far as I could see, there were no problems and no arrests, although pot-smoking was open and frequent throughout the day.

I took lots of photos, as you can see. (Sixteen more below the fold.)Sadly, my memory stick got full, and I missed some of the potentially most impressive shots, when the multitude was marching down Avenida Juarez, past the Bellas Artes palace and in front of some of the old colonial buildings in the city center. Still, Global Marijuana Day in Mexico City was a trip. Enjoy the photos, and look for a full report on the action in the Chronicle later this week.

[Courtesy of Shot Caller Press, LLC]

Dear Friends,

Shot Caller Press, LLC announces the next prison contest, Prison Short Story Contest, for prisoners and ex-prisoners. To find out more information follow this link:

http://shotcallerpress.com/prisonstorycontest.htm

Cash Prizes are as follows:

1st Place - $250.00
2nd Place - $150.00
3rd Place - $75.00

At the end of this message is our announcement for the winners of the Poetry Contest and those selected to be published in our next book: Cellblock Poetry. If you want to pre-purchase a book at and pay no shipping cost follow this
link:

http://shotcallerpress.com/store.htm

We would be honored if you pass this message on to anyone who might be interested.

Thank you for all your support,

Theresa Huggins
CEO, Shot Caller Press, LLC
Theresa@ShotCallerPress.com
www.ShotCallerPress.com
503-890-1027

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery]

1. Lamont Carey--You know him from HBO where you've seen and applauded him for his riveting work on The Wire and DEF Jam. See Lamont in person on Tuesday, April 15, 7:30PM at My Place Sports Bar and Grill, 12150 Central Avenue, Mitchellville,, MD 20721. You'll get a whole new perspective on the devastating effects of spending years in prison by this incredible spoken word artist and actor extraordinaire. For further information, please call 301-249-5477.

2. Dennis Sobin--He learned to play classical and jazz guitar in prison and now performs in concert at colleges, universities and the Kennedy Center, songs ranging from Scot Joplin rags to Chopin waltzes to Cole Porter ballads. Come meet and hear Dennis on Saturday, April 19, at 2pm at the Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006. For further information, please call 202-393-1511.

3. Jahi Daoud L. Foster-Bey--A visual artist of extraordinary talent and ability, he creates art that is both beautiful and meaningful, depicting themes that relate to social justice and the hardships he has personally experienced. You can meet Jahi and view his work on Sunday, April 20, at 3pm at the Prisons Foundation mobile art display and information center at the corner of 7th and G Sts, Washington, DC (across from the National Portrait Gallery). For further information, please call 202-393-1511.

I know, I'm a D-list pot celebrity at best, but at least I won't throw a raging hissy fit:

Tom Cruise's attorneys are looking to take legal action over a new strain of medical marijuana that has been put on the market under the star's name.

The "Tom Cruise Purple" brand, which features a picture of the actor laughing on the vials, is currently being sold in licensed marijuana clubs in Northern California. [sfgate.com]

Thanks to Prop. 215, it might even be possible to sue in California courts for trademark infringement over the name of a marijuana strain. But all you can really do is go after the clubs offering it, which can in turn just change the name to something else like TCP. Regardless, if Tom Cruise really wanted to screw these people, he would have been well advised to keep his mouth shut rather than make the strain famous by complaining about it.

Until all of this plays itself out, aspiring marijuana breeders should just name their strains after me, which I assure you is totally ok. Call it "Scotty Mo Skunk" or something like that. I won't complain unless it sucks.

Editor's Note: Amanda B. Shaffer is an intern at StoptheDrugWar.org. Her bio is in our "staff" section at http://stopthedrugwar.org/about/staff

As Scott yesterday blogged, this past Wednesday Comedy Central aired an episode about children getting high off of cat urine resulting in the banning of cats in Southpark. The DEA gets called in to enforce the ban. At the end of the episode, Gerald (the man who leads a fight to prohibit cats) gets high himself off of cat urine. After being caught, he publicly states cats should once again be legal because “Cats aren’t the problem, we are the problem.”

The cat urine episode is based, in part, on reports that surfaced a few months ago about kids saving human feces, fermenting it, and then inhaling the gasses to get high. The show referred to the squirting of cat urine in one’s face as “cheesing,” likely a send-up of a hybrid drug that involves mixing heroin with over-the-counter cold tablets such as Tylenol PM. The mixture is snorted rather than injected like pure heroin.

The message here is that some kids will get high. If illegal drugs are inaccessible, curious youths will find other ways to alter their consciousness. Clearly outlawing cats is just as absurd as outlawing human feces.

However, this is not the first Southpark episode to deal with drugs, and I doubt it will be the last. The first episode concerning drugs was in season 4 entitled “Timmy 2000.” The episode discussed the overprescribing of prescription drugs to children, specifically Ritalin. In 2000, the overprescribing of Ritalin (a drug used for ADD) became a nation-wide concern. Southpark broached the subject by showing how dull all of the kids became when they took it, eventually landing them at a Phil Collins concert. A remedy made by Chef removed the Ritalin from their systems, and the children then realized that they openly chose to go an extremely lame concert.

A few episodes feature the character Towelie. Towelie is an engineered smart towel that appears whenever the boys’ conversation involves water. Towelie is known for always wanting to get high. But every time he does he runs into some sort of trouble. Mostly he forgets what he is doing or comes up with a bad idea. It seems to me that Stone and Parker use the Towelie character to illustrate that marijuana isn’t harmful; it just can make one forgetful sometimes and possibly leave one unable to decipher good ideas from the bad ones.

2004: the year steroid controversy engulfed the sports world and Southpark’s “Up and Down Steroid” aired. The episode depicted the dangers of using steroids when Jimmy turns to them to win top athlete in the Special Olympics. In the end Jimmy wins the honor of top athlete, breaking many Special Olympic records along the way, but also hurting the ones he loves. Eventually, guilt overcomes him, and Jimmy returns the medal presented to him by baseball superstars (and notorious steroid users) Mark McGuire, Jason Giambi, and Barry Bonds. He follows with a speech, stating that “Taking steroids is like pretending to be handicapped at the Special Olympics because you are taking all of the fairness out of the game.” Once again Parker and Stone brilliantly brought to light a serious and adverse issue.

During the same season, Southpark aired the episode “Quest for Ratings,” which depicted the dangers of cough medication (at least those containing dextromethorphan). Misinformed, some of the students drink cough syrup in order to come up with creative ideas to boost ratings for the Southpark Elementary’s News Show. After waking up with a hangover and without any ideas, the boys realize the dangers of cough medicine and agree to report on the use going on in school. They learned that getting high doesn’t necessarily aid in the creation of masterpieces; it isn’t until they are sober that the clever idea is thought up.

I am ecstatic that a popular television show continues to cleverly address drug issues. The show is truthful and is able to attract a large audience, and at the end of the episodes one of the children usually makes a speech about what was learned from all the crazy antics.

Kudos to Southpark for standing above the crowd.

Attend a free workshop to become a mentor to imprisoned artists. Learn what it takes to work in a jail or prison to foster artistic development among inmates. You'll receive information and insights from experienced correctional officials as well as accomplished ex-prisoner artists.

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery]

If you have been to our Prison Art Gallery in the nation's capital, or at one of our events across America, you know that we sell a lot of prison art prints to people who are attracted to fine art with an interesting story, and at a very reasonable price. Thanks to the generosity of our printer and matting supplier, we can now make these gorgeous prints available to you for your fundraising needs at a very low price. Best of all, you risk nothing since whatever you get from us is 100% returnable.

Here are the details.

Our Prison Art print series now consists of 51 beautiful and beautifully matted numbered art prints created by imprisoned male and female artists in every region of the nation. (Their location and bio are on the back of each piece.) These art pieces have been hand-matted by our in-house framing staff for a terrific appearance and outstanding durability (including being placed in resealable poly enclosures that make them look like they're encased in thin glass). The prints are 11 by 17", with a final matted size of 16 by 20". You can see all of them on page three of our Art for Justice March 2008 catalog at http://prisonsfoundation.org/marafj.pdf.

Now for the best part of all. Thanks to the generosity of our printer and matting supply company, we can offer these matted prints to you wholesale for only $7 each! At our gallery and our events we sell them for $15 to $20 each, and can't keep enough in stock. People know they're getting a real bargain since numbered and matted prints of this quality usually sell for $50 or more.

We invite you to order these numbered matted prints today for your fundraising needs? Use them at special events or offer them regularly as part of your ongoing fundraising. Remember, your cost is only $7 each, and you can return any unsold pieces to us for a full refund. In addition to the money you will earn, you will have beautiful and interesting art to attract new supporters, and bring back old ones.

We are making this offer to both nonprofit organizations and businesses because we want to raise public consciousness about the talent and humanity of men and women behind bars. Why not be part of this innovative arts program while enjoying a significant new stream of income?

For further information, please call 202-393-1511 or email Staff@PrisonsFoundation.org.

The Marijuana Policy Project invites you to attend a reception for radio host and MPP VIP advisory board member Jim Hightower, who will be giving a talk about his new book, Swim Against the Current, tomorrow, March 18, at the Carnegie Institution building.

[Courtesy of MPP] 

Meet MPP advisory board member Jim Hightower tomorrow in Washington, D.C.

The Marijuana Policy Project invites you to attend a reception for radio host and MPP VIP advisory board member Jim Hightower, who will be giving a talk about his new book, Swim Against the Current, tomorrow, March 18, at the Carnegie Institution building.

To watch a short video about Jim Hightower's views regarding marijuana policy reform, please click here, or to read a print version, click here.

The talk is from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., and the cost $20 per person. Admission for students and senior citizens is $15, and children under 16 are free. The event also features a VIP reception from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., which costs $50 per person or $80 per couple and includes a copy of Hightower's new book and admittance to the talk.

What: Jim Hightower VIP reception, book talk, and book signing
When: Tuesday, March 18, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm (VIP reception), 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (talk and book signing)
Where: Carnegie Institution building, 1530 P Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Cost: $50/person or $80/couple (VIP reception, book talk and signing, and copy of book); or $20/person (talk and book signing only); or $15/person (student and senior citizens).

Proceeds from the event will benefit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a national alliance of local state and federal resource professionals.

Colbert brought the Drug Policy Alliance's Ethan Nadelmann back for round 2 last night. For those of us who've grown accustomed to seeing Nadelmann masterfully control the stage, it's kinda fun watching Colbert box him around. You don't really get to say much on Colbert, but if you keep a straight face while he massacres you, it's possible to come across looking pretty good.

One question though: what's up with the lava lamp!? Sources familiar with whether or not there's a lava lamp in Ethan's office tell me there isn't. Did Colbert put it there? Following his attempt to feed Doritos™ to MPP's Aaron Houston, I certainly wouldn't put it past him.

Of course, when Steve Colbert subjects reformers to relentless and preposterous stoner stereotyping, at least it's a joke. When the head of the UN drug office does the same thing at a serious event, it's a lot less funny.

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery]

View the March Edition of Art for Justice, the Prison Art Magazine of the Prison Art Gallery at http://prisonsfoundation.org/marafj.pdf

The new edition of Art for Justice features striking samples of Pano art from our extensive collection of this unique art form. Pano art is made by prisoners using handkerchiefs and bedsheets and is a prison tradition. Own a unique Pano today at a very special price.

Also featured in the March issue of Art for Justice is extraordinary prison artist Anthony Curtis Dye. Anthony is incarcerated at Dooly State Prison in Georgia where, due to lack of art supplies, he is forced to become extremely creative in the fine art he produces. For example, he draws and paints on paper bags and cardboard scraps with paints created from materials such as wax, instant coffee, white out, mustard, creamer and spinach. "Wish I had a brush," he says. No matter, the results are unique and of museum quality. View and purchase one of his works now at a fraction of their worth.

You will also find in the March issue of Art for Justice a selection of specially priced and beautifully matted prison art prints. There are 51 to choose from, ranging from landscapes to portraits to prison themes. At only $15 each (the custom matting alone is worth that), they are a steal.

Purchase anything from the March issue of Art for Justice and they will be shipped to you anywhere. Or get them at our Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC. Open everyday, M-F 9-5, Sat & Sun 1-5.

For further information, please email staff@PrisonsFoundation.org or call 202-393-1511.

You know you've hit rock bottom when the United Nations is complaining about you:

Leniency towards drug-abusing celebrities is sending out the wrong message to children and young people, the United Nations drug control agency said today.

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) warned that allowing famous people to get away with drug crimes had a damaging effect on impressionable youngsters and undermines faith in the criminal justice system. [The London Paper]

It's always cute when drug war supporters read between the lines and catch on that the massive international drug war hasn't stopped the party. Unfortunately, this realization often leads to bizarre proposals like biological warfare or mass-arresting famous people.

This absurd scheme, like every other dubious drug war idea, will fail for all the same reasons it failed before. The drug war is simply not effective against wealthy privileged people. Those with the resources available to conceal their law-breaking from the prying eyes of police will continue to party in private. You can't deputize the paparazzi to pop Paris for pot and you can't railroad rockstars in drug war kangaroo courts. Just try it, and the number of 90210 zipcodes in the StopTheDrugWar.org membership database will soon crash our servers.

It would be vastly more effective, though still futile, to ask that the press kick its habit of turning every wasted starlet into front-page news. The relentless trainwreck that passes for entertainment media on both sides of the pond is just as nauseous and predictable as its subjects, thus the apple can't be expected to fall far from the tree.

It's all fun and games until LA SWAT raids Paris Hilton's house on a tip from Tara Reid and is forced to shoot a chihuahua in self-defense.