re: framing the issue: in the recent article on Ireland the term "re-legalisation" was used, and i thought that was a good term. we could frame it in the context of "restoring constitutional freedoms" or "restoring basic American freedoms to disenfranchised populations", both of which speak subconsciously to conservatives' nostalgic longing for "the good old days" as well as tapping into the Pavlovian response Bush has created to sell his agenda by repeated use of the word "freedom" in conjuction with even the most oppressive activities.

I'm off to Spokane, Washington, in a few minutes, which means I will be crossing the US-Canadian border at one of the remote ports of entry above Spokane. I'm coming from BC Bud country, which means the border crossing is always, um, interesting. You never know whether they are going to wave you through in a matter of a few seconds, or tear your vehicle apart, make you empty your pockets, and maybe even do a strip search. It always makes me feel so wanted by my homeland.

A guy from Jim Talent's office called me a couple days ago to tell me that they had received my resume and while they were impressed, they had all the help they needed and I just send my resume again in the future.