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April 28, 2007
Barr Follow-up
Yesterday, I wrote that when I had more time I’d explain why I don’t think Bob Barr’s recent endorsement of medical marijuana, improbable as it probably struck most people when they first heard about it, signaled any fundamental change in his core beliefs; in other words, that the leopard had not changed his spots.
One of the things I’ve learned from recent experience is that logical arguments go only so far in convincing those who start out with contrary opinions; therefore rather than a tedious deconstruction of Barr’s rant, I think the points I want to make would be best illustrated by inviting serious readers to compare it with the far more responsible look Arianna Huffington took at the same issues, namely school shootings, and the potential role of psychotropic medications in their genesis.
I thnk such a comparison would persuade most reasonable people that Barr is still a moralistic and punitive prosecutor at heart; one with a very conservative social agenda and not above stretching the truth to make a point.
The various complex issues related to the ‘Ambien Defense’ are still of great interest to me, but I don’t think we yet know enough about the details of Seung-Hui Cho’s personal and medical history (including post mortem drug levels) to come to any responsible conclusions.
Doctor Tom
Posted by tjeffo at April 28, 2007 06:18 PM