Sawse – Stir it Up!

Poll Finds Americans Pessimistic, Want Change: One year out from the 2008 election, Americans are deeply pessimistic and eager for a change in direction from the agenda and priorities of President Bush, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. It seems unlikely at this point that the Republicans could win the presidency no matter who they put up as a potential candidate, particularly since no single strong frontrunner has emerged from the pack as of yet.

Belgium builds case against Scientology: In 1997 a former member of the Church of Scientology, unhappy with courses she had taken, tried to get a refund of 700,000 Belgian francs – about $17,000. Authorities began looking into the church’s finances and interviewing people. Now, 10 years later prosecutors say: The Church of Scientology in Belgium is a “criminal organization” that has used fraud and extortion to separate members from their money. Despite the religious tolerance of Scientology in most countries around the world, this kind of thing seems more and more likely to happen as time goes on. Scientologists have been increasingly accused of preying on people financially and otherwise during their times of greatest need, such as after major disasters.

Britain: Pot Use Drops Following Drug’s Reclassification – Illicit drug use hits record low after cops cease arresting minor pot violators London, United Kingdom: Self-reported cannabis use among Britons has declined sharply in the three years following the government’s decision to downgrade pot possession to a non-arrestable offense, according to figures compiled last week by the Home Office’s annual Crime Survey. Admittedly, these statistics could be skewed by a number of factors, and there is no doubt that people have an extremely vested interest in both sides of this issue.

Ever wonder why the media today is less interested in covering protests? Sure enough, Kucinich is once again working to get Cheney impeached, though it probably won’t go any farther than the last time. No collection of recent news would be complete without another historical example of the United States’ inconsistent treatment of waterboarding as a crime.

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Tags: britain, crime, drugs, election