My favorite parts of the magazine are the book reviews and the letters. One book, the reviewer loves; another (with a different reviewer) not so much. Cue letters, is my guess. (Inside joke. I’m sorry)

Meanwhile, it’s about time Health Affairs made its charts a) more easily understandable, and b) ready for online publication. (This editions are not even readable in some cases). We’ve learned something about communication of complex data in the last 25 years and it’s about time the magazine that is the bible of health policy caught up.

This from a May 2001 discussion article in The Guardian about the new definition the Bush Administration introduced

Using the definition preferred by the state department, terrorism is: "Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant* targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience."

<SNIP>

The key point about terrorism, on which almost everyone agrees, is that it’s politically motivated.

Despite Californians voting for Prop 215 in 1996 and in every survey since clearly being in favor of medical marijuana, this is how the DEA treats those running dispensaries. It violently raids their homes with massive firepower, takes their money, assets and possessions, and destroys their families by taking away their children. And of course this is designed—for purely political purposes—to send a message to anyone wishing to protest the Federal government’s insane policies, or trying to help patients. Both of which are legal under state law.

If that’s not terrorism under the Administration’s definition, then I don’t know what is. When we get a change of Administration the DEA needs to be abolished. And we need, at the least, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission where those involved in its policies and actions can confess their sins. I have no idea how these people sleep at night.