Source: CounterPunch
by Chloe Atkinson

“Much to the joy of many of its citizens, and perhaps to the chagrin of a significant number of others, Germany has just decriminalized marijuana. Adults in Germany can now carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for their own consumption and store up to 50 grams at home, as well as keep three plants for home cultivation. Public consumption will be allowed, so long as it is not within sight of children or near sports facilities. … While the move comes with these crucial caveats, it is still a major step for a country that until now avoided stepping into the weed abyss. Across the pond, many Americans are still waiting to gain the freedoms Germans now have and as time passes, more Americans support the move.” (04/17/24)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/04/17/americans-want-germanys-weed-laws/

Source: Hoover Institution
by Michael McFaul

“Putin’s alleged final tally [in the recent election] — 88 percent of the vote! — underscored the farcical nature of the whole event. In the old days, Putin tried to make his election victories look competitive. Last month, he didn’t even try. Public opinion polls in totalitarian dictatorships also reveal little knowledge about actual societal preferences. In a heavily surveilled country where you can go to jail for even uttering the word ‘war,’ there is only one rational response to a call from an unknown poll worker from Moscow asking you if you support Putin and his policies. Yes. We know from previous breakdowns of autocracies that real preferences about dictators are revealed only when it is safe to do. … Yet, even with all these caveats, I still believe that most Russians—actively and passively — support Putin today.” (04/17/24)

https://www.hoover.org/research/imagine-theres-no-putin

Source: Orange County Register
by John Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead

“The government wants to play god. It wants the power to decide who lives or dies and whose rights are worthy of protection. Abortion may still be front and center in the power struggle between the Left and the Right over who has the right to decide — the government or the individual — when it comes to bodily autonomy, the right to privacy, sexual freedom, the rights of the unborn, and property interests in one’s body, but there’s so much more at play. In the 50-plus years since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade, the government has come to believe that it not only has the power to determine who is deserving of constitutional rights in the eyes of the law but it also has the authority to deny those rights to an American citizen.” (04/17/24)

https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/17/the-government-wants-to-play-god-what-does-that-mean-for-our-freedoms/

Source: Common Dreams
by Jeffrey D Sachs & Sybil Fares

“This week, the U.S. and U.K. have the chance to correct decades of their blatant geopolitical errors in the Israel-Palestine conflict by welcoming Palestine as the 194th United Nations member state. More than any other countries, the U.S. and U.K. have wrecked the Middle East through their non-stop meddling and imperial arrogance. This week they have the chance to make some amends. A total of 139 countries already recognize the State of Palestine, more than two-thirds of the U.N. member states. Several European states will soon join the list. Yet the U.S. has so far blocked Palestine’s membership in the U.N., with the U.K. always sticking close to the U.S. lead. Both have relentlessly backed Israel’s apartheid rule over Palestine and are currently actively backing Israel in its horrific destruction of Gaza.” (04/17/24)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/us-uk-welcome-palestine-to-un