The United States tortures??! Who would'a thunk? Pretty foul business anyway you look at it. Cruel, ineffective and frankly well beneath any nation or it's peoples who strive (hopefully) for the higher standard. If it ever comes to trial or hearings, at least, the defense will be the same as it was at the end of WWII at Nuremberg. "Orders are orders..." etc etc. But those were Nazis, lower than low, scum and filth. Leaves a difficult and very typical human dilemma. Stand up, disobey orders, and face courtmarshal, get fired, imprisoned or, in time of war, disobeying an order can get you shot. Lots of wiggling coming up on this one.

Alcohol & marijuana, excellent short clip here, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/norm-stamper/420-thoughts-on-pot-vs-al_b_188627.html#postComment
Alcohol has lobbiests, marijuana doesn't. The only way to get anywhere with politicians is to bribe them or embarrass them. Sad but true, but a fact of life.

Why doesn't the US Navy just sub the pirate job out to the Israelies? They'll get it done & save the Capt. Waiting for the US Government and the hang over from the Grand Old Party is a hopeless exercise; the current government is saturated with the incompetent filth, centralized planning and decision making left over and it'll take a time to flush it. To bad for Obama, his inheritence is horrible, but, given time I believe he has what it takes. He just has to surround himself with better people and get rid of the dead old idealogs, incompetent bunglers and rabid bufoons.