This and That, cont'd.

MANIFESTO

In another attempt to win the so-called War on Drugs (and, perhaps, to revive the inane "Just Say No" campaign),

The White House drug czar said in a warning to parents Friday that depressed teens are medicating themselves with marijuana, running risks of even deeper depression.

A report by the Office National Drug Control Policy said that frequent marijuana ingestion doubles a teen's risk of depression and anxiety, based on data compiled from published studies.

I'm not sure I buy this because (having observed teenagers for much of the last four decades) I think that depression causes drug (and here I include alcohol and nicotine) use or abuse, and not the other way around. It just seems to me that this is yet another example of the Bushies' post hoc ergo propter hoc arguments they're so skillful at.

And, while I'm trying not to appear too callous, whenever I see a story of natural disasters in the Bible Belt, I'm always reminded of Ben Franklin's and Thomas Edison's amusement regarding the necessity of lightning rods on churches.