Blog Heap of Links for the day 3 April 2009

"Legalize marijuana and take all that money and invest it in teachers and in education," Santana said in an interview this week. "You will see a transformation in America."

Henry said he hopes his choice of the memorial will be approved by federal officials and that the design will include the Survivor Tree. "The Survivor Tree really is the symbol of this place that's so powerful and moving and sad and uplifting at the same time," the governor said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. "This (is a) symbol of that Oklahoma standard — the courage, the kindness, the compassion, the charity that rose up above the evil of April 19, 1995. I think it really does depict the resilience."

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum already means so much to so many people and the entire nation will soon have another reminder of what it stands for. Governor Brad Henry announced Thursday that the memorial has been chosen to represent the state on a special quarter.

The Iowa Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling Friday finding that the state's same-sex marriage ban violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples, making Iowa the third state where marriage is legal. In its decision, the court upheld a 2007 district court judge's ruling that the law violates the state constitution. It strikes the language from Iowa code limiting marriage to only between a man a woman.

ELDORADO, Texas — It was a year ago that the outside world got its first glimpse beyond the battered green gate of the YFZ Ranch. And the view was mesmerizing: Women in pioneer-style dresses, their hair swept up in braids. Men who married multiple times — sometimes, it was said, to underage girls. Children snatched by authorities from their mothers, for fear that they might be abused. ... all but one of the 439 children who were taken away in one of the largest custody cases in U.S. history have returned to their families. About two-thirds are back at the ranch ... The documents obtained by The Associated Press offer a window into an industrious, prayerful community in which marriage was considered a mandatory ticket to heaven, where legal marrying ages are secondary to divine matches ordained by Jeffs. But more than anything else, these papers testify to a simple truth: At the YFZ Ranch, Warren Jeffs controlled everything.

a deal: give us drugs, after a certain age — say, 80 — all drugs, any drugs we want. In return, we will give you our driver's licenses. (I mean, can you imagine how terrifying a nation of decrepit, solipsistic 90-year-old boomers behind the wheel would be?) [Is this person trying to be funny or just an idiot?]

Journalists who dialed in to a White House conference call Thursday ... were greeted by a recording on a phone sex line. ... The White House says an aide merely mistyped the 800-dial in number....

An Ellensburg couple, married for more than 50 years, died within minutes of each other at their home. ... medics responded to the home Wednesday because 78-year-old Charles Elkins was having trouble breathing. While they were trying to revive him 76-year-old Grace Elkins lost consciousness. Both died at the scene.

Oklahoma lawmakers are close to approving a bill that allows pregnant women to use deadly force to protect their unborn children. ... "Pregnant women who refuse to abort their child are too often attacked by their partner in an effort to force a miscarriage," said state Rep. Mike Thompson, who co-authored the bill after Americans United for Life asked him. "Women put in this position should have the legal right to defend themselves, with lethal force if necessary." ... [We need a law to make this obvious right legal?]

The League of Women Voters of Oklahoma came out today against the voter identification bill that legisaltors approved and is before Gov. Brad Henry. ... "If there were any evidence of voter impersonation in Oklahoma elections, the League of Women Voters would be first in line supporting this kind of legislation — but proponents cannot identify one single case of voter impersonation in Oklahoma elections," she said. "Election boards have stringent protections in place to preserve the integrity of Oklahoma's election system." [So, let's wait for fraud and then we'll close the barn door?]

It would require identification such as a driver's license or military identification prior to voting. The legislation would also give voters the option to show their free, county-issued voter identification at the polls. Senator Ford says it's critical to keep the integrity of our elections. Senator Ford, R-Bartlesville, says, "Is there evidence of widespread voter fraud in Oklahoma? No, there's not." He goes on to say, "We want to be proactive and not wait until there is a tainted election to make a change that's going to prevent that."

The Oklahoma House Wednesday gave final approval to legislation that would require voters to provide identification at the polls and sent it to Gov. Brad Henry for his signature, but a spokesman for the governor said the bill may have unintended consequences. Without debate, the House approved the measure in a bipartisan 71-27 vote after tabling an amendment that would have gutted it by Rep. Richard Morrissette, D-Oklahoma City, who has argued against voter ID proposals in the past. The bill was previously approved by the Senate.

Beginning in 2010, the U.S. Mint will begin producing quarters showing a national site from each of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and each U.S. territory — Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands. George Washington's image will be on the other side. Governors are being asked to recommend sites for representation on the quarter. The U.S. Treasury will make the final decision on designs, which are to be announced later this month. Last year, the U.S. Mint completed its 10-year state quarter program, which it called the most popular coin program in history. Quarters were issued in the order each state joined the union, with five releases a year at intervals of about 10 weeks.