As a complement (hopefully) to Jane’s and Kevin’s fine coverage of the October2011 and related actions in Washington DC, I thought I’d share a few (overexposed, smartphone) pics to illustrate life in Freedom Plaza.

There is so much badness, madness, and craziness going on right now that I decided today would be a day to kick back, recharge, and share with you some pictures from the recent Macy’s Flower Show in downtown Minneapolis.

The negative costs of our nation’s “war on drugs” reach into so many aspects our country that they are almost impossible to count. This isn’t just the direct cost of incarceration, enforcement, and the loss of tax revenue, there are also the many less obvious costs such as long-term lower wages for those with drug-related criminal records and, as I recently learned, the destruction of our domestic flower industry.