November 7, 1987 and the big story was Supreme Court nominee Douglas Ginsburg's admission that he had used Marijuana. The sea of red faces from the White House dissolved into finger pointing that no one ever thought to check and see if the good Judge fired up a doobie every now and then. And word from the West Wing was that Ginsburg needed to say "thanks but no thanks" and pretty soon.

It prompted several prominent members of Congress to admit, including Newt Gingrich, that they had smoked dope on several occasions - all of course quickly retorted that they hated the experience and would never do it again. No no. Never, ever.

And while all that was going on, the Soviet Union were celebrating 70 years since the Bolsheviks took over. The usual hardcore display of arms and might, but a little light on the "we will bury you" rhetoric so popular in the past.

Heads rolled slightly when it was learned Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was looking to start some dialog with the Contras. And Tunisian President-For-Life Habib Bourguiba was removed from office, citing ill-health.

Former Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett died on this day. An obituary revealed his outspoken stance on segregation during the 1960's Civil Rights Movement and his belligerent opposition to School Integration.

And speaking of Mississippi - a chemical plant in Columbia was discovered to have dumped untold hundreds, if not thousands of barrels of toxic chemicals in and around the plant vicinity over several decades. Prompting an evacuation of the town and explanations as to why there was so much Cancer in one small town.

Such was the day, as reported on The CBS World News Roundup for November 7, 1987.

(It could happen . . .)

With the current movement afoot to legalize Marijuana in California (in an effort to raise revenues with a cigarette-style tax), I was reminded that in 1971 there was a movement afoot to legalize drugs completely, not just Marijuana but the whole recreational sub-genre. The idea that Heroin would suddenly become legal seemed remote, but the PBS program The Advocates devoted their hour on week to just that subject. And, as always with that program, the arguments were very interesting.

Joseph Oteri(arguing For legalization): “As extreme as our proposition may sound, we believe that we can show that by legalizing all drugs, you will have the following results: There will be less crime because drugs will be cheap enough so that addicts will not have to steal money in order to purchase them. The tax free criminal drug monopoly will be destroyed because of their inability to compete with cheap legal drugs. There will be fewer addicts because the forbidden fruit temptation of drug use will be diminished by its openness and the drug subculture, which makes drugs available will disappear. There will be fewer deaths from overdoses because the strength of drugs will be controlled by Federal standards. Hepatitis cases will be diminished because it will no longer be criminal to possess needles and syringes and users will have sterile equipment to use. But more importantly, an adult’s right to be let alone, his right to determine for himself what is good for him and not to be forced to accept the moral judgments of society as they relate to his private conduct demand that he have the right to use drugs if he chooses to do so.”

Needless to say it was a bold idea. The arguments on both sides had merits (although the "against" side went into overdrive when someone on the "for" side mentioned Heroin and Ice Cream in the same sentence).

It does beg the question why it can't happen now. I'm still not so sure we will ever see a full legalization of all drugs in our lifetimes, but legalizing Marijuana does seem possible at this point in time. Probably more so now than in 1971.

(Ramsey Clark in 1968 - in something of an uncomfortable place that year)

February 18, 1968. In anticipation of another "long hot summer", as had been the case for a few years running, Meet The Press hosted a panel which asked Attorney General Ramsey Clark what was going to be done about the problems with our violent cities, with the protesters, the extremist groups - generally everything that was destined to make 1968 a milestone year.

To say Clark had his hands full is an understatement, but the level of fear and paranoia being voiced by the media was something else. But then, so was the resistance to change in a lot of perceptions.

James Kilpatrick: “Mister Attorney General, in his recent message on crime, the President devoted a significant passage to narcotics laws. In recent months there’s been a considerable controversy about marijuana and its dangers. Some authorities appear to take the view that its non-addictive drug, no more risky to society really than tobacco or whiskey. What is your own view on marijuana?"

Ramsey Clark: "My own view is that the use of marijuana, the sale of marijuana is a federal crime. And we will investigate and prosecute where that use and sale of it is found. I also think in our time, and particularly among our youth, the atmosphere of permissiveness is a danger, a clear and present danger to our kids. Marijuana is so frequently coupled with LSD and other highly dangerous drugs that we have to enforce very effectively in this field to protect those youth from themselves, and to protect our society."

And this was only February.

(The Rainy Daze - just another misunderstood mind-melting band of the '60's)

When their first charting single "Acapulco Gold" came out in early 1967, things were looking up. But radio had different ideas. When it came to light that Acapulco Gold was really a thinly disguised ode to the joys of a certain grade of marijuana, airplay suddenly stopped and The Rainy Daze were relegated to more-or-less underground status, with their debut single topping out around 70 on the Billboard Hot 100.

And here we have the follow up, originally titled "Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum" (as the first batch of pressings attest), it was quickly retitled "Blood of Oblivion" and didn't seem to fare much better.

Which was a shame since The Rainy Daze were actually a good band and not some product of a record company's idea of a hit machine.

1967 was a year when a lot of bands were just misunderstood by the mainstream music industry. And try as they might, were impossible to pigeon hole as pop acts. Rainy Daze were one, Sopwith Camel were another and so were Moby Grape and Pink Floyd (yes, America did NOT know what to do about them when they first came out!). The times were rapidly changing from a singles dominated marketplace to one where full length albums were starting to gain prominence.

But "Blood of Oblivion" sank into obscurity. Not put on their first, and only album. And never (to my knowledge) reissued in any form, all there is as testimony is this 45 - which sadly may be all there is, since the masters for this single (certainly the multi-tracks)were reportedly destroyed in the recent Universal City vault fire, where many many UNI Records masters, along with countless others went up in smoke.

For now, pretend it's November 1967 and you're hearing this for the first time.