8 states may vote to legalize marijuana this year. Is yours on the list?

Gallup says President Obama's approval ratings are up the past few days to 49%.

From The Nation: A Brief History of Drones.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

The House today passed its version of the Stock Act, S. 2038, the "Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012.") Groups like CREW are misguided in complaining that it does not include the Leahy-Cornyn amendment (S. 1483.) It's a good thing that the Leahy-Cornyn Amendment was dropped. It should stay out of the bill when the Senate-House Conference meets.

The Amendment was presented as one that closed loopholes but it is more than that. As the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) wrote in letters to Congress, the Amendment adds a host of unnecessary crimes and increased penalties and effectively overrules two recent Supreme Court decisions. [More...]

It's Hollywood Night on American Idol. I'll be curious to see how it does in ratings, given the strong competition from The Voice. The Voice is more fun to watch. AI seems dated and its contestants amateurish by comparison. Steven Tyler is the main reason I still watch.

Did anyone see Jon Bon Jovi on Person to Person?

Russian arms transporter Viktor Bout lost his bid for a new trial today. But the judge questioned his conditions of confinement, which his lawyers say include solitary confinement,no fresh air or sunlight, one weekly family visit and one phone call a month.

"It seems harsh. It seems brutal. It seems unnecessary. It seems like something should be done about it."

A hearing on the conditions will be held Friday.

What else is going on in the world? This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

What do prosecutors do when they realize they've charged a crime they can't prove? Come up with a new charge.

Wayne Tempero, Chief Security Officer for Kim DotCom, was charged with illegal possession of a firearm after the raid on Kim DotCom's compound. The prosecutors said the gun was unlicensed. Tempero has insisted he had a license for the shotgun, as well as for another firearm found on the premises.

Tempero appeared in court today on the unlawful possession of firearms charge and prosecutors dismissed it. But they proceeded to file two new charges, each charging possession of a firearm for unlawful purposes.

When they want you, if they can't get you one way, they just try another. [More...]

What if Santorum wins the GOP nomination? Doesn't Trump have to launch his much clamored for run (according to him)?

Oh BTW, how's that Trump endorsement working out for Romney?

Here's Trump on Santorum:

Rick Santorum was a sitting senator who in re-election lost by 19 points, to my knowledge the most in the history of this country for a sitting senator to lose by 19 points. It’s unheard of. Then he goes out and says oh ‘okay’ I just lost by the biggest margin in history and now I’m going to run for president. Tell me, how does that work? ... That’s like me saying I just failed a test. Now I’m going to apply for admission to the Wharton School of Finance. Okay? He just failed a test.... And now he’s going to run for president. So, I don’t get Rick Santorum. I don’t get that whole thing.”

Santorum!!!

Deeper thoughts later if time permits.

Open Thread.

Remember Operation Pipeline from the '90's and the DEA's ridiculous list of what cops should look for when making traffic stops? On the list were things like "fast food wrappers" in the vehicle, too much luggage, not enough luggage. (Law review article on it here, on p. 748.) It was a blueprint resulting in racial profiling.

Now the FBI has come up with a list of what ordinary citizens should look for and report when patronizing an internet cafe. It's called Communities Against Terrorism: Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities Related to Internet Cafe. Among the suspicious indicators:

• attempts to shield the screen from view of
  others
• Always pay cash
• Signs onto Comcast, AOL or another residential-based internet provider

It's not just internet cafes. The FBI has distributed flyers for 25 types of businesses. You can view them all here.

Tonight's the night for Republican caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota. Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have all been actively campaigning in Colorado.

Mitt brought out 3,000 at a rally last night in Arapahoe County, just south of Denver. The size of Newt's crowd at a rally yesterday afternoon in Jefferson County, just west of Denver: 200.

Republicans are expecting a big turnout. Santorum is expected to do better than Newt. It doesn't seem to matter much, as the votes are non-binding at the Republican Convention. Colorado results will be available here and Minnesota here. [More...]

The Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled persons on probation may not use marijuana, even if they have a valid state license to do so. The opinion is here.

The Court based its decision on federal law which it says outlaws possession and use of marijuana. (Actually, federal law only bans possession, not use of a controlled substance but no one seems to raise creative ways one could use marijuana without actually or constructively possessing it.)[More...]

Sledgehammers, motorized saws, assault weapons and more were used in the raid of MegaUpload founder Kim DotCom's compound. TV 3 in New Zealand has new details of the raid in an interview with a police official who attempts to justify the excessive force.

Seventy-six police officers, many armed with automatic weapons and pistols, including members of the elite Special Tactics Group, arrived at Kim Dotcom’s Coatesville property on January 20, to arrest him on charges relating to copyright offences.

In a related new article, Kim DotCom's security chief, Wayne Tempero, who took TV3 on a tour of the mansion, says:[More..]

Karen Handel, the senior vice president of public policy for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, resigned today. Koman founder and CEO Nancy Brinker released this statement:

"Today I accepted the resignation of Karen Handel, who has served as Senior Vice President for Policy since April 2011. I have known Karen for many years, and we both share a common commitment to our organization's lifelong mission, which must always remain our sole focus. I wish her the best in future endeavors."

You can read Handel's letter here.

Update: The 9th Circuit has affirmed the lower court's ruling that Prop 8 is unconstitutional. The 128 page opinion is here.

The 2-1 decision found the ban -- known as Proposition 8 -- "served no purpose, and had no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationship and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples." That violates the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection under the law, the decision states