Good morning, City Desk readers, and welcome to Freedom Friday! Today's topic: Chuck Lane, former editor of the The New Republic and promoter of the conventional wisdom on the editorial pages of the Washington Post. For those of you who missed last week's FF, I said some not nice things to Chuck. Why did I say those things? Because Chuck Lane was acting like a dick.

Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Chuck Lane Strikes Back" »

A measure to once again ban D.C. from implementing a 1998 medical marijuana initiative failed in a House appropriations committee vote this evening.

The D.C. budget made it out of its appropriations subcommittee without the so-called Barr amendment---a rider, first introduced by Georgia Republican Bob Barr, which has graced the District budget since 1998. But this evening Missouri Republican Jo Ann Emerson attempted to put it back on.

After a short debate, with Jim Moran (D-Va.) standing up to defend District home rule, the Emerson measure failed by a voice vote. The bill still has to survive the House floor, Senate consideration, and conference committee.

Presently, the committee is debating an amendment that would preserve the rider banning the District from funding abortions. It's unclear whether an amendment regarding the District's gun laws will come up this evening.

UPDATE, 10:05 P.M.: The abortion amendment has failed, 26-33. If the bill as passed out of committee is made law, the District will be free to spend local funds on abortion.

Well, perhaps not exactly. From the New York Times:

Speaking with reporters, Mr. Holder provided few specifics but said the Justice Department’s enforcement policy would now be restricted to traffickers who falsely masqueraded as medical dispensaries and “use medical marijuana laws as a shield."

Read More "A.G. Eric Holder Saves Medical Marijuana Industry, Considers Extending the Same Courtesy to Newspapers" »

The Washington Times has a great story about DEA leftovers from the Bush administration still going after medical marijuana despite the new president's stated desire that the federal government stay out of the way in these matters.

Pot is legal for sick folks according to state law in California. But DEA agents have been on a binge of raids there lately involving firms that provide medical marijuana to the needy.

George W. Bush, according to the story, always told his troops to ignore California codes.

Why would Bush, being of the party that boasts of its love of states rights, be so gung ho against pot?

It might have something to do with all the drug use he was alleged to have done during his lost years, but never confessed to.

Or the answer of his anti-pot bent might be found on another leftover from his administration: the web site of the White House Office of Drug Policy.

On the section for "Street Terms," in the B's, you'll find "Bush" listed as a cool-kids' synonym for pot.

That's gotta hurt.

'Course, you'll also find "Righteous Bush," "Bobo Bush," "Kate Bush," and "Potten Bush" on the same official White House list of marijuana euphemisms.

"Kate Bush"? For real?

Is there a chance in hell Michael Phelps or any other American stoner ever really smoked "Kate Bush"?