SUPREME COURT MARIJUANA DECISION AFFIRMS UNLIMITED FEDERAL POWERS

The recent Supreme Court decision affirming the federal government's
power to regulate the use of home-grown marijuana as medicine,
despite the fact that it was not bought and sold across state lines,
is alarming -- not so much because of its effect on people in pain
but because of its effect on our relationship with the federal
government. Basically, the decision affirms the power of the federal
government to regulate anything it wants wherever it wants. As
Justice Clarence Thomas said in his dissent, "If Congress can
regulate this under the Commerce Clause, then it can regulate
virtually anything -- and the Federal Government is no longer one of
limited and enumerated powers."

Many people think that this is just fine as long as it's not their ox
being gored. But given the back-and-forth nature of national
politics, sooner or later everyone's ox is gored; we are all
victimized by it. This wouldn't happen if as few as five federal
employees couldn't arbitrarily revise our national contract in favor
of their employer under cover of a smokescreen of dubious reasoning
and appeal to precedents. Their oaths require them to uphold and
protect the Constitution, not to give it a makeover or to touch-up
previous makeovers.

That's our job.

PAUL WESCOTT

Anchorage