The histopathologic effects of Securidaca longepedunculata

Here's another example of the bizarre level of hypocrisy that the prohibitionists behind the WODs must engage in in order to defend their motives.

Note how, at the end of this abstract, the authors compare this plants toxic effects as being of a sort that strongly resembles the damage seen in the organs of chronic users of alcohol --- and acetaminophen! --- or "Tylenol" IOW. How can LEOs live with themselves when one considers the cruel, heartless lack of ethics it must take to arrest, prosecute and imprison a parent, husband or child for smoking pot? How can they sit at a bar-stool popping Tylenol and sharing a drink with buddies, when ALL scientifically rigid studies confirm both drugs as being much more pathological or dangerous to use? It's thinmgs like this that make me wonder if "conservatism" isn't merely a euphemism for persons who share the same emotional stunting that sees them as adults still reliant on an authority figures; people whom they've substituted as the parent, and like the paremnt to a young child, obedience is mandatory. As such, justification for any given law is not theirs to question. It is from them that they depend for knowledge that forms their concepts of existentialism. It's from outside sources that make claims of having all the answers they gravitate toward because they are intellectually incapable of forming abstract thought structures themselves.

Their lack of empathy for anyone outside their own group is one of the hallmarks of political conservatism. It is noteworthy that the very act of employing empathy requires an intellectual feat that newborns and "toddlers" are incapable of, and is one that only becomes available to us once we reach an age where social skills are benificial to getting what the individual needs from others who are not their parents.

The simple-mindedness and "black & white" perception of the world, the inordinate number of conservatives who join any given societies military or police force is also explainable as being motivated by a need to place themselves somewhere they aren't expected to think for themselves; where they will always know what is expected of them; as well as the practical shield that being an LEO can bring to a personality with little empathy. Otherwise, they would very likely to be arrested for after acting out their frustration and embarrassment at not being an intellectually capable person. It all seems to fit. And DHS agrees with me. See Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABSTRACT

Securidaca longepedunculata is a savannah shrub commonly used by traditional medicine practitioners in Nigeria; the plant is reputed to have over one hundred medicinal indications. In this investigation, the histopathologic effects of S. longepedunculata on the heart, kidneys, liver and lungs of rats were examined. Albino rats (Sprague Dawley strain) weighing 200 – 250 g were given 2 mg/kg (I.P) of aqueous extract daily for fourteen days and then sacrificed. Tissues were harvested and processed for photomicrographic examinations. Extracts of the plant gave an LD₅₀ value of 37 mg/kg (I.P) and histological alterations monitored. In the kidneys, there was acute tubular necrosis with diffused interstitial and glumerular haemorrhage characteristic of irreversible cellular injury of the epithelium and parenchyma. Similar changes were observed in the liver showing severe ballooning degeneration of the hepatocytes, necrosis and formation of mallory bodies. In the lungs diffused alveolar and capillary damage as well as early formation of hyaline membranes were evident. The histological changes are similar to those produced by chronic ethanol and p-acetaminophene ingestion, suggesting the presence of toxic constituents. From these observations, it can be inferred that the use of S. longepedunculata may be associated with tissue structural damage of some vital organs.

Technorati Tags: Securidaca, longepedunculata, histopathologic, heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, Uwar-magunguna.

Police-Prison Union Stranglehold On Democracy

Only cops and crooks have benefited from $2.5 trillion spent fighting trafficking. By David W. Fleming and James P. Gray The United States has been spending $69 billion a year worldwide for the last 40 years, for a total of $2.5 trillion, on drug prohibition -- with little to show for it. Is anyone actually benefiting from this war? Six groups come to mind. The first group are the drug lords in nations such as Colombia, Afghanistan and Mexico, as well as those in the United States. They are making billions of dollars every year -- tax free. The second group are the street gangs that infest many of our cities and neighborhoods, whose main source of income is the sale of illegal drugs. Third are those people in government who are paid well to fight the first two groups. Their powers and bureaucratic fiefdoms grow larger with each tax dollar spent to fund this massive program that has been proved not to work. Fourth are the politicians who get elected and reelected by talking tough -- not smart, just tough -- about drugs and crime. But the tougher we get in prosecuting nonviolent drug crimes, the softer we get in the prosecution of everything else because of the limited resources to fund the criminal justice system. The fifth group are people who make money from increased crime. They include those who build prisons and those who staff them. The prison guards union is one of the strongest lobbying groups in California today, and its ranks continue to grow. And last are the terrorist groups - worldwide - that are principally financed by the sale of illegal drugs. cont.....