“I know my background doesn’t look good.”

— Judith Brandon, who has multiple sclerosis, degenerative arthritis and heart and lung ailments and wants to use medicinal marijuana while in jail awaiting trial on the latest charge in a long string of drug-related offenses.

“As a prisoner herein for over 20 years, I can guarantee you that the Nazi control of this prison is complete.”

— Convicted murderer Bryan Lankford, in a letter to the Associated Press, contending that a powerful gang of white supremacists has gained the upper hand over Idaho prison officials.

“We know where he’s at now. He’s in booking.”

— Kootenai County Sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger, clarifying the mystery around what happened to Peter Rowland, the driver seen swimming away from a car that had plunged into Fernan Lake.

“Posdrovlayem.”

— Sandra Johnston, district adjudications officer with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, using the Russian word for “congratulations” to new American Mikhail Zuyev, 73, a terminally ill Ukrainian immigrant who wanted to attain U.S. citizenship before he dies.

“There are no scientifically valid studies tending to establish a negative impact on the adjustment of children raised by an intact same-sex couple as compared with those raised by an intact opposite sex couple.”

— King County Superior Court Judge William L. Downing, in his decision that denying same-sex couples the right to marry violates their constitutional protections.

“This is the most important issue that our nation has faced. It’s affecting the very foundation of our society – which is the family.”

— John Tusant, executive director of the Greater Spokane Association of Evangelicals, commenting on Downing’s opinion, which he opposes.

“They (terrorists) never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”

— President Bush in a speech on Thursday.

“The tragedy of this whole issue is that with homeland security, you can’t separate the politics from the security.”

— Mayor Sharpe James of Newark, N.J., who had criticized Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge for not explaining the age of the intelligence that led to the latest terror-threat level increase.