Hillary Rodham Clinton, born in 1947, is an early “Baby Boomer”, the generational name generally assigned to those born during the post-World War II baby boom, between 1946 through 1964. This is a generation who came of age during the domestic cultural conscientiousness associated with the Viet Nam war era. It was a tumultuous time.
But Hillary Rodham (later Clinton) seems to have largely been immune to those cultural influences.
A native of Park Ridge, Illinois, an affluent Chicago suburb, Hillary Rodham attended Wellesley College, a highly selective private women’s liberal-arts college outside Boston, graduating in 1969 with a major in political science. She then attended Yale Law School, earning a JD degree in 1973. It was at Yale where she first met future president Bill Clinton, whom she married in 1975.
She has a long record as an advocate for children’s rights, and for better legal services for the poor, having been appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the board of the Legal Services Corporation in 1977, becoming their first female chair in 1978. Clinton was named the first female partner at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1979, and was twice included as one of the one hundred most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal.
Claims She Has Never Smoked Pot
Boomers are often associated with the counterculture, and the civil rights and the feminist movements of the 1970s. And while these cultural and legal changes have clearly left their impact on Clinton, she acknowledges she was not on the barricades during the cultural revolution that occurred in America in the late ’60s and the ’70s, and claims never to have smoked marijuana, recently telling Christiane Amanpour “Absolutely not. I didn’t do it when I was young, I’m not going to start now.”
Clinton has spent her entire adult life, including serving as first lady of Arkansas for a total of 12 years, eight years as America’s first lady, and eight years as a U.S. Senator from New York, living with the political reality that one could never be too careful when talking about contentious social issues — especially the then-radical idea of marijuana legalization — and it was always politically safer to support incremental change than to advocate for radical change. She exudes competence and strength, not innovation or risk-taking.
Yet there are reasons to be optimistic should she become president in 2017.
Her Position During the 2008 Campaign
While campaigning for president in 2007, Clinton rarely mentioned drug policy, but when she did she made it clear she was firmly against decriminalizing marijuana. “I don’t think we should decriminalize it, but we ought to do research into what, if any medical benefits it has.” Even then she showed some interest in the medical use of marijuana.
She did not indicate why she favored continuing to treat marijuana smokers as criminals, nor did she need to. None of the other candidates for the Democratic nomination were willing to challenge her on that issue. Then-candidate Barack Obama was himself no champion for pot law reform during that campaign. It was then considered both too radical for a mainstream politician, and too insignificant compared to other issues the country was dealing with.
Clinton’s Most Recent Statements
While Clinton has been slow to evolve her position on marijuana policy, her most recent statements do reflect a recognition that the politics of marijuana legalization are changing, and she must reflect some of those changes or risk alienating large numbers of voters, especially younger voters.
“I’m a big believer in acquiring evidence,” Clinton told NPR affiliate KPCC in July of 2014. “And I think we should see what kind of results we get, both from medical marijuana and from recreational marijuana, before we make any far-reaching conclusions. We need more studies. We need more evidence. And then we can proceed.”
Also in 2014, during a town hall with CNN, Clinton told Christiane Amanpour that she wants to “wait and see” how legalization goes in the states before making it a national decision. “There are younger people here who could help me understand this and answer it,” Clinton began. “At the risk of committing radical candor, I have to say I think we need to be very clear about the benefits of marijuana use for medicinal purposes. I don’t think we’ve done enough research yet, although I think for people who are in extreme medical conditions and who have anecdotal evidence that it works, there should be availability under appropriate circumstances.”
Then, showing her uneasiness with discussing marijuana policy generally, she attempts to make sure she has not gone too far, by adding: “But I do think we need more research because we don’t know how it interacts with other drugs.”
Clinton also sounded supportive of new Colorado and Washington laws that have legalized recreational marijuana for adults. “On recreational, states are the laboratories of democracy,” Clinton said. “We have at least two states that are experimenting with that right now. I want to wait and see what the evidence is.”
This time around it is clear that some of her advisors have alerted her to the reality that the marijuana legalization movement has finally come of age, and legalization is an option that must now be part of the national discussion. Marijuana legalization appears to be favored in several swing states. A Quinnipiac University survey conducted in March of 2015 found a majority of voters support full legalization in Florida (55 percent), Ohio (52 percent), and Pennsylvania (51 percent) — all key states that a Clinton campaign may need to win the general election.
What We Can Expect from a Hillary Clinton Presidency
Assuming the public support for marijuana legalization continues to surge, by the time President Hillary Clinton would be taking office, I would expect she will realize the political climate really has changed dramatically regarding this issue over the last few years, and she will have the option politically to do a number of helpful things without endangering her majority support. Reading tea leaves is always risky, but here are my best guesses as to how she would respond.
First, President Hillary Clinton would use her executive authority to reschedule marijuana to a lower schedule under the federal Controlled Substances Act, to facilitate more research on marijuana’s many medical uses. And while that would also open up the opportunity to eventually allow physicians to prescribe marijuana and pharmacists to dispense it, that process would first require the drug be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, a process that usually takes a decade or longer and costs tens of millions of dollars.
This modest change would be a politically safe move to make, as national polling consistently shows public support for the medical use of marijuana at nearly 80 percent.
Second, President Hillary Clinton would almost certainly continue the Obama policy of having the DOJ stand aside, and permit those states that wish to experiment with versions of legalization, both medical use and full legalization, to do so without federal interference. Changing course would be difficult for any incoming president, including the anti-pot Republican candidates, as the newly legalized industries in a handful of states (that list continues to grow) will have created tens of thousands of new, badly needed jobs, and raised hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue for those states. And, public support for ending prohibition will reinforce the importance politically of continuing the Obama policy.
And third, President Hillary Clinton would likely embrace the full decriminalization of marijuana, under both state and federal law, as initially recommended by the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse (the Shafer Commission) in 1972.
While this would be a total reversal of her position expressed during her campaign for president in 2007, it’s a “flip-flop” that can easily be justified on the basis of the unfair racial impact of the marijuana laws on black and brown Americans. She can embrace removing penalties for the possession and use of small amounts of marijuana, as a criminal justice reform, without embracing the use of marijuana itself.
Of course, no president can, without the support of a majority of Congress, decriminalize marijuana under federal law. But should she decide to use her “bully pulpit” to legitimize and advance the movement to decriminalize minor marijuana offenses, it would have a powerful impact on the state level, where nearly all marijuana arrests occur.
The first two of these advances would likely come during her first term, while the latter would more likely await the first couple of years of her second term, assuming her re-election. As President Obama has demonstrated, it is in the second term, when no further campaigns remain and the fear of alienating voters has abated, that most significant progress on these types of issues occurs.
More later on what we might expect from some of the Republican candidates, should they become president. But I will wait for a few months, to let the wackiest of the Republican candidates fade into oblivion. No point in wasting time analyzing candidates who have no chance of getting the nomination, and who should have had the good sense to stay out of the race. But first, let’s all enjoy the clowns in the circus we call a presidential campaign.
http://news.marijuana.com/news/2015/05/what-we-might-expect-from-a-hillary-clinton-presidency/
At this point in time, Hilary would be my first choice out of those who have announced their run for the presidency. Still, I hope to have better choices before it’s all over.
She would easily get my vote if only she would say she is down for legalization… Probably many millions of us for that matter…
I think Vermin Supreme is STILL the best candidate, that is if Weeda Claus stays out of the race.
Both believe you own your body.
None of the of the other candidates believe this, NOT ONE.
A boomer doing the right thing? That’ll be the day.
Seems like more of the same to me.
Having legal marijuana would be far safer and more productive than any of those candidates for president would be.
Excellent analysis Keith… Ahhh but what would we do without the clowns?! The world needs laughter! (And apparently to launder lots of dirty money like a old, overweight, dribbling washing machine of propaganda… Not naming any names; *cough-ChrIstie!* ehemm, excuse me… I had something in my network… So I had to cough virtually… *PAid PUPpet-hack! Wheeez…* wow, must be some kind of virus, excuse me!
Yeah schedule 2 and a slow dismantling of the DEA is about all Im beginning to expect from any president. An executive order for anything more will end up in a Federal court, but with California legalizing in 2016 and so much momentum going past the 50 yard line, who knows, Obama could punt, run or throw a long pass between November elections and the February inauguration of 2016, depending on what state legislators do between now and then.
I agree Hillary will go with the flow and Florida and Ohio really do matter in a majority for a Hillary presidential election,(unlike the terrible state laws that prevent them from legalizing) so I see her swingin with the swing states in no time at all, beginning with medicinal, as medical marijuana;
1): cuts to the core of the cost of health care
2): treatment for PTSD, epilepsy and beyond is much more than “anecdotal.” Even though the case is being appealed, Judge Mueller accepted the testimony and evidence of marijuana’s medicinal value which in legalese could support an executive decision under Federal review; especially if the case makes it out of appeals before elections. The admissible evidence in the appeal of the Mueller marijuana case is a huge “wait and see” for any Constitutional scholar who graduated President of the Harvard Law Review who wishes to pass the privilege of Presidential executive action to a single Democratic candidate…
3) more women are increasingly supporting legalization, especially medicinal. This is Hillary’s base.
I like her a lot better than Christie, so far.
The conservatives in the GOP are DESPERATE to win the White House. We NORML fans need to convince them that the White House thing ain’t gonna happen if they oppose us.
Voting on a single issue is distasteful to me. But the GOP head-in-the-sand attitude toward Climate Change and assertions that the door is still open on evolution help make the decision easy.
Time doesn’t run backwards, at least in the macro world.
I’m even more skeptical of her after reading this article. The article contains speculation that she might do this or might do that, but the quotes it contains points the other way. Rand Paul may be a ‘Republican’ ( he’s really more of a Libertarian), but at least he is openly anti-prohibition.
She didn’t do jack during her EXTENSIVE career in politics, its clear she’s just another corporate puppet who makes promises to get herself elected. I can foresee this being just like Obama’s position: after even more research has been done, she (like Obama) will admit that marijuana is safer than alcohol, but show no interest in descheduling it or stopping federal raids on dispensaries. I hate these establishment politicians, I wish Ron Paul were president.
I agree we don’t have a lot of good choices as candidate, but, Hillary would be the best. No candidate is going to legalize it especially a republican. Since none will, she is the best we have right now for other issues. Repugnicant’s want to ruin our country by helping financially only those who don’t need help (the ALREADY rich 1% who make MORE than $1,000,000 a year). Which WILL NOT trickle down as their greed is too strong to do such a thing, ALREADY. Greed is the root of ALL evil. We should tax their worthless asses until the poor and middle class is doing WAY better. Let’s face facts, 99% is more important than already rich 1%. Anyone who has done it knows Marijuana is a safe and way better drug/way to live than the two rec. drugs we have now, alcohol and tobacco. I’m not exactly asking you here, I’m telling you pot is natural, made from God(s) plant that is wrong to deny ANYONE of. We are not telling people to legalize LSD, Crystal Meth or PCP as LSD can make you SO high that if you had a negative experience it would be magnified a million times, Crystal Meth could also make you that high and ruin your looks, bank account and everything you own, plus since you use phosphorus or some shit in matches while you cook it, you and your house could go up in smoke and PCP is such a weird high you could start eating your own leg. Pot makes you hungry for Wendy’s, McDonald’s and Burger King. In fact it’s the only known drug that makes you MORE HUNGRY. Which is medically useful as well as 1000 more good uses. Things may sound like they did when you were a baby and you may laugh at something someone who’s not high might not find funny. I’m not joking when I say it would create 10s of millions of jobs AND would make us money instead of stupidly keep on trying to fight it and that ain’t doin’ shit except making people deal with criminals. May God shine light upon those so against something they’ve never even tried to see, wait, what am I doing? 99% could EASILY overtake 1%. Just sayin’. I guess they would rather have them do bath salts and K-2 which is very intense for a few seconds and then fades. We are allowed by law to be evil, join the church of satan because of our great freedom of religion law, be a neo-nazi or in the KKK but we aren’t allowed to smoke a green plant created by God for good purposes, cause why? We might “freak-out”? I’ll tell you, you don’t need any drugs to feel fear or have a bad day or have something awful happen to you. In the name of God, just legalize pot and we can see FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE how bad or good things will likely turn out. I bet people will just be happier and treat others good and heck, we might have less road rage and car accidents. But that’s just from someone who knows it effects. Not like the US government would KNOW SHIT about it. Only God is right all the time. Thank you for your time.
Nice reading of the tea leaves!
Like every other president she won’t take the lead, so I say full speed ahead on getting the special meeting at the UN to remove cannabis from their prohibition schedule altogether. It’s full speed ahead getting cannabis in the US removed from any kind of schedule. Period. The prohibitionists have had their chances for decades to have the research done to move cannabis into a different schedule, and now it’s far too late. The cannabis train has left the station. Pharmaceuticals developed from cannabis can be put in a schedule, but the plant itself can’t be if it’s used recreationally, just like tobacco and alcohol. It’s way too late.
Have you EVER heard one of those double talking phony bastards tell the truth yet.
why even do this report, she won’t win
I certainly hope this plays out as Keith foresees. I’ve held my breath during these past few years, always weary that Obama might drop the hammer. He hasn’t, at least in the case of the four legalizing states. For that I am truly grateful.
Tho some of the GOPer candidates could conceivably “come around,” especially with the polls showing increased support for legalization, I just have this visceral distrust of most of the GOPer candidates on this issue, particularly as they often try to “please their base,” on so many social issues. Some of them have outright opposed legalization; others have made tepid comments of support for MMJ; and some of those latter have made comments about not interfering with the states. But, as I say, I just have this visceral distrust of them–their “base” is far more important to them than are the rest of us.
Stay tuned for further developments.
According to our own US Code, Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 1, Section 2071 she is disqualified from any office because of her decision to willfully conceal her Secretary of State documents on a private server.
(a) Whoever willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or attempts to do so, or, with intent to do so takes and carries away any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing, filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States, or in any public office, or with any judicial or public officer of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
(b) Whoever, having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States. As used in this subsection, the term “office” does not include the office held by any person as a retired officer of the Armed Forces of the United States
The very fact that she has conducted her office work for 4 years on a private server that is not government sanctioned or regulated via backups for archive has me skeptical in the least.
It makes me sick to think that this election might be Clinton Vs Bush again.
Keith, Clinton is a drug warrior. She still believes that crazy “gateway” theory. She and Chris Christie share a lot of the same opinions when the subject is marijuana.
This is what a Clinton Presidency will look like: Pill form medical marijuana. Plant material will still be schedule one. Pills will be schedule two. Mandatory Drug Re-education for any non-medical usage; repeat offenders will still be criminals. Clinton used to be CEO of Walwart. She is anti-labor, she doesn’t see any value in marijuana or in growing it. She really don’t care about people’s rights to the medicine, but rather FDA approved pills.
No way on Gods Green earth!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you want true freedom then a Libertarian like Dr, Ron Paul.
this vial creature will destroy what is left of freedom and America.
It’s amazing how you see her mirror Obama’s “wait and see” policy; but offer NOTHING in advance of the prevailing political winds, and you read that she will reschedule psychoactive hemp buds. She has been involved in corruption from her early days of the Rose Law Firm, where she just gave away money from the Arkansas Land Development fund in exchange for political support for Bill.
She is a tool of the CFR, which is a sister organization of the RIIA, which supports Cecil Rhodes’ goal of bringing the US and the rest of the world under British domination (but in reality, under the domination of elites). There is a YT video in which she praises the opening of a CFR office in DC, in which she says something like ‘Now, we won’t have to go to NY to know what to think or do about foreign policy’. Witness the real power behind the throne.
I have no doubt that she supports the “Dream Act”; supposedly aimed at helping those cute illegal immigrant children who want to stay in the US; with their entire families, naturally. No other country in the world is so short-sighted as to actually subsidize illegal immigrants when they arrive. Try it in Mexico. They will send you to prison without a pang of conscience. This is aimed at driving one of the last nails in the coffin of the majority of whites in the US. I believe that after that, there will be a socialist revolution in the US, and ~15% they believe can’t be re-educated, will be killed. A partition of the US between Britain, Mexico and China was also being bantered about in socialist circles attended by Obama’s old buddy: Larry Nichols I believe. Socialism is, though, just a scam according to Nick Rockefeller, via Aaron Russo – which I would infer is made to give all the power to elite banking families.
Bill Clinton is reported to have been laundering CIA drug money at his Arkansas bank. Do you really think you can honestly hope for change from the top, if at that top, is likely the wife of a man connected with CIA drug dealing?
The old hippie adage went: “Why don’t they just legalize drugs?” “Because they are too profitable!” Implied by that, is that “they” who deal in drugs also enrich the “they” who make the laws that keep them illegal. This is one case in which I believe the popular wisdom was correct. Far too many hippies, sadly, abandoned political activism; and that’s how we get things like a war on Iraq for nonexistent WMD’s, and elite banks like Goldman and Meryll selling real estate securities that they were shorting or buying options on to go down; but neither Obama nor Bush ever allowed ANY prosecutions!
She may be as luke-warm on recreational hemp as Obama, but she is also a traitor and a criminal (did Vince Foster REALLY commit suicide by shooting himself in the head TWICE?!!!). If she allows states to make up their own mind about pot, it may be at the cost of allowing an elite class to publicly humiliate commoners, as seen in the Hunger Games.
Recreational hemp legalization is a movement of, for and by the people. Don’t trust back-stabbing tools of “the man” – which many now believe to be satanic/luciferian bankers who have overrun our government.
BTW: “The New Clinton Chronicles” presents a boatload of evidence of the skullduggery on the part of those Clintons for starters, if you want to find out more.
just look at that crazy picture, we don’t need her in office. unless you want the same that we have had for the last 8 years.
Yikes – Clowns scare me!!!
Especially Republican ones!
Bush VS. Clinton means our new leader has already been chosen for us?…again?
The voting machines are trustworthy… just like the slot machines made by the same company?
Vote like you have a choice?
She is worthless. The overwhelming majority of politicians, at every level of society, are nothing more than sociopathic egocentric money-worshipping scum. Hilary whines incessantly “BUT IT’S MY TURN”! It doesn’t matter who you vote for they all operate from whatever at the moment is politically expedient to further their career and line their pockets. The Great Chief Seattle would vomit to see these wretched people we call “leaders”. Meanwhile, police run rampant over the masses, killing your fellow citizens without remorse or regret. It’s very very disheartening to live in a world run by complete frikkin callous idiots. I’m going to go smoke me a big one!
Medical marijuana law passed the Pennsylvania Senate. The House wants turn it into shit like last time. I hope not. Pennsylvania’s economy is in the shitter, and the prohibitionist don’t have a way of creating jobs. Legalize cannabis. It’s money you didn’t have before. If the prohibitionists had a plan to come up with that kind of money and criminal justice $avings they would have come up with it already. The House just needs to tell its prohibitionists to shut the f# k up and let legalization happen.
$ Kaching!
All below quoted:
Update: Medical marijuana legalization passes Pa. Senate with a 40-7 vote. We will have more updates on PennLive.
CHAPTER 9
PROTECTION, PROHIBITIONS,
ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTIES
Section 901. Civil discrimination protection.
(4) An individual may not smoke medical cannabis or utilize a vaporizer to ingest or inhale medical cannabis.
http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/05/medical_marijuana_heads_to_pa.html#incart_river
NORML has previously concluded that even the Attorney General can deschedule Cannabis – no help from Congress required. Harry Browne had a plausible proposal, also: categorically pardon Cannabis Offenders.
Keith, you’ve often said that this whole thing is really more about ‘freedom’ – yet, these preferred subjects of your political musings are always advancing every war and spy apparatus, while skyrocketing the debt and obfuscating accountability and oversight of the Federal Reserve System.
I know you’ve got our best interests at heart, yet, even the most irresponsible progressives among us can pick a better chance for ‘finally getting it right, in the boomer’s lifetime’
Hillary would be a pointless sellout to all the worst forces at play – and might usher abandonment of the dollar, on the worldfront. ‘Freedom’ to line your birdcage with uncut dollars might be the most you get, with this propeller of the Washington Machine, Hillary!
The Cannabist is reporting $42.7 million in recreational cannabis sold in Colorado in March. That’s 42.7 million that didn’t go to the cartels, that didn’t help fuel violence in Mexico. And Coloradans can get a tax refund cut of the revenues from cannabis above a certain amount in the state coffers. Talk about giving back to the community, even the prohibitionists can get their cut, hard to turn down that money, turn down that tax rebate.
http://www.thecannabist.co/2015/05/11/pot-sales-marijuana-taxes-colorado-march/34703/
“If you want true freedom then a Libertarian… like Ron Paul”
For serious? The guy who is against a woman’s right to choose what’s happening in her own body, who supports establishing Christian law in America, who denies the science about global warming, who thinks we should get rid of the EPA (he says you can just try to sue a HUGE company after you get cancer), who is VERY against the civil rights act, who published a racist newsletter (either being racist, or paying racists to rip off it’s reader… you choose)
Um no thanks. I’ll keep my real freedom rather than that crazy nonsense. I’m all for his positions on drugs and invading other countries, but the rest of his stances are INSANE. His son is actually worse, especially how quickly he waffled on the military. No place in this conversation. Hillary might not defend marijuana in this political climate, but that’s purely politics. The problem with the Paul’s is they actually appear to believe their offensive, racist, religious nonsense.
Wow, the writing really is on the wall, Clinton is more Transparent than ever:
https://youtu.be/40_gqumf9ss?t=13m48s
What did you folks say about there being no Nazis in our government??? I know they don’t belong to the National Socialist Party, but if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck its a fucking Nazis Duck.
Everyone should be careful about what they read on this website. This is as much of a Pro democratic politician party website, as it is a pro legalization website. for example, they did not publish that a Republican from Texas introduce legislation to completely legalize marijuana and that the bill was . Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Jeb Bush all have came out and said that states have the right to legalize marijuana if they want to and that the federal government should not interfere with states that legalized marijuana. That is a hell of a lot more than Hillary Clinton said.
[Editor’s note: Pro Democratic Party? Not. NORML is a non partisan organization. House Bill 2165 in Texas and it’s champion, deeply religious and socially conservative legislative sponsor David Simpson (Longview), have been featured in NORML Legislative Alerts at both the national and state level.
To date, the number of presidential wannabes who claim to support state’s rights regarding determining their own cannabis legalization policies is nine (Paul, Cruz, Bush, Clinton, Sanders, Fiorina, Perry, Pataki, and sorta/kinda Kasich), with six opposing the will of voters and legislatures on cannabis legalization; claim they would enforce federal anti-cannabis laws (Christie, Jindal, Rubio, Huckabee, Walker and Santorum). Two, Carson and Graham strongly oppose legalization, but have not yet articulated public view on state’s rights and cannabis law reform.]
Beware those who post here to push their own political ideology. keep your focus on reform.
@a.realist,
Prepare for a cold catchetada of reality;
Mexico (as well as any latin american country) welcomes entire colonies of American immigrants, with too many of us evading taxes ( Mexican or U.S.) driving up the real estate and prospecting their resources for exploitation.
As a result of this prospecting, “U.S. AID” and the CIA involvement you speak of has toppled LatAm Democracies since before these agencies were created, predating the Spanish-American war and well into the rubber-trade fiasco in Brazil during the American Civil War.
And you wonder why latin immigrants seek refuge in the U.S.? Really?
It’s strikingly ironic that prohibitionists don’t even realize that their argument about the quality and potency of Colorado’s marijuana us outselling the “cartel” dirt weed from Mexico (supported by our own prohibitionist policies) is being APPLAUDED by Americans;
http://tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=37&clip_id=1058
Because the majority of Americans GET that our government is the world’s drug cartel, instead of pinning our greed, land-acquisitioning-racism and exploitations on the child-immigrant students who are nothing less than the refugees of our own failed policies.
Eizenhower warned us after the CIA was created after WWII of the. “Military Industrial Complex,” when Food Inc. used the CIA to topple Guatemala’s freely elected Democracy to weaken their government to exploit and purchase all their land, resulting in a civil war that never ended, exploited again by the DEA and ATF selling weapons to both warring gangs and the government.
(Also see “Fast and Furious” scandal for Mexico).
And you wonder why children have been risking their lives to “immigrate” into the U.S.? They’re called (say it with me…) Drug War Refugees born from a foreign policy of U.S. Corporate exploitation.
As we commemorate the U.S. War with Mexico where Presidente SantAna threw out his own Democracy and lost it all to Sam Houston in the battle of San Jacinto, we need to examine the indigenous peoples of all races that battled for our freedom; Mexican and American people, native and foreign, in Texas that worked together to drive out renegades, dictatorships and bandits that dominated the region between Mexico and the U.S. well beyond the statehood of these lands. There were good Mexicans that warned their white neighbors of pillaging Mexican renegades. There were Jiracilla and Mescalero Apache whose primary interest was in trade, and were themselves terrorized by the warpath of Goyathlay, better known as Geronimo. And there were good European American immigrants that came to Texas to live off the land and escape the exploiting evil forces within the fledgling U.S. and European governments that sought only to conquer, and not to govern. Had you ever considered that if Mexico hadn’t driven out Napoleon in 1864 during the Battle of Puebla (the real reason 5 de Mayo is celebrated; Mexican Independence is in September…) that the state of Texas would be part of France? We need to look beyond the dividing lines of nationality, race, ideology, political affiliation or creed and see what truly joins us together as a people is our recognition that first we are all global citizens of Good over Evil, lest we wish, God willing we end this Military-Drug-Prison-Industrial Complex, to be misled and exploited by the fear, racism and propaganda during the next Drug War.
Correction: Texans would have wooped Napolean’s @$$. I dont know what I was thinking… 🙂
Everyone should be careful about what they read on this website. – John
Everyone on this blog is careful…or they would not be posting their concerns about the politics of changing wrongful and persecutory laws.
Remember that beware simply means be aware.
Rand Paul would not disagree with a State law that invoked the death penalty for marijuana possession…He simply states he is against Federal power over States rights.
Rand Paul opposes a Woman’s right to dominion over her only body…and is a climate change denier/ Onward Christian War Lover.
Julian,
I don’t have any issue with what you are saying. I know a lot of US citizens moved to parts of Mexico, but what does that have to do with US citizens trying to go into Mexico illegally? Those people obtain visas and immigration permission. The “Dream Act”, which our so-called Democrats can’t find enough emotional language to support, is about ILLEGALS.
Sure, many want to immigrate here; but prices in Mexico are fairly similar to those in the US, and Mexicans, save in one state with exploitative labor laws, are not terribly far behind average US citizens in buying essentials of life. The drug wars throughout Central and South America are indeed the result of corrupt US drug laws, in part due to drug running by corrupt US agencies, but in part due to elite US banks who make HUGE profits laundering drug money for cartels.
I don’t see where you’ve refuted anything I said, or that you have indicated anything I’ve been misled about. About 1/3 of those born in Mexico now living now live in the US. That’s not natural, normal, nor healthy for the US. The solution isn’t to force whites with a country whose tradition has been to oppose tyrants and corrupt bankers. The solution is to educate people about the real causes of these problems.
Of course, it may be a bit safer personally, to simply reform drug laws, and take the profit motive out of “organized crime”, no matter who is really running it, or profiting.
Do not vote for this treasonous woman and or her family. Known as a traitor a sell out has committed treason on more than several occasions. She will push drug war propaganda. Family of liars. Sold us out to Chinese and Arab Oil Tycoons, And those private auctions in the middle east full of American enemies as she cat walked taunting bidders with promises of USA secrets for sale….and continues to. Would not be surprised if she has a backdoor deal with the Moscow gangster Putin. Learn from California we made a huge mistake allowing Jerry Brown back in office ….don’t allow the Clinton’s back in DC. ITS TIME FOR LIBERTY VOTE RON PAUL, RAND PAUL, OR GARY JOHNSON….GET REAL CHANGE. REAL FREEDOM BACK TO THE USA.
@ Julian,
I agree with everything you wrote–except your addendum. In 1864, Texas would not have kicked France’s a**. Texas was in the middle of the American Civil War at that time, and like most Confederate states was barely able to supply enough troops for that war by 1864, much less arms and equipment. Texas also had its hands full with the Native American tribes, was in a full-blown war with the Apaches, Comanches, Lipan, etc.
That was in part the reason that Napoleon III chose that time–along with England and . . . can’t recall offhand the other European country now (Germany?)–to invade Mexico. They knew the U.S., be it the North or South, embroiled in our Civil War, would’ve made that European excursion bottom priority.
BTW, the other two European countries bailed out, and France went it alone. The battle of Puebla, which you referenced, convinced the French that the Mexicans would put up a better fight than they thought they would, and decided it wasn’t worth the cost/effort.
The French and British were still stinging from the Emancipation Proclamation recently passed in the U.S., which to put it in over simple terms, meant that they could not, due to their stances against slavery, any longer support the Confederacy economically. The French invasion of Mexico was in part a reaction to that.
@ A Realist,
While you’re giving us this information about Hilary, would you mind supplying us with like info on her GOP opponents? I’m sure you can find some real gems in there. Christie, Walker, Cruz, the possibilities are endless.
I eagerly await your revelations. (I especially want to hear the dirt on Rand Paul. I know there are some real doozies in there.)
@ John,
I had to laugh at your comment about this NORML site being a pro-Democratic site. Apparently you are pretty new to this forum. The NORML editors have been very careful about not taking sides. Keith Stroup in the above article obviously gave his honest take on the situation regarding Hilary and Obama. Obama has a track record–he left Colo, Wash, Alaska and Oregon alone, allowed them to continue with the “recreational experiment”. I’m not sure the two GOP prexies Obama defeated would’ve done the same. President John McCain? I believe all four states would’ve seen federal intervention, and there would be no legal pot in the country today. Mitt Romney? Probably the same.
Keith called it as he saw it, again, as shown by Obama’s track record in non-intervention. Hilary belongs to the same party–the vast majority of her constituents–Democrats–support legalization. The Republicans’ constituents, by majority, support prohibition. So who are the Republican prexy candidates gonna try to please first? You tell me.
For about as long as I can remember, Democrats in general have been far more pro-legalization than Republicans. Do you want NORML to ignore this reality and support Republicans just out of principle?
Take a look at the map on this site, showing the states that have legalized and not legalized, particularly MMJ. Most of the prohibition states are RED states, ie Republican controlled, and most of those that have legalized in some form are BLUE states, ie Democratically-controlled. Those are facts, and no amount of complaining about NORML’s supposed bias will change that.
In my opinion, since I’ve been on this forum, NORML has bent over backwards in their efforts not to take sides. In fact, I’ve often thought they’ve gone overboard in dealing out their “equal criticism” though the records of the two main parties don’t show “equal” attitudes about prohibition.
[Editor’s note: As assiduous NORML tries to be non-partisan, regrettably, truth be told that the organization is by default ‘partisan’ in the percentage of NORMLPAC money that is donated to elected policy makers and candidates that are more often than not identified as Democrats.
Why?
Because they ask.
They now increasingly ask for NORML’s donations to their campaigns, public endorsements and introduction to members/supporters.
Also, in the macro data of surveys, polls and actual election results, there is a genuine gap of support for cannabis legalization among Republican voters to that of Democrats to the tune of 17-24%.
Because in most all states, and certainly in the US Congress, NOTHING passes into law without bipartisan support, cannabis law reformers must from a strategic point of view increasingly focus educational/lobbying efforts at Republican law makers and candidates so as to advance substantive reforms.
Given the purported core values of modern GOPism (free market, less government, states’ rights, pro-constitution, respect authority, social order, pro-corporate, pro-vice tax, etc…), cannabis legalization on the face of it should not be a ‘hard sell’ to a group that organizes around the above principles. But, the data, and PAC money flow, currently show Republicans supporting prohibition at a greater rate than Democrats.
This imbalance needs to change post haste.
It takes two to tango in politics and legalization will be delayed if Republicans can’t be cajoled to come to the dance.]
@a.realist
Wow. I actually smacked my own face in disbelief.
Apparently you missed the part about “tax evasion.” That would make an American taking refuge in Mexico, whether bribing subsidies from the local Mexican government or leaving tax debt behind in the U.S. an “illegal.” I will include plenty of corporations as “people ” in this definition until Citizens United is repealed.
You must have also missed the part where our agents in the DOJ that have been illegally entering the entire South American Continent all the way to Mexico illegally in order to stage civil wars for +150 years to sell weapons and exploit people, resources and property. It’s just history. I’m sure you can google it.
Jeez, just google the part where I quoted the “Fast and Furious” scandal.
Then tell me who has been the “illegal immigrant.”
No matter what color you wish to brand children with, I highly recommend you visit the Drug Policy Alliance website and read some recent history about our child Drug War refugees.
The thing that I find most concerning is the fact that there are so many people who will vote for a presidential candidate based on one issue. Especially something like the legalization of cannabis. Sure it would be great if it were legalized but don’t you people think there are many more important issues in our society that need to be factored into the decision of who you will vote for as our next president.
“(4) An individual may not smoke medical cannabis or utilize a vaporizer to ingest or inhale medical cannabis.”
I’m am so sick and tired of people lying about marijuana and here we have a medical marijuana law/bill with lies inside of it. What the Fuck is Wrong with You People that you can’t write laws about marijuana that make sense are relevant to marijuana, not some other random drugs which are not marijuana????
Better do your research before making statements like “including the anti-pot Republican candidates;” unless of course you meant that one of the announced candidates out of a huge field has declared against legalization. That one is Bush. (Christie is not a declared candidate). The others run the scale between full decriminalization (Paul), to “states rights.” The field is so full, and getting more so, that it’s difficult to keep up, but if you want legalization, you’re best bet right now is a republican!
Keep this in mind when you crucify me – I’m a user, and a conservative.
We have a great opportunity to set the stage for the next presidential administration to treat cannabis users more reasonably, by signing this petition for the current presidential administration to instruct the incoming DEA administrator to interpret the expansively worded federal definition of marijuana in a way that conforms to the Constitution, by using obvious scientific criteria to differentiate between marijuana and cannabis.
http://wh.gov/iBhYU
This year is a great time to take action.
@a.realist;
To spell it out, DEA agents have been saying they were caught on “vacation” for the last 45 years while dressed in kevlar, badge and gun present, found dead on a Mexican or Colombian streets. Being that they were selling weapons to both cartels and local governments alike, what part of “subsidized immigration” does that help you define?
The fact the Hillary is even running at all, with another ‘choice’ of Bush’s brother as ‘competition’
shows just how bad things have really become.
I would Never vote for this old lady…
@Brandon
I’m voting against the broader anti-science rhetoric of the GOP conservatives. I am far more concerned with the among us people who believe their own favorite political ideology somehow trumps science. I still find voting on a single issue distasteful, but not when that issue is science vs ideology.
You give me a compelling reason to vote Republican if you expect to change my mind. HINT: obnoxious FOX new mentality posturing isn’t going to cut it.
@Editor: Great follow up; Interesting politics going on with Democrats asking for public promotion with NORML PAC donations. Gearing up for 2016 elections are we? Too bad we don’t have more Republicans joining the right side of history. I’m at least encouraged by the few that do support their veterans with marijuana legalization. I suppose we can always lobby by politely asking them “Are you a RepubliCAN? or a RepubliCANT?” So far all I can get cooperation on here in Texas is the hemp bill.. but hey, it’s a bi-partisan start!
@ Evening Bud;
Se La Vi; thank you for the historical perspective, I always enjoy your take on things, although I was being a bit facetious; Texas was most certainly in a great deal of trouble in 1864. And the French deserve some respect for helping us win the Revolutionary war, but as I was pointing out in my previous post, there are good and bad members of every society or nation, and Napoleon falls on my definition of the nationalist “bad” side.
Perhaps I should have better said that at the time of 1864, the Lipan Chiricowah could have single handedly kicked Napolean’s @$$ out of Texas, (Excuse my French). I mean, how else does an invading immigrant force defeat a group of warriors that will suck the blood out of their own horse to escape into the desert, hop on another horse in tow, and then come back to fill the Texas Rangers or the U.S. Cavalry full of arrows after running them around in circles? (I mean besides killing off most of the buffalo, of course).
(Makes ya think about whose the immigrant, doesn’t it A. Realist?)
Sam Houston would have had much better luck maintaining the Republic of Texas for that matter, had hemp been introduced to the Houston area about 50 years earlier. Unfortunately, the earliest records I found for hemp trials in Houston were about 1898, the year of the Spanish American war when the United States acquired Puerto Rico, the Philippines and other Spanish territories. Too bad hemp wasn’t being applied for feed for cattle instead of just a tool for an imperialist war. Gotta have that hemp to win the war, I guess. Oh well, there’s still time to fix that mistake. http://www.hemphasis.net/History/harriedhemp.htm
(See http://www.votehemp.com in order to get involved in your local, annual Hemp History Week).
Off that note, the Hemp Research Bill, HB 557, is being voted on in the House today in the Great State of Texas. It’s been endorsed by the Sherriff’s A$$ociation, (But of course without HB507 to at least decriminalize, perhaps the Sheriffs are betting on the fact that they can’t distinguish a bag of hemp seed from a bag of cannabis seed… you know THAT’s gonna end up in court!) But perhaps a Trojan Hemp Horse is just what needs to invade the Texas legislature after all… it’s just dollars chasing dollars isn’t it? Show’m enough green they forget the prohibition bone in their mouth!
Sadly, Democratic Representative Moody’s HB507 to decriminalize and Libertarian RepubliCAN David Simpson’s HB2165 to Legalize marijuana in Texas were both hung out to dry last night, even though Republican Representative Todd Hunter gave his word he would would see it out of Calender committee. (RepubliCANT!)
But nonetheless, we can amend the CBD oil only law, and one other; Simpson is trying to amend a bill to provide veterans with marijuana from a low THC medical only HB892 that PASSED out of the House floor! Yeah, it’s a sucky law, trying to deny THC is medicine, but people have to realize what it means at all in Federal court that a state legislature in Texas just ADMITTED THAT CANNABIS IS MEDICINE!
That’s a terrific achievement. Congratulations to Texas NORML and everyone who worked so hard to get these Bills passed. Good luck on that amendment to remove the cap on THC. There’s still some hope for this Republican-lead legislature to redeem themselves. It took bi-partisan efforts to even get these bills out of committee, so let’s bury the hatchet and keep working together to get pro-cannabis legislation passed into 2016.
Just think; There’s still a chance to get some Hemp growing from Rice University in Houston to the Department of Agriculture in El Paso to see which strains grow best in each climate. As I just told my representative over the phone,
“We could take advantage of the Federal law that allows for hemp research in the Farm Bill, and give Texas a chance to create innovative jobs, and provide feed and fuel before corn fails us during the next drought. If we can all work together to diversify our crops now using hemp we can conserve water, soil, feed and cattle all while creating jobs, saving ranches and farms and generating revenue for all Texans.
I may not be happy with the way a majority of Republicans are handling marijuana legislation, but at least we’re figuring out which ones will cooperate and who keeps their word.
Oh yeah; and Ron Paul wants to abolish the Department of Education. While we’re all for him when he says “Abolish the DEA,” watch out when you yell “Yeah!” …Ask his presidential candidate son, Rand Paul, what he plans to do with millions of American children who can’t afford a private education? Should we chop them up and feed them to the rich now or just let them mill about and create a health crisis?
Of course we COULD use the fairly taxed revenue from legalized marijuana on EDUCATION and balance the budget… aww there I go again, trying to bring reason into legalization…
@Brandon – I am a one issue voter and my reasoning is quite simple and makes sense. The prohibition of marijuana is about as Anti-American/Anti-Democracy as anything I can imagine. An incredible amount of harm has been done to our country and more than a million of our citizens because of idiotic draconian laws against a plant that is quite safe.
Noone will get my vote if they would choose to maintain this utter idiocy! And if, as Hilary says, she needs to wait and see more evidence, I say the time to wait and see is over. Many of the problems in Colorado have disappeared or diminished since they legalized with the exception of their difficulty in crafting their laws and regulations regarding it; i.e. People using marijuana has really not been an issue.
So, I will only vote for the person I believe is most likely to push for legalization – Period. I think we all should. Of course there are other important issues, but this one is not to be taken lightly. This country is supposed to be a bastion of freedom and liberty but marijuana prohibition is a big turd resting right on top of it all.
@Julian
Nice reply ol buddy. In fact, I was wrong in what I replied to you–the battle of Puebla in question occurred in 1862–I knew that, but had a brain fart. Still the “Texicans” would’ve been hard-pressed to stop a French invasion that year too when they were barely able to keep the Yankees outta Texas. The Confederates were beaten in two significant battles (Pea Ridge and Wilson’s Creek) in Missouri and Arkansas fairly early in that war, 1862, I’m pretty sure, and were constantly worried thereafter about Yankee incursions into Texas.
You’re right about the Lipan/Chiricowah, btw–they and those other tribes aforementioned were tough. Look at what Geronimo did for so many years. I know those tribes kept the Texas Rangers very busy throughout the Civil War. In fact, and I could be wrong, wasn’t Austin raided and partially destroyed by a tribe in those years? Maybe I’m thinking of another Texas city/town? (You don’t need to reply to this if you don’t want to, btw, as it has virtually nothing to do with pot legalization.) Hermanos por la causa!
If Hillary is to be swayed to support cannabis legalization in any measure, the best person to do that would be Bernie Sanders, who will be pushing from the liberal side. Funny that he has not mentioned pot legalization as a way to curb our highest prison population.
Warm up the tar I’ll bring the feathers if Clinton comes to town.
I’m no fan of Obama but we have a better chance with a lame duck than a liar.
If you care about the legalization of cannabis you should back Rand Paul as he is the only candidate who is actively trying to to decriminalize weed and make it legal for medical use in all states and leave recreational use up to individual states voting for it. The Carer’s Act. Clinton is anti weed as is Obama and its because it would fix the economy and the democrats are trying to collapse the system in order to create a secular socialist one world government. Weed would boost the economy and foil their plan. I say legalize weed and vote for people who will legalize it.
Americans may vote for whoever they wish to vote for, or not.
” I want to wait and see what the evidence is”.
I spoke to a young lady who just got back from Colorado recently; she said the economy is booming and that thing are going just fine now that marijuana has been legalized.
Do you trust Hillary Clinton? I don’t.
Why hang our hopes on what might be her position. Rand Paul is activly doing something about helping the cause. choose to vote on record, not propaganda!
@Fat Freddy,
I’d love to see Bernie Sanders as Pres. Not sure he can beat Hillary, but he’ll get my vote in the primary anyway.
I haven’t heard much from him about pot, btw; are the reporters not asking that question?
@Evening Bud;
The raid you speak of is found here:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Raid_of_1840
I laughed when you said Texas history is off topic on a marijuana blog; (clearly we enjoy reviewing our history), but as marijuana legalization gets more mainstream and political leading up to 2016 elections I think a history lesson is just what the doctor ordered to help Americans still struggling to understand how racism and prohibition use governments for the acquisition of property. From this perspective, Indian wars, civil wars and wars for independence segue right into a discussion about a drug war.
Another good follow up read is The Boy Captives, (distributed by Allen Smith Jr., 830-597-3212 po box Campwood TX 78833, or contact San Saba Printing at 915-372-3825) about the true story of the capture of John and Jeff Smith by Chief Tosacowadi ‘s band of Comanches accompanied by Lipan Apachies on March 3rd, 1867 near Dripping Springs Texas. The sons of a Texas Ranger, John Smith was captured at age 11 and his younger brother Jeff sold to Geronimo at the age of 8. The story reveals the startling contrasts and similarities between Texan and Comanche cultures in the way we acquisition property and the way we imprison, adopt, employ or liberate our captives of war.
I find it revealing that we remember the Alamo and when all but 21 of 300 Texan prisoners of war were massacred by the Mexican dictator SantAna, but we don’t recall when Texan soldiers slaughtered 31 Comanche Chiefs and their families, women and children, which provoked the Great Raid of 1840. (I don ‘t remember hearing about that in my Texas history class… I only looked it up just now because we were talking about the subject … (Come to think of it, it was in that same 7th grade Texas History class that I only talked about the day we would have phones that could “search information and play TV”).
The Texas Rangers were most deeply offended by the Indian practice of capture, but as much as it hurts my Texas pride, there were those among the Rangers that killed Indian children. The Rangers fought for land and title while the Comanche and Lipan Aoache fought for hunting grounds, survival (and sometimes just for fun). Had the two groups come to understand one another, Texas could have maintained the Republic. Except little did the Rangers know while they searched for Geronimo all over Texas and New Mexico, according to Jeff Smith they were as far as present day Seattle, having pot lucks with the Northwestern nations. It would take miles of barbed wire and a lot of dead buffalo to draw lines in the dirt for the plains Indian, much less reach an understanding on child captives that provoked so much bloodshed and tears. Boarding schools where Children were punished for speaking their native language didn’t help the situation either.
There is a similar racial misunderstanding in the Drug War revealed in this blog when people choose to scapegoat child refugees for our failed drug policies. Today, as we continue to globalize our trade, currency and sovereignty, there are those who still believe that small Latin American nations are responsible for bringing the drug war across our borders, because they fail to understand that is our demand for the drugs and our failed drug (and immigration) policies that have created the violence out of our own Department of Justice. And the Prisoners of the Drug War reach far beyond our prison walls… Our captives are children separated by the Department of Health and Human Services that takes state custody of children whose parents consume marijuana while simultaneously owning the patent for Cannabinoids, #6630507.
It makes me wonder how may prisoners of the drug war we have when we add the racial inequality, police brutality, the corrupt Drug Enforcement Agency, the ATF’s exclusive right to track or reveal the sale of U.S. weapons, and the proliferation of prohibition and the Drug War worldwide? Just how many children have been made casualties? And how often do politicians get away with blaming race and “Border security” to cover up the human cost of prohibition?
If history reveals anything, its that we need continuing public education for students, parents and Congressman, funded by fairly taxed and legalized cannabis, so that prohibition not only ends, but is never allowed to happen again.
I’m already warming up the feathers for the impending visits of Bush, Walker, Cruz, Christie, Mickey Mouse and all the other GOP prexy wannabes. It should make for very fun lynchings. In fact, that seems to be right up Rand Paul’s alley.
Bernie Sanders supports marijuana reform and the end to the War on Drugs, and he is a way better candidate than Hilary or Rand Paul.
Endorse Bernie Sanders!
Clinton as president would bring about a more dander us world than we have now under Obama. I do not believe she would do anything but hurt the the attempts to legalize pot because they all know in Washington that the pot industry would be good for our country. The Democrats are destroying our country for a reason people. Wake up! The Republicans are doing the same in order to remain in control of the revenue that is generated by the so called drug war.
Think and research before you vote. The media just puts out the left agenda
@Julian,
Thanks for the informative reply. I’d remembered reading about a raid, read it in a book years ago, but couldn’t remember the details.
And you’re certainly right about the similarities to the racism (and genocide) back then and the racist policies in the “drug war” of today.
Our knowledge of history in this country, alas, is usually pathetic. I’m always saddened to hear someone say they find history boring–that tells me they probably had little real exposure to history, or at least little interesting exposure to history, as well as poor history teachers–those who were too content to teach it “by the book.”
I was fortunate on that score.
@Jerry H,
I found your comment about the “liberal media” interesting.
I myself find the media to be highly conservative, nauseatingly conservative, and can barely watch it anymore. I can give you plenty of examples of their conservative bent, but will just use one example (unless you want more, lol): their shameless cheerleading of Bush’s Iraq War in 2003. You surely remember that, with the nightly images, on all three networks, CBS, NBC & ABC, of the terrorists going thru their training exercises, the prisoners at Guantanamo being frog-marched to their cells, and Tom Ridge’s nightly colored-coded “terrorist alerts.” Interesting that those color-coded warnings, and those nightly images of the terrorists training–all disappeared virtually the day Bush left office. Gee, that sounds like a media that was working hand-in-hand with the Bush Adm. to “justify” starting that war.
As for the supposed liberality of the NYT and Wash Post, that’s a huge laugh too–Judith Miller, NYT foreign correspondent, was the lead cheerleader for the Iraq War; and WP’s editors were chomping at the bit for that phony war. Go back and look at some of their headlines, at the hysterical tone in their headlines. (And surprise of surprises, half the American public was sure Saddam attacked us on 9/11 and even more were sure he was on the verge of nuking the entire planet–gee, I wonder how such a large percentage of the American public could be so wrong?)
Funny that the NYT and WaPo, those two iconic bastions of liberality, wouldn’t have pestered Cheney endlessly about his closed-door energy meetings with Haliburton and the other energy companies just prior to our invasion. (You know, kind of like the way they did, for 7 years, with the Clinton adm over the Whitewater “scandal” or Obama and Bengazigate.) What oh what could Cheney and his energy company pals have been talking about prior to the invasion? Divvying up Iraq’s oil perhaps? We’ll never know because of the complete lack of curiosity of our “liberal” media.
In fact, had we had a real liberal media the Iraq War would’ve never happened–Bush’s redirection from the terrorists who actually hit us on 9/11 to Saddam Hussein, who NEVER attacked us, would’ve been exposed and repeated until there was no support for the Iraq War. Cheney’s assertion that we “knew” were the WMD were–“Outside Tikrit”–would’ve been exposed for its falsehood. The “aluminum tube” crap would’ve never gotten off the ground. Joe Wilson’s exposure of the Bush adm’s lies about the yellow-cake uranium would have been front and center (and the neocons would probably have been less brazen about exposing Wilson’s wife as a CIA agent.)
Moreover, we would not have been subjected to the nightly interviews, on all three networks, of the neocons in Bush’s adm who were pushing for war in Iraq–Wolfowitz, Perle, Rice, Cheney (ad nauseum) etc etc. No comment was too insignificant, no allegation too outrageous, for the networks to eagerly give them the mike.
A real liberal media wouldn’t have distracted us peons with Bush’s $300 rebate, while giving almost no air time or ink to Bush’s huge tax cuts for the billionaires, tax cuts that, along with the two-trillion dollar price tag for the Iraq war, sucked all the money out of our system and nearly sent us into a second Great Depression. (I’m sure you remember, when Bush left office, our economy was hemorrhaging 800,000 jobs, repeat 800,000 jobs, a MONTH! Yep, the “liberal” media has really played that up!)
Because our media is a corporate entity it doesn’t see disseminating the news as its primary job, but instead protecting its corporate interests. Your comment about its being “liberal” is testimony to the effectively-subtle job it does of covering its ass.
If you like, I’ll give you more examples of the conservatism in our media, you know, like its coverage of marijuana legalization and prohibition. (And you thought it was only Fox News.)
Hey Democratic Party, forget it, you aren’t cool enough, that is you aren’t good enough spiritually, to ride this wave. Hillary Clinton won’t try very hard to stop marijuana legalization, and one day she will say that she “had been given intelligence on marijuana by the drug war community which turned out in retrospect to have not been entirely reliable.”
Amid threats from bike gangs around Texas that prompted heightened security in parts of Waco Monday, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission closed Twin Peaks for liquor sales for a week.
“That’s a good thing for law enforcement here,” Swanton said. – AP article
Res ipsa loquitur…!
OH, get real. Your comments are counterproductive and limited in perspective. I suggest you focus less on what divides us and more on what we all agree on to compel and educate the hypocrisy of our drug policy, such as the 17 U.S. Soldiers who commit suicide per day for symptoms of PTSD gained in wars both Clinton and Bush voted for that are perfectly treatable from consuming cannabis. Let’s get the candidates to answer real questions, instead of fabricating fruitless political dogma.
@Eric K. Johnson,
The irony of violence in the peaceful little town of Waco, (despite what stigmatized memories we retain of FBI tanks surrounding Branch Davidians that are conjured up) appears to have no limit.
My take on the Bandidos is that money is drying up from the demand for Mexican cartel marijuana, which means there is increased tension among biker gangs to fight over less trafficking, (No, I’m afraid I’m not convinced the Bandidos and the Cossacks were simply arguing about parking disputes in the bathroom…)
Decreased narco-income shifting to a fast-growing billion dollar legal marijuana supply within the United States means less organized-crime bribe money for custom agents, law enforcement, Judges and Congressman. As a result, what would have been hush money in the press, the assassins and law enforcement alike has escalated into a public crackdown from law enforcement, whose informants, those within the biker gangs, are the ones who make the calls.
With the additional attention to the Sheriff’s Association for stalling out our marijuana legalization bills from Calendar Committee here in Texas on OUR tax dollar,(by lobbying Todd Hunter, the Republican chair of said committee) there will be an additional attempt among paid informants and organized crime within law enforcement and the DOJ to look for scapegoats, hence, the Bandidos go to prison.
Twin Peaks getting their liquor license revoked was just the little cherry of irony on top of the hypocrisy cake.
(No, I’m afraid I’m not convinced the Bandidos and the Cossacks were simply arguing about parking disputes in the bathroom…) – Julian
It was about money…and lack of legal safe access.
Here’s what a lot of people seem to be missing on this: Hillary’s statements about waiting for the evidence to come in yadda yadda are all well and good when it comes to whether or not an individual should choose to consume cannabis. That’s not the issue here though; the issue is whether or not to use government violence and the threat of violence in response to the consumption, production, or distribution of cannabis.
Her lukewarm response says all that needs to be said here, though her anti-cannabis record is the icing on the cake.
On this issue, Rand Paul is by a long shot the best candidate so far, followed by Bernie Sanders.
If the presidential election was to be held today, May 21, 2015, Bernie Sanders would get my vote! The other candidates are not even close.
It would be really nice if Hilary would step aside and help to get Mr. Sanders elected. God knows we don’t need or want another Clinton or (God Forbid) another Bush in office. Jeb should crawl back into his nasty smelly little hole!
Hillary sucks. That is all.
You do realize that the Executive Branch, without the advice and consent of congress, like you said, can not legalize recreational marijuana. The Executive, however, by executive order, it is possible to reclassify marijuana and its metabolites from a schedule I drug to any other schedule class which the executive may deem necessary. Its been done before, so there is a precedence for it, although I can’t recall specifics. I’m not sure if they can totally remove it from the list of controlled substances, but it can be changed in that way.
We need more studies, where have I heard that before. Under Nixon, under Reagan, under Bill Clinton. Were going to do a study to decide the issue once and for all, this one will go to the bank. Each time the recommendation was to roll back prohibition and the administration’s response was. “We need more studies” Under Clinton that is exactly what will happen again.
Rand Paul, like any Republican is going to have to fire up the Tea Party to win. Tea Party = Old White voters, the only demographic still strongly opposed to any and all MJ reform, Don’t hold your hit.
Any other Republican and it’s Party like it’s 1984.
Obama made a few overtures ( I’m not going to lead the charge, but I’m not going to stand in the doorway either, in other words, if Congress sends me a bill on MJ reform that I didn’t ask for, I’ll probably sign it.) He was rewarded with overwhelming Republican victories in 2010 and 2014 What’s that demographic breakdown again. Broad support for legalization across all groups except Old White people and Republicans… Proving once again the Democrat stoners don’t vote and Republican stoners ( yes I know quite a few) vote for Republicans.
@ Julian
Yes. People need to be taught that marijuana is a multi-faceted medicinal herb which not only can help soldiers and ex-soldiers who have PTSD but can also unclog the judicial system while also getting rid of epilepsy.
The problem lies in the inherent federal corruption that shows in any industry, be it tobacco, big pharma, oil, war, etc. These crooks will bend the rules in order to make as much money as possible off of any booming industry and make a big show out of it because at the end of the day, more money is in their bank account when they fall asleep at night. And this is NOT I repeat, NOT in the Constitution, nor is it involved with the ideas of democracy, republic, or intelligentsia. That philosophy is derived from the essence of modern-day “federal republic” that is capitalism.
I am not blaming the ever-successful concept of capitalism for the state of this union where around seventy percent of Americans live under the poverty line and I can’t legally smoke a joint in my backyard, I blame the sick opportunists and lobbyists that make up Washington DC.
And if you got this far, you should also know that there are possible ways to fix our issue (why you’re on this page). Start a fund, do some field research with a legitimate scientist
Time doesn’t run backwards, at least in the macro world – G.G.
The recent study of Quantum physics reveals the potential for particles to simultaneously exist in two places at once, regardless of “distance/time”.
I want to move forward to that other place/time…where sanity may prevail?
Of all the positions in the multi-verse, We got stuck in this anti-sanity bizarro dimension?…better luck/Karma next time?…or not.
I am not blaming the ever-successful concept of capitalism for the state of this union where around seventy percent of Americans live under the poverty line – AJello
Why not?…Capitalism is a rapacious, inherently unjust scheme employed to create wealth for a Ruling Rich Class… “created”(Robbed!) by systematically stealing the fruit harvested by the laborious work performed by their duped/ increasingly dis-satisfied Underclass.
The threat of another Clinton Presidency is sickening! Vote for Bernie Sanders or maybe Rand Paul. Paul is a bit of a flake, but a lot better than any of the other GOP’ers running. Hillary has to “discover America”. I mean it is good a candidate is actually talking with Americans, why was she even interested in running when she doesn’t really know what is going on??? She ran in 2008 and ran as George W. Bush Lite, now she wants to run as The Continuation of the Obama Presidency that she didn’t like too much. Umm, what the heck is she even doing? Like she forgot about America for eight years, apparently, and now she has to find out what’s going on. Doesn’t she live here? The shittiest ticket I can dream up is Romney-Clinton 2016. I know they aren’t in the same party, but the only thing they have a difference in is that Hillary makes taking care of the environment part of the deal. That is her only good characteristic. She knows the environment is important. Now, can she tell a good plan from a bad one??? Not so much.
Eric, “Why not?…Capitalism is a rapacious, inherently unjust scheme employed to create wealth for a Ruling Rich Class… “created”(Robbed!) by systematically stealing the fruit harvested by the laborious work performed by their duped/ increasingly dis-satisfied Underclass.”
That isn’t the result of Capitalism, that is the result of Capitalism Concepts being Abused to Further the Narcissistic Agenda. See the huge, massive part really, Marx missed out on is the newer theories of Personality Disorders. Narcissists, we are often told, are people to look up to. How ever, they will always seek to belittle or subjugate others even subconsciously. It is these exact shitheads that cannot handle the responsible of living in a Capitalist Society. Freedom isn’t for them, really they need a cage. And we need to stop voting for them. People that get their power by talking shit about marijuana users and then abuse them are performing exactly as narcissists with an antisocial component. Judges that claim you’ve done something terrible that needs their work to fix when all you did was own marijuana are behaving like lunatic because this behavior (they have been taught) is how they maintain authority.
Really assholes? How about you pigs and pigs judges that hallucinate “dangers of marijuana” in order to “justify being able to harm their fellows”. Narcissists are like children, but more stupid. They hate to learn and so it is very hard to explain to these assholes that breaking the law to enforce bullshit drugs laws is illegal, but they really don’t get it. Their minds are not quite right. Authority is more important to all Narcissists than is get the guy that did the crime. This is exactly why we have so many innocent people on Death Row. Getting the right person isn’t as important as pretending you know what you’re doing.
Our systems promote all kinds of Narcissists to positions of authority, when really we need to stop these unlearnables from ever reaching a position over anyone. You can’t trust these kinds of people with taking out the trash, but we think they can make policy that doesn’t suck donkey balls? Why?
Narcissists never stop lying, right Billary Clinton?
Really assholes? How about you pigs and pigs judges that hallucinate “dangers of marijuana” in order to “justify being able to harm their fellows” go drown in a lake??? That is exactly what Jesus did with a bunch of crazy pigs, he drown them.
Eric, BTW, the Multi-verse model is less science and more science fiction. There are no higher dimensions made of probability, it is just a thought experiment. And time is not a “dimension”, but it can be mathematically isolated like a separate dimension. Time is a component of the three dimensions, i.e. the dimensions don’t work/exist without time.
This is the only version of reality that exists. Right now, for the time being
🙂
If you hate capitalism so much, why not move to a communist country? I recommend Cuba.
http://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-cannabis-in-cuba-n159
Hehehe… Detriment. Better be sober for the upcoming revolution, comrade.
#reefergate
Yeah dude capitalism is like, totally terrible. That is why I, like moved to Cuba and shit. Marijuana is like, totally legal there dude. Don’t listen to stories about how the regime considers it a “detriment”, similar to prostitution. Like the Castro regime like, welcomed me with open arms back then, man. Fidel himself like, sat down with me and we got blazin’ together talking ’bout the revolution and shit and like how he and his buddy Che freed the homos from the Batista labor camps.
#reefergate
@Anonymous
You need new bait, Dude…yours is too weak to be attractive…Dude.
Vote like you have a choice?
Up your game if you want to play?
@ Anonymous,
It seems to be an “either or” thing with you. Either accept capitalism or go live in a communist country if you don’t like it. That rings a bell from the 1960s, “America, love it or leave it.” Or, to put it another way, if you don’t like the way things are, don’t try to change it, just get the hell out!
Is your enmity just reserved for communist countries, or do you feel the same way about “socialist” countries, like western European countries? For decades, one of the few places on Earth you could go to and buy MJ without getting busted was a socialist country, the Netherlands.
Last I heard the only country in the world today (country, not individual states) that has legal MJ is a country run by a socialist president: Uruguay.
Back to the commies: You give an example of a communist country that doesn’t want to legalize pot–I’ve got news for you, there are plenty of capitalist countries that don’t want legalization.
I personally wouldn’t want to live in a communist country, but I don’t relish living in a capitalist country either. For every fault you can find with the communists, I’m sure I can match one with capitalists.
For one, we here in the good ol’ USA, the center of capitalism today, have more people incarcerated than any other country on earth.
And we have a bigger military budget than the next, what, 12, 13, countries combined. Why would a capitalist country, whose main goal is to generate lots of money, need such a gigantic military? (More than Russia, China, North Korea and the next 9 or 10 countries combined.) And why would it so feverishly try to arm its police forces with military weapons? Could it be the capitalists are afraid of the little people?
I’ve love to hear your reply, comrade capitalist (or is comrade boot-licker more apropos?).
@ Dave Evans,
You’re certainly right about narcissists; I would add that they come in all political stripes.
@Dave Evans
I agree that Capitalism is vulnerable to exploitation by “packs” of narcissistic individuals…and their cohorts/dupes.
I would suggest that any System is only as competent and fair as the individuals put in charge of that System.
I totally agree narcissists (and their minions) have covertly and overtly corrupted the intended function of our system.
Could it be the capitalists are afraid of the little people? –
I can’t count the times I’ve heard the statement, “They don’t care anything about us”.
I usually counter that misconception by asking the question, ” Why do you suppose they pay so much attention to what we are or are not saying”…?
“They” have a finger on the Public’s “pulse” at all times…in order to prevent a spark from spreading ?…into a wildfire?
That rings a bell from the 1960s, “America, love it or leave it.” – Evening Bud
Wow, that certainly brings back a flood of memories!
I was one of those long haired hippies who decided to stay and try to change America for the betterment of all Citizens of our Country.
The doors of perception were opened for a moment and subsequently slammed shut by the people who recognized increased awareness/ consciousness was a threat to their Capitalist Consumer Scheme for “Consumers” who did not know they were in need of products they didn’t even know they were missing!
Time is a component of the three dimensions, i.e. the dimensions don’t work/exist without time – Dave Evans
Time does not move…what we think of as the “passage of “Time” is actually the perception of an “event”.
We are simply witnessing processes.
Every thing arises and passes away…does not need time in the equation.
Time is a Human construct employed to navigate and predict “places/positions” in the event process.
East is East…and West is West…somewhere in the middle is probably best?
OM MANI PADME HUM…is a doorway to a mystery that can not be accurately described using language…but can be alluded to or understood by words used only as conceptual signposts.
@ Erik K Johnson,
America back at that time, the 1960s, was an even more intolerant place than it is today. Many conservatives had a visceral hatred of hippies and longhairs back then. I’m not sure some of the younger people today realize the level of hatred that existed then, sometimes from parents toward their own kids.
That’s part of the lingering prejudice against marijuana by some members of that generation, a prejudice that obviously continues to this day.
Time of course is the great equalizer.
“Time is a Human construct employed to navigate and predict “places/positions” in the event process.” Uhhhhhh……… That’s only half of Special Relativity. You are heading in the right direction, but Time is very real. It is the Higher dimension folks (M and String Theory) who seem to think of time as just a dimension and refer to it like you do. It is real, but you cannot separate it from the other three dimensions–hence the concept of Space-Time. Time continues flowing whether there is anyone there to watch it happen or not. Time doesn’t not exist for Photons, if you tried explaining what time is to a photon, it would tell you it is just an illusion based on your position; but how can one get to a different position without time???
Edit “Time does not exist for Photons” and they also don’t exist in three dimensions. A photon is a point and a wave, so it only has two dimensions plus some momentum. From a photon’s point of view, it is created and absorbed in the same instant even if it traveled for Trillions of miles over Hundreds of light years. So basically, you’d only be able to convince me time isn’t real if I was a photon. But since I exist in three dimensions, time is very real for me. And you too.
She is bought and paid for, just like Bush, just Like McCain, just like Obama.
The Two Parties are the same thing….to keep doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result is madness.
Hilary will protect the Status Quo, just like any other Republican or Democrat.
Voting for her is as stupid as voting for Jeb Bush…
But since I exist in three dimensions, time is very real for me. And you too. – Dave Evans
No one knows the mystery of particle or wave or “wavicle’ function.
There is no specific “now” anywhere.
How could humans with only five (potentially rudimentary?) senses (compared with other inhabitants of the possible “multiverse”) detect parallel dimensions?
I am one of those M (multi-verse/multi-dimension) and String Theory guys.
No one knows how many strings 7…?…11?
Every Physicist I have ever communicated with disagrees with every other Physicist I have ever communicated with…leading me to believe Humans are good at believing their own theories…just like both you and I do.
I suggest we agree to disagree until further information becomes available through current experiments being conducted @Hadron particle accelerator/collider @CERN.
I maintain time is a human created device.
Events don’t take time to occur.
Time will surely tell.
@Dave Evans
Interesting?
“How could humans with only five (potentially rudimentary?) senses (compared with other inhabitants of the possible “multiverse”) detect parallel dimensions?”
Because that isn’t science, but Science Fiction. Ever hear of these thing called “conservation of energy and mass”? It is impossible for “new universes” to split off from existing universes just because possibility exists. We do see this this kind of activity at the quantum level because of this conservation of mass and energy, but to turn around and say, “Yeah sure there is enough energy to randomly copy the entire universe every hundredth of a second because ‘possibility” is just not making any sense. Possibility isn’t mass nor energy. If M-theory is real, that model is total crap.
It is the exact positions of very tiny particles that can not be realized at specific times, it isn’t the entire universe/multiverse that is working under the same exact rules that a quark does. The smaller you look at a subatomic level, the closer you get to mass and energy interchangeable and where/how new elements are built. But what is fueling the Univeral Xerox Machine M-theorists have convinced themselves of? It would be as if the Big Bang never stopped, just fountains out dozens of Universes a second but fully formed and current.
It is rather like the same kind of logic that Evil Conservatives use when they try to explain that “Trickle Down Economics Work”. But in this reality (the one we all share), it only “works” in their heads.
@Dave Evans
Have it your way.
I’m positive greater minds than mine are currently pondering these scientific questions.
I’m simply relying on my G.E.D. diploma.
You are a Physicist?
@Dave Evans
What is dark matter/energy?
How much exists and where?
Describe dark matter?
I’m interested in your explanation!
@Dave Evans
I promise physics is unrelated to “evil conservatives”!
Character assassination by false comparison is beneath you, Dave?
It is not character assassination, it is recognizing a re-occurring pattern of odd thinking. It is one of the reasons sci-fi always uses the “wormhole” as a plot device, they can’t come up with any good ideas. Now wormholes are indeed real, but nothing remotely as large as an atom could ever fit through one. It is like saying a lion can take a ride on an electron, if only we were smart enough to figure how to make it happen. My response to this kind of logic is and always will be: Duh. This literally is part of the same kind of thinking that people fighting a War Against Terrorism employ when they try to justify using Terrorist Weaponry to win said War Against Terror. Sorry, rainbows do not come out of Unicorn’s Buttholes (nor from locking up innocent marijuana users), it is just not how things work.
Dark matter is matter that doesn’t have the correct characteristics to interact with the kinds of matter the planets and chemicals are made from. Since we are made from these kinds of interactive matter, it is the most familiar kinds of matter to us. Water, air, food none of it is made of “dark matter” particles. The only way for us to “see them” is why watching for their gravitational effects on regular matter. In this way we know where there is more dark matter and where there is less. And dark matter tends to cluster where there is normal matter because the apparently only interact via gravity. Yet since the dark matter is non interactive it can’t coalesce into anything, it is like sub-atomic and atomic size dust but far less interactive.
Our Universe appears to take into account all the possibilities within itself. This is very likely why subatomic have such “jittery” properties. And Time is how they express these possibilities. The exact positions are always in flux.
But as they change, time keeps moving forward. Electrons have to move inside your head in order for you to have a thought. The electrons did change position and time did flow.
To explain it another way: Time is literally the physical expression of the idea held within the String Theory and/or M-Theory. Time contains within it all the possibilities. If there was no time, nothing could move and the subatomic particles would not change position.
This is why time slows in strong gravitational zones, the fewer possibilities available to you and the particles your made of, the less time you have available to you.
Also, these “higher dimensions of possibility” do not appear likely to be habitable by life forms. Take the famous thought experiment about what we’d look like a two dimensional being. It is a good idea for us to explore how things work, but to then extend this idea one in which beings made of “probabilities” could look down on us from dimension x like we do the non-existent two dimensioners is a false equivalent. We know life cannot exist in just two dimensions so that scenario is not something we should built our real life expectations off from.
We know life cannot exist in just two dimensions so that scenario is not something we should built our real life expectations off from – Dave Evans
Have it your way…but please cite proof?
I think humans know more than they actually can prove.
Seems like you have it all figured out.
There is no time or motion.
It just seems so as interpreted by our rudimentary central nervous system.
It is an illusion tricking your mindset.
This literally is part of the same kind of thinking that people fighting a War Against Terrorism employ when they try to justify using Terrorist Weaponry to win said War Against Terror. – Dace Evans
Once again , Dave, I promise Physics has no connection to terrorists or the war on terror.
We are all wrong sometimes.
“Have it your way…but please cite proof?”
It is cited in the very thought experiment. Flatlanders cannot preform any chemical reactions nor can they interact with light. That sort of narrows things down a bit.
“Seems like you have it all figured out.”
Not really, but Nearly all M-theory models make no sense and it isn’t because I haven’t taken enough acid. They don’t make sense even from a quantum mechanical point-of-view. All the thought experiments that use Mobius Strip are not even applicable to studying how to visualize how higher dimensions might work because they are all just interesting 3-D shapes. It is much more applicable to studying how proteins work.
The way you “scientifically” link the kinds of extra dimensions to aliens with Tesseract Technology who can use Black Holes like we do Coal Plants is via Science Fiction. We do not hear about any of this stuff from scientists, but Hollywood Authors and Sci-Fi Novelists that use the scientists theories to built stories off from.
It has nothing to due with me being “right” about it. Try talking with or listening to some people that know about this stuff. If you’re interesting in science, then learn about science, not through Sci-Fi filter. How the hell did you ever get the idea time isn’t real when these theories work with concept of time continuously? It is like you never heard of Space-time or something.
Check it out, most folks visualize a black as having a singularity which is a single deep inside of it at the center. However, this model doesn’t add up. Once an object crosses the event horizon it is traveling at the speed of light and time should no longer exist. The object can not move forward, it can not move backward, in fact the three dimensions and time no longer exist because once something goes across the event horizon it has become part of the singularity. Because things are relative, the more mass a singularity has, the larger it will appear to us; yet it is all still just one single point.
Pretty much, the only thing accurate about the plot of Interstellar is the Time Dilation. That is where the science end and fiction starts. Everything else like him falling into a black hole and then into a Tesseract made from his child’s bedroom, and being able to communicate across space-time seemingly via gravity waves from inside what should be a one dimensional “location” is Sci-Fi.
Also, “objects” don’t even make into a black hole. Even if it is supermassive, the dilation will shred everything that comes close and when something falls into a blackhole it heats up by millions of degrees and turns into plasma! As the plasma falls in it emits x-rays making the area near a black hole fatal long time before you’re even close enough to get ripped apart. Doesn’t quite sound like a trip on the train does it???