Open Thread

bullet image Excellent and powerful OpEd by Arthur Rizer and Joseph Harman in The Atlantic: How the War on Terror Has Militarized the Police

The most serious consequence of the rapid militarization of American police forces, however, is the subtle evolution in the mentality of the “men in blue” from “peace officer” to soldier. This development is absolutely critical and represents a fundamental change in the nature of law enforcement. The primary mission of a police officer traditionally has been to “keep the peace.” Those whom an officer suspects to have committed a crime are treated as just that – suspects. Police officers are expected, under the rule of law, to protect the civil liberties of all citizens, even the “bad guys.” For domestic law enforcement, a suspect in custody remains innocent until proven guilty. Moreover, police officers operate among a largely friendly population and have traditionally been trained to solve problems using a complex legal system; the deployment of lethal violence is an absolute last resort.

Soldiers, by contrast, are trained to identify people they encounter as belonging to one of two groups — the enemy and the non-enemy — and they often reach this decision while surrounded by a population that considers the soldier an occupying force. Once this identification is made, a soldier’s mission is stark and simple: kill the enemy, “try” not to kill the non-enemy. Indeed, the Soldier’s Creed declares, “I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.” This is a far cry from the peace officer’s creed that expects its adherents “to protect and serve.”


bullet image Study: Whites More Likely to Abuse Drugs Than Blacks

Black youth are arrested for drug crimes at a rate ten times higher than that of whites. But new research shows that young African Americans are actually less likely to use drugs and less likely to develop substance use disorders, compared to whites, Native Americans, Hispanics and people of mixed race.


bullet image Obama unwise to ignore marijuana petition

Nicely done OpEd by Junior Ian Huyett at Kansas State.


bullet image Nice to see the DOJ take a little heat in Congress. Thanks to Rep. Steve Cohen.

The Justice Department again came under fire for its enforcement of marijuana laws Wednesday, as a Democratic House member pressed Laurie A. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, on the level of DOJ grant funds that are used to enforce those statutes.

“Marijuana is not the problem,” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), said at a House Judiciary subcommittee on crime, terrorism and homeland security oversight hearing. “It’s turning a whole generation of young people against the system and that’s something we can’t afford.”

Robinson said her office would look into how many Byrne law enforcement grants are used to reimburse local law enforcement agencies for enforcement of cannabis possession laws.

Cohen pressed Robinson to justify the federal government’s role in encouraging the enforcement of laws that the congressman said disproportionately affects people of color and tarnishes the records of young people for their entire lives.


bullet image Congressman’s Daughter Seeks Injunction Against Federal Crackdown on Medical Marijuana

Daughter has cancer and finds marijuana to be the best relief for chemo nausea. Her Congressman father says he supports his daughter, but opposes her ability to get her medicine legally. I find that incomprehensible.

[Thanks, Tom]
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62 Responses to Open Thread

  1. Servetus says:

    Jimmy Kimmel Live: ‘Only revelation: Herman Cain has never smoked pot.’

    http://www.talkleft.com/story/2011/11/8/14743/2530

    Anyone lacking the honorable American tradition of Presidents who have smoked marijuana has no business running for the highest office in this land of the allegedly free and home of the brave.

    To think that Cain is a also a pizza mogul, a man who profited from herbs of all kinds, especially marijuana munchies, is just too hypocritical to stomach.

    • darkcycle says:

      C’mon, he’s just reviving the “honorable American tradition” of lying about it.

    • Windy says:

      Speaking of the presidential race, tonite was a debate of the GOP candidates on CNBC. Hubby doesn’t vote, hates politics but due to the controversy over Ron Paul (thanks to my venting) decided to watch it to see how he was treated by the media and how he spoke and whether his answers were good answers. He now knows the truth — the media ignores him as much as possible (only Santorum got fewer questions), even tho they have frequently gone to him for expertise about economic matters on their news shows they only asked him about student loans after alsking all the others a couple questions about how to save the economy (hubby said their answers were “stupid”). The two answers hubby got to see (we tuned in late) hubby was pleased with them. He decided Ron Paul WOULD be our best choice for president.

      Thing is, CNBC put up a poll online asking viewers to vote on who won the debate, but . . .:
      http://www.cnbc.com/id/45233756/

      “We had a poll up from our Republican Presidential Debate asking readers who they thought won…”

      Ron Paul won with 90%, so they pulled the poll. There are (currently) 8 pages of comments, every one of them, so far, is pro-Ron Paul.

      There is glitch on the comments pages, they are posted double, at the top of each page the comments are new and then halfway down the page they repeat, on each page. And the “register” (to post a comment) link links back to the page you are on. Guess they don’t want any more comments, either. perhaps should go read them all before they disappear like the poll.

    • Duncan20903 says:

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      But did he ever meet Alice B. Toklas? We’ve recently discovered that’s why Mr. Clinton never inhaled.

      http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OOxYZI5jLfA/Ru-dJvj3mCI/AAAAAAAAAIg/pvO-lcp6zVQ/s1600-h/I_love_you_Alice_Toklas_LP8010.jpg

  2. claygooding says:

    A lot of us took the bait when Obama was elected,actually thinking he would at least start to end the prohibition of marijuana.

    And probably a lot of us signed up for newsletters from Obama,,hoping we would get a letter addressing the issue.

    Now is the time for all of us to cancel those subscriptions,,if he loses enough supporters at one time from his web page,,he will notice,,he still counts us as supporters if we are accepting his newsletters,,,let’s show him we ain’t.

  3. darkcycle says:

    On that last one…OMFG. Unbelieveable….now THERE’S a level of cruelty I am just unable to get my head around. His office: “In a statement released by the congressman’s office Monday, Brian Bilbray said, “Karen and I raised our children to be strong individuals who think for themselves. I respect my daughter’s right to fight for what she believes in based on her personal experiences. We may not agree with our children on every issue, but Karen and I are very proud parents.”
    So, he supports her right to”fight for what she believes in”, but he’ll gladly throw his daughter in jail for using a medicine that is helping her cope with stage four cancer, which she will likely die from???
    That doesn’t register as a human response….more like an insect. Guy ought to be thrown out of office for cruelty.

  4. Servetus says:

    A Canadian company is all set to sell a new electric vehicle comprising a hemp body shell. Low weight and economically produced hemp fiber reduces the cost and the car’s weight to 2,500 lbs (Ford Fusion = 3720 lbs) to create a road-ready electric and super-green vehicle called the Kestral. Looks like a Fiat. Available in 2012. Cost will be about $25,000:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIT6sOnAje8&feature=related

    http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2011-02/introducing-first-road-ready-hemp-mobile

    French home builder has a huge market for homes built with hemp shard bricks that are stronger than regular concrete:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRtDh6YUt-0&feature=related

    • Duncan20903 says:

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      I’m ready for a new car in the near future. 100 miles? Where would I plug it in?

      It seems that Motive Industries, Inc isn’t publicly traded. But I see editors and news writers in Canada are just as addicted to lame pot jokes as their American counterparts? What is it about these people that makes them start drooling on themselves and mouth breathing when the subject is cannabis? Sure, these jokes were funny the first 187,276 times we heard them but that ceased being true decades ago.

      Dude! Canada to Build a Cannabis Car
      by Cameron Scott, 08/24/10
      filed under: Green Transportation, Sustainable Materials

      Inhabitat – Green Design Will Save the World

      /snip/
      Oh, and there’s one other benefit: according to Nathan Armstrong of Motive Industries,: “It’s illegal to grow it in the U.S., so it actually gives Canada a bit of a market advantage.” The U.S. does allow the import of processed hemp.

      But about that model name: Kestrel is eerily reminiscent of Edsel — and wouldn’t the Brownie be so much better anyway?

      http://inhabitat.com/dude-canada-to-build-a-cannabis-car/

  5. Dante says:

    “Indeed, the Soldier’s Creed declares, “I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.” This is a far cry from the peace officer’s creed that expects its adherents “to protect and serve.”

    There is the whole problem: the police now aim to kill us. They get promotions when they do. If they screw up and kill the wrong person – they get off because now their jobs are “National Security”. Anything involving “National Security” means the citizen has no rights because (in theory) the whole country is more important than one citizen.

    Feel safer yet?

    Protect & Serve (Themselves!)

  6. Maria says:

    I can only shake my head at such a sharp disconnect in a father’s stated pride in his daughter with his refusal to help her.

    I wonder if it has anything to do with the twisted “suffering is righteous” mentality that so many people ascribe to. They seem to do so out of the notion that it makes them more faithful. That burdening everyone else with this mentality makes them righteous as well. As a congressman he could so help her, and many other people, by speaking up. He’d help even if he simply stood behind her position and goals showing human empathy.

    But instead he stands behind death, pain, and sickness and tows the old line that these are all our mortal payments for the “sin” of being alive. He silently lectures us from his pulpit. ‘How dare anyone try and mitigate gods brilliant love with a filthy plant?’

    Sorry… Recovering Catholic here …

    Don’t get me wrong, I know that it’s not only the big three Abrahamic faiths that twist minds into pretzels, it just that they do it so damned well and nearly all who hold power in this country are followers of some flavor.

    • thelbert says:

      check out my post on 14 july.(2011 national drug control strategy) that bilbray is as weasley as they come. you can see it in his eyes.

  7. Duncan20903 says:

    .
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    The prohibitionist responds, “we really need to stop this racism and arrest those white kids.”

    • Peter says:

      I can just hear them claiming that mass arrests of black kids has reduced the number of black “abusers” compared with white. Proof that prohibition works!

  8. Duncan20903 says:

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    Wow, talk about confusing, diametrically opposed positions in today’s TCPalm Op-Ed page:

    Marshall Frank: Marijuana dangerous, not worth the risk of using

    Marshall Frank is an author and retired Miami police detective who lives in Melbourne. Online: MarshallFrank.com.
    November 8, 2011

    Attention, young people: Don’t let the rhetoric fool you. Marijuana is absolutely a dangerous drug and should not be used for recreation. Those who think they are immune from long-range negative effects are doomed to suffer them.

    Here’s what we know for sure:

    Getting high often results in lost control of senses or behavior, which can lead to hospitals, jails and broken hearts.

    As long as it’s illegal, you can be arrested and struggle with a police record for life for a dumb mistake made at 18.

    Users will automatically be exempt from many future government-related and other job opportunities.

    Studies have determined that regular use will ultimately impair learning and memory skills. Those same studies show that marijuana inhibits ambition and initiative to improve life.

    The powerful strength of street marijuana today drives many users to try stronger drugs, which leads to addiction.

    Is the risk worth the gamble?

    Most youngsters begin their marijuana journey because of peer influence or family use. Kids want to be accepted by other kids and will make bad decisions for no other reason than to fit it.

    Parents and role models who openly use marijuana, or minimize its dangers, are — de facto — turning their kids on to drugs. “Hey, Mom and Dad use it, can’t be so bad.”

    I am personally close to one tragic case whereby a single mom used marijuana in the 1970s and thought it prudent to offer her 12-year-old son a joint, saying, “Here, light up. Don’t do this behind my back.” That kid is a 51-year-old, hard-core drug addict today.

    http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/nov/08/marshall-frank-marijuana-dangerous-not-worth-the/

    —————————

    Marijuana should be decriminalized, controlled and taxed, much the same as alcohol. Illegality of pot has had little or no deterrent on its usage, and we waste billions of taxpayer dollars trying to enforce unenforceable laws. A recent national survey showed that 17 million Americans — mostly teens and young adults — used pot in 2010. About 1 million are arrested each year for possessing pot, senselessly jamming court dockets.

    Prohibition is a classic example of the failure OF dumb laws intended to control social behavior. Crime rates soared when Prohibition was enacted, and dropped dramatically when the law was repealed. Our 40-year war on drugs is costing taxpayers multibillions of dollars a year in a losing cause, not to mention the waste of human lives in prisons, emergency rooms and morgues.

    Money saved from decriminalization can be reapportioned into education, prevention and treatment programs. A 2005 study by a Harvard economist showed that legalizing would result in a net of $14 billion a year in savings and revenue.

    Lawmakers know these facts to be true, but politics come first. Showing any trend toward decriminalizing pot will portray themselves as “soft on crime.” A better-educated electorate must influence lawmakers to do what is right.

    According to the latest Gallup Poll, 50 percent of Americans think marijuana should be legalized. It’s time to make a change.

    I guess I should mention that I snipped out the phrase, “Here’s the flip side of the coin:” from the start of the second blockquote, and that it was a single op-ed.

    Are we there yet?

    • allan says:

      Marshall Frank is a LEAP speaker…

      http://www.leap.cc/author/Marshall/

      He was trying (I believe…) to make a point. If he failed to make that point, tell it to the LEAPsters (I’m pretty sure they’re responsive… and I think Tom Angell drifts thru here…), there is a contact button at Frank’s bio page.

      • Duncan20903 says:

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        Does LEAP require their members to come to their beliefs based on facts or logic, or are they like me and don’t really care how the got to the destination, just that they’re there? I think its gratuitous and silly to demand perfection from people, and he sure sounded serious in his column to me.

  9. Servetus says:

    Calm yourself, polluted city dwellers: “Prof. Itzhak Schnell of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Geography and the Human Environment has discovered that low levels of the poisonous gas [carbon monoxide or CO] can have a narcotic effect that helps city-dwellers cope with other harmful environmental factors of an urban environment, such as off-the-chart noise levels.”

    http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=15501

  10. claygooding says:

    When you removed all the harm done to people by the law,,most of Mr Franks harms disappeared.

    • Duncan20903 says:

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      I don’t care what fantasy he believes as long as he leaves me alone. Heck, he can even declare himself a superior life form and I’ll say, “Dude! Your awesome!” whenever we cross paths. I’d probably even invite him to fellate me. Sorry, that last part is silly. He’s welcome to blow me regardless of the status of the law or his (political) position.

  11. Duncan20903 says:

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. • Advocates can begin collecting signatures for two proposed Missouri ballot measures that would legalize marijuana.

    The secretary of state’s office said Monday the initiative petitions have been approved for circulation to get them on the 2012 ballot.

    One proposal would amend the Missouri Constitution to legalize cannabis for people 21 and older, allow doctors to recommend use of medicinal marijuana and release prison inmates convicted of nonviolent offenses related to cannabis. It would also allow the Legislature to enact a marijuana tax of up to $100 per pound.

    The second proposal is similar but would enact a state law instead of amending the Missouri Constitution.

    http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/missouri-ballot-measures-proposed-to-legalize-marijuana/article_249faabc-0a0b-11e1-ba21-0019bb30f31a.html#ixzz1dA7BWzqH

    10% of the States on one day?

  12. claygooding says:

    When Kerli blew smoke at Rep Cohen he must have made an enemy that isn’t waiting long to strike back at him,,if he gets marijuana off the bonus money list,,even the cops will support legalization.

    The only reason that the upper echelon support prohibition is because of the money in it,,if the DOJ takes that away, Kerli can kiss prohibiting marijuana good bye

  13. allan says:

    A response to the Atlantic piece by Alex Pareene over at Salon:

    Our militarized police forces

    The authors identify 9/11 as the start of this trend. But I agree with Reason magazine that it actually all started with the war on drugs. Radley Balko did the essential research on the subject a few years back, and most paramilitary police actions that end up going horribly wrong are anti-drug raids. The Patriot Act itself is routinely used to fight the drug war. The argument that these tactics are necessary to keep us safe from scary foreign terrorists falls apart when you see how often all this firepower is directed at Americans looking only to get high or make a buck getting someone else high.

  14. allan says:

    several stories on Dr Gabor Mate’ (Vancouver, Canada) and ayahuasca in treating addiction. Go to GoogleNews and enter ayahuasca… interesting reading.

    hmmm… and at the Cato Institute:

    Reefer Madness Here and Abroad

    seems they’re having a conference in a week:

    As bad as the drug war is in the United States, it’s wreaking far more havoc in Mexico and Latin America. That’s why the Cato Institute is holding an all-day conference next week, “Ending the War on Drugs,” featuring:

    * the former president of Brazil
    * the former drug czar of India
    * the former foreign minister of Mexico
    * the author of Cato’s study on decriminalization in Portugal
    * the Speaker of the House in Uruguay
    * plus video presentations by former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Mexican President Vicente Fox.

    Check it out. And be there November 15.

    and here’s the link to the conference

  15. vickyvampire says:

    Yup just another reason I left the Republican party and I’m now a Libertarian.Bilbray prefers political expediency over his own flesh and blood.

    • allan says:

      Republicans got slapped hard by Ohio and Mississippi voters yesterday… that was nice to see especially on two issues that needed a hard slap.

      • Duncan20903 says:

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        Don’t forget Kalamazoo!

        Kalamazoo voters overwhelmingly pass charter amendment de-emphasizing marijuana enforcement
        Wednesday, November 09, 2011

        KALAMAZOO — Busting someone age 21 or older for having a small amount of marijuana is to become codifed in Kalamazoo’s charter as the lowest priority for law enforcement.

        A ballot measure to amend the city charter passed resoundingly Tuesday, with 65 percent of those voting on the proposal approving it. Unofficial totals show 4,649 voted for it, while 2,416 voted against it.
        /snip/

  16. Duncan20903 says:

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    I wonder, does the Indian drugzar deals with drinking alcohol? India has more than one “dry” state you know. You might be shocked to learn just how many organized criminal syndicates which exist in India that specialize in illicit drinking alcohol distribution. If that surprises you, you might be further surprised to learn that some produce significant revenue from exporting drinking alcohol into Dubai, with which India has a shared border. Then the next shocker is that these international organized criminal syndicates which specialize in the illicit distribution of drinking alcohol are arguably even more violent than their Mexican counterparts. Have you ever heard of a Mexican cartel using their members to rape one of their competitors before murdering/slicing and dicing him? That is man on man rape outside of a prison cell to which I refer.
    http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/bootleggers-accused-of-raping-and-burying-alive-rival-gang

    Of course I know the regulars here are at least minimally aware of the Indian drinking alcohol cartels and their particular brand of malicious mischief. At least the regulars who still actually read my posts are so informed. IMO it would really benefit us to emphasize the contemporaneous violence of international organized criminal syndicates which specialize in the illicit distribution of drinking alcohol instead of, or at least in addition to the systematic use of violence by Al Capone and his colleagues almost 9 decades ago.
    ———–

    Unless I miss my guess being fixated on illegal rates would be particularly vexing. Illegal taxation?? WTF?

    Dimapur up in arms against anti-social activities
    TNN Oct 29, 2011, 11.10PM IST

    DIMAPUR: Vexed with the threat of regular extortion, kidnapping and illegal taxation, citizens of Dimapur came out in protest against the antisocial activities on Saturday.

    In a new form of protest, hundreds of people from every colony, ward and block hit the streets displaying black flags and wearing black armbands as a sign of protest against the aforementioned crimes, including rampant corruption, rape, illegal rate fixation, bootlegging, etc.

    In the past few days, mass civil societies, under the aegis of Naga Council Dimapur, have been holding consultations and seeking ways to deal with the growing menace and threat to people, especially to the business community of Dimapur.

    The protest virtually shut down Dimapur for two hours from 8 am to 10 am with the protestors putting up hoardings at strategic locations of the town and displayed black flags on buildings and houses, apart from sporting black armbands themselves.

    Various Naga and non-Naga organizations participated in the symbolic protest and visited various colonies in Dimapur and interacted with the public.

    Naga Council president Savi Leigise said, the protest launched on Sunday, can continue for weeks and months together. He said people’s participation in the protest was impressive and hoped it can yield results towards weeding out antisocial activities from Dimapur.
    /snip/

    http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-29/guwahati/30336158_1_black-flags-symbolic-protest-black-armbands

    Note: Dimapur is on the opposite side of India from the shared border of India/Dubai.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimapur

    (say, wouldn’t “Malicious Mischief” be a great name for a death metal band?)

  17. Duncan20903 says:

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    The Know Nothing prohibitionists have never met an activity that they couldn’t find at least some part of which to ban using the force of law. Next on the agenda: Inappropriate halloween costumes.

    Violations of “We’re a Culture, Not a Costume” Could Result in Arrests Halloween
    By Michael Livingston
    Monday, October 31, 2011

    SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) — The San Narciso Police Department is expected to be busy this Halloween enforcing citywide modesty bans on attire. Cross-dressing, wearing blackface, sexual innuendo, and anthropomorphization are a few of the behaviors that could result in fines or even prison time.
    /snip/

    /snip/
    SNPD spokesman Ren Williams denied that the crackdown was related to the group: “It’s as plain as black and white. These laws are meant for public safety. They date back to the Prohibition Era when pikey bootleggers would resort to a variety of disguises to sell their Stygian wares in the more atramental areas of Inverness. If you know what I mean.”

    The laws were kept on the books and routinely enforced as a matter of public safety.

    Williams elaborated, “It’s as much for the safety of the dressee as the dresser. Imagine if you bought a beautiful women a drink and she turned out to be a man. You’d want to beat him up. Likewise, someone dressed up in a sexually provocative costume — say a naughty Hogwarts student or a cat woman or a loose nun or even a young Julia Child — is just asking for trouble also. This holiday is about candy, not rape.”

    Is San Narciso the patron saint of narcissists?

    What’s next, an organized effort to criminalize leaf blowers?

    • Duncan20903 says:

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      Oh well shit. Have I ever mentioned that IMO the Know Nothings have absolutely killed the arts of satire and parody because there’s just nothing too ridiculous for them to do or say? Proof positive above, I didn’t realize that the above was parody until I noticed the link to the disclaimers. I’m glad that I decided against asking how it happened that Stimpson J. Cat wasn’t consulted. I suppose I should have Googled San Narciso, CA before I posted.

      Alas, there really is an organized group of wackos trying to criminalize leaf blowers. Like I said, nothing to ridiculous that the Know Nothings wouldn’t do or say.

      • thelbert says:

        leaf blowers suck

      • Duncan20903 says:

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        No, they blow. If they sucked, they’d be leaf suckers, duh.

        But seriously, lots of stuff sux but that’s not a reasonable basis for prohibition. Limited hours for use, rewarding manufacturers for reducing the decibel levels, etc. Outright bans? No way. BTW you’re reading a post from a guy that uses a lawn sweeper, powered by old fashioned elbow grease. Much easier on an old man’s joints than a leaf blower, picks up stuff a leaf blower wouldn’t budge, and I hate gas engines so no lawn vacuum for me.

        • thelbert says:

          i hate the noise and dust. as long as some yingyang isn’t blowing dust and debris onto my yard i don’t have a problem with it. in my town the gardeners and builders make the rules about noise and the cops back them up. there is no way my town would outlaw leaf blowers or any noise because it’s next to an air base. plus we have a large population of lazy people whose hands don’t fit no rake handle.

    • darkcycle says:

      Puritan shitballs. And here I was going to dress up as Michele Leonhart.

      • darkcycle says:

        P.S., If I was out and bought a beautiful girl a drink, and she turned out to be a he, I’d likely buy him another and congratulate him on a great costume. It’s a rare guy who can pull that one off.

      • Duncan20903 says:

        .
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        I was going to dress up as Michele Leonhart.

        Now that should be illegal. What’s next, John Walters masks? What about the children indeed.

        I actually had a room mate in 1981 who didn’t figure it out until he was in the bed with her. Luckily she knew how to run away because he was going for a kitchen knife and sure appeared to have murder in his heart. The strange thing is I thought he knew as she came through the living room on their way to his bed. Like you said DC, not many guys can do that convincingly. There’s nothing a guy can do about having man hands.

    • Matthew Meyer says:

      I support leaf blower criminalization. Get a rake already!

  18. MalcsSantaArrangement says:

    Synopsis: A powerful international investigation of the global pharmaceutical industry. Every year, many new drugs come to market which offer hope to the sick and dying. They also bring billions of pounds into the coffers of the pharmaceutical industry, making “Big Pharmacy” the most profitable and powerful business on Earth. Two years in the making, this film investigates just how far drug companies are prepared to go to get their drugs approved; what they will do to make sure they get the prices they want and what happens when profits are put before people.

    http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/filmedia/play/5080/Dying-For-Drugs

  19. darkcycle says:

    Supreme Court to hear GPS tracking case….don’t look for a freedom-friendly outcome:
    http://my.firedoglake.com/shahidbuttar/2011/11/09/supreme-court-hears-gps-tracking-case/

    • Duncan20903 says:

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      I’m going to laugh my ass off when the Roberts Court starts reversing the denigration of civil rights that the SCOTUS has perpetrated on this Country over the last 4 decades. Supreme Court Justices are notorious for not ruling the way the POTUS who appointed them had planned. I think it may have something to do with reaching the pinnacle of their profession with guaranteed lifetime tenure. And the really take that lifetime thing seriously. Retired Justice of the SCOTUS? You don’t see that very often. We’re right on the verge of having the death penalty finally outlawed, and it’s the Roberts Court that’s going to do it. I suppose there’s nothing they can do about getting this country converted to the metric system.

      • darkcycle says:

        Are you talking about the same Supreme Court that I am? The one with I have no opinions about anything Alito, and the guy with pubic hairs in his coke? The same Supreme Court that ruled that sound of a flushing toilet was as good as a judge’s order to break down your door? THAT Supreme Court?

        • Duncan20903 says:

          .
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          Are you talking about the same SCOTUS you thought might uphold the California suit to enjoin the Feds above? You know, the “luck is funny” one?

          I’m not talking out of my ass when I say there’s a damn good chance that America is finally going to join the rest of the civilized world and outlaw the death penalty thanks to the Roberts Court.

  20. darkcycle says:

    Now here’s something we knew, that could use a bit more of this sort of exposure:
    http://www.truthout.com/former-narcotics-detective-admits-drug-planting-common/1320333381

  21. Duncan20903 says:

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    It was a couple of years back, and I might be recalling incorrectly, but I swear I heard someone mention that new sources of tax revenue to which by and large the voters would not object are like crack to a crack head for a politician. Rent a car at the airport in Phoenix AZ and help pay for the Diamondbacks’ new Stadium. I don’t even know what game the Diamondbacks play, but I don’t vote in Phoenix either and neither do 99% of people who rent cars at their airport.

    Medical marijuana backers rally against federal crackdown
    By Peter Hecht
    Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011

    State Board of Equalization member Betty Yee, joining medical marijuana protesters outside the U.S. courthouse in Sacramento, today criticized a federal crackdown on cannabis businesses in California as an assault on “responsible corporate citizens” contributing to state tax coffers.
    /snip/

    http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/09/4043015/medical-marijuana-backer-rally.html#ixzz1dGutV9gw

    Aren’t the residents of Sacramento most unfortunately neighbors of Linda Taylor? Comments might need some help, there’s already 52.

    Why aren’t the laws against ugly in public enforced? Sheesh, Ms. Taylor deserves the enhancement to aggravated ugly.

    (I really am sorry about the gratuitous insults directed at Ms. Taylor. I just can’t help myself. My issue with her really has nothing to do with her being one of the most sought after performers in the freak show industry. She deserves every penny her agent can negotiate.)

  22. jhelion says:

    Hacktivists and Los Zetas Fistfight in Cyberspace

    …”Yesterday, Brown characterized the hacked information as about 25,000 documents, including information about an U.S. district attorney on the Zetas payroll.”…

    http://www.texasobserver.org/lalinea/anonymous-and-los-zetas-fistfight-in-cyberspace

  23. palemalemarcher says:

    I don’t believe that Papa John’s pizza chain is owned by Herman Cain. Papa John is the chain who denounced the man over a jay. There are still valid reasons to ignore the Cain train, or boycott those who allow themselves to be used by the prohib monopoly. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

    • Matthew Meyer says:

      Godfather’s

    • Duncan20903 says:

      .
      .
      Papa John owns the franchising company. I worked there part time back in the ’90s and he’s got quite a cult of personality going. Well 18 years ago it was true, could have changed no doubt. Gosh I can’t recall how many times I heard that he started the company in the closet of a bowling alley. I used to wonder what he referred to as a “closet” actually looked like.

      • Duncan20903 says:

        .
        .
        To me this blog is the epitome of synchronicity. My wife won a free pizza from Papa John today. It’s an actual, no strings attached free pizza, not a BOGO in prize winner drag. And the last time Papa John’s name appeared on this site was when?

        • Duncan20903 says:

          .
          .
          Oh right, when one of their drivers called the cops on a Colorado patient. No free Pizza back then.

          Confirmation bias is a bitch.

  24. darkcycle says:

    Mmmmm….Pizza.

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