Author Archives: Pete

Radley Balko’s crime column is on the Columbia, Missouri drug raid we’ve been talking about. The officers in that video aren’t rogue cops. They’re no different than other SWAT teams across the country. The raid itself is no different from … Continue reading →

Watch this. Seriously. Did you watch it? Good. Now, find out who your local alderman is, or whatever the most local unit of government is in your area. Send them the link to this video, and say that you’re concerned … Continue reading →

By now, the entire internet knows about the SWAT raid in Missouri that ended up with a dead dog. It woke up a lot of people, and angered a lot more who were already awake. Almost nobody believed that it … Continue reading →

We’ve talked often about the importance of jury nullification — the power of individual jurors to judge the law as well as the guilt of the defendant. It’s not an easy task — the court system is often stacked against … Continue reading →

Moms for Marijuana are proud women who are calling for the educated regulation of marijuana. Kudos to them. Now remember, it’s Moms for Marijuana, not Marijuana for Moms. Don’t show up to dinner tomorrow with an eighth for her, unless … Continue reading →

So sometimes us bloggers post something that really should resonate with the general public, and it just sits there. Certainly, this site and Radley’s and others have posted plenty of Drug War Victim stories. Some got some traction, others didn’t. … Continue reading →

Used to be, we had all these “drug free” goals — you know, like the 1986 crime bill that said we’d be drug free by 1995. Then Newt Gingrich said we’d be drug free by 2001. The U.N. said the … Continue reading →

Sometimes I wonder if Drug Czar Kerlikowske is even able to hear his own words. Link Under drug and racketeering statutes and extradition agreements, 10 Mexican cartel leaders have been convicted in U.S. courts in the last two years but … Continue reading →

I think they did a good job of narrowing down the 800 submissions into a reasonably good set of choices for their campaign at FireDogLake Just Say Now Just Say No – To Prohibition Vote Green Stop Supporting Cartels Marijuana … Continue reading →

In Columbia, Missouri, SWAT teams storms into house, kills one dog in front of the 7-year old kid, wounds another, terrorizes the family. Cops find grinder, pipe and a small amount of marijuana and charge the father with possession plus … Continue reading →