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Prison Art Gallery: Talk and Art Show by Artist Wellington Waters

Don't miss the next free Justice Sunday reception at the Prison Art Gallery. It's a talk and showing of art by ex-prisoner artist Wellington Waters. Wellington spent decades in prison, but he didn't leave empty handed. He came out with important artistic and design skills that allowed him to become employed at Kinkos, where he worked his way up to manager. He also started his own graphic design company, Waters Edge Grafixx, which now has several prestigious clients. Wellington designed the terrific flyers for the recent highly successful "From Prison to the Stage" show at the Kennedy Center. Not only did Wellington leave prison five years ago with important skills, but he took a supportive staffer with him. They were married after his release and remain in that happy state today.
Event

National Mobilization to the Governor's Los Angeles Office

Over the past several years, the Bush administration's Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has victimized patients and providers throughout California, undermining state law and stooping to new levels to shut down access for sick and dying patients in California. ASA has been working for the past five years to thwart the DEA's efforts, but as they escalate their tactics, we too must escalate our response and actions! We must put an end to the attack on patients and providers!
Event

The NY Parole Board: How it Works & How to Change it

Join the New York Campaign for Telephone Justice at a special meeting this month! Susan Wright, President of the Coalition for Parole Restoration, whose husband has gone before the parole board 6 times, will answer questions about the current parole process, present her work to change the parole system, and let you know how you can get involved.
Blog

Chris Dodd Advocates Marijuana Decriminalization

Nothing to see here. Just another presidential candidate appealing to voters by observing the absurdity of the way marijuana users are treated in America.

Dodd also pledges to protect medical marijuana and reform the crack/powder sentencing disparity. Notice how he lumps these issues together. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the democratic drug policy platform.

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Department of Justice Spends Millions on Munchies

I suppose you can't go around raiding medical marijuana dispensaries and prosecuting legitimate pain doctors on an empty stomach:
An internal Justice audit, released Friday, showed the department spent nearly $7 million to plan, host or send employees to ten conferences over the last two years. This included paying $4 per meatball at one lavish dinner and spreading an average of $25 worth of snacks around to each participant at a movie-themed party.

More than $13,000 was spent on cookies and brownies for 1,542 people who attended a four-day "Weed and Seed" conference in August 2005, according to the audit by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine. [AP]
As galling as it is that we're footing the bill while federal narc soldiers gorge themselves and plot new ways to arrest us all, I'd rather see this money spent on munchies than machine guns. But it does suck that my tax dollars are helping subsidize a brownie-infested "Weed and Seed" conference that I didn’t even get invited to. I guess there's no reason to waste a press pass on a malicious blogger who's just gonna call the whole thing evil and whine that the brownies at the NORML conference were more memorable.

If nothing else, it's now clear that waging a callous barbaric war on their fellow citizens hasn't cost the feds their appetite.
Blog

When Cops Ask For Machine Guns, You Know the Drug War Has Failed

If the drug war supposedly reduces crime and violence, how come we keep reading things like this?
Citing a dramatic increase in the availability of high-powered, semiautomatic assault rifles -- like the one used Thursday to kill a Miami-Dade County police officer -- Miami Police Chief John Timoney has for the first time authorized patrol officers to start carrying similarly lethal weapons.

A burgeoning ''arms race'' between police and heavily armed drug gangs forced him to sign the new policy earlier this week, Timoney said. [Miami Herald]
It is just amazing that there are machine gun battles breaking out in major American cities, and drug policy reform is still considered a politically suicidal fringe position. Meanwhile, the prohibitionist peanut gallery continues to pronounce with pride the glorious progress we've made towards preventing people from partying.

Miami Police Chief John Timoney nails it:
''This is really a failure of leadership at the national level. We are absolutely going in the wrong direction here,'' Timoney said. 'The whole thing is a friggin' disgrace.''
I couldn’t have put it better myself, except he's not even talking about drug policy. He's referring to gun control, which wouldn't even be necessary if we stopped the endless brutally violent war we've decided to wage against each other on our own soil.
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DEA Director Makes Bizarre Remark at Alberto Gonzales Farewell Ceremony

DEA Administrator Karen Tandy babbled incoherently at a going away reception for disgraced former (boy, that feels good) Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
KAREN TANDY: If you filled the stadium at FedEx Field, which happens to be the largest football stadium in the NFL, if you filled that will all of the teenagers who are no longer using drugs, you’d have to fill that stadium nine times. Empty it, and refill it. [ThinkProgress]
What on earth is that supposed to mean? In fairness, it must be excruciatingly difficult to think of nice things to say about Alberto Gonzales. But this is just weird.

I think she's trying to say that Gonzales stopped lots of teenagers from doing drugs, but I'm sure he was way too busy rationalizing torture and perjuring himself to do that. Personally, just thinking about Alberto Gonzales and his shameful legacy makes me want a drink.

Ironic Anecdotal Afterthought: I actually witnessed FedEx Field filled with teenagers once at a rock festival. It smelled like pot everywhere. Cypress Hill performed. Karen Tandy and Alberto Gonzales were nowhere to be seen, fortunately.
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In The Trenches

Drug Truth Network Update 9/17/07

Drug Truth Network Update: Cultural Baggage + Century of Lies + 4:20 Drug War NEWS Half Hour Programs, Live Fridays... at 90.1 FM in Houston & on the web at www.kpft.org. Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org and at www.radio4all.net. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US and Canada. Cultural Baggage for 09/14/07 Dr. Stanton Peele author "Addiction-Proof Your Child" + Drug War Facts MP3 MP3 LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/007DTNaudio/FDBCB_091407.mp3 Century of Lies for 09/14/07 Paul Armentano, Jack Cole &Russ Jones of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition + Alexis Baden-Meyer of VoteHemp & Poppygate MP3MP3 Link: http://www.drugtruth.net/007DTNaudio/COL_091407.mp3 4:20 Drug War NEWS 09/17/07 to 09/23/07 now online (3:00 ea.): Monday 09/17/07 Dr. Stanton Peele author "Addiction-Proof Your Child" 1 of 2 Tuesday 09/18/07 Dr. Stanton Peele 2 of 2 Wednesday 09/19/07 Drug War Facts with Doug McVay Thursday 09/20/07 Paul Armentano of NORML Friday 09/21/07 Jack Cole, Dir. of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Saturday 09/22/07 LEAP member Russ Jones Sunday 09/23/07 Poppygate Report with Glenn Greenway + Editorial NEXT Friday: ) - Cultural Baggage 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT & 5 PM PT. Jacob Sullum, Sr. Editor Reason - Century of Lies 2 PM ET, 1 PM CT, Noon MT & 11 AM PT. TBD Check out our latest videos via www.drugtruth.net/dtnvideo.htm Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Once we remove these charlatans from positions of power, other social changes will become much easier." - Reverend Dean Becker, Drug Truth Network Producer Dean Becker 713-849-6869 www.drugtruth.net