The Richard Paey case illustrates clearly the cruelty of the american people. A human tendency towards cruelty played upon by the government. Preyed upon by the government, actually. The right wing christian judges prevailed, and a man's life is ruined. At the hands of the government.

Call Florida Governor Jeb Bush and urge him to pardon Richard Paey.

The number is 850-488-7146.

Paey just lost his appeal, which means he'll have to complete his 25-year sentence unless the Governor intervenes.

I just spoke with a nice lady at the Governor's office and informed her that Richard Paey is a paraplegic whose substantial need for pain medication resulted in a misguided conviction for drug dealing. I asked her to inform the Governor that I support the Florida Court of Appeals recommendation that he pardon Mr. Paey.

It only takes a minute and together we might be able to help make life a little more bearable for this most unfortunate man.

For a quick refresher on the case before you call, check out Maia Salavitz at The Huffington Post and Radley Balko's article in National Review Online.

Now put down your laptop and make the call. We'll still be here when you're done.

Thanks!

A 12 year study from the university of Pittsburgh pokes yet another whole in the wet paper napkin known as the "gateway theory."

From NORML:

Investigators said that environmental factors (e.g., a greater exposure to illegal drugs in their neighborhoods) as well as subjects' "proneness to deviancy" were the two characteristics that most commonly predicted substance abuse.

"This evidence supports what's known as the common liability model ... [which] states [that] the likelihood that someone will transition to the use of illegal drugs is determined not by the preceding use of a particular drug, but instead by the user's individual tendencies and environmental circumstances," investigators stated in a press release. They added, "The emphasis on the drugs themselves, rather than other, more important factors that shape a person's behavior, has been detrimental to drug policy and prevention programs."

No kidding. It's such a perfectly logical conclusion, it's hard to understand why anyone thought otherwise. Especially since one study after another has shown the exact same thing.