BLOG
Increasing Violence in Mexico is Not a Sign of Progress in the Drug War
Peter Guither routinely dissects drug war illogic in the public discourse over at the Drug WarRant blog. Last week he highlighted some illustratively blind comments in the Wall Street Journal by an unnamed senior US official who actually argued that increased violence in Mexico is a sign of progress in the drug war: U.S. law-enforcement officials -- as well as some of their counterparts in Mexico -- say the explosion in violence indicates progress in the war on drugs as organizations under pressure are clashing. "If the drug effort were failing there would be no violence," a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. There is violence "because these guys are flailing. We're taking these guys out. The worst thing you could do is stop now." The Weekly Standard's Michael Goldfarb followed up: The cops wanted a new metric by which to judge their success -- one that would not penalize them for an increased murder rate that necessarily follows from doing their job, i.e. eliminating a major drug trafficker. Pete pointed out that Goldfarb and the official are "confusing success in an action with success in policy." Sure, we can take out any given drug trafficking organization if we try hard enough, but if the result is that different traffickers supply the same amount of drugs to people, while tearing the country apart at greater and greater levels with their fighting, it's poor strategy. And since people are dying in the Mexican drug wars at a rapid pace -- 8,000 have been killed in the past two years since President Calderón ratcheted things up by sending in the military -- I'd say yes, we absolutely should stop it, ASAP. If we're going to be at all logical about things, that is.
Initiate recalls of all members of congress (except Ron Paul)
How can congress get away with all this unconstitutional legislation with impunity?
11 shootings in just over a week
Of course everyone has their opinion and the public want everybody fired,longer jail terms,more prisons etc.The most worrying thing in all of this is our new police chief.I was dumbfounded to see him
So take that.
If that bong had a tony the tiger logo on it, wouldn't that be a breach of contract? And, the message this whole smear campaign is sending, is "na na, see how petty we can be".
Tips to Stop Drug Abuse
Here are some simple tips for you to stop drug abuse. The first step to stop drug abuse is to know why people start to use drugs.
Police are Trying Very Hard to Bust Michael Phelps for Smoking a Bong
Yesterday, we learned that eight people have been arrested in the aftermath of the Michael Phelps bong photo and the infamous bong itself has been captured and taken into custody. As new details emerge, itâs becoming increasingly clear that there really is a serious campaign underway to prosecute Michael Phelps:The effort to prosecute Phelps on what would be at most a minor drug charge seem extreme compared to similar cases, lawyers said, and have led some to question whether the sheriff is being overzealous because he's dealing with a celebrity.â¦The investigators appear to be trying to build a case against Phelps from others â a tactic normally used to bring down drug dealers with a large amounts of cocaine or methamphetamine, not someone who smoked marijuana five months ago, said Chip Price, a Greenville attorney who has dealt with drug cases for 33 years. [AP]Thereâs not much left to say about this that I havenât said already, so Iâll say it again: Sheriff Leon Lott and his henchmen are unhinged drug war lunatics wielding their unchecked powers as arbitrarily and embarrassingly as humanly possible.To my knowledge, next to no one on the planet supports this ridiculous crusade. So I can only hope that this very visible example of vindictive marijuana enforcement serves to focus public attention on the often pathetic behavior of our supposedly heroic drug war soldiers. Just look at them. Look at what they are doing. And remember that this episode is hardly the first or only time the drug warriors have allowed childish and obsessive pursuits to triumph over the public interest.If they think destroying Michael Phelps is a good idea, imagine all the other wretched crap theyâve done that you donât even know about.
USA Swimming Deserves Condemnation for Suspending Michael Phelps
Amidst the massive backlash against Kelloggâs for dropping Michael Phelps, weâve neglected to target USA Swimming, which suspended him even though they didnât have to. Their petty moralizing is entirely uncalled for and warrants a response.On that note, our friends at SAFER have created a form to contact USA Swimming and share your concerns. It only takes a second. Thanks!
F.D.A. to Place New Limits on Prescriptions of Narcotics
F.D.A. to Place New Limits on Prescriptions of Narcotics By GARDINER HARRIS Published: February 9, 2009 WASHINGTON â "Many doctors may lose their ability to prescribe 24
Cops in South Carolina want to arrest Michael Phelps for smoling marijuana
What cops in South Carolina are doing to Michael Phelps is just wrong, it's called vindictive prosecution.
Threatdown
No,not Stephen Colbert,B.C.Premier Gordon(Gordo)Campbell.He took the 6 shootings and 4 deaths in a single week and did the same thing every politician has done since the inception of the gang life sty
There are so Many People in Jail, They Literally Donât fit
The criminal justice system in California is rapidly approaching a breaking point:SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A special panel of federal judges tentatively ruled Monday that California must release tens of thousands of inmates to relieve overcrowding.The judges said no other solution will improve conditions so poor that inmates die regularly of suicides or lack of proper care.â¦"There are simply too many prisoners for the existing capacity," they wrote. "Evidence offered at trial was overwhelmingly to the effect that overcrowding is the primary cause of the unconstitutional conditions that have been found to exist in the California prisons." [AP]Passing harsh laws, capturing offenders and convicting people of crimes is the easy part. What a lot of people donât get is that the process doesnât end there. You have to actually do something with the people youâve decided to remove from society. Keeping massive populations behind bars for years at a time is phenomenally expensive, even if you do an appallingly poor job of it.Itâs utterly disgusting that our drug laws condemn these people to a living hell, all because drugs are supposedly bad for your physical and emotional health. The treatment of our prisoners is disgraceful and the legions of prison-state profiteers who lobby for more jails and tougher laws seldom receive the recognition they deserve in the hierarchy of scum-sucking subspecies destroying our society.The prison industry will not stop. These people have already created an unbelievable mess and they will fight for more laws and funding no matter how much worse it gets. When human beings start getting sick and dying in our jails, someone outside the criminal justice industry has to intervene, otherwise nothing will be done about it. It shouldnât even be necessary for judges to compel better prison conditions, but of course it is.Fortunately, the one inevitable boundary that exists here is the fact that there is simply nothing left to spend on keeping more people in prison. The incarceration industry canât print its own money. Itâs a shame that we couldnât stall the escalation of our massive prison population with appeals to logic and compassion, but if it takes bankruptcy to abate this then so be it.
The Truth about Drug Dealers, Prison, Marijuana, and Kids
This is the Truth about Drug Dealers, Prison, Marijuana, and Kids I learned over the years. Drug Dealers
Has Obama Made a Good Choice for Drug Czar?
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske will likely be Obamaâs nominee for director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, commonly referred to as the drug czar. It appears that we may soon be faced with the most promising drug czar ever to occupy the position.To be clear, Kerlikowske is not a friend of drug policy reform to any extent Iâm aware of. What matters here is that I see no evidence that he is a vicious drug warrior of the sort commonly associated with the drug czar post. Given that ONDCP is mandated to oppose reform efforts and has typically embraced that role, a less confrontational and reefer madness-driven drug czar is really the best case scenario from a drug policy reform perspective.Under Kerlikowske, Seattle has been a model for sensible marijuana policy, including the famous Seattle Hempfest at which the Seattle Police Department performs a public safety role while declining to make marijuana arrests. Following the passage of a 2004 lowest priority initiative, the cityâs already-low rate of marijuana prosecutions fell even further, suggesting that Kerlikowske was responsive to the will of voters. In that sense, he offers a dramatic departure from ONDCPâs shameful history of undermining state medical marijuana laws and inserting itself into state politics for the purpose of thwarting reform efforts. In an office typically run by military officials and political hacks, Kerlikowske would bring expertise in community policing and public relations. As drug czar, I have no doubt that Gil Kerlikowske would oppose drug legalization and serve as our primary opponent on many issues. Nevertheless, at first glance, my gut instinct is that after several drug czars from hell, a guy from Seattle doesnât sound so bad.Update: I'd be remiss not to mention that Kerlikowske's immediate predecessor was Norm Stamper.
Marijuana Probably Wonât Give You Cancer in Your Testicles
Everybodyâs talking about this weekâs news that marijuana might increase your risk of some kind of horrible testicular cancer (especially dudes who smoke lots of pot). Of course, as you might have guessed, the whole thing is wildly overblown, as NORMLâs Paul Armentano explains.
Crazed Sheriff Arrests 8 in Phelps Bong Investigation
There is just no limit to the stupidity that ensues when drug warriors develop a craving for attention:The Richland County Sheriff's Department has been taking a lot of heat from people in this country and all over the world.They want to know why Sheriff Leon Lott is going after Michael Phelps.â¦Lott says the picture indicated a law was being broken in his jurisdiction. He said he couldn't ignore the violation just because Phelps is rich and famous.We've now learned that since investigators began trying to build a case, they've made eight arrests: seven for drug possession and one for distribution. These are arrests that resulted as the sheriff's department served search warrants.We've also learned that the department has located and confiscated that bong. [WISTV.com]Could there ever be a better example of the pettiness and triviality that characterizes the enforcement of our drug laws? Anyone watching this (which now includes a respectable segment of earthâs population), can plainly observe the amazing lameness that the war on drugs has instilled in our public servants. What could possibly be said in defense of launching an entire police operation for the sole purpose of busting one guy for taking a bong hit at a party?Lott says the picture indicated a law was being broken in his jurisdiction. He said he couldn't ignore the violation just because Phelps is rich and famous.Who does he think heâs kidding? Everyone knows this would never be happening if Phelps wasnât rich and famous. At the risk of giving Sheriff Lott too much credit, I highly doubt this is standard procedure when he finds out someone smoked pot at a party months ago. Heâs either completely full of crap about his motivations for targeting Phelps, or heâs truly the biggest drug war jackass in the long and terrible history of the species.Regardless, it has become perfectly clear that Sheriff Lott wonât stop until he puts the worldâs greatest athlete in handcuffs for smoking a bong at a party. With the whole world watching, this crazy cop is prepared to create one of the ugliest, dumbest spectacles in the history of our countryâs infinitely embarrassing war on drugs. Perhaps we shouldnât fault the man for being ambitious.
Call Kellogg's Today: Here's the Number
800-962-1413Call now. They appreciate our feedback. At least that's what the operator told me when I called.
SNL Slams Kelloggâs for Dissing Marijuana Users
And the winner for best response to the Phelps story goes toâ¦
Mrs.Capone,tell your boy to stop shooting in the streets
After the third hit in 24 hrs the police have gone public asking that gangsters parents tell their kids to stop shooting people in public.No one ever concedes the drug war is lost and that things are
Boycott Kelloggâs! Fight Corporate Demonization of Marijuana
The Kellogg Corporation's decision to drop Michael Phelps in the aftermath of the infamous bong hit photo is blossoming into a full blown and richly deserved public relations disaster. Claiming Phelps's deed is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg," the company has alienated his fans and united the marijuana reform community behind an unlikely champion.Phelps's tremendous popularity, along with evolving public attitudes about marijuana use in general have created a climate that is strikingly hostile towards Kellogg's moral posturing. Phelps, through his remarkable achievements, inherently undermines the very foundations of our culture's lingering animosity towards marijuana, thus his vilification is rendered self-evidently incoherent and indefensible. Moreover, Phelpsâs behavior is no different than that of millions of hardworking and responsible Americans and any attack on his character is an attack on us all. The drug policy reform community is issuing a unified call to our supporters to help show Kellogg's that demonizing marijuana users is bad for business. Please join us in not purchasing their products, which include:Apple Jacks(R)Kellogg's Corn Flakes(R)Cracklin' Oat Bran(R)Crispix(R)Froot Loops(R)Frosted Flakes(R)Frosted Mini-Wheats(R)Honey Smacks(R)Pops(R)Kellogg's Raisin Bran(R)Rice Krispies(R)Special K(R)Pop-Tarts(R)Rice Krispies Treats(R)Nutri-Grain(R) Cereal BarsKeebler(R) CookiesFamous Amos(R) CookiesCheez-It(R) CrackersMorningstar Farms(R) OrganicYou can call Kellogg's hotline at 800-962-1413 to share your concerns and let them know why you won't be purchasing their products. They're getting so many calls about this that you actually get a message saying "If you would like to share comments regarding our relationship with Michael Phelps, please press 1...If you are calling about the recent peanut butter recall, please press 2." Amazingly, Kellogg's customers are more concerned about their treatment of Michael Phelps than about the salmonella outbreak.Believe me, I never thought the fight for drug policy reform would find me telling everyone to stop eating rice krispie treats, but you gotta play the hand youâre dealt. This is one of those rare moments where the conversation about marijuana use in America spontaneously invades pop culture and takes over. We have everything to gain by riding this wave, even to the absurd extent of switching breakfast cereals.For too long, zero-tolerance anti-drug posturing has ruled corporate America. The mentality that led Kellogg's to condemn Phelps is the same one which has inspired countless companies not only to collect urine from their employees, but to place signs in their storefronts boasting about it to their customers. Corporate reefer madness is the lifeblood that feeds Partnership for a Drug Free America with tax-free contributions, all based on the faulty assumption that nothing wins over the heart and minds of the public more reliably than drug war propaganda.Thus, today brings an interesting challenge. I've heard the word boycott thrown around by reformers many times in many contexts, but Iâve never seen the level of intensity that has emerged from this week's events. Can we deal a blow to the presumptions and prejudices that drive corporate America to continue paying tribute to this vicious war on their own customers? Join us, and together weâll find out.