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POPS800,000 Americans Busted Annually for Pot
They argue the drug war “is doing far more harm than marijuana itself ever will,” because * it diverts hundreds of thousands of police agents from serious crimes “to the pursuit of harmless tokers”; * it costs taxpayers at minimum $10 billion a year to catch, prosecute, and incarcerate marijuana users and sellers; * it enables government to snatch the cars, money, computers and other properties of people caught up in drug raids even if they have had no charges filed against them; and * it allows “police agents at all levels to trample our Bill of Rights in their eagerness to nab pot consumers.” The drug war has also unleashed a torrent of racism in the form of unjust sentencing, which confines crack-cocaine users who are mostly black to prison for longer terms than powder snorters, who are mostly white. Hightower and Frazer say authorities have perverted the infamous “Patriot Act” of 2001 for use in non-terrorism cases, allowing “sneak-and-peak” search warra
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POPSPro-Pot - Anti-Gay Election Results
Yesterday in the state of Maine there were "pro-pot," and "anti-gay," referendums on the ballot. Results: Pot, yea; Gay, No. But...maybe that exaggerates the results. It wasn't like the people of Maine voted to pass out marijuana at the schools (they formalized a distribution method) and it wasn't like the voters of Maine wanted to start gay folks witch hunts (they didn't want to approve state "marriage status," to gays). There are lots of ways of looking at these political decisions. Should gay rights even be an item up for vote or a right protected by the Constitution? But is gay marriage a gay right? Maine is now the 31st state to have a direct referendum on gay marriage and they have all turned it down. Maine is now the 5th state to allow the "medical," use of marijuana. With Obama telling the Feds not to prosecute individual users acting in accord with their state's laws, I'd expect a lot more states to go this way. No knighthoods being given out, in either cas
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POPSTwo California men get decades in prison for operating a marijuana dispensary "Luke Scarmazzo was sentenced to 21 years and 8 months in prison and Ricardo Ruiz Montes got 20 years for operating a marijuana dispensary in Modesto. Sentencing before Federal judge Oliver Wanger took place on November 21, 2008. Luke and Ricardo had a licence to run the dispensary and paid taxes. The conflict between state and federal laws are what led to their arrest and conviction. The case drew attention because of a controversial rap video titled "Business Man" that features a sneering, preening Scarmazzo who raises both middle fingers to the camera and says " the feds." Defense attorneys said the federal government went after Scarmazzo and Montes because the music video challenged law enforcement's authority
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POPSPot Paradise "Jacqueline Patterson, 31, uses marijuana to treat her cerebral palsy and a severe stutter. She fears she would be booted from the program if she tried to grow dope at home or buy it from street dealers. The upshot, critics say, is that a law crafted to help sick people has morphed into a lucrative trade, one in which rural farms are supplying urban dispensaries that cater to mostly recreational users armed with doctors' recommendation"
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POPSReal men don't read D.C. pundits
Even worse than Krauthammer's column today, though, was David Brooks in the New York Times. Partly it's because Brooks likes to pretend to be open-minded and reasonable, while spouting neocon talking points, and occasionally liberals get pulled in by him. But today was trademark lazy ideological Brooks. As Glenn Greenwald notes, unbelievably he bragged about "doing what journalists are supposed to do" -- which he defined as talking to a handful of anonymous pro-war sources, who uniformly criticized Obama's inaction to date on McCrystal's troop request. That's some brave shit. Not quite David Rohde brave, but hey, he made the calls! If it was unanimous, that means he didn't call retired Marine Matthew Hoh, who resigned from a civilian post in Afghanistan this week because he said we can't win, and our presense is only fueling the insurgency. Hoh told the Washington Post's Karen de Young he's "not some peacenik, pot-smoking hippie who wants everyone to be in love" and that he believes
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POPSU.S. Official Resigns Over Afghanistan War Policy Hoh's letter caused a stir in the Obama administration, and he was hastened to meetings with senior U.S. officials in Kabul and Washington. They praised his record of service and begged him to stay, offering him new positions in both locations. Hoh initially accepted the Washington job, but changed his mind a week later. Hoh said that his act of protest and decision to speak out were painful, even "nauseating" at times, but he was strongly motivated by the friends he had lost on the battlefield and the mental anguish he has experienced since returning home. "I want people in Iowa, people in Arkansas, people in Arizona, to call their congressman and say, 'Listen, I don't think this is right,' " he explained, adding that he "is not some peacenik, pot-smoking hippie who wants everyone to be in love."
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POPSAndrewSullivan PotCaseDismissed - SpecialTreatment Sullivan, Rangel, (likely,most of Congress) Presidential criminal cronies after talking transparency. All bullcrap and the hypocrisy continues. And serving out true justice fades further & further. I didn't even mention the Treasury, Fed, G.S., and the rest of the banks.
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POPSHannibal Lecter's plan endorsed by Obama
President Obama had not released any details of his proposal, a proposal that many feared would have ended up under review by the Supreme Court, as it would seem to violate the entirety of the U.S. Constitution, not to mention being what he had campaigned against. That's when Dr. Lecter came out of his self-imposed seclusion to lend a hand. "If you simply bring me the detainees, I will house them in my secure basement facility, as many as I can accomodate, and distribute such that I cannot to...let us say...like-minded associates with proven experience in confinement methodologies.", said Dr. Lecter in a memorandum submitted to the White House yesterday. The "associates" the doctor refers to are believed to be a well trained and experienced group of psychopathic serial killers, who's basements have already been modified in a manner that would make a SuperMax seem like a child's playpen. Initial reaction was favorable, especially amongst Corrections officers from Leavenworth to Si
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POPSMarijuana War Up in Smoke!
California here we come! --- An exodus similar to the Great Depression will soon be heading west. Go West, young person, there you will find a new world. But, seriously....the hypocracy of the nation pushing booze and pills massively on TV everyday, while sending pot smokers to jail, is at a turning point. The turning point is that the U.S. will stop using federal law to arrest individual marijuana consumers. This allows each of the 50-states to set their own laws about it...sort of like the idea of our Constitution and democracy intended -- prior to evil leaders trying to use a "War on Drugs," as as excuse before the "Global War on Terrorism," came along. 14 states have already made personal consumption of marijuana a non-criminal offense (so no need to rush out to northern California...although it's thriving out there, no doubt) These states did this change even though it was moot ---- till now. Now, it's not "moot." - more states (like mine) now seeking ballot init
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POPSObama Administration and Medical Marijuana Good to see some progress on this issue. I think that, given current law, this policy strikes a good balance. It recognizes that recreational use of marijuana is illegal but that there are medicinal benefits of using this drug that should not be ignored. We don't allow recreational use of morphine, but we don't deny that the drug is useful. We can at least do that for pot.
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POPSNew Medical Marijuana Policy: Obama Administration Will Not Seek Arrests For People Following State Laws California is unique among those for the widespread presence of dispensaries " businesses that sell marijuana and even advertise their services. Colorado also has several dispensaries, and Rhode Island and New Mexico are in the process of licensing providers, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a group that promotes the decriminalization of marijuana use. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/19/new-medical-marijuana-pol_n_325426.html
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POPSThe Four Usual Mistakes With Poker Buttons Okay, clicking on buttons is really easy, but the question is to click the right button for each situation. Most players always make the same mistakes and pay money for them. The above is a guide of the usually mistaken buttons.
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POPS Pot Head and I thought losing your reading glasses on the top of your head was funny. OOPS !!