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 Arden
Explorer
Registered: 09/01/08
Posts: 363
Loc: Among the Lemurs
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 McCain, Palin & Pot
#8885374 - 09/06/08 04:37 AM (2 months, 28 days ago) |
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McCain, Palin & Pot
Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008
Last week I wrote from the Democratic National Convention. This week I’d like to share some insights regarding the Republican National Convention.
It's hard to know what to make of Senator McCain's selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. She's admitted to smoking marijuana -- but then again that's also true of every Democratic nominee for president since 1992, as well as Newt Gingrich, Clarence Thomas and lots of other prominent Republicans. As for the current president, he never admitted it but others did so on his behalf. We've practically reached the stage where smoking a joint at some point in one's life seems a prerequisite for anyone under the age of 65 aspiring to national office.
Alaska has legalized marijuana for medical use. So have 11 other states. Yet, the federal government continues to persecute patients and caregivers in those states. I don't think Governor Palin has made clear what she thinks of this, notwithstanding the fact that she represents a state and a political party that believe strongly in the rights of states to regulate their own affairs. It would be nice if some journalist posed this question to her.
I've yet to find much information about Governor Palin's views and record on drug policy. She has said that marijuana should be illegal -- although presumably she's glad she never was arrested for her own use. But she's also made clear that marijuana should not be a top law enforcement priority. That's good -- and probably politically wise given that close to 50 percent of Alaskans think marijuana should be legal.
As for Senator McCain, it's hard to be optimistic that he'll do much good on drug policy. He has publicly mocked medical marijuana patients. Back in 1999, he introduced a bill that would have banned methadone maintenance as an approved treatment for heroin addiction, notwithstanding the scientific consensus that it is by far the most effective treatment available. The only good news was his recent speech at the Urban League where he spoke in favor of diverting more nonviolent drug law offenders to treatment instead of prison.
What I find most interesting this week -- from a drug policy perspective -- has nothing to do with what's on the main stage. Just down the road in Minneapolis, Republican Congressman Ron Paul is holding a shadow convention with 10,000 of his supporters. No one ever stirred up the libertarian wing of the Republican Party the way he did during the primaries. It was good to have him holding forth on ending drug prohibition the way that William Buckley, Milton Friedman, former Secretary of State George Shultz and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson have in years and decades past.
And then there's the campaign of Libertarian Presidential Candidate Bob Barr, a former Republican Congressman. He used to be one of the Republican Party’s biggest cheerleaders for the war on drugs but he’s now embraced drug policy reform in a big way. He and I were invited to debate one another at Fordham Law School last year but Bob Barr couldn't find enough ways to agree with me.
There's no question the Republican Party is evolving as its libertarian wing gains strength. And it's our job at the Drug Policy Alliance to meld the libertarian sentiments on the right with the social justice passions on the left into an ever more powerful movement for ending the nation's longest and most costly war -- the war on drugs.
Ethan Nadelmann
Executive Director
Drug Policy Alliance Network
LINK: http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/palin.cfm
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 libertyshroom
Registered: 08/04/08
Posts: 52
Last seen: 2 hours, 46 minutes
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: Arden]
#8885473 - 09/06/08 06:40 AM (2 months, 28 days ago) |
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The war on drugs is just another costly war which the government will never win. Fuck why can't they understand!!
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Eat the shroom, look at your room. Nothing is the same, kinda like a video game.
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smokdatkush
Hunter
Registered: 08/06/07
Posts: 861
Loc: Cope-land
Last seen: 18 hours, 35 minutes
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Man i am going for Obama. mccain is another bush. he plans to keep spending 30 billion dollars a month in Iraq. soooo i see a draft comming.
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MisterPink
Registered: 06/23/08
Posts: 171
Last seen: 4 days, 10 hours
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I don't see a draft coming. But if there happens to be one, I'm dodging it for sure.
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Coaster
Psychosomatic Psychonaught
Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 14,975
Loc: La La Land
Last seen: 3 hours, 28 minutes
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Quote:
libertyshroom said:
The war on drugs is just another costly war which the government will never win. Fuck why can't they understand!!
for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooot of reasons, its tragic really
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Ashford420
Animal Instincts
Registered: 08/18/06
Posts: 248
Last seen: 26 minutes, 57 seconds
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Quote:
smokdatkush said:
Man i am going for Obama. mccain is another bush. he plans to keep spending 30 billion dollars a month in Iraq. soooo i see a draft comming.
Nope... McCain is anything but Bush. And why would you want to vote for someone with no experience?
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Coaster
Psychosomatic Psychonaught
Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 14,975
Loc: La La Land
Last seen: 3 hours, 28 minutes
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: Ashford420]
#8885953 - 09/06/08 09:50 AM (2 months, 27 days ago) |
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ya i no why would u want to vote for some1 like palin when u have biden
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Sparkey_STi
Stranger
Registered: 06/19/08
Posts: 159
Last seen: 7 hours, 9 minutes
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: Coaster]
#8886103 - 09/06/08 10:23 AM (2 months, 27 days ago) |
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RON PAUL 2008! Bama doesnt deserve presidency AT ALL... and McCain's just not the best choice....
And a draft wont happen. Ever. No person would be stupid enough to start a draft... So quit whining...
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FurrowedBrow
Free yourself from yourself
Registered: 10/26/06
Posts: 1,542
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Money can be blinding to some.
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Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
We are one species. We are starstuff.
- Carl Sagan
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Coaster
Psychosomatic Psychonaught
Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 14,975
Loc: La La Land
Last seen: 3 hours, 28 minutes
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Quote:
Sparkey_STi said:
RON PAUL 2008! Bama doesnt deserve presidency AT ALL... and McCain's just not the best choice....
And a draft wont happen. Ever. No person would be stupid enough to start a draft... So quit whining...
no person would ever be stupid enough to start a unjustified war....that depletes our entire fleet and resources....so quite whining
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EntheogenicPeace
Scholar
Registered: 10/04/05
Posts: 2,329
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: Ashford420]
#8886143 - 09/06/08 10:32 AM (2 months, 27 days ago) |
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Quote:
Nope... McCain is anything but Bush. And why would you want to vote for someone with no experience?
He is almost identical to Bush, & he has no executive experience. What has he ever ran before? A plane into the ground? Oh... but he's a "war hero"... dropped bombs & napalm on defenseless gooks without any remorse or compassion for his victims... I guess that makes him automatically qualified to be warmonger-in-chief (& in a sad way, it does).
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"Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every pine needle, every sandy shore, every humming insect is holy... We are part of the earth and it is part of us... The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth." - Chief Seattle
"...the role our nation has taken... of those who make peaceful revolution impossible by refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of overseas investments... we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values... When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered." - Martin Luther King Jr.
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Coaster
Psychosomatic Psychonaught
Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 14,975
Loc: La La Land
Last seen: 3 hours, 28 minutes
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: Ashford420]
#8886151 - 09/06/08 10:34 AM (2 months, 27 days ago) |
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Quote:
Ashford420 said:
Quote:
smokdatkush said:
Man i am going for Obama. mccain is another bush. he plans to keep spending 30 billion dollars a month in Iraq. soooo i see a draft comming.
Nope... McCain is anything but Bush. And why would you want to vote for someone with no experience?
anything but bush really, anything? except bush
ahhaahahhhaha watch this homie
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peterluber
Man
Registered: 12/04/07
Posts: 218
Loc: CA
Last seen: 1 day, 16 hours
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: Coaster]
#8886185 - 09/06/08 10:41 AM (2 months, 27 days ago) |
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Obama is the lesser of two evils. Out of the candidates, Ron Paul would be my choice, but it's futile to vote for him. I don't think Obama is a very good candidate at all (although at least he's better than Hillary), but the fact of the matter is, it's McCain vs. Obama. Neither of them are going to do jack shit about drug law reform, but at least Obama won't keep pushing war in the middle east. Anyone who would vote for McCain makes me sick.
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DimensionX, Supra, and Tangerines are pieces of shit.
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Coaster
Psychosomatic Psychonaught
Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 14,975
Loc: La La Land
Last seen: 3 hours, 28 minutes
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: peterluber]
#8886192 - 09/06/08 10:41 AM (2 months, 27 days ago) |
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wow lol we think exactly the same way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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SoY
I am the LizardKing
Registered: 06/01/06
Posts: 727
Loc: Everywhere
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: Coaster]
#8886286 - 09/06/08 10:59 AM (2 months, 27 days ago) |
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Obama is not the lesser of two evils. Do you know anything about the sinister Mr. Biden? Have you ever stopped to think about what would happen to this country and its citizens under Commandant, err, I mean President Biden? This is a very real possibility folks, just as a potential President Palin is. Who would you trust more with the immense power that the executive branch has been allotted in the last 8 years?
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/8817903/an/0/page/0
"But from a policy perspective, it’s a disaster. Biden has sponsored more damaging drug war legislation than any Democrat in Congress. Hate the way federal prosecutors use RICO laws to take aim at drug offenders? Thank Biden. How about the abomination that is federal asset forfeiture laws? Thank Biden. Think federal prosecutors have too much power in drug cases? Thank Biden. Think the title of a “Drug Czar” is sanctimonious and silly? Thank Biden, who helped create the position (and still considers it an accomplishment worth boasting about). Tired of the ridiculous steroids hearings in Congress? Thank Biden, who led the effort to make steroids a Schedule 3 drug, and has been among the blowhardiest of the blowhards when it comes to sports and performance enhancing drugs. Biden voted in favor of using international development aid for drug control (think plan Columbia, plan Afghanistan, and other meddling anti-drug efforts that have only fostered loathing of America, backlash, and unintended consequences). Oh, and he was also the chief sponsor of 2004’s horrendous RAVE Act."
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"The choiceless truth of who you are is revealed to be permanently here permeating everything. Not a thing and not separate from anything."
--Gangaji
"Yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream."
"My karma ran over my dogma!"
Edited by SoY (09/06/08 11:01 AM)
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peterluber
Man
Registered: 12/04/07
Posts: 218
Loc: CA
Last seen: 1 day, 16 hours
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: SoY]
#8886401 - 09/06/08 11:17 AM (2 months, 27 days ago) |
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Quote:
SoY said:
Obama is not the lesser of two evils. Do you know anything about the sinister Mr. Biden? Have you ever stopped to think about what would happen to this country and its citizens under Commandant, err, I mean President Biden? This is a very real possibility folks, just as a potential President Palin is. Who would you trust more with the immense power that the executive branch has been allotted in the last 8 years?
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/8817903/an/0/page/0
"But from a policy perspective, it’s a disaster. Biden has sponsored more damaging drug war legislation than any Democrat in Congress. Hate the way federal prosecutors use RICO laws to take aim at drug offenders? Thank Biden. How about the abomination that is federal asset forfeiture laws? Thank Biden. Think federal prosecutors have too much power in drug cases? Thank Biden. Think the title of a “Drug Czar” is sanctimonious and silly? Thank Biden, who helped create the position (and still considers it an accomplishment worth boasting about). Tired of the ridiculous steroids hearings in Congress? Thank Biden, who led the effort to make steroids a Schedule 3 drug, and has been among the blowhardiest of the blowhards when it comes to sports and performance enhancing drugs. Biden voted in favor of using international development aid for drug control (think plan Columbia, plan Afghanistan, and other meddling anti-drug efforts that have only fostered loathing of America, backlash, and unintended consequences). Oh, and he was also the chief sponsor of 2004’s horrendous RAVE Act."
I think you are deluded if you think America is going to reform its drug policy anytime soon. You shouldn't be making your judgements based on bullshit like that. The vice presidential office isn't going to be nearly as powerful this time around as it was with Cheney. Cheney only had the power because Bush is a bumbling idiot.
Let's see, our choices are:
The 72 year old man who wants to stay in Iraq in full force and will likely attack Iran, with the woman who wants to, and as the connections to, wreck Alaska's environment for more oil,
or,
The guy who is at least getting more people to think more progressively, who will actually put some effort into pulling out of the Middle East and reducing our dependency on oil, with a non-relevant running mate.
It would be better to stand still right now than keep fighting in Iraq.
How can you argue otherwise? Please respond and let me know.
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DimensionX, Supra, and Tangerines are pieces of shit.
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Bimmin
You must be shroomin'
Registered: 12/09/07
Posts: 171
Loc: VT
Last seen: 8 hours, 19 minutes
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: peterluber]
#8886445 - 09/06/08 11:24 AM (2 months, 27 days ago) |
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I would LOVE to see a draft. You know everyone would be pissed and there would be a huge public outcry and we can flip this government over. It would be the 60s all over again. Unfortunately, I think the government realizes this and thats why there will be no draft.
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CptnGarden
Tabaquero
Registered: 05/13/04
Posts: 9,831
Loc: the microbial layer
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: Bimmin]
#8886592 - 09/06/08 12:01 PM (2 months, 27 days ago) |
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Quote:
Bimmin said:
I would LOVE to see a draft. You know everyone would be pissed and there would be a huge public outcry and we can flip this government over. It would be the 60s all over again. Unfortunately, I think the government realizes this and thats why there will be no draft.
there would be a lot of innocent casualties.
and the way you describe it, im surprised we havent turned over our government about its drug laws...
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smokdatkush
Hunter
Registered: 08/06/07
Posts: 861
Loc: Cope-land
Last seen: 18 hours, 35 minutes
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Re: McCain, Palin & Pot [Re: Ashford420]
#8886790 - 09/06/08 12:52 PM (2 months, 27 days ago) |
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Quote:
Ashford420 said:
Quote:
smokdatkush said:
Man i am going for Obama. mccain is another bush. he plans to keep spending 30 billion dollars a month in Iraq. soooo i see a draft comming.
Nope... McCain is anything but Bush. And why would you want to vote for someone with no experience?
Do some readng man, the Mccain 4 yrs ago was nothing like bush todays mccain has the same plans as bush has.contimue to fight in the middle east. ok and why would you vote mccain in so he can pass over in 2-3 yrs and have PALIN our president,? NOOOOOO THANKS on that one. seriously shes wanting no more sexual education in school and believs in abstence and her 17 year old daughter is pregnant.... thats an a bit funny to me. so is it all lies? shes telling you one thing then her very own daughter is pregnant at the age of 17.
and whoever said something about duckin the draft good luck with that mccain has like a 100 yr war plan planned. oh and if you planned on going to canada, you can forget it you cant dodge a draft there anymore they will come and extract you.
ANnnnnd for Obama, He has as much experince as palin but he was a senator i think thats a little bit higher rank than the govener of Alaska .. but to me he seem like he could actually do some change to this country for the better. he understands alot of our common problems here in the US.
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SolomonTheShaman
I love to travel
Registered: 07/06/08
Posts: 131
Last seen: 12 hours, 55 minutes
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Does anyone on here really think either side of candidate has our best interest in mind as a people or nation?
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"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
-Mohandas Gandhi
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