US Marijuana Party

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Court Rules Pot Ads Must Be Accepted

Jeralyn over at TalkLeft is reporting that the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Mass. Transit Authority violated free speech rights in refusing to carry advertisements supporting the legalization of marijuana.


Check it out here

Meanwhile Pete over at DrugWarRant has great coverage of the Ashcroft v. Raich Supreme Court case argued yesterday and some absolute hilarity regarding comments allegedly made by Justice Stephen Breyer about Tomato children attacking Boston. (No I am not stoned.)


Politics Makes for Strange Bed Fellows


Alabama Marijuana Party vs. The Christian Coalition Posted by Hello
The Birmingham Post Herald published a piece on Ashcroft v. Raich and the issue of States Rights. Alabama along with Mississippi and Louisiana filed an amicus brief in support of Raich. I am quoted in this article.
The brief also mentions that Alabama treats the possession of marijuana as a Class A misdemeanor that can result in a year in prison for the first offense. Selling or transporting marijuana is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The brief includes statistics on drug arrests in Alabama, mentioning the 9,469 arrests for marijuana possession in 2003, which represent 57 percent of all drug arrests.

One of those arrested under Alabama's marijuana law was Loretta Nall of Alexander City. She's appealing a conviction earlier this year on charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia related to a bust at her Alexander City home. She praised the attorney general's office for writing the brief, calling it "wonderful."

Nall is now chairwoman of the Alabama Marijuana Party and the U.S. Marijuana Party. The group, which is pushing for the legalization of marijuana, hopes to convince state lawmakers to introduce medical marijuana legislation in the Legislature next year, she said.

"And so it bodes well for us, if we're able to get something through the Alabama state Legislature, that the Alabama attorney general has come out and said already that he supports states' rights, even though he's antidrug and antimedical marijuana on premise," she said.

Read what the Christian Coalition had to say here
. UPDATE: John Giles of the Christian Coalition of Alabama was recently SLAMMED by Alabama media for taking money from Indian casino's in Mississippi to lobby against gambling in Alabama. Hey John, God frowns on HYPOCRITES.

SMOKE OUT on Parliament Hill


Candlelight Vigil on Parliament Hill Posted by Hello
Today President George W. Bush will visit Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Thought some of my site visitors might enjoy the live cam view of the Hill and the protest that will kick off later today.
UPDATE: CTV.ca is reporting clashes and riots between Canadian Police and Anti-Bush Protesters.
See the video here
There is more video available at the CTV.ca link.

Monday, November 29, 2004

Afghan Opium Farmers Report Sickness from Fumigation


More on Plan Afghanistan Posted by Hello
The PakTribune is reporting that Afghanistan opium farmers are falling ill from the aerial fumigation of their crops. Meanwhile the US is denying any involvement in the fumigations. If the Afghans aren't spraying their opium fields and the US denies any role in it then who are the "foreign troops" carrying out the deed? Read more here

Pot TV News Nov. 29 w/Loretta Nall


Pot TV News Nov. 29 with Loretta Nall Posted by Hello
Supreme Court Hears Medical Marijuana Case TODAY!
Choose Your End of the Gun
The Totalatarian Drug War
Bush Asseses Plan Colombia
Bush Admin Launches "PLAN AFGHANISTAN"
Court Rules Cops can SHAVE You without CAUSE
Canadians Say "Let Us Smoke Pot in Peace"
Bend over, grab your ankles and prepare for DEEP INTEGRATION as BUSH INVADES CANADA

Supreme Court Hears Medical Marijuana Case


Supreme Court Weighs Medical Marijuana Case Posted by Hello
The U.S. Supreme Court today heard arguments in the Ashcroft vs. Raich medical marijuana case.
My friend Pete Guither over at Drug War Rant has the most comprehensive breakdown of this case.

Here is the latest
Paul Clement, the Bush administration's top court lawyer, noted that California allows people with chronic physical and mental health problems to smoke marijuana and said that potentially many people are subjecting themselves to health dangers.

"Smoked marijuana really doesn't have any future in medicine," he said.

Health dangers my big, white ass! Hey Mr. Clement what about VIOXX?

Friday, November 26, 2004

I hate CNN


Confused News Network Posted by Hello
CNN is running a story saying Jail more effective than rehab

Nothing in this propaganda piece makes any sense. Somebody is on somebody's prison lobby payroll. What ever happened to ethics in journalism?

Canadians say "Let us smoke pot!"


The "REAL" Canadian Flag Posted by Hello
CANADIANS are smoking pot more than ever before and the majority want police and government to let the people indulge in peace.

GO CANADA!

Thursday, November 25, 2004

Pot TV & CC sites to close temporarily

This just in from Chris Bennett at Pot TV
CC, Pot TV Sites will go down at 5pm PST. Our streaming provider Peer 1 had to cancel our service as they could no longer handle the masive attack of packets coming into their main pipe. Check norml.ca for updates.

Hopefully we can overcome this as Pot-TV and CC have been the best meeting place for active pot activists ever.

If not, we will be back in one form or another.

Peace and Good Will
Chris Bennett



That's correct.

There will be no access for around 3 to 5 days.

Please pass this information along to anyone else who may not find out in time!
Marc Emery


This is a very sad day for me. Pot TV and Cannabis Culture forums have been my home on the internet for over two years now. I met my mentor Marc Emery on the CC forums and everything I have ever done activism wise is recorded there. Hopefully this is temporary. Crazy world we live in today.

Some actual TRUTH in the Media

This is a FANTASTIC piece from the Mobile Register
It gives me hope to hear a voice of reason in Alabama. This guy really lets'em have it.





Funding based on inmate numbers
Sunday, November 21, 2004
By RON FRASER
Special to the Register


Here is how prison policies made in Montgomery and Washington take on a life of their own. Once prison operators, prison employees and community tax collectors learned they could profit from harsh, lock'em up drug control laws, a powerful political force was born to keep prisons full.


During the 1980s and 1990s tough-on-crime policies (especially drug control laws) overfilled America's prisons.


State and federal prisons held only 315,974 inmates in 1980. By 2000 that number had skyrocketed to 1,321,137. When inmates in city and county jails are added, America's total prison population topped 2 million in 2002.


Prisons, however, are not reserved for violent offenders. In 2002, for example, 1,235,700 simple drug possession ar rests were made in the United States -- about one-half of them for possession of marijuana. While not all of those arrested end up behind bars, the rush to lock up non-violent offenders was, in large part, responsible for setting off America's prison building boom.


A new study by Sarah Lawrence and Jeremy Travis at the Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center in Washington tracks how prisons became a growth industry in America. In "The New Landscape of Imprisonment: Mapping America's Prison Expansion," they found nationally that "During the last quarter of the 20th century, state prison systems grew from 592 prisons to 1,023 prisons ٠an increase of 73 percent."


In 1979, 24 state correctional facilities -- including prisons -- operated in Alabama. By 2000, that number grew to 33, with six facilities operating in Elmore County and four in Montgomery County near the state capital. Three facilities are in Jefferson County and two in Bibb County, with the rest scattered throughout the state, including one in Mobile County.


The U.S. Census counts prisoners where they are incarcerated, and both federal and state agencies distribute funds based on this census data. The more prisoners counted in a town or county, the bigger will be its share of tax-funded goodies from Washington and Montgomery.


This gravy train includes a slice of $200 billion a year in formula grants from Washington to all state and local governments for Medicaid, foster care, adoption assistance and 169 other programs. In addition, the same data are used to allocate state funds for community health services, road construction, law enforcement and public libraries.


Regular paychecks roll in for 3,460 prison employees in Alabama. And don't forget the incomes of employees of private firms that directly sell food, fuel, clothing and furniture to prisons.


No wonder Alabama towns become addicted to this prison economy.


Spreading prisons across Alabama can actually perpetuate a large prison population. As more towns become economically dependent on state prisons holding more than 29,553 inmates in 2002, the greater is the likelihood that grass-roots support will grow for politicians who favor putting non-violent people behind bars.


After all, it's in the self-interest of these towns to keep their prisons full and their local economies booming.


When prisons boom, everyone wins except the non-violent inmates and the taxpayers. Politicians in Montgomery can show how tough they are on crime. Private prison operators and their investors make money.


Prison guards pay off their mortgage and support local businesses. Even the local tax collector gets his cut.


Now that the jailhouse economy is going strong, the political reforms that are needed to abandon this old drug war mentality will be much harder, if not impossible, to get through the legislatures in Montgomery and Washington. Chances are taxpayers are stuck with the cost of keeping 2 million men and women behind bars well into the future -- not because justice demands it, but because the economic benefits of the prison business are working to keep it that way.

Appeals Court Judge Speaks out against Mandatory Minumum Sentences

It is very rare to see a sitting judge speak out against mandatory minimum sentences and the drug war. This is a must read.


November 18, 2004
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Rehab Justice
By DONALD P. LAY
New York Times


Our federal justice system has a great deal to learn from our state court systems. Today, nearly every state has a "drug court" to deal with nonviolent drug offenders through a mix of treatment and sanctions, all as part of an effort to reduce recidivism, substance abuse and costs. Statistics show that drug courts are a success, yet Congress persists in mandating ever stiffer sentences for federal offenders who need treatment more than punishment.


While drug court programs vary from state to state, most try to address the cause of an offender's behavior: addiction. All offer community-based treatment in lieu of prison. Offenders who choose to participate in a drug court and complete their treatment typically can have the charges against them dropped, or can plead guilty without being sentenced to prison.


In 2003, there were more than 1,500 drug courts either in operation or in the planning stages. Drug court graduates have substantially lower rates of criminal recidivism than offenders who are imprisoned. In New York, for example, the re-arrest rate among 18,000 drug court graduates was 13 percent, compared with 47 percent for the same type of drug offenders who served prison time without treatment. Drug courts also cost less than incarceration and have high retention and completion rates. Even Congress recognizes their worth; since 1994, it has authorized the attorney general to make grants to states, state and local courts, and local and tribal governments to establish drug courts.


Years ago, Chief Judge James L. Oakes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and I, as chief judge of the Eighth Circuit, sponsored a sentencing institute. At that institute, I asked the chairman of the United States Sentencing Commission why an 18-year-old who had received some drugs by mail for a friend should face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, under the commission's federal sentencing guidelines set by the commission. The chairman responded that because this teenager would be in prison during his 20's, the age when the likelihood of recidivism is greatest, the sentence would cut down on re-arrests. The head of the Bureau of Prisons whispered to me, "Doesn't he realize when that young man gets out of prison, he will be nothing more than a hardened criminal?"


Mandatory minimum sentences, enacted by Congress, have contributed to the rising costs of imprisonment and crowding in federal prisons. In federal drug cases, defendants could face a minimum of 5 to 10 years in prison, while a similar offense in some state courts would allow a court, depending on the circumstances, to place the defendant on probation. Justice Anthony Kennedy and several other scholars, judges, professors and law reviews have openly criticized the use of mandatory minimum sentences in federal criminal cases. To make matters worse, a bill has been proposed in the Senate that would set a mandatory sentence of 10 years for a first drug conviction and mandatory life imprisonment for a second.


According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Web site (as of Sept. 4, 2004), the total federal inmate population is 180,318. About 54 percent of that population are drug felons. The total cost for each prisoner was $61 per day; for the entire population, almost $11 million a day or $4 billion a year. It is predicted that by 2010 there will be more than 216,000 individuals serving time in federal prisons.


Unlike the states, the federal criminal justice system offers no alternatives for nonviolent offenders charged with drug-related crimes. In the federal system, it is almost a certainty that a convicted drug offender will be incarcerated rather than going through a community-based treatment program. It is little wonder then that the federal prison system will continue to be overburdened. Given the success of drug courts in the states, the federal government should study how to modify its sentencing to incorporate elements of the drug court model and to assess the effectiveness of community-based alternatives to imprisonment for nonviolent federal drug felons.


Congress would need to authorize the mechanics of federal drug courts. One suggestion would be that magistrate judges could preside over the drug court, while federal probation officers could oversee the offenders' attendance at drug treatment programs as well as obtain employment and housing for them. A good start would be to develop sentencing policies that take drug dependency into account, and that place as much emphasis on preventing crime as on punishing misconduct. Sentences that combine treatment, monitoring and the threat of imprisonment hold the promise of long-term solutions to crime. They should be more readily available in the federal system.


The high cost of this incarceration policy falls on taxpayers. However, beyond all of this is the fact that the real damage is incurred by the individuals who must spend a large portion of their life in prison. The damage to young prisoners cannot be measured in dollars and cents.


Cases are now pending before the Supreme Court that will affect sentences in all federal cases. This presents an opportunity for the executive and legislative branches to bring sanity to federal drug sentencing. Congress has nothing to lose and everything to gain by passing legislation to carry out a program for federal drug courts.


Donald P. Lay is the seniorjudge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Emery & Indymedia sites back up

As of 10:15 pacific time last night all of Marc Emery's sites and the indymedia sites that were attacked over the last two days are back up and running.

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

DoS Attack Update

I just spoke with Marc Emery about the DoS attack.
He says
all business is OK but our site is facing extraordinary attack.


He also said
Norml-Canada releases new polling data tomorrow


I am hearing that it is full of surprises.

Major DoS attack launched on Marc Emery & Canadian Indymedia sites

A very sophisticated Denial of Service attack has been launched on Pot TV , Cannabis Culture , Emery Seeds, BC Marijuana Party , Ontario Indymedia , Montreal Indymedia and Ottawa Indymedia


All of this only days before President Bush is to visit Ottawa. Marc and the Canadian cannabis community have organized a protest for Bush's visit. Hmmmmm???? Here is the real reason for Bush's visit to Canada

BE STRONG my Canadian Brothers and Sisters!!
Send that
IMPERIALIST BASTARD PACKING!!!!

JUST DON'T SEND HIM BACK TO THE U.S. BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT HIM EITHER!!

(check back here for frequent updates)

Monday, November 22, 2004

Court rules Cops can shave your head without cause

This is one of the most unbelievable and intolerable things I have ever heard. According to The US Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit police officers may constitutionally shave large amounts of hair from a suspect's head, neck, and shoulders, without a warrant, probable cause, or any basis for suspecting that the hair would provide evidence of crime.


Shit, I guess we all have to go around bald in order to protect our privacy. Of course, being bald will likely be reason for suspicion soon enough I fear and the next ruling from the US Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit will be that police have a right to take your blood or cathaterize you if you are bald.

When I see things like this I almost lose all hope that change is possible.

Prohibition fails our kids...AGAIN!

The Mobile Register is reporting that students in Baldwin County have rates of drug use higher than the national average.
Read the story and then read the following LTE that I just submitted.
The following LTE has been submitted to the Mobile Register.
Dear Editor,


This is in response to (27% of Baldwin students used drugs).


This article is a classic example of how prohibition fails our children. For over 30 years our country has fought the “drug war” with no noticeable gains. Millions of American citizens locked in prison, billions of dollars spent federalizing the local police, millions of lives destroyed. What we have given up as far as the bill of rights and privacy is immeasurable. Today drugs are more widely available than ever before.


Yet almost daily we see stories like this one. Despite that most people will clamor loudly that we need more funding for police, more funding for school drug testing, more funding for DARE and loss of more of our rights.


I would like to remind people that the definition of insanity is:


Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.



Let’s face it. People have been fooled into paying for their worst nightmare. Perhaps they do not realize it. Maybe fear keeps them from thinking rationally.


Prohibition does not keep kids away from drugs. In fact, it does just the opposite.


Because of prohibition criminals control the market.


If a child decides that they want to smoke marijuana they can go to any drug dealers house and get some. They might be offered harder drugs like cocaine or meth. They don’t have to go into a well-lit business establishment and face down the clerk who asks for ID.


The drug dealer won’t ask kid’s for ID. The drug dealer, out to make money, doesn’t care how old their customers are.


But the most frightening aspect of the drug war as it relates to children is that if we allow prohibition to continue then it is OUR CHILDREN who will be the next generation of prison inmates. Are you willing to allow the government to sacrifice your kids in order to keep from admitting that they have been wrong all along?


I’m not.


It is time to try a new approach to drugs altogether. Perhaps one that does not involve law enforcement or the criminal injustice system as neither of those institutes is equipped to properly deal with a health and social issue.




Respectfully Submitted,

Loretta Nall

Alabama Marijuana Party

Sunday, November 21, 2004

Plan Afghanistan?


Plan Afghanistan? Posted by Hello
Afghan government spokesman Jawed Ludin said the drug war would be the top priority of the new administration being formed by President Hamid Karzai after his election victory last month, "perhaps more important than terrorism".

I'm sorry....but when is the last time an opium poppy flew two big jets into the World Trade Center?


However, he expressed concern about recent reports that some areas of the eastern poppy growing province of Nangarhar had been subjected to aerial spraying.


"We are fully committed to the eradication of poppy fields and we will do it with much more efficacy and impact in the future," he said. "But we have made clear to our partners in the international community we don't agree with aerial spraying."

Ludin said the government had sent experts to investigate the spraying reports, given concerns about health effects and reports that children had suffered diarrhoea and skin rashes.

And as if they didn't have enough reasons to hate us already...


Faizanulhaq, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said helicopters had sprayed Achin and Khogiani districts, on Nov. 7. "People said they heard the sound of helicopters at night, but they could not tell where they came from," he said.


Ludin said the government had sent experts to investigate the spraying reports, given concerns about health effects and reports that children had suffered diarrhoea and skin rashes.



If that isn't chemical weapons of mass destruction and terrorism I don't know what is.

Hey! Can I get a Clone of That?


10 pound pot plant Posted by Hello
Police in New Britan CT. arrest two men for allegedly having a $40,000 Pot Plant

Hey! Can I get a clone of that? I've never seen a $40,000 pot plant nor a 10 lb. pot plant.

Unreal


ATF Posted by Hello



NEWS RELEASE
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI
SEPTEMBER 30, 2004



* Hollis R. Burgin, 21, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ortrie D. Smith this morning to one year and three months in federal prison without parole.


On June 29, 2004, Burgin pleaded guilty to being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm. By pleading guilty, Burgin admitted that he was in possession of a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun while also an unlawful user or addict of marijuana on Dec. 7, 2003. Under federal statutes, Graves explained, it is illegal for any unlawful user of a controlled substance to be in possession of a firearm.


Burgin was originally charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on May 18, 2004, in Kansas City.


This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan C. Hughes. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.



Saturday, November 20, 2004

Bush to Assess War on Drugs in Colombia


Eco Damage in Colombia Posted by Hello

Under the program, a massive aerial fumigation program has reduced by 30 percent the cultivation of coca, the main ingredient in cocaine.

No it hasn't. Coca farmers have simply moved deeper into the Amazon rainforest where they are harder to detect. Also, coca production has risen in Bolivia and Peru.

Scores of drug traffickers have also been locked up and authorities have reported record drug seizures.

Translation: Ten times as many drug "cartels" now exist. When the king pins were taken out many small splinter groups formed. Now there are more drug traffickers than ever before. If they are reporting record seizures then obviously their plan isn't working or there wouldn't be any drugs to seize.

Counternarcotics officials have been unable to explain why the fall in coca production over the past four years has not translated into a drop in the supply of cocaine.


Because neighboring countries Bolivia and Peru picked up the production.

Please contact your elected officials and tell them not to support Plan Colombia.

See more Photos of Colombia here

Who Judges the Judge?

Our friend Colbert I. King at the Washington Post is after Judge Judith E. Retchin again for the murder of Jonathan Magbie. Thanks Mr. King. The importance of bringing about justice in this case cannot be overstated.


Here is the latest:


Who Judges the Judge?

By Colbert I. King - Washington Post

Saturday, November 20, 2004; Page A19

Drop by the H. Carl Moultrie building on Indiana Avenue NW on any given day and watch as Superior Court judges mete out justice to people in orange prison jumpsuits who have failed to do right by their fellow citizens. But how about when the criminal justice system renders an injustice itself -- one so egregious that it results in a tragic death and an irrevocable shattering of lives of family and friends? What happens when the upright does wrong?

Make no mistake about it, Superior Court Judge Judith Retchin knew what she had on her hands when she sentenced 27-year-old quadriplegic Jonathan Magbie on Sept. 20 to 10 days in jail for simple possession of marijuana. Why she decided to incarcerate Magbie, totally dependent, unable to breathe reliably on his own -- and a first-time offender -- remains an unanswered question that court officials would just as soon see go away. It won't. It can't. The power of government took Jonathan Magbie off the streets. The power of government put him behind bars. And Magbie was in the government's custody when he died.

Magbie's disability was no mystery to Retchin.

Three months before he was sentenced, Magbie was called by Retchin to a status hearing at which he was expected to plead guilty. Retchin said she wanted truthful answers. To make certain Magbie could be prosecuted for any false statement, she told him she was going to ask the court clerk to place him under oath. "Do you understand, Mr. Magbie?" Retchin asked. "Yes," Magbie said.

"Mr. Magbie," asked Retchin, "are you able to raise your right hand to take an oath?"

"No," he said. Retchin then told Magbie, "Listen to what the court clerk is saying. I understand because of your physical limitations you won't be able to raise your right hand, but you still will be under oath if you agree after she gives you the oath." Magbie, five feet tall, his growth stunted since the accident that left him paralyzed at age 4, seated in the motorized wheelchair that he operated with his chin, swore to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

After that there was no way Magbie's condition could have slipped Retchin's mind. Three times, Charles Stimson, the assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the Magbie case, saw fit to give the judge a reminder.

"Before I go forward," Stimson told Retchin in open court, "I would like the record to be clear that Mr. Magbie is in a wheelchair. As I understand it from numerous discussions with [Magbie's lawyer], he's a quadriplegic. And that should be very clear on the record at this point before I go forward and the court makes further inquiry."

Retchin merely thanked Stimson and moved on to accept Magbie's guilty plea.

Stimson kept trying to get it through Retchin's head that Magbie was no threat. During a confidential bench conference, Stimson cited Magbie's condition as a reason why the government did not want to take the case to trial or to send him to jail. Stimson told Retchin that "the jury appeal to a person in a wheelchair . . . is very high because he can't do anything for himself." Moments later, Stimson explained: "We felt that if we took this to trial, the jury would acquit Magbie because he can't really do much."

But nothing could stop Retchin from treating Magbie as a danger to society.

Well, you might ask, didn't the police find Magbie and his co-defendant, Bernard Beckett, seated in a Hummer, a $50,000 to $70,000 vehicle, in a Southeast D.C. neighborhood? And didn't the police search Magbie and find $1,502 at the time of his arrest? Wasn't a gun in the car?

True, but that's not the whole truth. What the police may have suspected was a case of drug dealers in a luxury vehicle purchased through ill-gotten gains was anything but.

Beckett was Magbie's cousin and driver as well as a resident in Magbie's home. The Hummer was in the name of Magbie's brother. The gun was placed on Magbie by Beckett, at Magbie's request when the cops pulled them over. Magbie's lawyer, Boniface Cobbina, told Retchin that the gun was in the car for protection because Magbie and his family lived in a community with a high number of vehicle thefts.

The $1,502 on Magbie? It was unrelated to criminal activity. Magbie happened to be loaded. He was receiving about $30,000 a month in income as a settlement in compensation for his injuries, according to his attorney Cobbina. The money was invested very wisely by Magbie's mother, who , Cobbina told Retchin, gave him "at least $10,000 in cash, so that he can spend it as he wants to."

Even the prosecution acknowledged that Magbie was a young man of means. Stimson informed Retchin at the bench conference, "Mr. Magbie is trying to live sort of the fast life or as fast as he can while being confined to a wheelchair, and he has various nicknames out in the street which aren't relevant to this, but our opinion is that he likes to share his money to feel important but that he's not involved in selling drugs on the street, he's not involved in drug running." Yes, he hung out with some questionable characters and liked having them around, Stimson said, "because it made him feel important."

And, as reported two columns ago, three months before Retchin jailed Magbie, Stimson advised her that Magbie had medical needs that the jail couldn't accommodate.

So why was the judge determined to put him behind bars, which, as some have contended, amounted to a death sentence?

Being a Superior Court judge means never having to admit you are wrong -- that is unless you are answering to the D.C. judicial tenure and disabilities commission, which reviews the conduct of judges. That's not likely to happen with Judge Retchin, however. Magbie's not wired to anybody important in Washington.

And, sure, he died while in custody of the D.C. Department of Corrections. But the jailers aren't worried either. Their boss, Mayor Anthony Williams, is too busy with other things such as bringing the monied and baseball back to town. Besides, what's all this fuss about another black man dying? It happens all the time.

Update: Yesterday Gregg Pane, director of the D.C. Health Department, said his department's report on Magbie's death was being sent to Greater Southeast Community Hospital, where he died, for comment. Greater Southeast, according to a letter from City Administrator Robert C. Bobb to D.C. Council member Kathy Patterson, has been presented with a "Statement of Deficiencies and Plan of Correction." The District is also, Bobb said, "reviewing the city's contracted relationship with Greater Southeast Community Hospital."

The city administrator's office advised that a letter concerning the circumstances of Magbie's death was being sent to his mother, Mary Scott, but that the contents could not be disclosed.

kingc@washpost.com







The Intoxication Instinct

My friend Libby over at LastOneSpeaks has a link to a great piece called The Intoxication Instinct that was published in the New Scientist about the natural human desire to alter our minds. An absolutely FANTASTIC read!!

Update on My friend George Kelly

Please see Original Story on George Kelly
and my original post on this topic.


Bump and Update:

I saw my friend George Kelly yesterday at the store. I was shocked that he made bail. He told me some of the details of his case and it is just AWFUL. George told me that he was pulled over for no reason.He told me that Officer Jay Turner never gave him a chance to get out of the vehicle but instead physically removed him. He said Officer Jay Turner asked him if he knew why he was stopped and George responded that he did not. Officer Turner then said "I pulled you over for fidgeting." George said "Since when is it illegal to fidget?" At this point Officer Turner began to conduct a search of the vehicle over George's objections. George told me he was made to stand at the back of his vehicle with his arms held out to the side while his truck was searched. After two searches of the vehicle turned up nothing Officer Turner walked up to George and snatched his pants and underware down. George says there were about 20 onlookers to this awful humiliation.
Officer Turner then asked him a second time if he knew why he was pulled over. George responded that he did not know. Officer Turner responded that it was because he had been seen leaving a known "drug house". George asked if anyone in that house had ever been arrested for drugs or if any drugs had ever been confiscated from there. Turner did not answer. And yet again a few minutes later Officer Turner asked George if he knew why he was pulled over. "No" said George. "I pulled you over because your tag light is out" responded Officer Turner.


I know Jay Turner well. He is a member of the Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task force and he testified against me in court. Officer Turner claimed in court that on the day of the raid on my home I arrived in the driveway mid-raid and that I exited my car, ran up the driveway screaming "It's mine, It's mine, I use it for medical reasons" and all of this before I knew why they were here or if anything had been found. What is really interesting is that I do not have any recollection of Officer Turner ever being at my home. What I do remember is having a conversation with another cop about insomnia. He had asked what herbs were good for that because he did not like prescription drugs and suffered with sleep problems. I named off a few that I had heard worked well. That was the only conversation about insomnia that took place in my yard that day. However, Jay Turner claims that I had this conversation with him and that I stated I used marijuana for insomnia. UNREAL!

Friday, November 19, 2004

Jonathan Magbie Story

JONATHAN MAGBIE UPDATE:

Last week I reported that the D.C. medical examiner declared Magbie's death an accident and said it was caused by "acute respiratory failure following dislodgement of tracheotomy tube placed for treatment of respiratory insufficiency." Colbert I King..Washington Post



I have followed the Jonathan Magbie story since it first hit the Post at the beginning of October. I spent 12 days in Washington D.C. most of them in front of Judith Retchin's courthouse with the banner in the picture below. Please click on Jonathan Magbie's name above to read all about how he died, see pictures of the protest, Mr. Magbie's grave and read a first-hand account of the vigil in DC. Amazing stuff!! Also check out the Cannabis Culture and Pot TV News video coverage of the Jonathan Magbie case.


Jonathan Magbie Vigil Posted by Hello

Thursday, November 18, 2004

DEA To Collect Autopsy DATA

The Drug Enforcement Administration, frustrated that it has not been able to detect some hot spots for drug abuse more quickly, is testing a computer database that will allow federal agents to closely monitor death reports from local medical examiners and toxicologists.


The idea behind the database is to allow agents to identify areas that should be targeted for investigations to root out drug dealers, smugglers and pill mills that have fueled drug abuse in communities.


What that really means is that they are searching for something to do for their future job security. What if I don't want my autopsy report given to the DEA? When did we cross the point of no return in this country?

School "lock-downs" and dog searches

This is an issue that has held my interest for almost two years now. It started when I first became involved in the Webster Alexander Case and subsequently the Goose Creek incident. I have followed many stories that involve undercover narc's in schools and the "prison style" lock-downs and dog searches. These quotes are from a story about a high school in Parkersburg, West Virgina




In many cases, police are disappointed when they don't find drugs during a search.




It opens with that line. Now why would police be disappointed when they DIDN'T find drugs? Hmmm....



The barking of the police dogs could be heard throughout the halls as the search was conducted. Students were locked-down in their classrooms because of the search and the last two periods of the school day were not held.




Barking of police dogs.....lock-down....students.....somehow those words do not go together properly



The dogs indicated the presence of narcotics in three book bags and 16 vehicles, said police. However, searches of the vehicles and backpacks did not produce any narcotics. Although no drugs were found in vehicles and backpacks singled out by the dogs, narcotics likely were present inside them at some point, Collins said. Otherwise, the dogs would not have "hit" on them, he said.


Collins said drug-sniffing dogs can detect the smallest presence of narcotics. Even if narcotics were kept in a vehicle or backpack for a short time and removed, the dogs still would detect the smell of the drugs, he said.





Look buddy YOUR DOGS are ZERO for 19....and yet the Supreme Court is considering letting you roam up and down the roads with them sniffing whatever you fancy.
That's just fucking great!




Most of the students whose vehicles or backpacks were singled out by the dogs gave police permission to search. In some cases, parents provided the consent. Collins said this often is an indicator that the person whose property is being searched has nothing to hide. Individuals who are reluctant to allow searches often are hiding something, he said.




So, invoking your 4th Amendment right as granted in the Bill of Rights is now "proof" that you have something to hide?

Children are being taught in public schools to piss in cups or give up other bodily fluids on demand, they are harassed with vicious police dogs, locked down in the "CLASSROOMS" and suspect if they speak out. Doesn't anyone see what this really is and what it is leading to?

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Choose Your End of the Gun

It has come to making a choice between a prison cell or a battlefield.....for smoking a joint.



Jail, or join the military Judge gives option to man in drug case
By GEORGE B. SANCHEZ
Herald Staff Writer

SALINAS The Salinas marijuana peddler who killed a would-be robber in March
was told Tuesday that he can avoid a jail term by enlisting in the
military--an option that caught the prosecutor and defense lawyer off guard.

Brian Barr, 24, was scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday morning for felony
possession of marijuana for sale, a charge he admitted last month.

The charge stemmed from a March 22 home-invasion robbery at Barr's South
Salinas apartment. He shot and killed intruder John Herrera, 34, who had
entered the apartment with two others in search of money and marijuana.

Barr was charged with marijuana possession after investigators determined he
had hidden his marijuana supply after the shooting and even rifled through
Herrera's pants pockets to retrieve marijuana.

Monterey County Judge Robert Moody said Tuesday that Herrera's shooting was
justified and that gun possession, not the shooting, was the aggravating
factor.

"This very situation is apt to arise" when someone selling drugs also has
access to a gun, Moody said.

After announcing that the Probation Department had recommended 240 days in
jail, and praising the probation officer assigned to the case, Moody gave
Barr the option of enlistment instead.

"There's an awful lot of good in this young man," said Moody, citing Barr's
record as a student, his civic involvement and his intervention in a Salinas
bank robbery last year. Barr's father, William, is the county superintendent
of education.

Deputy District Attorney Todd Hornik and defense lawyer Sam Lavorato Jr.
said they were surprised.

"It was not something I expected," Hornik said later. "I've never seen it
come up unsolicited or uninitiated from the bench at sentencing, when it
hasn't been discussed."

Lavorato said he hadn't expected such an outcome. "Today was a day set for
judgment and sentencing," he said immediately following the ruling. "But
this is an unusual case."

Hornik said people convicted of drug-related crimes often are sent to
treatment rather than jail. In Juvenile Court, he said, he has seen military
enlistment used as an alternative sentence. But he said the option of jail
or the Army, common during the 1960s and 1970s, isn't something he has heard
used recently.

"I think this young man would be an excellent candidate for one of the armed
services," Moody said. He said that when he was bused to Monterey as a
draftee 30 years ago, many of the other young men on board had chosen the
Army over jail.

Barr is scheduled to return to court next month.

Time to Rethink Drug Policies

The following is an LTE I wrote in response to this Editorial in the Montgomery Advertiser which was in response to the Freedom March myself and others held in Montgomery in late September.
The entire editorial can be read at the Freedom March link.



Time to rethink drug policies

Thank you for your recent editorial "Drug laws may need reforming." Drug policy reform, while a very controversial and complicated subject, is a critical one that merits discussion and input from the entire community. You have my sincerest thanks for opening the dialogue on your pages.

Let's talk about marijuana prohibition. Your position that prison time for personal possession should perhaps be eased but not prison time for trafficking (selling a quarter bag to your buddy) or manufacturing (gardening/growing your own) is misguided, and does not address the issue of demand.

As long as there are people who choose to consume pot there will always be people willing to supply it. Locking up the suppliers will only produce more suppliers while increasing the black market profit margin. It will not reduce demand, keep it out of the hands of children, ease our overburdened prison system or make us any safer. Prohibition has done the exact opposite for the last 30 years.

I would also like to address the notion that responsible adult consumption of marijuana merits any type of punitive response. Why should anyone be punished for what they consume? If it is consumed willingly and without harm to others, then why make it a criminal offense? People should only be penalized when they commit acts that harm others.

It's high time we regulate it, tax it and make it legal for adult use. Use the money to fund treatment for hard drug addicts, and for a real scientific-based drug prevention education program for our kids.

Loretta Nall
Alabama Marijuana Party
Alexander City

The Totalitarian Drug War

The following is an article I penned for my friend LewRockwell about my visit to Colombia, South America in August of this year.

You can read the article HERE

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Pot TV News with Loretta Nall

In this show Loretta takes an in-depth look at the actions of George W. Bush during his first week in office after being re-elected. She also examines who Alberto Gonzales is and what his being appointed to the Attorney General post in the Bush Cabinet means for the reform community.

Watch show here

The Bush Agenda

Who is Alberto Gonzales?

Check out TalkLeft

Will you be on the "NO FLY LIST"?

US Supreme Court considers if a "DOG SNIFF" is a search

Meet REX the "Friendly" Drug Dog

Cops use STUN GUN on 6-year-old

Iowa Guardsmen face sanctions for failing drug test

Israeli Soldiers use Cannabis for PTSD

Fighter Jet strafes New Jersey School

USMJ Party Store HOLIDAY SALE!

NEW!! USMJ Party & Pot TV News Blog

ONDCP's Marijuana Myths & Facts

I have read the opening and am about to dive into the rest of the sewege. Will post my thoughts when I have read it all.



Introduction


Marijuana Is Harmless

Marijuana Is Not Addictive

Less Harmful than Tobacco

Makes You Mellow

Used to Treat Cancer and other Diseases

More here

Circle the Wagons....the Christians are Coming

Albertville High School's Aggie Stadium hosted "Operation Combat Meth" Wednesday night. Approximately 200 chilled, but concerned members of the community heard serious, but encouraging messages by word and song dealing with the war on drugs.

The attentive audience heard from Albertville Police Chief Benny Womack


Benny Womack
Womack spoke of the frontline efforts of his department in combating the problem he said constitutes a full 80 percent of all calls his officers respond to and sought the audience' assistance and prayers in the battle."

80% and they still focus a large portion of their resources on arresting people for smoking pot. I contend that the war on pot is the underlying reason for the rise in drugs like meth. It is out of your system in 72 hours and you can pass a drug test on Monday if need be.
As Sam Kinison once said;
"Give us back our pot and we'll forget about the crack"...(meth in this case).



Juvenile Judge Tim Riley
Judge Riley described his experiences in the courtroom as he deals with the effects of meth on the youth before him. Riley said those who have successfully dealt with a drug problem have done so through a spiritually based effort.

The spiritual base, he added, was not limited to Christianity, but appeared to be true for anyone holding a strong spiritual belief system of strength outside themselves.

I am not a religious person in any conventional form so when they start to tinker with addicition by applying their delusional religious ideas as a form of "treatment" I get a little un-nerved.

When I was about 15 I attended the Calvary Pentecostal Church in Ashland, Alabama with my best friend. If you are unfamiliar with the goings on in a Pentecostal Church then you might have trouble understanding and believing the story I am about to tell you. But, I swear it's true.

One Sunday morning a gentleman in the pews was suddenly filled with the "Holy Ghost" and so he began running over the narrow backs of the benches (yes he was an adult). From the front of the church to the back he ran narrowly missing the heads and shoulders of others. Then all of a sudden he missed his step...Now I don't know if the "holy ghost" left him suddenly or what exactly happened to cause it....but he fell and he fell HARD. Hard enough to cause him to break his femur. All of the other church members gathered around him and began to try to "lay hands on" to heal his broken leg and he shouted "GET YOUR GODDAMN HANDS OFF ME AND CALL AN AMBULANCE"!!! Right there in the middle of church. And that was the end of that.



I'm not saying that spirituality is a bad thing and has no place in recovery from addiction. It is likely a very important thing to many. I do think however that addiction, for all practical purposes should be approaced from a medical point of view and anything "spiritual based" should only be given to those who seek it and the taxpayer at large should not have to pay for this.




Doctor Mary Holley
Dr. Holley gave a "no holds barred" presentation of the disastrous physical and emotional effects of meth on the individual. Holley also emphasized the spiritual aspect of the problem, in part, as being the cultures veering away from its spiritual roots.

She scares me. She is a medical doctor and she is saying lack of theological belief is the cause for meth addiction and the solution to addiction is religion. She knows better or should. Veering away from spiritual roots has nothing to do with why people smoke meth.

Christian speaker David Rhodes
Rhodes referring to the Book of Job in the Old Testament said many in our society were in a state of brokenness and looking for something to replace it. Unfortunately many were filling it with meth.

The answer Rhodes said was for "the community to come together-find the brokenness and create beauty from it."


Well at least someone has their head on straight. At least he is getting at the root cause of most drug addiction....the personal lives and experiences of the addict.

Read more HERE

Cops target Special Ed Students in Schools

You know it is unacceptable when a police officer who has been trained in psychological war-fare tactics entraps a teenager who is in full control of their mental faculties...but I do not have a word to describe what it is excatly when a police officer entraps a Special Education kid.

How did we get to this point in America and what can be done to make it STOP?
This is a special issue to me because I have school age kids.

Critics Say Undercover Officers Catch Small-Time Offenders And Special-Ed Students. Proponents Say It's The Best Way to Fight Dealers.

The Los Angeles Unified School District has decided to launch a review of the police program of sending undercover officers into high schools to buy drugs amid questions over whether the busts are fair and effective.

The School Buy program, which is conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department on campuses across the city, caught 252 students selling drugs over the last year. Police officials declared the campaign a success, noting that it caught 105 more students than last year's program.


Ok so if it is effective, as the police claim, then how come they are arresting more kids? I mean come on, if it were truly working then the cops would be reporting no arrests as no drugs would be on campus. Sounds like they are making the problem worse to me. And sadly that is nothing new.

But critics said success should not be measured by the number of students caught. They question whether the officers are actually targeting serious dealers. They also point to the rise in special-education students caught in recent years.

According to Los Angeles school district records, 28 special-education students were referred for expulsion through the program this year, the highest number in the five years for which records were available. Last year, there were 24, and in the 2001-02 school year there were 7.

Special-education students made up about 15% of the 191 students referred for expulsion this year, roughly the same percentage of special-education students in the district high schools.

"We're finding that more and more special-education kids are being caught," said Fonna Bishop, principal of Hollywood High School, where about a third of the students caught this year were in special education. "These are young people who have problems, learning disabilities, emotional trouble. They want to make friends, they want to be cool. They don't think about consequences."


This is DISGRACEFUL....UTTERLY DISGRACEFUL. How hard is it to trick a lonely kid with learning problems when it's a cop doing the tricking? They are trained to be sneaky bastards and can trick even the most cautious among us

Read more at DecrimWatch link via my friend Libby at LastOneSpeaks

Monday, November 15, 2004

Red Flags!!

11-11-2004

As of press time Wednesday, facts remain unclear as to a rumored drug raid over the weekend in the community near Chandler’s Store and the intersection of Highway 9 and County Road 36.

The Cleburne County Sheriff’s Department said they were informed “after the fact”, but that an arrest had been made and referred inquiries to the Calhoun-Cleburne Drug Task Force.

An Alabama Bureau of Investigation spokesman simply would make no comment on the matter and also referred The Cleburne News to the Task Force.

A Task Force spokesman would only state that, “We were actually up there with a state agency” and said he did not think an arrest was made.
“It wasn’t a big issue,” he said.
The Cleburne News received reports that some 40 officers from at least three agencies along with a helicopter were involved.


Something isn't right here.

The Cleburne County Sheriff’s Department said they were informed “after the fact”, but that an arrest had been made and referred inquiries to the Calhoun-Cleburne Drug Task Force.


1 It is highly unlikely that the sheriffs office wouldn't know about a drug raid until "after the fact".
It is also highly unusual that the name of whoever was arrested has NOT been plastered all over the media. I mean come on, the first thing that happens to someone arrested on drug charges is that the police get to drag your name through the newspapers and RUIN you in the eyes of those who could potentially be members of your jury ...should you be one of the 1% of Americans who actually gets a jury trial....but that is another story.

An Alabama Bureau of Investigation spokesman simply would make no comment on the matter and also referred The Cleburne News to the Task Force.


2 So the ABI was involved? I remember those guys when they pulled up here in September of 2002.
Also, where does one go to talk to the Drug Task Force? Do they have a friendly neighborhood office?

A Task Force spokesman would only state that, “We were actually up there with a state agency” and said he did not think an arrest was made.
“It wasn’t a big issue,” he said.


3 Which state agency?
To his knowledge no one was arrested.
Whether or not it is a big issue depends on who you ask I guess.


The Cleburne News received reports that some 40 officers from at least three agencies along with a helicopter were involved.


I could speculate a whole bunch....what I suspect is that they caught one of their own and they are going to bury it or perhaps they caught no one and found nothing and do not want to admit the colossal waste of taxpayer dollars as happened in my case.

Stay tuned...








Sunday, November 14, 2004

Thanks for the WARNING!!

Animal studies suggest rimonabant can block the effects of marijuana


Thanks for the WARNING!!!
I'll pass...(The Bong that is)

All drug use is not abuse and all drug abuse is not addiction.

In a holistic sense everyone needs to alter their state of conscious once in a while in order to remain sane. It is a natural part of life.

Considering the side effects of modern day pharmaceuticals.. see VIOXXfor example...It's inarguably safer to smoke a joint or drink a beer than take a (fill in the blank)

Rimonabant's versatility traces back to its effects on the brain's reward system, circuitry that tells you to keep on doing something. Basically, it appears to help break the connection between an activity like smoking and the rewarding feeling it causes in the brain.


That sounds like the same stunt they pulled with WELLBUTRIN when they passed it off as the anti-smoking medication ZYBAN

Saturday, November 13, 2004

Smoking Pot leads to Sacrificing Children

Ok so the headline is "spun" a tad....but you get the picture.

Sounds like Mancini could have used a joint.

I bet Mark Souder and John Walters are celebrating this case tonight and we will hear them both spout this as a reason to lock up pot smokers.

ICK!!
I feel dirty.

Say Goodbye to more of your 4th Amendment Right

To be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

Illinois officials, backed by the Justice Department, told the justices that a sniffing dog is not a search, at least not as far as the Constitution is concerned. It is a reasonable investigative tool, they said, no different from the trooper's eyes or nose. Moreover, Caballes has no right of privacy when it comes to contraband, the officials said.

"Dog sniffs are unique in that they only reveal the presence or absence of contraband," Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan told the justices. "And there's no privacy right for drugs."


If a dog is no different than a cop...then I guess a cop is no different than a dog.
If a cop is no different than a dog....then why do they need dogs?
Obviously, there is a very LARGE difference somewhere.
This is INTOLERABLE.

I think there might be a market for some really
SPICY CHEW TOYS
Here Puppy

Friday, November 12, 2004

Will You be on the "No Fly List"?

I flew in June....I fly somewhere almost every month. Perhaps I will share my "Customs" experiences one day....just for fun!

Ten to one my name surfaces on this list.

Will you be on the No Fly List?

Tiananmen Square USA

Think you are free to voice political dissent?
So Did I

Think Again!

Anti-war protesters in L.A. are intimidated by U.S. Marines in tanks.

Thanks to LA Indymedia for having the balls to film this.
I suggest everyone save a copy to their hard drive before it disappears down the memory hole.

It is time to get off your ass and TAKE A STAND.

Cops use 50,000 Volt Stun Gun on Florida Six-Year-Old

MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Police used a stun gun on a 6-year-old boy in his principal's office because he was wielding a piece of glass and threatening to hurt himself, officials said Thursday.

Wait.....a six-year-old?

Would they really like us to believe that a principal, a security guard and three police officers could not have subdued this kid with their hands?
I have a 12-year-old and a 7-year-old and I know damn well I could get a piece of glass away from either of them without resorting to calling the police or using an electrical shock device to do so.

Welcome to Jeb Bush's Florida

Coming up next week "Kindergartners Maced for Sharing Candy"

It could happen.

On another note I hope this child is given the help he so obviously needs. Six should be an untroubled worry-free time.

Iowa Soldiers Accused of Drug Use

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Iowa National Guard says four soldiers who tested positive for drug use before shipping out will get a chance to defend themselves at a military hearing early next year. Read more here

My take on this is....these guys served in a horrible, bloody war for oil and apparently being high on previous occasions didn't hamper their efforts not to get killed. I'd say they probably got high before going for two reasons.

1. They wanted to get caught and not have to fight in a war they did not believe in.

2. They wanted to get high because they were aware that it might be the last time they were ever able to do so.

Hell, I say we give them a medal and a phattie!

I wonder had any of them had been killed if their families would have been denied benefits?

Thursday, November 11, 2004

You Shall Reap What You Sow

In August 2004 I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Colombia, South America as a Witness for Peace delegate to study the foreign arm of the U.S. led drug war firsthand.

The following is an account of my journey

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Gonzales Likely To Replace Ashcroft

CNN is reporting that Alberto Gonzales is likely to replace Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Bush and Gonzales go way back according to this article from The Texas Monthly

I'd like to remind you all that the person who gave us the Patriot ACT is being replaced with the person who said torture is legal, that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to the US and that detainees have no right to legal counsel.

All we need now is for Ashcroft to be appointed and confirmed to the Supreme Court which is still a possibility (although one that makes me involuntarily shudder when I consider it). Hell, Putumayo, Colombia is looking better and better all the time.

Renee Boje Needs your Help

A member of our Cannabis Community is in dire need of our help.
Renee Boje is an American Cannabis refugee living in Canada and a decision on her refugee claim is about to be announced.

Please take a moment and write a letter to Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler asking him to let Renee stay in Canada with her family. Details on where to send letters can be found at the bottom of the linked page above.

Hang together or hang seperately.

Pot TV News

As some of you may know I am also the anchor for Pot TV News

You can watch my latest show here and the archives are located here.

Pot TV News is a video blog of sorts.

Generally a new show is posted every Monday.

Check it out!

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition

Attorney General John Ashcroft resigns

To quote a line from "Pulp Fiction"
"I wouldn't recommend blanking each others blanks just yet"
At least not until we determine who he is to be replaced with and what he plans to soil and contaminate next.
(blanked for those offended by a little graphic humor)....

I wonder if he plans to pursue a career in music since Crisco Cooking Oil turned down his offer to be their spokesperson? (j/k)

Drug Task Force Acting as Traffic Cops in my hometown

I am sad to report that a close friend of mine has fallen victim to police corruption

George Kelley Jr. is a longtime personal friend of mine.(and no I do not smoke crack....I'm not sure that George does either)
Since when does the narcotics task force conduct routine traffic stops?


By Amy Bice

A routine traffic stop by the Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task Force netted a drug arrest Friday.

George Kelly Jr., 43, of Goodwater was stopped for an equipment violation.

"His tag light was out," Jay Turner, investigator for the Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task Force, said.

During the stop, the officers discovered eight grams of crack cocaine, and Kelly was charged with possession of a controlled substance for the eight grams.

"By the complaints that we have received, we consider him a dealer not a user," Turner said. "So we felt real good about the arrest."

The crack cocaine has a street value of approximately $800. "It is what we consider to be a distribution quantity," Turner said.

Kelly was transported to the Tallapoosa County Jail.

Monday, November 08, 2004

Women's Prison Population JUMPS due to Drug War

Due mostly to the failed war on drugs the US Women's Prison Population has taken a huge jump.

That is too many momma's in jail for smoking a joint. Think about all those sad little kids who wish mommy was there to read them a story at night or a whole myriad of other things that only a mommy can do.
How does this help America?
How does it promote family values?
How does it make anything better?
What problems does this kind of action solve?

Afghan Terror/Drug War

Ted Galen Carpenter at CATO

Another Black Man Murdered by Alabama Cops

What began as someone trying to collect a $20 debt has ended in the murder of Aaron Shaw while in Alabama police custody.
According to witnesses Mr. Shaw was driven around town and beaten at two different locations and eventually shot while in handcuffs.

UPDATE: Dothan Channel 4 News is reporting that the shooting of Aaron Shaw was JUSTIFIED according to what the police who killed him have to say.
Remember this man was shot while in handcuffs and after being beaten twice.

Stay Tuned....