Category: Politics

Politics, Society

Is Washington State Becoming a Drug Kingpin?

Submitted By Darren Smith, Guest Blogger

Washington State SealA controversy is developing in Washington State involving revenue collection between Recreational Marijuana, legalized by Initiative 502, and existing Medical Marijuana dispensaries.

Medical Marijuana has been available for over ten years and the language of the original initiative was such that the purpose of which was for the treatment of various ailments users were suffering. Those possessing a medical marijuana card could legally possess a small amount in either usable form or owning a small number of plants. Collectives could also be formed where patients would aggregate their grow and share among themselves the drug for their own use. Since according to the statute the use of the cannabis is for medicinal purposes, like prescription drugs or medical devices, it is not subject to state recreational marijuana taxes.

With Recreational Marijuana the taxation is nearly a polar opposite. The state imposes a twenty five percent excise tax on sales from a producer (farmer) to a processor, a twenty five percent excise tax on sales from the processor to the retailer, and a twenty five percent sales tax on the consumer who purchases marijuana from a retailer. Could this difference be influencing the state toward protectionism or undue influence?
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Constitutional Law, Politics

It Was Never About Terrorism

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

drug seizureWe have previously discussed the pathetic attempt to justify the seizure of every American’s phone data based on its “contribution” in apprehending terrorists. We also discussed the conflating of successful NSA programs overseas with the domestic metadata collection to give the impression that the domestic collection is contributing to the hunt for terrorists. The massive NSA surveillance utterly failed to detect the Boston Marathon bombings. It is not surprising that government officials would try to connect the NSA surveillance with terrorism prevention: polls suggest that Americans are more willing to accept the surveillance if it helps reduce the threat of terrorism. However, there is a lucrative and successful use of the NSA’s collection of all communications – the Drug War.

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Bizarre, Courts, Criminal law, Justice, Media, Politics, Society

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Feudalism

Submitted By: Mike Spindell, Guest Blogger

104248208I’ve long contended that I believe the end game of those Corporatists that run our world is a feudalistic state of affairs where they represent the “Nobility” of the Middle Ages. This theory of mine originally came about when I began to think about the mystifying rise of celebrities as cultural icons. The Kardashians, whatever it is that they do, certainly are among the most famous of today’s celebrities. Many of these celebrities are notable not for their talent, but for their ability to manipulate public relations and the media. The Kardashians were not the first intimation that came to me about what I see is a trend to use subtle propaganda techniques to pave the way for full blown Medieval Feudalism. One of the first indications that came to mind was the TV program “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” The show’s host was Englishman Robin Leach. With his upper crust sounding English voice, actually a worked over Cockney dialect, he would breathlessly show the viewers sumptuous estates and introduce them to the wealthy celebrity wannabe’s who owned this monuments to poor taste. Around that time Donald Trump, the scion of a real estate empire married his middle European wife Ivanna, who taught this twit how to get publicity to publicize the Trump brand of over the top extravagance, coupled with a taste for gilt everywhere. Ivanna aged and outlived her usefulness to “The Donald” and he cast her aside for a much younger woman to grace his arm and broadcast his “potency.” The man has filed for bankruptcy many times, ran his Casinos into the ground and is far from the Billionaire Entrepreneur image he projects. Yet he runs seminars on how to get rich (easy to do when your father is a real estate baron) and has a well-rated program where he acts as a Judge as to how people are skilled in management. He has even had the temerity to play at running for President. The Trump name is more recognizable to the public than the name of the Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

The recent birth of the Royal baby in England and the round the clock coverage by CNN illustrates my point. Our news shows give us more “news” on the box office from this week’s movies, than it does about deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq. The “Cult of Celebrity” in my opinion is propaganda to pave the way for a feudal system where we the citizens spend our time thinking about the doings of our “betters”, rather than our responsibilities as citizens. When there is this absorption about the wealthy class and their lives, the fact that many escape their duplicitous deeds by being so wealthy, becomes and accepted reality. There is much evidence and little doubt that the recession of 2008 was brought about by illegal activity on the part of the financial community. Yet almost all of that community has escaped real criminal punishment for their deeds and when light prison sentences have been imposed, they spend their time is minimum security federal prison camps, with many of the comforts of home.  Yes Bernie Madoff is in jail for life, but Bernie ripped off other rich people mainly and so had to be punished. Martha Stewart, though not to the manor born, acted like she was an arbiter of society. She was sent to jail for a minor violation because of fame and as an example to those who would rise above their station. This trend towards developing a “new nobility” to entrance us peasants is a difficult one to deal with since so many of us “low born” are fascinated by it. In truth “celebrity watching” has always been a human passion going back at least 5,000 years to ancient Sumer and Egypt.

We and many of the industrialized nations are supposed to be Republics, not Monarchies and to my mind we are fast elevating our “entrepreneurial and entertainment” class into our new nobility. The reality is that there is little any of us can do about this except to try to expose it and hope people wake up. I think though that having won the “celebrity war” there is coming an expansion by our “elite” into making ones status in society’s hierarchy, into ones’ privilege under the law and I’ll explain further the signs of this that I see occurring right now. Continue reading “Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Feudalism” →

Congress, Constitutional Law, Media, Military, Politics, Society

Machines Don’t Leak: NSA Moves To Replace Humans With Machines To Stop Leaks

200px-national_security_agencysvg256px-HAL9000.svgNational Security Agency has been reeling from leaks showing massive warrantless surveillance programs capturing communications for every American. These disclosures have further shown that officials like National Intelligence Director John Clapper committed perjury before Congress, though the White House and Congress have protected him from any charge in America’s Animal Farm system. Now, NSA director General Keith Alexander has indicated that he has a solution. With the public saying that it is more afraid of the government than terrorists and NSA workers balking at participating in such authoritarian programs, Alexander wants to replace the workers with machines. Machines don’t leak. Indeed, they have no sympathy or morals at all. They are perfect. That would leave citizens as simply the objects rather than the objectors for surveillance. So, the Obama Administration has finally found the barrier to the creation of the perfect government: the citizens themselves.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Religion, Society

Missing Person Report For Wife of Scientology Head Declared “Unfounded” By LAPD

488px-scientology_symbolsvgScientology has been reeling from a growing number of defections where often high-ranking former members have accused the organization of everything from beating members to reducing members to virtual captive slaves. However, Scientology is most vulnerable to defection of celebrities. The organization caters to celebrities and has special programs for their care and treatment. That is why the recent departure of Leah Remini has been a big blow for the organization which touts such big name followers as Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Catherine Bell, Nancy Cartwright, and Fox anchor Greta Van Susteren. Now Remini has gone on the offensive and filed a missing person’s report with the police department. The missing person? Scientology leader David Miscavige’s wife, Shelly Miscavige, who has not been seen in public in six years. However, it is now being reported that Shelly has been found, like some Scientology Big Foot, and had a sit down with the LAPD (which has closed the investigation).

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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Don’t Call Me: Leathers Endorses Quinn For Mayor

220px-Anthonyweiner220px-Christine_Quinn_VF_2012_ShankboneJust when you thought that the Weiner scandal could not get much worse, it just did. As I have previously written, the Weiner scandal has highlighted the lack of ethics and honesty that now pervades our society and our politics. It is a story without a single redeeming character. Now, the woman who engaged in phone sex with Anthony Weiner and sextexting with Weiner has endorsed his rival New York City mayoral candidate Christine Quinn. That’s right, she is now the proud recipient of a Sydney Leathers endorsement. It is like Gore Vidal’s The Best Man in 1964 with you replace President Art Hockstader with Leathers, the former tanning salon employee and professional “other woman.”

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Media, Politics, Society

Thou Shalt Not Praise His Name: Rep. Lewis Praises Snowden . . . Then Quickly Retracts Praise

220px-John_lewis_official_biopic228px-Picture_of_Edward_SnowdenThe degree of pressure on reporters and politicians from the White House and Democratic leadership in the Snowden controversy was in full and embarrassing view yesterday when Rep. John Lewis walked back from an interview that he gave to the Guardian praising Snowden. He appears not to have gotten the memo: Snowden is not to be praised in the media or by members of Congress. Various reporters and new organizations have held the line in mocking Snowden or refusing to call him a “whistleblower” rather than a “leaker.”  After all, the fear seems to be that Snowden has to be a traitor or Obama would look like a tyrant.

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Congress, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, International, Media, Politics

New York Times: Government Conducting Broader Searches Of Emails and Text Messages Than Previously Reported

President_Barack_ObamaOn the heels of President Barack Obama again assuring that public that there is no domestic surveillance programs on their communications, the New York Times is reporting even broader surveillance by the Administration than previously reported.

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Bizarre, International, Politics

Kerryesque Diplomacy: State Department Announces It Has “Determined That We Do Not Need To Make A Determination” On Egypt

UnknownJohn Kerry seems to have put his unique mark on the State Department. Just last week, Secretary of State John Kerry seemed to say that he was for the coup in Egypt before he was not sure about it. Now, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki has declared that the U.S. had “determined that we do not need to make a determination” over whether the ousting of Mohamed Morsi in Egypt was a coup. The wonderful thing is that no one can oppose our foreign policy if no one understands it. Brilliant.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Obama: “Unfortunately” Dying In Car Crash More Likely Than Dying In Terrorist Attack

President_Barack_ObamaWith four kids and a new puppy, I do not get to watch much television. This morning therefore I was probably one of the last to read this odd comment from President Barack Obama on Jay Leno last night:
“The odds of dying in a terrorist attack are a lot lower than they are of dying in a car accident, unfortunately.” It was clearly a slip of the tongue but for civil libertarians it was a signature moment since our burgeoning security state seems to be working desperately to keep fear alive. For many who have criticized the rise of the security state, it sounded like an authoritarian Freudian slip. The comment is particularly interesting in light of a recent poll showing Americans afraid more of their own government’s attack on privacy than terrorist attacks.

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Courts, Lawyering, Politics, Society

Ohio Judge Allegedly Chastises Jury For Acquitting Defendant; Promises That She Is Not Done With Defendant

a_25391Jurors are routinely told by judges and lawyers that they alone decide guilt and the parties will abide by their decision. That did not stop however Judge Amy Salerno who allegedly chastised a jury for finding a defendant not guilty in a recent case in Columbus. Salerno has now correctly been referred to the court for disciplinary action after four jurors complained about the tongue lashing.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Lawyering, Media, Politics, Society, Torts

Tawana Brawley’s Wages Garnished For Defamation Damages From Infamous Hoax Case

250px-al_sharpton_by_david_shankboneTbrawleyWe previously discussed the infamous case of Tawana Brawley and Al Sharpton, now a MSNBC host. In 1987, Brawley, a black teenager, falsely accused a prosecutor, a New York police officer and a state trooper of a racist attack and rape. The racial animus was fueled actively by Al Sharpton who used the case to propelled himself into national fame or infamy. She later recanted and a court ordered damages to be paid by both Brawley and Sharpton — neither of whom paid. The falsely accused former Dutchess County prosecutor Steven Pagones tracked down Brawley living in Virginia and working as a nurse last year. He is owed $190,000 in damages against Brawley, now 40.

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Bizarre, International, Media, Politics, Society

Report: U.S. Proceeding With Massive Purchase of Russian Helicopters That The Afghans Cannot Fully Maintain Or Operate

300px-afghan_mi-17_helicoptersAs Afghanistan quickly unravels and the Taliban resume control over large areas of the country, the Obama Administration appears to be rushing to spend as much money as possible before we are kicked out.  The latest example is the Pentagon moving forward with a $772 million purchase of aircraft that the Afghan army “cannot operate or maintain,” according to a Special Inspector report.  It is understandable of course. We cannot wait any longer with the rise of anti-American sentiments.  We need to get this equipment in place before the Taliban and their allies take over.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Media, Politics

Is The Administration Blocking Access To The Guardian?

260px-The_Guardian_front_page228px-Picture_of_Edward_SnowdenWe have been following the effort by countries like Iran and China to block access to particular sites viewed as anti-Islamic or anti-social. However, I have heard from a couple U.S. government employees that, since the Snowden disclosures, their agencies have blocked access to the Guardian website. When they try to get on to the site at the Energy Department for example it is simply blocked. I am trying to get answers from the Administration but wanted to ask some of our regulars for help on these reports.

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Congress, Criminal law, International, Media, Politics, Society

Wikipedia: Effort To Change Description of Snowden From “Dissident” To “Traitor” Traced To U.S. Senate

article-0-1B1AC667000005DC-316_634x501The desperate efforts of Congress to change the public view of Edward Snowden appears to be continuing. This week someone in the Senate attempted to change the description of Snowden as a “dissident” to a “traitor” on Wikipedia. The White House and congressional leaders are clearly alarmed that many view Snowden as a whistleblower. The media groups like NPR previously yielded to pressure not to call Snowden a whistleblower and instead use the less flattering term “leaker.” However, that is not enough because it does not seem to have helped.

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