President Obama held the first-ever “virtual” town hall meeting. During the meeting Obama came out against marijuana legalization (while jonesing for a cigarette that could actually kill him). In his defense, it’s important not to reward bad behavior. Which explains why he gave another trillion dollars to some stockbrokers? I guess? Apparently in an Obama administration, if you’re gonna burn something green for pleasure, it had better be money.-Bill Maher
TPJ: Despite it being one of the most popular questions in his "virtual town hall meeting", President Obama firmly and convincingly said "no" to marijuana legalization. All this even though it would help our sagging economy, reduce crime overnight (especially on the border where the majority of the drug trade is due to pot) and increase resources available to fight the real drug problems of meth, cocaine/crack and heroin. Plus it would relieve prison over-crowding so that the real criminals such a rapists and child molesters don't get reduced sentences because of their being no room in our correctional systems.
I think Obama is bowing to pressure that isn't really there. A vastly growing number of Americans are for medicial marijuana and decriminilization of small amounts of pot. He seems to be worried more about what that would mean to his own political future than what it would mean for America and its economy. The only real people against pot legalization are those would probably didn't and won't EVER vote for him. At the very least we should let state's rights trump federal law when citizens of a state decide via an election to decriminilize/legalize and/or allow medicinal marijuana.
TPJ: Here is a great reply by Andrew Sullivan to Obama's "answer" and his laughing off the question:
The chuckle suggests a man of his generation. The dismissiveness toward the question of ending Prohibition as both a good in itself and a form of tax revenue is, however, depressing. His answer was a non-answer. I'm tired of having the Prohibition issue treated as if it's trivial or a joke. It is neither. It is about freedom and it's deadly serious. As for your online audience, Mr president, have you forgotten who got you elected?TPJ: I love you Barack but you're wrong here. There are many, many people who responsibily smoke marijuana--doctors, lawyers, accountants and business people. It's vastly uninformed and old talking points to say that the marijuana legalization movement is just a bunch of stoners. It's ironic that Obama wanted to tout and brag about his legions of cyber warriors and his successful exploitation of the internet in his victory when those legions want him to legalize pot and he laughs us off. Thanks B.
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2 comments:
It seems no one has the cojones to admit how utterly frigging futile our stupid and expensive drug laws are.
Though I admire and respect Obama and despite the fact that I understand the reasons why he would play down a divisive issue like “immoral” drug use, I believe that he should be held responsible to use the same meaningful insight and common sense honesty to issues surrounding America’s drug war. When Obama was elected he chose to highlight the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln during his inauguration. Lincoln lead the country through one of its most difficult and divisive times. The civil war is remarkable because it pitted brother against brother and displayed to history the inhumane brutality that we as Americans are capable of inflicting on one another when fall on opposing sides of a powerful ideology. There are many similarities between the war on drugs and that civil war of old. With the war on drugs American is once again pitted against American in battle wrought with bloodshed and human suffering. It is time we as Americans exercise our collective control of government and write, email or call a representative and make the drug war an issue to be dealt with now rather than a lingering pain to be laughed off and prolonged until…….
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