Quote of the Day

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Pete

Radley Balko:

“In the month that police and federal officials wisely used cunning, patience to apprehend the Oregon militia leaders, there were at least 3,000 violent raids on the homes of suspected drug offenders.”

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56 Responses to Quote of the Day

  1. Swooper says:
    January 27, 2016 at 11:37 am

    I guess it’s true – the Government does fear well-armed [White] citizens. Too bad they couldn’t have used some of the restraint shown to the armed insurrectionists, to the citizens who were raided by paramilitary police. I wonder how many citizens were hurt, or had their pets killed, or property destroyed in these raids. I wonder what % of those raided were People of Color?

    I’m glad the leaders of the insurrectionists were captured. Too bad one fulfilled his own prophecy and won’t spend any time in a concrete box – he got off ‘way too easily. The rest of these morons need to spend the next 25-to-life in a heartbreak hotel.

  2. Thinking Clearly says:
    January 27, 2016 at 12:29 pm

    Here is another nice set of stats:
    http://tinyurl.com/j74n5cf

    Shoot first, ask questions later?

  3. jean valjean says:
    January 27, 2016 at 12:33 pm

    As I think Dark Cycle pointed out a long time ago when the Feds want to arrest a truly dangerous person such as the leader of the Diabolos motorcycle gang they don’t use a swat team to bust the door down, they pick them up off the street. This gives the lie to the whole justification for swat raids on suspected drug users….it is nothing to do with police officer safety and everything to do with extra-legal punishment and creating fear for non-violent drug dissidents.

    • darkcycle says:
      January 27, 2016 at 3:23 pm

      The (now former)international President of the Bandito’s motorcycle club lives in my neighborhood. Just a block away, in fact. They had my street blocked off for the raid. They had a UPS truck pull up to make a fake delivery, and they grabbed him as he opened the gate to his property. The fact is, if there’s real danger, they use common sense. They look at these low level drug raids as practice for something that when push comes to shove and the shit gets real, they are terrified of doing. Nice that we’re expendable that way, huh?

      • jean valjean says:
        January 28, 2016 at 2:42 am

        Thanks DC. I realized it was the Bandidos you refered to, not the Diabolos just after the edit time expired on my post.

    • Thinking Clearly says:
      January 27, 2016 at 4:04 pm

      Yes. No better description of government domestically sponsored terrorism that I can think of, jean valjean.

  4. Robert Farrior says:
    January 27, 2016 at 2:36 pm

    The tyranny must end! Revolution now!
    robertsrevolution.net

  5. Abyss Avenger says:
    January 27, 2016 at 2:55 pm

    “On the day when you again allow abominable men to confiscate your freedom, your money, your lives, your private property, your manhood and your sacred honor, in the name of “security” or “national emergency” you will die, and never again shall you be free. If plotters again destroy your Republic, they will do it by your greedy and ignorant assent, by your disregard of your neighbors’ rights, by your apathy and your stupidity. We were brought to the brink of universal death and darkness because we had become that most contemptible of people — an angerless one. Keep alive and vivid all your righteous anger against traitors, against those who would abrogate your Constitution, against those who would lead you to wars with false slogans and cunning appeals to your patriotism.” — Taylor Caldwell,”The Devil’s Advocate”(1952) — pgs. 332 — 338

  6. Thinking Clearly says:
    January 27, 2016 at 4:22 pm

    Heres a good example from todays news:
    Police commission questions deadly dinnertime drug raid
    http://tinyurl.com/gkvo4f7
    http://tinyurl.com/hpztwsx

  7. Tony Aroma says:
    January 27, 2016 at 8:25 pm

    This is kind of a big deal, a state rep admits to committing a federal crime:

    Georgia Lawmaker Admits Breaking the Law to Help Families Get Medical Marijuana

    Peake admitted this week to WSB-TV that he has been going to other states to get medical marijuana and bringing it back to Georgia for families in need.

  8. Servetus says:
    January 27, 2016 at 10:08 pm

    Fruit of a poisonous tree. Modern drug raids are the spawn of former LA Police Chief Darryl Gates and his mobile battering ram, which he used to break down crack house doors. Gates’ territory included South Central LA, at the time, a CIA dumping ground for crack cocaine. Herr Gates wore black uniforms. His driver was a former CIA agent. And Darryl was LA’s point man for repressing minorities, until his tactics resulted in blowback and started a riot.

    The authoritarian legacy of Darryl Gates still festers in the SWAT program he developed, and in the many police departments throughout the country whose members believe they need to imitate Gates’ approach to drug enforcement. The one person I knew killed in a botched marijuana drug raid died in part due to a rural sheriff’s unnecessary and incompetent attempt to imitate Darryl Gates and prove himself tough on drugs.

  9. allan says:
    January 27, 2016 at 11:00 pm

    aye… (from Doc Sunil)

    https://www.tni.org/en/article/the-heemskerk-declaration

    Recommendations

    1. We reject prohibition and the war on drugs.

    2. We demand the removal of coca, cannabis and opium poppy from the lists and articles in the 1961 UN Single Convention and the 1988 Convention. No plant should be a controlled drug under the UN Conventions or national legislation. We claim the right to cultivation for traditional and modern uses of these plants.

  10. mr ikasheeni says:
    January 28, 2016 at 2:10 am

    How much of a cut of the forfeiture proceeds does each of those agencies get from those actions? Maybe if the media would stop trumpeting can there be a handle against this pheononema!

  11. jean valjean says:
    January 28, 2016 at 2:53 am

    Noam Chomsky says Sanders has the best policies; GOP (and yes, that includes Hillary!) must be stopped at all costs.

    “Chomsky made it clear that his conviction that “the Republican Party has drifted off the rails” and must be stopped by no means amounts to an endorsement of Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton—who he has previously criticized as hawkish and opportunistic.”

    http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/noam-chomsky-why-republican-party-threat-human-survival

    • jean valjean says:
      January 31, 2016 at 12:41 am

      Oh dear…. there must be at least two Hillary fans reading reading Drugwarrant. Saw a headline the other day which read “The Clintons are like herpes….” you can never get rid of them.

  12. Will says:
    January 28, 2016 at 2:49 pm

    Radley’s quote reminds me of two incidents that happened here in Texas. First the story of John Joe Gray;

    The Longest Armed Standoff In America May Finally Be Over

    http://tinyurl.com/jxfz28n

    The second is the story of an Austin woman who smelled marijuana smoke apparently coming from her neighbor’s back yard (sorry I don’t have link). In a nutshell, she called the police but they didn’t drive by to check it out. However, the next morning at 5:30am a SWAT team arrived and extracted a 70 year old man and a 60 year old woman from the neighbor’s house. You would think the police would have queried the complaining woman a little and learned about the relative dangers — or lack thereof — of her odiferous neighbors. But no, smell marijuana = send in SWAT!!

    So John Joe Gray (in the linked story) bites a cop, runs to his fortified 47 acre property, threatens anyone who comes to arrest him with death and he’s left alone — for 15 years! But a middle aged, heading toward elderly couple smoke a little pot and are met with a SWAT raid.

    Even handed treatment, wouldn’t you say?

  13. allan says:
    January 28, 2016 at 9:20 pm

    fellow dpr couch spud brian bennett just shared this on FB:

    i’ve been invited by the Baker Institute of Public Policy to be a contributing expert in their drug policy program

    props, kudos and a heart “Huzzah!” to mr. bennett

  14. jean valjean says:
    January 29, 2016 at 5:11 am

    Milegalize has events planned tomorrow Jan 30th in Detroit and Lansing. Check them out on Facebook.

  15. Servetus says:
    January 29, 2016 at 12:40 pm

    Maine’s Governor LePage was in the news again gunning up support to bring back the guillotine to execute drug dealers. Previously, LePage had recommended “Everybody in Maine: We have constitutional carry. Load up and get rid of the drug dealers … Cause folks, they’re killing our kids. ”

    LePage is making the same dangerous error the Bolsheviks made, that is they failed to heed good advice and rid themselves of the death penalty prior to provoking the Russian revolution. Many on the wrong side of the revolution paid the price with their lives. Given Gov. LePage’s performance in office, his advocacy for human rights crimes, he really shouldn’t encourage having final-solution types of things like guillotines sitting around. It gives people ideas.

    • Duncan20903 says:
      January 29, 2016 at 6:01 pm

      .
      .

      Wasn’t that Gov LePage I saw with NJ Governor Christie getting thrown out of the Hungry Heifer’s all you can eat buffet last night? I thought they were going to have to bring in winch on a tractor trailer tow truck to get them out the door but fortunately the margarine worked with some help from the kitchen staff. I understand it was the first time in its history that the restaurant ran out of food. C’mon guys, one piggly wiggly Governor at a time in the all you can eat buffet for crying out loud.

  16. DdC says:
    January 29, 2016 at 2:28 pm

    If they hate America so much why do people vote for them? Another example for the Tribunal. This is one Sick Teabagger. Drinks Hemlock Tea maybe? Poisoned minds should not make it to the Governors Mansion. Just shows how much checks and balances have been removed. For this guy to get past the application process is sad. A true Maineiac. Pin a tin badge on him and call him Joe Arpaio. Braindeadsluts is appropriate. They make me dizzy searching for logic. He seems to want to shoot some people for chemicals while making it easier to use other chemicals. Shoot or Guillotine the ones getting high and reward the ones poisoning children. Sicko.

    Maine Gov. Paul LePage OKs shooting heroin pushers:
    ‘Load up and get rid of the drug dealers’

    Paul LePage Urges Maine Residents To Shoot Drug Dealers

    GOP Gone Wild: Next Target EPA in a Very Big Way

    G.O.P. Push in States to Deregulate Environment

    Fall on Mount Megunticook in Maine. Gov. Paul LePage wants three million acres of North Woods forests opened to development.

    Paul LePage, Maine, a Tea Party fav, announced a 63-point plan to cut EPA regulations. Suspending a law meant to monitor toxic chemicals that could be found in children’s products.

    Maine governor blames state’s heroin problem on racist stereotypes
    “These are guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty… these types of guys … they come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, they go back home,” LePage said. “Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young, white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road.”

  17. Thinking Clearly says:
    January 29, 2016 at 2:49 pm

    If a citizen anywhere were to publicly advocate murder they would be arrested as a threat to society.

    When a governor does it does that mean he is any less of a threat?

    Murder is no way to cure a drug problem. Drug war is no way to stop drugs. It encourages a black market. Isn’t it about time we put people encouraging murder in jail where they belong (even if they are governors)?

    What would happen to a citizen that suggested shooting the drug war manufacturers?

    LePage belongs behind bars for condoning murder. He sounds like a dangerous criminal.

    If it quacks like a duck, it’s a duck.

  20. Duncan20903 says:
    January 29, 2016 at 11:29 pm

    ,
    .

    With the vultures circling overhead and the stock price swirling the bowl would anyone like to revisit their certainty that GW Pharmaceuticals was ever anything more than a dupe used by the FDA/DEA as a prop to demonstrate that the Feds had actually given organic phytocannabinoids an honest evaluation as a substance with valid medicinal utility? It does appear that Charlie Brown suffered a broken back the last time Lucy suckered him into trying to kick the football.
    http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=gwph

    If you want to make some money get yourself a type 5 account and short GWPH…it’ll be down to 25 before you know it. It actually feels like it’s on life support and terminal but their revenue from foreign markets does mean there may be some intrinsic value. I haven’t got any basis to speculate how foreign revenue will react to an FDA rejection.

    Some people are too nervous to short sell stocks, and there’s nothing wrong with that unless you don’t acknowledge that. Nowadays GWPH has a fairly liquid options chain. Of course the volatility premium is either at or very near the max considering how the traders have been puking the stock. I hate paying premiums to get into a position.

    Don’t forget that dead cats bounce.

  21. Duncan20903 says:
    January 30, 2016 at 12:03 am

    .
    .

    It appears that our Country very well may be having an epidemic of sanity. This one gets filed in the “res ipsa loquitur” category:

    Settlement reached in police killing of dog, called largest in U.S. history

    COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The city of Commerce City has paid a huge financial settlement for the death of someone’s pet.

    The city recently paid $262,500 to the family of a chocolate lab-mix named Chloe, shot and killed by police. The payment was part of a settlement to avoid a federal civil court trial scheduled later this month.

    The Animal Law Center said it is the largest settlement of its kind in American history.

    In November 2012, officers responded to a report of a dog running in a neighborhood. After capturing Chloe with a catch pole and shooting it with a stun gun, Officer Robert Price fired five shots at the dog, killing it.

    Video of the event was captured by a neighbor.
    /snip/

    Unfortunately this wasn’t part of a home invasion by a gang of jack booted thugs. But case law like this needs to be adjudicated away from drugs law search warrants before it can happen there. Too many members of the citizenry are still willing to let cops get away with just about anything if they’re working a raid for illegal substances.

    /snip/
    Price was charged with aggravated animal cruelty but was acquitted by an Adams County jury. Commerce City police documents, obtained by FOX31 Denver, show internal affairs ruled Price was “within policy” when he killed the dog.
    /snip/

    • B. Snow says:
      January 30, 2016 at 3:11 pm

      “Unfortunately this wasn’t part of a home invasion by a gang of jack booted thugs.”

      IMO it sounds like that’s almost exactly what they were… and while previously people might have long deferred to the local cops about what constitutes a ‘dangerous animal’…

      And certain people – may continue to do so if they’ve “lost someone to drugs” or “to those damn drug pushers” or whatever rationale helps them sleep at night = whether its accurate & in fact true or not.

      The increasing demand for body cameras on all cops will show just how much some of these thugs are pussies afraid of poodles.

      As it is NOW, hardly anyone will believe their “in fear of serious bodily harm” bullshit – when they see video of the animals being shot = essentially as a matter of procedure or policy.

      With cameras in the hands nearly everyone it will appears more like what it’s become = a form of immediate punishment for suspected drug users/sellers and their families…

      It might be the only semi-effective “deterrent” they can leverage against non-violent drug users, But these animals are no longer just statistics in written reports the public never sees.

      In a political climate where people are watching police behaviors/methods on video shooting first and creating excuses later – given how little some cops (appear to) value human lives – the value they give pets is infuriating!

      Sad fact, some people have ZERO sympathy for ‘consumers of illegal drugs’ – there are two groups that nearly all Americans do care about almost unconditionally…

      Animals = specifically “pets” AND our military personnel = “the troops” or “veterans”… These are two political issues/categories – (‘Animal Welfare’ or ‘Animal Rights’ & ‘Veterans _anything_’) – with amazing levels of support regardless of political partisanship. Concern for ‘Criminal Justice Reform’ has grown rapidly over the last few years – Now possibly rivaling other issues.

      Still, I’d suspect that the ASPCA has greater support than the other political causes… Some people are (sadly) still okay with *Hippy-Punching* (as they can be blamed for unapproved behavior), But *Kicking Puppies* (or FFS actually killing them) – is socially verboten & rightly seen as despicable by damn near everybody, despite any other prejudices that might sway their views on other political subjects.

      Yes, Sadly some people will overlook cops killing “drug trafficking suspects” in no-knock swat raids – But, -heaven help them- if they kill their dogs too, people will *increasingly* turn on the “Pigs” fast enough to snap necks!

      Sounds pretty harsh? yep, I know… But I dare anyone (not on the couch) to convincingly argue otherwise!

      • Mouth says:
        January 30, 2016 at 4:44 pm

        “The troops” or “Veterans”: that’s what I’ve been saying for years and this war is ripe for it i.e. we have 3 and 4 year old American kids being sent to Afghanistan, I mean, they were three and 4 when 9/11 happened. I want to know why I was never paid for my service in Iraq i.e. The WAR on Drugs? Since War is funded by drugs and if we pretend that the DEA go worldwide (precedents), then we should realize that American Cops should have responded by being deployed to Afghanistan (given going after crime, drugs and violent street gangs is something that they are supposed to do). I have not once received any Law Enforcement pay for my stent in Iraq, yet being a cop is by far one of the safest jobs on the planet considering how too few die in the line of duty (which is a crying shame), yet they get paid far more than soldiers do. If you love the military and the Vets, you’ll support legalizing every illegal drug as a way of destroying the bulk of terrorist funding. And cannabis is good for PTSD and other ailments created by the war, like inhaling sandstorms. And if you have any amount of autism (like I do)–formally called Asperger’s, then cannabis is good for empathy and socialization. From now on, I’m going to go up to people who have cancer and shake their hands: “Thank you for having Cancer” . . . “Thank you for your service” is a What the Fuck sort of statement: offensive.

        hmmm: would an overall lack of being around hemp attribute to more and more autism in the U.S.?

  22. Servetus says:
    January 30, 2016 at 2:15 pm

    With every new technology comes new hazards. A 20-year-old man was buying a new battery and evaporator for his e-cigarette in Cologne, Germany. When he installed the new components, and pressed the on-button, the device exploded in his face, burning him, and knocking out several of his teeth.

    For drug legalization, this unfortunate news means it is now accurate to say that inhaled nicotine and cannabinoids are safer than the devices used to inhale them. I’m sticking with my vape, in any case.

    Story here: http://www.thelocal.de/20160128/e-cigarette-explodes-and-blows-mans-teeth-out

    • allan says:
      January 30, 2016 at 3:13 pm

      the only comparison I have is the exploding seed in a joint or bowl… and THAT has been awhile. And I am not aware of an exploding seed ever knocking out any teeth.

    • darkcycle says:
      January 31, 2016 at 4:12 pm

      As I’m sure you know, any device containing lithium batteries is potentially explosive. Lithium ion batteries are sealed, as the lithium compounds used will begin to burn in the presence of hydrogen and oxygen. In fact, the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen is exactly 2 to one. In other words…..don’t THROW WATER ON A BURNING BATTERY! It responds like gasoline. Sometimes, that seal is defective, or damaged during shipping. And….well everybody has seen the pictures of those Hover Boards bursting into flames. Happens quite often, as a matter of fact.

  23. DdC says:
    January 30, 2016 at 10:03 pm

    Bernie Sanders calls for resignation of
    Michigan GOP Gov. Rick Snyder
    amid Flint water crisis.

    ‘Don’t Send Water’
    Michael Moore Laid Out the Painful Truths
    About Flint in This Letter

    “You cannot reverse the irreversible brain damage
    that has been inflicted upon every single child in Flint.

    Well, maybe if they didn’t ban research…

    Cannabis Blocks Irreversible Brain Damage

    Cannabis Prevents Brain Damage

    Using Pot To Save Brains!

  24. jean valjean says:
    January 31, 2016 at 9:11 am

    Friend of mine looking for a good portable vaporizer but doesn’t want to pay Volcano prices, Any suggestions?

    • Poca says:
      January 31, 2016 at 10:52 am

      Iolite or wispr are butane powered and most affordable. The draw is slow but not as bad as MFLB.

      Arizer air or the solo are both also very good and affordable. The draw is good and they can be used w/ water pipe.

      I currently have a pax I was gifted and am happy w/ but they are pricey…also have a pinnacle pro that I don’t use w/ its water attachment b/c I replaced the first 1 under warranty and the ppl who make the pinnacle pro suck at dealing with / must be pressed to honor the warranty- so I like it for the draw but treat it gingerly…the pax is very hard wearing and has excellent warranty from what I heat, but never had a problem. Pax is hard to clean, pinnacle ez to clean.

      Stay away from the grasshopper vape until they get their shit together, still in the early adopter/job-shop manufacturing stage

      Currently for my desktop vape I opted to get an Extreme Q w/ a whip attachment for my bong rather than spend the money to fix my 8 year old volcano which I’ve sent away a couple times since the warranty ran out.
      I love the temp control and multiple fan speeds on the Extreme Q. The water pipe adapter is crucial!

  25. Servetus says:
    January 31, 2016 at 11:16 am

    PROPAGANDA ALERT: With just 50 research participants, “psychotic and non-psychotic siblings” in this case, researchers at the University of Granada say:

    …suffering repeated traumatic experiences throughout infancy and adolescence multiplies by 7 the risk of suffering psychosis during adulthood.

    Additionally, having been a heavy cannabis user (that is, smoking five times a week or more) during infancy or adolescence multiplies said risk by 6. This possibility rises a 30% for each point gained in a personality trait called neuroticism or emotional instability (emotional instability and insecurity, high level of anxiety, constant state of worry and stress, etc.).

    The press release looks as if it’s a Google translation, combined with multiple emphases that the publisher is the prestigious Journal of Psychiatric Research (is this a first for UGR?). I would like to know how an infant ends up smoking a doob. Where does said infant get the money to buy marijuana?

    AAAS Press Release Here: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-01/uog-rte012816.php

    • DdC says:
      January 31, 2016 at 3:49 pm

      Peculiar science. It seems no doctors study the ECS and any change in the “white matter” leads them to false conclusions. Lack of education maybe? Omega 3 efa’s have been reported as positive results for psychosis. I remember something a while back about NIDA and white matter changes put out as a negative. So if ECB’s have an effect on white matter, Ganja or Hemp seed. Then these clowns without knowledge simply took the grant money and implied results for the fear factor. Which no NIDA puppet would dispute. So the kids with other traumas in childhood, including racism and poverty. Having a psychosis are also deficient in nutrition, or efa’s. So when given ECB’s the white matter changes and that is what they discovered and falsely diagnosed it as psychosis from using pot at an early age? Yet when testing neonates in Jamaica the kids were found to be better at social skills than the non using mothers during pregnancy. Otherwise I can’t see toddlers smoking pot in any true scientific testing. If they don’t administer it then the potency, amounts and frequency is hearsay. Dependent on the audience as to its true merit. Kids will brag to friends and hold back from parents. A poll is only as good as its pollsters. Not science. They are well advised to include the disclaimer. mho

      Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation and White Matter Changes in Major Depression

      HEMP SEED: The Most Nutritionally Complete Food Source In The World. Seeds of the plant cannabis sativa, hemp seed, contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life.

      Dysregulated peripheral endocannabinoid system signaling is associated with cognitive deficits in first-episode psychosis

      Endocannabinoids

      What is clinical endocannabinoid deficiency?
      Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CEDC) is a proposed spectrum disorder that has been implicated in a range of illnesses, including fibromyalgia, migraine and irritable bowel syndrome. So far, very little research has been conducted on this speculative disorder, but if it is found to exist, it could be responsible for these very common conditions as well as many related ones.

      Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

      The results of the study are predictable, so no one should be surprised! Not one of the medical schools surveyed had a department of endocannabinoid science or an ECS director. None of them taught the endocannabinoid science as an organized course. Only 21 of the 157 schools surveyed had the ECS mentioned in any course. 21/157 = 13.3% In the United States of America, only 13% of the medical schools surveyed teach the endocannabinoid science to our future doctors.”

    • darkcycle says:
      January 31, 2016 at 4:22 pm

      “Additionally, having been a heavy cannabis user (that is, smoking five times a week or more) during infancy or adolescence multiplies said risk by 6.”
      *head*desk*head*desk*
      Psychologists MAKE ME CRAZY. Perhaps that explains the trajectory of my career as one. I always got along better with (as well as understood the motivations of) my patients better than my peers. Who frankly, were a mystery and a source of constant frustration. This fits.
      Oh…and I wanna see their raw numbers and how they were treated. This smells rotten, just like evry other “study” purporting to link pot with any negative outcome.

  26. Richard M. Bongworth says:
    January 31, 2016 at 2:44 pm

    “Hardened tabloid-TV veterans are protesting the harsh treatment of a New Jersey wedding photographer caught growing 17 pot plants.

    Jon Peditto (the son of John Parsons Peditto, former news director at Channel 5’s “10 O’Clock News” and co-creator of “Hard Copy”) was sentenced Friday in Toms River, NJ, to eight years for drug manufacturing and distribution.

    Family members, who are trying to raise $35,000 to hire a lawyer to appeal, say, “Jon is a gentle, compassionate man with no prior criminal record. His only ‘crime’ is gardening without a license.”

    http://tinyurl.com/zkvn4to

  27. Mouth says:
    January 31, 2016 at 4:13 pm

    OT
    A glimmer of hope coming from the pulse of the youth: What do you get when you get cannabis (creativity meets health), South African Apartheid and Drug Laws creating gangs, harsh penalties and criminal syndicates? There are several answers, but I’ve only jumped onto one of them and it is the band Die Antwoord, which is an SA rap–rave group. These kids who like this stuff will change the laws because of necessity and for the same reason why round tires work better than triangle ones.

  28. Servetus says:
    January 31, 2016 at 10:36 pm

    Just when you thought the drug war couldn’t be more corrupt, along comes Maricopa County, Arizona, and its drug court profiteers, Barbara Zugor and her husband:

    JAN 27, 2016 — When someone arrested for drug possession is facing trial in Maricopa County, prosecutors often offer TASC’s mix of addiction treatment and urinalysis testing as an alternative to prison and a criminal record. Such systems have long been touted as a key tool in dismantling the mass incarceration system in America. […]

    Former TASC CEO Barbara Zugor made more than $4.2 million in total compensation from 2000 through her retirement in 2014, tax documents for the non-profit show. Her total compensation – which includes rent payments from the company, as she co-owns the building where it has its headquarters – hovered between $400,000 and half a million dollars per year for the last six years she held the job.

    Zugor’s husband works in a senior position at TASC as well, though his earnings never came close to matching hers. The couple’s combined haul from their monopoly over drug diversion treatment payments approaches the $5.5 million mark over the same period.

    The vast majority of that money came out of the pockets of people whose only offense was having a small amount of marijuana. While other drug possession crimes also funnel paying customers into TASC’s doors, roughly 80 percent of people who participate in the system ended up there because of a pot bust according to the New Times’ review.

    Source: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/27/3743509/maricopa-county-drug-court-profiteers/

    • DdC says:
      February 1, 2016 at 1:00 am

      It wouldn’t be such a secret if we actually had a Free Press and Investigative Journalism on Cable more. Bensinger, DuPont and Turner were all in on the yellow rush once Nanny-goat was on board. Just Saying No to her wrinkled Alzheimer ridden hubby. Who got her by cheating on his wife and mother of his backward kid. While suffocating monkey’s. Pisstasters should be Prosecuted. Some places say the DEA won’t pay for negative test results. Or like Medicaid some just don’t want the hassles and wait. The bottom line is flunking a piss test has little or nothing to do with impairment. But it has a lot to do with treatment profits, employment, food, college, driving and even housing.

      Drug mishandling may have tainted 40,000 cases.

      DARE Summa Cum Laude honor graduate
      recieves high praise from DEA.
      She majored in Perjury and Snitching 101.

      Now Semblers main squeeze in FLorida…
      Nuke Leaks no SAM,
      Lead Water No SOS,
      Methane Air NO DEA.
      Trillion spent funding pickled red herrings
      like this piece o shit.

      Official Corruption: Carlton Turner
      excerpted Jack Herer’s Emperor Wears No Clothes

      Urine Testing Company
      After his resignation, Turner joined with Robert DuPont and former head of NIDA, Peter Bensinger, to corner the market on urine testing. They contracted as advisors to 250 of the largest corporations to develop drug diversion, detection, and urine testing programs.

      Carlton Turner became a rich man in what has now become a huge growth industry: urine-testing. This kind of business denies the basic rights of privacy, self-incrimination (Fifth Amendment) rights, unreasonable search and seizure, and the presumption of innocence (until proven guilty). Submission to the humiliation of having your most private body parts and functions observed by a hired voyeur is now the test of eligibility for private employment, or to contract for a living wage. Turner’s new money-making scheme demands that all other Americans relinquish their fundamental right to privacy and self-respect.

      Poisoning Pot Smokers
      In August and September, 1983, Turner went on national television to justify the illegal marijuana spraying (by plane) of paraquat in Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee by the DEA. He said it would teach a lesson to any kid who died from paraquat-poisoned pot.

      Phony Paraquat Kits
      During the 1978 Mexican marijuana paraquat scare, and while still a private citizen working for the state of Mississippi marijuana farm, this same Carlton Turner called High Times magazine to advertise a paraquat tester.

      A Wanton Disregard For Life
      April 25, 1985, PRIDE conference in Atlanta, Georgia, with Nancy Reagan and 16 foreign First Ladies in attendance (including Imelda Marcos), Turner called for the death penalty for drug dealers.

      Sembler funds Carlton Turner’s anti-medical marijuana committee
      Mel Sembler donated $100,000 last month to establish Drug Free Florida. The committee is just starting to draft a budget and reach out to other donors, co-chairman Carlton Turner said Wednesday, “but we are going to be very aggressive in attacking this issue.”

      Turner was forced to resign as Drug Czar after announcing his conclusions in public that marijuana caused homosexuality, the breakdown of the immune system, and, therefore, AIDS.

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