"Republican moms for marijuana: 'Time to legalize is now' "

[intheflow]

Hmmm, from the Boulder newspaper a couple weeks ago, a Repuke mother thinks there may be a full-out legalization bill in the Colorado senate by next year. And she's for it. We're living in strange times indeed, Friends.

http://www.coloradodaily.com/ci_12964487

As a Republican mother committed to legalizing marijuana, political life can be lonely. But while many in my party whisper about the Drug War's insanity, we should shout it from the rooftop: the time to legalize is now.

Calling for a new approach doesn't make me a pothead. In fact, while I freely admit to having previously smoked marijuana -- as do more than 95 million other Americans, including our last three presidents -- I choose not to be an active marijuana user today.

(snip)

Already, there is talk that Colorado may see a legalization bill in 2010. In 2006, voters were asked to legalize small amounts for adult consumption. Forty-four percent said yes -- more than the number supporting the GOP's gubernatorial candidate. With one more vote in every 10, Colorado could become the first state to lift prohibition entirely.

(snip)

[Heidi]

1. I'm totally okay with Republicans demonstrating rational thought. The more, the better, in fact.

Recommending.

:kick:

[RadiationTherapy]

3. An opportunity for bipartisanship.

An opportunity for both parties to make a popular, rational change.

[Octafish]

21. Peace Pipe sure would build bridges.

Makes friends every time.

[sofa king]

28. Or... an opportunity to tear a criminal organization asunder.

I believe that the Republican media shills should be consulted for their opinion on the matter. I have a feeling they won't think about it too long before rolling Republican moms into the liberal mass grave.

[lame54]

4. thinking rationally and STILL calling oneself a republican...

I'm having a little problem with that

But, I hope she succeeds in her quest

[Heidi]

7. If they're rational long enough, they'll vote Dem.

It's perfectly okay with me if they call themselves Republicans among friends and family to safe face. :7

[Romulox]

8. Dems don't exactly lead the way in the "rational Drug War policy," though...

:shrug:

[Heidi]

13. We're trying hard, though, and much harder than the right with its religious fervor is trying.

I've been saying for 20 years that it's a war on people, not a war on drugs, and that our drug war has its roots in racism. I've said it a jillion times at DU in my past five-plus years here. America's first "drug czar" was one of them, not one of us.

There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.
Harry J. Anslinger, first US "drug czar"

[Romulox]

15. Bill Clinton put more people in jail for pot than Ronny and Poppy Bush combined.

And our VP, Joe Biden, is a long time Drug Warrior. He wrote the bill that put Tommy Chong in jail, for goodness sake!

[Heidi]

17. Did I say somewhere that Bill Clinton and Joe Biden are my heroes?

If you have evidence of this, please link it. That oughta keep you busy for a long while, kinda like a snipe hunt. Happy hunting there. :hi:

[Romulox]

19. Dems don't exactly lead the way in the "rational Drug War policy," though...

PS: Obama used to support decriminalization, but this former editor of the Harvard Law Review later retracted this position, claiming that he didn't know what "decriminalization" meant. :shrug:

[Heidi]

27. If you're unsatisfied with the Democrats, I'm sure one as witty and urbane with you can easily

find others who'll share your disdain of our party. Good luck! :hi:

[Romulox]

32. That's a funny way to concede a point!

:silly:

[abumbyanyothername]

16. It is a war on people

and it was escalated, if not started, when Nixon noticed that marijuana, not alcohol, was the drug of choice of the anti-war movement.

[Heidi]

18. Absolutely. Drugs don't do time in prison. PEOPLE do,

and there are people sitting in prison today for drug "crimes" committed during the Nixon administration. What unadulterated horsehit that is.

[Romulox]

20. Absolutely. War on (people who use) Drugs. nt

[Echo In Light]

22. That has been the driving ideological component, + it makes corps that own prisons big $

[RaleighNCDUer]

29. From the Wiki on Anslinger:

"By 1973, Anslinger was completely blind, had a debilitatingly enlarged prostate gland, and suffered from angina. Some of his opponents find it ironic that despite his aggressive stance against addictive painkilling drugs, he himself was taking morphine to alleviate his pain though his use had little influence on his attitude and work."

Even more ironic, smoking a little weed would have helped with his conditions without the chance of morphine addiction. Maybe even the blindness, if it was caused by glaucoma.

[BolivarianHero]

34. Ansligner deserved a throat-slitting the second he brought out the racialist rhetoric...

Fuck that bastard. Glad the end of his life sucked.

[intheflow]

10. I know, the irony makes my head spin!

It reminds me of a facebook exchange I had with my repuke cousin after I posted a link to the story about over half of all Repukes doubt Obama was born in the US. She was all indignant, "No one asked for my opinion!" I had to respond that it's possible that she's in the 40-whatever percent of Republicans who aren't stark raving loonies. And of course I pointed her to the methodology used to come up with those stats. A it turns out, she also happens to be a math wiz, and she couldn't argue with the findings. So rational Repukes do exist--they've just let their party be taken over by the criminally insane as they couldn't be distracted by politics while they've been busy chasing money (or illicit sex or whatever Repukes chase).

[KittyWampus]

2. On internet scrapbooking forums, which for some reason are rife w/ Repub women, the consensus

was legalization.

These were women who supported Bush and all the usual crap.

Shocked the heck out of me but I think it's a Generational change not unlike how many younger people are comfortable with gay people and admitting their need for full Civil Rights.

A lot of these people have smoked pot OR their kids have.

[intheflow]

33. I was on a local talk show a few years ago.

It was one of those two liberals discuss issues with two conservatives. One of the issues we discussed was a drug raid on an AIDS patient who had a prescription for medical marijuana and was using. the show is usually pretty lively, with liberals and conservatives going at it from their respective corners, but this had to be the most boring episode ever since all four of us believed the cops should just give the dying man his weed back!

[Echo In Light]

5. "Calling for a new approach doesn't make me a pothead."

Hopefully the day may arrive when more people won't feel culturally coerced into automatically inserting such a play-it-safe disclaimer that's really only intended for disinformed haters who don't necessarily have anything against marijuana, but harbor personal prejudice for those who smoke it.

Rec'd

[tridim]

6. I agree, legalization will happen in Colorado first.

Just a gut feeling at this point, California will follow close behind.

IMO CO legalization will send a much more powerful message than CA because Colorado is seen as quite a bit more conservative by the rest of the country.

[Kievan Rus]

9. These are libertarian Rs, not social conservative Rs

Social conservatives would never advocate for something like this. This is definitely coming from the libertarian wing of the Republican Party.

[Statistical]

12. right there.

People forget that just like the Democratic party is a coalition of sub groups with different viewpoints the Republican Party is too.

There are some (a minority) who are socially liberal and fiscally conservative. To that groups legalizing is a win -win

socially liberal: govt shouldn't make one vice illegal then other are legal
fiscally conservative: how much $$$ is wasted on the failed war on drugs.

[EC]

11. Is this what the repugs want to use

as a platform to get back some voters? I wonder if this is their way of winning back some of the younger voters instead of being stuck with their aging electorate?

[Roon]

14. My Mother is a freeper and she supports legalization of pot..

She even said she would try it once it became legal. She wants to find out what all the fuss is about...

[Taverner]

23. That's because the only people in America who still want the drug war are cops, Budweiser and Pfizer

[Rebubula]

25. Perhaps...

...the FBI and some high level LEO groups, but the rank and file cops (I know more than a few) want pot legalized so that they can focus on real crime. Or...at least so that they can stop being hypocritical about it...lol.

[Taverner]

26. True, I have met a lot of cops who want pot legal

But I've met a lot who think any drug (incl alcohol, tobacco, etc) should be illegal

And they call US the nanny staters!

[RaleighNCDUer]

30. I don't think most cops still want it, either. They know it is a distraction

from the REAL problems.

Who's more of a threat to society - the guy who's cranked up on meth out on the street, or the guy who is toked up in his apartment playing video games?

[Taverner]

31. Neither are a threat

Now the guy who's fully sober and planning raping that woman who's drink he just spiked - there's your danger

[FatDave]

24. You know what pisses me off more than anything about the drug war?

Drug testing. Meth is out of your system for a day. Cocaine in a couple of days. Heroin, a day or two. They don't even test for LSD. Downers, well, everybody that likes 'em has a prescription for downers.

But pot, the most harmless drug out there? Detectable for weeks. Sometimes 2, sometimes 6.

Now, I realize that there are a lot of jobs out there where drug use is a safety issue. I don't want truck drivers hurtling down the road smoking a blunt. But if he wants to do some bong hits on his day off, why should I give a shit? Long as he's sober by the time he's back on the road, I don't care what he does in his off time. Nobody cares if he gets shitfaced drunk on the weekend, but smoke a joint and there's an automatic presumption of drug use on the job? Fuck that.

If you use drugs--including alcohol--while at work, you're an asshole, and you should be fired. But why the fuck can you lose a job for something you did on your off time? Sure pot is illegal, but it's not that illegal. You're not going to get fired if you get a speeding ticket on your day off. Fuck, you're not even going to get fired if you get picked up driving drunk unless it happens on the job. But smoke a joint, lose your job.

That's fucked up. Hell, might as well start getting your kicks from heroin. Long as you're not tested the next day, you'll be fine.

[Chemisse]

35. Very unfair!

I've always felt people should not be held to account at their jobs for what they do off duty (well, with some obvious exceptions, like you wouldn't want your day care provider to be a weekend serial killer).