It Begins

[williatw]

The 2014 election will not turn on this. It is an attempt to staunch the bleeding. It may get the kids out for the mid-terms if the D party (not just the President) can make it an issue.

Now the 2016 election? The Rs better work hard for Rand Paul.

Well given Obama's love of the executive order; "recess appointments" when Congress is in session, all he would have to do is remove by exec. order pot from a schedule one drug, effectively ending the WOD as far as pot is concerned. Suppose timing would be critical, he could wait until the 2016 election season, late in the summer or fall of 2016, act then. The tea-party republican candidate would feel obliged to condemn it, the presumptive democratic nominee Hillary wouldn't even have to say to much one way or the other (just make it clear she wouldn't rescind it).

[Diogenes]

Some of us regard the pot smoking loon occupier of the White House more reliable than not as a reverse barometer.

Well, you have the leetle problem of 55% favoring legalization.

Which dovetails perfectly with the notion that 52% of them are complete idiots who are priming us for an economic/social collapse.


The Free Sh*t Army is winning the field, and you think this is a positive development because the idiots agree with you about drugs?

Your thinking reminds me of this scene from Harry Potter.

[MSimon]

Did anyone read the questions in that poll??
As mark twain said "there are lies , darn lies and statistics"
Jan. 3-5
2014
Would you say the use of marijuana is a very serious problem in this country today, a moderately
serious problem, not too serious, or not really a problem at all?
Very serious 19%
Moderately serious 32%
Not too serious 22%
Not really a problem at all 27%
No opinion 1%

By their own poll one could say, its a problem. By 73 percent and even if you weight it the other way its still a problem so how are they getting their numbers, by a practice called weighted numbers where you guess what the intent of the poll taker is.
Mark twain said it all. The real question is to what end does the media want to achieve.

Colorado - 55% Washington State - 55% Which is why I said 55%. And you have to think that Obama & Co. are operating from better polls.

And then there is this: Marijuana Policy Project Plans For Legalization In 10 States. Big money is involved in those plans. They like to win. You have to assume they have chosen 10 states where their prospects are best.

And this: Sen. Harry Reid supports marijuana for medical use the numbers for medical run 75% to 85%. And everyone knows that medical is a stalking horse for full legalization. A few years experience with medical ends most fear. Well it ends enough.

Trouble is most Republicans think Reefer Madness was a documentary.

http://classicalvalues.com/2014/01/an-oldie-but-goodie/

We are confronted as always with the Planck problem.

"A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it." - Max Planck

And I can tell you why that is. Endocannabinoid production (which makes brains flexible) declines markedly after age 25. Trouble is the environment is changing much faster than it used to. We have too much stability given our relatively longer lives.

[MSimon]

In addition the seriousness of the problem is not the real question. The real question: Is Prohibition the Answer?

Ask people if Prohibition is working. That number is very low. The last one I remember is that 67% say it is not. Here is more recent data:

November 2012:

A new poll released on Tuesday concluded that the vast majority of Americans are not impressed with the results of the nation’s anti-drug efforts. A full 82% of respondents answered “no” to the question: “Is the United States winning the war on drugs?” This is a significant increase from a poll released in June of this year, in which 66% of respondents characterized the drug war as a failure. Only 7% answered “yes” to the most recent poll question, while 12% were undecided.

http://blog.mpp.org/prohibition/rasmuss ... /11142012/

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... r_on_drugs

[MSimon]

“Most Americans are tired of seeing their tax dollars used to arrest and prosecute adults for using a substance that is objectively less harmful than alcohol,” said MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia in the statement. “Voters and state legislators are ready for change, and the federal government appears to be ready, as well.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/0 ... 96573.html

Which mirrors the President's statement.

[MSimon]

D,

I understand why you favor wasting tax dollars on Prohibition. But that does not detract from the fact that quite a few believe that pot is safer than alcohol. From Oct 2013:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/22/opinion/r ... na-safety/

Or that when people switch from booze to pot traffic deaths go down:

http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/02/w ... ic-deaths/

And this will amuse you:

Ex-DEA agent jumps jobs to join marijuana investment firm
http://news.yahoo.com/u-ex-dea-agent-un ... nance.html

Maybe you are in the wrong business.

===============

What ever the numbers currently are prohibitionists are fighting a rear guard action. It would be better to take this issue off the table. Assuming winning elections is important to you. I think defeating Obamacare is far more important than hanging on to prohibition. Remember 1932!

[paperburn1]

The reason why there are less deaths from pot smokers than drinkers is a drunk will run a stop sign and a pot smoker will wait for the stop sign to turn green.

[palladin9479]

Yeah the winds of change are very easy to pick up on. Majority of voters want the WoD to stop which either means stop prosecuting cannabis possession or full on legalization.

And honestly I don't see why conservatives would be against it. It's a viable free market product, you can run a legitimate business on providing quality cannabis to consumers. I mean seriously Alcohol is medically much worse then cannibis, ethanol is a poison to humans. If someone is for running a legitimate business by selling alcohol then they must also be for running a legitimate business by selling cannabis, anything else would be hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty.

I wasn't joking about the WoD being based on a liberal idea. Specifically the religious southern democrats from the early twentieth century. After the civil rights movement they all jumped ship and joined the Republican party which used to be purely about economics and business. Now it's become twisted into some monstrous religion democrat-not-called-democrat group that cares less about economics and more about enforcing morality.

So it tickles me to see staunch hard line conservatives following an ancient liberal ideology without any idea they are doing it.

[palladin9479]

The reason why there are less deaths from pot smokers than drinkers is a drunk will run a stop sign and a pot smoker will wait for the stop sign to turn green.

Umm yeah no.

Alcohol is a poison to your body, doesn't take much to overpower your system and send you into shock, aka alcohol poisoning. Cannaboids on the other hand aren't a poison and the amount required to cause shock is so great that you'd die of asphyxiation long before you could smoke enough, or your stomach would vomit it long before you'd digest enough. It's pretty much impossible to OD on canniboids. Also THC isn't a hallucinogen, it doesn't impair your self perception, rather your fully aware of what state your body is in. Someone driving under the influence will drive really slowly, way under the speed limit, and take extra long time to do anything including making turns or realizing that it's safe to continue driving after having stopped at the stop sign. And while intoxication does indeed impair their driving skills, the slowing down effect makes the impairment rarely lethal, they'll bump into something going 25km/hr rather then ramming it at 100km/hr.

Most of your knowledge is straight out of reefer madness era propaganda. It's funny that people who claim to be so intelligent can force themselves to be so ignorant.

[paperburn1]

For the humor impaired that was a joke.
Be here all week , don't forget to tip the wait staff.

[MSimon]

The reason why there are less deaths from pot smokers than drinkers is a drunk will run a stop sign and a pot smoker will wait for the stop sign to turn green.

Cute. But in a way very true. Alcohol reduces caution. Pot increases it. Both to excess to be sure. Some studies have found that other than lane maintenance (pot smokers "wobble" a bit - not to excess) experienced pot smokers drive as well as the unstoned. Actually a little better. Not considered significant for any particular study. But it shows up in so many studies that it may be significant.

[MSimon]

Diogenes says:

The Free Sh*t Army is winning the field, and you think this is a positive development because the idiots agree with you about drugs?

Well there is a simple cure for that. Republicans should champion an end to the WoD. Take the issue off the table. I have been suggesting that for a number of years now anticipating the current situation. You? Well your powers of anticipation were insufficient. Odd for an engineer. But there you have it.

My most recent anticipation in a major publication was: http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/09/ ... _plan.html - obviously I was about two and a half years early. More than enough time to course correct though. I discuss that article here: http://classicalvalues.com/2014/01/an-oldie-but-goodie/

And D (and the rest of my conservative friends) I have been warning you what the Democrats were going to do with this issue for quite some time. And what did I get in return? Ad homs and general insults. And now that reality is biting you are wailing and gnashing your teeth. The pain is music to my ears. Take a big gulp of alcohol ad libitum. I hear it kills pain and brain cells. But it is non-specific. I know of no particular remedy for drug prohibition cells. My condolences. LOL.

The Democrats are smarter politically than you are. That has got to hurt. Well I feel your pain. And it delights me. I'm kinda sadistic that way.

You have about 2 or 3 months to turn the Republicans around (in time for Nov 2014) - good luck with that. You have about 26 or 27 months for 2016. You won't have any better luck with that.

And D some one made an argument very similar to yours here: http://classicalvalues.com/2014/01/an-o ... ent-101401 - you can see my responses below his comment. BTW the commenter is another engineer. He is good at it. Call off your pogrom or die on your (political) sword. Remember 1932? Me either. But I can read history. You?

And one other thing. I'd be more than happy to join you in resisting the FSA. But you are going to have to give up your wars on hippies, etc. Time to end the culture war. In the mean time....

And funny that you have nothing to say about the DW being discriminatorially prosecuted against minorities. I have yet to hear you speak up for equal enforcement. I AM amused. Here is a Black police officer explaining why equal enforcement is not possible http://youtu.be/HmgeCeGk--I about 3 minutes in. You have probably seen it before. I have posted it often enough.

[mvanwink5]

Little has changed year after GOP's planned reboot

In the past year, Priebus has launched new efforts to reach out to racial and ethnic minorities, hired about 170 state-level staff — with more planned — and invested in technology to better track potential voters, a tactic Republicans pioneered and Democrats have perfected over the past eight years. He also renewed efforts to win over Hispanics nationally with voter outreach staffers.
But these structural changes can end the GOP's White House losing streak only if its messengers fulfill the report's larger goal: "Change course, modernize the party and learn once again how to appeal to more people."
Since losing the 2012 presidential election, Republicans have continued to slip in public approval. According to a recent Gallup poll, 32 percent have a favorable opinion of the GOP now, compared with 43 percent immediately after President Barack Obama's re-election. Democrats were viewed favorably by 42 percent, also down from a year ago.

Any of the Republicrats here understand the error in thinking reflected above? The whole method of thinking shows no underlying understanding of what makes people run from the R-crats. Just read one of GIT's posts. Anybody in their right mind would not want that kind of person in charge especially with the levers of power that have been installed to enforce every aspect of morality through criminal law. There is a place for criminal law, but progressives have this one trick pony mentality. Really, there are other ways to achieve moral behavior other than through criminal law and police.

Until Republicrats figure that out they will be stuck thinking that their problem is poll technology and the latest modern election tricks. People are just more afraid of Republicrats than Democans.

[Diogenes]

Little has changed year after GOP's planned reboot


Until Republicrats figure that out they will be stuck thinking that their problem is poll technology and the latest modern election tricks. People are just more afraid of Republicrats than Democans.

And that is all that needs to be said about that. Evolution will deal with that sort of stupidity.

Once the public reaches a certain level of idiocy, the burning times will be a coming.

[Diogenes]

Diogenes says:

The Free Sh*t Army is winning the field, and you think this is a positive development because the idiots agree with you about drugs?

Well there is a simple cure for that. Republicans should champion an end to the WoD. Take the issue off the table. I have been suggesting that for a number of years now anticipating the current situation. You? Well your powers of anticipation were insufficient. Odd for an engineer. But there you have it.

Simon, the public is growing stupid. THAT is the reason they are going in your direction. You are touting a treatment for a symptom of the problem, and advocating NOTHING that will solve the actual problem. You may get your deck chairs rearranged, but the ship is still going down, and it is going down precisely because some people insist on fiddling with the deck chairs instead of trying to repair the actual damage.


Currently greater than 50% of the population is on government benefits. How does Idiocracy work again?


We have reached a hysteresis switching point. The idiocy inherent in Democracy is now in full flower, and of course they agree that what the country needs is more dope smoking. (and an unaccomplished dope smoking Idiot for a President.)


Here is what your advocacy looks like to me.