The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Gettin' Yer Buzz On' Edition...
America's Prohibition laws were meant to cut crime and boost morality - they failed on both fronts. So how can the 'War on Drugs' ever succeed?
How Can America's 'War on Drugs' Succeed When Prohibition Laws Failed? | CommonDreams.org
What is your position on 'illegal' drugs?
1.) Legalize them all
2.) Legalize only ______
3.) Keep the status quo. They're bad, bad, bad...
What is your position on 'illegal' drugs?
We have a tie. 4 each for #'s 1 and 2 with some thoughtful responses in each category. I'll thank the responders firstly fer that! So, let's have at it then...
1.) Legalize them all
Claudia opined and sent references (I like references!)
Well, decriminalize anyway. The War on Drugs is mostly a back-door subsidy to the so-called criminal-justice system, a way to fund black-ops, and a way to manipulate the political factions of countries like Colombia. We imprison a larger % of people than any other country in the world ( www.answerbag.com/q_view/9775 ). It's a massive waste. People have been manipulating their consciousness for millennia. The privileged use prescription drugs or single malt. The poor have to use what they can, and Lord knows they need the joys of self-medication to cope with it all. It's hardly reasonable to expect them to be masochists or Puritans just because they can't afford a tame doc. And don't get me started on Big Pharma……… Hopefully marijuana will be legalized and folks will just grow their own.
(and then later added)
NPR's Michele Norris spoke with Joseph A. Califano, Jr., this past Friday, the 18th, and he said:
"The U.S. is 5 percent of the world's population. We consume two-thirds of the world's illegal drugs. . . . We're still putting roughly two-thirds [of our tax dollars] into interdiction and enforcement, and one-third into treatment and prevention. Interestingly, when President Nixon started the war on drugs, his first budget was two-thirds for prevention and treatment, and one-third for interdiction. . . . About one in 10 that need treatment gets some kind of treatment. But most of it is not good. . . . The government is not serious enough [about the U.S. drug problem]. You can barely hear any of the leaders in the government talk about it. The medical profession is not serious enough. The public-health profession is not serious enough."
Litebug avers...
I say legalize them all. Why did it take a Constitutional amendment to outlaw alcohol, back in Prohibition days, but it didn't take one to outlaw any of the other drugs? There is so much corruption, misinformation and conflicting self-interests at play in this country's misguided and failed "War on Drugs", which is nothing but a racket, in and of itself. It's a handy tool for incarcerating a good part of the non-white male population, thus providing semi-slave labor for private business while emasculating minority populations. The prison business and law enforcement empires have grown by leaps and bounds off this racket.
We should model our laws on those which are the most successful in the enlightened European countries. I doubt the War on Drugs will ever be ended because of all the corruption that feeds off it, the powerful medical and big pharma establishments pushing self-interest above patient welfare, and the ignorant hysteria that surrounds the subject.
(Here's a link to other countries laws... Drug Policy by Region )
Mark the Boilermaker stated...
Legalize them all. Why treat a medical problem as if it were a criminal
problem?
bebo responded with...
hola--- I guess #1 comes closest to my position. let me explain. in 1919 when the volstead act was passed, organized crime was a minor nuisance in chicago & new york. when the act was repealed in 1933, organized crime was in every major city in the US. fortunes were made. one such fortune helped elect our 35th president. it is the same with illegal drugs. just think of the massive layoffs that would occur among US border & local police personal if drugs were legalized. prisons would close or consulate because of lack of inmates. building prisons would cease to be a growth industry. policeman, judges & politicians would have to look for new ways to supplement their income. last but not least, repubs would be forced to look for something else to bitch about.
(Haha... Yeah, Ol' Joe K. Sr. was quite the bootlegger I've heard)
2.) Legalize only ______
Jane in Boston
I would legalize only pot. Stronger drugs debilitate people's lives and should still be strictly controlled. I think chronic hard drug users are escaping life, so the real, long-term solution to crack cocaine, heroin, etc. is JOB CREATION, low- and mixed-income housing and lots of it, better public education. Shrink the underclass who feel they have no chance in life and so turn to hard drugs. Also bring the hammer down hard on dealers.
Adam in NoHo
We should have legalized Marijuana and Ecstasy years ago; we'd
probably be up to legal Hash and maybe Opium by now.
As for the rest, I don't have enough knowledge or experience to say.
Michael D..
Legalize only cannabis.
BadtotheboneBob (That's me, ya know)
Cannabis only. I agree with Jane's assertion about the harder drugs. I can not fathom how de-criminalizing heroin, crack/powder cocaine or meth would be a good thing. Not just for individuals, but for their families (especially children). Addiction treatment should be made available to all that request it. But, face facts, there are people that do not want to quit (the movie, 'Less than Zero' comes to mind) and there's no way you can effectively force anyone to accept abstinence if they don't want it. Period. Make no mistake, drugs (and alcohol) are available in jails and prisons so that's not viable as a 'treatment'. So, what to do about the 'human wreckage' that would be heavily addicted and as a result sociologically dysfunctional as a result of total de-criminalization? I don't have an answer for that... Any ideas?
3.) Keep the status quo. They're bad, bad, bad...
Crickets, as Bart would say. I'm not at all surprised...
~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, that's it then. Another thank you to the responders (and you readers, too!) is in order... I've decided to take a short 'sabbatical' from the Poll thing for some R&R (fishing, easy hiking, campfires... that sort of thing) and spend some time contemplating the errors of my ways, haha... You might see, from time to time, trivia responses and the odd article or picture from me. I have a laptop and an 'air-card' so if I can get a cell signal, I can access the web. Do not despair though (yeah, right!)... I'm like a bad penny. I'll turn up again...
As always, Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
P.S. In the mail (a day late):
Michael Dare said sorry I'm late on the drug war but...
check out my rant...
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Budget Deficits: Spend Now, Save Later (nytimes.com)
The government needs to spend now, while the economy is depressed, and save later. But politicians seem determined to do the reverse.
Connie Schultz: It's Not American To Feel Helpless (creators.com)
When I started to write this column Thursday, the estimated amount of oil that had gushed into the Gulf of Mexico was 40,340,547 gallons. Or maybe it was 235,669,211 gallons. Or somewhere in between.
Farhad Manjoo: Flight of the Desktops (slate.com)
Soon there will be no reason to have a big, boxy computer on your desk.
"Beethoven Was One-Sixteenth Black" by Nadine Gordimer: A review by Robert Boyers
Novelists often declare the absolute sovereignty of the imagination. They are free -- so they say -- to roam where they will, to turn night to day, tall to thin, early to late.
"The Rehearsal" by Eleanor Catton: A review by Jill Owens
"The Rehearsal" is a difficult novel to try and describe, but it is unlike any reading experience I've had in recent memory. It's a dark, beautiful, and bizarre maze of a book, and the young Eleanor Catton is a prodigious talent.
PAUL CONSTANT: The Curse of Dorothy Parker (thestranger.com)
Sloane Crosley Is More Than Just a Hilarious Lady
Steve Appleford: With new album, Devo looks beyond its devoted following (latimes.com)
'Something for Everybody' is the band's first new album in 20 years.
Alexis Petridis: "Scissor Sisters: 'Sexuality is a universal thing'" (guardian.co.uk)
The Scissor Sisters ended up binning their first run at a third album, before it emerged as a dark reflection on gay culture. If only they can agree on how to put it on stage.
Cath Clarke: Lucian Freud's feathered friend (guardian.co.uk)
The reclusive artist has made a rare screen appearance, alongside a kestrel.
Christopher Borrelli: 30 years ago, 'The Blues Brothers' hit the big screen, crashing their way through Chicago (Chicago Tribune)
John Belushi walked into Jane Byrne's office, sweat beading on his forehead. Dan Aykroyd waited outside the door. He gave Belushi, a Wheaton, Ill., native, the breathing room to appeal to the mayor, hat in hand, local boy to local girl. Belushi was nervous. Byrne expected him to be. She sat at her desk stone-faced and silent, she recalled, offering no relief.
Jason Newman: A Chat with Emily Mortimer, co-star of "Harry Brown" (bullz-eye.com)
There was a moment when I was being strangled off-camera - it wasn't even on-camera - that they forgot that it would've been just as good to put a sandbag there instead of me. For the first few takes when Ben Drew is strangling me on the floor of this pub, it was really me. He was definitely in character. I broke some blood vessels in my eyes at a result of that. It just shows how pathetic that I am that it took two or three takes before I meekly asked if someone might replace my real neck with a sandbag.
Elia Suleiman: Stories my father told me (guardian.co.uk)
Elia Suleiman makes tender, funny films about Palestinian life. Why has his latest caused outrage? Steve Rose finds out.
wrote:
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Marine layer didn't let the sun through til mid-afternoon.
Joins Norway Whaling Protests
Paul McCartney
Animal-loving Sir Paul McCartney is the latest star to back an anti-whaling campaign urging the Norwegian government not to lift a ban on commercial hunting.
Leona Lewis has already teamed up with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to plead with officials in the Scandinavian country not to back a proposal which would effectively allow the slaughter of up to 1,400 whales next year.
And now McCartney has backed the drive - calling on the Norweigan government to "protect" the sea-faring mammals.
He says, "It's time to end the cruel slaughter of whales and leave these magnificent creatures alone. In the 21st century how can we even contemplate killing whales - or any animal - in such barbaric ways? Governments should act on their responsibilities and protect these beautiful creatures.
Paul McCartney
Film To Open In Japan
'The Cove'
"The Cove," an Oscar-winning film about a dolphin-hunting village in Japan, will be shown in the country from next month, despite pressure from nationalist groups that caused several theaters to cancel screenings.
The domestic distributor, Unplugged, said Monday that six theaters around the country will start showing the movie July 3, with 16 more to show it later.
Initial screenings of the film at three other theaters were canceled early this month after protests by nationalist groups, who say the film is anti-Japanese, distorts the truth, and has deep connections with a militant anti-whaling organization.
The issue erupted into a broad debate on freedom of speech after those theaters pulled out to avoid disruptive protests on their doorsteps. National newspapers widely condemned the cancellations in editorials, and prominent film makers, journalists and lawyers publicly urged theaters not to back down.
'The Cove'
Sarajevo Film Festival
Morgan Freeman
Oscar-winning US star Morgan Freeman is to be a guest of honour at the 16th Sarajevo Film Festival next month, the organisers said on Monday.
The nine-day festival, that opens on July 23, is to be closed by Clint Eastwood's "Invictus," a film based on the 1995 Rugby World Cup. In the film Freeman portrays former South African president Nelson Mandela and has been nominated for an Oscar for the role.
Launched near the end of Bosnia's 1992-1995 war as an act of resistance, the Sarajevo festival grew into the biggest regional film competition and has regularly been attended by leaders in world cinema.
Morgan Freeman
Gets Her Dot On Jackson Portrait
Maya Angelou
Poet Maya Angelou is inviting fans of Michael Jackson to be represented in a pointillism portrait of the late singer, who died almost a year ago.
Angelou met Monday at her home in Winston-Salem, N.C., with artist David Ilan, who is putting together the tribute. Ilan placed a dot representing Angelou in the heart area on the portrait.
Ilan says he hopes 1 million people will each ask through a website to be represented by one of the free dots. So far, the portrait has 250,000 dots, representing fans in 180 countries. Pointillism is an art technique in which small dots are used to form an image.
Angelou also read the poem she wrote for Jackson's funeral, titled "We Had Him." Queen Latifah read the poem at the funeral.
Maya Angelou
Public Plinking
NYC Pianos
Amid an urban orchestra of honking cabs, sirens and jackhammers, piano lovers plinked out tunes from Bach's "Minuet in G" to Elton John's "Rocket Man" on the first day dozens of public pianos were placed at New York City landmarks and parks for a public art project.
In bustling Times Square, on a traffic triangle in the East Village and at a park with the Statue of Liberty in the background, players flocked to the 60 pianos Monday as audiences applauded from taxicabs and sidewalks.
The two-week project, devised by British artist Luke Jerram, is making its first U.S. stop in New York. The instruments are open for public play from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. in most locations. Each has a tarp in case of rain and has its own caretaker to unlock the keyboard each morning.
A few glitches were reported as the project started Monday. One piano had to be removed from Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx because several of its keys were damaged by eager children, organizers said.
NYC Pianos
Attorney Takes Exception
Mercede Johnston
Levi Johnston's attorney is taking exception with a blog kept by his client's sister, Mercede.
Rex Butler says that while Mercede Johnston is free to write what she wants, she won't be privy to information from anyone with "Team Levi." And Butler said Levi's team isn't sharing information with her about his plans, movements or other actions.
Her blog has gotten widespread attention of late, purporting to answer questions about Sarah Palin's family and her own.
Levi Johnston and Palin's oldest daughter, Bristol, have a son together. Last week, Johnston's manager said the two were spending more time together for the child's sake but were not a couple.
Mercede Johnston
Judge Urges New Probe
Anna Nicole Smith
The flamboyant judge brought to fame in the fight over Anna Nicole Smith's remains says he believes someone is guilty of manslaughter in the starlet's death and second-guesses his own decision over where she is buried in a book to be released Tuesday.
Larry Seidlin, the former Fort Lauderdale judge, is harshly critical of Smith's lawyer-turned-companion Howard K. Stern, and of the police investigations into the deaths of the Playboy Playmate and her son. But as provocatively titled as "The Killing of Anna Nicole Smith" is, Seidlin offers no evidence either death was anything more than the accidental drug overdoses they were deemed.
In a phone interview Monday, Seidlin said he wrote the book because he was troubled by the deaths of Smith and her son. "When I was sitting in that trial," he said, "red flags were flying in front of me and I had a lot of sleepless nights."
Seidlin has also signed a deal for a television show called "Psychic Court," in which he'll seek the input of tarot card readers, astrologers and other psychics to help him decide family court and small claims disputes. He said it was slated to premiere in Fall 2011. Los Angeles-based production company Mighty Oak Entertainment said it's shopping the show for syndication or cable.
Anna Nicole Smith
Internet, Technology Changes High-End Dealings
Art
When Philip Mould began as a professional art dealer 22 years ago, the buying and selling of high-end artwork was confined to a small group of well-versed art historians who scoured the globe in search of masterpieces.
But the timeless world of art has changed in the age of the Internet and technology. Once limited to examining 15 to 20 works per day, Mould and his staff can now judge the value of between 50 and 100 works of art per day.
Mould's new book, "The Art Detective," explores the once-shadowy but now widely accessible world of art dealing and restoration. "Knowledge is more democratized now," he said.
Mould once had to use low-quality photographs to judge a work of art being offered by a seller. Now he is able to closely examine every inch of a painting by using modern digital imagery.
Art
ABC Pulls -- Again
"Happy Town"
Poor "Happy Town."
First the under-performing ABC mystery-drama was yanked off the schedule right after the start of its midseason run. Now it's being dragged off the network's summer lineup too, where it was being burned off on Wednesdays. The show will be removed from the schedule, where it drew about 2.2 million viewers last week (Jimmy Kimmel's "Twilight" special and "Castle" repeats will air instead).
The final two episodes will air on a Saturday night in July. But that's it, "Happy Town," that's your last chance.
"Happy Town"
First Day Of Summer Ritual
Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center
The patrons carrying small coolers and plastic bags into Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center weren't bringing their lunch. They were packing snowballs.
Monday marked the first day of summer and the science museum's annual Snowball Day. Visitors are encouraged every year to save a snowball from the winter in their freezer and then take it to the science center on the first day of summer. Those who do get to name their own price to get into the museum for the day.
But the most fun comes when they get to throw their snowballs into the Ohio River from the deck of a submarine that is docked outside the museum.
Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center
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