News Item: Obama to Double Down on Pot Enforcement

NPR did a story today on the Obama administration's new push to enforce Federal cannabis laws.  One official was quoted saying pot is "addictive" which is patently untrue in the physical sense.  Marijuana is less physically addictive than chocolate.  Anyway, the gist is they're going to go after Federal pot offenses including medical dispensaries because they have to fight the war on drugs.  All I can say is, "What the FUCK?!?"

Let me quote the President himself for you:

“When it comes to medical marijuana, my attitude is if it is an issue of doctors prescribing marijuana, I think that should be appropriate. Whether I want to use a whole lot of political capital on (this) issue; the likelihood of that being real high on my priority list is not likely.” - President Obama 2011

“The war on drugs has been an utter failure. (W)e need to rethink and decriminalize our (nation’s) marijuana laws.” -Barack Obama, January 2004

‎"When I was a kid I inhaled frequently. That was the point."
- Barack Obama quote on Marijuana 

I agree with that guy, except on being willing to fight to change the law.  We're spending a fortune jailing people that have only bought and sold pot.  Never threatened anyone, shot anyone, stabbed anyone, ordered the assassination of anyone, sent an army into senseless wars, approved the use of torture, no REAL crimes (other than possibly tax evasion which is kind of unfair when you can do time for having the business for which you are avoiding taxes...) were committed. So many women are in prison as accessories to the felonies that their husbands/boyfriends committed but got off on by ratting on associates.  These laws are part of what is destroying this country, so why would Obama want to increase the resources in enforcement?

Here are my guesses:
1.  Local police departments need an excuse to pull (mostly dark skinned) people over and search their cars.
2.  The Feds apparently need something to do since there's no crime on Wall Street, in our banks, in our Defense procurement, in lobbying, or in the illegal sale of firearms.
3.  The DEA, rather than admitting they've been spewing bullshit propaganda about pot for almost 80 years will do anything to keep lying about the effects of recreational drug use, especially marijuana.
4.  Big oil does not want hemp to be a common crop because the oil from the seeds and the fibers from the stalks can replace many petroleum products.
4.  Big Pharma does not want a powerful and effective pain killer and mood enhancer that people can easily grow in their back yards to be legal.

I don't remember voting for George W. Bush III.  Damned shame that's what I got.

Continuing Ogre-oid: Militarization of U.S. Police Forces

Can't get enough of cops in flack jackets driving tanks through people's front doors?  How about cops in black uniforms with combat boots brandishing automatic weapons blocking the streets to keep the blacks from cruising in their cars?  Or our National Guard Blackhawk helicopters being used to look for pot plants rather than rescuing dying people off their roofs in New Orleans?  Well then military drones endlessly patrolling our skies are for you!

Ogre-oid: The Ever Evolving Police State of America

Sharon Ramage, a 57-year-old grandmother with no criminal record, was ironing clothes when the police assault on her home began shortly after nightfall on June 21, 2007.

Backed by a helicopter and a $300,000 armored vehicle, 35 members of the Louisville Metro SWAT team stormed her Okolona property, detonated a deafening “flash bang” device, smashed in her rear door, put her on the floor, bound her wrists with flex cuffs and held her at gunpoint while detectives searched the home.


Police were looking for evidence against her 32-year-old son, Michael Ramage, who was under investigation after dropping off film at a Wal-Mart store showing him and his two sons naked. But the search uncovered no evidence, and charges against Ramage for using a minor in a sexual performance eventually were dismissed.
more

Buried Lead:  The search was for evidence in a sex crime (and in the end the pictures that started this botched investigation were completely innocent, thanks "employee at a color-film processing company in Atlanta" snitch).  Think about that for a minute.  What could have been done by a couple of detectives with a warrant acting politely was done at huge cost (a helicopter costs around $5000/hr to keep in the air), massive damage, and by terrorizing an innocent woman.  Why?  Because they can.  Because we empower these thugs to act like this. 

Why do cops pull people over at random (or after being profiled like my brother and I who were pulled over and searched on separate occasions because we were white in the black part of town) and search them despite the fact the Supreme Court and all lower courts have said they can't?  It's because they know that only one in a thousand people can afford to sue the police for doing it.  So they keep doing it.  They didn't arrest me so unless I have a recording of the situation all I can do is accept that I was stopped, questioned, and searched without cause.  And if I did have a recording?  I might win a small settlement against the police department and the two cops would keep on doing it.  Why do cops get to shoot fleeing suspects in the back and get away with no punishment other than a few months off with pay?  Because we allow them to police themselves and, as always, the shooting turns out to be "justified."  Shoot a black man in New York 50 times, get off free, if you're a cop.  Who is watching the watchers?  Noone.  It takes an individual bringing suit at great cost in both time and money with no guarantee the legal system will work.  Most of us can't afford to take a couple of years off from our life to pursue these bastards and in the end it is very rare for a cop to lose his or her job for being a thug, murderer, or worse.  Nope, we just let them keep fucking with us because we're supposed to respect them, even when they're total assholes and idiots.

Louisville Metro Police Department's armored vehicles used to be parked in plain view but have since been moved (I feel like a fool for not photographing them at the time, they were quite scary).  Not only do they have humvees and armored transport trucks, there is at least one Bradley in the mix.  These are military assault vehicles, painted matte black and missing the mounted automatic weapons (for now).  A few years ago when the police occupied Broadway Avenue here in Louisville to keep the blacks from partying during Derby they were dressed in fatigues with combat boots and carried shotguns and rifles at the intersections.  We are slowly but surely turning our police forces into paramilitary forces.  That is a really bad idea and it is how the powerful are circumventing the law preventing deployment of armed soldiers in the U.S. (though they began to chip away at the basis of that law in post Katrina New Orleans).

Welcome to America, land of "shoot first, ask questions later."

Ogre-oid: The Creeping Police State and Police Ignorance (or Ignoring) of the Law.

I have been stopped and questioned for being white in a black neighborhood ("Your vehicle isn't registered with us," said the cop).  That's unconstitutional.  My brother was stopped and his vehicle searched for the same reason.  Utterly illegal.  I've been ordered by a cop to stop taking pictures on a public street, an activity completely protected under law.  Cops ignore the law most of the time and apply what they believe to be the law the rest of the time, even if the Supreme Court told them not to do that merely weeks before (in the case of my brother's truck being searched).  They know few people can afford to prosecute them so they don't care.  They also know that despite being clearly in the wrong the police force and their union will send every lawyer they have to protect their worthless asses while some poor working stiff who has been delayed for a half an hour while dogs are run through their car can't afford the charge for calling an attorney, much less hire a team to go after the pigs.

A perfect example of the never ending flouting of the law here in Kentucky by our particular brand of uniformed thugs is the way cops drive.  Since I moved to Kentucky in 2000 I have never seen a cop driving the speed limit unless they are caught in traffic or preparing to stop.  On the interstate they are generally driving between fifteen and twenty miles an hour over the speed limit in all conditions.  "Serve and Obey," huh? 

All is not lost, however.  The internets allows people to organize the evidence and this site (thanks, John) has a startlingly large collection of stories about police and security guard abuse of photographers.  I say know your rights and be sure you know how to turn on the voice recorder on your phone.