This is strikes me as a species of 'pay-back' to those bloggers who had the effrontery, the bald-faced temerity to raise such a 'divisive' issue on St. Barry's, the Changer's, first 'reach-out.' The Obamananistas--that cult of 'pragamatists'-- apparently thought the legalization questions at the 'on-liner' last week were efforts to make "thePrez" look bad, put him a compromising position. So, by this logic--pure "Villager" chops--they now gotta do something to make him look "good" again. This is their way of saying "don't fuck widdus, punks."
Obama Circumvents Another PromiseContinues with the following, extended piece from :
By Anthony Gregory on Mar 26, 2009
Despite having promised not to raid medical marijuana facilities operating legally under state law, Obama’s administration yesterday raided a medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco. On what basis? Alleged state law violations. Specifically, evasion of state sales taxes. (...) The Obama policy appears to be whenever a state law is violated, regardless of what the state has to say about it, the feds will continue the raids and continue prosecuting people for violation of federal law. Another hollow promise of change, with the one condition that nothing substantive will actually change, only the words we use to discuss the issues.
(The Intelligence Daily) -- Activists are outraged over Obama’s raid of Emmalyn’s California Cannabis Clinic in San Francisco, but they should not be surprised.Payback's a bitch...
Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder had promised to end federal medical marijuana raids, as conducted by both Clinton and Bush’s administrations, leaving alone dispensaries operating legally under state law. Obama broke the spirit of the promise, but not the letter. The excuse for this last raid was state law violations—supposedly, sales taxes were being evaded. Now the feds will probably prosecute under federal law.
The state government was not agitating for a crackdown. Sacramento was not complaining about sales tax evasion. San Francisco had given a permit to this dispensary. Aaron Smith from the Marijuana Policy Project notes, “It is disturbing that, despite the DEA’s vague claims about violations of state and federal laws, they apparently made no effort to contact the local authorities who monitor and license medical marijuana providers.”
Furthermore, sales tax violations are rarely handled this way. The California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws points out, “The normal process in such cases is for the Board of Equalization to audit the business in question, NOT for federal agents to enter like storm troopers and steal all of the business’s inventory."
4 comments:
nothing substantive will actually change, only the words we use to discuss the issues
that about sums it up now, don't it...
Though I respect Obama and despite the fact that I understand he has reasons to play down a divisive issue like “immoral” drug use, I think he should be held responsible to use the same meaningful insight and common sense honesty that he has brought to other issues to that of America’s drug war. During Obama’s inauguration he chose to highlight the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln a President that led the country through one of its most divisive times. The civil war is remarkable because it pitted brother against brother and displayed to history the inhumane brutality that Americans are capable of inflicting on one another when they fall on opposing sides of a powerful ideology. There are many similarities between the war on drugs and that “civil” war of old. With the war on drugs American is once again pitted American in a battle wrought with divisiveness, bloodshed and human suffering. It is time we exercise our collective control of government and write, email or call a representative and make the drug war an issue to be dealt with now rather than a lingering pain to be laughed off and prolonged as long as it is politically prudent to do so.
SunflowerPipes.com
If change were made the positive results would be felt immedietly. At least it's being talked about more. California is the main player at this time.
the more things "change" the more they
stay the same.
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