Pubdate: Sat, 23 Jan 2016
Source: Trentonian, The (NJ)
Copyright: 2016 The Trentonian
Contact:  http://www.trentonian.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1006
Author: Ed Forchion, NJWeedman.com, For The Trentonian

BERNIE SANDERS IS NOW ON MY POT-DAR

The politics of pot has struck the Democratic Party big time, and 
Bernie Sanders has taken the "HIGH" road. I admit, I wasn't trying to 
be suckered into voting for a politician simply because he says 
something positive about marijuana - as I did with Senator Obama in 
2008. Back then, when Obama was questioned about whether he "ever 
inhaled," he responded, "that was the point." This question is asked 
of all serious politicians, because in 1992 President Clinton claimed 
that he did try smoking marijuana but he did not inhale, which made 
the question famous. Most Americans didn't believe his answer, 
potheads voted for him knowing he had to lie - most of us were in the 
cannabis closet too.

Likewise, when Americans found out Senator Obama proudly admitted 
that he inhaled frequently, and had even been referred to as THE 
CHOOM GANG leader as a youth in Hawaii ("choom" is a slang term for 
cannabis), we (potheads) voted for him in droves.

On Sunday the Democratic Party held another debate. Why on Sunday - 
there's been much consternation about that. Some say it was held on 
Sunday by the Democratic National Committee in hopes of low 
viewership, which supposedly favors Sanders. I'm not sure about that 
logic, but I watched it hoping to get a clue as to who would be going 
up against THE TRUMP SHOW this year for president. The Trump Show has 
taken over the Republican Party, much to my delight  LOL! I believe 
he is destroying the GOP as a nationally viable presidential party, 
and I'm loving it. Puff, Puff - go Trump.

While I fancy myself an Independent, when I look at the two big 
parties - the Democrats and Republicans, I see them as one and the 
same. Sometimes I refer to them as the DemoPukicans; i.e., the 
Government. I look at the Republican Party as the worse of the two 
evils, the party of hate, racism, and hypocrisy. I'm glad to see 
Donald Trump rampaging through the Republican Party, exposing and 
highlighting the racist, sexist, and dumb members of the GOP. Trump 
truly is openly appealing to them, while also trying to sound 
patriotic and righteous.

Between bowl hits, I agree with more of what Democrats say than 
Republicans. At the debate this is what Bernie Sanders said when 
questioned: ( https : // www.youtube .com/ watch?v=Q9aEEG0Km00)

COMMENTATOR: Sen. Sanders, right here in Nevada, there will be a 
measure to legalize recreational marijuana on the 2016 ballot. You've 
said you smoked marijuana twice; it didn't quite work for you. If you 
were a Nevada resident, how would you vote?

SANDERS: I suspect I would vote yes. And I would vote yes because I 
am seeing in this country too many lives being destroyed for 
nonviolent offenses. We have a criminal justice system that lets CEOs 
on Wall Street walk away, and yet we are imprisoning or giving jail 
sentences to young people who are smoking marijuana. I think we have 
to think through this war on drugs.

Like most Americans we thought Hillary was going to get the 
Democratic nomination, and now like "'08 deja vu" another senator has 
swooped in and stolen her thunder.

Sen. Sanders has said many pro marijuana legalization statements. I 
don't have a doubt he will be on the side of legalization, and from 
the sound of his constant 420-friendly statements, he is serious 
about it. Whenever he is asked about using marijuana he claims he did 
twice and doesn't see why people are imprisoned for it and boldly 
states he will legalize it.

When Hillary was given a chance to respond, she blabbered something 
about agreeing with medical marijuana and then flubbed on total 
legalization and went over the cliff talking about more research. As 
much as Mrs. Clinton seems to really want to be the historical first 
women president, she is losing the marijuana war to Bernie Sanders.

Last year 24,000 New Jerseyans and 800,000 Americans were arrested 
for cannabis and more than 30 million have been arrested for it since 
1970 when the Controlled Substance Act was signed into law by then 
President Nixon. To these millions of Americans, myself included, 
that was her chance to be The President, and she blew it with 
gibberish. No matter how trivial the mainstream politicians and law 
enforcement types think marijuana is, to the affected Americans 
marijuana legalization is one of the most important issues of our 
lives. For instance, I'm far more terrorized by American cops looking 
for my bong than by an ISIL member with a bomb. Ending the war on pot 
is far more important to me than starting another Middle Eastern war.

As a black American, I consider the marijuana laws part of a new age 
concrete plantation system - Jim Crowism at its vilest. It's a fact 
that I'm 3 times more likely to get arrested for marijuana than my 
white pothead friends. Marijuana legalization is very important to 
me. I'd probably vote for Christie if he flip-flop on marijuana. 
Psyche - I'm not that high, but I don't even have to worry about that 
scenario: CHRISTIE is stuck on a 1940s reefer madness mentality.

Donald Trump scored a huge coup this week when he captured the 
endorsement of Sarah Palin. He'd probably steal Democrats if he 
announced plans to legalize marijuana. While I haven't given my 
official endorsement to anyone, Bernie Sanders is now clearly on my pot-dar.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom