In the 1960s, after some prodding from Ralph Nader, American government regulators began a major push for safer cars. Which made University of Chicago economist Sam Peltzman wonder just how much safer these innovations made us. Specifically, he wondered about what economists call "moral hazard" - our tendency to take more risks when we're insulated from the costs of that risk-taking. In 1975, Peltzman published an article innocuously titled "The Effects of Automobile Safety Regulation." His conclusion, however, was explosive: "Data imply some saving of auto occupants' lives at the expense of more pedestrian deaths and more nonfatal accidents." Less fearful of accidents, drivers were piloting their vehicles more recklessly, substantially reducing the life-saving benefits of the regulation. Economist Gordon Tullock suggested that if regulators really wanted people to drive more safely, they'd require automakers to mount a spike in the middle of each steering wheel, pointed toward the driver's breast. [continues 695 words]
Now's the time to get involved in the cannabis social movement Many social movements have been taking hold in our nation recently. For example, same-sex marriage has moved from social acceptance to being fully legal. Cannabis law reform is a hot topic in politics and the media, as well as more and more states jumping onboard. Times are good, and there is much fulfilling work to be done on these and other humanitarian fronts. However, I am making a public call to action, asking for your participation in these movements. It isn't hard, there are events happening all the time. [continues 408 words]
Some communities embrace outsiders as insiders from the second they pass Go. Plenty of people are considered real New Yorkers, for instance, the first time a cabbie or landlord overcharges them. Visit Florida, California or Washington, and chances are you'll eat authentic Latin American or Asian cuisine made and served by people not necessarily native to those states but who are still considered a critical part of their fabric and character. In September, I'll celebrate 11 years as a resident of Colorado. I met my husband, who just passed the 17-year mark in the Centennial State, six weeks after I moved here. Our children were born in a hospital 1.3 miles from the house that we own, and our income is earned within state lines. Yet by unspoken Colorado standards, neither he nor I are considered locals. [continues 548 words]
Stephen F. Gaskin, a professed "hippie priest and freelance rebel rouser" who assembled, preached to and presided over "The Farm," one of the largest and longest-lasting communes born of the counterculture era, died July 1 at his home near the settlement in Summertown, Tenn. He was 79. Douglas Stevenson, who described himself as an unofficial spokesman for the still-extant Farm community, confirmed the death and said he did not know the cause. In his day, Mr. Gaskin was a countercultural celebrity, the figurehead of a commune that seemed to have achieved the critical mass, wherewithal and collective commitment needed to make such a society work when so many others had petered out. [continues 847 words]
Presidential hopeful Gary Johnson's message to voters is that he's better on civil-libertarian issues than Democrat Barack Obama and better on dollars-and-cents issues than Republican Mitt Romney. In the West, where several states will be crucial in determining who wins in November, Johnson, running on the Libertarian ticket, is an attractive conveyer of that message. The erstwhile Republican served two terms as governor of New Mexico, a state where he's polling at 12 percent. He's a strong advocate of state's rights. [continues 534 words]
TO INHALE or not to inhale, that's the question. Whether it's nobler to embrace marijuana as a wonder drug or say out loud what so many others think: What's up with this scam, anyway? A proposal for a medical marijuana dispensary is the latest controversy to visit Walnut Creek -- perhaps it could be part of the new Neiman Marcus store -- and awaits a ruling from the City Council. But this issue just as easily could land anywhere in California, which became the first state to legalize medical pot with the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996. [continues 652 words]
The war on drugs has gotten little traction during this presidential campaign. The last time it was even mentioned was during the Republican debate in September 2007 at Morgan State University in Baltimore, when Republican candidate Rep. Ron Paul (Texas) spoke of its inordinate toll on the black community. "I think inner-city folks and minorities are punished unfairly in the war on drugs," Paul had said. "For instance, blacks make up 14 percent of those who use drugs, yet 36 percent of those arrested are blacks and it ends up that 63 percent of those who finally end up in prison are blacks. This has to change." [continues 640 words]
Conservatives should oppose federal prosecution of medical marijuana providers By Jacob Sullum http://www.reason.com/news/show/128062.html http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Movies/66150-16-greatest-stoner-movies/ Norm Stamper is a cop who saw it all during his 34 years on active duty. As police of Seattle from 1994 through 2000, he was in charge during violent World Trade Organization protests in the Emerald City. [continues 404 words]
Apparently, the Ten Commandments, Golden Rule and Seven Deadly Sins weren't enough. Earlier this month the Roman Catholic Church upped the stakes by issuing its list of Seven Social Sins. And it's not about social failings such as wearing white after Labor Day or telling your sister her new baby is ugly. These sins, courtesy of the Vatican, are the new measures of the morality of our society. Way overdue, some might say. The sins environmental pollution, genetic manipulation, excessive wealth, inflicting poverty, drug trafficking and abuse, morally debatable experiments and violation of the fundamental rights of human nature sound more like they were lifted from a Ralph Nader speech than from Sister Mary Catherine's Catechism class. [continues 362 words]
At least 10 of the 18 Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are now on the record in favor of ending the Drug Enforcement Administration's raids on medical marijuana and/or the federal government's prohibition on medical marijuana. Thanks to the Marijuana Policy Project's work, seven candidates have publicly pledged to end the DEA's raids in states where medical marijuana is legal: Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., and former Gov. Tommy Thompson, R-Wis. [continues 296 words]
MARIJUANA MEASURE PASSES; PROP. W FAILS The ballot measure to reduce the enforcement priority on adult, personal use of marijuana in Santa Monica easily passed in the November 7 voting, with over 65 percent of the voters approving the proposition, Measure Y. But Measure W, which would have repealed stringent restrictions on political contributions to city officials, was defeated by a narrow 53-47 percent vote. In other local measures, voters approved charter amendments to give the City Manager more authority in personnel matters (Measure U); passed a parcel tax for watershed management by barely the 2/3 majority required (Measure V); and overwhelmingly approved a school bond issue (Measure BB). [continues 300 words]
It was early in the morning, and already you could hear the edge creeping into Kevin Zeese's voice. The night before was supposed to be the crowning moment for him, a chance to ignite his struggling campaign for U.S. Senate. The night before, he had finally pushed his way into a rare three-way debate in Baltimore. The next morning, however, he woke to find a sharp dose of reality waiting at his doorstep. Newspaper headlines recounted a heated debate between Republican Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele and Democrat Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin. The front-page photo in The Washington Post, Zeese angrily pointed out, had cut him out of the picture entirely. His name wasn't mentioned until the 11th paragraph. [continues 1173 words]
3rd-party Long Shot Decries Status Quo 'Influence-Peddling' It's long after dark outside the Giant Food supermarket at the Dorsey's Search Village Center in Howard County, and Kevin Zeese is in the parking lot looking for votes. He spots three people standing around a car and makes his way over. Tracy Meyers and Mark Davis are visiting Giant worker Laura Riesett on her break. Zeese shakes hands, introduces himself and tells them he is running for the U.S. Senate. [continues 1581 words]
Zeese Tries to Woo Voters in Wee Hours Amid the drunken revelry of a Thursday night at the entrance to Bushwaller's Irish Pub in Frederick, a man who wants to be Maryland's next U.S. senator introduced himself through a haze of cigarette smoke: "I'm the Midnight Candidate," Kevin B. Zeese said. There was no crowd to hear his stump speech and no babies to kiss. But a young blond woman, her earrings dangling and her shoes lighting up with each step, did stick Zeese's campaign flier down her cleavage. [continues 1132 words]
Last week C-Notes described the unmitigated gratitude with which pro-marijuana activists greeted an anti-prohibition op-ed by George Melloan in the Wall St. Journal. I questioned Melloan's motives and his decency, quoting a subsequent op-ed in which he made light of the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by the U.S. bombing and embargo of Iraq between 1991 and 2003. I did not anticipate that knocking George Melloan in the Anderson Valley Advertiser would annoy "progressive" activists back East, but it did, thanks to the Internet. A participant in the Alliance of Reform Organizations' chatroom forwarded this sigh of contempt from Doug McVay, Director of Research, Common Sense for Drug Policy, and Editor/Webmaster, Drug War Facts: [continues 1654 words]
I staggered into Denny's on the warm Friday morning of Jan. 20 choking on Silas Dean Highway's fumes and searching crowded booths for the man I had written to - Connecticut's Green Party gubernatorial candidate Cliff Thornton. The big guy was at a window in the corner perusing some documents. Among stock traders and truck drivers we discussed politics and narcotics over pancakes. DC: Why are you running for Governor of Connecticut, and why as a Green? CT: If one does not understand racism, classism, white privilege, terrorism and the War on Drugs - what these terms mean, how these concepts work - then everything else you do understand will only confuse you. I feel that the War on Drugs is at the center of most problems and is two degrees from everything in our society. No candidates talk about it, except for being "tough on crime" and that's it. The Green Party has been asking me to run for years, so I thought that this was a prime opportunity to expose the problem. [continues 948 words]
YESTERDAY CITIZENS from New Jersey to California voted on an assortment of ballot initiatives dealing with subjects ranging from taxes to the definition of marriage. One might think that New Hampshire, where politics is the state pastime and there always seems to be an election in the works, would have initiative as well, but we don't. Initiative refers to the people's ability to put legislation or constitutional amendments on the ballot by petition. Twenty four states allow citizen initiative, including Maine and Massachusetts. [continues 641 words]
Local Marijuana Growers Cash In On Well-Heeled Tokers' Love Of Fine Weed Dallas, Texas -- It's 9 o'clock in the morning when "Ace" begins his regular "wake and bake" routine of brushing his teeth, brewing a pot of coffee and rolling a joint. Today he has a job to do, and he won't have to leave his home to do it. In a spare bedroom in his northeast Dallas duplex, 35 fully mature marijuana plants are in bloom, their buds ready to be picked and hung out to dry. [continues 5016 words]
"The Aviator," last year's hit film on Howard Hughes, traces the role of the "bashful billionaire" in politics. From a guarded Las Vegas hotel suite, the reclusive Hughes schemes to defeat his political enemies in Washington. Few people meet him face to face as, behind the scenes, he cultivates Capitol Hill contacts and dispenses large sums of money to achieve his goals. That's how Hughes exercised a strong but hidden hand in American politics in the 1950s and '60s. [continues 1631 words]
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws was started in 1970 by Keith Stroup. "We did it as an attempt to create a marijuana smoker's lobby in America," Stroup said. He ran the organization throughout the '70s, and returned as its executive director in 1994. He was replaced as executive director by Allen St. Pierre in January of this year. Stroup said the idea to start NORML came to him after he graduated from law school and worked on a Ralph Nader project. [continues 893 words]
