Barney and Friends

Barney Frank made my day today when he confronted this townhall shouter comparing President Obama to Hitler:


(YouTube video)

"Ma'am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table." Except, I would add, a dining room table would have the sense to keep its mouth shut.

I also would have told that young woman to march her under-educated ass down to a public library and do a little research on Adolph Hitler and the 11 million people his Nazi party systematically killed. And then tell me how the hell that is comparable to a program to provide health care to 46 million uninsured Americans. And then I'd ask her how she feels about the estimated 22,000 Americans who die each year due to lack of health care. I think her answer would reveal who exactly is thinking like a Nazi. It's certainly not Barney Frank or President Obama.

That girl didn't know who she was up against. I wish more Democrats were like Barney Frank. Or maybe I agree with Matt Taibbi who wishes more Democrats were like George W. Bush... at least in their ability to actually get things done. The Dems seems to be bargaining away real health care reform. Or maybe not. They now say they'll try to pass health care reform without Republican support. We really won't know until Congress reconvenes in September.

But I can't blame them if they give up on working with Republicans. They're embarrassing!

Another Post on Pot

Well, the above comic shows one way to join the war on drugs. I wonder if it would work as a defense in court? "I was just smoking it out of existence, your honor." Okay, probably a bad idea. But here is a better idea...

Congressman Barney Frank has introduced a new bill to decriminalize marijuana use. He introduced a similar bill last year which failed. Political momentum is a funny thing. Politicians have capitalized on this war for decades, and in the process, spent billions of our tax dollars. It must be very painful for them to change direction now, but public opinion has changed and momentum is building for a broad debate.

Legalizing drugs would weaken the Mexican drug cartels, save billions on law enforcement, and ease the budget problems in states that can grow marijuana. I think we've moved way beyond those simplistic fried egg PSA's from the 1980's. Also, I'm getting really sick of hearing tragic stories like this one and this one.

4/20 Dude

Ok, I'm a day late. I guess I just didn't get around to finishing this post...

Rep. Barney Frank has introduced a bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul, to decriminalize the possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana and the not-for-profit transfer of up to 1 ounce. The bill, dubbed the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008, marks the first time in decades that Congress has considered removing criminal penalties for marijuana.

Last month Frank issued a statement about marijuana legislation:

To those who say that the government should not be encouraging the smoking of marijuana, my response is that I completely agree. But it is a great mistake to divide all human activity into two categories: those that are criminally prohibited, and those that are encouraged. In a free society, there must be a very considerable zone of activity in which people are allowed to make their own choices as long as they are not impinging on the rights, freedom, or property of others. I believe it is important with regard to tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol, among other things, that we strictly regulate the age at which people may use these things and enforcement of the age restrictions should be firm. But criminalizing choices that adults make because we think they are unwise ones, when the choices involved have no negative effect on the rights of others, is not appropriate in a free society.

Are politicians finally catching up with the public opinion on this issue? I think it's rather silly to put marijuana users in jail considering the fact that many leading politicians including Al Gore, Newt Gingrich, George Pataki, and Barack Obama have admitted using the drug. If any of those politicians think people should go to jail for smoking pot, well, then they should turn themselves in first.

You can use this handy online form to contact your member of Congress and ask him or her to support the personal use of marijuana.