I agree, the constitution needs to be changed, except now thanks to this ruling, starting a campaign to inform the public, and then amend the constitution will be up against an adversary with unlimited resources, and unlimited time to fight against said change.
"I'm always amazed at how many misguided people think their rights come from the government."
People probably think their rights come from the government because without a government we'd have anarchy. Well, that and the thing is called the "Bill of rights."
What always amazes me are the people of a "conservative" bent who advocate for a small government, but routinely deride "Anarchists" during anti-government protests, and of course, the vise versa of that. No government = anarchy, the smaller the government the closer a society is approaching to anarchy. Somalia is a good example of a place that has very limited government. It's not exactly working out too well for the people who have no choice but to live there. Government can be bad, or oppressive, but in our case, well, up to this ruling anyways, our government was at least mildly democratic, and thus the potential is there for reform. Corporations aren't antidemocratic by nature, but they usually are in practice because they are driven by only one motive, profit.
You have a very good point, and I think any rational person who looks at the issue would agree this is the most economical, effective and humane course of action to eliminate the problems associated with drugs. The only problem I would say is that, there is one more group of players in this tragic farce that are profiting wildly from the situation as it stands and thus have a strong financial interest in keeping drugs illegal,and they are almost always never mentioned. I'm speaking of course about our own criminal justice system. From the beat cops, detectives, and prison guards, to the makers of tazers and surveillance equipment, all the way up to people working in the CIA, and the "too big to fail" banks that launder these unknown millions of dollars. Not to mention the numerous lobbying efforts from all the different segments within this group that press for stricter and stricter laws, and that also influence our culture to make it more disciplinary and unforgiving to small time users. These guys' lively hood, as well as their world view, and their raison d'etre depend on the system of drug enforcement as it is. If you want to talk about an intractable culture surrounding illegal drugs, there's none more entrenched than this very large group. They're far more powerful and well organized than the cartels that supply the drugs, and unlike the cartels, in this ecosystem of drugs, they have no natural predators. What I'm saying is in order to end the war on drugs we must also dismantle this aspect of the "military industrial complex."
I know this is kind of a long post, but I think any effort to end the drug problem must acknowledge these players as well, and account for way of how to deal with them. It must have a plan to "rehabilitate" the workers that will be displaced when the drug war is over.
Slashdot Mirror
...is porn, trolling, flame wars, and 4chan.
I agree, the constitution needs to be changed, except now thanks to this ruling, starting a campaign to inform the public, and then amend the constitution will be up against an adversary with unlimited resources, and unlimited time to fight against said change.
"I'm always amazed at how many misguided people think their rights come from the government."
People probably think their rights come from the government because without a government we'd have anarchy. Well, that and the thing is called the "Bill of rights."
What always amazes me are the people of a "conservative" bent who advocate for a small government, but routinely deride "Anarchists" during anti-government protests, and of course, the vise versa of that. No government = anarchy, the smaller the government the closer a society is approaching to anarchy. Somalia is a good example of a place that has very limited government. It's not exactly working out too well for the people who have no choice but to live there. Government can be bad, or oppressive, but in our case, well, up to this ruling anyways, our government was at least mildly democratic, and thus the potential is there for reform. Corporations aren't antidemocratic by nature, but they usually are in practice because they are driven by only one motive, profit.
Any more?
I know some Native Americans who might disagree with you about this "any more" business.
"If we can't even RTFA without paying first, then it has no place on this site IMHO"
WTF!? IANAL but AFAIK on Slashdot, RTFA-ing is BS! LMAO!
I'm sorry,,, I'll leave now....
very good post, I wish I had mod points
"Modern processors rely on wires mere nanometers wide." -Nothing to see here, move along.
Actually the 1930's is about when it started. Thanks in large part to Sigmund Freud's nephew Edward Bernays. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_(book)
You have a very good point, and I think any rational person who looks at the issue would agree this is the most economical, effective and humane course of action to eliminate the problems associated with drugs. The only problem I would say is that, there is one more group of players in this tragic farce that are profiting wildly from the situation as it stands and thus have a strong financial interest in keeping drugs illegal,and they are almost always never mentioned. I'm speaking of course about our own criminal justice system. From the beat cops, detectives, and prison guards, to the makers of tazers and surveillance equipment, all the way up to people working in the CIA, and the "too big to fail" banks that launder these unknown millions of dollars. Not to mention the numerous lobbying efforts from all the different segments within this group that press for stricter and stricter laws, and that also influence our culture to make it more disciplinary and unforgiving to small time users. These guys' lively hood, as well as their world view, and their raison d'etre depend on the system of drug enforcement as it is. If you want to talk about an intractable culture surrounding illegal drugs, there's none more entrenched than this very large group. They're far more powerful and well organized than the cartels that supply the drugs, and unlike the cartels, in this ecosystem of drugs, they have no natural predators. What I'm saying is in order to end the war on drugs we must also dismantle this aspect of the "military industrial complex." I know this is kind of a long post, but I think any effort to end the drug problem must acknowledge these players as well, and account for way of how to deal with them. It must have a plan to "rehabilitate" the workers that will be displaced when the drug war is over.