We should have elected a minority sooner!

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 2:55 pm

i think the majority of sooners are shit talkers like #5 harris on the defense....boy talks all sorts of shit just cause he made a play....they all chirp after the play...i can't wait.

annarborgator · Post by **annarborgator** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 2:25 am

Quote from a Brit article about an Ohio State study:

The team at Ohio State University found that specific elements of marijuana can be good for the ageing brain by reducing inflammation there and possibly even stimulating the formation of new brain cells.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/sciencenews/3485163/Marijuana-may-improve-memory-and-help-fight-Alzheimers.html

MinGator · Post by **MinGator** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:23 am

you reference and osu study??

they just needed an excuse to smoke.

just bustin your balls aa.

annarborgator · Post by **annarborgator** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 6:55 pm

Round One of Obama's "Open for Questions" Reveals Clamor for Drug Law Reform:

President-elect Obama - fulfilling multiple campaign promises to more deeply involve the public in setting priorities for his administration - opened up his Change.Gov website to questions from citizens, and asked the people to then rate the questions up or down.

The first round of questions closed at midnight last night, and it should come as no surprise that many of the top questions involve issues that millions of Americans care deeply about but for which commercial media coverage doesn’t do justice in reporting or prioritizing.

The number one question for the first round was:

“Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?”

A total of 7,947 participants recommended that question to only 634 that thought it inappropriate (the latter figure is particularly revealing, demonstrating that the “conventional wisdom” that drug policy reform is too controversial to touch is simply not reflected in public opinion, certainly not among Obama’s base supporters).

I have a suggestion for one of the ways the President-elect - who having promised it, now owes a serious response to that question beyond the usual sloganeering and grandstanding by politicians regarding matters of drug policy - can answer it consistent with his own stated positions while also advancing on those parts of it that he has not spoken out about clearly. I’ll get to that in a moment.

But first, it is interesting to note that other drug policy reform questions finished quite high up the list, too.

The seventh most popular question - out of 10,303 questions submitted - was:

“13 states have compassionate use programs for medial Marijuana, yet the federal gov’t continues to prosecute sick and dying people. Isn’t it time for the federal gov’t to step out of the way and let doctors and families decide what is appropriate?”

The thirteenth:

“How will you fix the current war on drugs in America? and will there be any chance of decriminalizing marijuana?”

The fifteenth most popular question was:

“What kind of progress can be expected on the decriminalization and legalization for medicinal purposes of marijuana and will you re-prioritize the “War On Drugs” to reflect the need for drug treatment instead of incarceration?”

The eighteenth most popular question:

“The U.S. has the world’s highest incarceration rate, largely due to the War on Drugs. Our prisons are festering pits of rape, racism, and gang violence, and divert a lot of tax money to the corrupt prison industry. How can we fix this?”

And the nineteenth, on another area of drug policy:

“What will be done about the FDA and its cozy relationship with the Pharmaceutical industry? Will the protective legislation for the Pharm be reversed? Will the FDA pre-emption policy protecting the Pharm from liability be addressed?”

In other words, six of the top twenty questions - that’s 30 percent of them - are on drug policy and matters related to it.

If the President-elect and his advisors were to ask “how should we respond to those questions” I would answer in two parts:

1. Reiterate those campaign promises (to stop federal medical marijuana raids in states that have decided to allow patients access to that medicine, to end mandatory minimum sentencing for nonviolent offenders, and adequately fund drug treatment among them, prioritizing the latter over incarceration), implementing those that only require an executive order immediately upon taking office on January 20.

2. Appoint a National Commission of highly qualified and respected scientists, medical investigators, doctors, patients, civil libertarians and civil rights advocates, law enforcement professionals and experts, defense attorneys, prosecutors, economists, prison reform advocates, and some retired gray eminences from those fields to report back within sixth months with detailed answers to all of those questions and more. Charge the National Commission with making detailed recommendations for reforming US drug policy in ways that cease its counter-productive impacts on public safety, federal and state budgets, civil rights and liberties.

And then, when the report comes back, act upon it: implement changes that can be made through executive order immediately (including resetting priorities for US Attorneys and law enforcement agencies across the country) and propose legislation to Congress to deal with the rest.

And mobilize the grassroots supporters - Micah Sifry at TechPresident has published an Obama organization memo confirming that the field organization will be utilized for lobbying the House and Senate - to pressure Congress to comply.

The President-elect asked for public input and, lo’ and behold, he got it.

Now the ball is in his court to act on it in a meaningful way, a very important early test for whether he’ll walk his talk.

http://bbvm.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/round-one-of-obamas-open-for-questions-reveals-clamor-for-drug-policy-reform/

annarborgator · Post by **annarborgator** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:08 pm

Another chance has been missed for "change", even where the citizens are blatantly calling for government to reconsider its position:

A: President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_response/

That kinda pisses me the fuck off. Makes me wonder how long it will be before I truly think of Obama as a piece of shit.

DocZaius · Post by **DocZaius** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:01 am

I think he's going to have larger issues on his plate.

IHateUGAlyDawgs · Post by **IHateUGAlyDawgs** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 2:38 pm

Another chance has been missed for "change", even where the citizens are blatantly calling for government to reconsider its position:
A: President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.
http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_response/

That kinda pisses me the fuck off. Makes me wonder how long it will be before I truly think of Obama as a piece of shit.

well, I already think of him that way, AA, but in fairness that Q&A was probably mostly liberals, no? and likely far-left ones at that? Basically, are we certain that proportion represents the country as a whole? I'm not certain of that.

annarborgator · Post by **annarborgator** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 2:44 pm

Yea, the respondents were participants on the change.gov website....they included myself, who is not left or far left...but in general, you're probably right.

I still just have a problem with how the question was answered...the issue was dismissed out of hand with no nod given to further investigation, research, etc. Seems like a short-sighted stance for the messiah.

And Z, from a shallow perspective, yes he will have bigger issues. We must recognize, though, that legalizing pot would help address many issues currently facing the nation.

IHateUGAlyDawgs · Post by **IHateUGAlyDawgs** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 2:47 pm

Yea, the respondents were participants on the change.gov website....they included myself, who is not left or far left...but in general, you're probably right.

I still just have a problem with how the question was answered...the issue was dismissed out of hand with no nod given to further investigation, research, etc. Seems like a short-sighted stance for the messiah.

Maybe he's already researched it?

And Z, from a shallow perspective, yes he will have bigger issues. We must recognize, though, that legalizing pot would help address many issues currently facing the nation.

well, that's a debatable point.

annarborgator · Post by **annarborgator** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 2:57 pm

I'm skeptical that there has been sufficient meaningful research on marijuana for a top-level mainstream politician to have an educated position on the topic.

The only debatable portion of the point is: how much help would legal pot provide to the social and economic issues of the nation? There's no debate that it would at least help to address several problems.

annarborgator · Post by **annarborgator** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 7:21 pm

When it comes to our 44th President, some of his positions on marijuana were once encouraging. But as Mr. Obama has moved towards the national limelight, there is a new found frustration for reformers. It seems the President to be is moving from the left to the middle. And as Loudon Wainwright once wrote in a popular song, the only things you see in the middle of the road are dead skunks and yellow lines. Still, I am not alarmed yet. It is way too early, and there is still room and reason for optimism.

Commencing your administration in the face of a national economic crisis at home while American soldiers are at war abroad can focus your priorities on other issues outside the need for weed. We have seen what happened to Bill Clinton when he tried, too early in his administration, to advance the cause of gay rights by banning discrimination against homosexuals in the military. He started a firestorm which burnt up valuable first months of his presidency.

http://www.counterpunch.org/kent12242008.html

radbag · Post by **radbag** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:38 pm

i think the majority of sooners are shit talkers like #5 harris on the defense....boy talks all sorts of shit just cause he made a play....they all chirp after the play...i can't wait.

#5 not only a shit talker but a dirty player...anyone see the cheapshots?

TheTodd · Post by **TheTodd** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:42 pm

wrong thread but I agree rad. Those at the game saw him grab Percy's leg after a play, one that Percy stayed on the field after. Don't know if it was on TV or not.

G8rMom7 · Post by **G8rMom7** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:44 pm

^^^Yes, it was. The announcers said that even if that move didn't hurt Harvin, it appeared as if it did and that it's wrong.

RickySlade · Post by **RickySlade** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:54 am

And Z, from a shallow perspective, yes he will have bigger issues. We must recognize, though, that legalizing pot would help address many issues currently facing the nation.
well, that's a debatable point.

Well, debate it, then. To start, what harm would legalizing it do? What positives, if any, do you think could come from it?