Tuesday, November 25, 2008
When Are We Going To Stop The "War On Drugs" That Has Failed Miserably!
Everyone knows that the "war on drugs" is really just a war on poverty. I have not seen how it has improved the conditions of the folks stuck in the ghetto. All I have seen is the murder rate increase & countless black men get locked up. Look at how much time John Forte got for his first offense. That is due to this ridiculous war on drugs. Too often,it has really just been an assault on the black community.Many are wondering if this is one of the wars that Barack Obama will put to an end. I mean, this has been the longest running one. Since I have lived in the ghetto, I can honestly say that it feels like we are living under martial law. So far, here's what StoptheDrugWar.org has to say about some of Obama's picks for his administration:
"In addition, US Attorney Eric H. Holder Jr. said in an interview that he is considering not only prosecuting more marijuana cases but also asking the DC Council to enact stiffer penalties for the sale and use of marijuana. "We have too long taken the view that what we would term to be minor crimes are not important," Holder said, referring to current attitudes toward marijuana use and other offenses such as panhandling.
Holder said he hopes to discourage some of that activity by being tougher on marijuana crimes. New guidelines should be in place by the end of the month, he said, noting that the District could learn from New York's "zero-tolerance" policy. There, crime plummeted when police aggressively enforced quality-of-life crimes, including panhandling and public drinking, which gave officers an opportunity to check for drugs, guns and outstanding warrants.
That same year, he told the Washington Times he was considering proposing a mandatory-minimum 18-month sentence for any marijuana sales. That, at least, didn't happen.
Drug reformers took some small solace, however, from Holder's comments on mandatory minimum sentencing in a 1999 interview. Responding to a question about whether it was time to review mandatory minimums, Holder said:
I do not think that we should ever foreclose the possibility that we take a look at how the laws that we have passed are working. I tend to think that mandatory minimum sentences that deal with people who commit violent crimes are almost always good things. I think the concerns are generally raised about mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders. And I think there are some questions that we ought to ask." (END OF EXCERPT) Read the whole thing here:(http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/561/obama_appointments_drug_policy_reform_emanuel_biden_holder
Watch the video because it's bona fide reality!
I Can't Believe That George Bush Actually Pardoned John Forte
I find the news that John Forte has been pardoned to be quite shocking! I mean, that's the last person that I thought Bush would have mercy on. It's funny,but have you noticed just how much George Bush has mellowed out. He does not seem angry anymore. I think he has resigned himself to the fact that he is the most unpopular president in the history of the United States! George Bush seems like he's just counting the days until it's all over. A whole lot of people are afraid that he may do more damage than he has already done. So, when he pardoned John Forte that irked a lot of conservatives. Lou Dobbs just said that George Bush pardoned a "drug dealer"! It's not as if he hasn't served enough time for his first drug offense already. Here's a little background on his case from freejohnforte.com:
"John Forte's life was forever changed in July of 2000. He agreed to transport a package, and in turn was arrested on a drug trafficking charge. He did not accept the plea bargain offered him, as he maintained that he was innocent of the charges against him.
In 2001, John Forté stood trial in a Texas court and was convicted of this non-violent crime. It was his first offense. Due to the outdated mandatory minimum sentencing laws currently in place, he received the only prison term available for the judge to hand down - 14 years in a federal penitentiary. John is not eligible to be released until he is at least 38 years old.
Many judges (both liberal and conservative) agree that Mandatory Minimum last leave them unable to use their own discretion in evaluating individual cases. Even Justice Anthony Kennedy of the Supreme Court calls them "harsh and unjust."
(END OF EXCERPT) Link to the site here:http://freejohnforte.com/AboutJohn.shtml
Racism Is Still Going Strong In South Africa! 19-Year Old Gets Life After Killing 4 Blacks!
This is an update to the story that I posted about the South African teenager who went on a racist killing spree where one of the victims was as young as three months! Well, this guy showed no emotion as he was given his four life terms by the judge who find racism intolerable. Because racism is alive & well the judge on this case has received numerous death threats. Here's an excerpt from BBC:
"Police spokesman Lesego Metsi said Judge Ronald Hendricks and the prosecuting lawyer were under police protection after receiving 50 death threats on their mobile phones, the South Africa Press Association reports.
Superintendent Metsi told South Africa's Times newspaper that all the callers were white, who said Judge Hendricks would be killed if he handed down a life sentence."(END OF EXCERPT) Read it all here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7741301.stm
I thought I'd post a video about racism in South Africa from Louis Theroux of BBC. I find his interviews to be quite refreshing & witty! There's always a hint of sarcasm in the way that he poses his questions. This time he's talking to the racist Boers of South Africa.Watch!
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