Up in Smoke.
Written By:
- Date published:
2:38 pm, January 5th, 2018 - 23 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, accountability, class, class war, crime, discrimination, drugs, International, law, Politics, racism, Social issues, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, us politics, war -
Tags: madness, sessions, US
In 2013, the US Department of Justice instigated a “hands off” policy towards states that legalised marijuana. That’s just been reversed by Jeff Sessions who, according to Time Magazine reckoned “the Obama-era memos that directed prosecutors not to interfere with state activities when it came to legal pot undermined the rule of law.” (Time)
Republicans are pissed, with Colorado’s Senator Cory Gardiner saying he’s “prepared to take all steps necessary” to fight the change. (The Guardian)
It would appear that Jeff Sessions is pursuing his own personal crusade here, and doesn’t seem to be cognisant of the fact that an oft touted strand of Republican thought is about getting government out of peoples’ lives.
So just a few days after California legalised marijuana (The Guardian), prosecutors at the federal level have been instructed to hammer the crap out of anyone breaking federal law, no matter what individual state law says.
It makes you wonder what it is about this (cough) “home of democracy” that empowers just one unelected and unaccountable man to apparently change policy around law on nothing more than a personal whim.
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Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
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The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 weeks ago
- NZ must pursue independent foreign policy
The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy. ...3 weeks ago
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Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Ka mihi ki te mana whenua ko Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Kia ora and good morning everyone. Thank you Fran and Simon for inviting me here today, and importantly your leadership of this forum over several years now. I want to acknowledge David Gehrenbeck, Deputy ...3 days ago
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- District Court Judge appointed
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Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news from the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) that bus driver protection screens will be installed across Auckland’s bus fleet by 2026.“The Government is committed to improving the safety of working environments for bus drivers, and Budget 2024 allocated $15 million of Crown funding over ...3 days ago
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The Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Bill had its first reading at Parliament today. The Bill reaffirms the Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says. “In recent years we have seen an unacceptable spike in youth offending. “This Bill makes ...4 days ago
- Critical milestones for earthquake buildings review
Fairer, more sensible rules about managing earthquake risks are a step closer with the passing of legislation and the appointment of an independent chair to provide expert advice, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The Government is committed to reinvigorating our cities and regions to support economic growth, ...4 days ago
- State of the art radiology machine for Auckland
People in Northland and Auckland will benefit from a new machine for cancer treatment installed at the Regional Cancer and Blood Service at Auckland City Hospital. The MV5 linear accelerator, or LINAC machine, officially opened today targets cancer tumours with pinpoint accuracy. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says this new, ...4 days ago
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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Europe for high-level talks with France, Germany and the United Kingdom next week. "Since taking office almost a year ago, the Coalition Government has emphasised the importance we place on New Zealand's traditional and likeminded diplomatic and ...4 days ago
- First arrests made under gang patch ban
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- Better support for victims of sexual violence
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- Government moving forward with Regional Deals
Cabinet has agreed to invite all regions to submit proposals for Regional Deals between central and local government that drive economic growth and deliver the infrastructure our country needs, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop say. Inviting all regions to propose a Regional Deal that boosts ...4 days ago
- MSA pilot participant update
One of the ten young men selected to participate in the Military-Style Academy Pilot has allegedly reoffended. Children’s Minister Karen Chhour is disappointed but says it would be naïve to think that none of these young men would reoffend. “I’m saddened that this young person has not taken this opportunity ...4 days ago
- Fighting for Kiwis in Trade
Delivered at Auckland Trade and Economic Policy School Good morning and thank you Deputy Vice Chancellor Lithander for your warm welcome and for inviting me to open Auckland Trade and Economic Policy School today. A Special thanks to the University of Auckland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and ...4 days ago
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Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that school attendance is continuing to rise. In Term 3 of 2024 51.3 per cent of students attended school regularly, an increase of 5.3 percentage points from 46 per cent in Term 3 of 2023. “This Government has prioritised student attendance and it is ...4 days ago
- Improving the lives of young New Zealanders
Ensuring New Zealand is the best place in the world for children and young people is the vision at the heart of the Government’s new Child and Youth Strategy, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says. “Childhood represents a huge opportunity to set people on a positive path towards living ...4 days ago
- Government continues work to reinstate livestock exports by sea
The Government is reinstating the trade of livestock exports by sea while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, says Associate Minister of Agriculture Andrew Hoggard.“The Government will introduce legislation changes to reinstate the trade, enhance oversight, and strengthen requirements for exporters to identify risks and manage the welfare of ...5 days ago
- Speech to the National Quality Forum 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...5 days ago
- New Zealand’s COP29 National Statement
Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...5 days ago
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The Government has released its second Quarterly Investment Report (QIR) which shows substantial work still to be done by agencies to improve investment reporting and meet the Government’s expectations, Infrastructure and Acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “New Zealand has significant infrastructure and investment needs. The Government is determined to get ...5 days ago
- New Zealand supporting loss and damage fund
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$10 million to the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage while at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. “New Zealand is joining the global effort to address the significant challenge of responding to ...5 days ago
- Gang crackdown begins at stroke of midnight
The free ride for gangs is over when the clock strikes midnight tonight, with tough new laws officially coming into effect, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say. “Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a ...5 days ago
- LGFA increases borrowing capacity to support high growth councils
The Government is welcoming the decision by the Local Government Funding Agency to increase access to financing tools for fast growing councils to support greater investment in critical infrastructure, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Communities across the country are facing an infrastructure deficit and significant population growth is projected in ...5 days ago
- Temporary Traffic Management costs revealed
The Government has revealed that over the past three years, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has spent an eyewatering $786 million of taxpayers’ money on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“When I became Minister, I was surprised to learn that that NZTA did ...5 days ago
- Jurisdiction of Disputes Tribunal to double
Legislation that will double the financial jurisdiction of the Disputes Tribunal from $30,000 to $60,000 has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We need to improve court timeliness and access to justice so that Kiwis and get on with their lives. Court delays affect everyone, the ...6 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand from foreign interference
Legislation that will specifically criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “It is normal and appropriate for states to interact and work to influence one another. This encourages cooperation and can have mutually beneficial outcomes. “However, the reality ...6 days ago
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Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news that the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has approved funding towards pre-implementation and early works on the State Highway 1 (SH1) Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass Road of National Significance (RoNS). “Reaching this significant milestone is a reflection of our Government’s ...6 days ago
- Health survey results to help drive change
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says findings from the annual Health Survey highlight the need to continue driving better health outcomes for New Zealanders. The New Zealand Health Survey is an annual snapshot of key metrics measured from July 2023 – July 2024. Findings released this morning include: In 2023/24, ...6 days ago
- Final push needed to get to Smokefree 2025
A renewed effort to get people to quit smoking will build on what has worked to date and target the groups who most need support, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today. “The latest New Zealand Health Survey results show the daily smoking rate at 6.9 per cent and we ...6 days ago
- New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced four new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign ...6 days ago
- Next steps for Regulatory Standards Bill
Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. ...6 days ago
- Red Tape Tipline goes live
Minister for Regulation David Seymour has today announced that the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline is now live. “We want to hear about your red tape horror stories. From today, New Zealanders will have a say on how they are regulated through an online portal,” says Mr Seymour. The ...6 days ago
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The Minister for Youth Matt Doocey has today announced the eleventh Youth Parliament will be taking place in 2025. “Youth Parliament offers a unique youth development opportunity to young people from across New Zealand to experience the political process and learn about how government works,” says Mr Doocey. “The two-day ...7 days ago
- Police stats show promising change
After nearly a year in Government, Kiwis have seen significant change across law and order with promising early results shown across some Police statistics, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “In August 2023, I told New Zealanders that if they had not started to see a change in public safety within ...7 days ago
- Better coordination of anti-scam efforts
With the launch of Fraud Awareness Week, the Government is committing to new coordination efforts across industry and government to combat online scams, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Online financial scams are a growing problem for New Zealand. New data released today shows that Kiwis lost nearly ...7 days ago
- Minister to consider 7AA select committee report
Minister for Children Karen Chhour will consider the recommendations made by the Social Services and Community Committee in its report back to Parliament on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill. “I want to thank the people who made submissions and those who appeared before the committee in ...7 days ago
- Defence Minister to attend ASEAN meeting
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Vientiane, Laos. “We need to take every opportunity to engage with our international partners, given the increasingly unstable geo-political situation,” Ms Collins says. “New Zealand has a long-standing commitment to this ...7 days ago
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Many say NZ is well behind the rest of the world in developing and supporting its creative professionals. ...1 hour ago - Peters’ push to turn Europe’s eyes south
The Foreign Minister is headed to Europe, where he will deliver the last of seven major speeches of the past year The post Peters’ push to turn Europe’s eyes south appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 hours ago - Death of a feminist legend
In March, on the twentieth anniversary of the death of a brilliant feminist thinker from Auckland who became a superstar in US academia, Justin Okin wrote a moving tribute to his mother, Susan Moller Okin, on International Women’s Day. “She was arguably the most influential feminist political philosopher of her ...2 hours ago
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Analysis: After contentious diplomatic talks like COP29, people like to point to the platitude: A good compromise is one where no one’s happy.When we’re discussing the climate crisis and all of the human suffering that entails, however, shouldn’t we be striving for a deal that works, not just one that ...2 hours ago
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The NZDF has been meeting with the US, UK and Australia to discuss advanced technology and spy tech. ...2 hours ago
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A sugar levy and removing sugary drinks from schools are among the obesity-fighting recommendations from a new report. ...2 hours ago
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Analysis - Luxon is loath to spend too much time looking backwards, and invited to share any lessons from his first year as PM, he draws something of a blank. ...2 hours ago
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The new target will "set the expectation" that NZ contributes more to help developing nations move away from using fossil fuels. ...3 hours ago
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Zeni Gibson has been stalked and harassed for nearly nine years by a man she rejected when she was 17. This is her story. As told to Madeleine Holden. Cover Stories are longform journalism supported by Spinoff Members. Support this work here. Spinoff Cover Stories are now available in audio ...3 hours ago - Windbag: If I were mayor for a day…
Wellington editor Joel MacManus pitches his big idea to save the capital: more statues on the waterfront. After The Spinoff’s recent Year in Review live show at the Hannah Playhouse, an audience member asked me an intriguing question: What would you do if you were mayor for a day? I ...3 hours ago
- Zeni’s experience is extreme, but it isn’t rare
Hundreds of thousands of New Zealand women are impacted by stalking and harassment, and collectively they’re being failed by the official response. In August last year, The Spinoff received a polite yet tentative email from a 24-year-old woman named Zeni Gibson. “I am hoping to speak to someone about the ...3 hours ago
- UK to slash climate pollution by 81%. Could NZ do the same?
Analysis: The Government’s decision to slam the brakes on climate policy sets NZ up for an expensive or embarrassing new Paris target The post UK to slash climate pollution by 81%. Could NZ do the same? appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
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Opinion: Business craves a more certain and supportive fiscal stance The post Opposition parties also failing to address economic orthodoxy appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
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- The death of the local rag
The headlines are being hogged by the TV stars, the daily news reporters being made redundant, and the local programmes going.But at a much more grassroots level, we are also seeing the demise of the local free paper.The ones that aren’t disappearing are shrinking, losing advertising revenue, missing out on ...3 hours ago
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The post Daily crossword, Monday 25 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
- NZ’s bold investment in geothermal will pay off
Opinion: On November 14 the Government announced that up to $60 million will be ring-fenced from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to explore the potential of supercritical geothermal technology to help secure New Zealand’s future energy needs. The aim of supercritical geothermal technology (SCGT) is to harness extremely high-temperature fluids from ...3 hours ago
- Stuff’s fashion publication opts for independence over closure
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- Lessons from a damaged island on a potential Treaty referendum
What if a referendum on the Treaty allowed unlimited funding to campaigners from overseas, and no disclosure of who donated? The post Lessons from a damaged island on a potential Treaty referendum appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 25 November
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 25 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
- COP29: Carbon credit trading scheme criticised as ‘get out of jail free card’
By Kate Green , RNZ News reporter A new carbon credit trading deal reached in the final hours of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, has been criticised as a free pass for countries to slack off on efforts to reduce emissions at home. The deal, sealed at the annual UN climate ...7 hours ago - View from The Hill: Albanese government crumples on misinformation bill and gambling advertising
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra “Big Tech” is celebrating one victory over the Albanese government, but is set to lose on another front. Ahead of the final parliamentary sitting week for 2024, the government has not just withdrawn its ...10 hours ago
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Former inmates are speaking out to demand better mental health care for those currently imprisoned. ...10 hours ago
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The deal reached in the final hours of COP29 has been criticised as a free pass for countries to slack off on efforts to reduce emissions at home. ...12 hours ago
- COP 29: Carbon credit trading scheme criticised as ‘get out of jail free card’
The deal reached in the final hours of COP29 has been criticised as a free pass for countries to slack off on efforts to reduce emissions at home. ...12 hours ago
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RNZ News For almost six decades photographer John Miller (Ngāpuhi) has been a protest photographer in Aotearoa New Zealand. From his first photographs of an anti-Vietnam War protest on Auckland’s Albert Street as a high school student in 1967, to Hīkoi mō te Tiriti last week, Miller has focused much ...13 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Peel, Director, Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne The petroleum-laden dust has settled on this year’s United Nations climate summit, COP29, held over the past fortnight in Baku, Azerbaijan. Climate scientists, leaders, lobbyists and delegates are heading for home. ...14 hours ago
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Green MP Benjamin Doyle has joined the 54th Parliament a year into its term. Their maiden statement emphasised the need for radical love. ...23 hours ago
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For the march to Parliament, many young wahine donned a red beret. It's a pōtae steeped in history and symbolism. ...1 day ago
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Mean Girl HighSchool swot Jan Tinetti hurries to classAs the bell rings.Slouching against the lockers,Mean Girl Erica lies in waitWith her surly gang of Teen Delinquents.Erica whispers somethingAnd leers horribly at Jan at she scurries past.Jan’s lip trembles,And a hot tear rolls down her face.The Meanies all cackle with gleeAnd ...1 day ago
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Over nine days, rangatahi and veterans of past hīkoi walked shoulder-to-shoulder to take their message to Parliament. Ella Stewart and Cole Eastham-Farrelly were there. ...1 day ago - Concern Regarding Inconsistent Designation Of Terrorist Organizations
While it is important to maintain strong alliances, it is equally crucial to uphold our Kiwi values of fairness and justice. New Zealand has always prided itself on its commitment to equality and human rights. ...1 day ago
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By voting for the bill and allowing it to proceed to the select committee, the coalition parties are enabling ACT—an extremely unpopular party that received just 8.6 percent in the 2023 election—to dominate political discourse, posturing as the party of ...2 days ago
- Fiji’s Immigration Minister steps down temporarily over ‘unauthorised’ passports for cult memb...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Pio Tikoduadua has ordered an inquiry into the “possible unauthorised issuance of passports” by immigration staff and “offered to step aside temporarily from role”. In a statement on Thursday night, Tikoduadua said the passports in question were issued to the children of ...2 days ago
- A 4.45 billion-year-old crystal from Mars reveals the planet had water from the beginning
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron J. Cavosie, Senior lecturer, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University JPL-Caltech/NASA Water is ubiquitous on Earth – about 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by the stuff. Water is in the air, on the surface and inside rocks. ...2 days ago
- COP29 summit runs overtime as finance talks falter over ‘insult’
“Is it a joke?”That’s what Bolivian diplomat Diego Balanza said on Wednesday in Baku, Azerbaijan, when asked by a reporter about the possibility of the new global climate finance goal (the NCQG) landing at just US$200 billion a year. Developing countries have been pushing for a number in the trillions, ...2 days ago
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
State Rights are for suckers and some R’s are about to find out.
https://www.chieftain.com/news/pueblo/colorado-pols-react-swiftly-to-sessions-anti-marijuana-move/article_93b3af17-031b-566d-bd87-a614ab367043.html
https://gizmodo.com/republicans-vow-to-throw-down-against-jeff-sessions-aft-1821778880?IR=T
Now and then.
https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/949031000314662913
I wonder if the GoP is trying to break the Union.
The GOP isn’t interested in democracy, as it interferes with the corporate plunder of America. Corporations will take over, but the military will be used to suppress any notion of state secession from the kleptocracy. The Union will continue as a kind of plutocratic dictatorship with some meaningless democratic fluff, as modelled by Russia and China.
right wingers always try and claim they are for keeping out of peoples lives , but are usually the first to invade,,,, either countries ,others bedrooms,recreational pursuits.
smoking pot is a human right that has become totally entangled with faux morality, fake christianity and the punitive desires of ineffectual kiwi capons on radio skwarkbak.
in new zealand it has become the cash cow of the justice industry. cops lawyers judges courts prisons are all sucking on the public tit because of a commodity that is basically non taxable.
All cultivated commodities are untaxable if that’s the way you look at it. Gummint can’t tax the spuds that grow in the back yard unless I start selling them.
My God the picture on that post! Grandpappy of numerous Hitler Youth.
The Obuma era is over chaps.
However, judging by the way you deliberately spelled his name wrong, he’s still occupying space inside your head rent-free, and POTUS is utterly obsessed with him. 😆
Never been so much quality ganja available, hell you can even order the shit on-line!
The distinction between crops and varieties is more meaningful than the often spurious comments on craft beers (matching beer and food? BFD…).
Quite a significant development after 47 years of the failed war on drugs. NZ should have decriminalised decades ago.
How come the USA created mayhem in Afghanistan running a raid on illegal drugs.
Are they trying to start a long-term spurious war on drugs there to give them an excuse to stay on and get a nice build up of hate and damnation to prevent settlement of anything and the possibility of Afghanistan getting its country back.
It makes you wonder what it is about this (cough) “home of democracy” that empowers just one unelected and unaccountable man to apparently change policy around law on nothing more than a personal whim.
Since when has the USA been “the home of democracy”? Most people here rate eg: Norway far higher than ‘Murica (as do many Lefties in ‘Murica), and what about ancient Greece? The ‘American Dream’ has been fucked since the 1970’s (cf: Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail), if it was ever real in the first place.
As for Sessions, it remains to be seen whether his white man’s overbite will prove more than he can chew. The backlash from eg: Colorado Republicans has been swift and staunch, so let’s see how “empowered” he looks in a few weeks time.
America is a plutocracy.
Source: Noam Chomsky. It’s polite to provide attribution.
You’ve no idea where Ed picked up the term.
Nor have you or Ed, probably, and I reckon it was Chomsky. I note that you also assume he “picked it up” rather than figured it out for himself, so thanks for labouring my point.
Perhaps every time we say something we should pay tribute to you OAB as your wisdom is ubiquitous.
Gopers look for issues that keep Christian fundies voting for them is abortion etc.
The Moral high ground to bring in working class votes.
As we continually see though that they are not able to uphold those Morals as individual’s.
Hypocracy.
With around 60% of US citizens now in favour of decriminalising or legalising Pot and 90% supporting its medical use – maybe it is time for the Repugnants to pass a law –
https://www.thedailybeast.com/republicans-instead-of-whining-about-jeff-sessions-legalize-pot?ref=wrap
But that would be a bridge too far for them.
Better to go down in a screaming heap at the forthcoming mid-terms than actually do something useful for the US.
Mostly, the war on drugs was designed as a way to disenfranchise people who were not to the liking of conservative white people. It always went against scientific and medical advice but was a useful way to disrupt and shrivel groups opposed to the powerful since it was an easy way to enter houses and arrest leaders. Ehrlichman who was an aide of Nixon and implicated in Watergate and did time for his role admitted as much recently.
The war on drugs was first used against Black America and anti-Vietnam war protesters. It is still used heavily and with terrible consequences against Black America
https://harpers.org/archive/2016/04/legalize-it-all/