Taking inspiration from H.R. 313 (the "drug trafficking" bill that makes it illegal to plan or discuss smoking marijuana in Amsterdam, even though it's legal there), the State of California today made it a crime to plan a trip to Nevada to gamble, even though it's legal to gamble in Nevada.
"We're tired of Nevada's gambling casinos ruining the lives of California citizens," said Governor Jerry Brown. "From now on, if a Californian wants to go see Wayne Newton singing at the Tropicana, and happens to drop a quarter in the slots on the way to the show, that's fine. But by golly, if they even think about gambling before they head for The Strip, we want them to know they're going to jail for violating California law."
Governor Brown outlined plans to question all motorists and airline passengers entering Nevada. "A system of airport security stations and highway border-crossing stations will be built to ensure that California citizens aren't planning to gamble," said the governor. "They're only allowed to think about gambling once they've arrived."
Several other states are lining up to criminalize the travel-planning business:
Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts
Monday, October 17, 2011
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Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Is Christianity Dying? ... and Ninety-Nine Other Best Blogs
I have a new book available on Kindle!Only 99 cents!How can you go wrong? From the preface:
"Who would have guessed back in June of 2008 that I'd be writing my five hundredth blog with no end in sight? And I never expected The Religion Virus to be in the top ten religion books on Amazon.com's Kindle bestsellers list, as well as bouncing around between first and fifth in agnosticism and religious history. (Religious history? That's unexpected!)New readers will find this a handy way to read the best of these blogs. Or if you're one of my faithful loyalists,
"So why should you buy a collection of ninety-nine blogs that you can get for free on my web site? Because it's just a penny per blog, and we sorted the wheat from the chaff for you. You get to read the good stuff without having to wade through the blogs that should have been used to wrap fish. How can you beat that? (And there is actually one original never-before-published blog in here!)
"Like most bloggers, I don't hit one out of the park every day. But every now and then I write something pretty good. Some of these became very popular and pegged my traffic meter. Those were fun. But the ones I like best are the ones that evoked thoughtful responses, rebuttals and questions from my readers. When someone takes the time to argue with me, I know I'm making a difference."
Friday, July 1, 2011
Drug Legalization versus American Idol
Professor Peter Stromberg over at Psychology Today wrote a great piece yesterday: Is it Time to End the War on Drugs? He makes an interesting claim: our modern society is based on artificial entertainment. Whether it is movies, video games or legal and illegal drugs, we find ways to stimulate our brains, and as a society we place high value on those things that do it the best. Honor, piety and moderation have been replaced by the latest blockbuster movie.
I've always thought that drugs should be decriminalized. During my three-year residence in New Orleans, I witnessed the terrible price of the war on drugs first hand. Virtually everyone I knew was affected by a drug-related crime, usually a theft. My neighbor, a sixty-seven-year-old retired civil engineer and recent widow, was murdered by an addict when he came home during a burglary in progress. My route to work went through "The Projects" where schoolchildren had to dodge bullets on their way to their elementary schools.
If drugs were decriminalized, a huge fraction of the crimes in America would simply cease. Drug addicts need their drugs every single day, and for many or most of them, theft and prostitution are the only way to feed their addiction. Each person addicted to an illegal substance affects hundreds or thousands of innocent victims every year.
Stromberg suggests that if we do decriminalize or legalize drugs, there will be an inevitable rise in drug use. This is hardly news. But Stromberg points out that where this might have been a modest problem in the past, our new culture that worships artificial stimuli will probably embrace drugs if they're legalized.
I decided to write to Professor Stromberg with a question:
I've always thought that drugs should be decriminalized. During my three-year residence in New Orleans, I witnessed the terrible price of the war on drugs first hand. Virtually everyone I knew was affected by a drug-related crime, usually a theft. My neighbor, a sixty-seven-year-old retired civil engineer and recent widow, was murdered by an addict when he came home during a burglary in progress. My route to work went through "The Projects" where schoolchildren had to dodge bullets on their way to their elementary schools.
If drugs were decriminalized, a huge fraction of the crimes in America would simply cease. Drug addicts need their drugs every single day, and for many or most of them, theft and prostitution are the only way to feed their addiction. Each person addicted to an illegal substance affects hundreds or thousands of innocent victims every year.
Stromberg suggests that if we do decriminalize or legalize drugs, there will be an inevitable rise in drug use. This is hardly news. But Stromberg points out that where this might have been a modest problem in the past, our new culture that worships artificial stimuli will probably embrace drugs if they're legalized.
I decided to write to Professor Stromberg with a question:
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Judge Backs Atheist Parolee who Refused God-Based Treatment
Here is some great news on the legal front for atheists. A judge in Northern California sided with an atheist who was forced, as part of his parole from prison, to attend the heavily religious Alcoholics Anonymous program. Barry Hazle kept complaining to his parole officer that he wanted a non-religious drug-rehab program, but the parole officer ignored his requests.
But Hazle was persistent, though consistently polite and non-confrontational. He continued to go to AA, but also continued to bug his parole officer. In frustration his parole officer finally arrested him and sent him back to prison for three more months.
The judge's ruling was perfect, saying the parole officer's behavior ran "afoul of the prohibition against the state's favoring religion in general over non-religion." Hazle is now suing the state for damages related to the extra three months of incarceration he had to server merely for being an atheist.
But Hazle was persistent, though consistently polite and non-confrontational. He continued to go to AA, but also continued to bug his parole officer. In frustration his parole officer finally arrested him and sent him back to prison for three more months.
The judge's ruling was perfect, saying the parole officer's behavior ran "afoul of the prohibition against the state's favoring religion in general over non-religion." Hazle is now suing the state for damages related to the extra three months of incarceration he had to server merely for being an atheist.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Some Sanity in Federal Marijuana Policy?
Wow, my head is spinning. Maybe I smoked too much of the ganja, because it seems like it's legal now? Wait ... no it's not, but if I smoke it, I won't get busted any more ... or maybe I will, but nobody can seem to tell me ... I'm so confused, where'd I put my lighter?
Let me see if I can sort it out...
It's legal for medicinal use. Right, got that. And medicinal, yeah, right I have anxiety syndrome doc! I worry all day about getting busted, doesn't that make it medically necessary? Thanks, doc!
But the feds say it's illegal. How can that be, it's grown and sold right here in California! There's no interstate commerce, so no federal authority, right? But the feds have been throwing folks in jail for decades, so I guess that "states rights" stuff in our United States Constitution is only good if the states have the courage to stand up to the feds. Apparently none of the states had any backbone in the drug-hysteria days when these laws went on the books.
But wait, the feds won't bust me anyway? They have "better things to do" than enforce this law? Isn't a law a law? Aren't we supposed to obey the law, not pick and choose?
I'm so confused. I'd feel stupid, but all three of the last three Presidents, Obama, Bush (W) and Clinton, openly admit that they smoked marijuana, so I guess I'm in good company.
Federal policy is still bone-headed dumb, but I guess we can be thankful that there's a little motion in the right direction. At least they won't be busting people in states where marijuana is legal any more.
(I've written before about how America's drug laws are a direct result of religious intolerance. And for the record, I have smoked marijuana before, but don't any more, nor do I use other recreational drugs of any sort. Ok, I do like caffeine.)
Let me see if I can sort it out...
It's legal for medicinal use. Right, got that. And medicinal, yeah, right I have anxiety syndrome doc! I worry all day about getting busted, doesn't that make it medically necessary? Thanks, doc!
But the feds say it's illegal. How can that be, it's grown and sold right here in California! There's no interstate commerce, so no federal authority, right? But the feds have been throwing folks in jail for decades, so I guess that "states rights" stuff in our United States Constitution is only good if the states have the courage to stand up to the feds. Apparently none of the states had any backbone in the drug-hysteria days when these laws went on the books.
But wait, the feds won't bust me anyway? They have "better things to do" than enforce this law? Isn't a law a law? Aren't we supposed to obey the law, not pick and choose?
I'm so confused. I'd feel stupid, but all three of the last three Presidents, Obama, Bush (W) and Clinton, openly admit that they smoked marijuana, so I guess I'm in good company.
Federal policy is still bone-headed dumb, but I guess we can be thankful that there's a little motion in the right direction. At least they won't be busting people in states where marijuana is legal any more.
(I've written before about how America's drug laws are a direct result of religious intolerance. And for the record, I have smoked marijuana before, but don't any more, nor do I use other recreational drugs of any sort. Ok, I do like caffeine.)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Faith-Based Medicine: A bit of Humor
A little bit of fun today. What if you went to the Emergency Room, and all of the medicine was based on faith instead of science?
Saturday, January 31, 2009
America's Drug Policy: Just Another Religion
The arrest of President Obama's half-brother in Kenya for possession of a single joint of marijuana made national headlines. Why is this newsworthy?
Because America's drug policy and attitudes are like a religion: Incomprehensible, without any basis in science or fact, and most of all, justified by unsupportable black-and-white claims about right and wrong, morality and immorality.
How many people do you think die each year from marijuana, cocaine and heroin combined? If you're like most Americans, you probably think it's a lot – hundreds of thousands, some even think it's close to a million. The real truth? The total is well under 10,000 per year. Moreover, most of those are a direct result of the laws against drugs. If these drugs could be obtained legally, the death rate would be close to zero.
Why do I claim our drug policy is religious in nature? If we were concerned with the truth, we'd stamp out the real culprits:
America's irrational drug policies are rooted in America's religions. We are a raised with hard-and-fast moral rules, handed down from God, which are absolute and unchallengeable. You aren't allowed to think for yourself. So when church leaders and politicians proclaim that marijuana is sinful and evil, right alongside robbery, assault and vandalism, who questions it? Not only do Americans go along with this idiocy, they defend it vigorously. While quaffing their beers and puffing their tobacco.
What else can explain a nonsensical drug policy that has cost America trillions of dollars over the decades, and produce nothing but crime and, more importantly, a widespread disrespect for the law?
America's drug policy is nothing more than another religion. It's based on unsupportable facts, contradicts well-known and widely available scientific facts, and yet a large number of Americans still believe it.
(For a GREAT resource on the real facts, check out Truth: The Anti-Drugwar.)
Because America's drug policy and attitudes are like a religion: Incomprehensible, without any basis in science or fact, and most of all, justified by unsupportable black-and-white claims about right and wrong, morality and immorality.
How many people do you think die each year from marijuana, cocaine and heroin combined? If you're like most Americans, you probably think it's a lot – hundreds of thousands, some even think it's close to a million. The real truth? The total is well under 10,000 per year. Moreover, most of those are a direct result of the laws against drugs. If these drugs could be obtained legally, the death rate would be close to zero.
Why do I claim our drug policy is religious in nature? If we were concerned with the truth, we'd stamp out the real culprits:
- Alcohol: 20,000 deaths per year
- Tobacco: 350,000 - 400,000 deaths per year
- Marijuana: 0 deaths
America's irrational drug policies are rooted in America's religions. We are a raised with hard-and-fast moral rules, handed down from God, which are absolute and unchallengeable. You aren't allowed to think for yourself. So when church leaders and politicians proclaim that marijuana is sinful and evil, right alongside robbery, assault and vandalism, who questions it? Not only do Americans go along with this idiocy, they defend it vigorously. While quaffing their beers and puffing their tobacco.
What else can explain a nonsensical drug policy that has cost America trillions of dollars over the decades, and produce nothing but crime and, more importantly, a widespread disrespect for the law?
America's drug policy is nothing more than another religion. It's based on unsupportable facts, contradicts well-known and widely available scientific facts, and yet a large number of Americans still believe it.
(For a GREAT resource on the real facts, check out Truth: The Anti-Drugwar.)
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