Obama Drug Policy Focuses On Prevention, Treatment

The comments of the Drug Policy Alliance's Ethan Nadelmann are understandable and cheered by those of us for whom the War on Drugs has been too costly for too long.



It will be up to Nadelmann as well as POTUS and the rest of us to maintain our voices and attention on this issue. The War on Drugs created it's own "Military-Industrial Complex," which include the Corrections Corporation of America; the GEO Group, Inc,; Cornell Companies; Mid-Atlantic Youth Services Corp, and Community Education Centers. Phil Smith notes in his article on the subject that "Private prisons are a symptom, a response by private capital to the "opportunities" created by society's temper tantrum approach to the problem of criminality." [see: http://mediafilter.org/mff/prison.html ]



These companies find support with our politicians through groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council, an EXTREMELY effective and vocal advocate [see People for the American Way web page at http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/american-legislative-exchange, and this side dedicated to ALEC: http://www.alecwatch.org/ ] The private prison industry is also a substantial employer and is able to work through unions as well as through national organizations like The Fraternal Order of Police.



In short, this is a multi-billion dollar industry which won't die quietly, and the people whose self interest it serves will be coming hard and fast.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Might be a Good Time for some Fresh Strong Tea

Here is a party-making moment for the Taxed Enough Already folks: There are a lot of people out there who are disenfranchised, feeling left behind, whatever you want to call it.

Opryland, Boston Common, The Mall in Washington - when it was all over, the News organizations, and the politicians that exhorted protest and "sending Washington a message" were the same ones calling participants "rabble rousing, somewhat seditious folk"

Now that the GOP has made chumps out of the party, and it's become pretty clear they were never going to get support anyway, how will the Tea Party folks roll? Do they have what it takes to get down at the grassroots level and build a party to participate on a national level - a third party?

Or will they hang on at the margin, like some Bonus Army camped out in Washington? That's where the GOP would like to keep them, sucking up news cycles as they further their agenda in the background.  Anything that keeps the light off them is a good thing for the GOP right now.  Not that they'll thank the Tea Party folk.

I know this doesn't come across as kind.  Frank talk as this sounds more than a litte rude.  Significant moments, when decisions with lasting effects are made, don't come often.  This might be such a time.

People who know me will tell you I did not think the idea of protesting ad hoc, showing emotion in demonstrations was helpful or smart.  The idea of Taxed Enough Already wasn't one I was close to, because I couldn't connect the dots, from protest to changes.

Tonight I saw primary returns come in with GOP establishment candidates leaving few spots uncovered.  It was clear the Tea Party was created to benefit the GOP exclusively - no change to the system, status quo OK thanks very much. 

At the same time the Democrats, rather than press for transparency at the Fed or for regulating the size of too-big-to-fail banks, elect a "hands off" approach to the out-of-control banking system.  Truth to tell the banks have too great a control. It is the congress, and the people, who have lost it. And neither party seems inclined to do anything to address the wealth and power imbalance that continues to favor a very few.

Could there be anything good in all of this?  Perhaps.  I'm thinking this might be an excellent time to organize a political movement for the longer term. A movement with patience and vision; that doesn't shout or yell or take cues from news organizations. This could be the time when quiet resolve, the stuff no one pays attention to, can enter, and begin to speak - quietly and clearly - to and for the American People.

This time, instead of taking cues from one or another special interest, looking at all of our neighbors would be more helpful.  Recognizing that we are all (except the Native Americans) settlers here.  That at some point in the future we will all be gone from here, regardless of where we came from. 

We're not getting any younger.  Clock's ticking.

Peace.