craschworks / politics

Overzealous DEA shuts down water purifier manufacturer

23-Nov-11

In May, his Oklahoma distributor — warned by the DEA — said he could no longer send Wallace iodine.

For Wallace to comply, the state Department of Justice fingerprinted the couple and told Wallace he needed to show them such things as a solid security system for his product. Wallace sent a photograph of Buddy sitting on the front porch.

“These guys don’t go for my humor,” Wallace said. “Cops are the most humorless knotheads on the planet.” Even so, Marco Campagna, Wallace’s lawyer, promised to strengthen security and make other improvements to allay the government’s concerns.

via mercurynews.com

Occupy Wall Street vs. The Tea Party

10-Oct-11

via howconservativesdrovemeaway.blogspot.com

Jon Stewart Scolds Media For Ignoring Rep. Ron Paul: ‘I Mean, F*ck That Guy, Right?’

16-Aug-11

via mediaite.com

I haven’t followed the Ron Paul campaign much this season. He did a poor job of turning money into votes in the 2008 campaign, so I didn’t see much point in putting much effort into this campaign. However, it’s incredibly annoying to see the media’s dismissal of his campaign, despite some notable successes. It’s nice to see Stewart is annoyed too.

Feminisnt » Fund America’s first sex workers’ rights billboard!

22-Jul-11

via feminisnt.com

I support this billboard and SWAAY.org.

Decriminalise possession of drugs, celebrities urge government

02-Jun-11

Dame Judi Dench, Sir Richard Branson, and Sting have joined an ex-drugs minister and three former chief constables in calling for the decriminalisation of the possession of all drugs.

The high-profile celebrities together with leading lawyers, academics, artists and politicians have signed an open letter to David Cameron to mark this week’s 40th anniversary of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act. The letter, published in a full-page advertisement in Thursday’s Guardian, calls for a “swift and transparent” review of the effectiveness of current drugs policies.

via guardian.co.uk

Finally, the tide seems to be turning.

Patriot Act powers may lapse at end of week

24-May-11

A combination of the Senate’s arcane rules and Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) insistence on voting on several controversial amendments may cause the Patriot Act to lapse at the end of the week.

The expiration of the law before the passage of an extension would create an upheaval in the law enforcement community which relies on its authority to track suspected terrorists.

via thehill.com

Go Rand Paul! C’mon Democrats on my friend’s list! You may hate everything else Rand Paul stands for, but surely you can support the expiration of the Patriot Act. Call your Senator and tell them you don’t want this odious Act extended.

Deafening Liberal Silence as the Senate Moves to Extend the Patriot Act

24-May-11

via my.firedoglake.com

Under President Bush, liberals would never have been as silent as they are now. There would have been rancorous opposition especially in the blogosphere to extending PATRIOT Act provisions. Liberal talk radio and MSNBC would be talking about the government’s push to maintain extraordinary powers. But, for liberal activists, bloggers, pundits, and politicians, Obama cannot be hampered by any campaigns to defend democratic society, which might make it difficult for him to run for re-election.

Stephen Colbert’s Free Speech Problem

19-May-11

So what is someone who wants to speak during elections to do? If you’re Stephen Colbert, the answer is to instruct high-priced attorneys to plead your case with the FEC: Last Friday, he filed a formal request with the FEC for a “media exemption” that would allow him to publicize his Super PAC on air without creating legal headaches for Viacom.

How’s that for a punch line? Rich and successful television personality needs powerful corporate lawyers to convince the FEC to allow him to continue making fun of the Supreme Court. Hilarious.

via online.wsj.com

Citizens United was one of the court cases that actually increased liberty. I wonder if Colbert realizes it now.

QT: Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way. –Daniele Vare

15-May-11

Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way. Daniele Vare

via overcomingbias.com

Is Ron Paul More Progressive Than Obama?

30-Apr-11

Let’s just assume the worst about Paul: that he’s a corporate libertarian in the Reason magazine/Cato Institute mold that would grant Big Business and the financial industry license to do whatever the hell it wants with little in the way of accountability (I call this scenario the “status quo”). Let’s say he dines on Labradoodle puppies while using their blood to scribble notes in the margins of his dog-eared, gold-encrusted copy of Atlas Shrugged.
So. Fucking. What.

Barack Obama isn’t exactly Eugene Debs, after all. Hell, he’s not even Jimmy Carter. The facts are: he’s pushed for the largest military budget in world history, given trillions of dollars to Wall Street in bailouts and near-zero interest loans from the Federal Reserve, protected oil companies like BP from legal liability for environmental damages they cause – from poisoning the Gulf to climate change – and mandated that all Americans purchase the U.S. health insurance industry’s product. You might argue Paul’s a corporatist, but there’s no denying Obama’s one.

via counterpunch.org

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Overzealous DEA shuts down water purifier manufacturer

23-Nov-11

Occupy Wall Street vs. The Tea Party

10-Oct-11

Jon Stewart Scolds Media For Ignoring Rep. Ron Paul: ‘I Mean, F*ck That Guy, Right?’

16-Aug-11

Feminisnt » Fund America’s first sex workers’ rights billboard!

22-Jul-11

Decriminalise possession of drugs, celebrities urge government

02-Jun-11

Patriot Act powers may lapse at end of week

24-May-11

Deafening Liberal Silence as the Senate Moves to Extend the Patriot Act

24-May-11

Stephen Colbert’s Free Speech Problem

19-May-11

QT: Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way. –Daniele Vare

15-May-11

Is Ron Paul More Progressive Than Obama?

30-Apr-11