Honor Political Prisoner Marc Emery: Prop 19

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday September 10, 2010 · 11:58 AM PDT

2010/09/10 · 11:58

Today, Marc Emery, Canadian citizen, loving husband, pot advocate and general mensch, will plead guilty to selling cannabis seeds over the internet in a federal court, and as part of deal with prosecutors, will avoid a possible life sentence, instead receiving 5 years in prison. The media has dubbed him "The Prince of Pot", and indeed, he is singlehandedly responsible for a large portion of the seeds that were cultivated to grow cannabis throughout the world over the last two decades.
in the 90's Marc emerged as one of the world's most tireless advocates for cannabis law reform, and for the rights of medical and recreational cannabis users. It is my hope that we can honor Marc and send a clear message this November 2nd. By organizing for, donating to, and passing Proposition 19, we can finally start a national dialogue about the failure of the drug war, the injustices against our families and society that prohibition has wrought, and the fissures between law enforcement and the communities they serve that have formed as a result.

More below the fold.....

Poll

18 votes Show Results

Ever used Cannabis and will you donate to Yes on 19?

18 votes Vote Now!

Ever used Cannabis and will you donate to Yes on 19?

No, I have never used cannabis, and I will not contribute.

4 votes

I have never used cannabis, but I believe in the cause, and will donate.

2 votes

I have used cannabis, and it's bad news. No donation from me.

3 votes

I have used cannabis, and I WILL donate to Yes on 19.

3 votes

I have used cannabis, I WILL donate, and I will vote for it as well (Cali. residents)

2 votes

I believe only Mormons have the power to effect out-of-state ballot measures.

4 votes

Take a few minutes, and feel what it's like to be unemployed.

MikeDub

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday July 03, 2010 · 12:41 AM PDT

2010/07/03 · 00:41

I have many intelligent, talented friends in my social circle, most with college educations and a wide range of skills, who are currently unemployed. Many lost jobs from being laid off during the downturn, many more have not had the opportunity to hold a career-track job since graduating from college.

I consider myself lucky. I essentially gave up on degree-track college, and occasionally take a class if I really want to learn something, and avoided tens of thousands of dollars of debt. I manage a wine bar, and do okay. I've had this job for almost 4 years, and it's served me well through my late 20's. During my early 20's, I would skip from job to job, with ease, essentially taking whatever job best suited my purpose at the specific time. I worked in child care, restaurants, photography, digital media, real estate, sales, retail, you name it. I'm a master of the cover letter, and my resume is amazing, because I know how to sell myself to potential employers.

The point of this is that I have never had trouble getting jobs, and I have always firmly believed that if you want the jobs bad enough, you aren't miserably unqualified, and you sell yourself properly, there should be no issues. The job will be yours, IF you play the game properly.

I no longer believe this.

Poll

129 votes Show Results

How often do you receive replies to your job inquiries?

129 votes Vote Now!

How often do you receive replies to your job inquiries?

Frequently, about 50% or more of the time.

6 votes

Less frequently, about 25% of the time.

7 votes

Infrequently, about 10%.

14 votes

Rarely, less than 5%

24 votes

Less than once a month, with modest effort.

5 votes

Less than once a month with daily effort.

21 votes

I have not received a single response in several months.

52 votes

Taxed Enough Already? Sounds crazy, but it might be true.

MikeDub

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday May 04, 2010 · 11:23 AM PDT

2010/05/04 · 11:23

Taxes, debt, deficits, Tea Parties, "populist anger", financial crises, there sure is a lot of hootin' and hollerin' about money these days.

Sadly, the debate over these issues has pretty much been "NO MORE TAXES!" and then we reply "SHUT UP, YOU'RE AN IDIOT!", and it goes back and forth, back and forth.

There's actually some interesting things happening, long-term in our tax policies that really worth having a substantive conversation over. The current trends do quite a bit to explain the popular anger at taxes, though the specifics of the anger tends to be quite displaced, just as the media and our capitalist overlords planned it. The reality is there is a ton of room to craft tax policy, making it more just and fair for the people waving misspelled signs in the street, if we can actually manage to have a discussion about it.

Lots of pretty graphs and statistics below the fold. Prepare to get your wonk on.

MikeDub

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday February 11, 2010 · 1:20 AM PST

2010/02/11 · 01:20

In a game of chess, a poor player can adopt a last-ditch strategy to prevent a loss. By allowing all of their pieces except the king to be captured, they can maneuver their final piece into a corner with no escape, preventing further moves and effectively ending the game in a draw. Stalemate.

A stalemate won't earn you any regard from your peers, but it does create a situation in which the poorer player's lack of skill technically goes unpunished. It's a push. And in the eyes of a gambler, a push is a win.

At this point in American history, the Democratic party has finally achieved the majorities that are absolutely necessary to push major progressive legislation forwards against institutional and corporate interests. We hold nearly 2-1 majorities in both the House and the Senate. Unfortunately, our Republican opponents, who's pieces we've systematically hunted and captured over the last two decades, have resorted to a last ditch effort. Unfortunately for us, a stalemate for a conservative is more than a push. It's an accomplishment. More after the jump....

MikeDub

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday November 18, 2008 · 10:45 AM PST

2008/11/18 · 10:45

On November 14th, Newty and Papa Bear got together for a little "two-minute hate" of our current minority du jour, Homosexuals.

After reading the transcript, I thought I would do a slight edit, for a 1950's-era audience, to see if anyone can draw a parallel.

I have simply replaced the words "gay" with the word "black".

Some come have some fun, and harken back to the good old days of American prejudice!

more below the fold.

Poll

13 votes Show Results

My marriage was destroyed by

13 votes Vote Now!

My marriage was destroyed by

financial woes

2 votes

problems with children

1 vote

cheating

3 votes

illness

0 votes

personality differences

2 votes

drug/alcohol problems

1 vote

career problems

0 votes

death

0 votes

creeping gay fascism

4 votes

Subsidizing the McCain's "Free Market" Fortune

MikeDub

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday October 16, 2008 · 12:55 PM PDT

2008/10/16 · 12:55

Radley Balko has a fantastic article over in Reason about the government-created industry of alcohol distribution, and the general shadiness and protectionism of said industry.

Johnny Mac's sugar mama's fortune is apparently the result of a government and industry-backed monopoloy, supported by an army of (surprise!) lobbyists and interest groups.

Not that this should be a surprise to anyone familiar with how this industry has worked since the end of prohibition, but for those who aren't, there's some juicy excerpts after the break.....

MikeDub

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday October 08, 2008 · 1:41 PM PDT

2008/10/08 · 13:41

(WARNING: SNARK!)

AP NEWS (Washington, DC)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a televised press conference today, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain declared his sweeping plan to roll back the laws that govern physical existence, both on this planet and throughout the universe.

"Today, my friends, I am proud to announce my intention to remove the legislative barriers that inhibit our universe, and discourage growth. For too long our reality has been constrained by the laws of gravitation, thermodynamics and quantum physics. When I am president, I will remove these barriers and allow the universe to grow in new, dynamic and innovative ways."

While his statements were unspecific, a detailed plan appeared on his campaign website within the hour, explaining precisely his intentions and methods of removing outdated and no longer relevant laws that govern the movements and behavior of everything in the known universe, down to the smallest sub-atomic particles.

More below the fold.....

MikeDub

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday September 23, 2008 · 2:00 PM PDT

2008/09/23 · 14:00

My friends, I know that we can all get sucked into our own little world of internet laziness.

Commenting, writing diaries, preaching to the converted here at the Kos... god, it feels good doesn't it? Unfortunately, while the blogosphere is becoming more powerful, ranting and sharing information (while helpful for us) does very little to shift the winds of Washington.

And right now, winds are shifting in a way that could be described as "The Shaft". That's what this bailout plan is going to be if we don't get our acts together!

That's why we have to do something we haven't done in ages. We're going to click the links below, find our senators' and house member's phone numbers, and we're going to call them, one at a time, until they've all actually heard our real voices (or at least their aides have).

More after the fold....

Poll

26 votes Show Results

So are you gonna call 'em or what?

26 votes Vote Now!

So are you gonna call 'em or what?

I have already called all my reps repeatedly

4 votes

I have called all my reps at least once

12 votes

I have called at least one of my reps

4 votes

I will call them right now

1 vote

I am a lazy jerk

5 votes

I have been bankrupted by the financial crisis, and have no phone

0 votes

Change? Really?

MikeDub

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday September 09, 2008 · 11:31 AM PDT

2008/09/09 · 11:31

Conservative. Small Government. Individual Responsibility. Hand Up, Not a Hand Out. Reform. Tax Relief.

This stuff sounds great, doesn't it? These are a few of the characteristics that Republicans have managed to attach to their image in the collective unconscious. But those of us who actually pay attention, know that these "ideals" of conservatism are rarely met in governance, and when they are the solutions they produce rarely manage to address the issue in any significant way. I think this video really speaks to reality.

More after the break....

Poll

13 votes Show Results

Can a conservative change?

13 votes Vote Now!

Can a conservative change?

Fundamentally, no.

2 votes

Maybe, like when they're "Born Again"

3 votes

They'll have to, after they get hammered in this year's election

2 votes

Like the weather, if it's politically expedient

6 votes

How to steal back the energy/economy issue

MikeDub

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday September 08, 2008 · 10:28 AM PDT

2008/09/08 · 10:28

Pelosi and her bretheren have really screwed the pooch over the last few weeks on this offshore drilling issue. When Palin came on board and threw ANWR into the mix, it really seemed to flummox all the dems, Obama included. Between the "rising star" personality she brought to the table and the pinch in American's pocketbooks, the Republicans have managed to take a nonsense proposal and make it seem like brave, maverick-y action.

It's time for drastic action on the Dem side as well. Everyone has pretty much agreed that this "Drill Here Drill Now" mantra is a symbolic guesture. Let's get symbolic, too, and then back it up with some kickass ideas, people!

Poll

26 votes Show Results

People support "Drill Here, Drill Now" because:

26 votes Vote Now!

People support "Drill Here, Drill Now" because:

It makes sense, and appeals to the intellect

1 vote

Alliteration and word repetition

11 votes

It's short and sweet

5 votes

The whole population of America is in bed with big oil

4 votes

People like the sexual innuendo of "drill"

5 votes

How the media killed my dad's ability to think

MikeDub

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday September 07, 2008 · 2:28 PM PDT

2008/09/07 · 14:28

Like many of us, I grew up indoctrinated with my parents' political beliefs, to the extent that is really possible. I rode in the car as Rush Limbaugh spoke, washed the dishes as my well-to-do parents complained about over taxation, and bought the personal responsibility selling point hook, line and sinker. I was a true believer.

I even read both of Limbaugh's books, before I was even fifteen years old. And I loved them. His nasty attitude towards those he disagreed with, his snarkiness, his willingness to mock and use humor against his ideological foes.... lovely. It was easy to believe that environmentalism was an overblown scam, that all feminists were lesbians and abortion-lovers hell bent on forcing "political correctness" on us, that allowing wealth to grow at the top helps those on the bottom....

All of these things seemed to make sense to my adolescent mind. But most of all, I loved the succinctness of talking points. One-liners to disarm and flummox your opponent, painting them into a corner. How great is that? Just memorize your line, and bang! Argument won.

Poll

109 votes Show Results

What the fuck are we going to do?!?

109 votes Vote Now!

What the fuck are we going to do?!?

Scream until our faces turn blue

8 votes

Give up and only discuss the weather (not global warming)

11 votes

4 page-at-a-time email debates until our fingers rot off

9 votes

Put our hope in the children, because our folks are hopeless

51 votes

Not worry, because my family is full of proud progressives

17 votes

Undergo a frontal lobotomy to "make the world a happier place"

13 votes

So what's it going to be then, eh?

MikeDub

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday September 03, 2008 · 12:47 AM PDT

2008/09/03 · 00:47

Everything about McCain's behavior over the last several weeks have suggested that he fully intends to make abortion the central issue of this fall's campaign.
His blunt statement about abortion at Saddleback should have been a telling sign. He stated that life begins

At the moment of conception. I have a 25-year pro-life record in the Congress, in the Senate, and as President of the United States, I will be a pro-life President with pro-life policies. That's my commitment. That's my commitment to you.

There's even the possibility that McCain saw/heard Obama fumble the abortion query, while outside of his "cone of silence", spotted a weakness, and decided to dig in.

Poll

50 votes Show Results

How prominent do you think the abortion issue will be in the fall campaigns?

50 votes Vote Now!

How prominent do you think the abortion issue will be in the fall campaigns?

Top of the crop

6 votes

Of major importance, but overshadowed by another issue

18 votes

Just another talking point for the fundies

21 votes

Completely irrelevant

5 votes

RSS

Honor Political Prisoner Marc Emery: Prop 19

Take a few minutes, and feel what it's like to be unemployed.

Taxed Enough Already? Sounds crazy, but it might be true.

Paralysis as Policy: The true face of conservatism

Newt and Bill, revised for the 1950's

Subsidizing the McCain's "Free Market" Fortune

McCain announces plan to deregulate laws of physics

Get off your internet arse and call!!!

Change? Really?

How to steal back the energy/economy issue

How the media killed my dad's ability to think

So what's it going to be then, eh?