As long he is not connected to the prison
industry in any shape or,Iam for it.
Did I said that ?

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born in amsterdam i can assure you comparing USA drugs and gangs and jail sentences has no use.

why to buy pot from a dealer if there are shops.
Regular users grow their own stuff.
It is not the marihuana it is a crazy jail system combined with the eagerness to be a slave....working working till ye die.

eating eating till you are fat.

relax enjoy life.....
and realise the senator has to make a show to earn his money,
like Madonna....

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Fucking Republicans are 95% of the reason marijuana is STILL illegal. Reefer madness is their fucking religion.

They eat, breathe and shit reefer madness. They can't think a goddamn correct thought about marijuana because they have no correct thought - just bullshit for brains.

Democrats are spineless fucking wimps who simply go along with the GOP for god-know-whatever reason, probably because they are scared of being called names.

Democrats will be the reason this situation changes, eventually. Barney Frank and other keep the "pressure" - such as it is - on.

Republicans will always be The Problem. Always. They always have been, since Nixon.

Republicans are Assholes.

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Is that the best you got?

BHO is a realist, GWB is an idealist...big diff.

BHO has a brain and Bush has his gut.

BHO understands this issue, GWB understands how his weak mind and lack of character could not handle recreational drug use without resorting to abuse, so he was afraid of it.

BHO is on a timetable to accomplish major overhauls of the crumbling economy, banking system, Wall Street, health care, job market,etc. and needs political capital to do it. He cannot afford to spend his precious and limited capital on this wedge issue right now...but he will in time. He hasn't even been in office but a little over 100 days and you act like he should have fixed all of the messes of the last eight years already, or he is a dismal failure.

Unreasonable expectations...or just bashing the candidate that beat your choice? The Dems could do nothing with Bush in the WH...and are still hamstrung by Repugs who threaten filibuster on every bill, requiring 60 votes. The Dems only have 59...but the use of extreme dilatory tactics in an attempt to delay or prevent action on every bill shows that the Repugs have no scruples.

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Dems have OWNED congress since 06? OH, unless you actually can count! They have had a numerically insufficient number to pass wind !!!
And the GOP members vote like one AGAINST EVERY bill written by a democrat!! EVERY bill !

And let's refer to Minnesota, where Al Franken having won the count is still being stalled by the GOP with continuous appeals. Funny, the party of hurry up and seat the president without that pesky counting, is NOW all about recounting and recounting and recounting....interesting no?

And here again a republican, supposedly about states rights, personal freedom and small government writing a bill to incarcerate "others" for expressing their personal freedoms.
And the cops immediately going for the DUI angle when no law regarding cannabis would even consider allowing driving while high as a freedom we could expect. A DUI is a DUI and even cough syrup is a possible culprit.
Let's discuss one issue at a time.
And his law if passed would equate to arresting and prosecuting severely those drinking hard liquor vs beer or wine.
This guy needs to have his idiocy exposed by Jon Stewart or Colbert, for the nonsense it is.
What a fool !

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Using this article (indeed, using this site) to bray and rant your anti-Obama, anti-liberal, anti-any and everything bullshit. Once again, your words convey nothing of thought or regard to the issue being spoken of. You need a right-wing site to serve as your mouthpiece. They are stupid enough there to believe in your drivel.

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Got to agree with you somewhat Honky, but you have to realize that "it is the Amerikan way".
It is why we are fortifying our Canadian border and will watch (with our guns)for any Yankee Doodle that tries to get in here. If he comes waving that "yankee doodle" flag, he or she better be prepared to duck.

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Rather amusing when a little "grass" is all that keeps the pain away.

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And U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk seems to be the latest incarnation.

Why did I think that the guy who said he wanted 25 years in prison for pot smokers was a Republican? Because, it just seems to fit.

When confronted with all the problems we are having to go through in this country, why is it that there is always some stupid upstart, just out of diapers, who thinks he has all the answers...to everything?

Enter, Rep. Mark Kirk; the quintessential messiah.
Yeah, he's going to "cleanup this country";
"You Betcha"!! I thought we just got rid of the "Idiot in charge". Now we have another one who seems willing to fill his shoes.

Someone ought to sit this jerk down and tell him about "the facts of life" at least some of them, because he doesn't know anything. Another airhead who has all the answers. He thinks that pot with 15% or more is the real scourge of this country, and for that matter, the world. So, the faster we lockup everybody and forget about them, the sooner we can solve the "credit crisis", the "sub-prime loan" mess, "immigration", "the war on terror", (oh, I almost forgot, we don't call it 'terror' anymore), "Iraq", "Afghanistan", "North Korea", "Iran and the 'Bomb'", "Israel and the Palestinians", "Gitmo", "Taliban" "Al Qaeda". Forgive me if I left anyone out.

Mr. Numbnuts, I mean Mr. Kirk should read the reports on tobacco and alcohol abuse. If Mr. Kirk wants to protect us from the horrors of pot, he should start with a real horror story. Have him read about the 450,000 people who die from tobacco and tobacco related products every year - just in this country, alone. Then read about the 125,000 people who die from alcohol every year- again, just in this country, alone. Or, the 200,000 who die from prescription drugs, every year.

But, Mr. Kirk won't go after the alcohol, tobacco, or pharmaceutical industries. No, No, No! Those guys are too powerful...and they will kill you if you try to outlaw any of their drugs.

Kirk is a player. An like all players, he knows who to go after, and who not to go after. His reasoning tells him that someone high on pot should not drive a car. Well, no shit Sherlock! How did you figure that one out; by reading a book? You shouldn't drink and drive either.

Mr. Kirk should be sponsoring a new bill to imprison anyone who is caught driving while drunk on alcohol for 25 years. Why not? The potential for harm is the same as someone really stoned on pot, so, why not impose the same sentence for drinking and driving? Why? Because, everyone "knows" that both houses of Congress like to enjoy their three martini lunches. And who wouldn't? It's on our dime.

Oh, I just learned, that Mr Kirk voted for Bush...twice. That explains his odd behavior in writing this latest anti-pot bill.

Well, I guess this is just another "La Cage aux Folles" where all participants pretend to be warm and fuzzy when it comes to protecting the human race from the "scourges of pot". We have to learn how to live with people like Mr. Mark Kirk for however long that might be. But, there is a bright spot; they are an endangered species.

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I can see the conversation in the prison now:

"How long are you in for?"
"20 years. You?"
"25. What for?"
"Rape. How about you?"
"I sold some dude a joint."

This is ridiculous. And expensive - how on earth does this moron think we can afford to keep these people in prison for 25 years, given the current economic situation? Already some states are considering releasing nonviolent drug offenders, and more power to them.

How about 25 year sentences for introducing stupid legislation in Congress?

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The prison industrial complex must be funding this dick's campaign in a fierce way for him to make such an ignorant claim. This idiot is from the crooked straights of Illinois, a state that just signed legislation to legalize medical mary jane. Illinois is only steps away from legalizing pot for all. You know why? Because, there is way more money in legalizing and taxing pot than there is in funding the maintenance of these privately owned industrial prison camp contracts. Furthermore, the self proclaimed land of the free, wherein currently one in every 100 of us is either in jail or has been in jail, is the bane of the earth for these draconian life sentences and the maintenance of a prison industry that is not only unsustainable, but CONSTITUTIONALLY illegal. It's simply been a way for a handful of affluent white male beneficiaries of imperial colonization to ruin the lives of people of color to assure that they don't loose the reins of the world. That Mark Kirk, a rather simpleminded little twerp, judging by that goofy picture alone, would even presume to perpetuate that ruse stands to reason. He is, after all, a 'big tent' small brained rethugnicon, regularly drinking their xenophobic purple flavor-ade. What an ignorant little jerk...

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the spawn of Nelson Rockefeller??...

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In the 70s, Nebraska reduced penalties for weed to 7 days in jail or a fine for up to a pound, and it was a misdemeanor. Then the religious fanatics (Catholics, evangelicals, snake handlers) got things changed back.

The trouble with anything short of legalization is that there's the strange problem of prosecuting the wholesaler for what the retailer does. Even the wholesalers are selling just a bunch of little cigarettes.

Many law enforcement officers know that weed laws are a waste of time. They could be finding violent criminals, capturing white collar criminals, or in other words, simply doing their jobs instead of interfering with the market place.

But our country is set on control. We have traffic lights that are based on 19th century technology, for instance. Run one, even though there are no cars for blocks, and you get fined. Go a little over the speed limit in a car that could hit twice the speed limit safely, you get a ticket.

Americans need to return to a more relaxed attitude about traffic laws of all kinds, including weed. Sure, some people can waste a lot of time smoking weed all the time, but they should not ruin it for those who smoke for medical reasons. All use is medical, in my opinion. As far as strength and potency, the stronger the better because you use less to get a buzz. If you binge, you'll simply eat too much, or go to sleep early.

Used in a comprehensive program of oral hygiene and regular eating and entertainment along with a good work ethic and close attention to the road, weed is harmless in the gross, and only slightly harmful in the subtle use. So you wake up years later wondering where the time went? At least you had the illusion you were going places.

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Maybe shipping his ass to jail for 100 years for treason might awaken the American Spirit.

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Listen to NORML spokesperson Armentano talk:

"Of course, if Rep. Kirk (write him here!) was really concerned about potential risks posed by supposedly stronger marijuana, he would support regulating the sale of drug (as opposed to jailing first-time pot sellers for a quarter of a century) so that its potency would be consistent and this information would be publicly displayed to the consumer."

Why would we need to regulate Marijuana at all since, as he admits, there is no HD50: the dose level that would kill 50% of the test population: usually rats.

NORML, DPA, MPP and other "drug reform" organizations are controlled by Soros, Lewis and Sperling who want to eliminate personal cultivation and force you to buy your Marijuana from the same government that has been putting you in jail for the last 71 years.

These essays will expand on this allegation:

* Re-Legalize Marijuana: A Better Way to Destroy the Mexican Drug Cartels
http://www.newagecitizen.com/MERP/RelegalizeNowObama04.htm

* How the Marijuana Re-Legalization Movement Has Been Betrayed by Soros, Nadleman (DPA) and Kampia (MPP)
http://www.newagecitizen.com/MERP/RelegalizeNowObama08.htm

* How to Make Marijuana Free and Legal for For All Adults Within A Year:
Introduction to Your Involvement in the MERP Movement to Re-Legalize Marijuana Throughout the United States and the Planet
http://www.newagecitizen.com/MERP/RelegalizeNowObama00.htm

Please stop funding these organizations and support New Age Citizen's MERP Model to make Marijuana Cultivation Legal for All Adults throughout the Planet:

You may now go directly to MERP Headquarters:

MERP Headquarters
The Marijuana Re-Legalization Policy Project (MRPP)
http://www.newagecitizen.com/MERP.htm

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Corruption, fraud, extortion and conspiracy in the pharmaceutical industry produces “drugs” such as Vioxx. It resulted in more injuries and deaths than any of the illegal drugs, and its makers laugh all the way to the bank. How can anyone have a problem with illegal drugs while allowing drug lords of Merck go unpunished? Law enforcement should consider the statistics of drug use and treat their providers accordingly rather than make arbitrary decisions on their status, legal or illegal.

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MR. KIRK IS A MORON, THIS THERPUTIC HERB NEEDS TO BE LEGALIZED! NOT PENALIZED! OF COURSE IT IS MORE LUCURITIVE FOR IT TO STAY ILLAGAL THAN TO LEGALIZE IT! AS THE LIKES OF MR KIRK AND HIS CRONIES ARE MAKING MORE MONEY ON IT BEING ILLEGAL, SO UNTIL THEY FIND A WAY TO MAKE MORE MONEY ON IT BEING LEGAL IT WILL NOT CHANGE. REP. BARNEY FRANK IS MY HERO!

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this guy is clueless and should fall into what i believe to be a category of subhumans that are not allowed to breed........

we as a country, have been so long in the middle ages in our views of crime and punishment that the system now in place has veritably built itself...we are so inundated with the day to day concerns of living in this era, so many details to fret over, economic disaster looming or already upon us, it is no wonder that our political system is upside down...

I can testify that this proposal by this fair haired freak will perpetuate the wrongs that are already being visited upon our citizens by the skewed visions of the few...i received a 25 year sentence for pot on a first offense and have to deal with that monkey on my back every day of my life....

Don't let this happen to anyone else....somebody get this guy a lollipop so he will shut up...............

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the booze lobby.
Who ACTUALLY has the very most to lose if pot becomes legalized or decrimmed?
Why, it's the boozers of course.

BTW-Who would you rather spend time with, someone who is PLEASANTLY stoned or some raging asshole who is loud, rude, violent and DRUNK??!!

Let's hope for an alcohol "incident" for this creeping creep such as a drunk driver meeting him.
We'll see what sort of neurotic hysteria he comes up with then.

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The ignorance and immaturity of a certain number of individuals who apparently were elected by a constituency who think like them, such as seems to be the case with Mr. Kirk, is downright nightmarish and very worrying, both because of the representatives themselves, and because of that apparently very ignorant constituency. The ironic thing is that they see themselves as "enlightened (by the Holy Spirit, no doubt)" while the rest of the world is "in pro-science darkness" (and of course, it's their God-given duty to show the rest of us "the Way", whether we like it or not).

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...appeal to the scared sheep who see the world around them "going to pot".

Job losses, forclosures, terrorsm, and street crime get the poor little suburban sheep all agitated and frightened. They want a "new sheriff in town" to set things right.

You watch, with the continued job losses, increases in the poverty rate, increased homelessness, and heightened dispair, the right is going to make big inroads by - once again! - claiming to be "tough on crime". And the sheep will elect them in large numbers, possibly tipping the balance in the House and Senate.

And these pharmaceutically numbed and dumbed sheeple don't even see the irony in "The Land of the Free" having more people locked up than the tin despots they are so fond of distaining - not just by a bit, but by orders of magnitude!

I am a firm believer in "harm reduction". The penalty should fit the crime. It is entirely debatable whether possessing a relatively harmless weed should even be a crime. Driving while impaired, of course is and should be punishable. But we have let hysteria take the drug debate into the seventh circle of outer weirdness.

It's past time that we stop scaring the sheep - be it with Osama bin Laden "Ooga Booga" or "Reefer Madness" hyperbole. The politics of fear and division is just plain wrong. We need to look out for the common good. Jailing non-violent possession for 25 years is just election sloganeering - not good policy. It's just plain stupid.

Vote this fool out of office!

Peace,
Pope Urban XXIII

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I'm from Chicago and I read the Trib story about Kirk. They Trib has a comment section just like this one,and by the end of the day, it was 200-1 calling Kirk every name in the book. Literally, out of over 200 comments, exactly two people were supportive.

I wouldn't worry too much about this. The GOPigs have plumbed the depths of American stupidity and I think they hit bottom a while back.

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It is simply impossible to enforce and he is just trying achieve notoriety by being this week's Neocon Wet Dream with the biggest mouth.
He probably hopes to eclipse Rushole & O'liely with this yammering, inhuman filth. What kind of man would wish a thing like this on another human being over something so minor? A fascist pig with no imagination. Typical, I must say.

He's also the hosebag that went to China and told them not to trust the US because our government is lying to them. It's like calling your mortgage company & telling them you just lost your job and started smoking crack! WTF?!?! Smells like Teen Sedition!

Pure Pandering from a Neocon Nutjob who should be ignored.

Turn Off
Tune Out
REJECT!

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I've just been looking over Rep. Mark Kirk's Open Secrets.org Web page. Really can't tell anything from it except he's funded by the usual suspects.

Back in the salad days of suburban white marijuana culture there was a persistent rumor which blossomed into urban legend that one or more of the tobacco companies were surreptitiously copyrighting the names of popular Mexican and Central American varsities, i.e Acapulco Gold, Panama Red etc. There is no evidence that any of the big American tobacco companies ever did this.

However, now with more and more pressure on Big Tobacco to clean up its act, i.e. commit corporate hari-kari because its product is, after all, a proven killer, the inhabitants of the executive office must be casting about for a lifeline. Could that lifeline for the Altria Group, nee Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, British American Tobacco, et al., be low grade, low THC content marijuana?

A low grade dosage is more conducive to addiction than higher dosages because more units must be consumed for the user to obtain the desired effect. For instance, if one smoked a cigarette with a high nicotine content which satisfied the craving for a 24 hour period, then one pack of 20 cigarettes would last accordingly. The same with potent THC content marijuana or alcohol for that matter.


The American brewing industry learned this lesson with the introduction of so-called "light" beers in the early 1970s which have slightly low alcohol contents than their full-bodied siblings. The average American male will drink three to four "light" beers to obtain the effect of two or three regular beers. More units sold equals higher profits, especially since American "light" beers are brewed from only the cheapest of ingredients.

Therefore, and it has been a concern of mine for a very long time, if Big Tobaccos gets its hands on marijuana it will promote low grade, low THC content product to sell more units. To me that is what could be the intent of Rep. Kirk's bill.

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I don't smoke pot--- never have--- but I know people who do and I have never known any of them to have an adverse reaction to this herb! No violent crimes (or even non-violent ones for that matter) have they commited! They seem to have no desire to move on to "hard drugs"! There have been no cases of auto accidents involving their use of pot! So what is all the fuss about marijuana use?! I am 50-years-old and have heard all the lies going back to my years in elementary school when they used to lecture us about this "dangerous gateway drug"--- it's 2009 now, don't you think it's time to give that crap a rest! Legalize marijuana already!!!

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these guys have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.

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Look at the background of this jerk. He wants militaristic, Puritan justice for pot smokers. We're not going to get anywhere in this country with gestapos serving as reps. The "American Dream" needs to go from owning your own home to getting these 2 old, worthless political parties out of our government.

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Rep Kirk's call for 25 year prison sentences for first offense "marijuana crimes" violates the Biblical standard for punishment which calls for - "life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise" Exodus 21:23 (Also see Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21) Any punishment for a marijuana crime is excessive because no one has been murdered, no one has been blinded, no teeth have been knocked out and no injury whatsoever has occurred.

The notion that more potent marijuana is more dangerous is not backed up by a shred of peer reviewed science. In fact, in 1988 DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young ruled that "It is estimated that marijuana's LD-50 (dose where half of subjects die) is around 1:20,000 or 1:40,000. In layman terms this means that in order to induce death a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in one marijuana cigarette. If a marijuana cigarette weighs approximately .9 grams, a smoker would theoretically have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response." (see —  DECISION OF DEA ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE FRANCIS L. YOUNG  — pages 53-69 http://www.druglibrary.org/olsen/MEDICAL/YOUNG/young.html)

Even if potency increased tenfold there would be no injury from marijuana. Marijuana is the safest drug known to man. Where are the bodies from "marijuana crimes?" Punishment for a "crime" where there is no injury is a perversion of justice.

Rep Kirk serves the interests of reefer madness politicians, prison guards and drug warring cops, not the welfare of the public.

His lies about marijuana are condemned by scripture-

PROVERBS 19: 9 The false witness will not be free from punishment, and he that launches forth mere lies will perish.

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This guy looks like a total stoner!! I bet he's pickin up a big ol republican bong right now, and lauging his pasty a** off! I need me one of those super-cuts too!! Maybe, i'll finally get somewhere in life.

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He's out of his cotton pickin mind. Let him pay to house and feed millions of non-violent, laid back folks out of his personal money. Alcohol, the worst drug of all, is legal. The laws are ass backwards. Maybe if more people smoked pot there'd be a hell of a lot less fighting. Wake up, people. Don't listen to these closed-minded hypocrites. (He probably smokes himself) CURE THE DEFICIT. LEGALIZE MARIJUANA!

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VOTE THIS SADISTIC IDIOT OUT OF OFFICE ASAP

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The link which leads those of us who wish to write the Congressman, takes us to his web site where we're informed that the Congressman not only doesn't answer, but doesn't even allow communication from anyone not residing within his district. Perhaps this is one reason he apparently has such a limited national and world view.

Oh well... He's a joke, anyway!

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Put 3 people in jail under his plan and the government has effectively murdered someone, taking 75 life years away.

I am an atheist but in instances like this I hope I am wrong cause Mark Kirk would burn in hell for something like this.

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can increase the yield like that, fuck sending 'em to prison - put 'em to work for Monsanto or Archer Daniels Midland. World hunger crisis solved!

#@!

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The constitution states that the road ways cannot be restricted in any way shape or form!!! Kirk and his posse want restrictions!!!
We are entitled to live according to the dictates of our conscience, constitutionally, yet Kirk et al states that we have to live with in the bounds of some machine!!!
We are entitled to the gains of our own industry, according to the Missouri state constitution, but the states have made an industry out of denying and stealing our industry!!!
We have a constitutional right to freely worship, and Marijuana is the "BREAD OF CHRIST" of the Hippie persuasion!!!
The war of drugs, is a war against free enterprise, to give all of our rights to the pharmaceutical industry, outlawing nature and forcing man made witches brews upon our nation!!!
When the constitution and bill of rights were signed, their were no machines that tested our blood or our urine, or our crops, but even if they were in existence they would have been considered implements of treason, because of the 5th amendment...the right against self incrimination, the war of drugs would not be possible if they did not compel us to testify against ourselves, with the aid of these profitable devices!!!
What is the percentage of the constitutionality of our government since the assassination of J.F.K.??? THEY ALL TOOK AN OATH TO UPHOLD AND PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION FROM FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC ENEMIES OF THE CONSTITUTION!!! WHERE IN THE CONSTITUTION DOES IT STATE THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN DECLAIR WAR UPON THE CITIZENS, FOR BEING FREE???
The constitution died with J.F.K., and now his brother Teddy has been knighted by the Queen of England, proving his allegiance to our sworn enemy, yet he is still waging war against the American people, as an elected voice of the constitution???
Our government is 100% outside of the bounds of the constitution, and that equals treason, they have made allegiances with foreign nations, and foreign corporations, so if 15% outside of the law is 25 years, than 100% is death, and all of their ill gotten booties should go to pay off the national debt, that their unconstitutionality has created!!!
And what I am saying is 100% constitutional, and I demand, as a citizen of this constitutional nation that the military seize power immediately, and try and execute our government for their war against the citizens of this great nation!!!
GIVE US 100% LIBERTY OR GIVE US 100% DEATH!!!

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Republican Rep. Mark Kirk (Illinois) has called for federal legislation to sentence certain first-time marijuana offenders to up to 25 years in prison.

Do any wonder why the Republicans are on the decline nationally
and will be a minority political movement for years to come now?
The morons infesting this political structure is dooming everyone inside, it's like a house of cards where the reality of whats really happening is the wind [bad gas] that's leveling the playing field.

we need less prisons not more...
less hate & fear mongering and more representatives willing to actually read and recognize facts then inflating fiction...

why can't these morons and idiots realize that prohibition is fueling a greed fest ala Al Capone style blood-bath and has been the driving force behind keeping it illegal for the past 70 years...
and this fukker is so stupid that he still doesn't get it!

Hash has been around as long as hemp has been grown for all its multiple uses [which is many] so simply introducing this bill goes to show us all just how stupid some politicians are!

Greed not Weed, is the cause of criminality surrounding Prohibition!
you can end both simply by ending prohibition.

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This goodie two shoes OTed[over toked] once in his boring straight laced college days and has been on this crusade. Give him the forever douche bag award and strip him of any power that may go to his...head?

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If he would take the time to learn about the medical and industrial benefits of cannabis, he wouldn't have acted like a complete jackass that that remark of his. He could also try listening to his own Republican party member Ron Paul who at least has the brains to know better.

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If only the Democrap "leadership" could grow a backbone, maybe the rest of these creepy Rethuglican pigs could be defeated!

But who's gonna get enthusiastic about the Dems when they maintain their disgusting, gutless Nazi-lite approach to America's ongoing drug fascism?

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As one reader observed, users of high-THC herb scale down quantities used (for both economic and health reasons) which is precisely what Big 2Wackgo-- and its "useful idiot" political allies in the Republican Party-- fear most. The no. 1 profit engine in the industry, voraciously advertised hot-burning-overdose 700-mg. cigarettes, is doomed because one-toke varieties of cannabis teach users to acquire or handmake miniature utensils (long-stemmed one-hitter for 25-mg. servings) or use a vaporizer or -- soon available near you?-- an e-cigarette with THC in the cartridge instead of nicotine. What haoppens when 45 million cigarette addicts switch over to mini-toke, in imitation of wise-use cannabinists?

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hatemongers like kirk start talking out of their asses..and ppl eat that shit up like the proverbial hotcakes...and its not because their afraid of marijuana either.. but rather because society at large has become very..even dangerously..vindictive...

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while providing police departments, lawyers, judges, the prison industry, DEA, etc., all sorts of job security, bonuses, overtime pay, ever increasing revenue & powers, their own smuggling/dealing/money-laundering opportunities, etc.!!! (And this is just the tip of the rotten, corrupt iceberg!)

Moreover, there is a concerted effort by our "authorities" to get everyone thrown into "the system", whether it be the legal system, the prison system, welfare system, etc.!

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i think theres a good number of people that oppose this crap and want it to be legal.. im not going to rant forever why

WHAT CAN WE DO?

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Why on earth would anyone listen to this putz Mark Kirk. The same Mark Kirk who recently took a trip to China and told the Chinese government that the American government could not be trusted. All in the name of building trust. The guy is a treasonist whacko who should be in jail not in the House trying to pass laws to put more Americans in prison. We already house more prisoners than any other country for God's sake. We should repealing the some of the stupid harsh drug laws already on the books and electing legislators who have empathy for people and whose heads aren't stuck up their butts.

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So, when these antiquated prudes enact this law and find that the prison overcrowding that is now epidemic seems like child's play, as compared to what will be needed to house pot smokers for 25 years ... can we line up all of the crooked politicians and those who support such hogwash and force them to build and fund the extra prisons which will be required?

UFB! We allow murderers to go free in 5-10 years, permit war criminals to roam our society, run free bragging and hogging our airwaves, but we are not free to marry whom we wish nor smoke a little grass to mellow out. I say serve up a huge batch of "brownies" in Congress and maybe then our policies will truly represent a progressive, free country!

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There is nothing wrong with pot ... morons.

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Bear with me. There is a connection between the hoops one has to jump through for a patent, and with the reason grass is illegal. I've taken a look at how a person applies for a patent in this country, especially as it relates to alternate forms of energy. I can't say I was surprised to discover that a patent will be denied (and confiscated) if:

1. There is any potential military application, or threat to National Security should that technology become generally known. Many patents have been rejected, and the technology seized by the Dept. of Defense.

2. The tech in question will threaten the status quo of established businesses. 'National Security' isn't strictly defined in military terms, but in economic terms. A patent application must also be approved by Dept. of Commerce.

3. The tech in question threatens the status quo of those business interests who control the supply of energy to the U.S. 'National Security' applies to U.S. energy policy, and any patent must pass muster before the Dept. of Energy.

It makes sense that Marijuana would threaten such a narrow definition of 'National Security'. Certainly the liberties and economic security of regular people should be included in such a definition, but it has never been in my lifetime.

Weed causes thoughtfulness before rash reaction (I know, I've been ragingly angry, and a couple of tokes settled me right out), and makes it an obvious political liability. It causes a relaxed state in which it is more difficult to be provoked, preferring to live and let live (I know because my ex-wife, try as she might, couldn't ruin my good time. Water off a duck's back). It is potentially free of any charge whatsoever (anyone can grow it), should it be legalized in all forms, and is a handy cure for things which most people spend lots of money on from a pharmacy (as well as their doctors), and which when the dead are counted are lethal, or permanently harmful. It is the most perfect substitute for most applications of wood pulp or plastics. And it DOES cause reduced motivation and ambition when used daily.

All of these things are a threat to the economic and political/military culture of this nation. The kinds of high crimes we see in this world are NOT due to a lack of ambition or motivation. I think we could do with a bit less of the sorts of ambition that makes U.S. economics and politics tick.

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This Rep. Mark Kirk should be ashamed of himself, his blind ignorance shows so much. How can he claim to be a leader, when his understanding is so poor?

Stronger pot is not more dangerous pot, either regarding health or from the perspective of increased intoxication. Tokers aren't committed to smoke a fixed amount of pot - they smoke until the desired effect is achieved, and stop. More potent smoke means less smoke must be inhaled to achieve that effect, hence less harm is caused by the smoke.

Stronger pot is safer than weaker pot. The idea that it is more dangerous is a red herring. Mr. Kirk must think he's going to score some political points by hopping on the historically most politically certain bandwagon he sees. What a creep!

Hopefully, most people today understand that pot has done little or no harm to anybody - anybody not caught up in the legal system over it that is - and does not deserve to be considered a crime.

Freedom is the heart of the issue. Free adults should be free to chose the more benign drug. Drug warriors have always failed to prohibit the more harmful drug THEY go home to every night; they just want to prohibit ours, despite the fact that it produces minimal harm, if any harm at all!

Mr. Kirk is one of those to whom the facts mean nothing. Let's just hope that they mean something to enough voters.

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Without knowing who proposed this asinine legislation when I first heard it, I knew it would be a Republican. Once they get in office they have to scam up some kind of legislation to make a mark. After all they're "lawmakers". This is this jerks "law". 25 years in prison? For pot? What a crock of dog dookey!

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