On Monday, members of the California Assembly approvedSenate Bill 1449, which reduces adult marijuana possession offenses in California from a criminal misdemeanor to an infraction, by a vote of 43 to 33.The vote split largely along party lines, with Democrats voting 40 to 8 in favor of more lenient penalties and Republicans voting 2 to 23 against. Senate lawmakers had previously approved the measure in June by a vote of 21 to 13. The marijuana infraction bill now goes to the Governor’s desk for his approval.
Senate Bill 1449 amends the California Health and Safety Code so that the adult possession of up to 28.5 grams of marijuana is classified as a noncriminal infraction, punishable by no more than a $100 fine — no court appearance, no court costs, and no criminal record.
Passage of bill would save the state millions of dollars in court costs by keeping minor pot offenders out of court. The number of misdemeanor pot arrests has surged in recent years, reaching 61,388 in 2008, the highest level since the state partially decriminalized pot possession in 1976.
Adults who consume marijuana responsibly are not part of the crime problem, and the state should stop treating them like criminals
Governor Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has vetoed several different marijuana law reform bills in the past. Therefore, if you live in California, it is vital that you please e-mail or call Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and urge him to sign SB 1449 into law. For your convenience, a pre-written letter will be e-mailed to the Governor when you visit NORML’s ‘Take Action’ Center here.
A new documentary called 8: The Mormon Proposition exposes the $22 million secret program to defeat gay marriage in California sponsored by the Mormon church. After a court ruled that gay couples could get married, a ballot initiative called “Proposition 8″ was submitted to overturn it. A “yes” vote on “Prop 8″ was a “no” vote on gay marriage. The Mormon church, headquartered in Utah, orchestrated a campaign to support Prop 8, working through local, non-Mormon organizations and individuals to hide their involvement.
This is a must see for everyone who believes in the separation of church and state.. It shows how elections are bought and paid for and that the special interest group with the most money wins. The group (or person) with the most money wins and that is wrong for all of us. Whether you are straight or gay, this is a movie that should be watched with concern. If our country is in trouble it is not because gay people want to marry or not, it is because the money of the rich (or the controlled as in this story) is deciding the policies and laws of the land.
A federal grand jury has indicted Roger Clemens on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The 19-page indictment charges Clemens with three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury in connection with his February 2008 testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. According to the United States attorney’s office, Clemens faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, but under the current sentencing guidelines, a conviction would likely bring 15-21 months. Clemens’s allegedly false testimony came in a public hearing in which Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee, testifying under oath, directly contradicted each other about whether Clemens had used the banned substances.
Authorities in the western U.S. state of California are investigating a crash at a popular off-road race that killed eight people. A dozen more were injured, some seriously.
The accident occurred Saturday (evening – 0240 GMT Sunday) just as the race, called the California 200, was starting. The driver of a truck participating in the race lost control. The vehicle plowed into a crowd of spectators who had gathered at a dry lake bed in southern California for the annual event.
The 200-mile race involving a variety of off-road vehicles was being held near the city of Lucerne Valley in the Mojave desert, 165 kilometers northeast of Los Angeles. It had been scheduled to last through the night before the accident brought it to an abrupt end.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has threatened Wikipedia with legal action if the online encyclopedia doesn’t remove the FBI’s seal from its site.
Wikipedia isn’t backing down, however. The online encyclopedia — which is run by a nonprofit group and is edited by the public — sent a chiding letter to the FBI, explaining why, in its view, the FBI is off its legal rocker.
“In short, then, we are compelled as a matter of law and principle to deny your demand for removal of the FBI Seal from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons,” the Wikimedia Foundation’s general counsel, Mike Godwin, wrote in a letter to the FBI, which was posted online by the New York Times.
“We are in contact with outside counsel in this matter, and we are prepared to argue our view in court.”
The whimsically written letter from Wikipedia says the FBI’s reading of relevant law is both “idiosyncratic” and “more importantly, incorrect.” It also notes that the FBI’s seal appears on other websites, including in an online entry from Encyclopedia Britannica.
So, they’re worried about people using the lo-res image for duplication? No one better tell them about the vectorversionsavailable all over the damn place…but one would need to know how to search The Google for “FBI vector logo”.
P.S. This doesn’t mean the terrorists have won, does it?
A few years ago NORML sponsored a contest for the best short video clip in support of cannabis legalization. The time limit for the submitted cartoons and videos was 30 seconds. However, a gentleman submitted a unique and highly allegorical video entitled ‘The Flower’ that ran nearly 3 minutes long, which disqualified it from consideration. Over the ensuing months the artist contacted NORML a number of times with amended versions, never quite right with the narrative or pacing of the story he was trying to tell.
No more.
He’s nailed it and we’re all the better for it.
We haven’t had a chance to interview Jimmy @ Skate Thru Life yet so I just grabbed the mission statement off the Skate Thru Life site:
The Mission of Skate Thru Life is not only to further the positive image of the sport of skateboarding, but to do so by helping to build free community skate parks. Skateboarding is an activity that runs into problems at times with local business owners and police, etc. I love banzing down a huge hill just like the next guy, or skating a cool parking lot, but not everybody else loves it when skateboarders are present. Given the reality of this situation, the solution is to build more free skate parks. Almost every athlete has a place to engage in their respective sports provided to them by their cities. More and more municipalities these days are recognizing the need for free community skate parks, and more and more of them are popping up all over the place. We as community members, however, have to make things happen. If we don’t do anything, almost no city is just going to up and build a free skate park.
Check out the Tony Hawk Foundation for more information about becoming active in your community in terms of getting a free skate park built.
MILWAUKEE — NASCAR team owner Jack Roush was in serious but stable condition after walking away from a plane crash in Wisconsin on Tuesday night. “There are injuries. Possible surgery,” Roush Fenway Racing president Geoff Smith said in a text message to The Associated Press. “But he walked out of the plane.”
According to the EAA, the National Transportation Safety Board and Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that two occupants on board were Roush and Brenda Stricklin of Plymouth, Mich.
“Each exited the aircraft following the accident,” the statement said. “Both were transported to local hospitals, with Roush in serious but stable condition and Strickland with non-life threatening injuries. The NTSB is leading the investigation into the accident.”
The Beechcraft Premier jet pancaked onto the runway and broke in half and no flames or smoke were seen, according to the aviation news website AVweb.com. Jason McDowell, an aviation photographer who was at the airport, tweeted a photo of team co-owner Jack Roush exiting the plane with a bloody face.
From Politics Daily… Veterans will not be punished for using medical marijuana in the 14 states where it is legal, according to new rules announced by the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Under the revised policy, veterans who are prescribed and are using medical marijuana will no longer risk being prosecuted or lose government benefits, Reuters reported.
Under the new rules, which expire in 2015, VA doctors cannot prescribe medical pot and it cannot be used at any VA facilities. Also, the VA will not pay for pot prescriptions.
The department said medical conditions associated with the use of medical marijuana include glaucoma, chemotherapy-induced nausea, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and chronic pain, according to Reuters.
The 14 states permitting use of medical marijuana are: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
Although Sunday at San Diego’s COMIC-CON International can be a little light on the freaks and geeks which populate the earlier days of the convention, Swasted’s lone CON correspondent is bringing you the best of what’s left in the following series of shots which also serve as an unspoken criticism of the iPhone’s indoor photo capabilities. Enjoy!
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And to think that this whole time I thought FBI really did stand for Female Body Inspector. Boy, is my face red…
