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[xnipx]

Do the crime, do the time.

Nobody is forcing black people to use drugs

Care to explain why we are convicted at much higher rates than white drug users who make up a larger percentage of the population??

 

[AndyD]

Care to explain why we are convicted at much higher rates than white drug users who make up a larger percentage of the population??

I think his argument will be that all people, including whites, should serve the time for doing the crime. Whether there is racial profiling in arrests or racial injustice during the prosecutorial/sentencing phase is a whole another debate. The point is the underlying action is a crime nonetheless.

But as to the original discussion, it's a great idea, particularly since a lot of possession charges come from marijuana. I wonder if this type of thing is a lead-up to decriminalizing marijuana, or at least moving it off the class 1 drug list.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Do the crime, do the time.

Nobody is forcing black people to use drugs

You being facetious?

 

[xnipx]

I think his argument will be that all people, including whites, should serve the time for doing the crime. Whether there is racial profiling in arrests or racial injustice during the prosecutorial/sentencing phase is a whole another debate. The point is the underlying action is a crime nonetheless.

But as to the original discussion, it's a great idea, particularly since a lot of possession charges come from marijuana. I wonder if this type of thing is a lead-up to decriminalizing marijuana, or at least moving it off the class 1 drug list.

But on a macro level. The best way to combat the inequality when it comes to time served by minorities compared to whites would be changing the laws. You can't erase institutional racism and prejudice from every police dept and judge in the country. But taking away one of their tools(mandatory minimums) is a great first step.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

But as to the original discussion, it's a great idea, particularly since a lot of possession charges come from marijuana. I wonder if this type of thing is a lead-up to decriminalizing marijuana, or at least moving it off the class 1 drug list.

Can't the AG just reschedule it? Or does he need congress?

There seems to be plenty of study to get it on 2 or 3

 

[B-Dubs]

Do the crime, do the time.

Nobody is forcing black people to use drugs

Because sending people to jail for possession does so much good already.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Let me guess, most of it is due to mere possession right?

But Bill Cosby, reverse racism, rap music!

Why do I feel that in one hundred years from now we will look at black incarceration rates and modern segregation as we do with Jim Crow?

I doubt that, given how warped discussions and perceptions of racism have become; if a cross isn't being burned it's not racism to many people, and I think that mentality is "winning" right now.

A lot of black men commit crimes, I recognize that. The issue is that their crimes are punished with far more severe jail terms than white people who commit the same crimes. The law is also designed to punish drug crimes that impact the black community more. You can get significantly more jail time for walking home with a small rock of crack in your pocket than driving drunk, which is ridiculous yet deliberate. I'm glad Obama's administration has addressed crack/cocaine sentence disparity but obviously more can be done on these issues

 

[jamesinclair]

I think his argument will be that all people, including whites, should serve the time for doing the crime. Whether there is racial profiling in arrests or racial injustice during the prosecutorial/sentencing phase is a whole another debate. The point is the underlying action is a crime nonetheless.
.

Correct.

I am in no way saying that the system where a black man is sent to jail for having pot, while a white man is let off with a warning is correct.

It's not. It's extraordinarily fucked up.

But you can't complain you're being charged with a crime when you are in fact committing one.

Stop smoking pot, stop going to jail. It's not hard.

Because sending people to jail for possession does so much good already.

One might argue that the sentences arent harsh enough if theyre not acting as a deterrent.

I'm glad you've come around on Snowden's arrest.

Snowden didnt commit a crime.

 

[Tamanon]

Correct.

I am in no way saying that the system where a black man is sent to jail for having pot, while a white man is let off with a warning is correct.

It's not. It's extraordinarily fucked up.

But you can't complain you're being charged with a crime when you are in fact committing one.

Stop smoking pot, stop going to jail. It's not hard.

I'm glad you've come around on Snowden's arrest.

 

[PhoenixDark]

You guys realize he's trolling right?

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Snowden didnt commit a crime.

You're right, he committed crimes. Plural. Glad you caught that!

 

[jamesinclair]

You guys realize he's trolling right?

Im not trolling any more than you are

 

[empty vessel]

But you can't complain you're being charged with a crime when you are in fact committing one.

Stop smoking pot, stop going to jail. It's not hard.

Of course one can complain about it. There should be no need for anybody to quit smoking pot. And when the effects of criminal prohibition laws that do little to no good for society as a whole is rampant and intractable racial oppression, then at some point you need to ask whether whatever good you perceive from crude prohibition laws outweighs the damage they do to society and particularly to black people. I suppose where that balance is struck will depend, in part, on how much one cares about the interests and lives of black people.

 

[jamesinclair]

Of course one can complain about it. There should be no need for anybody to quit smoking pot. And when the effects of criminal prohibition laws that do little to no good for society as a whole is rampant and intractable racial oppression, then at some point you need to ask whether whatever good you perceive from crude prohibition laws outweighs the damage they do to society and particularly to black people. I suppose where that balance is struck will depend, in part, on how much one cares about the interests and lives of black people.

How do you feel about sin taxes?

Because minorities make up a larger share of lower economic groups, do these taxes also not discriminate?

I also dont understand your last line. Caring about black people means letting them get high? yeah, that does wonders for their unemployment rate...

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Just change enforcment policy for a year to focus on better neighborhoods, and see how quickly this drug war ends.

 

[AndyD]

So one way around mandatory minimums is:

"ordering prosecutors to omit listing quantities of illegal substances in indictments for low-level drug cases, sidestepping federal laws that impose strict mandatory minimum sentences for drug-related offenses."

So if there is no listed quantity, then they technically cannot fall under federal guidelines? Sounds like a fishy workaround. Certainly a stop-gap to a better fix.

 

[xnipx]

How do you feel about sin taxes?

Because minorities make up a larger share of lower economic groups, do these taxes also not discriminate?

I also dont understand your last line. Caring about black people means letting them get high? yeah, that does wonders for their unemployment rate...

You realize you just implied laxer drug persecution would lead to higher black unemployment right???

"These blacks should be happy we are protecting them from themselves!!!"

 

[Wilsongt]

Im not trolling any more than you are

If you're trying to out troll PD, you're kinda failing. You're coming off as blatantly obvious, where as PD at least made somewhat of an effort. =P Nice try, though.

 

[The Librarian]

Good morning, boys! I see you guys already posted the article about Holder. So I'll just link these three other articles.

First, Dylan Matthew's Why is college so expensive? in several easy-to-read graphs. "Most schools spend more, especially research institutions. Only community colleges are spending less per student than they were in 2000."

There's an article from National Journal titled, Are Seniors Souring on the Republican Party?

More seniors still said they plan to vote Republican than Democrat in 2014, 46 percent to 41 percent. But that 5-point margin is down from the 21-point margin seniors gave the GOP in 2010, according to exit polls. In 2012, voters 65 and over were Mitt Romney's strongest age group, favoring the GOP nominee by 12 points. (Romney outpolled his two GOP nominee predecessors, John McCain and the 2004 campaign of George W. Bush, who both won seniors by 8 points.)

The shift is particularly significant, Seifert noted, because seniors are the most reliable voters in the electorate -- and the most likely to turn out in the presidential off-year of 2014. Among all voters, Republicans still led the generic congressional ballot in Greenberg's poll, but by a single point, 44 percent to 43 percent. The poll of 841 likely 2014 voters was conducted by cell phone and land line July 10 to 15 and carries a 3-point margin of error in either direction.​

Nate Cohn's These Eight Charts Explain Why 'Blue Texas' Won't Happen

1. Status Quo

Texas’s voting-eligible Latino population will increase naturally over time, growing by about 18 percent every four years. That will help Democrats even if they don’t increase turnout rates, but this projected growth won’t be enough on its own to turn the state blue in the next six presidential elections. Part of the problem? Democrats can’t count on the low white turnout and high black turnout of 2012 lasting into the future.​

 

[Wilsongt]

Missouri Fair clown draws criticism for Obama mask

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A clown wearing a President Barack Obama mask appeared at a Missouri State Fair rodeo this weekend and the announcer asked the enthusiastic spectators if they wanted to see "Obama run down by a bull."

The antics led the state's second highest-ranking official, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, to denounce the performance in a tweet Sunday. He said it was "disrespectful" to the president.

"We are better than this," the Republican tweeted.

State Fair officials said the show in Sedalia was "inappropriate" and "does not reflect the opinions or standards" of the fair. "We strive to be a family friendly event and regret that Saturday's rodeo badly missed that mark," they said in a statement Sunday.

It wasn't clear if any action will be taken against the performers.

Perry Beam, who was among the spectators, said "everybody screamed" and "just went wild" as the announcer talked about having the bull run down the clown with the Obama mask.

"It was at that point I began to feel a sense of fear. It was that level of enthusiasm," Beam, a 48-year-old musician from Higginsville, said Sunday, referring to the reaction from the crowd that filled the fair's grandstand.

He said another clown ran up to the one wearing the Obama mask, pretended to tickle him and played with the lips on the mask. About 15 minutes into the performance, the masked clown had to leave after a bull got too close, Beam said.

Beam was at the rodeo with his wife and a student they were hosting from Taiwan. He said they were having a good time until the end of the rodeo.

"It was the usual until the very end at bull riding," he said. "As they were bringing the bulls into the chute and prepping them ... they bring out what looks like a dummy. The announcer says 'Here's our Obama dummy, or our dummy of Obama.

"They mentioned the president's name, I don't know, 100 times. It was sickening," Beam said. "It was feeling like some kind of Klan rally you'd see on TV."

Officials with the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association, the organization that coordinated the rodeo, did not return phone calls seeking comment Sunday.

After Beam and his family returned home, he posted a photo of the clown in the Obama mask on his Facebook page. The photo and the posting were then promoted online by a blog, Showmeprogress.com, which elicited a huge response Sunday on Twitter.

Scott Holste, spokesman for Missouri's Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, said Sunday in an email that Nixon "agrees that the performance was disrespectful and offensive, and does not reflect the values of Missourians or the State Fair."

Beam, who grew up attending the State Fair and attends the fair just about every year, said he has never seen anything like the Obama mask display, which he felt was inappropriate for a state-sanctioned event that receives state funding.

"This isn't the Republican Missouri State Fair," Beam said. "It was cruel. It was disturbing. I'm still sick to my stomach over it. ... I'm standing here with a mixed-race family. My wife's from Taiwan, and so was the student (his family was hosting). I've never seen anything so blatantly racist in my life.

"If an old country boy picks up on something like that, imagine what a person of color would think."

FailFish

Keepin' it kkklassy.

 

[Tamanon]

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/protesters-greet-obamas-motorcade-in-orlando-with-kenyan

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama's motorcade was greeted Saturday by protesters waving signs reading "Kenyan Go Home" and "Impeach Obama" outside a Hilton hotel in Orlando, Fla., where he was addressing the Disabled American Veterans National Convention before going on vacation.

About 50 protesters stood on either side of the road outside the hotel, "many of them older and most of them white," according to a White House pool report. The protesters hoisted signs reading "Kenyan Go Home, "Impeach Obama" and "Obama Lies."

I think my new intellectual exercise is figuring out what a protest sign is referencing. Like one talking about Seal Team 6 murdered 8-6-11 I think is accusing the President of ordering a hit on them, perhaps to prevent information about the REAL Osama Bin Laden raid from getting out.

 

[empty vessel]

How do you feel about sin taxes?

Because minorities make up a larger share of lower economic groups, do these taxes also not discriminate?

I also dont understand your last line. Caring about black people means letting them get high? yeah, that does wonders for their unemployment rate...

The last line would inform my answer to your question about excise taxes. Excise taxes have benefits and are not nearly as burdensome as being locked in a cage or placed under the supervision of the criminal justice system, so one may well be more willing to tolerate a disproportionate impact on black people while awaiting broader social change.

 

[The Technomancer]

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama's motorcade was greeted Saturday by protesters waving signs reading "Kenyan Go Home" and "Impeach Obama" outside a Hilton hotel in Orlando, Fla., where he was addressing the Disabled American Veterans National Convention before going on vacation.

Good lord, this is just embarrassing. It takes a lot for me to say "I am embarrassed of people in this country" actually, normally I'm fairly tempered, but this is ridiculous.

 

[Link]

Missouri Fair clown draws criticism for Obama mask




FailFish

Keepin' it kkklassy.

"We are better than this," the Republican tweeted.

Actions speak louder than words, and repeated actions (and words) say that no, no you aren't.

 

[Fenderputty]

One might argue that the sentences arent harsh enough if theyre not acting as a deterrent.

The person who claims this must also be the person who ignores empirical data when assessing economic policy.

EDIT: I'm kinda holding out hope that Holder will follow through in any meaningful way. Obama and his admin have been a say one thing do another kinda group when it's come to drug enforcement. Maybe next he'll actually follow through with easing off of states medical marijuana laws too.

 

[jamesinclair]

The person who claims this must also be the person who ignores empirical data when assessing economic policy.
.

It sort of makes sense though.

Image for a second that the penalty for any drug offense - even having a single blunt - was death sentence by firing squad.

Id presume rates of marijuana usage would decline.

Note: I am not advocating for this.


In other news, has ToxicAdam always had a kid?

 

[B-Dubs]

It sort of makes sense though.

Image for a second that the penalty for any drug offense - even having a single blunt - was death sentence by firing squad.

Id presume rates of marijuana usage would decline.

Note: I am not advocating for this.


In other news, has ToxicAdam always had a kid?

People kill other people in states with the death penalty. We know that punishment doesn't do anything, that rehabilitation is better.

 

[Fenderputty]

It sort of makes sense though.

Image for a second that the penalty for any drug offense - even having a single blunt - was death sentence by firing squad.

Id presume rates of marijuana usage would decline.

Note: I am not advocating for this.


In other news, has ToxicAdam always had a kid?

Yes though, not only is this extremely inhumane but, it also goes against the very idea of personal freedoms that America is supposed to stand for.

 

[jamesinclair]

People kill other people in states with the death penalty. We know that punishment doesn't do anything, that rehabilitation is better.

if there was no punishment for murder, I assure you, the rate would be higher.

 

[Fenderputty]

if there was no punishment for murder, I assure you, the rate would be higher.

But it still exists. So you while you would probably reduce the amount of usage, you wouldn't stop it. In the meantime you would be killing people for a victimless crime all while making sure profits for the black market sky-rocket.

 

[B-Dubs]

if there was no punishment for murder, I assure you, the rate would be higher.

Punishment works to a certain degree, but we know that it isn't absolute. That's what I meant. I think you knew that though. I have no interest in playing devil's advocate with you, so I'm done with this.

 

[Wilsongt]

I suppose we need a shocking news here:

Religious people are less intelligent than atheists, study finds

Religious people are less intelligent than non-believers, according to a new review of 63 scientific studies stretching back over decades.

A team led by Miron Zuckerman of the University of Rochester found “a reliable negative relation between intelligence and religiosity” in 53 out of 63 studies

Even in extreme old age, intelligent people are less likely to believe, the researchers found - and the reasons why people with high IQs shun religion may not be as simple as previously thought.

Previous studies have tended to assume that intelligent people simply “know better”, the researchers write - but the reasons may be more complex.

For instance, intelligent people are more likely to be married, and more likely to be successful in life - and this may mean they “need” religion less.

The studies used in Zuckerman's paper included a life-long analysis of the beliefs of a group of 1,500 gifted children - those with IQs over 135 - in a study which began in 1921 and continues today.


Even at 75 to 91 years of age, the children from Lewis Terman’s study scored lower for religiosity than the general population - contrary to the widely held belief that people turn to God as they age. The researchers noted that data was lacking about religious attitudes in old age and say, “Additional research is needed to resolve this issue.”

As early as 1958, Michael Argyle concluded, “Although intelligent children grasp religious concepts earlier, they are also the first to doubt the truth of religion, and intelligent students are much less likely to accept orthodox beliefs, and rather less likely to have pro-religious attitudes.”

A 1916 study quoted in Zuckerman’s paper (Leuba) found that, “58% of randomly selected scientists in the United States expressed disbelief in, or doubt regarding the existence of God; this proportion rose to nearly 70% for the most eminent scientists.”

The paper, published in the academic journal Personality and Social Psychology Review, said “Most extant explanations (of a negative relation) share one central theme—the premise that religious beliefs are irrational, not anchored in science, not testable and, therefore, unappealing to intelligent people who “know better.”

The answer may, however, be more complex. Intelligent people may simply be able to provide themselves with the psychological benefits offered by religion - such as “self-regulation and self-enhancement”, because they are more likely to be successful, and have stable lives.

“Intelligent people typically spend more time in school—a form of self-regulation that may yield long-term benefits,” the researchers write. “More intelligent people get higher level jobs (and better employment (and higher salary) may lead to higher self-esteem, and encourage personal control beliefs.”

“Last, more intelligent people are more likely to get and stay married (greater attachment), though for intelligent people, that too comes later in life. We therefore suggest that as intelligent people move from young adulthood to adulthood and then to middle age, the benefits of intelligence may continue to accrue.”

The researchers suggest that further research on the “function” of religion may reveal more..

“People possessing the functions that religion provides are likely to adopt atheism, people lacking these very functions (e.g., the poor, the helpless) are likely to adopt theism,” the researchers wrote.

librul activist scientists

But, the hypotheses are sound and do make sense. I was exposed to religion when I was younger and "followed" it until I got into high school. But, shortly after that is when I sort of gave it up and started questioning a lot of it.

 

[jamesinclair]

But it still exists. So you while you would probably reduce the amount of usage, you wouldn't stop it. In the meantime you would be killing people for a victimless crime all while making sure profits for the black market sky-rocket.

Anyone have stats on Singapore?

I assume their drug usage rates are significantly lower than the US. Do they have a strong black market?

These are serious questions, I have no idea.

a) of course you can, when another group is doing the same thing and it's being ignored. Or when, and stop me if you've heard this before, the crime you're committing should obviously not be considered a crime. Complain all you want.
.

if they dont want it to be a crime, they should spend less time getting high and more time voting.

Certainty of being punished is far more strongly correlated with deterrence than quantity of punishment.

I can see that, yes.

 

[PhoenixDark]

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/protesters-greet-obamas-motorcade-in-orlando-with-kenyan



I think my new intellectual exercise is figuring out what a protest sign is referencing. Like one talking about Seal Team 6 murdered 8-6-11 I think is accusing the President of ordering a hit on them, perhaps to prevent information about the REAL Osama Bin Laden raid from getting out.

It's in reference to that 2011 helicopter attack that killed Navy SEAL members, some of whom allegedly participated in the raid. The charge is that the administration's leaks led to terrorists figuring out who the raid members were, and targeting their chopper. The helicopter was also allegedly cleared to fly through a dangerous area so some believe they were set up.

I don't think the onslaught of leaks, many of them inaccurate, was helpful. But I don't remember any leaks that even hinted at the names or identities of the SEALs involved. We would have know SEAL Team 6 carried the mission out regardless because that's who does that type of shit.

This goes back to the idea of incitement that I've discussed before. When I hear people claim Obama watched the Benghazi events unfold without allowing backup, or that the administration set up the SEALs and then sent an iman to their funeral to damn them to hell, I think we've moved beyond partisan nonsense or even "crazy talk" and towards very deliberate incitement. The message from day one has been that Obama is a threat to the United States, he is a traitor, and he needs to be defeated or else America dies. And there are people in the military and special forces who hear that shit, and believe it, so having it validated by mainstream elected officials makes it even more dangerous. This isn't a joke, it's very dangerous. I'm not concerned about some dumbass tea party member doing something stupid. I am concerned about lone wolf types, specifically special forces, doing something stupid. And I think those who peddle these stories know exactly what they're doing.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

Reminds me of those Oath Keeper and Three Percenter weirdos.

The Oath Keepers were founded on March 2009 by Stewart Rhodes and incorporated in Las Vegas, Nevada as a non-profit corporation. Rhodes is a Yale Law School graduate, a former US Army paratrooper, and a former staffer of Congressman Ron Paul.

well I'll be.

 

[Fenderputty]

Anyone have stats on Singapore?

I assume their drug usage rates are significantly lower than the US. Do they have a strong black market?

These are serious questions, I have no idea.



if they dont want it to be a crime, they should spend less time getting high and more time voting.



I can see that, yes.

Per wiki:

Misuse of Drugs Act[edit source | editbeta]


The Singapore embarkation card contains a warning to visitors about the death penalty for drug trafficking. Warning signs can also be found at the Johor-Singapore Causeway and other border entries.
Under Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act,[15][16] any person importing, exporting, or found in possession of more than the following quantities of drugs receives a mandatory death sentence:
1200 grammes of opium and containing more than 30 grammes of morphine (§5 and §7, (2)(b));
30 grammes of morphine (§5 and §7, (3)(b));
15 grammes of diamorphine (heroin) (diamo (§5 and §7, (4)(b));
30 grammes of cocaine (§5 and §7, (5)(b));
500 grammes of cannabis (§5 and §7, (6)(b));
1000 grammes of cannabis mixture (§5 and §7, (7)(b));
200 grammes of cannabis resin (§5 and §7, (8)(b));
250 grammes of methamphetamine (§5 and §7, (9)(b)).
Death sentences are also mandatory for any person caught manufacturing :
Morphine, or any salt of morphine, ester of morphine or salt of ester of morphine (§6, (2));
Diamorphine (heroin) or any salt of diamorphine (§6, (3));
Cocaine or any salt of cocaine (§6, (4));
Methamphetamine (§6, (5)).
Under the Act:
"any person who is proved to have had in his possession or custody or under his control —
(a) anything containing a controlled drug;
(b) the keys of anything containing a controlled drug;
(c) the keys of any place or premises or any part thereof in which a controlled drug is found; or
(d) a document of title relating to a controlled drug or any other document intended for the delivery of a controlled drug,
shall, until the contrary is proved, be presumed to have had that drug in his possession."
Furthermore, any person who has a controlled drug in his possession shall be presumed to have known the nature of that drug.[citation needed]
It would also be interesting to note that Singapore has one of the lowest prevalence of drug abuse worldwide. Over two decades, the number of drug abusers arrested each year has declined by two-thirds, from over 6,000 in the early 1990s to about 2,000 in 2011.[17]

It's more difficult to find statistics on usage rates. However from what I've been reading, most people think Sinagpore's usage rates are BS because they're based on arrest alone. The laws are prohibitively strict (though not quite as severe as death for usage). Keeping the laws this strict ensures users stay underground and won't seek help for their problems. They don't have clean needle programs or safety programs either. We see this effect in the US and comparatively, we have very loose laws.

In any case, why not look at the opposite end of the spectrum and use Portugal for success stories. They've had positive effects without becoming a nanny state that employs inhumane practices for enforcement.

 

[B-Dubs]

It's in reference to that 2011 helicopter attack that killed Navy SEAL members, some of whom allegedly participated in the raid. The charge is that the administration's leaks led to terrorists figuring out who the raid members were, and targeting their chopper. The helicopter was also allegedly cleared to fly through a dangerous area so some believe they were set up.

I don't think the onslaught of leaks, many of them inaccurate, was helpful. But I don't remember any leaks that even hinted at the names or identities of the SEALs involved. We would have know SEAL Team 6 carried the mission out regardless because that's who does that type of shit.

This goes back to the idea of incitement that I've discussed before. When I hear people claim Obama watched the Benghazi events unfold without allowing backup, or that the administration set up the SEALs and then sent an iman to their funeral to damn them to hell, I think we've moved beyond partisan nonsense or even "crazy talk" and towards very deliberate incitement. The message from day one has been that Obama is a threat to the United States, he is a traitor, and he needs to be defeated or else America dies. And there are people in the military and special forces who hear that shit, and believe it, so having it validated by mainstream elected officials makes it even more dangerous. This isn't a joke, it's very dangerous. I'm not concerned about some dumbass tea party member doing something stupid. I am concerned about lone wolf types, specifically special forces, doing something stupid. And I think those who peddle these stories know exactly what they're doing.

The identity of those SEALs is under tight lock and key. Nobody even has a hint of a rumor of a guess as to who they really are. That their identities were leaked is laughable.

 

[Jack Remington]

Do the crime, do the time.

Nobody is forcing black people to use drugs

No, it's dumb, James in Clair. The fact that possession is a crime is a policy failure. Mandatory sentencing is a policy failure. We should fix policy failures.

 

[Tamanon]

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/gop-rep-we-have-votes-in-house-to

Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) told constituents at an event Saturday in his district that, although it would amount to a fruitless effort that could potentially damage the country, Republicans have the votes in the House to impeach President Barack Obama.

Fielding a question from a birther at a gathering in Luling, Texas, Farnethold at first lamented that Congress didn't do more to investigate Obama's birth certificate.

“I think unfortunately the horse is already out of the barn on this, on the whole birth certificate issue.” Farenthold said. “The original Congress when his eligibility came up should have looked into this and they didn’t. I’m not sure how we fix it.”

“You tie into a question I get a lot, if everybody's so unhappy with what the President’s done, why don’t you impeach him,” Farenthold continued. “I’ll give you a real frank answer about that, if we were to impeach the President tomorrow, you could probably get the votes in the House of Representatives to do it. But it would go to the Senate and he wouldn’t be convicted.”

Farenthold said the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton should serve as a cautionary tale for Republicans. Clinton was impeached by the House in 1999, but was not convicted by the Senate and therefore remained in office.

“What message do we send to America if we impeach Obama and he gets away with what he’s impeached for and is found innocent? What do we say then is okay,” the Congressman conclude. “Aside from the fact that it wouldn’t be effective, I think there’s some potential damage to society that would be done with a failed attempt at impeachment.”

When even elected representatives are buying into the birther nonsense and feeding the impeachment nonsense, we've got problems.

What in the world could they possibly impeach him on?

 

[Wilsongt]

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/gop-rep-we-have-votes-in-house-to


When even elected representatives are buying into the birther nonsense and feeding the impeachment nonsense, we've got problems.

What in the world could they possibly impeach him on?

Being 47% negro

Honestly, the amount of stupidity pouring from politicians these days are enough to make anybody go bonkers just listening to it. How can people stomach saying this shit and hearing it? The GOP base has to have some sort of mental defect if they are eating up this garbage like a meal from a 5-star restaurant.

 

[gcubed]

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/gop-rep-we-have-votes-in-house-to


When even elected representatives are buying into the birther nonsense and feeding the impeachment nonsense, we've got problems.

What in the world could they possibly impeach him on?

the house is where insane people get elected. I'm not sure this is a new phenomenon, when Joe Schmoe from the 11 mile long and 1/2 mile wide district in Texas goes up against Scooby Doo on the ballot, you get some real crazy people... that represent the real crazy district. The advent of the internet has been terrible for these crazy people

 

[Link]

Thanks to the Tea Party movement, extremely stupid people that don't actually know how government works have been elected to office. They're no different than the morons holding up signs in the street, the only difference is they ran for office in some podunk or gerrymandered town.

 

[Jack Remington]

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/gop-rep-we-have-votes-in-house-to


When even elected representatives are buying into the birther nonsense and feeding the impeachment nonsense, we've got problems.

What in the world could they possibly impeach him on?

I thought that was an Onion article after reading the first sentence.

 

[pigeon]

if there was no punishment for murder, I assure you, the rate would be higher.

The fact that your argument only works with degenerate extremes should be a clue that it's not a good one.

Yes, in a technically accurate sense, people weigh the costs and benefits of their actions before taking them, and so any action you want to discourage that people are still doing can be further discouraged by increasing the consequences for taking that action. This is obviously true -- but it's also fascist.

The correct and humane approach to policy is to recognize the opportunity cost of any action and figure out what is discouraging people from taking the actions you want to encourage.

 

[PhoenixDark]

The identity of those SEALs is under tight lock and key. Nobody even has a hint of a rumor of a guess as to who they really are. That their identities were leaked is laughable.

Agreed, it's a ridiculous charge. But again this is a case of grieving parents being taken advantage of by amoral con men who use them as anti-Obama props. The same thing has happened with Benghazi, where one of the parents has said he talked to Obama at the funeral and felt the president didn't care about his son. Seriously? I'm sure it must be infuriating as a parent to lose your child and never be able to find out exactly what happened, but to leap to suggesting the president let your child die is ridiculous.

 

[zero shift]

First, Dylan Matthew's Why is college so expensive? in several easy-to-read graphs. "Most schools spend more, especially research institutions. Only community colleges are spending less per student than they were in 2000."

Then why is community college in my area so expensive?

 

[The Librarian]

McCrory signed the Voter ID bill. Jeeeeeeeerk

 

[zero shift]

Anyone have stats on Singapore?

I never understood why people compare Singapore to other countries. I don't give a shit what people say it isn't a country but a city, more specifically a city state. Its as if New York City decided to secede from America.

EDIT - Actually scratch that because Singapore is significantly smaller than New York City both by land area and population.

 

[TacticalFox88]

The identity of those SEALs is under tight lock and key. Nobody even has a hint of a rumor of a guess as to who they really are. That their identities were leaked is laughable.

I guarantee no more than TEN people on the planet knows exactly what happened on May 1st, 2011 in complete detail.

And that's being generous.

 

[Wilsongt]

McCrory signed the Voter ID bill. Jeeeeeeeerk

Oh North Carolina.... LOLOLOLOL