People

http://blog.drugpolicy.org/2008/07/know-your-status.html

http://blog.drugpolicy.org/2008/07/new-york-times-still-not-seeing.html

http://blog.drugpolicy.org/2008/06/prohibition-against-rational-thought.html

http://theplacebo.net/archives/2008/06/29/don-the-reader-athens-black-sheep-wall-tba/

A joint Placebo and Set the Stage production! This show has a lot of great bands, so it’s starting extra early:

• Don the Reader
• Athens
• Black Sheep Wall
• Blues
• Tidal Decay
• and one more, TBA!

When: Sunday, June 29. Doors at 5:30pm, sound off at 10pm sharp!
Where: The Ink People, 411 12th St, Eureka
Cost: $7 (annual two-buck membership is required)

http://theplacebo.net/archives/2008/06/27/the-sick-shooters-the-fortyhands-vigilante-death-squad-and-the-revocateurs/

Punk, Ska, and Psychobilly!

• The Sick Shooters (ukiah)
• The Fortyhands
• Vigilante Death Squad
• The Revocateurs

When: Friday, June 27th, doors at 6:30pm
Where: The Placebo, 411 12th St (in the Ink People, next to the Muni)
Cost: $5, two-dollar annual membership is required

All Placebo shows are ALL AGES and drug and alcohol free

http://blog.drugpolicy.org/2008/06/try-telling-that-to-someone-with-ms.html

http://blog.drugpolicy.org/2008/06/webb-hearing-so-close-yet-so-far.html

"Either we have the most evil people in the world, or we are doing something wrong." That was the comment made by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) while addressing a graph comparing the United States incarceration rates to other countries of the world. Webb showed this at the beginning of a Joint Economic Committee Hearing on the social and economic costs of the U.S. drug policy. The graph (like this one, but more colorful) showed that the U.S. imprisons about 750 for every 100,000 citizens, and that the country with the next highest rate is Russia with about 627 per 100,000. We lead everyone, which includes paradises like China, Cuba, and Iran. We don't just beat them, though. We absolutely annihilate them. I grant that things are happening in those places that make imprisonment in America look fun, but still, it is pretty ironic that the freest country in the world has such a status. Senator Webb recognized that obviously something is wrong with the drug policy, and he called the hearing to try and determine what it is. It is too bad that the problem of marijuana prohibition was hardly addressed when the opportunity was politically perfect to do so.

Only three congressmen on the JEC even showed up. They were Webb, Representative Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). Congressman Robert Scott (D-VA) also came to hear the four witnesses who were brought in to testify. There are 20 on the committee (here are their names so you can write to them), but only 3 came to publicly address the drug policy problem in this nation. It would be unreasonable to expect that every member be present at every one of their committee meetings given the nature of politics today. Politics is a busy business, but with 17 of 20 members absent it is obvious that many politicians do not want to address the drug problem. I found this appalling, but then I realized something that got me excited (briefly).

Most politicians, I believe, recognize that drug policy reform is somewhat necessary, but they also know that it is not politically wise to say much about it. Nobody wants to give political opponents the ability to attack with headlines reading, "SOFT ON DRUGS." Politicians know that many voters still think that if you are for drug policy reform then you must be soft on crime and want their children to chew meth-laced gum. It is politically dangerous to even suggest lessening the drug war. But, the only congressmen who were at this hearing were clearly in favor of some sort of reform. That is why what happened was so disappointing. They could have talked about things that most politicians do not enjoy talking about, but acknowledge their validity as arguments. They could have an open discussion without having to yield time to mindless statements such as, "Drugs are bad. Just say no." This did happen to an extent and many good things were discussed, but the opportunity was not fully taken advantage of. The biggest thing that they danced around, but failed to directly address was the failed policy of marijuana prohibition.

Dr. Peter Reuter and John Walsh effectively explained the economic costs of the current overall drug policy; especially in regards to U.S. demand and how foreign nations meet that demand, but marijuana prohibition was barely alluded to. Senator Webb might as well have came out and said that marijuana prohibition is obviously not the answer to our problems, so shouldn't we just legalize it? Or at least decriminalize it? What he actually said was, "Justice statistics show that of all drug arrests in 2005, 42.6 percent were for marijuana offenses," and then he asked how pursuing marijuana violators impacts the other policy issues that were being discussed at the hearing. The issues at hand: our inability to curb drug use, the vast amounts of resources that we waste, and social problems that result from enforcing the policy.

It would have been so easy to say that marijuana prohibition is an enormous contributing factor to these problems. They did not even have to say that it should be legalized. They could have just said that by decriminalizing it, many of the problems could be lessened. They did not, though. Senator Webb got the closest to saying it simply by asking the question. He kept leading them close by stressing that those who were arrested for simple possession had committed no violent acts, and yet, tons of energy and money is expended to arrest and prosecute these offenders. What should we do since we are spending all this time and money, but making the problem worse? Nobody would just give the answer, though. Some of the witnesses got closer to it than others, but nobody went all the way when the opportunity was perfect.

I do not mean to be critical because I think that much of the discussion at the hearing was important and done intelligently. The reasons for our record rates of incarceration became clearer, and some possible solutions for this problem were laid out. Many of the solutions had to do with how to treat criminals that are charged with drug crimes. One of the witnesses even said that some illicit drugs are much less harmful than others and should be dealt with much differently. I was just disappointed that nobody came out and gave this part of the answer: Marijuana is the most widely used drug in the U.S., and the problem cannot be solved with our current policy of prohibition. That is all that had to be said. The saddest part is that I believe almost everyone who spoke at the hearing believed this to be true. For whatever reason, though, nobody wanted to say it.

Jeremy Horton is an undergraduate political science major interning with the Drug Policy Alliance’'s national office in Washington, D.C.

Back from a lovely weekend camping at the Lake - thanks to our friends Greg and Chris who invited us to stay on their lakeside property. We ended up hanging out an extra night, and I'm not complaining a bit. I think it was the first time that I've ever gone camping and didn't have a single drink - thanks to a looming bladder infection. But in spite of my sobriety I had an awesome time making new friends, and playing with the little kiddies.
Lucy came with us, for her very first camping escapade. It was a little bit of a test to see how she would deal with the great outdoors. I'm happy to boast that Lucy is the PERFECT camping pup. She never wandered far from where we were, went for multiple rides on the boat, actually SWAM in the lake with me, and loved getting attention from the kids. D and I were more than pleased to have her with us, and I can't wait to bring her along on our next trip. 

Some of my personal highlights from the trip:

- Hammock-time with Ruby [4], Nova[2] and Lucy. I must've made up fifty stories about cheetahs, bunnies, fish, piggies, fairies, and butterflies - and all of them where hits

- Singing songs to the little kiddies

- Sun and heat!

- Falling asleep and waking up to a massive thunder and lightening storm

Of course we forgot our camera, but still took some pics on D's cell phone - so without further ado...