Thursday, December 22, 2005

Open Thread - Holiday Travels I'll be gone for about a week starting today, visiting relatives in places that don't have convenient wireless access. So while I'll be able to check email and keep up with the news, I won't be able to use my blogging software much. Feel free to discuss anything in the comments. Be safe. Happy Holidays! 9:20:49 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Up Goose Creek U.S. Marijuana Party Blog reports a tentative settlement in the outrageous Goose Creek School Drug Raid. The students could receive between $2,000 and $5,000 each. I hate the notion of depriving schools and communities of much-needed funds, but sometimes hitting them in the pocketbook is the only way to make them aware that they have not been given the power to infringe the rights of citizens. 8:45:20 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Student financial aid provision possibly on its way to partial reform Not a very strong headline, but... Dare Generation Diary reports that reform to the horrid HEA (Higher Education Act) financial aid provision (that denies financial aid to students with a drug conviction) passed the Senate yesterday (as part of the spending bill in that 51-50 vote where Cheney broke the tie). Now, first of all, there isn't enough praise that can be given to the efforts of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. These folks have worked tirelessly for years, developing partnerships, getting universities to pass resolutions, lobbying directly with Congress, etc. to make inroads in this issue. And they've taken on the worst of the drug warriors (including Souder) to do so. Unfortunately, the celebration can only be partial. First, the spending bill itself is far from certain to be passed -- since extra provisions were inserted in the Senate version, it has to go back to the House, and the House probably won't be back in session until late January. The bill only passed the House by about 6 votes last time, so expect some drama. Second, even if/when the HEA reform provision is passed (as I expect it will be eventually), it's still a hollow victory. It only exempts those who had a conviction prior to attending college. Any drug conviction while in college will end financial aid. The entire provision should have been repealed -- this kind of penalty doesn't exist for anything other than drug use. It targets poor people who smoke pot. (Surprise, surprise.) Someone who isn't rich, who gets caught passing a joint at a party, loses their financial aid and ends up not getting an education, regardless of how well they're doing in school. How does that help them or society? Support SSDP and help them continue their fight against the HEA provision. 8:36:43 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

An editorial gets it right Yesterday's Lima News (Ohio) and Ft. Wayne News Sentinal (Indiana) editorials discuss the spying business and bring up the 4th Amendment... It was bad enough when The New York Times revealed that, since early 2002, under an executive order from President Bush, the National Security Agency has been conducting surveillance inside the United States, almost certainly on U.S. citizens, without any sort of warrant approved by any sort of court. It was doubly disturbing that the president defended this practice and said, in effect, "Don't talk to me about laws or constitutions, I'll keep doing it until Congress or a court stops me." The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution reads: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." This standard has been refined and (especially as relates to the drug war) weakened by the courts over the years. But the requirement to get a warrant remains one of the key distinctions between a reasonably free and civil society and an authoritarian or dictatorial regime. [emphasis added] Nice to see editors remembering the Fourth Amendment, noting its importance, and recognizing that it's been weakened by the war on drugs. 8:16:28 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []