Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Uncle Sam, keep out Glenn Greenwald has an interesting article at Salon this morning. While the drug war is never mentioned in it, it would certainly be implied in the premise. It's a suggestion to the Democrats that they can expand their strength, particularly in the interior Western regions, by appealing to certain libertarian principles. No political party can be everything to everyone. As Republicans are forced to rely more and more on their base of white Southern evangelicals, they will be increasingly viewed as the party of intrusive governmental control. In the process, the Democrats have the chance to become the party that stands for the right of adults to make decisions about their own lives free of moralistic governmental interference and regulation. Those who cast their votes based principally on such libertarian sentiments -- driven by the belief that the government should, to the greatest extent possible, stay out of their lives -- will view the Democratic Party as the far more attractive choice. I don't know if the Democratic Party is capable of going there, but it certainly is an interesting thought, and perhaps political self-interest is an argument to use with Democrats. 8:19:54 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

How much jail time do you get if you're acquitted? Sound like a trick question? Read Radley's post over at Hit and Run. Courtesy of the drug war comes the concept of using crimes for which you've been acquitted as part of the sentencing formula. From a U.S. District Court in Virginia (and the whole thing is a pretty disturbing read): From the public's perspective, most people would be shocked to find out that even United States citizens can be (and routinely are) punished for crimes of which they were acquitted. No kidding. I knew the 6th Amendment was in trouble, but did not realize that the Supreme Court had authorized sentencing based on acquitted charges. _______ Both Radley Balko and I will be at the SSDP National Conference this weekend. I've known Radley online for some time, but am looking forward to meeting him in person for the first time. I'm also looking forward to meeting a whole bunch of drug policy reformers and Drug WarRant readers this weekend. Hope to see you there. Please introduce yourself to me. Also, a reminder that I will be moderating a debate at 6 pm tonight in Urbana/Champaign, Illinois. Should be fun. 1:09:21 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []