Thanks Prog. Coming from you it means a lot. I was watching Steph Miller this morning and she said the White House got more signatures on that gun control petition than any petition in its history. Yet, the war on drugs has cost more lives through its history than even the assault weapons. Drug dealers on the streets don't normally care machine guns to kill sellers when they believe the sellers have cheated on them or worse, ratted. Just a simple Saturday Night Special seems to work well, and they work well in convenience store holdups. Gun controls are definitely needed. So is some alternative thinking to the war on drugs.

If only it would do 1/4th as well, at least somebody in government besides two states would have to listen.

This is the only thing we agree on. If you're going to shoot people. Shoot opiate dealers (including bankers who launder their money). They are poisoning our children.

I'll drink to that fiber.

I'm so glad you agree figaro. But you apparently don't agree enough to sign the petition. There are still the same 7 signers that signed as of last night. Let me know if you have trouble finding it.

So did you sign the petition? http://wh.gov/RNTZ

Over at sartalics.com, they're trying to get websites to adopt a sarcastic font, but until that happens, it's been suggested that we enclose our sarcastic remarks in backslashes, \like this.\

Thank-you. I shall edit accordingly.

Your attitude boggles my mind. Pointless is evil existing because good men do nothing. Pointless is young people thinking unregulated pot is cheaper than if it gets regulated and taxed. Of course, not factored into that equation is the cost of time in the prison system, legal and court fees, an endless trip to rehab which someone - usually parents or friends - have to foot the bill for, inability for these people to get decent jobs because of criminal records. Is all that of value to you? To me, all that is pointless.

My point was the "war on drugs" is a waste of money in that it has accomplished nothing. It has however, been a boon to the private prison system and tends to increase corruption, weapons smuggling, and gang activity. The song BTW is satire.

I agree fiber. I think it's irresponsible to consider legalization and control of only marijuana, yet leave the opiate users to their own devices. That's why when I wrote the petition I did not limit it to just pot. I hope you signed it. So far only 7 signatures but very late last night a friend of mine posted it on Facebook. I'm hoping to see it gain strength from there. I would also like to see it posted on Utube.

Cannabis is one subject, opiate addicts is another. I support legalization of cannabis and hemp. The facts regarding cannabis have been misleading, making hemp a casualty of war. You yourself described the problem of 'dysfunctional broke opiate addicts'. Legalizing substances like opiate's will not aid recovery. A different approach would be appropriate, but legalization is not.

President Obama was correct when he said we need to have a conversation. Legalizing all drugs is not the answer. Criminalization is not the answer either. We need a balanced approach to help those who are 'dysfunctional broke opiate addicts', enabling them to get back on track. Cannabis may be a 'gateway' to recovery for those who are suffering addiction from addictive drugs. We need to have the conversation.

A petition to declare the WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH a terrorist organization - which it is as it preaches death to all gays, jews and other such "undesireables" - has reached over 80,000 signatures in one day and will be placed before the President.

I'm asking - No. I'm begging you to sign this one to stop the insanity of this drug war. Please!

PETITION:
http://wh.gov/RNTZ

Agree .

He said in a recent interview , that it was not a high priority .

Because the states all have their own drug laws which are based on federal law. He can't do one without the other. He needs to start with commissions to determine how to go about deregulating, which drugs if not all, determine what would be incorporated into those laws, i.e., would anyone be allowed to grow it at home and how much, who will have the authority to dispense, and what about taxing it, and on and on. The only thing we can hope for at this point is WILL HE TAKE THE FIRST STEP? I don't think he has the cajones to do it unless, like in DOMA, he is overrun by demand for it. If the people don't speak directly to him, he does not hear you. That's why it's SO important that the petition be signed by everyone.

It's not a high priority because not enough commotion is being made.

Give him a joint. Make it a High priority.

Obama with a joint on Youtube ....

If you really hope you are wrong, then you are. The gun control petition now has in excess of 27,000 signatures, and the President is listening. To say you don't think they help is evidence of the evil that occurs when good men do nothing. Doing nothing is the lazy person's way of complaining about what's wrong with the world and just stopping there - doing nothing. As far as hoping I succeed, I thank you for that, but there's no way I know of to succeed without support. Just the same as the dems finally getting off their asses and voting Obama in for a second term. And just like all these republicans who have been unseated from the House in Jan. 2013, it takes a vote to make it happen. Doing nothing is exactly the cause of petition not helping.

What does that mean, "I call states rights!" There has to be federal regulation in order for your states to determine how they want to proceed with legalization. I'm glad your state and Washington have both legalized it. That was a wake-up call to the government that it needs to s_ _t or get off the pot. It should be regulated under the ATF, just like alcohol, tobacco and guns. Maybe they'll rename it the ATFD.

If more states legalize it , the feds will have no choice , but to go along .

the tenth amendment. There does not need to be federal regulation of marijuana that's up for the states. As a matter of fact we should abolish the dea the atf the dhs and a lot of other federal alphabet agencies

True arte. Just the states legalizating it won't help. The people need to get on his ass about it in a big way. He has all the facts just like we do. If his popularity goes down from this one issue, he may change his position.

And if those 33 plus one more hold a convention, we've got ourselves a Constitutional amendment.

yes , i believe we do , and there is not much can be done to STOP it !

That was a year ago - before the election results. Things are heating up in the opposite direction. Keeping the heat on does more than bitching about the past.

Thanks Kenny, but I'm getting very discouraged. Lot's of favorable comments but so far only 4 signatures. I wonder if people are scarred to sign onto the White House Petition section.

I think people are just getting plain tired of petitions, I wish they could work. In this case the odds of going up against the big pharma and the drug lords and the prison system and drug testing cpmpany's is a steep hill to climb. It's a problem that could be easily solved, but big MONEY is at stake!

They would work if people would sign them. I just go in there from time to time and look at the different petitions, and if I agree, I sign them. I've already signed the one on gun control laws and it's doing really well. How many elections did the Democrats lose to Republicans because they just didn't vote? Well, this time we voted en masse. It only works if you vote.

What gets me is how people can sit in front of their TV's and watch American Idol, and as soon as they announce "vote for #1 or #2", everyone's fingers are clicking away.

I totally agree! :)

Yep, the public are slack arse muthafuckas. We organised a H.E.M.P. rally out the front of our state parliament, and out of the many thousands of weed smokers who said they would come, only 100 showed up. 50% of our state smokes pot either occasionally or regularly but only 1% bother to speak up or do anything about it.

If it was a "Not to be beaten the shit out of" petition they'd still be too lazy and we would have to go around to nearly every single house and kick everyone's arse.

".... It's a problem that could be easily solved, but big MONEY is at stake!"

So again, like so many of our other "problems" the root of this problem is capitalism and Plutocracy.

Speaking of a century ago, I believe it was about a century ago, maybe a decade more, that England "had" legalized drug use. Heroin addicts got their doses from their doctors. One of these days I'm going to start looking into why it and other drugs became "illegal." Do you think the British thought we were on the smarter track? Too bad for them! They too have a drug problem now. What they don't have is a bunch of druggiest with guns! How can the U.S. be so wrong in so many ways?

Two hours after you made your comment, I became the 5th person to sign. Only 24,995 to go!

Thanks Third. By this time next year we may have the 24,995. Lol!

Speaking of stopping stupid, ending the drug war would empty more than a few prisons and fund even more schools!

Thank you Voyager. I hope you take time to sign the petition.

To take this further, every life destroyed by this is another piece of America that gets destroyed.

You don't read much, do you? These "pro-drug" people have been writing and commenting on this for years. It's been going on for so long that it prompted Nancy Reagan (remember her?) to tell everyone to "Just Say No." It appears that all that did was to allow this stupid drug war to perpetuate itself.

No I mean literally. In Seattle they all light up under the Space Needle en masse. How is that a family environment? They don't even allow alcohol under the Space Needle. This legalization has got them all happy and celebratory and shoving the cannibus in my face now. Ick!

Culdee, you said it yourself! "They don't even allow alcohol under the Space Needle." That's because pot and other drugs are NOT controlled. If there was an end to the so-called "War on Drugs" and it became federally controlled the same way that alcohol is, then they would not be lighting up under the space needle.

Wot? I'm confused. They lit up *after* it was legalized. *Before* it was legalized, they did *not* light up under the Space Needle. You might smell it but certainly couldn't see it anywhere. Now it's just flaunted everywhere in the city. Sorry for not being more clear.

Hey , your "new guy" is showing !

Legalized does not mean controlled. It's still not controlled. Does that help with the confusion?

Yes :)

What you're seeing now is the "honeymoon phase" of legalization. Once the novelty has worn off, lit joints, much like open containers, will have their designated places.

"Good thing we never wasted our time or tax dollars in this country on trying to prevent people from doing things to their own bodies....."

Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha I love ironic humor!

Thanks so much Leen. I've taken a copy of it to my local pool hall hoping to get more signer-on'ers. I'm trying to find anyone who does Facebook to get it posted there.

You're welcome, Marsha. Sorry, I don't Facebook or Twitter.

PS....Congrats on your first story hitting the #2 spot! It's a great first story. ^^^

Are you kidding me? Where'd you find that? And thanks.

Go to the main page. Now you're story is #3. Still good! :)

Yes, I saw that. That horrendous incident at Sandy Hook Elem Sch. took over second place. Its petition is also gaining in leaps and bounds. Drugs and guns go hand-in-hand. They both need support.

Sure do.

Absolutely, and it has been for over 40 years. Now the parents who are supposed to be guiding their children responsibly are some of the most irresponsible people. We even have a huge billboard here in my town saying something like "YOUR KIDS DON'T NEED YOU TO BE THEIR FRIEND. THEY HAVE FRIENDS. BE A BETTER PARENT." Some of these parents are actually telling their kids the same thing my dad told me about the bad effects of smoking (cigs), and then followed it with "but if you're gonna' do it anyway, do it in front of me. It's total insanity, and it's following generations. I'd like to see this war stopped, drugs legalized and completely controlled like alcohol in my lifetime.

And families .

Truth! Destroying society as a whole!

God bless you V for the good/ great ideas you share with humanity. It does my heart good to read them. Some people say that socialism does not work, but I sure have noticed that nothing good gets done when the orders of the day are to be anti-social. It makes me ill to see so much predation and desperate madness. Now today another school shooting of our youngsters by a 21 year old. Likely meth related. If we had a socialist attitude amoung us that made our kids feel valued I think we would have fewer suicide massacre shootings. I would hope people would step up to stop the meth more. Stop the cops and county polititians from dealing as they are dealing meth now. So much emphasis is on makeing a profit at any cost that humanity is ground up under foot more each day. Our present day profit driven society is not healthy. Todays version of profit is not based on production of goods and services, it is just plain theft. I do not choose to be a land based pirate who skewers "clients" for the bosses. Socialism may help us return to some forward motion for the human race. Some thing sorely lacking at this point in time. Socialism is not a contrarian position, but a return to the basics of humanity.

Hello V, excellent comment as usual.

"Hello V, excellent comment as usual."

Thank you nox, and good to see again };-)

"God bless you V for the good/ great ideas you share with humanity. It does my heart good to read them....."

Thank you for the kind words gump. I do not know if the guy was on meth or not, but whatever the reason, anyone would have to be out of their mind to do such a thing.

I have believed for some time, that capitalism/consumerism makes people crazy in many different ways, which is why I do not engage in it, Dec 25th is just another day for us, hope you will check out the SPUSA link.

Take care, and happy Solstice!

It's time to scrap the whole obsolete system. We all belong to the same planet. It does not belong to any one person.

"It's time to scrap the whole obsolete system. We all belong to the same planet. It does not belong to any one person."

Man, is THAT ever an understatement!

Good to see ya Vic!

Yeah ! Voted up .

Right on! };-)

V, you've used a lot of words here, but I was only allowed 800 characters or less in the Petition (which I really hoped you would sign). As far as socialism goes, I've always believed a socialist democracy was the only way to "level the playing field." That said, you will not succeed in convincing everyone that this is the only way to go. They must be spoon fed in small amounts, item by item. The GOP's platform is and always has been similar to the ideals of communism. The few control the many and determine how much the many get. So just spewing your entire theory here will not garner as much support as listing issue by issue and garnering support for each issue as you go. You think you and your members are alone in your thinking? You are not. You should have lived as I did in the 40's and 50's when the word socialism was equal to communism in the public's minds because it was the reporters who led us to believe that. We know better now, but some still believe that. Those are the one's you need to reach, not with hatred but with education and facts. Good luck on your journey.

beautiful AMD true !

M.I.F - Thank you for your input, here is my response.

"V, you've used a lot of words here, but I was only allowed 800 characters or less in the Petition (which I really hoped you would sign)."

* I did sign it.

"I've always believed a socialist democracy was the only way to "level the playing field." That said, you will not succeed in convincing everyone that this is the only way to go. They must be spoon fed in small amounts, item by item. "

*Ok, no problem with that.

" The GOP's platform is and always has been similar to the ideals of communism. The few control the many and determine how much the many get."

* Dems are just as guilty (if not even more so) as GOP'ers of what you say, both party's support capitalist and plutocratic interest, it has always been so and will always be so as long as they are in power.

"So just spewing your entire theory here will not garner as much support as listing issue by issue and garnering support for each issue as you go."

* 1) I am not "spewing" anything.

2) "spewing your entire theory" it is not MY theory.

3) What I'm saying is not "theory" but economic, social and political fact, born from many years of objective research, it is therefore objective truth.

"You think you and your members are alone in your thinking? You are not. You should have lived as I did in the 40's and 50's when the word socialism was equal to communism in the public's minds because it was the reporters who led us to believe that. We know better now, but some still believe that."

* I have never thought I was alone in my thinking, as far as the 40's 50's mindset about Socialism, (and many other areas of life as well) although I am just 50 years old, I am well aware of the mindset of that time, because I have read and studied great deal about it.

May life's journey be kind to you as well. };-)

Thank you cw. I'm sorry about your brother but I bet there's hardly a family who has not lost a loved one to "illegal" drugs. My own cousin, at 27, blew his brains out on drugs. This was 20 years ago. I also have a niece whose own daughter put her in forced intervention because she just would not quit the cycle of drugs and alcohol. It's so sad.

I don't do facebook or twitter, so if you or anyone you know can get the word out there, we might have a shot at the 25,000 signature needed before 1/7/13.

I don't do facebook or twitter, either.

I might just have to go on it myself just to get it out there. I hate to because you end up with a bunch of pedophiles and sadists loading up your inbox.

There's only one signature so far. CW, you need to sign it, please.