Why gay marriage, getting high, and going to Cuba will soon be legal.

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The End of Prohibition

"I think this would be a good time for a beer," Franklin D. Roosevelt said upon signing a bill that made 3.2-percent lager legal again, some months ahead of the full repeal of Prohibition. I hope Barack Obama will come up with some comparably witty remarks as he presides over the dismantling of our contemporary forms of prohibition—laws that prevent gay marriage, restrict cannabis as a Schedule I Controlled Substance, and ban travel to Cuba. "You may now kiss the groom," perhaps, or—a version of the comment he once made about smoking pot—"I inhaled—that was the point."

Prohibition now is different from Prohibition then. When the 18th Amendment went into effect in 1920, it was a radical social experiment challenging a custom as old as civilization. Its predictable failure—the gross insult to individual rights, the impossibility of enforcement, the spawning of organized crime—came to an end when Utah, of all places, became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment in 1933. Today prohibition is a byword for futile attempts to legislate morality and remake human nature.

Our forms of prohibition are more sins of omission than commission. Rather than trying to take away longstanding rights, they're instances of conservative laws failing to keep pace with a liberalizing society. But like Prohibition in the '20s, these restrictions have become indefensible as well as impractical, and as a result are fading fast. Within 10 years, it seems a reasonable guess that Americans will travel freely to Cuba, that all states will recognize gay unions, and that few will retain criminal penalties for marijuana use by individuals. Whether or not Democrats retain control of Congress, whether or not Obama is re-elected, and whether they happen sooner or later than expected, these reforms are inevitable—not because politics has changed but because society has.

Source: http://www.slate.com/id/2234017/
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atomiclegion
  • added November 02, 2009

95 comments // Why gay marriage, getting high, and going to Cuba will soon be legal.

  •  

    well i do believe that cannabis will be legal, i know we will open up borders with cuba, and gay marriage is bound to legalize as well.

    but we cant be too sure, govt.'s have been pulling some of the stupidest things, so thats why we gotta keep pushing and pushing now more than ever.

    i personally dont want gays marrying under religion, but i do respect others right to free will. thats why i suggest gays marrying under state.

    opening borders or cuba would be largely beneficial to both parties. we all know this.

    and cannabis legalization will not only be a multi billion dollar cash crop, but it will save billions in taxpayer and govt. dollars as well.

    recommended by jubal, Conniepae
    serenden68
  •  

    Let's hope logic and reason will prevail, finally.

    recommended by jubal, asherp
    pjacobs51
  •  

    Woohoo. I am glad I waited that one out.

    Kari_Heaberlin
  •  

    Hehe that's actually a Puerto Rican flag! :D

    UrbanGypsy
  •  

    What magical, mystical country is he talking about?

    Because as as long as corporations and banks control America, the will of the people will be subverted into whatever agenda they decide to push, Cannabis and Gay Marriage be damned.

    recommended by ii386
    lifestudentno83
  •  

    "Today prohibition is a byword for futile attempts to legislate morality and remake human nature."

    TRUTH.

    sugarlilly
  •  

    btw that picture is just GORGEOUS!

    sugarlilly
  •  

    I really like the pic too.. lol. That article sounds like a lovely dream.. let's see how long it takes to become a reality.

  •  

    Soon we'll be living in the future.

    reactionforce
  •  

    Im not sure just how long "soon" will be but im confident we will see these things legalized in my lifetime.

    fun_size
  •  

    Bullshit, bullshit, and bullshit. Without exception.

    Yes all of those things SHOULD be legal, but they won't become it any time soon I am CONFIDENT of that. Very confident. Living in Oklahoma, I know the people here are belligerent about sex (most them think it's an abomination to touch their penis to pee), they think smoking weed is banned by God in the 11th commandment (which is why ALL of the rednecks smoke weed), and they think Cuba has an arsenal of nukes they will shoot as us the first chance they get. (no one's told them they're a 3rd ALMOST 4TH world country yet...)

    recommended by asherp
    EmperorThan
  •  

    three things that need full liberation

    :)

    pandaman2105
  •  

    hi @atomiclegion -- I want to feature this, so I tracked down the source and added a link in the description. Thanks!

    mario_a
  •  

    what the hell? has anyone clicked on this vile little link? looks like those mormons are at it again! and ZOMG! it's a black lady teaching them about gay marriage :-O

    (sarcasm there but the racism of the ad is blatant, sitting just beneath the surface of slimy sexual discrimination.)

    just love how these bastards always use kids as human shields whenever they get their shorts in a wad over something.

    Nephwrack
  •  

    Now, if only these could be ONE way trips ...

    s0uthc0ast
  •  

    That image is the Puerto Rican flag not the Cuban flag, but I am all for the end of contemporary prohibition..

    tldiaz99
  •  

    I can't wait to be legally gay!

    mojojuju
  •  

    "The End of Prohibition" has such a nice ring to it

    FishaHouse777
  •  

    the sooner the better

    Remember Maine is voting on gay marriage tomorrow. Vote NO on 1.

    Future_America
  •  

    Hopefully continuouse trade and tourism to Cuba would ensite a counter revolution. . . Maybe it could've incidted one a long time ago had the embargo not been in place.

    CarlosIsDown
  •  

    finally!

    CarolineS
  •  

    i'll be waiting...

    randallr01
  •  

    Dear US Government,

    Allow me to smoke Cuban cigars legally and I'll forget the whole "cloves" thing and call it even.

    Deal?

    AndrewH13
  •  

    Because that kind of prohibitions do not belong in a more sophisticated and modern American society? Let's face it, all those prohibitions have deep roots on a religious/theistic idea that is not relevant any longer. Scientific evidence should prevail over a misguided theological principle.

    Daniel_Leyva
  •  

    Maybe Obama's catchy phrase will be "I think this would be a good time for some gay buttsex, a fat spliff, and a long afternoon of not accomplishing anything"

    Can't wait...

    Ares
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