Prison // Current TV

Penn Jillette Goes On Epic Obama Weed Tirade

In a recent episode of his podcast "Penn's Sunday School," comedian Penn Jillette laid his opinions on the Obama drug policies out on the table.

Jillette, who has never done drugs or drank alcohol in his life, expressed particular concern over the policies' broad-sweeping, all-inclusive nature. Namely, that people are going to prison because of marijuana use.

"Now, he has not left this to states' rights," Jillette posited. "As you know, medical marijuana... you can get in California, and the feds are coming in to try to stop this. States' rights don't mean jack sh*t to the Obama administration on anything except gay marriage."

Another point of contention for Jillette was the fact that President Obama mentioned that he had smoked "weed" and done "maybe a little blow" in his 1995 book "Dreams from my Father."

Jillette cited it as a prime example of the fact that not all drug users turn out to be menaces to society:

"What troubles me about this... I think it's beyond hypocrisy. I think it's something to do with class. A lot of people have accused Obama of class warfare, but in the wrong direction. I believe this is Obama chortling with Jimmy Fallon about lower class people. Do we believe, even for a second, that if Obama had been busted for marijuana -- under the laws that he condones -- would his life have been better? If Obama had been caught with the marijuana that he says he uses, and 'maybe a little blow'... if he had been busted under his laws, he would have done hard f*cking time. And if he had done time in prison, time in federal prison, time for his 'weed' and 'a little blow,' he would not be President of the United States of America. He would not have gone to his fancy-a** college, he would not have sold books that sold millions and millions of copies and made millions and millions of dollars, he would not have a beautiful, smart wife, he would not have a great job. He would have been in f*cking prison, and it's not a god damn joke. People who smoke marijuana must be set free. It is insane to lock people up."

Jillette and co-host Michael Goudeau then went on to discuss statistics from uncited sources, but with the general suggestion that the number of people currently locked up in federal prisons for marijuana-related crimes is too high. Both men posited that Obama changing his drug policies would lighten the load on the prison system and give recreational drug users a chance to contribute to society.

Watch the full clip above.

Classic rant...emotional, but measured, genuine.In a recent episode of his podcast "Penn's Sunday School," comedian... more

rodstradamus
added this
8 days ago
|
1 comment

Corrupt Judge David P. Kreider now taints the 2012 election process from his base in "Gator Country"

This pertains to public corruption that has extended to the 2012 election process. It... more

SB100
added this
1 month ago
|
1 comment

Machete don’t text, so actor Danny Trejo talks to Mr. Media! (Audio Interview)

If you can find a scarier mofo than actor Danny "Machete" Trejo, YOU... more

andelman
added this
7 days ago
|
0 comments

First jail for US veterans will offer helping hand to a growing problem

The problem of US military veterans falling into a life of crime after returning from... more

Radical_Centrist
added this
20 days ago
|
0 comments

Methodists in Tampa rally against private prison industry

By Eric W. Dolan Monday, April 30, 2012 17:31 EDT The United Methodist Task Force... more

KB723
added this
29 days ago
|
44 comments

What Ron Paul Did For Me

Many of you don’t know that Ron Paul played a part in my rescue when I was in prison. First, let me say that I met Ron Paul a couple of times before I went to the slammer, and he and his wife were gracious and warm. Even though we didn’t get together during the filming of Aaron Russo’s movie America: Freedom To Fascism, both of us were featured in the movie.

When I was ill in late 2009 there was an outcry after people were informed of the severity of my condition. I had written a letter to my U.S. Congressman (Hank Johnson) via prison e-mail, and forwarded it to my husband to deliver to him since the congressman was not on my approved e-mail list. My husband, without editing the letter, sent it out to about 20 supporters after furnishing a copy to the congressman. These supporters were outraged at what I was going through. At least one of these supporters had a large e-mail list and he forwarded the letter to his entire list. That desperate cry for help went viral, and soon I was receiving letters of encouragement and financial support from literally all over the globe.

Someone got in touch with Ron Paul’s office. I don’t live in Texas, but he and his staff took action and contacted the prison with a demand for information about my situation. Shortly after Ron Paul’s inquiry about my treatment I was shipped away to a high security prison. While in solitary confinement there (for the security of the institution, they say) my medical situation was constantly observed, and I was treated with respect by the medical staff.

Along with Congressman Hank Johnson, I believe that Congressman Ron Paul’s eye on the situation got me the care that I needed so that my condition did not go critical. I was in really bad shape as you can see here.

For those that say that Ron Paul is a racist, you would never be able to convince me of that. His actions speak louder than your words. He has delivered thousands of lives into this world, of all races and colors. He has helped people of all races, even when it was not popular and could have put him and his family’s lives in danger.

Full Story: http://www.sherrypeeljackson.org/newsletter/april-2012/Many of you don’t know that Ron Paul played a part in my rescue when I was in... more

Radical_Centrist
added this
1 month ago
|
0 comments

It’s time for legal marijuana

We have less than 5 percent of the world’s population, but over 25 percent of... more

JackHerer
added this
1 month ago
|
32 comments

Freedom

"Ha!!! I thought this was Cool as Hell and a Must Share!!! Kinda brought a Smile... more

KB723
added this
1 month ago
|
37 comments

With deaf parents, Kambri Crews lived their pain, isolation (Video Interview)

2012 video interview with Kambri Crews, author of Burn Down the Ground: A Memoir,... more

andelman
added this
1 month ago
|
0 comments

Chris Hedges: "No Outcry Within Media" on NDAA

(RT) We had reported on the show that a group of political activists and journalists... more

KB723
added this
1 month ago
|
83 comments

"Scary Reminder That Locking People Up In this Country Is Making Some People Very Rich!"

March 21, 2012 Russia Today News http://youtu.be/ee53_n9Ak8E

Radical_Centrist
added this
2 months ago
|
5 comments

Why Is President Obama Keeping a Journalist in Prison in Yemen?

On February 2, 2011, President Obama called Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The two discussed counterterrorism cooperation and the battle against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. At the end of the call, according to a White House read-out, Obama “expressed concern” over the release of a man named Abdulelah Haider Shaye, whom Obama said “had been sentenced to five years in prison for his association with AQAP.” It turned out that Shaye had not yet been released at the time of the call, but Saleh did have a pardon for him prepared and was ready to sign it. It would not have been unusual for the White House to express concern about Yemen’s allowing AQAP suspects to go free. Suspicious prison breaks of Islamist militants in Yemen had been a regular occurrence over the past decade, and Saleh has been known to exploit the threat of terrorism to leverage counterterrorism dollars from the United States. But this case was different. Abdulelah Haider Shaye is not an Islamist militant or an Al Qaeda operative. He is a journalist.

Unlike most journalists covering Al Qaeda, Shaye risked his life to travel to areas controlled by Al Qaeda and to interview its leaders. He also conducted several interviews with the radical cleric Anwar al Awlaki. Shaye did the last known interview with Awlaki just before it was revealed that Awlaki, a US citizen, was on a CIA/JSOC hit list. “We were only exposed to Western media and Arab media funded by the West, which depicts only one image of Al Qaeda,” recalls his best friend Kamal Sharaf, a well-known dissident Yemeni political cartoonist. “But Abdulelah brought a different viewpoint.”

Shaye had no reverence for Al Qaeda, but viewed the group as an important story, according to Sharaf. Shaye was able to get access to Al Qaeda figures in part due to his relationship, through marriage, to the radical Islamic cleric Abdul Majid al Zindani, the founder of Iman University and a US Treasury Department–designated terrorist. While Sharaf acknowledged that Shaye used his connections to gain access to Al Qaeda, he adds that Shaye also “boldly” criticized Zindani and his supporters: “He said the truth with no fear.”

While Shaye, 35, had long been known as a brave, independent-minded journalist in Yemen, his collision course with the US government appears to have been set in December 2009. On December 17, the Yemeni government announced that it had conducted a series of strikes against an Al Qaeda training camp in the village of al Majala in Yemen’s southern Abyan province, killing a number of Al Qaeda militants. As the story spread across the world, Shaye traveled to al Majala. What he discovered were the remnants of Tomahawk cruise missiles and cluster bombs, neither of which are in the Yemeni military’s arsenal. He photographed the missile parts, some of them bearing the label “Made in the USA,” and distributed the photos to international media outlets. He revealed that among the victims of the strike were women, children and the elderly. To be exact, fourteen women and twenty-one children were killed. Whether anyone actually active in Al Qaeda was killed remains hotly contested.

Full Article: http://www.thenation.com/article/166757/why-president-obama-keeping-journalist-prison-yemenOn February 2, 2011, President Obama called Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The... more