tagged w/ Legalization
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In what will likely be seen as something of a Freudian slip by the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said recently in a Mexican news interview that the United States cannot legalize drugs as a means of fighting the black market because "there is just too much money in it."
Asked by Denise Maerker of Televisa what she thought of drug legalization, Clinton said it was unlikely to work.
"There is just too much money in it," Clinton said. "You can legalize small amounts for possession, but those who are making so much money selling, they have to be stopped. They can’t be given an even easier road to take, because they will then find it in their interest to addict even more young people."
The comments drew criticism from legalization advocates who argued her position was a misunderstanding of the situation.
"Clinton's response illustrates not only the intellectual bankruptcy of the prohibitionist position but the economic ignorance of a woman who would be president," Jacob Sullum argued at Reason.com.
Clinton evidently does not understand that there is so much money to be made by selling illegal drugs precisely because they are illegal. Prohibition not only enables traffickers to earn a "risk premium" that makes drug prices much higher than they would otherwise be; it delivers this highly lucrative business into the hands of criminals who, having no legal recourse, resolve disputes by spilling blood.
At the Drug War Chronicle, Scott Morgan called Clinton's argument "perfectly incoherent" and argued it flew in the face of economic theory.
more at link...
Too much money for her and her CIA friends and gangsters across the world. I'm reading this book now. Its pretty thick.In what will likely be seen as something of a Freudian slip by the US Secretary of... more
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LEAP is made up of current and former members of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities who are speaking out about the failures of our existing drug policies.
These "Keepers of the Peace and Law and Order" really know what they are talking about and have actual hands-on experience with the results of the “war on drugs”.LEAP is made up of current and former members of the law enforcement and criminal... more
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Fueled by advancements in underlying technology of wireless networks and hardware that make social media possible, a world where everything is connected awaits us.
The result will be both significant shifts in our everyday lives and a changing of the guard in several industries that are only now starting to feel the impact of social media.
Read more about what the future of social media holds on my ConspiracyWatch.net blog, at http://www.conspiracywatch.net/2010/09/new-technologies-of-social-medias-new.html.
Its facinating!Fueled by advancements in underlying technology of wireless networks and hardware that... more
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WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama plans to take questions from YouTube viewers Thursday afternoon, and for the third time in as many years, the overwhelmingly most popular query involves the legalization of marijuana.
Of the top 100 most popular questions as rated by YouTube users, 99 are about the drug war or pot. Of the next one hundred, 99 are again about drug policy. Somehow, two questions about clean energy made their way into the top 200.
The pot questions don't stop there, but HuffPost stopped counting deep into the 200s, as the president is unlikely to answer all of them. If past history is any guide, he may not answer any of them.
A White House spokesman tells HuffPost that the president on Thursday will answer whatever questions YouTube puts before him. "A selection of top voted questions has been made to insure that as many of the most important questions as voted by the YouTube community will be asked," a YouTube spokesperson told HuffPost.
Obama did answer the question in 2009, addressing folks who asked if the president would consider legalizing marijuana to boost the economy and tax revenue.
"Can I just interrupt, Jared, before you ask the next question, just to say that we -- we took votes about which questions were going to be asked and I think 3 million people voted," he said to aide Jared Bernstein. "I have to say that there was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy -- (laughter) -- and job creation. And I don't know what this says about the online audience -- (laughter) -- but I just want -- I don't want people to think that -- this was a fairly popular question; we want to make sure that it was answered. The answer is, no, I don't think that is a good strategy -- (laughter) -- to grow our economy in 2009."
That answer tortured legalization backers as much as being ignored, if this year's questions are an indication. Many of them knock the president for laughing at their issue.
The major drug-policy reform organizations say they have had little to do with the popularity of the pot questions and that it has largely been a "grassroots" response. The top question is from an official associated with the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, but the second- and third-most popular, judging by their YouTube pages, are clearly not connected to a mainstream advocacy group.
LEAP, the Drug Policy Alliance, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Marijuana Policy Project released what they called a "joint" statement Thursday calling on the president to address an issue that is "bubbling up."
The statement appears below:
Following his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama asked the public to submit questions for an exclusive YouTube Interview that will take place on Thursday January 27. The "Ask Obama" forum promises to take questions from the American people on the issues they find most important in terms of national policy.
The people have spoken, and the message is loud and clear: the top 100 most popular questions (193,000 were submitted) are on marijuana reform and the harms of drug prohibition, with the first-place question coming from a former police officer who has first-hand experience with the failure of these policies. The questions dominating the forum deal with marijuana legalization, prohibition-related violence, and the fiscal and human consequences of mass incarceration. The American people want to know why our country is continuing the failed, catastrophic policy of drug prohibition.
Several of the most popular questions also address why our elected leaders have virtually ignored these important issues. This is not the first time marijuana legalization and drug reform have dominated the response to Obama's call for questions. There were similar results in both 2009 and 2010 when people asked Obama about ending prohibition and using science instead of politics to guide our drug policies. In 2009, Obama's response was to laugh off the question about taxing and controlling marijuana. In 2010, Obama ignored the questions, despite the questions dominating in quantity and quality.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/27/obama-youtube-pot-questions_n_814811.html?ref=fb&src=spWASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama plans to take questions from YouTube viewers... more
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I have to admit that I want ganja to be legal so bad, I did not listen to folks who said prop 19 is bad policy. After reading this article written by activist David Malmo Levine, I realize limited distribution is no good. We can't forsake the mom and pop growers keeping the culture alive.
We could set up something like the alcohol model, but I prefer the tomato model.I have to admit that I want ganja to be legal so bad, I did not listen to folks who... more
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juicie
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added this
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1 year ago
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In 1992, Jim Gray, a conservative judge in conservative Orange County, California, held a press conference during which he recommended that we rethink our drug laws. Back then, it took a great deal of courage to suggest that the war on drugs was a failed policy.
Today, more and more Americans are coming to the realization that prohibition's costs—whether measured in lives and liberties lost or dollars wasted—far exceed any possible or claimed benefits.
Reason.tv's Paul Feine interviewed Gray about drug policy and the prospects for reform. The interview was shot by Alex Manning and edited by Hawk Jensen.
Judge Jim Gray is the author of Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It: A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs.
Approximately 8.30 minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6t1EM4OnaoIn 1992, Jim Gray, a conservative judge in conservative Orange County, California,... more
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Seattle Police officers brandishing submachine guns broke down the door of a 50-year-old medical marijuana patient Monday night and pushed him face down to the floor. His offense? He was legally growing two tiny cannabis plants.
Will Laudanski, a military veteran who was an Airborne Ranger in Desert Shield, wasn't even breaking the law. As an authorized medical marijuana patient in the state of Washington, he's allowed to grow up to 15 plants and possess 24 ounces of cannabis.
But Seattle Police have shown they are willing to treat the smallest of pot cases -- even in cases where the marijuana is legal -- as if they were raiding the biggest crack house or meth lab in town.
Just before 9 p.m. Monday officers at SPD's East Precinct held a briefing about a complaint of marijuana at a four-unit apartment building in the Leschi neighborhood, reports Dominic Holden at The Stranger.
A week earlier, officers had applied for a search warrant from King County Superior Court, sent an officer with a drug dog to sniff at the door, "confirmed the scent of marijuana," and started planning their big SWAT style drug raid.
A gung-ho SWAT team of officers decked out in all their Rambo-esque raid equipment -- between six and nine officers -- ran up the stairs, some carrying MP5 submachine guns, and one guy with a battering ram. They pounded on Laudanski's door and said it was the police.
"I was tying my robe," said Laudanski, who had just stepped out of the bathroom. "I said 'I am opening the door,' but before I could get my hand to the door, they busted it open and then rushed me."
Laudanski told The Stranger his door now "has cracks running right down the middle. I can't really bolt it."
"During the entry to this apartment, the locking mechanism to the front door was possibly damaged," the official incident report drily notes.
"I was trying to comply," Laudanski said. "Then they pushed me down to the ground and just basically got me positioned in a corner of the kitchen with my face on the floor."
As officers began to tear up the place while he was face down on the floor, Laudanski told them he was an authorized medical marijuana patient and directed them to his paperwork in the other room. "Do you want to see it?" he asked the officers.
Laudanski "had paperwork in the room declaring his marijuana grow was for medical purposes," the police report acknowledged.
As officers ransacked the apartment, they discovered two small marijuana plants in the bedroom, each growing in pots.
"They were able to see the full extent of my pathetic grow," Laudanski said. "There were four little nuggets of bud the size of your pinkie on one and five on the other. They're about 12 inches high."
Police didn't take the plants.
"Clearly, in this case, there was no law violation that was discovered," admitted Seattle Police spokesman Sean Whitcomb.
But Whitcomb adds, "Our mission is to enforce the law. We do that by gathering information of any evidence of any criminal violation. And I'd go on to say that had the officers known that, they would have spent their time doing something else. However, unfortunately, we don't always have that luxury."
But officers do have the luxury of speaking the English language, don't they? Couldn't they have, like, knocked on the goddamned door and asked about the marijuana, especially given the fact that Washington is a medical marijuana state?
Well, it turns out that "knock-and-talks" aren't the protocol for "drug cases" -- even small pot cases, Whitcomb said.
Well, heaven forbid you should go against your fucked-up protocol just because medical marijuana is legal, officer! By all means, feel free to break down doors, rough up sick people, and trash their homes! No need to make sure they're breaking the law first; that would violate protocol!
Laudanski said he hasn't done anything to attract the cops' attention. And he doesn't know why so much force was necessary.
"I came from a perspective that was pro-police," said Laudanski, who worked in New York as a paramedic. "But I still think this was very, very wrong what they did. I feel that higher-up people who ordered this, they are wasting our time and our money and they are putting innocent people in danger."
Every day in the United States, we have 100 to 150 paramilitary style SWAT raids on American homes, mostly in the name of the War On Drugs, according to NORML. Shouldn't we at least get the sick and dying off the battlefield?
http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2010/10/machine-gun_toting_cops_raid_legal_pot_patient_for.phpSeattle Police officers brandishing submachine guns broke down the door of a... more
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You gotta love a sumbitch like Willie Nelson who, unlike Bill "I-Never-Inhaled" Clinton, has always 'fessed up to using copious quantities of herb. Two days ago, in response to his pot bust last Friday at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Sierra Blanca (that's a Spanish geographical term for the middle of fucking nowhere), the Red Headed Stranger formed Willie Nelson's Teapot Party; as of this morning, 20,000 people have joined.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2010/nov/28/willie_nelson_wants_marijuana_leYou gotta love a sumbitch like Willie Nelson who, unlike Bill... more
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In "Marijuana Wars, Part 2," Vanguard executive producer and correspondent Adam Yamaguchi joins an elite task force as they survey and eradicate multi-million dollar marijuana fields run by Mexican drug trafficking organizations.
In this clip, Adam learns how undercover operatives prepare to go inside a Mexican drug trafficking organization, posing as land owners whose property could become a marijuana grow site.
"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Mondays at 9/8c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.In "Marijuana Wars, Part 2," Vanguard executive producer and correspondent... more
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In "Marijuana Wars, Part 2," Vanguard executive producer and correspondent Adam Yamaguchi joins an elite task force as they survey and eradicate multi-million dollar marijuana fields run by Mexican drug trafficking organizations.
In this clip, undercover operatives conclude a dramatic four-month investigation by luring growers and financiers -- who may be heavily armed -- into a trap.
"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Mondays at 9/8c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.In "Marijuana Wars, Part 2," Vanguard executive producer and correspondent... more
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In "Marijuana Wars, Part 2," Vanguard executive producer and correspondent Adam Yamaguchi joins an elite task force as they survey and eradicate multi-million dollar marijuana fields run by Mexican drug trafficking organizations.
In this clip, we see how the reach of drug trafficking isn't contained to California. In Gwinnett County, outside Atlanta, 71 people have been indicted as part of a trafficking take-down.
"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Mondays at 9/8c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.In "Marijuana Wars, Part 2," Vanguard executive producer and correspondent... more
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In this two-part episode, Vanguard executive producer and correspondent Adam Yamaguchi embeds with a task force working to take down Mexican drug trafficking organizations operating in the U.S.
California has become one of the leading producers of marijuana in the world--most of it produced by Mexican drug trafficking organizations. And the proceeds from marijuana have become a cash cow for traffickers, generating greater profits than cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin combined.
"Marijuana Wars Part 1" premieres Monday, November 22 at 9/8c on Current TV.
"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Mondays at 9/8c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.In this two-part episode, Vanguard executive producer and correspondent Adam Yamaguchi... more
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In order to get the story of Mexican drug trafficking organizations that grow marijuana in Northern California, Vanguard executive producer and correspondent Adam Yamaguchi had to be able to keep up with an elite task force. As a self-professed adrenaline junkie, he's used to extreme physical challenges being part of his investigations.
California has become one of the leading producers of marijuana in the world--most of it produced by Mexican drug trafficking organizations. And the proceeds from marijuana have become a cash cow for traffickers, generating greater profits than cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin combined. Vanguard's Adam Yamaguchi embeds with a task force working to take down Mexican drug trafficking organizations operating in the U.S.
"Marijuana Wars," a two-part episode, premieres November 22 at 9/8c on Current TV.
"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Mondays at 9/8c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.In order to get the story of Mexican drug trafficking organizations that grow... more
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(La+Plaza)
Mexico, the country that supplies most of the marijuana used in the United States, is closely watching California's vote on Proposition 19, which would legalize possession of small amounts of the drug.
The government of President Felipe Calderon is worried that legalization would do nothing to stem the brutal drug cartel violence sweeping Mexico, while at the same time stoking demand. Other Mexicans, including a couple of former presidents, academics and others, favor the measure, hoping production in California would cut into the profits collected by the Mexican cartels.
Alejandro Poire, the government's security spokesman, reiterated its opposition Tuesday, reading a statement timed to coincide with the vote in California.
"Legalizing marijuana will not put an end to organized crime in Mexico and the wave of criminal violence threatening Mexicans … especially as a measure taken at a local, unilateral level," Poire said.
Calderon, in a recent interview with The Times, outlined his opposition to Prop. 19 as well. But that hasn't quieted a furious debate here in Mexico nor allayed tensions between this producing nation and that huge consumer to the north.
"Don’t be fooled. These groups [the cartels] have diversified their criminal actions to other offenses," including robbery, kidnapping and the trafficking of human beings, Poire said. "To think their harmful … violent behavior would end with legalization is simply a false premise."
-- Tracy Wilkinson in Mexico City(La+Plaza)
Mexico, the country that supplies most of the marijuana used in the... more
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ayipis
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added this
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1 year ago
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With California and the rest of the country going bankrupt, one business is booming. How Weed Won the West is the story of the growing Medical Marijuana industry, focusing on Los Angeles with over 700 legal dispensaries doling out the buds.With California and the rest of the country going bankrupt, one business is booming.... more
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- While California's marijuana ballot initiative is garnering a lot of attention this election cycle, Gallup finds that nationally, a new high of 46% of Americans are in favor of legalizing use of the drug, and a new low of 50% are opposed. The increase in support this year from 44% in 2009 is not statistically significant, but is a continuation of the upward trend seen since 2000.
These results are from Gallup's annual Crime poll, conducted Oct. 7-10. Approximately 8 in 10 Americans were opposed to legalizing marijuana when Gallup began asking about it in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Support for legalizing the drug jumped to 31% in 2000 after holding in the 25% range from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s.
A separate question in the poll asked about legalizing marijuana for medical use, and found support significantly higher than it is for legalizing the use of marijuana in general. Seventy percent of Americans say they favor making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering. This figure is down, however, from 78% in 2005 and 75% in 2003.WASHINGTON, D.C. -- While California's marijuana ballot initiative is garnering a... more
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There's a well-written monologue followed by a passionate & truly educated debate on both sides of the issue.
What do you think?
http://on.fb.me/bqyhBtThere's a well-written monologue followed by a passionate & truly educated... more
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The Tea Party movement has gained the image of an unstoppable wave of anger sweeping everything before it as it seeks to overthrow the Washington establishment. Well in Elko, Nevada, last night it looked a little less than that.
About 150 people turned up in an open field on a very chilly night to welcome the Tea Party Express, the bus tour that is crossing America in the run-up to next month's midterm elections. Most of the participants were in their sixties or above, and the event had more in common with a sedate charity gala than a political revolution.
The low turnout and lack of energy was puzzling as it came just four hours' drive after a rousing start to the bus tour in Reno, addressed by Sarah Palin. I was lost for an explanation. This was after all the same state, the same battle to boot out Harry Reid, the local senator closely associated in Nevada with the big government spending habits of the Obama administration.
Then I talked to Tom Norris, an affable retired truck driver. The answer was pretty simple, he told me. The hunting season had just begun. Hunters and their families were out on the trail of elk (apparently no connection to the town's name) and deer.
"I'd have been gone myself if my ticket had come up," Norris said.
Ticket had come up?
"It's a lottery. Numbers are drawn and if yours comes up you can go hunting. It's a way to control the size of the shoot."
The other possible explanation for the poor turnout was that Elko is hurting slightly less than other parts of Nevada in the economic downturn. The unemployment rate here is less than 9%, compared with more than 14% for the state generally - the highest in the country.
Elko is traditionally a cowboy town, serving mile upon mile of ranches in all directions. But it also has a thriving mining industry, and of one metal in particular - gold.
With the slide of the dollar, gold has become ever stronger, and now stands at more than $1,300 (£827) an ounce. People have been moving in to Elko to work in its underground or surface gold mines.
Gold is also one of the great staples of the Tea Party movement. Glenn Beck speaks about it on his shows with almost reverential respect (but then he does get paid by one of America's largest gold dealers to do so).
Which is paradoxical. Gold is a Tea Party favourite, but here in Elko it has lifted the local spirits, perhaps rendering the populace less receptive to the movement's "knock 'em down" message.The Tea Party movement has gained the image of an unstoppable wave of anger sweeping... more
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Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, told Don Lemon of CNN on Sunday, that she supports the legalization of marijuana. Joycelyn Elders had served under Clinton’s administration in 1993. Next month, the state of California will make a decision through ballot initiative whether to legalize pot, also known as proposition 19.
If the ballot polling goes in favor if legalization of Marijuana, then its recreational use will be legally permissible in the state. However, the federal officials have also assured that the existing drug laws will also be simultaneously enforced if its legalization is approved. On asking Joycelyn Elders, that her support for legalization of pot may make the matter worse from bad, she replied that considering the present condition it cannot get worse. She feels that California has too many criminals who are convicted due to violent crimes. Its legalization would reduce the number of non-violent crimes that occur due to consumption of marijuana. She feels horrible when young people are criminalized due to consumption of Marijuana, as it is not a toxic substance and does not cause much environmental hazards. The supporters of legalization of Pot, including Joycelyn Elders, believe that it would raise the revenue and cut the cost of enforcement. Those who are against its legalization focuses on its side effects on the consumer’s physiology. Joycelyn Elders opposes this saying, marijuana is not an addictive substance, and still it is illegal, but alcohol, which is more addictive and responsible for worse physical hazards, has been legalized by the authorities.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder feels that if consumption of marijuana is legalized, then it would be a major “stumbling Block” for the federal partnership between state and local authorities regarding drug enforcement. Joycelyn Elders, on the other hand, feels that it would enable better use of resources.
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health1/former-surgeon-general-joycelyn-elders-supports-pot-legalization_100446572.htmlFormer U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, told Don Lemon of CNN on Sunday, that she... more
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