Editorial Glance
That's like saying we don't agree with your oppressive, unconstitutional despotism of our nation and to show our ire in no uncertain terms we're going to break public law and disrupt the peace so take that, nah- nah-ne-boo-boo. But don't worry because we'll put everything back when we're done as if nothing happened cuz we don't want any trouble!
TVNL Comment: I have said many times, as I returned from MASSIVE protests against the Bush administration that were ignored by the media...with phones, faxes, cell phones, e-mail, blogs, polls, mail, overnight express mail and carrier pigeons....if we need to go to Washington D.C. in person, to tell our representatives in government to represent us...the purpose of the trip should be to remove them from office and replace them with people who will represent us! - Jesse Richard
We spend about $150 billion on policing and courts, and 47.5% of all arrests are marijuana-related. That is an awful lot of money, most of it nonfederal, that could be spent on better schools or infrastructure — or simply returned to the public.
Those who hoped that the change promised by candidate Barack Obama would include repeal of the various acts that have stripped Americans of their constitutional rights should be disappointed. Benjamin Franklin supposedly wrote, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." The citation is likely apocryphal, at least in terms of its attribution to Franklin, but it is useful shorthand for the unfortunate abandonment of many of the liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution as a consequence of 9/11. The trauma of 9/11 created an opportunity for those seeking to centralize executive power, an objective of recent presidents from both political parties. Many Americans initially accepted that there had to be some abridgment of fundamental liberties while fighting a multi-faceted and unconventional war against terrorism, but few realize just how much the constitutional rights that all citizens take for granted have been eroded. History also teaches us that once a right is suspended, in all likelihood it is gone forever.
