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(What exactly DOES it serve us to ruin people's lives over minor marijuana offenses? - promoted by Laura Clawson)
This afternoon the New Hampshire House of Representatives, the most democratic deliberative body in America and a "citizens legislature," voted to make the smallest possible change imaginable to our drug statutes.
New Hampshire residents could possess one-quarter ounce or less of marijuana without facing jail under a bill headed to the state Senate.
more stories like this
The House voted 193-141 Tuesday to decriminalize the small amount of the drug, making possessing it a violation subject to a $200 fine. Under current law, possessing that amount could mean spending a year in jail and paying a $2,000 fine.
This was not an agenda item for House Democrats. In fact, the floor fight consisted of only one Democrat speaking in favor along with two Republicans, and the final roll-call vote reflected this consensus.
For: 153 D
40 R
Against: 47 46 D 93 94 R (corrected numbers from Landrigan)
This strongly bipartisan coalition consisted of members of every profession, place, and political persuasion represented in our diverse body, and included the majority of committee chairs.
So they said it was silly season, but reading the blogs this morning I feel like I've woken up on another planet.
Some really bizarre things have been happening over at CNN, according to Politico, the worst of which being an online poll asking "Does Barack Obama show the proper patriotism for someone who wants to be President of the United States?"
I've got to say, I've never seen a reader poll like this on a mainstream media website (or, to be honest, a right-wing blog)....it's odd to see the mainstream media drive a largely whispered question that none of his main, named critics - Hillary, McCain or the RNC - will touch.
What's alarming is that Politico says this is perhaps even lower than the right wing bloggers would go. If that's true then something's gone terribly wrong.
Undoubtedly, a whisper campaign has been going on for months now, adding fuel to this smoldering non-story. It's origins, however, seem to be not so up front.
Apparently Drudge just got a hold of an email from a Clinton staffer, sending around a photo of Barack Obama in an African tribal costume.
The photo, taken in 2006, shows Obama dressed as a Somali Elder, during his five-country tour of Africa.
"Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC?" questioned one campaign staffer, in an email obtained by the DRUDGE REPORT.
I'll be quite honest... at this point, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't assume that the Clinton campaign is pushing this junk that's popping up in all the usual media outlets.
All I know for sure is that something, for someone, somewhere, is not going according to plan because this stuff is pretty out there.
The media hasn't dug up too much of what Bill Clinton has been up to in the private sphere since leaving office 7 years ago. Please spare us the embarrassing tales of marital infidelity, I used to think. Now, I'm wishing it had only been just that.
The New York Times, which has endorsed Senator Clinton mind you, today published details surrounding an international humanitarian trip that former President Clinton took in 2005, during which he made a stop in Kazakhstan where he was partially involved in an unusual business deal.
I was wrong, the Nashua Telegraph has endorsed Obama:
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is the best choice for Democrats in the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 8. He is the candidate with the greatest chance of reaching across the aisle - of resonating with moderate and independent voters needed to capture the general election - while maintaining the core principles of his party.
And he best represents what Democrats are looking for this year: a change from the status quo, a genuine and authentic voice for hope and healing during difficult and divisive times.
In weeks past, I was wary of a pro-Hillary slant in their primary coverage. However, following an editorial questioning Hillary's leadership this week citing "dirty tactics" being used by her campaign and surrogates, it looked as though my fears might be proven wrong - and they were.
Obama's interview with the Telegraph editorial board can be viewed here
(I suppose I am to blame for fostering these double-digit user id endorsement wars, but how can I not also front-page this dazzlingly well-written piece from user #16 - not to mention the funny title? - promoted by Dean Barker)
I am endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for President. He is the only one who presents a real departure from conventional thinking inside the beltway and who will act as a catalyst for change both within the American political system and with our image abroad.
I felt it was the obvious choice because of his ideas and who he is as a person back when I started looking seriously again a month ago. I often found myself rooting for him in all of the debates and at his defense in political discussions, whether it was with friends at school or here on Blue Hampshire. I've come to see, finally having time to reflect on it, that this decision has actually been in the making for a long time.
Taking a look back at (and inside) myself, I've realized that this was the inevitable conclusion to a story that I've kept in the back of my mind. In acknowledging this decision, I am finally at peace. It was never a calculated, momentary decision but was instead, as you'll see, one that grew on me...
So I haven't set foot in New Hampshire in 2 whole months. That might sound like a while but believe me, it can be easy at times when you realize that your most respected journalistic institution is the Union Leader. I opened it this morning to discover that Gore Won't Run. Not only that, but..
Al Gore is not going to run for President. He is going to endorse Hillary Clinton, instead.
My problem with these statements actually has very little to do with the UL. It's not about a difference of opinions between the Union Leader and I; that I really don't trust assertions like these when I read them in a Republican rag.
This column, though printed in our local paper, was not written by a native of NH. It was written by Roger Simon from Politico.com. It's a serious disparity in perspective. We're down here in New Hampshire, and there is an insulated group of people in the D.C. bubble who sit around and decide what we should believe.
A perfect example of the disconnect between the Beltway crowd and real people can be found by looking at the media's treatment of Al Gore after his Nobel Prize win and the conclusions they've drawn versus what we can find out for ourselves.
(This is a brilliant diary -- don't let the initial lines fool you -- read it through to the end. - promoted by Mike Caulfield)
We are four hundred and fifteen daystwenty-two days from September 29, 2008 - an entire year and fifty-seven days from the state primary elections.
A little perspective: 365 days ago, Senators Biden, Boxer and Salazar, and Bill Clinton were campaigning for Joe Lieberman. 415 days ago, Sen. Clinton was publicly criticizing the majority of Democrats who wanted to withdraw from Iraq. 410 days ago, I was filing for candidacy.
I think it goes without saying that a lot has happened since then...
Yesterday morning, Gov. Bill Richardson marched in the Amherst 4th of July parade, a tradition here in the New Hampshire primary. However, that wasn't what people were talking about afterwards.
From the Union Leader:
Yesterday, a group called Draft Gore used the Amherst Fourth of July parade to launch a petition drive to encourage Gore to join the throngs of candidates vying for President.
Though there are chapters of Draft Gore popping up all over the country, right now, the New Hampshire branch of the organization is focused on securing at least 5,000 signatures from registered Granite State voters who are in favor of seeing Gore run.
"We want to send Al Gore a message that the people of New Hampshire support him," said Farrell Seiler, state chairman for Draft Gore. "We already have about 500 signatures so far, and we've just started the petition drive."
This comes one week after Suffolk University released its latest poll showing that Gore leads NH if he enters the primary.
If Mr. Gore got into the 2008 presidential nomination contest, he would edge out Mrs. Clinton in New Hampshire 32 percent to 26 percent and defeat the rest of the Democratic contenders, says a 7NEWS-Suffolk University poll of likely voters.
"Gore is the only Democrat, including Hillary, who can instantly melt the field," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, which conducted the survey.
Predictably, the Amherst parade saw many of those 32% coming out of the woodwork...
It looks like someone finally took Al Gore's hint:
I do think that the Internet is bringing revolutionary transformation. I have not ruled out the possibility of getting into politics sometime in the future," he concluded, "but I don't expect to. Because I don't expect things to change. If they did change, then I would feel differently."
GoreHub.com is going to be an incredible resource for Gore drafters but more importantly it's a chance for us to change things. To change how average people access their news, stay informed, and get involved in politics, all setting the stage for a revolutionary campaign for Al Gore.
That is, "if they did change," and if Gore does in turn "feel differently."
To give you an idea of how well developed this new site is: I was searching for "Al Gore" in Google News (a nightly ritual) and found the article from ZDNet - just an hour old. After following the story's link to GoreHub.com, I found that the ZDNet article was already at the top of the newsfeed there!
The coziness between the corporate news media and the ruling elite is easily predictable for anyone who can actually bear to consider it. Maybe that's our problem. Perhaps it's too scary to imagine such a heavily controlled public discourse here in what we perceive to be the freest nation in the world, so we never go looking for the evidence.
That the union of media and government would be unholy is something we do not have to argue over. Al Gore's current best-selling book, The Assault on Reason, delves deep into this dangerous relationship. In it, he makes that early American history we've learned about our founding fathers incredibly relevant to that same, often unrecognizable American society which we live in today. Do we take the free press for granted today, despite its fundamental importance for the existence of our country in the first place?
Also, he reminds us of how capitalism and democracy are two systems constantly at odds with one another. When we use this lens to examine our current political culture, it illuminates a serious threat posed to our form of government in the news media conglomerates that now dominate the market overwhelmingly.
Need more convincing, and not in the mood to read Al's book? Just think about FOX News. Think about Iraq or any of the other hoaxes the American public has been deluded into with the help of a Fair & Balanced press.
(John E. really can't be bothered with governing. Or caring about taxation without representation. Unbelievable. - promoted by Dean Barker)
Today the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs made important progress on civil rights for citizens of Washington, D.C.
The District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 would afford congressional representation to more than half a million Americans who have been forced into "taxation without representation" since the year 1801.
(Cross-posted from nashuaprogressive.blogspot.com)
The Union Leader's Tom Fahey reports on the grim prospects for the "new" amendment, in the House:
Liberal Democrats object, saying that if the state would just cover the cost of an adequate education for all students, it can target additional aid any way it wants.
"To me, this says that we continue to have done for all eternity -- first figure how much we want to spend on education and then back into that amount. We ought to be thinking larger than trying to continue the status quo," said Rep. Kimberley Casey, D-East Kingston.
Only half of the Democratic caucus supported the Majority amendment that came out of the House Finance committee. I was not among them.
Last month, I wrote a diary on my blog: Al Gore Will Run For President. Now, I've got more information on how this will happen...
The newly formed Draft Gore NH campaign made a splash at the NH Democratic Party Convention last weekend (see below the fold). Well they're doing it again this weekend at DemocracyFest. The group will have a table at the event, bringing in volunteers to circulate the draft petition and sell the wildly popular "Uncle Sam" posters and Draft Gore bumper stickers.
For all who are interested, come to Draft Gore NH's first Organizational Meeting on Thursday, June 14th at 7 pm, in White River Junction at the Hotel Coolidge.
(For those of you who don't know, "andyj" is a newly elected State Representative from Nashua. Thanks, Rep. Andy Edwards! - promoted by Dean Barker)
David Brooks has not read Al Gore's book. For every "theory" he's selectively pulled from Gore's book, there is a wealth of supporting information contained and referenced in The Assault on Reason. You can't really evaluate Brooks's arguments using reason, because he's arguing against reason itself - the obvious theme of Gore's book.
This morning, I had the privilege to participate in a discussion on energy policy with presidential candidate Senator Chris Dodd. The discussion lasted about an hour and was centered around Sen. Dodd's plan for Energy Independence (Video) released just yesterday...
(Watching this makes me proud to live in NH. - promoted by Dean)
In the long debate last Wednesday, over whether or not to amend our Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, Rep. Carole Estes (D-Plymouth) delivered a final speech before the vote, leaving Representatives Hall in a frenzy of applause I have never before witnessed...
Carole's words were featured in this week's edition of the House Democratic Caucus's newsletter.
Honorable Mention: Rep. Maureen Baxley, who after Carole's speech showed what a real parliamentary inquiry sounds like:
Madame Speaker, If I know that the Constitution is the document that protects our civil liberties and that this documents has never been amended to restrict or take away the rights of minorities, would I now press the green button and support the committee recommendation?
(Having so many eyes and ears in the ground in primary events is making this site really interesting. Keep 'em coming! - promoted by Dean)
I attended the house party for Barack Obama at Rep. Bette Lasky's house in Nashua today. I was priveleged to get special attention from the Senator in this house filled with 120 Nashua Democrats.
My impressions of the Senator himself will have to wait because they were overshadowed by my overall impression of the event..
[In New Hampshire] a livable wage ranges from $10.10 to $19.50 per hour ($21,683 to $48,625 a year)
Depending on family type, the basic needs budget in New Hampshire is between 2 and 2.5 times the federal poverty level
...
In 2005, the median hourly wage in New Hampshire was $14.66
According to the study, $14.66 an hour is only enough to support a family with dual-incomes or a single person living alone. So there are many more families here struggling to make ends meet than just those counted below the federal poverty line (set deliberately low of course).
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