A Catalyst For Ending The War On Drugs?

Both Colorado and Washington have passed respective measures concerning the legalization of marijuana. Colorado's initiative amended the state constitution. The text of the initiative is short and sweet.

An amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning marijuana, and, in connection therewith, providing for the regulation of marijuana; permitting a person twenty-one years of age or older to consume or possess limited amounts of marijuana; providing for the licensing of cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities, testing facilities, and retail stores; permitting local governments to regulate or prohibit such facilities; requiring the general assembly to enact an excise tax to be levied upon wholesale sales of marijuana; requiring that the first $40 million in revenue raised annually by such tax be credited to the public school capital construction assistance fund; and requiring the general assembly to enact legislation governing the cultivation, processing, and sale of industrial hemp.

How ironic that the first $40 million goes to a public schools construction fund. The rule making is now up to the legislature. Washington's Initiative 502, on the other hand, is an example of such rule making. Sixty-four pages of modifications to the Revised Code of Washington.

As everyone already knows, federal law trumps state law in this area. Marijuana is listed as a Schedule I drug. Here is what the Controlled Substances Act has to say about Schedule I drugs.

The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse. 
The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision. 

There is no leeway in federal law when it comes to a Schedule I drug.

The Director of National Drug Control Policy is required by law to oppose the legalization of any Schedule I drug.

(12) shall ensure that no Federal funds appropriated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy shall be expended for any study or contract relating to the legalization (for a medical use or any other use) of a substance listed in schedule I of section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812) and take such actions as necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize the use of a substance (in any form) that -- 
       1. is listed in schedule I of section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812); 
and 2. has not been approved for use for medical purposes by the Food and Drug Administration;

More than one Federal law enforcement agency is involved in drug enforcement and it remains to be seen what the Obama administration will do in both states as licenses are issued to marijuana producers, production ramps up, and sales are made. This chart I shamelessly stole from an article on The Atlantic Wire is another conversation starter questioning the effect of the billions we've spent on the war on drugs.

Another thing to consider is that the US imprisons more people than any other country and the majority of those prisoners are nonviolent drug offenders.

Hopefully, these two initiatives will encourage our federal legislators to address the war on drugs, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Another Opportunity To Get Lucky

I received this in my email today. I'm reminded of the fun I had with my last Russian bride.

A Cynical View

Today is Election day. Hooray! An end to the political ads and robocalls. But not an end to the media's subservience, acquiescence, and support for politicians. 

As I look at what President Obama has done during his term and what Governor Romney says he will do--depending on the day he was asked--the main difference I see between the two is that Obama won't drive us into the poor house as quickly. Obama has hinted his willingness to change Social Security in order to negotiate a budget settlement. A Romney-Ryan administration would run roughshod over Medicare and Social Security. Regardless which candidate is elected, there will continue to be a dearth of prosecutions against those who trash the economy five years ago. And the superficial oasis of rules enacted to prevent it from happening again will become mirages, deceiving us of their existence. We will learn, again too late, when we are parched. Obama and Romney would continue with the suppression of our civil liberties. Both would continue the extrajudicial killings of people in other countries be they American citizens or not.

Over ten years of Bush tax cuts have yet to create the eruption of entrepreneurialism that Republicans claim will happen if the tax cuts continue. Our military tentacles reach around the world and drain our coffers.

The dragon of discrimination has broken loose, spewing vehement flames at non-whites, women, gays, and Muslims to name a few. Meanwhile the chains of repression have been wrapped around women who now have less autonomy over their bodies and are at risk of losing more. 

Religious groups, who used to despise each other and may still do underneath the veneer of their unlikely alliances, have increased their participation and focus on electing politicians who agree with their beliefs and will have their beliefs enacted in legislation. Politics makes strange bedfellows and if there's anything the religious are expert on, it's who you should bed with.

An excess of today's politicians stand for more tax cuts for those who need them the least. They lay offerings of corporate welfare at the altar of greed and receive graces from their golden idols. They will say anything to get elected and do anything they're asked of by those they are beholdened to. They never give a straight answer, preferring instead to dive deep into shallow pools of ambiguity where denial, distraction, and fear mongering are the oxygen they thrive on.

In far to many cases, the choice is between the those politicians who are overt about it and those who are more illusive.

Today is Election Day. Let the vote counting carnage begin.

Crosstober Fest

The rain was steady at my house and the online Doppler radar showed a large wet patch was moving towards Coeur d'Alene, site of Crosstober Fest. I arrived an hour before the first start to check out the course and scout out photo vantage points. The last time I rode this course it was covered in snow so I was interested in seeing what I was falling on a year ago.

 The obligatory steps followed by a down ramp.

Let's put some loose dirt in a turn. 

The first race was for the kids. About five minutes before the start the heavens opened and stayed open for the next three hours. Holding a golf umbrella in one hand and a camera in the other made taking photos a little more challenging, but I managed to keep the camera dry enough.

You have to hand it to these kids when they're hefting bikes 

that are in far greater proportion to their body weight 

than the big bikes are for adults.

 A couple of troopers on Strider bikes.

There was a bypass so the little ones could avoid the steps. This young rider wanted no part of that. After zipping down the ramp and going halfway around the shortened course, the Strider rider declared, "I want to go back to the steps." From then on the race consisted of just ripping the descent several more times. Where do you find kids like this? At a cross race, that's where.

 A chocolate hand up during the women's single speed, Cat 4, and Masters 40+ race.

The downpour continued for the women whose race followed the kids. Standing water was the order of the day. The sandy parts became easy to ride but the dirt churned to mud more than made up the difference. In spite of the rain, it wasn't that cold for the racers.

Did I mention it got muddy?

Eye protection was called for. Failure to answer the call meant you would be blinking a lot to clear the water and mud from your sight. The mountain bike race was third and the fat tires churned up the course even more.

 It's like bikes and mud were meant to be together.

The rain slowed to a slight sprinkle just before the fourth race of the day, Men's Masters 40+, 50+ and single speed. I had a good first lap and then two things starts sucking the life out of my legs. One was the half-mile long straightaway into a headwind. I'm a wimp in a headwind. The other was the mud. So pretty much everything except the short sandy parts and the half mile return with the wind. In three years of racing, this was my first race with a substantial amount of mud. The Michelin Mud 2 tires did their part and I stayed upright the entire race. Getting through the mud was another story, but it was fun.

Side note: Glen checked my bike after my asphalt slide last weekend. The rear derailleur took some serious grinding but still functions perfectly. He replaced the rear brake pads and remarked that the front brakes work really good. So I made a conscious effort to use the front brakes more. He's right. 

 I think there's a clean spot on my left ear.

Next up was the Women's Cat 1, 2, and 3 and the Men's Cat 4. I was amazed to see how some of these racers tore through the mud like it was nothing. 

The cloudy conditions and the fading light made photography even more challenging. The shutter speed for the sports setting got slower and slower. I had to discard a ton of blurred photos.

With the lighting conditions quickly deteriorating, shooting the Men's Cat 1, 2, and 3 race was very difficult. There was a generator with lights to help with the technical part of the course but it didn't help the camera any. It was brighter than the above photo depicts but not bright enough to shooting fast moving targets. So I had to use the flash but I was careful to shoot from the side so I wouldn't blind anyone.

The only head-on shot using the flash.

But it's a beer hand up so what're you gonna do, right?

Meet JT Fountain. This dude tore the course apart on a single speed. I think the guys he lapped were thankful they could stop because the darkness was making it really tough to continue.

Money, beer, and other prizes were handed out. Nothing is awarded for being DFL so I came home empty handed. Nonetheless, a good time was had by all and it was capped off by Jerry Long who, using a megaphone, provided some very entertaining heckling.

So Many Poisoned Minds

This reminds me of when Palin followers were asked to specifically comment on her policies. Lots of blank looks and long pauses. In the meantime, the crazy talk continues. 

Rules Are Rules - Sometimes Meant To Be Broken

It's the time of year when I ride the bus instead of my bike to work. On the way home tonight a couple of women sitting in front of me started saying, "Stop for Dave. Stop for Dave." Up ahead, Dave, a man I recognize as having some sort of sight problem, was walking down the sidewalk and glancing back towards the bus. He uses a red-tipped white cane and had a dog with him, too. I hadn't seen him with a dog before so I don't know if it was a service dog or not. He was three or four blocks away from the designated stop.

"Stop for Dave," the ladies repeated. "Aren't you going to stop for Dave?"

"No," said the driver.

Disappointment filled the bus as the ladies let out a loud, "Awwwwwwww."

Dave had to wait for the next bus due to arrive 15 minutes later.