Yesterday, Congress voted on the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment. The Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment would have prevented the Federal Government from spending taxpayer dollars to arrest and prosecute medical marijuana patients in the states where it’s already been made legal (Washington is one of them, of course, passing a law via voter initiative in 1998). Now I expect the Republican Congressmen of this state to vote against it. We already know that Reichert, McMorris-Rogers, and Hastings don’t give a rats ass about the voters of this state. But three two Democratic Congressmen also voted against this bill. And one of them, Norm Dicks and Adam Smith, changed their vote from last year. Can we have an explanation from their offices for why they’ve decided in the past twelve months that the people of Washington State need to be protected from their own decisions? Can someone from either Norm Dicks’ or Adam Smith’s office explain why it’s so important for them him to have the federal government come here to overturn our laws? The second question also goes for Rick Larsen, who has consistently voted against this bill.
We are long past the point of where the old notions of “we need to protect the children” hold any water. In states where medical marijuana has been legalized, the numbers of underage marijuana users has actually decreased more than in other states. I think we deserve an explanation from our Representatives on this. There is absolutely no rational justification for voting against this bill, and they know it. The old days where votes like this aren’t noticed are over. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or not. When you vote against the sick and dying to advance the special interests of those who benefit from having more people flowing through our criminal justice system, we should know why.
UPDATE (–Goldy):
I just received an email from Derrick Crowe, Communications Director for Rep. Adam Smith:
We noticed the vote this morning and have a submitted a statement for the record to correct the error. Adam should have been a Yes on Rollcall vote 733, the Hinchey Amendment to HR 3093, the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008. Adam has consistently voted Yes on the Hinchey Amendment in years past.
So in fact, Rep. Smith voted for Hinchey-Rohrabacher. Not sure exactly how common it is for the House Clerk to get these things wrong, but apparently this time around he did. Apparently, Smith misheard the reading of the bill, and has since corrected his vote. Not sure how common that is either.
UPDATE 2: Dominic Holden has more, but still no word from Congressman Dicks…
Republicans suck!
(Let’s see you delete THAT one as off-topic, Goldy!
Reichert, McMorris, and Hastings are pro-pain. Pro-pain Republicans come in large metal tanks. If you light a match near them, they explode.
“We are long past the point of where the old notions of ‘we need to protect the children’ hold any water.”
Hmmm … well, that’s certainly true. Ever since medical marijuana was outlawed by the feds, cancer patients have been getting their pain medication from 12-year-old pushers on the street corner outside the nursing home.
Roger,
I probably won’t delete anything unless people paste random stuff into a comment that’s off topic.
The trouble with legalizing medical marijuana is that if Big Pharma takes over marketing and distributing, the price will go up 10,000%.
@6
People will always be able to grow their own.
I thought Repubs were the party that decries the “nanny state.”
@8
I thought Repubs were the party that decries the “nanny state.”
You thought wrong. Modern Republicans are much more in favor of Nanny Statism than Democrats. But there are still a lot of Nanny State Democrats around. And I’m calling them out when I see them…
@5 Darryl deleted this one yesterday:
MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH
From Darryl’s explanation, it appears he was trying to demonstrate to our troll friends that this blog treats liberal and wingnut posters even-handedly. Now why in hell should wingnut trolls expect equal treatment on a liberal blog?!!! Their only function here is to serve as targets of liberal scorn.
I’ve never posted anything off-topic on HA, ever. All of Goldy’s threads boil down to one theme:
REPUBLICANS SUCK!
And since all of my comments are on the same topic, how can I be off-topic?
Roger,
The comment rules are applied equally to people of all political stripes. Being on the left does not give you more of a license to be a jackass.
That said, I will likely not care as much about policing the comment threads, but will only delete things that are off-topic copy/pastes. Consider that a warning, since I’m pretty sure you didn’t type the word MUNCH over and over again. :)
@11
Actually, this post was about Democrats who suck.
I just e-mailed Smith (my rep) but am not holding my breath for a coherent repluy….
Or “reply”, for that matter….
LEE:
Roger appears to be about my age. We are naturally repetitious.
How many of you could actually pass a piss test? This being a left wing blog, I would expect a failure rate well above 75%.
@16
Hahaha. Yeah. As for the letter, thank you. I live in the 7th, so my Representative is far from a problem on this issue, but I may fire off emails to all three of the Democratic Reps individually. As for Reichert (who will be my Rep in about two months when my new house in Kent is finished), I just plan on voting for his replacement.
You’re the biggest failure here, and I’m sure you’re well above 75% certifiable.
Sorry to have not specified that my previous comment was a response was to Markoloon, if that be not obvious.
@17
How many of you could actually pass a piss test? This being a left wing blog, I would expect a failure rate well above 75%.
Are you asking if I can piss on your face from 5 feet away. Yeah, I think I could pass that test.
Seriously, though, I would not pass a piss test as I do smoke marijuana. I also work a full-time high-paying job, contribute to three blogs, attend a number of community events, and have spent the last two years fixing up an old 1950s house in Seattle (rewired it, finished the basement, and helped my wife redo the kitchen and both bathrooms). Oh, I also write video games and am starting to work on a new website for fantasy sports. So you can take your silly stereotypes about drug users and shove them right back up your ass. In fact, many of my friends who also smoke pot are conservatives.
Idiot.
chadt says:
You’re the biggest failure here, and I’m sure you’re well above 75% certifiable.
I’ll take that as a no, you could never pass a drug test.
Lee says:
@17
How many of you could actually pass a piss test? This being a left wing blog, I would expect a failure rate well above 75%.
Are you asking if I can piss on your face from 5 feet away. Yeah, I think I could pass that test.
Seriously, though, I would not pass a piss test as I do smoke marijuana. I also work a full-time high-paying job, contribute to three blogs, attend a number of community events, and have spent the last two years fixing up an old 1950s house in Seattle (rewired it, finished the basement, and helped my wife redo the kitchen and both bathrooms). Oh, I also write video games and am starting to work on a new website for fantasy sports. So you can take your silly stereotypes about drug users and shove them right back up your ass. In fact, many of my friends who also smoke pot are conservatives.
Idiot.
Thank you for confirming what I already knew about you.
@23
Thank you for confirming what I already knew about you.
What? That I’m smarter than you and more motivated than you.
Lee says:
@23
Thank you for confirming what I already knew about you.
What? That I’m smarter than you and more motivated than you.
No, exactly the opposite is what I had in mind.
How many bong rips did you do this AM?
@12 “Consider that a warning, since I’m pretty sure you didn’t type the word MUNCH over and over again. :)”
How do you know? OK, OK, I admit it … I typed it 6 times, then copied and pasted it. But my next post is all hand-typed.
MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH
The only jackasses around here are the unthinking anti-American wingnut traitors who defend the terminally corrupt and criminally incompetent Bushevik regime no-matter-what.
7
The problem with that, of course, is if you grow your own, you get busted for it. Even when you’re the parents of an abducted child who was being returned safely and the officers in question happened to get a whiff of Acapulco Gold.
“No stems, no seeds that you don’t need,
Acapulco Gold is — <mffffffffffffffffffffffffffffft> — bad ass weed.”
@25
No, exactly the opposite is what I had in mind.
How many bong rips did you do this AM?
Wow, you’re a complete and total idiot. The last time I took a bong hit before noon was probably in college in the 90s.
I’m amazed that there are people like you who still exist. What you just said to me is as ridiculous as someone saying to you that they enjoy a drink now and then, and then you accuse them of being an alcoholic.
And yes, I’m both smarter and more motivated than you. Deal with it. If you don’t believe, you’re more than welcome to challenge me in a game of intellectual skill. Name the place, time, and game, and I will show up and demolish you.
And yes, I occasionally smoke pot in the evenings when I have some time to unwind. It hasn’t made me dumb. It hasn’t made me lazy. And it has never interfered with the myriad endeavors and projects I’ve undertaken in my life. The stereotypes that you believe about marijuana are pure fiction and a testament to your gullibility.
We have prisons run by corporations now. That tells you all you need to know about this country’s ugly drug policies.
I’m up for a new job in a couple of weeks. I have no idea whether they do a drug test. If they do, they’re going to find a veritable pharmacopia of drugs in my system, from hydrochlorothiazide to loratadine. Hope that doesn’t cause me any problems. I’ll have to try to remember not to eat any poppy seed bagels a day or two before I have to pee in the cup.
Of course, if I didn’t take them I’d most likely be dead, which I understand is not necessarily a hindrance to working there. It might make me eligible to vote Republican, though.
Hey YLB, is that a new look for you?
@22
Well, Markoloon, I certainly could pass a drug test, I don’t even use alcohol, and what YOU think about me is the least of my concerns.
I have a 29 year-old cousin who is a partial quadriplegic due to a construction accident. He lives in Portland. The only substance that eases the involuntary spasms that otherwise preclude him from sleeping is marijuana. Barring his access to marijuana would be inhuman. By the way, he is a staunch Republican. I expect inhumanity from the Republicans in Congress. I am very disappointed with Dicks, Smith, and Larsen.
Who’s your dentist, Roger, and does he take new patients?
And yes, I occasionally smoke pot in the evenings when I have some time to unwind. It hasn’t made me dumb.
Well, you DID respond to a troll even after he made a colossally stupid comment…
;-)
@38
I guess maybe it has made me a little crazy… :)
Lee,
You can’t delete Roger here; Having the munchies is consistent with the thread….
As Washington residents, you should know pot is still illegal. The growers want it that way. Pot is a weed, any of you that have grown it knows it takes very little effort to grow it. If we the people were able to grow it for ourselves would eliminate their cash crop. Visit a grow shop and see the anti-petitions on the counter.
Roger: The main theme of this site is “Wingnuts Suck”. The Republican Party these days is dominated by wingnuts. It’s no longer the party of Dan Evans or Judge Bridges. It’s the party of people like Ellen Craswell, John Carlson, Steve Sharansky, Jim Miller and Tom McCabe.
I want to vote for a Republican once in a while to send a message to the Dems when they overreach or lose their way. I can’t do that now. The R’s are blithering crazy.
Getting back to the comments policy, the idea is to encourage debate on the topics that posters like Lee spend time developing. It’s out of respect for them and the topics they bring up that we should stay on-topic. Constructive debate can’t happen when we’re all just hurling insults at the wingnuts that have nothing to do with the topic. The open threads are the place for that.
That being said – Lee feel free to delete this comment after a decent interval.
I love how the Republicans are all about ‘personal responsibility’ except when it comes to things that are pleasurable, like sex or mind-altering substances (including alcohol). Things that kill or hurt, like guns or lack of access to medical care, not so much. In this specific case, what happened to these Republicans’ calls for presonal responsibility, not to mention their supposed support for states’ rights?
Hey, ‘libertarians’, are you starting to get a clue that the Republicans just throw these terms around in order to get you to vote for their sorry asses? Are you starting to get a clue that they really don’t mean these things, just like they don’t really mean much of the shit they say to attract the die-hard dipshit bible-bangers and racists? Then again, most of you libertarians are of the opinion that what’s good for business is fine with you, so maybe you’re more supportive of the Republican line than you pretend to be, and all that show of independence is just that.
I’ll email Norm Dicks about it and iget a nice email from him all about all the work he does on behalf of of people with cancer. Because Norm really cares about people with cancer and we in the north-west are in the forefront in the fight and did you know that just last week……
42
I voted for Sam Reed back in ’04. That worked out pretty well as far as I’m concerned. He does appear, however, to be one of a kind.
@42
That being said – Lee feel free to delete this comment after a decent interval.
I wouldn’t think of it.
@40
You can’t delete Roger here; Having the munchies is consistent with the thread….
Point taken. :)
@44
Michael, if you get a letter back from Norm Dicks’ office that says that, would you mind forwarding it to me?
Back on topic . . . just thought I’d make it easier to contact legislators by posting link. If you email and get a stupid propagandist email back, as I have, just email again and complain about the propaganda. Enough people do it and who knows?
“SENATOR
MARIA CANTWELL (D)
PATTY MURRAY (D)
REPRESENTATIVE
JAY INSLEE (D) – 1st District
RICK LARSEN (D) – 2nd District
BRAN BAIRD (D) – 3rd District
RICHARD “DOC” HASTINGS (R) – 4th District
CATHY MCMORRIS (R) – 5th District
NORM DICKS (D) – 6th District
JIM McDERMOTT (D) – 7th District
DAVE REICHERT (R) – 8th District
ADAM SMITH (D) – 9th District
My rep is McDermott and we all know how he votes on social issues. I love him.
I’ll send an email to all three of them even if I’m not in their districts. I hate the selfish attitude on hemp generally. If people really listened and thought about it, they would change their minds. But, “thinking” isn’t trendy these days, is it?
Sure thing Lee.
skagit says:
My rep is McDermott and we all know how he votes on social issues. I love him.
Only in a place like Seattle could someone like Baghdad Jim McDermott exist. I find him loathsome as hell.
Mark @ 49
“Only in a place like Seattle could someone like Baghdad Jim McDermott exist.”
Just one of many reasons why Seattle is about the most livable places in the nation.
Sounds like Big Tobacco and Big Pharma win again. Remember this next sentence, engrave this FACT upon your memory:
In the time it takes me to write this sentence, and for you to read it, tobacco has killed more people than marijuana has in recorded human history.
proud leftist says:
Mark @ 49
“Only in a place like Seattle could someone like Baghdad Jim McDermott exist.”
Just one of many reasons why Seattle is about the most livable places in the nation.
Yeah, if you like shitty weather 9 months out of the year and don’t mind being surrounded by people that would make Karl Marx proud.
Mark @ 52
So, why do you stay here, then? Do you know have no options? I feel for you, bro.