General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGiven that we all agree that if you support Ron Paul you support a racist politician
can we also all agree that if you support the drug war you support a racist policy? And shouldn't politicians who support this racist policy get the same scrutiny for it that Ron Paul rightfully get's for his racist newsletters and comments?
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Imagine what he could have accomplished if he'd never succumbed to the misery of drug use..
ClassWarrior
(26,316 posts)DUzy nominee?
NGU.
joshcryer
(62,265 posts)I expect him to soften his approach on marijuana, because he's going to be quite pressured to do so since half the population now supports it (when he got elected it wasn't quite half the population).
http://www.gallup.com/poll/150149/Record-High-Americans-Favor-Legalizing-Marijuana.aspx
ClassWarrior
(26,316 posts)..."winning issue?"
And how do you know what he thinks?
NGU.
joshcryer
(62,265 posts)Go back and look at any video where he's questioned about marijuana, in many of them his answers are very calculated. It would not be hard to say "I support legalization." Why doesn't he do it?
Either he believes that it would be a bad thing (having smoked marijuana, almost half the population having tried or smoked it regularly, and that half the population believes it should be legal), or he just thinks it's not a good campaign issue (coming out for legalization would fill the soundbytes of right wing attack ads).
Which seems more logical? That he ignores all the reasons for legalization or that he sees the campaign issue?
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)And then got the help he was so desperately crying out for?
He could have been a cook or maybe a waiter at a high class restaurant if had only gotten help with his drug problem.
SixthSense
(829 posts)President Obama, let my people go!
Puregonzo1188
(1,948 posts)saras
(6,670 posts)If you buy fast food ANYWHERE you support racist industries that destroy brown people for your cheap food. If you buy stuff from chains (not just WalMart, all of them), you're supporting a racist global economy. America, as a country and a population, is fucking racist. The only way to avoid them is to live in a shack in the woods miles from the nearest road or cell tower.
Ron Paul, as a politician, supports a lot of stupid and evil things, no doubt about it. So do, from my own values, EVERY OTHER MEMBER OF CONGRESS, IN BOTH HOUSES, AND THE PRESIDENT.
Should I refuse to deal with them? Should I refuse to choose better ones over worse ones?
limpyhobbler
(8,244 posts)BootinUp
(46,847 posts)Puregonzo1188
(1,948 posts)higher sentence than powdered cocaine. That's why African-Americans make up only 13% of all American drug user, but 35% of American drug arrests, 55% of American drug convictions, and 74% of those incarcerated for drug offense.
The drug war is predominantly a war on poor people and people of color. It was intentionally designed that why by Richard Nixon, since Southern states could no longer bar blacks from voting, but they could bar "felons" from voting.
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)Unfortunately, the highest profile people and organizations that are focusing on the racist aspect of the drug war are libertarians. And, I believe that they are using racism as a means to advance the party and the concept... not because they care about racism.
Puregonzo1188
(1,948 posts)This quote, is from when he was running for President as a Libertarian in 1988
"We do know that opium was used by the Chinese, and the laws prohibiting opium were issued because the Chinese were not welcome in this country. We do know that because of heroin use among blacks, at a certain time, the laws were made to be used against them. And there were times when many Latin American immigrants used marijuana and the laws were made to use against them. But low and behold the drug that inebriates most of Congress has been mostly untouched, because their over there drinking alcohol.
It even predates his racist newsletters.
Only thing it proves is that Ron Paul speaks out of both sides of his mouth playing up to racist and playing up to opponents of the racist drug war. But at least it shows that even a racist quack like Ron Paul knows the drug war is racist.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)And yet blacks are arrested and convicted in far greater proportion than whites for those crimes.
One in three black males in the USA will spend time in prison at some point in their lives..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/01/blacks-far-more-likely-th_n_817105.html
An African-American convicted of a low-level drug crime in Cook County is eight times more likely than his white counterpart to face prison time for it, according to a new report released yesterday.
The report, published by the Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission, analyzed arrest data from 2005, the most recent year that complete data is available. It was commissioned by the General Assembly in 2008 to research the notion that minorities -- and particularly young black men in inner cities -- were disproportionately subjected to drug arrests, prosecution and sentencing.
SaintPete
(533 posts)without having to agree that I supported what a racist politician said? What if an acceptable person said something identical to something Ron Paul said? Can I pull an exemption, or is it that once Ron Paul says a thing, it's his? He owns it...?
Is it an all, or nothing at all game?
I'm just trying to understand all the rules that (we all agree) are involved in figuring out the Dewey Decimal system for political thought.
Puregonzo1188
(1,948 posts)Pacafishmate
(249 posts)Although he may have unusual views, I'd say he is more admirable than a typical politician. Someone who votes for Paul knows what they are getting. Many people who voted for Obama did not get what they expected. They got the usual pro- big business politician, but dressed up in a different way. Paul is not the typical politician. Whether that is good or bad is a personal matter.