Tag Archives: legislators

Shameful News Industry Willing To Sacrifice Wikileaks To Get Shield Law | Techdirt

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

http://techdirt.com/images/topic_journalism.gif A few weeks ago, we noted, with some disappointment, that the politicians who had been pushing for a much needed federal shield law for journalism, Senators Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein, were taking the politically expedient route of adding a specific amendment designed to keep Wikileaks out of the bill's protections( http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100804/10343410497.shtml ). Apparently, a bunch of newspaper folks have apparently stepped forward to support this move. Douglas Lee, at The First Amendment Center has an opinion piece calling those people out for sacrificing their overall principles just to get the shield law approved( http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/commentary.aspx?id=23303 ). The whole thing is a great read, but a few key snippets: > > It doesn't seem all that long ago that representatives of the newspaper > > industry would have recoiled from working with Congress to deny legal > > protection to anyone who leaked confidential or classified documents. > > Today, however, they seem happy to be doing so. Lee the goes on to quote various industry reps distancing themselves from Wikileaks and putting it down as “not journalism.” He also quotes them admitting that they feel they have to throw Wikileaks under the bus, or the law won't get passed, and then calls them out on the impact of that decision, hinting at the fact that at least some of this might be due to traditional journalists simply not liking new upstarts that are changing the game — like Wikileaks. > > As comforting as it might be to “real” journalists to incorporate editorial > > oversight into a shield law and to use it to distinguish further between the > > “us” who are entitled to the law's protections and the “them” who are not, > > at least two dangers exist in that approach. > > First, does anyone — including the most mainstream of traditional journalists > > — really think it a good idea that Congress and judges define, analyze and > > evaluate what is appropriate “editorial oversight”? For decades, news > > organizations have struggled to resist those efforts in libel cases and, > > so far, those struggles have succeeded. If those same organizations > > now invite legislators and judges into their newsrooms to see how worthy > > their reporters are of protection under a shield law, they shouldn't be > > surprised if the legislators and judges decide to stay. > > Second, is the free flow of information really served if the act's protections > > are denied to those who don't have or practice editorial oversight? > > As Schumer acknowledged in his statement, the act already contains > > language that would limit or deny protection to those who provide or > > publish classified military secrets. Specifically exempting WikiLeaks and > > other organizations that might otherwise qualify for protection under the > > act in at least some cases seems designed not to enhance the free flow of > > information but to channel that information to mainstream sources. It is the nature of politics today to compromise principles to get things through, but this move certainly seems unfortunate — and one that I imagine many news organizations will regret down the road. added by: toyotabedzrock

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Posted in Celebrities, Hot Stuff

Tagged bennyhollywood, celeb news, chuck, Game, Hollywood, legislators, nature, News, organizations, politically, politicians, putting-it-down, senators-chuck, under-the-bus, wikileaks

Alaska legislators VS Obama Administration over Endangered Species Act.

Posted on March 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

(Hat tip to Phil Munger for the photo) Members of Alaska’s congressional delegation met with two top Obama administration environmental officials Friday to discuss several issues that could have wide-ranging impacts on the state. Of most concern to the delegation is the proposed listing of a critical habitat for the Cook Inlet beluga whale and petitions to list ice seals as threatened or endangered species. The delegation is worried that such decisions by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could harm the state’s economy.

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Posted in Celebrities, Gossip, Hot Stuff

Tagged beluga, delegation, endangered-species, legislative, legislators, mark begich, national, sean parnell, state, the-truth

Is The Washington Legislature Really ‘Too Busy’ To Protect Medical Marijuana Patients?

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Artwork: Jimmy Wheeler The late Jimmy Wheeler, a medical marijuana patient in Washington, created this artwork. Now a proposed patient protection bill will be named in his honor. By Steve Elliott at Toke of the Town As most medical marijuana patients in the state already know, the current medical marijuana law in Washington doesn’t protect patients from search, arrest or prosecution. The recent Washington Supreme Court ruling in State v. Fry further highlighted how little protection — as in almost none! — the current law gives “legal” patients. Medical marijuana activists Ken Martin and Steve Sarich of patient advocacy group CannaCare contacted every Senator and Representative in Washington at the beginning of the current 2010 legislative session, attempting to find a sponsor for their new bill that would finally offer legal patients protection from arrest and prosecution. “We could not find a single sponsor for this bill,” Sarich told Toke of the Town . “Those I actually spoke with told me they were ‘too busy’ this session.” “This made us curious about what, exactly, these legislators were so busy working on (besides new taxes on just about everything),” Sarich said. “What we found amazed us.” “Here are just a few of the bills that our legislators believed were more important than protecting sick and dying patients in Washington,” Sarich said. XB 6255 Concerning mute swans. SB 5192 Allowing dogs in bars. SB 6207 Allowing local governments to create golf cart zones. SB 6284 Recognizing Leif Erickson day. HB 1024 Designating Aplets and Cotlets as the state candy. XB 6128 Concerning taxation of little cigars. HB 1137 Protecting landowners’ investments in Christmas trees. SB 5011 Prohibiting the sale or distribution of certain novelty lighters. HB 1638 Concerning colon hydrotherapy. HB 1993 Allowing fishing license holder to use two poles in selected state waters. “Perhaps these bills are truly important to some people,” Sarich allowed. “That said, I think it’s insulting to tell patients that making Aplets and Cotlets the official state candy is more important than keeping patients from being searched, arrested and prosecuted.” Medical Marijuana Lobby Day: Wednesday, February 24 “It’s time to send the message to our elected officials, and Medical Marijuana Lobby Day is the opportunity to do that!” Sarich said. “Show up and have your voice be heard.” “We are gathering at 1 p.m. on the north stairs of the Legislative Building,” Sarich said. “We’ll have white booths there with literature, posters and special medical marijuana patient scarves with buttons that say “STOP ARRESTING PATIENTS.” According to Sarich, the goal is to educate legislators, “let them know we are voters and activists,” to to gather legislative sponsors for the “Patient Protection Act” for the 2011 legislative session. “The bill will be named the ‘Jimmy Wheeler Memorial Patient Protection Act’ in honor of my friend and longtime activist who was providing medical marijuana to patients before there there was legal medical marijuana,” Sarich said. “Jimmy died recently without ever seeing patients free from arrest and prosecution in his lifetime,” Sarich said. “Please ask yourself how many more of us have to die before they realize we are not criminals.” “How many patients need to be persecuted before our elected officials provide us with the same protections offered to the rest of the disabled and terminally ill patients in this state?” Sarich asked. “I’m tired of being a second class citizen!” “We will do our best to arrange transportation for you to this historic event,” Sarich said. For more information, contact Ken Martin at (509) 235-5485 or Steve Sarich at (206) 407-3017.

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Tagged Christmas, jimmy-wheeler, legislative, legislators, legislature, medical-marijuana, opportunity, pdf, research, senator, steve-sarich, stop-or-reduce, supreme-court, Voice

Victory In Washington: Jury Finds Medical Marijuana Patient Not Guilty

Posted on February 18, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

By Steve Elliott in Toke of the Town Once again, a jury has seen through the lies and distortions and found a medical marijuana patient not guilty. Washington state jurors Thursday afternoon found Cammie McKenzie, who grows marijuana to treat her chronic back pain, not guilty of all charges in a case where prosecutors tried to portray her as a drug dealer. The prosecution’s unsuccessful case was notably nasty, even for a medical marijuana arrest in a state where some law enforcement officials have been slow to adjust to the legalization of medicinal cannabis passed by voters in 1998. “This case is not about medicine. This case is about money,” Snohomish County Deputy Prosecutor Matthew Baldock said in his opening statements Tuesday. “The defendant was masquerading as a marijuana patient and was in reality a drug dealer, no question.” One can only imagine the incensed reaction of Snohomish County’s good voters when they realize their scarce tax dollars are being wasted on foolishness like this. Prosecutors and narcotics detectives claimed McKenzie, 24, was using her medical marijuana authorization as a front for an illegal pot farm at her home in Bothell, Washington, reports Diana Hefley of the Everett Herald Net . McKenzie said that prosecutors based their case on the word of her former roommate, a “known drug dealer” who was promised he wouldn’t be prosecuted if he testified against McKenzie. Jurors ultimately didn’t buy the prosecution’s claims and declared McKenzie not guilty of manufacturing marijuana, which is a felony. Baldock called two witnesses, both detectives with the Bellevue-based Eastside Narcotics Task Force in his case against McKenzie. Defense attorney Natalie Tarantino asked the judge to throw out the charge against McKenzie due to a lack of evidence, including the state’s failure to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that her client is, in fact, the person charged with the crime. Superior Court Judge George Appel denied that motion, instead allowing Baldock to bring a detective back on the stand to testify to the defendant’s identity. Jurors were shown a copy of a driver’s license picturing Cameron Scott Wieldraayer. That was the defendant’s name before she changed her gender and her name. The detective identified the person on the driver’s license as McKenzie. McKenzie herself took the stand Wednesday, testifying at length about marijuana growing methods. She currently runs an Internet business selling growing equipment. The defendant explained how medical marijuana alleviates her symptoms. Marijuana “stops the brain from acknowledging the pain,” allowing her to function, she said. McKenzie told jurors she consumes up to a quarter-ounce a day. She adamantly denied that she was selling marijuana or using her grow operation to make a profit.

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Victory In Washington: Jury Finds Medical Marijuana Patient Not Guilty

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Tagged case, deputy, gender, jimmy-wheeler, legislative, legislators, legislature, matthew-baldock, medical-marijuana, person, research, stop-or-reduce, stops-the-brain, superior-court, Voice

Washington Legislature Drops The Ball (Again) On Marijuana Decrim

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Never mind what the people of Washington want. The Legislature thinks pot is just too scary. By Steve Elliott at Toke of the Town Cowardly career politicians, out of touch with their own constituents and terrified of being branded “soft on drugs,” have once again dropped the ball on decriminalizing marijuana. Senate Bill 5615, which would have freed up Washington’s criminal justice resources by making adult possession of small amounts of marijuana an infraction carrying a fine, rather than a misdemeanor carrying mandatory jail time, failed to get a vote in the Washington State Senate Tuesday. “This means efforts to address adult marijuana use through a civil, public health approach, rather than a failed criminalization approach, have died for the 2010 legislative session,” said Alison Holcomb, drug policy director, ACLU of Washington . “The ACLU of Washington is disappointed by the Legislature’s failure to pass this bill despite strong and consistent public support for it,” Holcomb said. “An overwhelming majority of Washington voters support the modest change proposed by SB 5615 — a change already made in 13 other states, 11 of them as long ago as the 1970s, with no adverse impact,” Holcomb said. According to Holcomb, studies in those states demonstrate no increase in marijuana use among adults or youth, results echoed in jurisdictions like Seattle, where adult marijuana possession has been the lowest law enforcement priority since 2003. “In 2008, police and prosecutors filed 12,428 cases involving misdemeanor marijuana possession by adults in Washington courts — using funds that would be far better spent addressing other priorities, including violent crime,” Holcomb pointed out. “The Washington State Office of Financial Management estimated that SB 5615 and its companion HB 1177 would have made approximately $15-16 million in scarce public safety dollars available to combat true public safety threats, and would have directed significant resources to sorely needed, state-funded treatment and protection services,” Holcomb said. “We applaud Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, prime sponsor of SB 5615, for her tireless efforts to advocate for sensible reforms grounded in reason, science, and fiscal responsibility,” Holcomb said. “And we hope our Legislature will get the electorate’s message in 2011 and pass marijuana decriminalization legislation.” “It’s time to stop wasting money on arresting and jailing adults for marijuana use and invest instead in proven prevention and treatment programs,” Holcomb said.