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Category Archives: ~ Recent Post
The beginning of the end of the war on drugs?
Stand in support of California’s landmark proposition to reform marijuana laws.
The phrase “war on drugs” conjures up images of DEA agents locking up big-time drug King Pins. But the reality is much less glamorous and a lot closer to home. Over 700,000 people were arrested in the United States in 2009 just for possessing marijuana — not selling or buying it.
Police waste valuable resources targeting non-violent marijuana consumers in communities across the country, while thousands of violent crimes go unsolved. After decades trying to make America “drug free,” marijuana is easier for kids to get than alcohol. The “war on drugs” is a massive failure. Yet we waste $40 billion every year fighting it.
But California has a game-changing proposition on its ballot in November. Proposition 19 would make marijuana available to adults over 21 in California and make that state the first to regulate, tax and control marijuana. If passed, Prop 19 could be the tipping point we need to wind down our country’s failed “war on drugs.”
With a devastating economic downturn and increasing violence associated with criminal drug cartels, Americans are beginning to realize that prohibition has failed, and taxing and regulating marijuana is just smarter policy. Political strategists originally thought Prop 19 was a long shot, but public support has recently grown as mainstream organizations have joined in support and a grassroots movement has begun to build.
The state’s biggest union – SEIU – has come out in support of Prop 19 along with the California NAACP. Reflecting the position of many, the President of the state NAACP recently said, “I am not advocating for a higher use of drugs. I am advocating for it not to be a crime.”
It’s time for an honest debate about our country’s marijuana laws – and with Prop 19 we could actually make real progress toward reform. National opinion polls show growing support for legal access to marijuana for both medicinal and other responsible uses. It’s time for public policy to catch up.
Please stand in support of the movement to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana today.
Thanks for taking action,
The Change.org Team
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Has anyone sent you this yet?
Have you seen this video that’s being passed around?
It’s a message from Joel Burns, a Fort Worth city councilman, promising gay teens who are considering suicide that life does get better. And it’s a powerful reminder of what we as progressives fight for—equality, justice, and a compassionate country, where neighbors help one another.
It’s worth watching—as a wake-up call, as a testament to the values that we share, and as an example of truly courageous leadership. Please check it out and pass it on.
Joel’s video is part of a growing collection spurred by columnist Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” project—you can see more like it, or upload your own, at http://www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject.
And for a helpful list of actions we can all take to help solve this problem, and resources for those dealing with it, click here.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=92398&id=24347-9640874-6X0Hh5x&t=1
Thanks for all you do,
–Justin, Adam, Amy, Anna, Carrie, Daniel, Duncan, Eli, Ilya, Ilyse, Joan, Kat, Laura, Lenore, Marika, Michael, Milan, Nita, Peter, Robin, Stephen, Steven, Tim, Wes, and the whole team
Want to support our work? We’re entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.
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Department of Interior responds to our comments
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After suicides, Mormon leader rants against gays
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The recent suicides of several gay teenagers have made national headlines. Yet this is the moment – of all moments – that a top Mormon leader decides to broadcast a verbal rampage against gays to millions of viewers. I couldn’t believe it either. Boyd K. Packer, the second-highest leader in the Mormon Church, said in a sermon broadcast to millions yesterday that same-sex attraction is “impure and unnatural” and can be overcome, and that same-sex unions are morally wrong. Do we need more proof than the suicides of teens as young as 13 that words like these can do unimaginable damage? We cannot stay silent. By speaking out together, we can show the Mormon Church hierarchy that it has literally risked the lives of children by inciting their tormentors. And we can ensure that the young people who heard this sermon know that it is scientifically wrong and profoundly misguided. Speaking before 20,000 people and broadcasting to millions more, Packer said same-sex unions are morally wrong and “against God’s law and nature” – and that the church hierarchy would continue to support marriage bans like Proposition 8 (which was funded largely by Mormons). It makes me physically sick to think how many young lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender kids had to sit in those pews and listen to that venom. Comments like these are exactly what makes young LGBT kids think there’s no way out but suicide – that their parents will reject them, that their communities will shun them, and that living openly will bring pain or violence – that even God looks on their very identity as a sin to be “overcome.” And these lies fuel the bullying, harassment, and violence that plague our schools. Packer’s lies have been disproven over and over again by science and by the spiritual experience of Americans who know their LGBT neighbors and care about them. We know sexual orientation cannot and should not be changed and that two people falling in love is beautiful, not evil. But unless we refute these lies whenever groups like the anti-LGBT National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and the Mormon Church repeat them – whether through letters like this or projects like HRC‘s www.NOMexposed.com – we risk another young person hearing them and believing that LGBT people are “defective.” And that belief contributes to violence and suicide. Americans are sick of the Mormon hierarchy trying to dictate what they should believe. They know commitment and love when they see it. That’s why they are turning away in droves from limitations on their friends’ and neighbors’ freedom to marry. Thank you for helping take a stand for the truth. Sincerely,
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