Monday, August 30th, 2010
- Frank Rich links to a Reason post as an example of the sort of global warming denalism sponsored by the Koch family. Problem is, Reason’s science correspndent, Ron Bailey, isn’t a global warming denialist, and in fact candidly admitted he had been wrong about the issue a few years ago, something few opinion writers do on such a high-profile issue. I might add as an addendum to all this silliness about the Koch conspiracy (and yes, I’ve been just as critical of the right’s obsession with George Soros) that with its support of both Cato and Reason, the Koch family has been funding my right-wing, corporatist work on police misconduct and the criminal justice system for the last 5-6 years.
- Where oh where can I get a poster-sized version of this?
- Ron Paul: Where is the Tea Party’s limited government rhetoric on foreign policy?
- Pot growers get protectionist: “Nobody wants to see the McDonald’s-ization of cannabis.” Nobody?
- Woman says TSA employees rifled through her belongings, inquired about her finances, accused her of embezzlement.
- Politicians unhappy that media is increasingly calling them on their bullshit.
- Not sure where hipster jokes go from here.
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TheAgitator.com
I think the “Hipster Hitler” looks uncannily like the evil, Venom-controlled Peter Parker from the ill-conceived “Spiderman 3.”
I would like to see the mcdonaldization of cannabis. You’ll get national chains selling crap weed, but still a bazillion local places that sell their variant. From a lo-quality mcdonalds to mid/high-quality 5guys chain, to something as epic amazing and super high quality and expensive as BGR in bethesda, MD.
Why would this possibly be a BAD thing?
If “nobody wants to see the McDonald’s-ization of cannabis” then nobody will buy the McDonald’s-ized cannabis. Problem fucking solved, you massive douchebags.
(For the record, hitting up a drive-thru for some low-cost, enjoyable cannabis delivered in a fast and friendly fashion sounds incredibly fantastic.)
i fucking love juice
PolitiFact is was the media should actually be doing.
“I see tremendous opportunities for movements like the Tea Party to prosper by capitalizing on the Democrats’ broken promises to overturn the George W. Bush administration’s civil liberties abuses and end the disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan”
Amen, Dr. Paul.
@Mattocracy: Yeah absolutely. And yet people still unquestioningly accept the lie that the decline of dead-tree newspapers will result in a dangerous lack of media-enforced accountability for our public officials. It’s exactly the opposite — fewer politically entrenched institutions makes for far greater transparency.
Yes, sign me up for the pro “McDonald’s-ization of Marijuana” camp.
Sure, I wouldn’t mind some French Laundry mary jane every once in a while too. Variety is the spliff of life.
I also must say that today’s links were the right amount anger, silliness, and Ron Paul.
The article is not clear…if the 4 major growing operations are set up, will it be illegal for small farms to grow and sell pot? If not, then I see no problem with the proposal. But if it shuts out independent growers (which phrases like “unregulated growers…are tax-scofflaws” and “pitched it largely as a public safety measure” make it look like this is the case), then it will indeed lead to the big growers striving for a pot LCD…most profit for the least effort. Then, you’ll be right back to having a black market for high-end, gourmet bud.
Politicians unhappy that media is increasingly calling them on their bullshit.
While pols have never been happy when they are called on bullshit, I don’t sse any particular increase in skepticism in the media. The “truth-o-meter” is just a tiny manifestation and focuses on factoids.
Wake me when the MSM starts regularly doing hard investigation on upcoming legislation. Imagine if one of them had actually studied and analyzed the Obamacare bill instead of just complaining that the politicians hadn’t read it.
The TSA seriously needs to be slapped down a notch. You can do a security search without being dicks.
I do want my own full size Little Kim poster.
3 ounces and 10 chesseburgers, please…to go…Hell yeah I want an apple pie!
“The large-scale grow facilities that are being proposed with this ordinance will create hundreds of jobs for the city,” said Ryan Indigo Warman, who teaches pot-growing techniques at iGrow, a hydroponics store whose owners plan to apply for one of the four permits. “The ordinance is good for Oakland, and anyone who says otherwise is only protecting their own interests.”
Thank God for ONE voice of reason. As for the douchebag worrying about “the McDonald’s-ization of cannabis,” maybe he should take a look at the brewing industry as a model. A Belgian mega-corporation (InBev) and an American mega-corporation (Anheuser-Busch) recently merged to make a mega-mega-corporation that produces 25% of the world’s beer. Despite the presence of this Belgo-American monster, the two most vibrant (not to mention profitable) craft brewing scenes are found in–you guessed it–Belgium and America. While I personally don’t smoke, I know enough folks who do to be confident in the fact that there will be a market for the good shit even if you have Phillip Morris and RJ Reynolds mass-producing ditch weed.
I’d personally rather see the complete and utter deregulation of the cannabis industry, myself. It’s a fucking weed.
@#10 MikeH/ #15 ClubMed:
Yeah, all you really need to look at is the dispensary market in California. It’s clear that there is more demand for high-end, high-dollar product that is handled with extreme care than there is for low-quality ground up merch jammed inside pre-rolled joints. Personally I’ve found that it’s always worth it to pay more for the better stuff, and I think a large portion of the customer base feels the same way. The boutique high-end shit wouldn’t disappear in a free market, it would thrive.
I’m all for growing, selling, and smoking pot no longer being a crime. I do worry, nevertheless, about what “legal” will end up meaning. I could see pot becoming as regulated as tobacco or, even worse, pharmaceuticals. It could end up being regulated in such a way as to completely push the little guy out of the equation.
Even apart from its production and distribution, I worry about the restrictions on its “legal” use. Regarding the proposed law in California, there is some vaguely worded section in the bill concerning smoking pot in the same “space” as minors. I can’t wait to see how that will be twisted by our prosecutorial “champions” of all that is good and decent.
Trust me, we’ll legalize pot, but the fight will hardly be over. Guns and booze are legal — so is cash; but the way the government acts, you’d think these were crimes.
“I’d personally rather see the complete and utter deregulation of the cannabis industry, myself. It’s a fucking weed.”
Yeah, right… and our fine officers and the communities they represent are just going to sit back helplessly as aimless, degenerate hippies munch Doritos, listen to Dark Side of the Moon, make love, and play hacky sack in the park. Get real. This is a WAR.
“The Oakland City Council on Tuesday will look at licensing four production plants where pot would be grown, packaged and processed into items ranging from baked goods to body oil. Winning applicants would have to pay $211,000 in annual permit fees, carry $2 million worth of liability insurance and be prepared to devote up to 8 percent of gross sales to taxes.”
Call me a douchebag but opposing this hardly seems protectionist. In fact, just the opposite. Once again, libertarians show how they love free markets, except when they don’t.
@Mario #18: I could see pot becoming as regulated as tobacco or, even worse, pharmaceuticals.
Yeah, at this point I think Prop 19 represents a huge improvement over the existing criminal prohibition though. I don’t like a lot of the arguments used for its passage, but overall it’s better than arresting people for holding.
@Johnny #20: Call me a douchebag but opposing this hardly seems protectionist. In fact, just the opposite.
So you’re implying that the licensing of four large-scale production facilities is protectionist? So long as home growing isn’t banned, I don’t see how this could be the case. In fact, opposing the large-scale facilities on the grounds that they will deprive smaller-scale growers of market share is protectionism defined.
Once again, libertarians show how they love free markets, except when they don’t.
Uhh, what? Shit, am I feeding a troll here?
“Politicians unhappy that media is increasingly calling them on their bullshit.”
If newspapers start cataloguing the lies of politicians, there will be no room to print anything else.
I prefer young, skinny Goering to old, fat Goering.
From the article…
“Companies running the facilities must agree to give away some pot to low-income users, employ organic gardening methods to the extent possible and offset in some way the large amount of electricity needed to grow weed.”
Um…what? Subsidizing the poor with weed? Forcing this organic horse shit onto producers?
“Long Beach officials want to reduce the amount of medical marijuana being sold in the city that isn’t grown there.”
Great, so the cops will still have a reason to kick down doors so they can stop “foreign weed” from undermining local industry.
Goddamnit, I knew this was going to happen. Legalizing and REGULATING marijuana just took all of the free market out of industry.
@ 20 | Johnny Yuma |
I think Radley was pointing his finger at everyone, not just the people advocating the ordinances. The mom and pop operations might be opposed to the lisencing requirements, but they still gave the impression that they want to keep corporations out of the industry for their own sake.
But I agree with you overall. California took a great idea and took an organic dump on it.
@#21 | Rhayader |
The protectionism comes from the lottery program that will cut some of the current producers out of the market base on some arbitrary number they decided to come up with.
Requiring liability insurance might price other producers out of the market as well. It protects those who are already well funded from start up operations.
Also, the permit fees…two hundred thousand fucking dollars a year!?
@Matt: Yeah I can’t argue with that.
Unfortunately I think we’re still at the stage where any alternative to prohibition is a winner. Our alcohol regulatory system is pretty messy and often wrong-headed too, but it’s vastly superior to our cannabis policy.
I’ll take protectionism and excessive regulation over tossing suckers in jail, but your point is a good one.
Mr. Grigg I can’t believe you admitted you watched that. If it were anybody they would have lost coolness points but I’m giving you a pass.
@Rhayader
What is the point of these licenses? Maybe homegrowing for personal use wouldn’t be banned, but it certainly sounds like any unlicensed commercial growing would be. There will only be four licenses given. And, of course, it will be done in the name of “public safety”. So, the City will grant exclusive rights to the four highest bidders and the competition will be eliminated. How isn’t this legal barrier to entry protectionism?
The only thing better than Kim Jong-il running across a beach, chased by bikini-clad babes, is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwoSFQb5HVk
Mattocracy “PolitiFact is was the media should actually be doing.”
Yea just like wikileaks or Radley. The corrupt official press vs. real journalism
Is there a quality site out there that just tracks pols promises and actual actions? I would love to add a site like that to my favorites. Just like most job evaluations, words usually just waste time, show me a chart of what has been promised compared to what has been accomplished/voted for, and I have 90% of the info I need to know about any pol.
PolitiFact.com and FactCheck.org are both pretty good websites. I do know that FactCheck’s analysis has often been biased towards a more statist model, though, so beware of that.
3 ounces and 10 chesseburgers, please…to go…Hell yeah I want an apple pie!
One Happier Meal coming right up!
Anybody got a translation for the Kim Jong Il poster?
Fact checking politicians is great, but they seem to be getting a little carried away:
“Where oh where can I get a poster-sized version of this?”
Sean Penn’s living room.
I get all the hooting and hollering about licensing and protectionism and whatnot–and I agree with most of those criticisms–but seriously. *Baby steps*, people; many folks are still not comfortable with the idea of legalizing commercial sale of marijuana *at all*, so there is something to be said about not terrifying them unduly.
Radley, use Rasterbator to print any size poster of any image.
Cannabis is a crop with highly diverse product ranges and qualities, which also happen to be its main selling points. It can no more be “McDonaldized” than all the different varieties and growing practices of grapes used to make wine.
Yes there will probably be somebody out there who caters to low end, mass produced “McDonalds” weed just like there are people who make $3 bottles of wine for Wal-Mart. But the product diversity itself also ensures a market for higher end connoisseurs and everything in between.
I love the “damnit, I thought we had a REAL shot to create a truly free market with weed in California, and now they’ve just gone and ruined it” posts.
What, exactly, have you guys been smoking?
If you thought legal pot would turn into something other than a market similar to alcohol and/or cigarettes, than you must have been high.
I should have added “or even more restricted.”
From the article (p. 2): “When Parker first told me her story, she didn’t know the initial TSA officer was a behavior specialist. She told me he peppered her with questions about her trip as she knelt to consolidate three bags into two, and suddenly realized that her shirt was revealing too much for her comfort. When the man then volunteered to examine her belongings, she felt ‘it was just strange.’”
This is an easy call — Parker is a fairly attractive blond woman (pic in article), and the male “behavior specialist” was brightening his day a bit by selecting her to chat up and look down her shirt for a spell. Remarkably, this made her nervous, so he gets to pull her aside and they hang out for a while longer.
“‘I see tremendous opportunities for movements like the Tea Party to prosper by capitalizing on the Democrats’ broken promises to overturn the George W. Bush administration’s civil liberties abuses and end the disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan’ — Amen, Dr. Paul.”
But it’s overwhelmingly likely that they’ll just end up voting for the same Bush adherents that initiated the abuses and wars in the first place.
If you thought legal pot would turn into something other than a market similar to alcohol and/or cigarettes, than you must have been high.
I was gonna make a coherent free-market argument, but I didn’t…because I got high / because I got high/ because I got hiiiigh….
I have no idea what the script on the poster says, but I would like to believe that it says “All women should vigorously chase down and kill flashers.”
RE TSA, those guys really need to be punished. Why would you even look at a piece of paper in someone’s bag?
Even if her behavior was suspicious they could have made sure there was no security risk by searching and then let her on her way once they verified there was no security risk. Instead, they keep going. And of course the spokesperson has to try to justify it instead of just saying, “This was wrong. It shouldn’t have happened.”
I hope she sues. These types of things need to be litigated.
look no further for the reasons why I will never set foot in the US. The government there is crazy.
I asked a Korean colleague to translate the poster, but he said it’s in Japanese. Weird. Or weirder, I suppose.
Primus, I have to agree with you. At one stage I wanted to move to the US, then I started reading the Agitator, and other similar blogs.
Now, in order to visit Inca, Mayan etc ruins/archaeological sites, I will pay more to fly directly to south America. Anything to keep me away LAX and the TSA nazis.
Which, in a roundabout way, makes me wish we had something like PolitiFact here in Australia.
The Kim poster is from a book by Japanese comedian/filmmaker and TV commentator Terry Ito. The title means roughly “New Laughter North Korea” or something like that.
While there are some fine posts on Reason and Cato that jibe quite nicely with the non-interventionist, market anarchist point of view, I would have to point out that it’s questionable why the Koch brothers seemed to either fund or approve, however indirectly or implicitly, pointed attacks on Ron Paul, and why they seem to fight the LRC/Rothbard crowd so fiercely. It’s almost as if they want to be the “inside-the-beltway” libertarians, distancing themselves from those of uncomprimising principle as quacks, and considering their seats at the table of establishment power to be more important than their own agenda.