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Just Say No to Sensenbrenner

By TChris, Section Legislation
Posted on Thu May 05, 2005 at 01:27:15 PM EST
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by TChris

Politicians like Rep. Sensenbrenner just can't say no to ever harsher drug laws, no matter the cost to our prison nation. Sensenbrenner's latest brainchild, which TalkLeft criticized here, "would require five-year terms for the sale or distribution of every illegal drug, no matter how small the amount or the penalty under state law." Pass a joint and do five years in the federal joint.

The cynically titled Safe Access to Drug Treatment and Child Protection Act of 2005 does little to push drug treatment but could do much to harm children. It would also make a bad sentencing system worse and punish judges who have rightly criticized its many inequities. ... Offenders with a prior conviction on almost any drug charge would automatically get 10 years. Adults who sold to minors could get life.

[I]f Dad watches Mom smoke marijuana in their living room, they both head to prison, and Junior goes to foster care.

The LA Times exposes Sensenbrenner's true agenda, and explains why his misguided attempt to add to the booming prison population isn't worth the cost.

To oppose this bill ... is to acknowledge that drug laws have already reached the point of diminishing returns. Drug offenders already are serving longer sentences than felons convicted on federal manslaughter or assault charges. Taxpayers are on the hook for prison costs that are spiraling out of control, and judges of all political stripes have slammed mandatory drug sentences as overkill.

Sensenbrenner and his Republican allies know all this. But furious over recent Supreme Court decisions returning to judges small shreds of discretion in applying these draconian laws, they are bent on reversing those gains. Instead of cutting drug use, the real goal of this bill is to score political points in a larger war against the judiciary.

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    Just Say No to Sensenbrenner | 7 comments (7 topical)
    Re: Just Say No to Sensenbrenner (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:46 PM EST
    The Washington Post had an item suggesting that Sensenbrenner wasn't the only one who viewed marijuana use as an opportunity to be as petty and wasteful as possible, on the public dime. Is there someone who stands to make a buck on this ugly nonsense? (Privately run prisons come to mind.)

    Re: Just Say No to Sensenbrenner (none / 0) (#2)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:46 PM EST
    What both the right and left are really doing is saying yes to mexico and yes to the obl guys, in all cases the right and left are saying to the mexican and so called american oligarchies we want to be your friend so take it, take this nation, kill its population; sensenbrenn like bush are nothing but tools. the right and left want the death camps opened-up-for! any who fight against total evil, bin laden is nothing but a tool and people this is not what you think it is. the political non-solution and so called anti-terrorists bill or intelligence reform bill is a joke, but really advantageous for bush and fox and bin laden for dismantling the USA.

    Re: Just Say No to Sensenbrenner (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:46 PM EST
    What kind of a raving lunatic is this guy? Someone should start digging... I smell something stinkier than moral high ground here(no pun intended haha).

    Re: Just Say No to Sensenbrenner (none / 0) (#4)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:47 PM EST
    I think Sensenbrenner is on harder drugs than me. This plan would bankrupt the nation if it was fairly enforced, which of course it would not be. I conservatively estimate approx. 500,000 small level marijuana deals across America each day. Imagine 500k people being sentenced to 5 years each day. Some drug warriors just don't know how to admit defeat. The weed is victorious over your petty moral crusade.

    Re: Just Say No to Sensenbrenner (none / 0) (#5)
    by jackl2400 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:47 PM EST
    Molly...I too was amazed at the WaPo story the other day about pot arrests being the key strategy of today's WoD and was gratified at the amount of ink the story got in other dead tree papers via syndication and wire reports (except on this site where you'd have expected to have seen it frontpaged??!! Perhaps we've been a little distracted by the runaway bride and the inference that the MSM does not seriously deal with crime issues? ;-)

    Re: Just Say No to Sensenbrenner (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:48 PM EST
    As I said in the "Cheering Against Absurd Laws" post... There are so many bonehead laws on the books now it will take years to clean them off. We, the voting public, need to send messages to these idiots & tell them to cease this stupidity.... or face being voted out

    Re: Just Say No to Sensenbrenner (none / 0) (#7)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:48 PM EST
    There are so many bonehead laws on the books now it will take years to clean them off.
    Amen brother. We are so oversaturated in legislation it's ridiculous. I think Senselessbrenner takes the cake with this doozy. Is he insane?

    Just Say No to Sensenbrenner | 7 comments (7 topical)