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Pat Robertson: "It's time we stop locking up people for possession of marijuana..."
Reason ^ | March 6, 2012 | Mike Riggs

Posted on 03/07/2012 10:40:18 PM PST by MetaThought

Pat Robertson, America's longest-serving eschatological bigot and spiritual leader, took to the airwaves of the 700 Club last week and denounced the war on weed, as well as liberals, all of whom write laws in a "punitive spirit." Putting aside the fact that Robertson has, on occasion, invited God to smite people people of abominable politics and preferences, this time he is making (some) sense:

We here in America make up 5% of the world's population, but we make up 25% of jailed prisoners...

Every time the liberals pass a bill -- I don't care what it involves -- they stick criminal sanctions on it. They don't feel there is any way people are going to keep a law unless they can put them in jail.

(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: 700club; cannabis; drugs; drugwar; marijuana; pastors; patrobertson; pot; potheads; reason; substanceabuse; warondrugs; wod; wodlist; wosd
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To: MetaThought
The W.O.D. has turned what was once basically harmless pot into a far more potent plant than nature left alone would have created. The Pot on the streets is not the Pot of the 60's-80's which was basically less harmful than alcohol and non addictive. The W.O.D. for the most part has become a war on everyone and is into everyones private business. Legalizing Pot would reduce jail populations no doubt.

The W.O.D. became the War On Citizens when forfeiture and confiscation laws took affect. It became profitable for LEA's to do raids as they became a revenue source for local and state governments. The name of the game became take it and make them prove they weren't dealing etc. If you had lots of cash on you and got pulled over for speeding or a non functioning light it became an excuse to search and take the money. Sure you might get it back...several years later. This in turn brought corruption to these agencies.

I would go as far as too say the METH Lab issue would disappear almost overnight if legit manufactures were allowed to make it. Actually they do and government schools push it off on our children.

I don't condone the use of POT nor METH for that matter. But one thing we know from history is prohibition is the spawning bed of some of the largest criminal empires our nation has seen. Moonshine and Bootlegging was very profitable in it's day. Did it stop even the legal sale of alcohol? No.

I'll explain that part. During Prohibition to get around the laws companies began selling Tonics or other such alcohol included liquids via door to door sales or in drug stores. Many years ago I used too collect old bottles as a hobby with my dad and an uncle. To find the bottles we would sometimes go into town and dig out old filled up cisterns which had been filled with trash after public water utilities came about in the early 1900's. We could literally tell what era of time we were digging in by the type of bottles we were finding. Most of the ones we dug had lots and lots of medicine bottles near the top LOL. The stuff was about 40-80 proof.

The W.O.D. has gotten way out of hand. The average person can't even buy cold medicine without photo ID and being placed in a "we're watching you" database. That is simply not right. Worse than that is these same agencies are using the W.O.D. to obtain information on all your medications. Had a tooth pulled and given Codeine? They know.

There are no easy answers. But the War On Drugs is being used to justify just about anything these days including invading law abiding persons right to privacy.

41 posted on 03/08/2012 2:56:09 AM PST by cva66snipe (Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?)
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To: MetaThought

Maybe God told Pat to leave the potheads alone. “It’s all cool, man” was the message from on “high”.

Pat Robertson has said some quotable things for both the left and the right. Legalizing marijuana is one of those issues that has converts all over the spectrum.


42 posted on 03/08/2012 2:58:34 AM PST by BlueStateBlues (Blue State business, Red State heart. . . . 2012 for change, this time for the people)
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To: ansel12

I hope you get better, really.


43 posted on 03/08/2012 3:18:30 AM PST by southern rock
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To: Shadowstrike

This is an honest question. Do you really think any significant number if people avoid smoking marijuana because it is illegal? Really?


44 posted on 03/08/2012 3:22:10 AM PST by muir_redwoods (No wonder this administration favors abortion; everything they have done is an abortion)
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To: FerociousRabbit

So Nazis were socons? LOL

Only in an alternate universe.


45 posted on 03/08/2012 3:39:02 AM PST by bereanway
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To: MetaThought

you don’t have to legalize it right away

i have a sailboat and i’ve always thought about bringing in a ton of Durban Poison

rather have that happen while I can get $4000lb rather than $40lb

know what i mean ;^)


46 posted on 03/08/2012 3:40:39 AM PST by AnTiw1 (Ben Franklin: "where Liberty is, there is my country")
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Maybe Pat got around to reading Genesis 1:29

“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”

Seems pretty clear the government has no business making illegal what God put here....

The reason that this seed bearing plant was made illegal was that the bureaucracy that enforced prohibition was threatened when they saw that prohibition would end. The repeal took away the reason for their jobs, so they need a different drug law to enforce.


47 posted on 03/08/2012 3:46:30 AM PST by Leto (Damn shame Sarah didn't run the Presidency was there for the taking)
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To: ansel12
The right - IN AMERICA - is about the Constitution, moron.

OK, you said that, and I happen to agree.

Now, please show us the clause of the Constitution that gives the federal government the right to over-ride state laws regarding the growing, harvesting, and sale of a plant.

48 posted on 03/08/2012 4:04:17 AM PST by Notary Sojac (A liberal, a conservative, and a moderate walk into a bar. The bartender says, "Hi. Mitt!!".)
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To: MetaThought

Personally, I agree with Robertson. Let the cops focus on real crime with real victims. Let the stoners waste their life away and not hurt anyone but themselves. Let the people who do work hard smoke a joint in their house after a long day if they so choose as long as they stay off the roads. The drug can be destructive if abused, but so can alcohol. Take the big money out of it. People have to make their own decisions.


49 posted on 03/08/2012 5:04:31 AM PST by wolfman23601
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To: ansel12
" Cannabis had never come up in Western civilization (as an intoxicant), it was used for ropes and such, but not for getting stoned by whites, it was rejected as an intoxicant in the ancient times, forbidden by old Western Culture, it was confined to be an Eastern/Arab thing. "

perhaps you might want to rethink that

Nearly two pounds of still-green plant material found in a 2,700-year-old grave in the Gobi Desert has just been identified as the world's oldest marijuana stash, according to a paper in the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Botany.

A barrage of tests proves the marijuana possessed potent psychoactive properties and casts doubt on the theory that the ancients only grew the plant for hemp in order to make clothing, rope and other objects.

They apparently were getting high too.

Lead author Ethan Russo told Discovery News that the marijuana "is quite similar" to what's grown today.

"We know from both the chemical analysis and genetics that it could produce THC (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase, the main psychoactive chemical in the plant)," he explained, adding that no one could feel its effects today, due to decomposition over the millenia.

Russo served as a visiting professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Botany while conducting the study. He and his international team analyzed the cannabis, which was excavated at the Yanghai Tombs near Turpan, China. It was found lightly pounded in a wooden bowl in a leather basket near the head of a blue-eyed Caucasian man who died when he was about 45. (source: Discovery Channel)

you see, there ya go...

even ancient man was running around without the control freaks' permission

50 posted on 03/08/2012 5:32:49 AM PST by AnTiw1 (Ben Franklin: "where Liberty is, there is my country")
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To: wolfman23601

the common sense post of the day...amen!


51 posted on 03/08/2012 5:35:03 AM PST by AnTiw1 (Ben Franklin: "where Liberty is, there is my country")
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To: MetaThought

Please remember to put a BARF ALERT in the title of these leftwing nut rants.......


52 posted on 03/08/2012 6:01:58 AM PST by Gopher Broke (Repeal Obamacare !!)
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To: RC one

Fine by me. Win Win


53 posted on 03/08/2012 6:21:19 AM PST by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously, you won't live through it anyway)
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To: MetaThought

Let’s see.....can’t deal with reality.....has to escape from reality....hmmmmm.....what’s the word for that.....oh....yeah.....psychotic.....let’s encourage more psychosis in our country......running away from reality is always a good idea. Illegal drug users are too stupid, lazy and chicken to change their reality, so they use illegal drugs to run from reality for a few minutes. Cowards.....chickens.....yellow.....weaklings.....shirkers.


54 posted on 03/08/2012 6:22:18 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: blueunicorn6
Let’s see.....can’t deal with reality.....has to escape from reality....

Do you drink alcohol?

55 posted on 03/08/2012 7:00:08 AM PST by gdani
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To: FerociousRabbit
I always thought that the left was for the all-powerful nanny state telling individuals what they may and may not do and the right was for individual liberty and individual responsibility?

Not quite. There are obviously people who consider themselves "conservative" yet they are as much in favor of Big Government & nanny-statism as many on the Left.

The only difference is on what issues they want the Government to reign over its subjects.

56 posted on 03/08/2012 7:03:16 AM PST by gdani
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To: Gopher Broke
Please remember to put a BARF ALERT in the title of these leftwing nut rants.......

So Pat Robertson is a leftwing nut?

57 posted on 03/08/2012 8:56:34 AM PST by JustSayNoToNannies (A free society's default policy: it's none of government's business.)
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To: Shadowstrike
States can do whatever they want with respect to Prohibition. But I don't see anything in the US Constitution that says that the FedGov can regulate growing a plant. At least the prohibitionists of the early 20th century had the decency to pass a Constitutional Amendment when they wanted to ban drinking alcohol.

But then again, that silly Constitution doesn't really mean much anymore, does it?

58 posted on 03/08/2012 10:13:01 AM PST by GunRunner (***Not associated with any criminal actions by the ATF***)
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To: blueunicorn6

Freedom is tough. So is minding your own business.


59 posted on 03/08/2012 10:16:40 AM PST by GunRunner (***Not associated with any criminal actions by the ATF***)
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To: bereanway

That was in response to Ansell’s definition. He essentially defined himself as a social conservative, a group that, according to him, would essentially round up, imprison and shoot any and all who disagree with them. It was meant to point out the absurdity of his argument which, in his alternate universe, somehow makes sense to him.


60 posted on 03/08/2012 10:18:39 AM PST by FerociousRabbit
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