tvashtarkatena

Holy shit, speaking of psychopaths, I wished you'd pruned the neighbor's trees instead of the Hmong Butcher Brigade yesterday. Pretty ashes, too...past tense. Fucking tools weren't even sharp. Awful.

You flatter me, sir. If I was a psychopath, I'd be making a LOT more money! No, I'm just a humble Irishman, as common as dirt and just as potty mouthed.

It actually IS pretty simply stated in the US Constitution. Enforcement in the event of a conflict can be, of course, a delicate matter. Article 1 Section 10: Power Prohibited to the States "No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility. No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress. No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay." Article 6, Clause 2: Supremacy This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding. Aaaand, who can forget Article 1, Section 8, Powers of Congress which helped kick off the fireworks: To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; Ei: "we want these forts" "Can't have em"

All i know is that every time Pink plays Farm Animal or whatever, I get notified. Can anyone log onto FB and NOT expect to get hacked? It's like fucking a whore a day and being surprised when yer John Thomas goes Freddy Kruger on ya.

Isn't the country's most high profile states rights dispute taught in, like, preschool? Your gentility regarding this matter is admirable, sir.

Fuck me, who cares? FB's got more ads than Lindsey Lohan's got court dates. It's hardly a case of election tampering. I get Christian Singles ads. Do I file a lawsuit against Jesus? Christ, pick a real issue.

Given what we've seen of the man, I think we can expect everything Romney has ever promised to be erased by his inauguration, should the poo flow that direction. My biggest hope would be that the pragmatic technoweenie side of Mittenz would reconstitute itself, but I'm still not sure how much good that would do given a Tea Bagged House, who will continue to want blood to flow. People say "oh, but he was governor of MA". He was a shitty governor of MA. Case in point - who do you think quashed that Boston pharma biz that's now killing shitloads of people with meningitis. Yup. That shit will still be killing lots of folks for years - its just gotten the weakest ones so far.

It's no small contingent at the federal level that wouldn't love to see a lot less money thrown down the shitter called the War on Drugs right about now. DOMA's proved to be a stinker for them in court...why not make it a twofer? Federal heavy handedness at the state level can wind up being, well, less than popular among the electorate at large, particularly in this political climate. If the feds wound up in court (and certain organizations would make sure that they would) in the event of a crackdown, the risk of losing would be substantial - exacting even more political cost. Hilary's a shoe in for 2016 if O takes it, Heil to zee Librul Reich, so why fuck that up? Plus, the country will be four years older, and that means four years of giving less of a shit about things like gay weed as the horseshoe crab population dies off. I just don't see such a political investment paying off for anyone. One thing I do see is a great fat steaming turd dropped from the stratosphere by the feds onto any pot farm who tries to truck the stank across state lines. Idaho n Oregon - git yer countryfied shit together and join in! It's best if WA keeps a tight lid on that action its own self, though, to avoid a Holy Plague of Earbuds.

you're doing the lord's work sir, keep it up that said, it's gonna take a big set of nuts to actually set up the first state-sanctioned stores, given that the feds will be itching to seize the whole shooting match in the name of sneering at the will of the people...reckon obama *might* be better in that respect, given that he won't have to run for re-election w/ the cloud of "soft on crime" hanging over his head? Crime ED hasn't been a big federal election issue, of late. 41 years of a lost Drug War kinda toned that down a bit. Our choice of WA Attorney General is actually more important than either the Gov or the Prez. Bob Ferguson (D) has pledged to respect the will of WA voters regarding 502. His ® opponents - not so much, but it'll still be a helluva catfight to defy us all. Don't know what Mittenz would do, but Obama will likely stick with his current DOJ, which busts only those operations which violate state law. I502 actually doesn't violate federal law. States are free to enforce laws on drugs as they see fit. In addition, the federal law in question: the Controlled Substances Act - requires a 'positive conflict' - that is, that the state 'force' people to violate federal law. 502 does no such thing - no one is 'forced' to obtain a pot license. It's completely voluntary. No state employee need ever handle MJ - testing is done by independent private entities - the state just manages that process. MJ businesses can be inspected, but again, the inspectors need never handle the product in the process. OK, they might sample it once in a while on the sly... Politically, the teabagging GOP would have to explain why it's going after a state that just added half a billion a year to its budget for basically doing not much other than changing a law and issuing some licenses. Hey, it's all just my ego talking from the empty chair next to me, so we'll see in a few days how it starts to play out...or not. Walking some precincts to get infrequent voters off the dime is the best thing to do right about now. 502's gonna be a squeeker I think.

More frequency of storms like this could definitely tip the life cycle cost equation towards more underground lines at higher capacities, but not as much as you might think. Underground lines are hugely more expensive...and hugely more expensive and time consuming to repair. The cables last half as long as above ground as well, primarily due to degradation of the thick insulation required. Above ground lines are quick and cheap to repair, in contrast. It's estimated that to put all of Wa DC undergound, for example, would cost $ 6 B - more than $100 per month extra for each customer. Most folks would opt for a few days of blackout every decade or so instead of paying that premium, even in the face of more frequent storms. High capacity lines will probably remain above ground for the foreseeable future, but most storm damage hits local distribution, anyway. An investment in more emergency power generation capacity for critical functions like hospitals would probably be a better near term investment.

Yes, but are they 'angry'?

Nice dodge. Now fuck off.

While I appreciate your chest puffery, my comment was aimed at a badly spun headline that actually attempted to paint the storm victims as a bunch of whiners om a shitty attempt to politicize what has been, reportedly. a well coordinated and executed response. It's an insult to the responders, as well. You didn't get that, and I get that, so you decided to make it personal. I get that, too.

Um...did I say Sandy wasn't a big deal? Is your brother 'frustrated and angry'? Is he freezing to death in those 50 degree temps? In other words, are we even in the same conversation?

Turns out its not all that simple: [video:youtube]

SANDY'S WAKE: Shock and Awe Turns to Anger and Frustration Well, that didn't take long. People still waiting in the 'cold and dark' Yeah...it's, like, 50 F in NJ right now. That's sum fuckn Donner Party shit right there, boyo.

I'm happy to answer questions, but using you PC's 'find' feature on the i502 link I provided would probably be quicker in most cases, cuz that's pretty much what I'm doing.

Misinformation. Fully covered: licensed, taxed, and regulated private stores supplied by licensed, taxed, and regulated growers. Obviously, distribution across state lines is not permitted. Sec. 4. (1) There shall be a marijuana producer's license to produce marijuana for sale at wholesale to marijuana processors and other marijuana producers, regulated by the state liquor control board and subject to annual renewal. The production, possession, delivery, distribution, and sale of marijuana in accordance with the provisions of this act and the rules adopted to implement and enforce it, by a validly licensed marijuana producer, shall not be a criminal or civil offense under Washington state law.

By far the largest reader/viewership of any 'news' outlet. Welcome to America.

I suspect this was his biggest problem. LOL. Also he's limited to 15 plants under Med MJ. Knowledge is power and all that. You can imagine the SWAT team that hit this poor old geezer's crib. It's a wonder he didn't keel over on the spot. What a fawkin' waste of taxes!

A lot of dispensaries here and in other states have operated outside the law and have gotten raided by the feds as a result. That doesn't inspire confidence in a public that's still leery about drug reform, and it also could provoke a stronger federal and state response, particularly if Republicans take the State House and or White House. Sure, regulation is a bad word these days, but it is the path towards normalizing societies attitude towards pot with regards to other, legal controlled substances like booze (which actually causes far more societal harm) The in-your-face pot leaf motif movement has failed to gain any traction with the larger public. After all, you ASK people to vote for reform, you don't DEMAND their vote. I've convinced several little old ladies who would have NEVER voted to legalize weed to change their minds with just a few minutes of conversation. Plus, who doesn't hate hippies? Although they like to claim the mantle, they do not even remotely represent today's pot user.

Sarich's strategy has been to chip away enough of I 502's narrow poll lead (if, in fact, that actually translates to real votes) to defeat it with a misinformation campaign. He's kind of a local, penniless version of Frank Schubert, the organizer behind all four efforts to defeat same sex marriage in WA, WI, MD, and ME. Sadly, Schubert has $40 million backing him. Ironically, 2 years ago the ACLU actually offered to review Sarich's proposed initiative proposal for him prior to a signature gathering effort, and he agreed...but never got back to us. It was a joke, of course. It never even came remotely close to gathering enough signatures to make it on the ballot, thankfully. His second try failed as well. He's really not a serious, open, and ethical public advocate in any sense. Most of SW 'team' have bailed on him and splintered into their own efforts to snipe at I 502 from the sidelines - the've even taken to heckling at ACLU fund raisers (from personal experience - but I have a tried and true method of dealing with such situations swiftly and effectively). Always look at the endorsement list to see who's behind any campaign. I 502's list speaks for itself.

I 502 complete language: http://sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/initiatives/i502.pdf

It's real: http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2003689817_webmedicalmar02.html The appeals court overturned the conviction, but after how much suffering and cash? This guy had glaucoma - a condition explicitly listed under our Med MJ law. How much harder would it have gone for him if he had gotten an authorization from Dr. Greenthumb (who's likely in violation of the provision prohibiting medical MJ authorizations from being a practitioner's sole practice), for 'chronic back pain'? Anyhoo, most WA prosecutions have involved dispensaries, but google 'medical marijuana convictions washington' should yield a media history of what's gone down for both patients and providers so far. All great questions, BTW. Stuff every med MJ patient really needs to know, but many are unaware of the risks they face under current law. I 502 will remove such risks by providing a) arrest immunity for Med MJ patients and b) a new choice between Med dispensaries and arguably safer retail outlets.

No. The current medical MJ procurement system: designated providers (dispensaries), home grow ops, and 10 person coop grow ops, would remain in place as they are now under I 502. I 502 provides arrest immunity for medical MJ patients. There is no other affect on the existing Med MJ law: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=69.50.101. I 502 would provide another, regulated source of pot for Med MJ patients should they choose to take advantage of it. "Sec. 11. (1) On a schedule determined by the state liquor control board, every licensed marijuana producer and processor must submit representative samples of marijuana, useable marijuana, or marijuana-infused products produced or processed by the licensee to an independent, third-party testing laboratory meeting the accreditation requirements established by the state liquor control board, for inspection and testing to certify compliance with standards adopted by the state liquor control board. Any sample remaining after testing shall be destroyed by the laboratory or returned to the licensee. (2) Licensees must submit the results of this inspection and testing to the state liquor control board on a form developed by the state liquor control board. (3) If a representative sample inspected and tested under this section does not meet the applicable standards adopted by the state liquor control board, the entire lot from which the sample was taken must be destroyed." The details of inspection will be worked out during a 1 year long rule making period. A rule making period is standard for any legislation. The state wouldn't, of course, spend the time and money to make detailed rules of implementation until the law actually passes. Regarding mold, here's one of many websites that discusses it. I can't vouch for this particular site, I just googled 'marijuana growing mold': http://www.maryjanesgarden.com/growing/mold.php That's as far as my pay grade takes me...never grown the stuff myself.