The Liberated Centrist

This is maddening! A story published by the New York Times today reveals the secretive and widely inappropriate GLOBAL actions of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Mind you, the DEA postures itself to be a domestic police force to enforce US drug laws (although their site mentions foreign and international policing efforts). Information recently leaked through Wikileaks tells us of various schemes involving wire-tapping and cover-ups for US political allies overseas caught up in drug busts. For instance, the President of Panama requested the DEA go after his political enemies asking for help with "tapping phones." Methinks the DEA must be pretty good if their skills are sought out internationally. In Guinea, where the nation's largest narcotics kingpin is the president's son, diplomats found out that before they busted him, all of the drugs were replaced with flour. Peculiar, isn't it? After all, the DEA has used this perverted sense of power to spray fields...

A Montana district court was paralyzed last week when Deputy Missoula County Attorney Andrew Paul could not seat a jury for a marijuana possession case with a tacked-on felony for “criminal distribution of dangerous drugs.” On April 23 rd , Touray Cornell’s home was searched by police and the amount of cannabis seized at the scene was so minuscule that potential jurors did not believe the charge fit the offense. One after another, potential jurors said that they would not convict someone for 1/16 th of an ounce of marijuana. One even posited to Atty. Paul and District Judge Dusty Deschamps why the county was wasting its time and resources to pursue the case at all. At any rate, the state could not seat an unbiased jury for trial so Paul and defense attorney Martin Ellison worked out a plea agreement on Thursday for Mr. Cornell in which he would not admit guilt. A rare and befuddling experience for Atty. Paul and Judge Deschamps, this apparent “mutiny” by several Montana residents i...

On Televangelist Pat Robertson's show "The 700 Club" on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) he and his co-host began their segment last Thursday blasting the "lock 'em up and throw away the key" approach to crime and how it has led to the world's highest incarceration rate (1% of the adult population). Later on in the video he criticizes mandatory sentences and gives his support for decriminalized possession of "a few ounces" on cannabis. Blew my mind. Pat Robertson is a beacon for the Religious Right in America--making up about 20-25% of the electorate--so this is significant. The show also highlighted a new organization called "Right On Crime"  which attempts to provide reforms to the current criminal justice system based on conservative principles. The group is a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and has gathered support from other high-profile conservatives including Newt Gingrich, Grover Norquist and Edwin M...

Printed in the Friday, December 12 issue of The New Hampshire "From the Right" The recent Wikileaks scandal has drawn a wide array of calls for action on the part of the American government. The Department of Justice is pondering espionage charges against Julian Assange, Wikileaks’ founder. Mike Huckabee has called for Assange to be tried on treason charges, not excluding execution as punishment. All the while, Interpol, the international police force has been chasing down Assange on Swedish sexual assault charges. It seems odd that these charges resurfaced soon after some embarrassing messages from US diplomats were released, even though the rape charges were dropped by the previous prosecutor. Assange is now in custody of British law enforcement. Wikileaks is a nonprofit that allows sources to securely leak a wide variety of information to the site so the documents can be anonymously released to the world via the web. Documents include everything from diplomatic correspon...

Printed in the Friday, November 19 issue of The New Hampshire "From the Right" Public education in America today is faltering. Standardization of curricula across the nation along with a buddy-buddy relationship between teachers unions and government has yielded an education system that only serves to turn out unquestioning drones. In this week’s column, I hope to identify what I believe are the key problems with our system and offer ways to address them. Let me begin by defining what I mean by “public education.” Public education alludes to access to elementary and secondary education for every American child: a general concept that our society regards as crucial for a stable and prosperous future. It does not have to be public in the sense that it is run solely by government at taxpayers' expense. Recently, within the past 40 years or so, we have made sure to never forget our education system in terms of funding. Per pupil spending on elementary and secondary educati...

When we see two candidates, one Democrat and one Republican, we feel as though we must pick one of the two. Why? Is it because putting a vote towards any other candidate won’t count for the top 2 vote-getters? Why does it matter? Will one vote sway an entire election? Not likely. Don't be duped into thinking that voting for anybody other than the Democrat or Republican is a “waste” of a vote. Your vote is your voice in the political process. As citizens of a functioning democracy, we have the unique ability to vote, something not many in the world can say. Make sure your vote is yours. Given, people inherently want to support winners, but when we value victory for a less than perfect candidate over the true representation of our political voice, society suffers. Our true beliefs are overshadowed by a superficial drive to be on the winning team. Voting may be our only way to combat the oppressive 2-party system. In the end, it’s not about what party we're voting for, it’s the c...

This is my latest revision on this article, printed in The New Hampshire, Friday Oct. 22nd. This column corrects some inaccuracies that plagued my original draft. Last month, UNH instituted a pilot Medical Amnesty program after months of negotiations between the administration, town of Durham , UNH and Durham police and the Student Senate through its Community Change Chair, Ashley Rennebu. The current Medical Amnesty program protects students from sanctions like eviction and probation and replaces them with a mandatory alcohol education class. Within 2 days after meeting with the Complainant, those written up can go to Conduct and Mediation to fill out a form to request amnesty and potentially avoid sanctions. From there, a judicial officer decides your fate. It is recommended that students arrested off-campus seek legal advice from Student Senate Legal Services Attorney Joanne Stella. A Medical Amnesty policy is a step in the right directio...

Based on previous conversations with some friends and the folks on UNH campus with "Rock the Vote," I've decided to share my views on voting. The election on November 2nd is 15 days away. The way I see it, a vote is something very personal for each citizen. As members of a republican society in which we vote for our representatives in government, it is important for our votes to reflect what direction we believe our government should take. Some may say that voting for a particular candidate may be "wasting a vote" because that candidate may not have the slightest chance of winning his or her race. I long to debate every person who claims this because it is that mindset alone that locks our citizenry into the failed Left-Right political paradigm and encourages complacency in the political process. When we see two candidates, one Democrat and one Republican, they feel as though they must pick one of the two because putting that vote towards any other candida...

Printed in The New Hampshire Oct 8 "From the Right" column Tea Party head-to-head “Taxed Enough Already.” That was the original mantra behind the T.E.A. Party. The movement builds itself around the pressing reality that our government is going bankrupt and taking our country with it. A very real concern is that we will end up paying the billions of dollars our government has promised but never took the time to find. What's significant about the Tea Party is that it has attempted to force a debate into American politics concerning the important issues of rising debt and over-arching federal power. It is a debate that needs to happen, but has never been able to manifest itself. The very thought of a discussion on the true role of government threatens both Republican and Democratic ambitions alike. Examine the incentives for members of Congress: government grows whether or not your party is “in power” giving more influence on society to all members of Congress, its a win-wi...

Printed in The New Hampshire on Sept 24, "From the Right" column The current debate on America ’s energy future is one of conflicting solutions and intense partisan divide. Over the past few years, we’ve heard many political leaders give new ideas on ways we can harvest “renewable energy” in order to quell fears of an energy crisis down the road (though some think its here, now). A decrease in the supply of oil (made ever smaller in large part due to US consumption) rears the threat of increased leverage in the global scene from some of our country’s not-so-friendly acquaintances, among who include Venezuela , Iran and Libya . We’ve heard it all before: “Our dependence on foreign oil is a threat to national security!” These fears are not unfounded, but the question remains: what is our best strategy for making renewable energy? The US Government is especially fond of corn ethanol. They love it so much that they’re willing to buy corn straight from the farm with tax money!...

Recently, I've been questioning and pondering the reasons to pursue and campaign for medical marijuana laws across the country. There are real merits to medical marijuana programs, any way for people to get the medication that works best for them is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. I don't believe that voters or a legislature should say what is legal for a doctor to discuss with or prescribe for his/her patients. If it works for you, it works for you. That being said, in many states, and even in some that have implemented medical marijuana programs, there are still many people that are not legally allowed to use marijuana even though it works for them; in order to get their medication, these people need to venture into the black market. And who's to say what diseases are bad enough to merit the use of marijuana? Do we as Americans not self-medicate with an ever-growing array of substances depending on our current state? Pop a few aspirin to get rid of that headach...

Next Tuesday, March 30th, Former Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson is coming to UNH to speak "on the issues of the day" through his 501(c)4, Our America Initiative ( http://ouramericainitiative.com/ ). This organization allows him to travel the country and speak to a ton of people about his views of the many problems facing the United States these days. A major plank in his platform and contained in "Gary Johnson's 3 point plan for economic prosperity" includes the legalization, regulation and taxation of cannabis (marijuana) and the adoption of harm reduction strategies for other drugs. He believes in liberty, a small government and a free market. Some have been urging Governor Johnson to make a run for the presidency in 2012 and even though he is not legally able to comment on seeking federal office, coming to New Hampshire early is a good move. The event is sponsored by UNH NORML and Young Americans for Liberty @ UNH and will be held in the Granite Stat...