Matt Bors for December 16, 2014

accurate ’toon.

Nailed it!

Actually, this toon didn’t nail it, for the fact that the justice system is so overrun with actual criminals that the false narrative of,“locking them up for just smoking pot” only takes lodge in the deranged minds of those who reject reality. Most everyone in prison has multiple charges involving violent crimes, burglary, theft, and drug-dealing that were committed multiple times That’s the fact, jack.

HabaneroBuck – have you been watching Fox News again? You know that isn’t good for your brain, don’t you?

2012 stats:Arrested for non-violent drug offenses: 1.5MArrested for simple marijuana possession: 658kAnnual cost of ‘war on drugs’ $51BNumber incarcerated in Fed, State, local jails: 2.2M (a rate of 1 out of 108 adults – ‘USA is number one!’)

http://www.drugpolicy.org/drug-war-statistics

@ HabaneroBuckI have been there. You, obviously, have not. You are very mistaken.

buck: I spent almost a decade in law enforcement, and now live less than a mile from a minimum security prison, and share a commission membership with the warden of that prison, you haven’t a clue as to the facts.

“Ah, even top Obama hitman Eric Holder officially saw no reason to prosecute anyone in any of the reports. The Intelligence Committee report is nothing more than bad theater.”1) That Obama hasn’t directed anyone to look into prosecuting anyone based on the reports is just another example of why actual progressives don’t approve of Obama.2) It still doesn’t change the facts that torture is wrong, the information received is unreliable, and emboldens our enemies.

Jase99: Well of course there were no statistics provided, since they would decisively refute the stupid statements. (And no, I’m not going to provide any either. HB would just do another bit of mental gymnastics to deny them).

I’m waiting for Cheney to praise the nutjob who gunned down a temple full of Sikhs in Minnesota. After all, that guy was angry and panicked about 9/11, he thought they were Islamic, and he thought it would do some good. Same justification as Cheney’s call to over-rule and replace the CIA experts in interrogation (who were getting results) and replace them with amateurs who were willing to torture (and got none).

I work in a correctional system. I have access to everyone’s records that I care to look up. Never seen a simple petty crime sent to prison. Maybe county for a stint, but not a state system. Sorry to bust any bubbles. I’ll keep searching the records and get back to you when I find one….I’ve looked at thousands.

HabaneroBuck: OK, that claim warrants a response. From a Sentencing Project study in 2002:“Arrests for drug offenses nearly tripled from 580,900 in 1980 to 1,579,566 by 2000. Nearly 315,000 persons were sentenced in state courts for a drug offense in 1998. Of these, 42% were sentenced to prison, 26% to jail, and 32% to probation and/or treatment. The number of inmates incarcerated for drug offenses at all levels – state and federal prisons and local jails – has skyrocketed by more than 1,000% from 40,000 in 1980 to 453,000 by 1999. At that point, there were 251,200 drug offenders in state prisons incarcerated at a cost of about $5 billion annually.”

Must be a very unusual place you work at. Of course, it could all depend on your definition of “petty”.

Jase, all adult criminal convictions are a matter of public record. They are readily available in your local newspaper. Yes, there are some aspects of records that are protected, but not charges for which an individual has been convicted.

And, Jase, more to your point, I am speaking about legitimately working on the data of inmates.

buck isn’t in Texas, Florida, Oregon, Calfiornia, Idaho, Utah, well any U.S. state I’m aware of. Marijuana possession, among other minor crimes haven’t been “petty misdemeanors” for a long time in many states, and multiple arrests for even non-violent crimes DO with the “three strikes” mentality become felonies, with over a year in prison. There is at least one case I’ve read of in California where shoplifting led to “three strikes” persecution.

Fux news “The Five”, just watched the opening lines, didn’t realize 5 was the total IQ on Fux before. (thought it was at least 10!)

for real, ahab! altho el paso is not really close to texas, if you kill us here, we kill you back. happy 2015!

but you see, that’s intelligence for you, s49nav