Stuff that doesn't really fit in either "Examples of" thread....

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Well-Known Member
Law enforcement leaders urge Biden to reclassify marijuana to lesser status
A group of law enforcement leaders urged President Biden to reclassify marijuana to a lesser status in a Thursday letter.

“We are current and former police chiefs, sheriffs, federal and state prosecutors, and correctional officials from across the country dedicated to protecting public safety and reducing unnecessary arrests, prosecutions, and incarceration,” reads the letter from the Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration group.

“We urge your Administration to reclassify marijuana from a schedule I to a schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA),” the letter continues.

The letter notes that public “opinion on how the federal government should treat cannabis has dramatically shifted away from historic punitive approaches to cannabis use” and that at the end of this year, 38 states “will have established a form of legalized framework — medical, adult-use, or both — with strong voter and/or legislative support.”

The group cited the discrepancy between how marijuana is treated at state and federal levels, claiming it makes it challenging for law enforcement.

“We are concerned about how the direct conflict between state and federal laws that currently exists regarding the handling of cannabis makes it difficult for law enforcement to respond effectively to pressing public safety challenges,” the letter continues.

Some Democratic Senators implored the Biden administration to completely deschedule marijuana at the end of last month. Last month, 11 Democratic senators, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) argued in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram that the administration “should deschedule marijuana altogether.”

“Marijuana’s placement in the [Controlled Substances Act] has had a devastating impact on our communities and is increasingly out of step with state law and public opinion,” they wrote.

The Department of Health and Human Services sent recommendations to the DEA to reschedule marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 last year.
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
Law enforcement leaders urge Biden to reclassify marijuana to lesser status
A group of law enforcement leaders urged President Biden to reclassify marijuana to a lesser status in a Thursday letter.

“We are current and former police chiefs, sheriffs, federal and state prosecutors, and correctional officials from across the country dedicated to protecting public safety and reducing unnecessary arrests, prosecutions, and incarceration,” reads the letter from the Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration group.

“We urge your Administration to reclassify marijuana from a schedule I to a schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA),” the letter continues.

The letter notes that public “opinion on how the federal government should treat cannabis has dramatically shifted away from historic punitive approaches to cannabis use” and that at the end of this year, 38 states “will have established a form of legalized framework — medical, adult-use, or both — with strong voter and/or legislative support.”

The group cited the discrepancy between how marijuana is treated at state and federal levels, claiming it makes it challenging for law enforcement.

“We are concerned about how the direct conflict between state and federal laws that currently exists regarding the handling of cannabis makes it difficult for law enforcement to respond effectively to pressing public safety challenges,” the letter continues.

Some Democratic Senators implored the Biden administration to completely deschedule marijuana at the end of last month. Last month, 11 Democratic senators, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) argued in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram that the administration “should deschedule marijuana altogether.”

“Marijuana’s placement in the [Controlled Substances Act] has had a devastating impact on our communities and is increasingly out of step with state law and public opinion,” they wrote.

The Department of Health and Human Services sent recommendations to the DEA to reschedule marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 last year.
Descheduling is the objective, but half a loaf …

The only question is, will we stall at schedule 3, or will it place the wedge for full descheduling?
 

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Well-Known Member
Judge suggests indicted FBI informant was planning to flee
A district judge in California suggested that an attorney for the former FBI informant accused of lying about President Biden accepting bribes was making plans to help his client flee ahead of trial.

Judge Otis Wright, in a brief order unsealed on Friday, said attorneys for the confidential source, Alexander Smirnov, were allegedly plotting his departure from the U.S., just a day after he was arrested for the second time.

“It has come to this Court’s attention that counsel for the defendant has sought an emergency hearing in the District of Nevada to arrange the release of Defendant Smirnov, likely to facilitate his absconding from the United States,” Wright wrote in the order.

The judge did not provide evidence for his assertion.

Smirnov was originally arrested in Las Vegas last week for making false statements to the FBI. The case risks unwinding the House GOP’s impeachment investigation into Biden.

Amid their probe, Republicans can often pointed to conversations Smirnov had with the FBI relaying that the head of Ukrainian energy company Burisma said he paid Biden and his son Hunter Biden at least $5 million.

Smirnov’s lawyers, however, disputed Wrights’ allegations that he was a flight risk.

In a late Friday filing, the attorneys said they were merely working in their office with Smirnov on his defense case.

“Pointedly, when he was arrested for a second time, Mr. Smirnov was already free and working on his defense in his lawyers’ office,” Smirnov’s lawyers wrote.

“This is hardly what would be expected of a person preparing to jump bail and flee the country; to the contrary, had he not been rearrested, Mr. Smirnov would have voluntarily traveled to Los Angeles with his lawyers to attend the upcoming hearing,” they added.

The attorneys have appealed his detention, stating he had to have a hearing in Nevada before being transferred to California. A hearing has already been scheduled for Feb. 26 in Los Angeles, per The Associated Press.
 

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Hunter Biden asks GOP: What about Jared Kushner?
As Republicans grilled Hunter Biden about his business deals overseas, the president’s son turned the question back on his interrogators.

He asked GOP lawmakers about foreign investments secured by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Trump, shortly after he left the White House, according to Democrats participating in the closed-door deposition.

“He drew the distinction between what he has done in a business world with independent businessmen, versus foreign governments, which he did not do any business with — unlike Jared Kushner,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said during a break in the testimony.

Among other roles, Kushner had overseen Middle East policy in the Trump White House, and he raised plenty of eyebrows when he secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia just six months after leaving public service.

The scrutiny mounted further when The New York Times reported that the advisory panel for the Saudi sovereign wealth fund had recommended against investing in Kushner’s newly launched private equity firm, citing “the inexperience of the … management.” The advice was overruled by a larger board led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a close ally of the Trump administration.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said the questioning throughout the morning has been largely cordial, but Hunter Biden became “assertive” when invoking the Kushner episode.

“He may be a little bit frustrated by some of the double standards relating to Jared Kushner and money that’s just been openly pocketed by Donald Trump in office,” Raskin said. “And Jared Kushner of course brought back $2 billion from Saudi Arabia. And all of that has been a part of the conversation, and he was assertive about that.”

When Democrats controlled the House, they had opened an investigation into Kushner’s deal with Saudi Arabia. It was dropped when Republicans flipped the chamber and Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) took the reins of the Oversight Committee, which is now leading the impeachment investigation into Biden.

Still, Democrats said there appeared to be agreement among at least some Republicans when Hunter Biden brought up Kushner’s Saudi deal.

“There’s no cameras in there, [so] Donald Trump ain’t watching, right?” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Florida). “For the first time Republicans said they do have a problem with that. But they should do something about it.”

Comer and the other Republicans in the room have largely declined to comment during breaks throughout Wednesday’s deposition, including on the topic of Kushner’s overseas business ventures.

Hunter Biden’s appearance on Capitol Hill has been long anticipated and comes months into House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into President Biden. That multi-pronged probe has centered on the younger Biden’s business activities, alleging he used his father’s influence to orchestrate a web of shady overseas business ventures.

In his opening statement, Hunter Biden refuted the allegations.

“I am here today to provide the committees with the one uncontestable fact that should end the false premise of this inquiry: I did not involve my father in my business. Not while I was a practicing lawyer, not in my investments or transactions domestic or international, not as a board member, and not as an artist. Never,” Biden said during his opening statement.
 

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Jim Jordan defends Kushner after Hunter Biden raises Saudi deals
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) defended former President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on Thursday after Hunter Biden, during testimony with House lawmakers, raised questions about his foreign dealings.

Jordan said the scrutiny of Kushner, who was also an adviser to Trump, was “ridiculous.”

“The idea that Jared Kushner did something wrong is ridiculous,” Jordan told Newsmax’s Eric Bolling during a Wednesday night appearance on “The Balance.”

“I mean, the Trump family has been investigated more than any family on the planet, and what they’ve attempted to do to President Trump and been doing to President Trump over the last seven years is unbelievable,” Jordan said.

Hunter Biden appeared for a closed-door deposition Wednesday, where he was grilled by Republicans about his foreign business deals. During the process, the president’s son flipped the question back on the GOP interrogators.

“He drew the distinction between what he has done in a business world with independent businessmen, versus foreign governments, which he did not do any business with — unlike Jared Kushner,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday during a break in the testimony.

During his time in the Trump White House, Kushner oversaw Middle East policy. He secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia six months after leaving his Oval Office post, a deal that raised questions.

The scrutiny intensified after a 2022 New York Times report detailed how the Saudi sovereign’s advisory panel was not supportive of investing in Kushner’s private equity firm, pointing to “the inexperience of the … management.” The doubts were quashed by a bigger advisory board led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an ally of the Trump administration.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), the other House Republican spearheading the probe into Hunter Biden, said in August that Kushner “crossed the line of ethics” by accepting a $2 billion investment.

However, Comer drew a distinction at the time between the two cases, saying Kushner secured the funds after leaving office, while Hunter Biden’s deals came through while his father was the vice president.

Democrats opened a probe into Kushner when they held the majority in the lower chamber. The investigation was dropped when the GOP took back the majority.
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
Jim Jordan defends Kushner after Hunter Biden raises Saudi deals
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) defended former President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on Thursday after Hunter Biden, during testimony with House lawmakers, raised questions about his foreign dealings.

Jordan said the scrutiny of Kushner, who was also an adviser to Trump, was “ridiculous.”

“The idea that Jared Kushner did something wrong is ridiculous,” Jordan told Newsmax’s Eric Bolling during a Wednesday night appearance on “The Balance.”

“I mean, the Trump family has been investigated more than any family on the planet, and what they’ve attempted to do to President Trump and been doing to President Trump over the last seven years is unbelievable,” Jordan said.

Hunter Biden appeared for a closed-door deposition Wednesday, where he was grilled by Republicans about his foreign business deals. During the process, the president’s son flipped the question back on the GOP interrogators.

“He drew the distinction between what he has done in a business world with independent businessmen, versus foreign governments, which he did not do any business with — unlike Jared Kushner,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday during a break in the testimony.

During his time in the Trump White House, Kushner oversaw Middle East policy. He secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia six months after leaving his Oval Office post, a deal that raised questions.

The scrutiny intensified after a 2022 New York Times report detailed how the Saudi sovereign’s advisory panel was not supportive of investing in Kushner’s private equity firm, pointing to “the inexperience of the … management.” The doubts were quashed by a bigger advisory board led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an ally of the Trump administration.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), the other House Republican spearheading the probe into Hunter Biden, said in August that Kushner “crossed the line of ethics” by accepting a $2 billion investment.

However, Comer drew a distinction at the time between the two cases, saying Kushner secured the funds after leaving office, while Hunter Biden’s deals came through while his father was the vice president.

Democrats opened a probe into Kushner when they held the majority in the lower chamber. The investigation was dropped when the GOP took back the majority.
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OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
from the New Deal to the No Deal

What a bunch of assholes. Richest guys in the world and still want more. Glad I cancelled my Starlink dish and got my deposit back when they e-mailed to let me know it was ready to ship. I've been to Starbux twice my whole life. Never been to Trader Joe's and find better deals on Ebay so giving up Amazon is no big deal.

Just a few more to add to my ever-growing boycott list.

:peace:
 

Bagginski

Well-Known Member
I’ll judge it by its gastropubs.

Am I the *only* one who saw New Jack City? Read Sandkings?
 

Bagginski

Well-Known Member
Didn’t see the film but did read Sandkings. Superb story.

I’d like to hear why this made you think of that.
The similarity to an anthill, coupled w/ a lifetime of watching humans react to things…in NJC, drug dealers get control of a similar huge residential building, & story unfolds. Also puts me in mind of Frank Herbert’s Hellstrom’s Hive, somehow, but that was 50+ years ago, so….
 
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