Your morning jolt: Pat Robertson endorses legal marijuana
Gov. Nathan Deal has found an unlikely ally in his push to refigure who we lock up in Georgia: The Rev. Pat Robertson, who now backs the legalization of marijuana. From the New York Times:
“I really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol,” Mr. Robertson said in an interview …. “I’ve never used marijuana and I don’t intend to, but it’s just one of those things that I think: this war on drugs just hasn’t succeeded.”
Mr. Robertson’s remarks echoed statements he made last week on “The 700 Club,” the signature program of his Christian Broadcasting Network, and other comments he made in 2010. While those earlier remarks were largely dismissed by his followers, Mr. Robertson has now apparently fully embraced the idea of legalizing marijuana, arguing that it is a way to bring down soaring rates of incarceration and reduce the social and financial costs.
“I believe in working with the hearts of people, and not locking them up,” he said.
Here’s a YouTube clip of remarks Robertson made along the same line last year, caught by CNN:
***
Does this mean Mitt Romney supporters have to sit in the end zone? From today’s Washington Post:
Romney said Thursday that he has become an “unofficial Southerner. I’m learning to say ‘y’all,’ and I like grits.” But he conceded that he was in for a tough slog next week. “I realize it is a bit of an away game,” Romney said. “I’m confident we’re going to get some delegates. That, of course, is what this is all about.”
***
A notable picture of Newt and Callista Gingrich dancing at 2 a.m. Thursday in a Mississippi hotel lobby, from the New York Times:
Josh Haner/The New York Times
Mr. Gingrich, alternately rotating in early “American Bandstand” style and twirling his wife, Callista, unwound for an hour or so after a long day on the campaign trail. They danced to “All My Loving” by the Beatles, “California Girls” by the Beach Boys and, by special request, Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” which could be a defiant theme song for Mr. Gingrich after the flak he has caught for calling to revive the moon program.
Some observers mused that with the unusually intimate display, the candidate and his staff seemed to be celebrating in a nostalgic way a possible end to their long, winding journey.
***
Denis O’Hayer at WABE (90.1FM) has posted a darned good interview with U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson on the decision of Republican colleague Olympia Snowe, one of Congress’s rare moderates, not to seek another term. Said Isakson:
”I do think that the 24-hour news cycle, the cable shows on TV, both the shows on the left and the shows on the right, and some of the consultants that are out there making a living – they make a living off of demonizing the other side. And many times they make a living by making contentious primaries, and contentious allegations.
“Part of the process is fed by some parts of the media. I know we’re on public radio here, and public radio tries to do a balance…. But the for-profit shows that you see on cable and a lot of them on radio, both Republican-leaning and Democrat-leaning, generally have no quarter for the middle.
***
The AJC’s Politifact Georgia today takes a look at the charge from U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Decatur, who said that the Family Research Council had organized a “prayer vigil” to encourage people not to buy Girl Scout cookies.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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73 comments Add your comment
Becky
March 9th, 2012
2:43 pm
I don’t know about Australia but Netherlands have ZERO tolerance for drinking impaired as in you will go to jail if driving impaired. I imagine the stoners stay home or use public transport.
Centrist
March 9th, 2012
2:54 pm
The AJC is a good case in point about giving the false impression that there is a chance Romney won’t win the GOP nomination. This is part of the current headline on the home page highlighting Gingrich’s slight polling lead in AL, MS:
“Lead giving hope to GOP candidate’s Deep South strategy.”
There is no road to the nomination for Gingrich. He is running for other reasons.
William Smith
March 9th, 2012
2:56 pm
The war on drugs has built an empire for the prison system. Now that empire is running out of money an inmates must be released. Who do you want in your neighborhood a guy smoking pot or a child abuser. As in all situations a choice must be made. Lastly, something most people never thought of when the lock em up and throw away the key crowd had control. Many of these inmates are getting older and will need assisted living. It seems strange that a felon convicted on a small amount of pot several times should get free assisted living and the average citizen has to sell there home for the same treatment. Like the old Bob Dylan song “For the times they are a changin.”
Becky
March 9th, 2012
2:59 pm
Centrist-your point? your boy is trying to learn how to speek suthern, he’ll do ok
Centrist
March 9th, 2012
3:03 pm
Becky posted “Centrist-your point?”
Becky, if you have read my posts today and before – my point is the media is lying to hurt Romney to keep interest to sell ads and help Obama.
Becky
March 9th, 2012
3:26 pm
Centrist-well duh! Isn’t that what the liberal elite does? LOL
2012 is on the way
March 9th, 2012
3:47 pm
Interesting video on the interviewing of people for the next election. Guess what party will be the recipient of these voters? Hint: it’s logo is a jackass.
http://www.safeshare.tv/v/fJuNgBkloFE
DannyX
March 9th, 2012
3:47 pm
“Morning, y’all!”
“I got started right this morning with a biscuit and some cheesy grits.” “Delicious!”
What is with Massachusetts presidential candidates? They are all big phonies.
Dukakis- Stuck his head out of a tank.
Kerry- Goes windsurfing.
Romney- Eats cheesy grits and wears blue jeans.
How cheesy, y’alls crazy.
John Thomas
March 9th, 2012
3:59 pm
Pat Robertson is right, of course.
Every major government commission on marijuana concluded it is less “addictive” than coffee and FAR less harmful than alcohol. That includes Nixon’s 1972 Shafer Commision. The findings of all these major commissions can be read here:
http://www.druglibrary.org/SCHAFFER/Library/studies/studies.htm
The DEA’s own administrative law judge, Francis Young, concluded after an exhaustive review of the evidence: “Marijuana, in its natural state, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man.”
Alcohol directly kills more than 50,000 Americans every year. It kills many thousands more in highway deaths and from alcohol-induced violence. The preponderance of the research shows marijuana consumption is neither a signficant cause of auto accidents, nor violence.
NO ONE has ever died from ingesting marijuana – in all of recorded history. – That makes it safer than aspirin, coffee and peanuts!
Any sane society would clearly prefer it’s members choose marijuana over alcohol.
dave
March 9th, 2012
4:04 pm
Becky, there is no logic to your comments and you really don’t know the effects of smoking pot vs drinking alcohol. Everyday there are tragic accidents involving drunk drivers all over the country, but I personally have never heard a accident caused by a stoned driver. How many bar room fights have you heard of because someone was stoned verses being drunk? How many times have you seen stories where a man is drunk and beats up his wife or other family member. The simple truth is Alcohol is by FAR
more dangerous and deadly than pot. My opinion comes from 1st hand experience. Where do you get get yours?
Ben
March 9th, 2012
4:08 pm
Becky, I’d love for you to point out where anyone condoned driving while under the influence. I see where someone said it happens, and it’s already illegal, and legalizing pot isn’t going to suddenly make driving while stoned legal.
There are FAR more accidents caused by alcohol, which is legal. So maybe you should start railing against the legality of alcohol if you want to be consistent. You can act like its 100 years ago, since that seems to be where your mind is at.
But for the record, I’ll smoke weed all day and beat the pants off you in any mental challenge you can think of, and if we could find an enclosed, safe place to drive, I’d beat you there, too.
But it’s not worth it, your mind is closed. You heard a politician say once that pot was bad, and that was that. You are incapable of taking in new information. If you were capable of such, you would favor legalization because there is no logical reason to keep it illegal.
JamVet
March 9th, 2012
4:09 pm
Amazing, even Pat Robertson has, thirty years late, realized that the Reagan/Meese War on Drugs, was horribly misguided, ineffective, counter-productive, hyper-expensive and a source of great corruption.
What next? Rank and file Republicans in Georgia finally starting to strike the final blow against their 92 year old mini-Prohibition?
LOL…
Grammarian
March 9th, 2012
4:44 pm
@Stop…Just Stop,
Typical Hypocrisy,
“Someone calling themselves “REAL Christian” standing in judgment of those who disagree with them.
Hypocrite.
You sir or madam, need to go back to primary school and tell the teacher to teach you correct grammar: It is incorrect to use a singular pronoun with a plural pronoun as you have done. I realize it a sacrilege to not be politically correct but come on…
cartoon
March 9th, 2012
5:20 pm
I’d vote for Pat Robertso for president now. And Johnny Isackson too. And Mescalito…..
Oh, the colors!
Centrist
March 9th, 2012
5:24 pm
117 Superdelegates are members of the Republican National Committee, the party leaders who automatically attend the national convention this summer. They can support any candidate they choose, so they can play an important role at the convention. Romney has 24 endorsements, far more than any other candidate – but they don’t count in delegate totals yet. Romney is the only candidate on pace to reach the magic number before the party’s national convention in August. To date, Romney has won 55 percent of the delegates available in primaries and caucuses. Even if Romney doesn’t amass enough delegates in primaries and caucuses, the RNC members would play an important role to close it out and avoid a split convention. Look for massive Romney endorsements from those superdelegates when he gets close.
Your morning jolt: Pat Robertson endorses legal marijuana – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
March 9th, 2012
6:08 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
WaitAMinute
March 9th, 2012
6:28 pm
If you have never gotten stoned, it’s not that big of a deal, but can be very enjoyable. You are not out of your mind, you just have a little different perspective. It is the opposite of drinking and there is no hang-over.
Should you drive or use it a work? Of course not.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will crush the heads of the perverted New World Order integrationist crowd and their devilish black minions
March 9th, 2012
7:55 pm
I can’t speak to the ways and means of the cable shows on TV or their consultants on the left or the right…nor for-profit shows on cable or radio. But I can speak to the ways of committed African American Christians in the south.
The average committed black Christian in the south has no quarter for the middle or the left if the truth is found to be on the right. We have no quarter for the middle or the right if the truth is found to be on the left. And there is no quarter for the right or left if the truth is found to be in the middle.
Committed Christians in the south support the truth wherever it is found on God’s green earth… e.g.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_xShU5gxtU
Amen?
missmollie
March 9th, 2012
8:16 pm
My candidate, Romney, seems to be doing well in Miss and Ala. Kansas sounds like a GOP
train wreck. We may all be in for a big surprise and that includes Newt and Santorum??? By the way, have you seen Rev Al Sharpton trying to become the next MLK???? This march will put older
Alabamians into psychotherapy. It’s okay to march but it’s not okay to fly the Confederate flag???
I love the present Georgia flag but this controversy is what beat Roy Barnes and also hurt S Purdue’s rating. Show my candidate some of your real Southern hospitality… Yes, you can. Treat him to some pecan pie, pralines, yams, Brunswick stew, Miss. Mud Cake, peach cobbler/ice cream, sweet iced tea & a few other Southern dishes. He’ll be right at home in “Sweet Home Alabama” soon… ‘
Last Man Standing
March 9th, 2012
8:48 pm
WOW:
“(Obama never had this problem in the primary and he didn’t have a Super PAC to help him). ”
No, he just had ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, NY Times and every other liberal rag in the country supporting him. I believe that all of them should register with the FEC as a SuperPAC.
Think I’ll trot along now. For the most part, it’s the same liberal BS here as it always has been.
td
March 9th, 2012
8:51 pm
Last Man Standing
March 9th, 2012
8:48 pm
“Think I’ll trot along now. For the most part, it’s the same liberal BS here as it always has been.”
It has really gotten worse but you are still needed to keep them in some type of reality.
Malcolm Kyle
March 10th, 2012
2:20 am
MODERN DAY ALCOHOL PROHIBITION
Want to know what a return to alcohol prohibition would look like?
Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance, Feb, 2010: A 13 strong, heavily armed gang of illegal alcohol “bootleggers” kidnapped two members of a rival gang, tortured them, homosexually assaulted them, and then buried them alive.
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/bootleggers-accused-of-raping-and-burying-alive-rival-gang
Now add to that the problem of tainted booze:
In just one instance alone, in 2009, more than 100 people died after drinking toxic alcohol in the Indian state of Gujarat (India’s only dry state) and another 200 victims were hospitalized. The Indian police raided 1,200 liquor dens and arrested more than 800 people as they searched for those responsible for the illegal alcohol.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-07-11/bootleg-alcohol-kills-over-100-in-india/1349564
decriminalize pot...
March 10th, 2012
7:03 am
Never used it, don’t condone it, but being in law enforcement for over 25 years, I have seen too many times not only the waste of time and energy busting folks for a small amount of recreational pot, but more importantly, as a parent, watching kids lives derailed by being mired in the legal system over something arguably much less harmful than alcohol. I’m not saying leagalize in the sense it gets packaged and taxed like cigs, but for small personal amounts, who cares? As long as it doesn’t harm someone else (such as being really stoned and driving) go and enjoy…..