Obama's Version of "Compassionate Conservatism"

George W. Bush made the phrase "compassionate conservatism" nationally recognized during his 2000 campaign and now Pres. Obama has added his own version to Washington. I'm referring to his decision to ban the federal prosecution of medical marijuana users and suppliers. Here is a news report on the memo:

The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday.

I describe the decision as "compassionate conservatism" for two reasons. First, it is compassionate because patients with cancer, Aids, chronic pain etc...who receive actual medical benefits from smoking marijuana will no longer be arrested for treating their illness with a non-lethal, effective and safe drug. Forcing people to give up their treatments for various conditions because of paranoid and uninformed perceptions of marijuana is simply cruel. Second, Obama's decision to leave the matter of marijuana legalization to the states is very conservative because it supports the principle of federalism. This is in stark contrast to the marijuana policies of "conservative" President Bush and his decision to prosecute medical marijuana users under federal law even though it was legal under state law. It will be hard to argue that this decision is "socialist" or "fascist."


Here is Glenn Greenwald on the decision:

Criminalizing cancer and AIDS patients for using a substance that is (a) prescribed by their doctors and (b) legal under the laws of their state has always been abominable. The Obama administration deserves major credit not only for ceasing this practice, but for memorializing it formally in writing. Just as is true for Jim Webb's brave
crusade to radically revise the nation's criminal justice and drug laws, there is little political gain -- and some political risk -- in adopting a policy that can be depicted as "soft on drugs" or even "pro-marijuana." It's a change that has concrete benefits for many people who are sick and for those who provide them with treatments that benefit them. So credit where it's due to the Obama DOJ, for fulfilling a long-standing commitment on this issue.

Nick Gillespie writes, "it represents the most compassionate and sensible policy to come out of Washington in a very long time."

Let's keep the debate moving forward.

The Beginning of the End for Authorized Torture Part 2

Obama's selection of Leon Panetta has been both hailed and criticized by members of both parties. If nothing else, a non-partisan pick is an encouraging sign. However, I just wanted to pass along this article by Panetta himself written in the Washington Monthly.

Lengthy Preview:

If torture can stop the next terrorist attack, the next suicide bomber, then what's wrong with a little waterboarding or electric shock? The simple answer is the rule of law. Our Constitution defines the rules that guide our nation. It was drafted by those who looked around the world of the eighteenth century and saw persecution, torture, and other crimes against humanity and believed that America could be better than that. This new nation would recognize that every individual has an inherent right to personal dignity, to justice, to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment. We have preached these values to the world. We have made clear that there are certain lines
Americans will not cross because we respect the dignity of every human being. That pledge was written into the oath of office given to every president, "to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution." It's what is supposed to make our leaders different from every tyrant, dictator, or despot. We are sworn to govern by the rule of law, not by brute force. We cannot simply suspend these beliefs in the name of national security. Those who support torture may believe that we can abuse captives in certain select circumstances and still be true to our values. But that is a false compromise. We either believe in the dignity of the individual, the rule of law, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, or we don't. There is no middle ground

It's about time we have someone willing to stand up to the lawlessness of the Bush Administration and end the immoral and illegal practice of torture.

Obama Rally in Akron

Yesterday I was able to attend an Obama rally at the Knight Center in Akron. We were told the doors would open at 4pm and the speech would begin at 5:30. The group of us arrived at 3:30 hoping to be at the front-end of the line. Wrong.

The Knight Center occupies an entire block in downtown Akron. At 3:30 mind you, the line streched from the entrance around the entire outside of the building back to the entrance. Almost a complete circle - and many, many more people arrived after us.

It took us around 3 hours before we were able to get into the building, but atleast we got in.

I looked online and the capacity for the building is supposedly 3,500. I talked with an Obama volunteer and he said there was going to be atleast 6,000 admitted. Let me tell you, it was packed full. We had to stand for the whole speech, but it was worth it.

Since I've been following the campaigns closely, I didn't really hear anything new, but the event gave me the chills. You could just feel the energy and willingness of the crowd for this movement. It really seems like he has a rock star following.

I'm glad I went, but I'm getting too old to stand in the Ohio cold for these types of things.

11 Straight

Barack Obama has won 11 straight victories including the most recent Democrats Abroad Global Primary. The results were tallied and 65% were in favor of Obama and 32% for Clinton. 22 delegates will be sent to the convention and out of the 22, 14 of the delegates are pledged and the remaining 8 are superdelegates.

Momentum is definitely on Obama’s side.