Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Stimulate & Focus -- Update
NJ Gov. Jon Corzine has publicly stated that he will sign a medical marijuana bill if it comes across his desk. So yay! Now we just need the Assembly to do the right thing.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Stimulate & Focus
From the NJ Lawyer Daily Briefing
SENATE PASSES MEDICINAL MARIJUANA BILL
The state Senate on Monday passed a bill that would allow medicinal marijuana use by patients suffering from cancer and other chronic or terminal illnesses. The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, S-119, passed by a mostly partisan 22-16 vote and now goes to the Assembly for consideration. If enacted, the measure would make N.J. the 14th state to allow medicinal use of the drug. It would authorize the Department of Health and Senior Services to issue photo-identification cards to qualifying patients who have been diagnosed by a physician, with whom they have an existing, bona fide relationship, to use marijuana for medical purposes. The cards would allow patients to purchase marijuana at alternative medical centers and to keep on hand up to six marijuana plants and one ounce for personal use.
So...this leaves me with the following checklist....
1. Research medical uses for marijuana.
2. Figure out which one I could actually convince a doctor I have.
3. Read the proposed law & see if it has any other hoops to jump through.
4. Figure out if any of my current docs (yes, I have a number of current docs whom I see somewhat regularly and no, I am not a hypochondric) would "diagnose" me and approve of my "medical use" of MJ
5. If not, find a doctor who would do that and start a "bona fide relationship" with him or her.
6. Make sure there are plenty of snacks in the house.
In all seriousness though -- it's about fucking time these types of laws get passed everywhere. NJ would be 14th and that is not nearly enough places. I mean, COME. ON. It makes no fucking sense whatsoever that a doctor can give me morphine for pain but not marijuana for nausea. Or barbirtuates to help me sleep, but not marijuana to restore my appetite. Everyone who has really looked into the issue knows that the only reason the ban on medical use exists is because pharma companies don't want people to be able to grow their own drugs. They want you to have to buy their chemically laden, side effect riddled drugs. Those are perfectly OK. But oh no - not marijuana. You don't need drug companies to get marijuana. And it might make you eat some more doritos. Which makes me wonder -- do you think anyone has approached Frito-Lay about backing these types of laws? Because everyone knows legalization for medical use is a first step toward eventual full legalization, or at the very least decriminalization.
Not to mention the ability of farmers to grow hemp in this country. Which isn't even a fucking drug for fucks sake. You could smoke a whole fucking field of it and all you'd do is give yourself a fucking headache and waste a very valuable crop. It is absolutely disgusting that we can import hemp products made elsewhere but aren't allowed to create those very same products here. You want a fucking economic stimulus -- legalize hemp. Watch how fast little cottage industries spring up all over this nation. We pay farmers to leave their fields fallow. If they could grow hemp, we wouldn't need to pay them anything. They could grow crop after crop after crop. We could stop chopping down trees for fucking paper and cardboard. We could have earth-friendly building materials and cloth and more products then most people even realize. But again, no......just like medical maryjane would put a dent in pharma profits, hemp would put a dent in the profits of major corporations that have grown fat and lazy and resistant to change. Well I think this country has shown it can usher in change when it focuses. So focus people focus. (and put down the J -- you know you can't focus on that shit). And let's, in the words of Peter Tosh, Legalize It!
NOTE (as a matter of fairness): There are some who think hemp & maryjane are illegal because of racism, and not because of any corporate action against it. I understand their point and will even concede that is possible racism had a hand in some parts of the anti-marijuana movement. But racism doesn't explain the non-drug hemp issue. What exactly does racism have to do with a farmer being able to grow a non-drug plant that can be used as food, or to make cloth, or even plastic (yeah, that's right, plastic!)? And more importantly, why can't the two theories survive side by side? The people who were racists back in the day were also the people who ran the corporations, right?
SENATE PASSES MEDICINAL MARIJUANA BILL
The state Senate on Monday passed a bill that would allow medicinal marijuana use by patients suffering from cancer and other chronic or terminal illnesses. The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, S-119, passed by a mostly partisan 22-16 vote and now goes to the Assembly for consideration. If enacted, the measure would make N.J. the 14th state to allow medicinal use of the drug. It would authorize the Department of Health and Senior Services to issue photo-identification cards to qualifying patients who have been diagnosed by a physician, with whom they have an existing, bona fide relationship, to use marijuana for medical purposes. The cards would allow patients to purchase marijuana at alternative medical centers and to keep on hand up to six marijuana plants and one ounce for personal use.
So...this leaves me with the following checklist....
1. Research medical uses for marijuana.
2. Figure out which one I could actually convince a doctor I have.
3. Read the proposed law & see if it has any other hoops to jump through.
4. Figure out if any of my current docs (yes, I have a number of current docs whom I see somewhat regularly and no, I am not a hypochondric) would "diagnose" me and approve of my "medical use" of MJ
5. If not, find a doctor who would do that and start a "bona fide relationship" with him or her.
6. Make sure there are plenty of snacks in the house.
In all seriousness though -- it's about fucking time these types of laws get passed everywhere. NJ would be 14th and that is not nearly enough places. I mean, COME. ON. It makes no fucking sense whatsoever that a doctor can give me morphine for pain but not marijuana for nausea. Or barbirtuates to help me sleep, but not marijuana to restore my appetite. Everyone who has really looked into the issue knows that the only reason the ban on medical use exists is because pharma companies don't want people to be able to grow their own drugs. They want you to have to buy their chemically laden, side effect riddled drugs. Those are perfectly OK. But oh no - not marijuana. You don't need drug companies to get marijuana. And it might make you eat some more doritos. Which makes me wonder -- do you think anyone has approached Frito-Lay about backing these types of laws? Because everyone knows legalization for medical use is a first step toward eventual full legalization, or at the very least decriminalization.
Not to mention the ability of farmers to grow hemp in this country. Which isn't even a fucking drug for fucks sake. You could smoke a whole fucking field of it and all you'd do is give yourself a fucking headache and waste a very valuable crop. It is absolutely disgusting that we can import hemp products made elsewhere but aren't allowed to create those very same products here. You want a fucking economic stimulus -- legalize hemp. Watch how fast little cottage industries spring up all over this nation. We pay farmers to leave their fields fallow. If they could grow hemp, we wouldn't need to pay them anything. They could grow crop after crop after crop. We could stop chopping down trees for fucking paper and cardboard. We could have earth-friendly building materials and cloth and more products then most people even realize. But again, no......just like medical maryjane would put a dent in pharma profits, hemp would put a dent in the profits of major corporations that have grown fat and lazy and resistant to change. Well I think this country has shown it can usher in change when it focuses. So focus people focus. (and put down the J -- you know you can't focus on that shit). And let's, in the words of Peter Tosh, Legalize It!
NOTE (as a matter of fairness): There are some who think hemp & maryjane are illegal because of racism, and not because of any corporate action against it. I understand their point and will even concede that is possible racism had a hand in some parts of the anti-marijuana movement. But racism doesn't explain the non-drug hemp issue. What exactly does racism have to do with a farmer being able to grow a non-drug plant that can be used as food, or to make cloth, or even plastic (yeah, that's right, plastic!)? And more importantly, why can't the two theories survive side by side? The people who were racists back in the day were also the people who ran the corporations, right?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
And the Boss Drama Continues....
From today's NJ Lawyer Daily Briefing:
TICKETMASTER SUED IN WAKE OF SPRINGSTEEN TICKET SCANDAL
Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. is facing federal court charges of conspiring to monopolize the resale market for sports, concert and show tickets, following Bruce Springsteen's complaint about the company's sales practices. The suit, filed in Los Angeles federal court Friday, alleges Ticketmaster redirected fans, including those trying to buy Springsteen tickets Feb. 2, to TicketsNow.com, where the tickets were marked up by hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Ticketmaster gets a 15 percent cut from TicketsNow, which it owns, according to the suit. The New Jersey attorney general has launched an investigation of Ticketmaster's sales practices, and U.S. Rep. William Pascrell, D-NJ, has called for a federal antitrust investigation.
Looks like the plaintiff's bar has made another chink in Ticketmaster's armor. Don't know if it will go anywhere, just like I don't know if the NJ investigation will go anywhere, but if enough shit gets piled on, eventually the feds will smell the stink and take a serious look at this very fucking obvious monopoly! (thanks to Rep. Pascrell, by the way, for instigating the call for an antitrust review!). I mean really, doesn't anyone remember what happened when Pearl Jam tried NOT to use Ticketmaster? Let's just put it this way -- before trying to fight Ticketmaster, they were HUGE. After, not so much. All I know is I hope these fuckers get what's coming to 'em cause I, for one, am sick of paying $15 "convenience" charges. What convenience I ask?
TICKETMASTER SUED IN WAKE OF SPRINGSTEEN TICKET SCANDAL
Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. is facing federal court charges of conspiring to monopolize the resale market for sports, concert and show tickets, following Bruce Springsteen's complaint about the company's sales practices. The suit, filed in Los Angeles federal court Friday, alleges Ticketmaster redirected fans, including those trying to buy Springsteen tickets Feb. 2, to TicketsNow.com, where the tickets were marked up by hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Ticketmaster gets a 15 percent cut from TicketsNow, which it owns, according to the suit. The New Jersey attorney general has launched an investigation of Ticketmaster's sales practices, and U.S. Rep. William Pascrell, D-NJ, has called for a federal antitrust investigation.
Looks like the plaintiff's bar has made another chink in Ticketmaster's armor. Don't know if it will go anywhere, just like I don't know if the NJ investigation will go anywhere, but if enough shit gets piled on, eventually the feds will smell the stink and take a serious look at this very fucking obvious monopoly! (thanks to Rep. Pascrell, by the way, for instigating the call for an antitrust review!). I mean really, doesn't anyone remember what happened when Pearl Jam tried NOT to use Ticketmaster? Let's just put it this way -- before trying to fight Ticketmaster, they were HUGE. After, not so much. All I know is I hope these fuckers get what's coming to 'em cause I, for one, am sick of paying $15 "convenience" charges. What convenience I ask?
Monday, February 09, 2009
What's pissing me off today...
The fucking lying-ass-bitches over at the Traditional Values Coalition. Granted, despite their fucking lie about certain language in the stimulus package, the ridiculous DeMint amendment was defeated (thank the goddess); but still, they couldn't get their fucking way so now they want to sue? Are you fucking kidding me? I swear (obviously) that these fucking bastards will not rest until there is a government funded (Christian) church on every corner. Ok, we get it, there were a fuckload of Christians back in the day when this country was founded. But could you for one fucking second just stop and pretend like you listened in high school history -- these particular Christians (they were called PURITANS you ignorant assholes) were not the same as those in England, where everyone had to be the religion that the government said. So these people, the forerunners, one might say, of today's evangelicals, left the fucking country. So that they would be free from government required religion. And free to practice a DIFFERENT religion than the majority in England. So - ergo, dumbasses, whether the founders were Christians or Jews or Zoroastrians is besides the point. What they were is not as important as what they weren't -- they weren't interested in the government being involved in their religion. So back the fuck off already. Or leave the fucking country. I mean really, hasn't history taught you anything?
And if that wasn't enough, more wacky-ass Christian bullshit (that's right, I called it bullshit) from "Revive Our Hearts." For those who are blissfully ignorant of this particular fringe group, apparently "Revive Our Hearts" is, according to the linked article, a St. Louis based women’s ministry, and radio program, that "stresses submission as a militant discipline." And by submission they don't mean submission as in S&M-ooh-that's kinda-kinky submission. They mean women-are-stupid-bitches-who-should-be-seen-and-not-heard submission. As in go-fix-me-a-turkey-pot-pie-you-useless-female submission. These self-hating women actually believe that women should be subservient to men in all things. And they even sponsored a conference -- the "True Women's Conference" -- to talk about it. The final point being to change culture to rid the world of the effects of the women's movement. You know - all those awful things like opportunity and equality and education. Who fucking needs it right?
Well, my first question is, do you think they had their husbands' permission to have this little "conference" or rather, did their husbands require them to attend? Because the mere fact that they're organizing and have a political agenda seems to fly in the face of their stated beliefs that women are only good for raising children and taking care of the home and even then only if they do these things in the ways demanded by their (allegedly) superior menfolk. And then my second question is - are you fucking kidding me? Ummm, sorry bitches, but I think perhaps you should all just go back to your kitchens and baby-making and shut the fuck up because your measly 3,000 little signatures of poor self-hating women (who were probably beaten into submission for the most part anyway) is nothing compared to the will of the millions of women in this country who have more sense in their well-coifed hair follicles then it would appear these "true" women have combined and who aren't about to leave the board room for the back room.
Maybe that's a little unfair -- maybe these women aren't total idiots...after all, they claim this is a religious belief. But if that's so, then keep your fucking belief to yourselves ladies (see above). Then again, as noted over at Mother Jones, these nutjobs don't want our respect or the freedom to do as they please (which they already have), they want our deference and that they will not get and do not deserve. In fact, I'll even go one farther -- given that this same group seems to think its just fine for a man to BEAT HIS WIFE (that's right -- read the linked MJ article - no divorce for 'average' abuse), well then they're a bunch of criminal-minded mother fuckers who should have their children taken from them. I'm sorry, but it is child abuse to tell a little girl that she is worthless for anything other than being a breeder. And let's not forget that the Bible, which all these lunatics cling to, was written by...can you guess? do you know? that's right...fucking MEN. Men who had faced thousands of years of matriarchal pagan culture and didn't like not being in charge of everything and who had finally found a way to take all the power. They wrote their little books and got a whole bunch of mother fuckers to read them and believe every word came straight from the Big Man's mouth. Then they use it to rationalize (among a whole host of shitty things) their treatment of women. Excuse me but, ummm, look at it this way, would Jesus really beat and oppress women? I've never met the man, but I'm guessing not. And I'm thinking he's probably gonna be pretty pissed that people are using his church to push this blatantly sexist agenda. AGAIN.
There is of course, a potential bright side...history tells us that the type of submission being pushed here often has very interesting results. Put another way, I wonder if the men behind these women (and you know that's what this is -- it must be right, cause women are not smart or strong enough to do this alone) would keep pushing this particular brand of submission were they to realize that it is also the Janie's-Got-a-Gun and It's-Independence-Day and Goodbye-Earl brand of submission. If so, well, then maybe the end result will be less dickheads and more unindicted women. ;)
And if that wasn't enough, more wacky-ass Christian bullshit (that's right, I called it bullshit) from "Revive Our Hearts." For those who are blissfully ignorant of this particular fringe group, apparently "Revive Our Hearts" is, according to the linked article, a St. Louis based women’s ministry, and radio program, that "stresses submission as a militant discipline." And by submission they don't mean submission as in S&M-ooh-that's kinda-kinky submission. They mean women-are-stupid-bitches-who-should-be-seen-and-not-heard submission. As in go-fix-me-a-turkey-pot-pie-you-useless-female submission. These self-hating women actually believe that women should be subservient to men in all things. And they even sponsored a conference -- the "True Women's Conference" -- to talk about it. The final point being to change culture to rid the world of the effects of the women's movement. You know - all those awful things like opportunity and equality and education. Who fucking needs it right?
Well, my first question is, do you think they had their husbands' permission to have this little "conference" or rather, did their husbands require them to attend? Because the mere fact that they're organizing and have a political agenda seems to fly in the face of their stated beliefs that women are only good for raising children and taking care of the home and even then only if they do these things in the ways demanded by their (allegedly) superior menfolk. And then my second question is - are you fucking kidding me? Ummm, sorry bitches, but I think perhaps you should all just go back to your kitchens and baby-making and shut the fuck up because your measly 3,000 little signatures of poor self-hating women (who were probably beaten into submission for the most part anyway) is nothing compared to the will of the millions of women in this country who have more sense in their well-coifed hair follicles then it would appear these "true" women have combined and who aren't about to leave the board room for the back room.
Maybe that's a little unfair -- maybe these women aren't total idiots...after all, they claim this is a religious belief. But if that's so, then keep your fucking belief to yourselves ladies (see above). Then again, as noted over at Mother Jones, these nutjobs don't want our respect or the freedom to do as they please (which they already have), they want our deference and that they will not get and do not deserve. In fact, I'll even go one farther -- given that this same group seems to think its just fine for a man to BEAT HIS WIFE (that's right -- read the linked MJ article - no divorce for 'average' abuse), well then they're a bunch of criminal-minded mother fuckers who should have their children taken from them. I'm sorry, but it is child abuse to tell a little girl that she is worthless for anything other than being a breeder. And let's not forget that the Bible, which all these lunatics cling to, was written by...can you guess? do you know? that's right...fucking MEN. Men who had faced thousands of years of matriarchal pagan culture and didn't like not being in charge of everything and who had finally found a way to take all the power. They wrote their little books and got a whole bunch of mother fuckers to read them and believe every word came straight from the Big Man's mouth. Then they use it to rationalize (among a whole host of shitty things) their treatment of women. Excuse me but, ummm, look at it this way, would Jesus really beat and oppress women? I've never met the man, but I'm guessing not. And I'm thinking he's probably gonna be pretty pissed that people are using his church to push this blatantly sexist agenda. AGAIN.
There is of course, a potential bright side...history tells us that the type of submission being pushed here often has very interesting results. Put another way, I wonder if the men behind these women (and you know that's what this is -- it must be right, cause women are not smart or strong enough to do this alone) would keep pushing this particular brand of submission were they to realize that it is also the Janie's-Got-a-Gun and It's-Independence-Day and Goodbye-Earl brand of submission. If so, well, then maybe the end result will be less dickheads and more unindicted women. ;)
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Giving "I'm Goin' Down" a New Meaning...
From today's NJ Lawyer Daily Briefing:
ATTORNEY GENERAL PROBING ONLINE SPRINGSTEEN TICKET SALES
New Jersey's attorney general and Division of Consumer Affairs are investigating Monday's sale of Bruce Springsteen concerts tickets based on more than 250 complaints about online purchases attempted through Ticketmaster. Fans seeking tickets to shows at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York and Izod Center in East Rutherford said Ticketmaster's Web site redirected them to the site of its TicketsNow unit, a reseller, which offered seats at a mark-ups of hundreds of dollars for concerts not yet sold out. Springsteen issued a statement condemning the practice, and the state is looking into possible violations of the Consumer Fraud Act or ticket resale law. The Consumer Affairs Division Web site has a "Bruce Springsteen/Ticketmaster Complaints" icon that links to an online complaint form. U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-8th Dist., has asked the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Ticketmaster's relationship with TicketsNow.
Could Jersey really be the David that takes down the Goliath that is Ticketmaster? Is it actually possible that this behemoth will (FINALLY) face some repercussions for the way it does business? 'Cause lets be honest -- we all know it provides almost no service for the outrageous fees it charges (I mean really, they charge $2.50 for you to print your own fucking ticket!). And now the link with a scalper (and yes, scalping is exactly what TicketsNow fucking does -- it buys tickets at regular prices and then sells them at a ridiculouss mark up -- everyday folks who do this are called illegal scalpers, but somehow companies that do it are called "brokers"? Fuck that.) It seems everyday Ticketmaster finds another way to make itself a ton of bucks at the expense of people who just want to see some live fucking music.
Well it would seem they fucked with the wrong folks this time. You just don't get between tickets to the Boss and his Jersey fans -- you just don't. We take our homegrown heroes really fucking seriously - Bruce, BonJovi, the Queen.... We understand tickets selling out; we understand we're fucked when it comes to Ticketmaster's excessive fees. But we do not expect to be fucked with like this. At least not with the Boss. Fuck with Britney fans if you want, but not Boss fans you fucking idiots. This is fucking Jersey people. You mess with us, we take you down. Fucking Texas don't have shit on us (I mean really, our hair is often bigger than their hats.) Don't mess with Texas? Hardly. Don't mess with fucking Jersey. Because when all else fails, there are swamps right near the big concert venues and well, lets just say we all know what the fuck they're used for...
;)
ATTORNEY GENERAL PROBING ONLINE SPRINGSTEEN TICKET SALES New Jersey's attorney general and Division of Consumer Affairs are investigating Monday's sale of Bruce Springsteen concerts tickets based on more than 250 complaints about online purchases attempted through Ticketmaster. Fans seeking tickets to shows at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York and Izod Center in East Rutherford said Ticketmaster's Web site redirected them to the site of its TicketsNow unit, a reseller, which offered seats at a mark-ups of hundreds of dollars for concerts not yet sold out. Springsteen issued a statement condemning the practice, and the state is looking into possible violations of the Consumer Fraud Act or ticket resale law. The Consumer Affairs Division Web site has a "Bruce Springsteen/Ticketmaster Complaints" icon that links to an online complaint form. U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-8th Dist., has asked the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Ticketmaster's relationship with TicketsNow.
Could Jersey really be the David that takes down the Goliath that is Ticketmaster? Is it actually possible that this behemoth will (FINALLY) face some repercussions for the way it does business? 'Cause lets be honest -- we all know it provides almost no service for the outrageous fees it charges (I mean really, they charge $2.50 for you to print your own fucking ticket!). And now the link with a scalper (and yes, scalping is exactly what TicketsNow fucking does -- it buys tickets at regular prices and then sells them at a ridiculouss mark up -- everyday folks who do this are called illegal scalpers, but somehow companies that do it are called "brokers"? Fuck that.) It seems everyday Ticketmaster finds another way to make itself a ton of bucks at the expense of people who just want to see some live fucking music.
Well it would seem they fucked with the wrong folks this time. You just don't get between tickets to the Boss and his Jersey fans -- you just don't. We take our homegrown heroes really fucking seriously - Bruce, BonJovi, the Queen.... We understand tickets selling out; we understand we're fucked when it comes to Ticketmaster's excessive fees. But we do not expect to be fucked with like this. At least not with the Boss. Fuck with Britney fans if you want, but not Boss fans you fucking idiots. This is fucking Jersey people. You mess with us, we take you down. Fucking Texas don't have shit on us (I mean really, our hair is often bigger than their hats.) Don't mess with Texas? Hardly. Don't mess with fucking Jersey. Because when all else fails, there are swamps right near the big concert venues and well, lets just say we all know what the fuck they're used for...;)
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