The city of El Paso buckled to unusually explicit federal government pressure Tuesday and withdrew a call for a national debate on ending drug prohibition.
Last Tuesday, the El Paso city council voted 8-0 to express solidarity with its sister city in Mexico, Juarez, which has seen its murder rate double this year alone as the Mexican government has waged war on powerful drug cartels. To slow that violence, the resolution called for “an honest, open national debate on ending the prohibition of narcotics.”
That was enough to get Washington’s attention.
Mayor John Cook vetoed the resolution and Rep. Silvestre Reyes, a Democrat who represents El Paso in Congress, lobbied each councilmember, making it clear that if the resolution calling for a debate passed, El Paso would risk losing money in the upcoming stimulus legislation. Five Texas House representatives made the same threat.
“Funding for local law enforcement efforts and other important programs to our community are likely being put in jeopardy,” lawmakers warned in a letter to the city, “especially during a time when state resources are scarce.”
Four members of the council switched their votes and supported the veto; three of them publicly cited the funding threat as the reason for backing down.
via El Paso, Texas, Calls On Congress To Debate Drug Legalization: Dems Refuse.
What is the feeling that goes through your mind when you read that our federal government is openly blackmailing local governments to shut up about even discussing legalization of marijuana? In the piece, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, who represents the Texas district that contains El Paso in Congress, said, “Please let the mayor’s veto stand and put this behind us. We’ve got huge issues that are facing us as a Congress,” as if the mere mention of trying something different in this escalating drug war is going to completely derail working on the economy, fighting terrorism, fixing health care, and creating new jobs, when in fact marijuana legalization would help solve all those issues!
It’s not like we’re asking you to impeach anybody; God knows we can never again put that on the table because it will supposedly grind the country to a screeching halt. The resolution simply called on the city to call on Congress to take a look at potentially forming a commission to study the possibility that maybe perhaps arresting our way out of a drug problem isn’t working and we ought to examine other scenarios for drug control that might include an investigation of the feasibility of considering the regulation and sale of a non-toxic mood-altering herb.
NO! It’s like our Congress are the Knights Who Say “Ni!” and “legalization” is the one word they cannot bear to hear.
So how do you feel? Me, I’m ecstatic. Thrilled, actually. When one little town in Texas calls for a conversation on the drug war and Congress immediately pulls out all stops to shut it up, that tells me the Berlin Wall of prohibition is about to come tumbling down. Americans aren’t too fond of “Just do what you’re told” as a policy justification. Before, the prohibitionists would engage with their silly little slippery slope arguments and trumped up statistics; now they won’t even engage the dialogue because they know they’ve lost before they open their mouths.
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XuBlax, you have it ALL WRONG! This isn’t about walking down the street puffing a doobie…grow up! This is about finding a sensible resolution to a problem that is getting out of hand. Desperate times call for desperate measures. It’s illegal, yet you still get high. Lot’s of people in this country get high, the question is where do you get your supply? Is it homegrown in the US or are you helping to put money in the pockets of these dangerous cartels? Even if you aren’t, millions of people are and people are losing their lives over it. Take your head out of the sand, we are human beings…not Ostriches!
I live in El Paso and it’s gotten to the point where even some of the more conservative people here, even some of the elderly, are supportive of at least putting the idea of legalization/decriminalization on the table. When you live this close to source of much of the violence that makes international news, you begin to change your mindset. The people in DC don’t have bullets flying across their interstates or hitting city hall that come from Mexico! It is to the point where I avoid my old traffic routes that paralleled Juarez. There is the issue of what narcotics would be legal and which drugs would remain illegal. I question whether or not this would impact the cartels on a long-term basis. These cartels are so greedy, they would put a bullet in between their own mothers eyes if she got in their way. We also need to come down hard on corruption, on both sides…but let’s be honest, we can really only take care of our side. How are all these drugs coming in? Combination of many things, but there are Americans that are selling out…we need to make examples of these people! Anyway, I could really go on and on about the problems that I see, just in the border region, but I’ll just stop here.
Uh, I just want people to stop being arrested, killed, denied education, denied employment, and separated from family when they grow, sell, or use pot. I want our government to stop wasting money fighting a war with us and sending armament and advisors to escalate the war on those south of us.
Jesus, its illegal but somehow i still manage to get high, what do you people want? To be able to walk down the street smoking a joint? Why is that? Do you walk down the street with a can of booze in one hand like a tramp?
Its never going to be legalised, get over it, its not like its going to stop anyone getting high. Stop watching Jay and Silent Bob films and get a grip on reality…
Sorry bout that local new link above, here is the link:
http://www.ktsm.com/news/mayors-veto-stays
It’s my understanding that the drug lords in Mexico are selling and distributing much more lethal drugs than mj! Give me a break. It’s always about money.. Always. But what they fail to see is how much they could rake in if mj was regulated.. You cannot regulate something that is illegal!!!
Russ,
Sorry, I didn’t mean to say the Thom endorsed the federal extortion of El Paso, which you reference in your story. Just that Thom thought that the use of this type of extortion was a “brilliant idea.”
It is not a brilliant idea. It is an unethical and illegitimate act. The practice of this type of extortion by the federal government is justification for any state to secede from the union.
-ED
Regarding Thom Hartmann’s endorsement of extortion by the federal government, sorry, I gave you the wrong day, and link. Download the 1-13-09 hr 3 POJ-cast podcast. At 20:55 into the podcast, you will find Thom’s endorsement of Bernie Sanders suggestion to withhold federal highway matching funds from states that offer companies tax breaks, rebates, etc. as an enticement to encourage the companies to locate their factories/facilities in the state.
-ED
The War on Drugs was never meant to be won it was designed to be a perpetual forever.
The federal goverment will use whatever means to continue this concubine to obilivion.
In the words of Milton Freidman:
The measures that you favor are the major source of the evils you deplore.
page will not load for me ??
“Feds plan ‘surge’ if Mexico drug war spills over”
OK this is REALLY BAD when Homeland Insecurity is going to call the military on US!! Here is the link from MSNBC:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28589917
And
Here is the video link from the local El Paso TV station re the Mayors Veto on quelling the “discussion”. (Free Speech? We don’t need no estinking Free Speech)At least the TV guy said there was coercion from above and showed some sane local comments on it.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28589917
PS I had to dig deep into MSNBC’s site to get this link. Searches were fruitless at CNN (those Time/Warner lackeys SUCK)
The first thought that crosses my mind is, what’s in it for Rep. Reyes? If he is so busy in D.C., why is he taking time to quell a discussion?
There’s money behind this.
That’s right Daniel, voting on change.org ends in 4 hrs and 20 minutes. (true lol)
..now it’s time to move to change.gov and keep the “ending marijuana prohibition” idea in first place!! (yep, we’re #1 again!!!)
http://citizensbriefingbook.change.gov/ideas/ideaList.apexp?c=09a800000004fo6&lsi=2
Don’t allow them to ignore us! Vote it up and make them take notice.
WOW!!! So the truth comes out! IT IS ALL ABOUT MONEY.
PS: i got an email saying that today is the last day to vote a change.ORG
I skimmed through that podcast and didn’t find what you were talking about. If you can tell me the minute where he says that, I would love to have it. Thom is actually an acquaintance of mine and if he really did support Rep. Reyes blackmailing El Paso, I want to call him on it.
holy crap. this is ridiculous. why can’t we use the legalization of marijuana as a toool to helping the economy?
i seriously don’t get the mindset our frikkin government has.
LIGHT EM’ UP 2009
http://www.myspace.com/jrshighrollers
I think it was just yesterday that I heard prominent “progressive” talk show host Thom Hartmann endorse this same form of extortion by the federal government. I think it was in the 8-9a morning show on KPOJ, podcast is here.
The federal government is completely out of control. The only way to get it back in control is for the people to replace the globalist fascists – from both parties – and elect ethical, well educated legislators who know that the government is here to serve the people, not to oppress the people. Our society, though, is subject to constant campaigns using very sophisticated psychological techniques to ensure that the people will remains submissive and continue to elect more of the same, big money globalist fascists to run the government.
Drug prohibition is only a small part of a much bigger threat to the freedom of the American people.
Tune in.
-ED
Exactly adam! It’s unbelievable that this isn’t splashed across the front page of every newspaper in the country.
Do they really think people will support them blackmailing a city into not asking for a **discussion**??? Is that the sort of government we believe in?
@Adam
Rep. Reyes as well as others did pressure the council to change their minds.
This is out of control! Are these Reps afraid of the rest of congress, did they get presure form leadership to warn them?
For what it’s worth Russ, use all the connections you and the DC office have to make this NEWS!!!