The Nation: Will Obama again dismiss the #1 Change.gov question?
Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 11:18 am | By: Radical Russ
Torture Prosecutor Tops 70,000 Questions for Obama on Change.Gov
A whopping 70,000 questions poured into Change.gov over the past week, in response to the Obama transition team’s call for citizen queries to the President-Elect. After votes from about 100,000 people, the top ranked question asks Obama whether he will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of torture and illegal surveillance by the U.S. government.The national press corps has not raised this issue with Obama since his victory. (When it surfaced in April, Obama said he would order his attorney general to “immediately review” the potential crimes.) And while the leading question in the last Change.gov forum was dispatched breezily — Will you legalize marijuana? No. — this one is far more challenging, both substantively and politically.
The Times notes that Obama’s team has “not said” whether it will even answer [the torture prosecutions] question, though ignoring the question that came in first out of 74,000 would turn this exercise into a farce. A terse, evasive answer would be similarly unacceptable. After all, there would be little point in this online dialogue if it reiterates things we already know, (Obama is not in N.O.R.M.L.), and refuses to provide new information.
Yeah, let’s see if the call for Patrick Fitzgerald as an special prosecutor investigating allegations of torture gets this eleven-word response:
President-Elect Obama is not in favor of the investigation of torture.
I doubt it. I believe it will get a very thoughtful, reasoned response, much like the other four questions that were answered in the first round. Which just goes further in showing us how marginalized the drug war discussion is in Washington.
In his excellent opinion blog, Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com analyzes the current Israeli offensive into the Gaza Strip.
Not only does Rasmussen find that Americans generally “are closely divided over whether the Jewish state should be taking military action against militants in the Gaza Strip” (44-41%, with 15% undecided), but Democratic voters overwhelmingly oppose the Israeli offensive – by a 24-point margin (31-55%). By stark constrast, Republicans, as one would expect (in light of their history of supporting virtually any proposed attack on Arabs and Muslims), overwhelmingly support the Israeli bombing campaign (62-27%).
He then notes that despite Democrats being against the offensive and Republicans for it, the leadership of both parties overwhelmingly support the offensive, and then Glenn asks:
Is there any other significant issue in American political life, besides Israel, where (a) citizens split almost evenly in their views, yet (b) the leaders of both parties adopt identical lockstep positions which leave half of the citizenry with no real voice? More notably still, is there any other position, besides Israel, where (a) a party’s voters overwhelmingly embrace one position (Israel should not have attacked Gaza) but (b) that party’s leadership unanimously embraces the exact opposite position (Israel was absolutely right to attack Gaza and the U.S. must support Israel unequivocally)? Does that happen with any other issue?
(Uh, do I even need to say it? Why not.) How about ending the harassment and arrest of responsible adult cannabis consumers? Opinion polls show that (a) citizens are split almost evenly in their views about taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol, yet (b) the leaders of both parties adopt identical lockstep positions which leave half of the citizenry with no real voice. The polls also show that (a) Democratic voters overwhelmingly (68%) oppose arresting marijuana smokers but (b) Democratic leadership unanimously embraces the exact opposite position.
Topics: Change.gov, Glenn Greenwald, Legalization, Patrick Fitzgerald, Salon.com
Brushed aside.
We are tired of being brushed aside. We are not fringe radicals. We are the people of the United States of America. We are supposed to have a government of the people. We don’t. Freedom and Liberty are words with no meaning when they are used to represent a government corrupt with self-importance and spewing lies every time a press release is issued.
How many of us are getting tired of the lies and being treated as if we are too stupid to know what is best for our families and our future? No one political party is responsible for this culture. In fact, I would be willing to bet that a good number of us have been lied to for so long, that we are passing the lies down as truth.
President Obama wasn’t elected because he made great promises. He was elected because he was the opposite of George W. Bush. We all knew that the promises were only that – promises. Look at the promise of no earmarks. One must wonder why he even asks the people to participate in an online town hall meeting when the only questions he will answer are those that he wants to answer. Where is the change we voted for?
I tried to participate in the President’s online meeting a few days ago. I had some questions I wanted to ask. The site format allowed anyone to submit a question of their own or vote for a question someone else already submitted. When I saw the questions already submitted by thousands of fellow citizens, I was inspired. Here were common people trying to get answers or offer solutions to a new president who promised to listen. Thousands of questions were voted upon, and by far the most popular topic submitted by the American people was about ending the war on marijuana. Suggestions to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana were the top 4 vote getters. Ending this prohibition is something people want to talk about. President Obama laughed it off and made a joke about the character of his online audience.
I am his audience.
I am not some stupid pot-smoking hippy. I am a college graduate, retired from the Federal Government, with a wife, teenage son, 3 dogs, a house and a yard. I love my country but I worry for the country my son is getting when the President can laugh away questions that were seriously asked by people who seriously care about their country. Otherwise why would they ask?
This LIE is so big and has gone on for so long, that it is an accepted LIE. Everyone knows this is a lie, yet they keep on telling it. I’ve even done it, but no more! Marijuana is not dangerous when used responsibly by adults. We all know someone who smokes or has smoked. Do they belong in jail for that? When was it decided that a wild plant, a weed, one of God’s natural creations, untouched by man should be illegal? Did God make a mistake?
The President should not have brushed this aside. I agree with Carlos Santana.
But that is only the most recent example of government’s culture of lies. George W. Bush’s term as president was defined by this culture and accepted as just the way it is. The biggest lies of the century were told to the world by his government. The lies of his predecessors pale in comparison. WMD’s?
Torture? Wiretapping?
Undoing the damage caused by the lies of that administration will take a while.
And before that we had Bill Clinton’s lies. Stupid lies. The economy was good. No major wars. So Washington had to create some news. Unfortunately it was tabloid news, and the leader of the free world lied. And that lie continued the culture of lies that politicians everywhere practice. In the small towns, big cities, and states across our country, everyone is accepting this culture of lies. If the president can lie, it must not be so bad, eh?
And what if he had been truthful from the start? The example would have been a powerful message supporting the idea that a politician is an employee of the people, and should act accordingly. Now Clinton will forever be remembered as a liar, instead of the fine president that he was.
This culture of lies has continued backward in time since I can remember. So far, we’ve survived it all, but don’t you get frustrated sometimes knowing that we are listening to lies, everyone knows they are lies, and yet nobody does anything?
Our young men and women are being sent to a war based on lies. Thousands of men and women are imprisoned on marijuana related crimes. Why doesn’t anyone believe anyone anymore?
Some friends of mine have smoked pot for 35 years and still manage to keep successful careers and families. The taxation and regulation of marijuana could generate enough income on its own to pay down a substantial portion of the federal debt, but it has added benefits as well. Drug cartels and gangs would lose a major source of income. Marijuana farmers would become legitimate economic members of the world economy, contributing to local economies instead of undermining them. We already have the government agency set up for the task – ATF. Marijuana should get the same treatment as alcohol and tobacco.
And yet President Obama continues to perpetuate this lie by brushing aside his “online audience”. A lie “legitimized” by Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No!” campaign. Outdated right wing propaganda has blinded even the most promising of us. It is time to tell the truth, It is time to reap the benefits. It is time to use truth, common sense, and fairness as the foundation for our government rather than the lies that seem to never end.
Well , Im still trying to hold my breath for Pres. Elec. Obama to do the right thing.Im starting to turn red thou.I cant believe he is side stepping on us.Almost all of his appointments have puzzled me.I am wondering why!I know the economy is number 1 , jobs 2 , health care , which ties to medical pot should be 3.Throw us a bit of good news ABOUT Medical Pot. STOP PUTTING US IN JAIL! Bosco3d
Mr. D. asks: Did Pres. Elect Obama appeal to a constituency (Pro-legalization/ Cannabis consumers) in order to pick up votes, with no intention whatsoever of dismantling the ONDCP and the DEA’s unconstitutional prosecution of cannabis consumers?
As you say, the short answer is: YES
I took a look at the promises that W made on the campaign trail before he was illegally elected. So many promises but no action or opposite positions once in office. No wonder so many voted for that dolt.
People believe what they hear when it sounds sincere. As it says on Mulder’s wall, “I Want To Believe”.
Hell Carter was my first hope for sanity in drug policy after I graduated college in the 70’s and the Nixon scourge was done. Look what became of drug policy under his reign.
Y’all should have voted for Ron Paul or the Libertarian candidate. They speak the truth when it comes to sane government policies.
BTW The Hammas rocket bombing is like a kid throwing rocks at an unreasonable neighbor and the neighbor takes a bulldozer and flattens the kids parent’s house. Wake up Israel! The Palestinians you abused should be bargained with not flattened! The radicals will always exist just like us old stoners. As TNG’s Ferengi’s are want to say, “There’s no profit in it”.
[...] The Nation: Will Obama again dismiss the #1 Change.gov question? (1) [...]
Short answer: YES.
While I applaud the new administration’s answer regarding the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, I find it absolutely abhorrent that we weren’t even provided an answer to the number one question in the National Security forum. Or the number two question in the Additional issues forum. Or even an answer to the hundreds of questions regarding Marijuana legalization, The end of the War on Drugs, or the defense of the 10th amendment and the states’ rights regarding MedMJ. It seems as though these issues have been disregarded to the point that the pro-legalization lobby does not deserve ANY of the new administration’s attention. What happened to the Obama that I knew and voted for? You know, the guy that joked about inhaling(”That was the point”), admitted to using cocaine, and spoke out against the DEA’s raids on MEDMJ dispensaries/patients?
Did Pres. Elect Obama appeal to a constituency (Pro-legalization/ Cannabis consumers) in order to pick up votes, with no intention whatsoever of dismantling the ONDCP and the DEA’s unconstitutional prosecution of cannabis consumers? I honestly felt that there was change in the air, that Obama would bring common sense back to the forefront, while at the same time shelving this far right, reefer madness induced “moral” crusade against the “Devil’s Weed”. I assume that I was blinded by my eagerness to see an end to the Bush administration, and the tactics that have put our civil liberties in jeopardy. I should have realized that Obama is merely a politician with a sharp tongue and a likable personality.
I am anxious to see what happens at the National Press Club next week, where Change.org will present the top rated ideas they have garnered from their website. I want to see the Pro-legalization lobby show up in full force to demonstrate the number of individuals that are fed up with the legislation of morality. To hold Pres. Elect accountable for his words prior to election. To show our politicians and fellow Americans that we are citizens that demand our government cease the systematic genocide of this God given plant, while also ending the criminal prosecution of it’s consumers.
I am also eagerly awaiting to see how the number one question on Change.org, OUR QUESTION, will be receieved by Pres. elect Obama. I want to hear HIS voice tell the American people why marijuana should remain criminalized. I hope for the opposite, of course, but all signs leading up to that point cast a very weary shadow over the issue.
Will Change.org really dedicate resources to further this cause, as they have stated in their forum? This is also another concern of mine. To have the courage to defend an issue that has so many years of horrible publicity is a sizable task, and hope they fulfill their commitment.
Keep your fingers crossed.