Off to NORML and Aspen, Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 09:28:00 AM EST
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I'm off to Aspen and the 2007 NORML legal seminar where I'll be speaking again on using the internet for free legal research and blogging.

Big Tent Democrat, TChris and hopefully, Last Night in Little Rock, will be posting in my stead.

One of the highlights is that we will again be able to spend Sunday afternoon at Hunter Thompson's Owl Farm. That's in addition to Tommy Chong and Tony Serra and food by Chris of Cache Cache. Not to mention my favorite Sheriff Bob Braudis who will be on scene. (One of Bob's sayings: You neither need a big stick nor a big gun to keep the peace in Aspen. Listen to Jimmy Ibbotson of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band singing Braudis is Our Man, His County Rocks.)

Check out my my videos of last year's Aspen conference and our day at Owl Farm. (My You Tube video of Owl Farm was my first video ever and has generated 23,137 views and been favorited 75 times.)

This year, Hunter's wife, Anita, has invited me to stay at Owl Farm, so that's where I'll be for the weekend. I'm bringing both my camera and video camera. Hopefully, if I haven't forgotten how to use them, when I get back, I'll have some new pix and video for you.

(The hard decision: Whether to sleep in Johnny Depps' bedroom downstairs in the basement or on the main floor. The former was very tempting, but I chose the latter.)

'Tis a privilege to live in Colorado. And yes, this is an open thread.

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Off to NORML and Aspen, Open Thread | 15 comments (15 topical)

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A privilege, indeed... (none / 0) (#1)
by JHFarr on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 12:44:42 AM EST

... and you're practically my neighbor ("RUN!").

It's pretty grand here in Taos County too. I absolutely depend on the 90-mile view. Looking forward to the video, and thank you for alerting me to the existence of the old one.

jeralyn: (none / 0) (#2)
by cpinva on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 04:20:21 AM EST

a couple of things:

is mr. depp going to be occupying the bed at the same time? if so, you might want to reconsider your decision on sleeping arrangements, or so i've heard. lol (j/k!)
with regards to ms. hilton's current legal issues, you've made some assertions in prior posts, that i'd like to get more data on.

you have stated, as fact, that if ms. hilton were anyone else, she'd not have received the sentence she did. further, you've quoted others as having stated the same.

what i'd like to know is this: do you have actual empirical data to support this claim, or is this based strictly on anectdotal and personal experience?

if empirical in nature, could you please provide a link to the source of that information? thanks.

again, i don't necessarily agree or disagree with the sentence ms. hilton received. nor, do i think she's a great danger to society (unless having horrible taste in fashion is fatally contagious); she's no hannibal lector.

that said, when people proclaim great truths, without actual confirmable, third-party data to support them, people want to know!

ok, maybe it's just me! think of it as my occupational hazard.

: answer to the first question (none / 0) (#7)
by Jeralyn on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 11:03:19 AM EST

unfortuantely, Mr. Depp will not be there. They call it "Johnny's bedroom" because it is the one he sleeps in when he is there.

OCD (none / 0) (#3)
by koshembos on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 07:02:18 AM EST

When you're back could yyou use your iinfluence and mitigate Big Tent Democrat's OCD with Klein, Broder and other borderline, aptitude to ineptitude, figures?

Speaking of Aspen and sherrifs (none / 0) (#4)
by jimakaPPJ on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 08:03:38 AM EST

in other places... A story sent to me by a friend..

Hello, is this the Sheriff's Office?"
Yes. What can I do for you?"
I'm calling to report 'bout my neighbor Virgil Smith....
He' s hidin' marijuana inside his firewood!
Don't quite know how he gets it inside them
logs, but he's hidin' it there."
Thank you very much for the call, sir."
The next day, the Sheriff's Deputies descend upon Virgil's house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust
open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana.
They sneer at Virgil and leave. Shortly, the phone rings at Virgil's house.
"Hey, Virgil! This here's Floyd....Did the Sheriff come?"
"Yeah!"
"Did they chop your firewood?" "Yep!"
"Happy Birthday, buddy!"
Southern Boys know how to get things done..

questions (none / 0) (#5)
by Deconstructionist on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 08:32:35 AM EST

I'll assume most everyone here believes in reform of marijuana laws. (Feel free to refute that assumption). What would you advocate:

Absolute free market.
Mostly free market but with limited regulation regarding advertising, health claims, etc. and sales to minors.
Lightly regulated market also requiring licensing (with de minimus standards for eligibility)for cultivation, import, distribution/wholesaling, and consumer sales, and government inspection for purity.
Moderately regulated market roughly analogous to alcohol.
Heavily regulated market with very stringent licensing requirements, production/import quotas, tightly controlled distribution networks.
Extremely heavily regulate market with very limited number of authorized cultivators and a "mediical" model of distribution requiring prescription and purchase from DEA registered pharmacy.
Or, an alternative model with no legal "commercial sales" but which legalized cultivation and possession of small amounts for personal use and distribution odf small amounts fror no remuneration?

8, other?

Also, what do people think about taxation? No taxation? Same taxation as applies to most goods? Excise taxes similar to those on alcohol and tobacco in addition? Taxation so high as to set the legal retail price at levels approximate to the iprices in the illegal market?

Decon (none / 0) (#8)
by jimakaPPJ on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 11:50:31 AM EST

I'll take door number four, although there are some problems...

Most people fail to understand that home made wine, beer and "white lighting" was, at one time was almost a family tradition for two reasons.

Cheap in price.
The local product was drinkable.

How the government will fix that as it realates to MJ will be interesting. If they allow a small amount to be produced for personal use, as they do now with alcohol, the temptation to sell will be great.

Perhaps the answer will be to make sure it is available at a low price...


I'd prefer (none / 0) (#12)
by kdog on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 06:00:50 PM EST

#2, but would be more than happy with #3 or #4. Let people grow it, if they wanna grow a lot of it let them bring it to market. Don't allow sale to minors or false dvertising, slap on a warning label.

As for taxes, I'd prefer something to akin to most goods, but would be more than happy with the alcohol/tobacco model. Taxing to the point of current street prices would be absolute highway robbery considering the cost of production.


# 2 (none / 0) (#14)
by Edger on Sat Jun 09, 2007 at 03:23:34 PM EST

Low taxation. Too easy to grow if the cost of buying it is too high.


Tony Sera (none / 0) (#6)
by kaleidescope on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 09:06:30 AM EST

Enjoy Tony Sera. I once heard him do a seven hour summation in the trial of a Mendocino County indian man who'd been accused of killing two cops. Spellbinding is too mild a word to describe Sera's performance. Everyone in the courtroom, cops, the deputy DA, the judge, jurors -- everyone -- was riveted the whole time. Like a great guitar player, Sera moderated his volume from a near whisper to roars of indignation. What came to mind was Lawrence Olivier performing as Lear, but Sera was much better than anything you'll ever see on television. Needless to say, Tony got his client off. What an inspiration.

What does NORML stand for--the letters, (none / 0) (#9)
by oculus on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 01:58:34 PM EST

I mean. I know what the organization stands for.

: NORML (none / 0) (#10)
by squeaky on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 02:08:31 PM EST

National Organization for Repeal of Pot laws. OK..... reform

Oy (none / 0) (#11)
by squeaky on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 02:49:27 PM EST

Lynne Cheney, the wife of Vice President Cheney, is "being floated in Senate GOP leadership circles as a possible replacement for the late Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY), who died Monday night."

digby

Bill Clinton (none / 0) (#13)
by squeaky on Sat Jun 09, 2007 at 03:18:14 PM EST

Speaks at Harvard.

Inspiring, funny and real. What a great speaker.

Freed from Gitmo (none / 0) (#15)
by squeaky on Sat Jun 09, 2007 at 10:45:55 PM EST

NYT: Five Chinese Uighurs Leave Gitmo for Albanian Limbo.

W & P

Not pretty.