Per NY Times, President Biden on Thursday pardoned all people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and said his administration would review whether marijuana should still be a Schedule 1 drug like heroin and LSD, saying that “makes no sense.”
The pardons will clear about 6,500 people who were convicted on federal charges of simple possession of marijuana from 1992 to 2021 and thousands more who were convicted of possession in the District of Columbia, officials said ahead of the president’s announcement.
Mr. Biden urged governors to follow his lead for people convicted on state charges of simple possession. The number of convictions under state laws vastly outnumbers those who have been charged with a violation of federal laws, limiting the overall reach of the president’s actions on Thursday.
This puts federal law enforcement in a catch 22. They are pledged to follow the laws of the country but now they are being told to turn a blind eye to the law which classifies marijuana as a schedule 1 drug. It is amazing what happens in the lead up to a national election.
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Prior to 2020, there were very few instances of people being charged with sedition, or other such acts of government interference. With the plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer, the assault on our Capitol on January 6, and the effort to overturn the 2020 election, it is becoming a regular occurrence.
Per the Detroit News, Kaleb Franks, a central figure in the largest domestic terrorism investigation in a generation who admitted to plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was sentenced to four years in federal prison Thursday. The sentence represented a big break because Franks pleaded guilty to a charge punishable by up to life in prison. Prosecutors and his lawyer argued Franks deserved the break because he testified against two ringleaders during two federal trials in Grand Rapids and helped convince jurors the would-be kidnappers were not entrapped by a team of undercover FBI agents and informants.
There are many more such trials currently taking place and my guess is that there will be many more being charged. See my Question of the Day.
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Parts of New York’s new gun law got shot down today by a federal judge. A federal judge on Thursday blocked large portions of a new New York gun law, jeopardizing a measure that was passed just three months earlier and underscoring the difficulty that states may face in restricting the public carrying of firearms after a major Supreme Court ruling in June. Judge, Glenn T. Suddaby of the Northern District, said he would block the state from enforcing several provisions, writing that New York’s attempts to bar guns in a number of places deemed “sensitive” — including museums, theaters, stadiums, Times Square, libraries, places offering services to children and anywhere alcohol is served — appeared impermissible. He based his decision on the June ruling, which struck down a restrictive law that had stood for more than a century.
Expect emergency appeals in the next day or two.
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All good things come to an end. After five straight days of spectacular weather, everything came to a screeching halt today. It was cold, rainy, and windy. No golf and no bike ride. After working out at the gym, it has been an at home day. The good news is that I will finally finish reading before I go to bed tonight all 2,609 pages of The Lonesome Dove Chronicles by Larry McMurtry. I started the book in early summer. Since 90% of my pleasure reading is done within the last 15 minutes of the day before I fall asleep, it has been a slow process. While reading the book, I also watched the Lonesome Dove miniseries, staring Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall, Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, and Diane Lane. I have totally enjoyed the journey.
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Elections Matter. Pray for peace and tolerance. What are you doing to stop the violence and mass killings?
Quote of the Day: “Sending people to jail for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives — for conduct that is legal in many states. That’s before you address the clear racial disparities around prosecution and conviction. Today, we begin to right these wrongs. While white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people are arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionately higher rates.” President Biden
Orchid of the Day: The Lonesome Dove Chronicles by Larry McMurtry
Onion of the Day: Vincent Patrick Kelly, 33, of Buckley, was charged in Traverse City’s 86th District Court with delivery/manufacture of methamphetamine, a 20-year felony, using a firearm during a felony, a 2-year felony, and possession of a short-barreled shotgun, a 5-year felony.
2nd Onion of the Day: To the judge who set Kelly’s bond at only $10,000.
Question of the Day: What will future historians make of the period of 2020 through 2022?
Video/Image of the Day: