Our government does pretty much what it wants, despite their constituents. Sadly most people buy the BS peddled at them and let it go then turn around and vote these jackasses back in office again.

I find it ridiculous that anybody is being charged with child pornography over this. I find it even more ridiculous that our court system would seek to place anyone doing this in the same category as pedophiles and serial rapists.

No we don't. This is a republic, not a democracy. The minority clearly rules in some areas via the court system if nowhere else.



And if your wishes are those of the majority and they are still overturned? What then?

Not really. The only time we have an opportunity is at election time. Other than that, it's up to our other elected officials to seek impeachment to remove someone from office.



Considering that 90% of elected politicians change their positions once they get elected, I'd say that studying the issues they claim to represent is pretty moot. Better to look at their entire career and their voting history if available.



Great. So where's the representation for those who vote third party? They voted so they have a right to betch, right?

And in some cases today, neither do we.

I suppose it would be difficult to find anything under "under the influence of Marijuana" since there is no specific charge for that. Everything is put under "under the influence of intoxicants" which includes any intoxicant. Whether it is alcohol or marijuana or heroin or what have you...

Doesn't take a rocket scientist to come to the conclusion that being under the influence of any intoxicant while operating a motor vehicle is a crime though.

I disagree. In fact, there is plenty of legislation passed by our "representatives" that is never put up for a vote by the populace. By voting them in office, we trust them to represent us while they are in office. They don't always do that. Obviously.

The mere ability to vote does not confer representation by the government.

I find it funny when people talk about damaging their computer by turning it off when these same people generally replace their computers every 3-5 years anyway. (To keep up with the latest and greatest...) Like they're really intending to keep them around for 100 years or something...

I got that. That's why I'm doubtful it would be handled the same way.

Doubtful. Personally, I feel that marijuana is much less harmful than alcohol, but that doesn't make it any easier to regulate it, IMO.

Bad example. I live in Oregon. We are the micro brew capital of the world.

There's plenty of it to go around. Oregon taxes the income of non-residents. Oregon continually practices double taxation by taxing the refunds received from the filing of last years income taxes.

And then there was the bailout of AIG, and part of that money used to fund corporations overseas. I don't know about you, but I fail to see how foreign corporations receiving tax money from US citizens is any kind of representation of us at all...

Of course not. But to hear some people tell it, we're not very nice anyway.

And then what? Keep every possible strain they haven't tested illegal until they do? How on Earth are they going to enforce that?

Of course we could just turn Africa into a parking lot instead. That'd be the humanitarian thing to do. End all that suffering. [/sarcasm]

So instead of dumping time and money into Africa, shouldn't we be working on a cure instead? Just a thought.

You get that with any drug. Many factors affect pharmacokinetics including weight, age, disease, other medications, etc. etc. No substance on Earth affects two people exactly the same way or even the same person the same exact way every time it is administered.

Not even close to the same thing. The synthetic is man-made under man-made controls. The natural stuff (that there is talk of legalizing) is no such beast.

Watch out Fanta! I think we struck a nerve...