Happy LEAP Day!

I have a shirt, 2 actually, that says "Cops Say Legalize Drugs, Ask Me Why" which usually makes for an interesting conversation with the occasional stranger. Sometimes I forget that I'm wearing it and am surprised when people actually ask me. Like the time at an ATM machine, I heard someone read it out loud to me, and said, "Yo! I'm a cop, what's up with your shirt?!" Fortunately I had a LEAP dvd in my back pocket, which I highly recommend you do if you decide to have the cojones to walk around with that shirt on. Handed him the video and said, "aren't you tired of wasting your day busting people for something stupid like smoking a joint?" He agreed, still kind of in shock at our conversation, told me I must have big man parts for wearing that shirt, then gave me a pound (the handshake, not a pound of weed), and we both went on our merry way.

I have this group of brave individuals to thank for giving me an easy set of tools for having that conversation. Check out why cops say legalize drugs at www.LEAP.cc.

Here at Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, our law enforcement members have spent decades fighting the drug war from the front lines. We speak to this issue from a position of experience and our level of credibility is high - people listen to what LEAP has to say.





As we enter our tenth year – a LEAP year - we want to provide a special distinction for our dedicated supporters...an opportunity to take our relationship to the next level. Since today is February 29, "LEAP Day," we decided it was the perfect time to announce our new Associate Member program for our civilian supporters. Allow me to cover the top three reasons you should become an associate member:


First, it sends a clear message that you are with LEAP as we strive to end prohibition in the United States and around the globe. It says that you are fed up with the injustice of mass incarceration, the senseless murders, drugs flowing freely in our communities, the lack of treatment and effective education, the corruption, billions of dollars going into the pockets of organized crime and the waste of your limited financial resources.


Second, your annual contribution of $25 or more will enable LEAP to continue the great work it is known for, educating tens of thousands of people every year about the failure of the “war on drugs.”


Third, in addition to knowing you are a part of an organization that is truly making a difference, you will receive an official LEAP membership card, which can be proudly displayed in its special holder as you attend conferences and other events. There's nothing like the great sense of unity you will feel when you see others proudly displaying their cards. You will also receive a gold lapel pin badge to be worn anytime you desire, again showing solidarity.


So please sign on with us as an official LEAP associate member today. I look forward to having you as a partner as we fight the war to end the drug war. Help us make 2012 a LEAP year!




Thank you,


Major Neill Franklin (Ret.)
Executive Director

Barack Obama Waives Rule Allowing Indefinite Military Detention Of Americans....So Why is No One Impressed?

WASHINGTON -- The White House released rules Tuesday evening waiving the most controversial piece of the new military detention law, and exempting U.S. citizens, as well as other broad categories of suspected terrorists.


Indefinite military detention of Americans and others was granted in the defense authorization bill President Barack Obama signed just before Christmas, sparking a storm of anger from civil libertarians on the left and right.


The new rules -- which deal with Section 1022 of the law -- are aimed at soothing many of their gravest concerns, an administration official said. Those concerns are led by the possibility that a law that grants the president authority to jail Americans without trial in Guantanamo Bay based on secret evidence could easily be abused. (read the full article here)

Let's start with the fact that I'm not your typical Obama basher. It serves no purpose to bash his character in my opinion. He's not an unattractive fella, he likes Al Green, thinks Kanye West is a jackass, has Nas on his iPod, and his delivery is silky smooth. All the above are things we have in common. Oh and I honestly don't care where he was born. There are a few knee-jerk reactions to the question "why no one is impressed."

Facing facts, there are flat-out Obama haters out there, and as local bar owner, skeptical libertarian, and my friend Brandon pointed out "if fox called Obama " the shoe wearing president " in a smug patronizing tone, billions of republicans would repeat it thinking they were being clever and insulting." Tough point to argue. However, let's stay on the topic at hand.

I should correct myself in saying "no one is impressed" because, as expected, some are impressed. I'd imagine the ones who are impressed are the ones who read the headline, maybe the first two sentences of the article, and move on.

Yes, "the White House released rules Tuesday evening waiving the most controversial piece of the new military detention law, and exempting U.S. citizens, as well as other broad categories of suspected terrorists." However, as the article points out, this refers to section 1022:

All persons arrested and detained according to the provisions of section 1021, including those detained on U.S. soil, whether detained indefinitely or not, are required to be held by the United States Armed Forces. The law affords the option to have U.S. citizens detained by the armed forces but this requirement does not extend to them, as with foreign persons. Lawful resident aliens may or may not be required to be detained by the Armed Forces, "on the basis of conduct taking place within the United States."

Key part to notice is "are required to be held." So the new rules released by the White House address that part, wonderful. These new rules, however, make no changes to section 1021:

In General- Congress affirms that the authority of the President to use all necessary and appropriate force pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note) includes the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons (as defined in subsection (b)) pending disposition under the law of war.

Not to mention the three myths about the detention bill as pointed out by Glenn Greenwald. Of course, if all else fails, the government can just strip you of your citizenship under the Enemy Expatriation Act, then you won't have to waste your time with nitpicking about the NDAA applying to US citizens.

So while it's a nice gesture and good PR to make this smoke and mirrors-y move, don't get overconfident that you won't get sent to gitmo just yet...there still may be a cockmeat sandwich in your future.

Ep 2 - MSW ft Jim Babb

Awesome episode, I got to sit down with www.WeWontFly.com's Jim Babb! This was ridiculously fun, if I could have a show once a week with Jim, I'd do it in a heartbeat. There is an audio version of this show on TalkShoe, but quite honestly, it came out pretty choppy, so just carve out time to watch this episode. Great, no holds barred, conversation centered around self-ownership and nullification on a personal level, enjoy!

Ep 1 - MSW ft TFP Members

Live from TFP's networking social on 2/10/12. Just as a sidenote, I've yet to come up with a better title than "TFP Social" for our get togethers. The name makes it sound like a high class frat party, but the gist of our get togethers is as simple as it is complex.

They're held every other month, we host a pot-luck dinner, run a food drive (we collect non-perishables and give them away to local charities), meet and greet new/seasoned members, exchange business cards, mingle, host informal discussions, exchange ideas, promote upcoming events, and just hang out.

This time we recorded the debut of my podcast which was awesome, at least for us, hopefully you enjoy it. I got a chance to sit down with Mark Passio, Mike Randazzo, Dana Costello, and Jim Babb. The livestream video on Ustream was a success, the audio version on TalkShoe, however, was not a success.

Ideally there'd be a link to the audio version of the show here, next time? We'll see. For now, enjoy...

Welcome aboard...finally

Welcome to my world ladies and gentlemen. The "finally" in the title of this post is for me, not you. I've been an activist for almost 5 years and this is the closest attempt I've made to keeping up with a blog, other than posting on facebook constantly.

In an attempt to consolidate my world into one webpage, I've decided to activate this blogspot page which comes with every gmail account, feel free to create your own, or just stick with following mine.

In the past few decades I've come across some pretty interesting people, places, and events, which have all shaped the person you, kind of, see before you. I consider myself extremely lucky to be alive right now. Not because of some near death, tragic event, although there have been plenty, but because if you stop and look around at the world, there has never been a more complex time in history (none that I know of, but don't take my word for it, I once got a 55 on a history test in high school), and I'm excited to just be here to witness it all.

Respecting the average attention span, I'll keep this relatively brief, and try to keep each post on a specific topic. So this post is just as the title says, a welcome aboard post, as you follow me, you'll get to know me a little better, and hopefully you'll stick around. I'll post a quick autobiography next time. For now, get comfy, check out some of the links, follow my show on Ustream and iTunes, and go enjoy the world.