Hoist with his own petard
I have been amused by the situation the republican “leadership” finds themselves in with respect to the recent move by Washington D.C. to legalize recreational personal use of marijuana. Now, please do not misunderstand me; I have no strong feelings about this specific issue, probably because I have no personal interest in using pot (though I do have strong feelings about the devastating impacts of long prison terms for those caught with pot while we look the other way at financial criminals who raped the economy and destroyed so many lives). As you may know, last November the voters of D.C. overwhelmingly (70+% voted for the measure) voted to allow limited possession and cultivation of marijuana by adults 21 or older. It is important to know that the new law is carefully structured so as to not violate any federal laws currently on the books. But you might guess the reaction from the conservative right: they are outraged. And they are stumbling over themselves trying to get on camera blasting the decision by DC, threatening dire consequences if DC’s mayor tries to implement the new law without their approval. “We would encourage the Congress to not be so concerned with overturning what 7-in-10 voters said should be the law in the District of Columbia,” Mayor Bowser responded at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Doesn’t this sound just a bit like the rhetoric used by Judge Roy Moore and his ilk when threatening to “nullify” federal laws giving same sex couples the right to marry? (more…)