News from Saturday’s Democratic debate in Iowa:
For all of the good will, with the Iowa caucuses less than five weeks away, the candidates did take opportunities to draw distinctions between each other.
While the Democrats said they wanted to change drug sentencing laws for crack and powder cocaine to erase racial disparities in punishments — more blacks and Hispanics are convicted for crack possession and sales, which carry heavier penalties — Mrs. Clinton said she had problems with making any sentencing changes apply to people already convicted.
“On principle, I have problems with retroactivity,” she said.
Unfamiliar with that principle, I pulled out my well-thumbed copy of Principles for Idiots and there it was, right on page 2008: It is better to let a thousand prisoners rot in jail than to free one Willie Horton.
It's one thing when Republican candidates vie to have the most immoral stance on an issue, but when Democrats start doing it we're in big trouble.
I say legalize drugs, let all the users and small-time dealers out, and give them driver's licenses.
Posted by: Charley on December 3, 2007 10:11 AMI'm in favor of mandatory supercharge bong hits to everyone in or running for federal office. Especially retroactive ones, as that would certainly have prevented our national descent into madness.
Of course, knowing Cheney, he'd set up as the CEO of a snack company.
And the Clintons would still pardon Abu Nidal's pal, Marc Rich.
For such folks, mandatory smoking opium might be necessary to obtain maximum bliss.
Posted by: Kevin Hayden on December 6, 2007 9:18 PM