Obama hands out over 1000 commutations. More than the past 11 Presidents combined.

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: slapjacks
As long as they aint killers, rapist, pedos, or armed felons, no sweat off my back. Free the man that serves a sentence for par-taking in a doobie.

armed felonsarmed felons

"Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s pick for attorney general, has called Obama’s commutations “reckless” and an abuse of executive power. He pointed out that some of the freed prisoners were also serving time on firearms charges."

Hence why I included "armed felons" ..Commutations, I agree should only be handed out to "non violent petty drug crimes"

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: slapjacks
As long as they aint killers, rapist, pedos, or armed felons, no sweat off my back. Free the man that serves a sentence for par-taking in a doobie.

armed felonsarmed felons

"Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s pick for attorney general, has called Obama’s commutations “reckless” and an abuse of executive power. He pointed out that some of the freed prisoners were also serving time on firearms charges."

If a person is arrested for drugs and has a firearm they will also get slammed with firearm charges.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: burdman30ott6

He doesn't have the authority to legalize marijuana nationwide. If he expressed interest in such a law and out made it to Congress the obstructionists would make sure it never reached his desk. This is pretty much the only course of action he has.

He had 2 years to make that happen PLUS he had the authority to pressure the DEA. The simple fact is the politically powerful on the left side of the aisle embrace these strict drug laws and mandatory minimum sentencing laws because the drug cases often are accompanied with some manner of firearms charge OR at least render anyone busted with a felony amount of pot federally disqualified from future firearm ownership.

It's not as simple as that. It's against the law for the head of the DEA to even contemplate legalization of anything. There's not much a president can do.

You'd have to have the support of almost ALL of government and the people to pull off a full legalization of anything. Federally at least.

originally posted by: nightbringr

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: Swills
a reply to: brutus61

Wait, wait, you're against setting free nonviolent drug offenders? Really? What's your thoughts about private prisons and federal mandatory minimums? How about the War on Drugs, thoughts? And finally, do you believe marijuana should be legal or illegal?

Non violent? With gun charges?
War on drugs is a farce.
private prisons are just another money making scheme.
legal

Gun charges are different.

Let's pose this question to you. Do you agree non-violent offenders jailed simply for possession of weed is a good thing? I'm curious.

A bag of weed no. But have you ever heard of someone doing that kind of time(Decade or more) for a bag of weed? Fact of the matter is that those who move and/or possess large quantities use weapons to protect it. Do you believe that a guy with 30 keys of dope is sitting around without protection?

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: nightbringr

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: Swills
a reply to: brutus61

Wait, wait, you're against setting free nonviolent drug offenders? Really? What's your thoughts about private prisons and federal mandatory minimums? How about the War on Drugs, thoughts? And finally, do you believe marijuana should be legal or illegal?

Non violent? With gun charges?
War on drugs is a farce.
private prisons are just another money making scheme.
legal

Gun charges are different.

Let's pose this question to you. Do you agree non-violent offenders jailed simply for possession of weed is a good thing? I'm curious.

A bag of weed no. But have you ever heard of someone doing that kind of time(Decade or more) for a bag of weed? Fact of the matter is that those who move and/or possess large quantities use weapons to protect it. Do you believe that a guy with 30 keys of dope is sitting around without protection?

There are people who have served more than 10 years for a joint or two.

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: nightbringr

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: Swills
a reply to: brutus61

Wait, wait, you're against setting free nonviolent drug offenders? Really? What's your thoughts about private prisons and federal mandatory minimums? How about the War on Drugs, thoughts? And finally, do you believe marijuana should be legal or illegal?

Non violent? With gun charges?
War on drugs is a farce.
private prisons are just another money making scheme.
legal

Gun charges are different.

Let's pose this question to you. Do you agree non-violent offenders jailed simply for possession of weed is a good thing? I'm curious.

A bag of weed no. But have you ever heard of someone doing that kind of time(Decade or more) for a bag of weed? Fact of the matter is that those who move and/or possess large quantities use weapons to protect it. Do you believe that a guy with 30 keys of dope is sitting around without protection?

Remember "three-strikes" laws?

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: slapjacks
As long as they aint killers, rapist, pedos, or armed felons, no sweat off my back. Free the man that serves a sentence for par-taking in a doobie.

armed felonsarmed felons

"Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s pick for attorney general, has called Obama’s commutations “reckless” and an abuse of executive power. He pointed out that some of the freed prisoners were also serving time on firearms charges."

Jeff Sessions is not someone I would listen very closely to.

originally posted by: Grimpachi

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: slapjacks
As long as they aint killers, rapist, pedos, or armed felons, no sweat off my back. Free the man that serves a sentence for par-taking in a doobie.

armed felonsarmed felons

"Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s pick for attorney general, has called Obama’s commutations “reckless” and an abuse of executive power. He pointed out that some of the freed prisoners were also serving time on firearms charges."

If a person is arrested for drugs and has a firearm they will also get slammed with firearm charges.

I believe those that are only drug trafficking or commit an act of violence while intoxicated can be pinned for simply possessing a firearm. If the possession of a firearm coincides with a drug charge, the sentences will be stacked, which can lead to a lengthy prison sentence.

originally posted by: eNumbra

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: nightbringr

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: Swills
a reply to: brutus61

Wait, wait, you're against setting free nonviolent drug offenders? Really? What's your thoughts about private prisons and federal mandatory minimums? How about the War on Drugs, thoughts? And finally, do you believe marijuana should be legal or illegal?

Non violent? With gun charges?
War on drugs is a farce.
private prisons are just another money making scheme.
legal

Gun charges are different.

Let's pose this question to you. Do you agree non-violent offenders jailed simply for possession of weed is a good thing? I'm curious.

A bag of weed no. But have you ever heard of someone doing that kind of time(Decade or more) for a bag of weed? Fact of the matter is that those who move and/or possess large quantities use weapons to protect it. Do you believe that a guy with 30 keys of dope is sitting around without protection?

Remember "three-strikes" laws?

Yes but that implies that there were two other strikes before the nonviolent drug charge. Also I wish I had been able to find a list of the charges of the persons being released which would stop this guessing. I don't think someone should be jailed for small amounts of weed But I don,t believe that in this case the amounts were definitely not small. We are talking about federal prison not state where they lock you up at the drop of a hat.

originally posted by: xuenchen
Obama is setting up future job opportunities for law enforcement.

Just when I thought you couldn't get more....
.. Then this

originally posted by: snowspirit

The president saw his commutation power as a way to correct for overly harsh drug sentences that sent people away to prison for decades and sometimes life for nonviolent crimes

Sounds like the thing to do. I wonder how many more thousands of people are locked away for non violent, victimless crimes....

I wonder how many more thousands of people are locked away for non violent, victimless crimes....

for non violent, victimless crimes.....


Tell that the the parents of that teenage girl who died from an overdose... from drugs she bought illegally from the man about to receive a presidential pardon.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Yeah, I agree. These laws and private prisons need to be changed or abolished and so far there is a little momentum but we all know gov't is SLOW, especially when Republicans refuse to work with Obama. Conservatives always blame Obama for not doing anything yet always ignore how their party refuses to work with him and even does everything they can to block him or stall our gov't.

Now that Repubs will soon have complete control of our gov't we'll see how much change they bring to these serious issues and I predict they won't change a damn thing. Perhaps they'll even worsen the situation. Do you guys realize now that they have complete control they can't blame Dems anymore for the policy failures? Who will they now deflect too?

originally posted by: eisegesis

originally posted by: Grimpachi

originally posted by: brutus61

originally posted by: slapjacks
As long as they aint killers, rapist, pedos, or armed felons, no sweat off my back. Free the man that serves a sentence for par-taking in a doobie.

armed felonsarmed felons

"Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s pick for attorney general, has called Obama’s commutations “reckless” and an abuse of executive power. He pointed out that some of the freed prisoners were also serving time on firearms charges."

If a person is arrested for drugs and has a firearm they will also get slammed with firearm charges.

I believe those that are only drug trafficking or commit an act of violence can be pinned for simply possessing a firearm. If the charges are due to drugs, then the sentences will be stacked.

If a person sells a small bag of weed from their home and is busted for it, they can get the stacked firearm charge even if a gun is locked up somewhere in the home legally.

Then there is this. Federal Charges for Smoking Weed with Guns in the Home

a reply to: Swills

For Bush's first 6 years they had control and didn't blame anyone for anything. History doesn't indicate that Republicans play the blame game... they really don't give a damn if swaths of people are pissed at them.

a reply to: brutus61

More whistleblowers have been incarcerated under Obama than all the other American Presidents combined.

Seems like the truth is a dangerous thing

originally posted by: nightbringr

originally posted by: burdman30ott6

originally posted by: Swills
a reply to: brutus61

Wait, wait, you're against setting free nonviolent drug offenders? Really? What's your thoughts about private prisons and federal mandatory minimums? How about the War on Drugs, thoughts? And finally, do you believe marijuana should be legal or illegal?

How much effort did Obama put into changing the law while he was in office? Changing the law would be a long term solution rather than a point in time grandstanding exercise like these commutations.

Legalization is a state matter, not federal.

And what, you are against it then? Let's continue to waste more money jailing pot smokers! Yay!

Uhh did you forget about the DEA? They're the ones who've listed maryjane as a Schedule I drug, making it illegal in the first place.

originally posted by: Kalixi
a reply to: brutus61

More whistleblowers have been incarcerated under Obama than all the other American Presidents combined.

Seems like the truth is a dangerous thing

He has given out more medals of freedom than any other prez too.

Played more golf, spent more money, more vacations, lost more troops, gee, this guy is an excess.

a reply to: burgerbuddy

more vacations

false

lost more troops

false

originally posted by: Swills
a reply to: brutus61

Wait, wait, you're against setting free nonviolent drug offenders? Really?

Selling crack might not be a violent crime in itself, but you sure as heck share responsibility for the violent crimes related to it.


"Oh, officer, I just SOLD him the crack - I didn't tell him to rob and kill that guy to pay for it".

Right.

originally posted by: brutus61
Yes but that implies that there were two other strikes before the nonviolent drug charge.

All of which could have been non-violent crimes; which was the problem with the 3S legislation in the first place.