The WELL: inkwell.vue.384: Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow

#174: Mark McDonough (mcdee) Thu 19 Jan 12 18:32

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:32:00 PST

That is a great book. [Read entire topic]

#173: David Wilson (dlwilson) Thu 19 Jan 12 12:50

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:50:00 PST

Michelle Alexander gets the Fresh Air treatment:

<http://www.npr.org/2012/01/16/145175694/legal-scholar-jim-crow-still-exists-in-america?ft=1&f=13> [Read entire topic]

#172: Mark McDonough (mcdee) Sat 23 Oct 10 12:53

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 12:53:00 PDT

Yeah, I suppose I can understand why Democratic Party is in bed with Wall Street - at least there's a rational reason for it, even it's odious. But clearly they can't really think that marijuana is dangerous, so what gives? [Read entire topic]

#171: those Andropovian bongs (rik) Sat 23 Oct 10 09:58

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 09:58:00 PDT

Thanks, Mark. I've been stewing over that column all morning. [Read entire topic]

#170: Mark McDonough (mcdee) Sat 23 Oct 10 09:56

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 09:56:00 PDT

Charles M. Blow, writing in the NYT:

"Attorney General Eric Holder Jr.*s recent chest-thumping against the California ballot initiative that seeks to legalize marijuana underscores how the war on drugs in this country has become a war focused on marijuana, one being waged primarily against minorities and promoted, fueled and financed primarily by Democratic politicians. "

<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/23/opinion/23blow.html?ref=opinion>

The column mentions Michelle's book. [Read entire topic]

#169: David Gans (tnf) Thu 8 Jul 10 10:53

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:53:00 PDT

Damn straight. And an equal protection issue, and a matter of common decency, too. [Read entire topic]

#168: Sharon Lynne Fisher (slf) Thu 8 Jul 10 06:37

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:37:00 PDT

interesting -- legalizing marijuana is a civil rights issue

<http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/07/07/naacp.marijuana.support/index.html?hpt=T2> [Read entire topic]

#167: Mark McDonough (mcdee) Fri 2 Jul 10 05:52

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 05:52:00 PDT

I missed that. What did she answer? [Read entire topic]

#166: David Wilson (dlwilson) Thu 1 Jul 10 21:28

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:28:00 PDT

During the Elena Kagen confirmation hearings, Sen. Dick Durbin asked her a question of what to do about mass incarceration of blacks. [Read entire topic]

#165: Mark McDonough (mcdee) Thu 1 Jul 10 10:12

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:12:00 PDT

The [California] State Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is endorsing a ballot initiative for this November to legalize and tax recreational marijuana use....

NAACP State President, Alice Huffman, said the organization is backing the initiative, to counter marijuana arrest rates.

She contends that it unfairly targets African Americans and other minorities.

<http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=naacp+california+marijuana+laws>

Sounds like the leaders of the traditional Civil Rights groups have been reading the book. Which makes sense.

From a recent published article, Huffman states: "There is a strong racial component that must be considered when we investigate how marijuana laws are applied to people of color," she said. "The burden has fallen disproportionately on people of color and young Black men in particular." [Read entire topic]