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News & ArtsWednesday, March 10, 2010
Media / Drugs Stupid Fucking Credulous Hack of the Day: Chelsea Krotzer at the Ellensburg Daily Record
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 10:29 AM
Yet another reporter files yet another massive story about ten-foot-tall aliens growing pot on public lands—this time in Kittitas County—without pausing to ask why people are growing pot on public lands or bothering to get a quote from someone on the other side. But SFCH Chelsea Krotzer finds plenty of space for the mindless glorification of costly and futile police work:
Myers is preparing for more this year, but he and the special team are prepared, thanks to the marijuana eradication program. The 10-man, multi-jurisdictional program trains law enforcement from the Washington State Patrol, Sheriff's Offices, state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service to respond to marijuana grows across the state.Myers is part of that team, representing Kittitas County with a handful of Sheriff's deputies. "Our members have been trained in the various divisions of the program," Myers said. "We have a reconnaissance portion of the team, which is both ground and air, and we also have the eradication and arrest teams established."
Krotzer doesn't tell us how much that "10-man, multi-jurisdictional" squad costs taxpayers. And that reconnaissance portion of the program—ground and air—can't be cheap. Is pot any harder to find or any more expensive in Ellensburg or Washington state now than it was before this program was created? I'm guessing not. And while no one should be growing anything on public lands—or grazing anything—there's just one way to put a stop to marijuana grows on public lands: allow people to grow it on farms.
1
How is this different than you posting articles about how dangerous pit bulls are without ever interviewing a responsible pit bull owner?
2
Just curious, Dan...Do the credulous hacks ever have the sack to respond to your accusations of credulity, and, if so, what do they have to say for themselves?
4
And the only comment so far to the story completely misses the irony of his/her own statement...
"If they are Mexican nationals, they should be deported back to Mexico. Trouble is, that is more burden on the taxpayer. "
Ahem.
"If they are Mexican nationals, they should be deported back to Mexico. Trouble is, that is more burden on the taxpayer. "
Ahem.
5
#3,
"pot has yet to kill anything or anyone by itself"
I can use the same argument for hand guns, assault rifles, cocaine, vicodin, anthrax, pipe bombs, etc.
Thanks for playing.
"pot has yet to kill anything or anyone by itself"
I can use the same argument for hand guns, assault rifles, cocaine, vicodin, anthrax, pipe bombs, etc.
Thanks for playing.
7
@1, just because you've registered, it doesn't make you any less of a troll. It does, however, make it much easier to ignore you, so for that I thank you.
9
"Ya gotta pay the Troll Toll! To get into that Boy's Hole"
ANYHOO I think the reason they publish stories like this is to keep people quiet with their "Where do my tax dollars go?" They see stories like this and figure "Well, it's going towards the War on Drugs!" Most people will read that and not think about the money and instead think "Well my property value is secure".
ANYHOO I think the reason they publish stories like this is to keep people quiet with their "Where do my tax dollars go?" They see stories like this and figure "Well, it's going towards the War on Drugs!" Most people will read that and not think about the money and instead think "Well my property value is secure".
10
I am curious as to why you say we should not allow grazing on public lands?
Often times, the grazing is beneficial for the ecosystem.
Often times, the grazing is beneficial for the ecosystem.
11
@5, or wherever your grumps may be....
You said pit bulls. You mentioned none of the other items in your initial post. The slog post has to do with pot, your response had to do with Dan's attitude in his postings toward pit bulls. Ergo, your argument holds no water. So I say to you, in your own snotty tone, thanks for playing. Now go home and beat off to the picture you have photoshopped of Dan snuggling with a pit bull.
Again, thanks for playing.
You said pit bulls. You mentioned none of the other items in your initial post. The slog post has to do with pot, your response had to do with Dan's attitude in his postings toward pit bulls. Ergo, your argument holds no water. So I say to you, in your own snotty tone, thanks for playing. Now go home and beat off to the picture you have photoshopped of Dan snuggling with a pit bull.
Again, thanks for playing.
12
Just curious, Dan--would you be willing to share the letter you wrote to her where you suggest she publish a follow-up article that shows your side of the story?
13
@ Zoo
Thanks for carrying Dan's water!
I ask you, who is more likely to have a 'shop of him above their laptop? Me or the guy fighting his battles for him online?
Keep up the good fight!
Thanks for carrying Dan's water!
I ask you, who is more likely to have a 'shop of him above their laptop? Me or the guy fighting his battles for him online?
Keep up the good fight!
14
Since the loudest proponents of lax drug laws are libertines I truly think that the state needs to do a test experiment first and seize places like the Hill under eminent domain and turn it into marijuana farm lands. I believe most residents will gladly give their lands for such a great purpose. After that takes places we can all see how effective marijuana farms are.
15
-Drug-interdiction officer for 1 year at maybe 200-300K per year in salary, benefits, supplies & equipment, and share of administrative bureaucracy above them
vs.
-Volunteers given $90,000 jetpacks covering the state in random 30-mile hops for one week; jetpacks can be kept for personal use afterwards
Probably roughly equivalent results at half the cost. Fun factor? Priceless!
vs.
-Volunteers given $90,000 jetpacks covering the state in random 30-mile hops for one week; jetpacks can be kept for personal use afterwards
Probably roughly equivalent results at half the cost. Fun factor? Priceless!
16
@5: This morning's news has a story about a toddler shooting herself to death with her parent's loaded Smith & Wesson handgun after mistaking it for a Wii controller. Find a story about a toddler dying after accidentally smoking their parents' stash and you might have a point.
Nice hair-splitting on "by themselves," though. Yes, you're right, guns don't walk across the room by themselves and shoot toddlers for no discernible reason in a manner analogous to a pit bull attack.
Nice hair-splitting on "by themselves," though. Yes, you're right, guns don't walk across the room by themselves and shoot toddlers for no discernible reason in a manner analogous to a pit bull attack.
17
@14, no one said anything about forcing people to grow marijuana. I don't think anyone has EVER said anything about forcing people to grow marijuana. This has to be about the dumbest comment I've ever seen.
18
@17, LC's comment was pretty damn dumb, but I was really trying to top it @15. You don't think I succeeded? :-(
19
10
not only is grazing on public lands beneficial, it is very common.
Dan is a stupid credulous fucking hack who doesn't know what the shit he is braying about.
not only is grazing on public lands beneficial, it is very common.
Dan is a stupid credulous fucking hack who doesn't know what the shit he is braying about.
20
@5: "I can use the same argument for hand guns, assault rifles, cocaine, vicodin, anthrax, pipe bombs, etc."
No you can't.
Firearms killed 8.4 per 100,000 people in WA in 2006 (1)
In 2005, about 39% of overdoses were caused by cocaine, heroin, and/or methamphetamines/amphetamines, 45% by prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants, and "Benzodiazepine sedatives such as Valium and antidepressants accounted for 6.5%" but in overdoses of multiple substances, "opioid painkillers were still the most commonly found drugs, accounting for 38.2% of the first-listed drugs" which includes Vicodin. (2)
"The number of deaths in the narcotics category that involved prescription opioid analgesics [including vicodin] increased from 2,900 in 1999 to at least 7,500 in 2004, an increase of 160% in just 5 years." (2)
"In a Swedish study, researchers found no link between marijuana use among more than 45,000 male military conscripts, aged 18 to 20, and their death rates over the next 15 years." (3)
Your argument stems from the logic that objects generally need human intervention to cause death. Here are the figures, and they say you still can't compare any of those with marijuana.
(1): http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparem…
(2): http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/2008/03/t…
(3): http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles…
No you can't.
Firearms killed 8.4 per 100,000 people in WA in 2006 (1)
In 2005, about 39% of overdoses were caused by cocaine, heroin, and/or methamphetamines/amphetamines, 45% by prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants, and "Benzodiazepine sedatives such as Valium and antidepressants accounted for 6.5%" but in overdoses of multiple substances, "opioid painkillers were still the most commonly found drugs, accounting for 38.2% of the first-listed drugs" which includes Vicodin. (2)
"The number of deaths in the narcotics category that involved prescription opioid analgesics [including vicodin] increased from 2,900 in 1999 to at least 7,500 in 2004, an increase of 160% in just 5 years." (2)
"In a Swedish study, researchers found no link between marijuana use among more than 45,000 male military conscripts, aged 18 to 20, and their death rates over the next 15 years." (3)
Your argument stems from the logic that objects generally need human intervention to cause death. Here are the figures, and they say you still can't compare any of those with marijuana.
(1): http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparem…
(2): http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/2008/03/t…
(3): http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles…
21
3
so it's ok do do credulous false pissy hysterical ignorant halfassed excuse for shitass "journalism" about them?
because they are KILLERS?
.
.
really?
so it's ok do do credulous false pissy hysterical ignorant halfassed excuse for shitass "journalism" about them?
because they are KILLERS?
.
.
really?
24
LC, I live on the hill, and I will tell you, I AM currently devising methods of establishing a guerilla garden for legally ambiguous purposes, (or, if you will, "urban reclamation," as I like to call it) but I feel like that's a lot of urban construction and high-density residences to tear down before we can even get started thinking about the soil! Kittitas county, on the other hand, is a vast and veritable wasteland of pure, delicious, unpaved dirt!! Cuz like, if you uprooted all the libertines, then we would have to go elsewhere, and then Capitol Hill won't be a slum of hedonism anymore! :(
25
It's really too bad that Kittitas County law enforcement resources are wasted on busting pot growers, and that the article isn't about how they dismantled yet another meth lab. http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/about/fs-20… shows that there were 6 meth labs dismantled in Kittitas County in 2005.
29
I'm pretty sure Loveschild likes eating food, so the state should should bulldoze her neighborhood to put in a cornfield.
30
@28 - because you have to bring in professional decontamination units to make a place livable after it's been used as a meth lab.
You should do us all a favor, and make some cookies laced with arsenic and eat them.
You should do us all a favor, and make some cookies laced with arsenic and eat them.
31
Hey LC,
I didn't think you could top the stupidity of your comments about teh gays, but congrats are in order! I'm so sorry I ever misunderestimated you!
I didn't think you could top the stupidity of your comments about teh gays, but congrats are in order! I'm so sorry I ever misunderestimated you!
32
@24 Nonsense, certainly most Hill residents would stay as farm hands. Who best to cultivate it than those most dedicated to the promotion of it's societal 'benefits' ?
Sustainable higher yields of crops demand all sorts of higher input and what greater input than appreciation? It would be fitting to see the Hill ( and like-minded places ) officially turned into a Napa Valley for cannabis. I know you agree with me on this.
If only opium poppy could also be grown ( maybe Weho or the Catro down in California can be taken for that ) . Don't give up on the Hill , More, I Say!, it's one of the few places ( besides the aforementioned ) best suited for that type of decay.
Sustainable higher yields of crops demand all sorts of higher input and what greater input than appreciation? It would be fitting to see the Hill ( and like-minded places ) officially turned into a Napa Valley for cannabis. I know you agree with me on this.
If only opium poppy could also be grown ( maybe Weho or the Catro down in California can be taken for that ) . Don't give up on the Hill , More, I Say!, it's one of the few places ( besides the aforementioned ) best suited for that type of decay.
34
LC, we don't need to convert land. Marijuana can be grown in gardens or indoors.
Oh, and to somefarmer, when the fuck is grazing "beneficial to the ecosystem"? Grazing has destroyed entire landscapes by hurting the soil stability. Graze on your own goddamn lands; it's legal there.
May I clarify, I am completely for the legalization of marijuana, and very much against its (or pretty much any other crop's) massive farming on public lands.
Oh, and to somefarmer, when the fuck is grazing "beneficial to the ecosystem"? Grazing has destroyed entire landscapes by hurting the soil stability. Graze on your own goddamn lands; it's legal there.
May I clarify, I am completely for the legalization of marijuana, and very much against its (or pretty much any other crop's) massive farming on public lands.
35
@20:
You did a much better job of just straight owning Jeff than Zoroastronomer did. Nonetheless, I agree with you both. The analogy was so patently and obviously stupid that I can't even believe Jeff attempted to make it. I think it was one of those stupid things people say just to piss other people off. He was probably getting off being a snarky little internet bitch though, so I'd cut him some slack.
Anyway, moving on to the serious issues, (I think?): LC wants to convert Capitol Hill to government marijuana farming. This proposal would cost the government literally billions of dollars in "just compensation" for these takings. This is because, at assessed value, Capitol Hill is some of the most valuable real estate in the entire state. Does LC want to help pay for these takings? Of course not. LC's not thinking shit through for a second.
We don't need to convert anyone's land for marijuana cultivation by eminent domain. Marijuana can be a lucrative crop for all farmers, and it's best we stop wasting billions in tax burden and get the fucking government out of this market. Now if marijuana could actually hurt a person, or if it were addictive, or something like that, I could entertain the prohibitionists' argument. But it's neither of those things. Marijuana actually has the potential to save lives.
Most Americans are, at the very least, moving this direction, that is, if they're not there already.
Game's over; we'll see legalization in our lifetime, most certainly. It's just too expensive and ridiculous not to at this point.
(Hint: Click the links. Expand your perception.)
More...
You did a much better job of just straight owning Jeff than Zoroastronomer did. Nonetheless, I agree with you both. The analogy was so patently and obviously stupid that I can't even believe Jeff attempted to make it. I think it was one of those stupid things people say just to piss other people off. He was probably getting off being a snarky little internet bitch though, so I'd cut him some slack.
Anyway, moving on to the serious issues, (I think?): LC wants to convert Capitol Hill to government marijuana farming. This proposal would cost the government literally billions of dollars in "just compensation" for these takings. This is because, at assessed value, Capitol Hill is some of the most valuable real estate in the entire state. Does LC want to help pay for these takings? Of course not. LC's not thinking shit through for a second.
We don't need to convert anyone's land for marijuana cultivation by eminent domain. Marijuana can be a lucrative crop for all farmers, and it's best we stop wasting billions in tax burden and get the fucking government out of this market. Now if marijuana could actually hurt a person, or if it were addictive, or something like that, I could entertain the prohibitionists' argument. But it's neither of those things. Marijuana actually has the potential to save lives.
Most Americans are, at the very least, moving this direction, that is, if they're not there already.
Game's over; we'll see legalization in our lifetime, most certainly. It's just too expensive and ridiculous not to at this point.
(Hint: Click the links. Expand your perception.)
36
Yes - and until they can grow it on farms the pot growers can stop taking water from irrigation districts that other people have to pay for. They can also stop threatening rangers and hikers that wander onto their “turf”. By the way, to the uninformed individual trashing ranchers; before human settlements came along grazing that involved large herds was natural and the crap they left behind was essential for anything to grow. A lot of crap is still needed for anything to grow. Do you have any idea what “damage” wild buffalo herds used to do? City dwellers really do make asses of themselves when they exaggerate the wrongs of rural folk, nag about them, then eat all the food they produce. Grow your own with your own funds, get your own water to do it, stop your own damned polluting and educate yourselves! By the way if more urban people would bother to get to know rural people they would be surprised how many share some of their progressive values like legalizing pot.
37
@36- You've got a very good point. Grasslands exist in symbiosis with grazing animals.
BUT cattle ranching can be terrible for a patch of grassland if done wrong. Rural people aren't always wise stewards of the land, and agribusiness is often very short-sighted.
BUT cattle ranching can be terrible for a patch of grassland if done wrong. Rural people aren't always wise stewards of the land, and agribusiness is often very short-sighted.
38
#37 - BUT they often are good stewards and many city folk are ignorant of that fact. As for agribusiness, it would not be the monster that it is if so many city folk, hipsters included, did not insist on the cheap crap they eat every day. If we want good stewardship of the land we need to pay for it. It is not cheap, nor should it be. As for agriculture in Kittitas County...Timothy hay. Millions of dollars worth is sent out of our port every year. We profit, so do they and it takes lots of water to grow. Pot growers need to get in line for it like everyone else who wants to farm on the eastside. Legalize pot then they can get in line.
39
But our corporate run government does not want marijuana to be legalized. Our founding fathers would fine people for NOT growing the stuff, as it was seen as such a valuable commodity. If pot were legalized, we could make lots of stuff out of this most fibrous plant. Not to mention the potential for biofuels. Ever notice how long a seed will pour out a stream of smoke? Making marijuana legal would lead to making growing industrial hemp legal, and the lumber corporations and the oil corporations and the tobacco corporations don't want the competition!
40
Yeah well, at this point enough people do want it legalized that they can get it done. However, the way some growers are going about it is not making the issue any easier. And please cut the corporate run government speeches. It has become the lefty excuse for being lame about dealing with our collective problems. Yes, we know, corporate influence in government is more often negative than not. Now if people want pot legalized then they should get to work legalizing it, they just need to be smarter than the average stoner about it.
41
Oh, and if pot is legalized, which I'm all for, where's our guarantee that corporations won't make it into the new cash crop just like corn, subsidized with unwilling taxpayers money. After all the only people I know who consume large quantities of really crappy corn chips are stoners. That would be a match made in heaven for agribusiness; subsidized pot and corn for the munchies it creates.
42
curisp - I am a montnly donor to MPP - an organization that is actually making progress towards the legalization of marijuana. Are you?
I am firm in my belief that if EVERYONE who believes pot should be legalized put pressure on their elected govt. officials, it would be done much sooner rather than later.
And you can't deny the influence of monied corporations on our govt.
I am firm in my belief that if EVERYONE who believes pot should be legalized put pressure on their elected govt. officials, it would be done much sooner rather than later.
And you can't deny the influence of monied corporations on our govt.
43
LC! Don't be so willfully ignorant! You know full well us hedons will NOT be sticking around to do any actual "work" - that's pretty obvious from our Mindless-Pursuit-of-Pleasure lifestyle. That's why we looooooooooove illegal drugs! Because all we have to do is go see a guy, and he usually lives in the neighborhood. I don't wanna get dirt under my fingernails JUST because I also want to get high.
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