HIGHLY POTENT NEWS THAT MIGHT CHANGE YOUR VIEWS

victories

Nevada Republican Party Passes Anti-NDAA Resolution, Calls on State to Intervene

by Dan Johnson
P.A.N.D.A. People Against The NDAA
Apr 15, 2014

LAS VEGAS – We are pleased to report the the Republican Party of Nevada passed a “Resolution Affirming The Right Of Due Process Of The People,” opposing the detention provisions in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) at their state convention over the weekend. Resolution G109 condemns the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the law of war, and even calls on the state legislature to take steps to block the aforementioned from being applied in their state.


VIDEO — Historic! Feds Surrender to American Citizens

Conscious Life News
Apr 13, 2014

http://youtu.be/bD61YFxUga4

Heavily armed cowboys celebrate victory over federal agents who backed down after being surrounded by militia demanding the return of Cliven Bundy’s cattle. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) retreated from its standoff with Bundy and his militia after attempting to forcibly capture nearly 1,000 of his cattle. The militia demanded the animals’ return to rancher Cliven Bundy. Some protesters were armed with handguns and rifles.

Read more: Heavily armed cowboys celebrate victory over federal agents who back down after being surrounded by militia demanding the return of ranchers cattle in modern-day ‘range war’

[related:


VIDEO — Good News Next Week – #NewWorldNextWeek

New World  Next Week
Apr 3, 2014

Welcome to http://NewWorldNextWeek.com — the video series from Corbett Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news.

http://youtu.be/QyxDtJilFVM

This week:

Monsanto’s ‘Healthier Environment’ Ads Banned in South Africa
http://ur1.ca/gz5ki

South Africans Erase Bad Credit History
http://ur1.ca/gz5kq

China Destroys Illegal GMO Crop Trials on Hainan Island
http://ur1.ca/gz5kt

Brazil Looks to Ban Monsanto’s Roundup, Other Toxicity Risks
http://ur1.ca/gz5l0

GMO Cultivation Declines in Developed Nations for First Time in 18 Years
http://ur1.ca/gz5l3

Volunteer Gardeners Help Texas Community Garden Grow
http://ur1.ca/gz5l7

Open Sourcing the Food, Nutrition, and Supplement Industries
http://ur1.ca/gz5l9

Team of Scientists Release ‘Global Warming’ Counter Report
http://ur1.ca/gz5ld

Japan Told to Halt Antarctic Whaling by International Court
http://ur1.ca/gz5lh

Texas Researcher: Peaches Inhibit Breast Cancer Metastasis in Mice
http://ur1.ca/gz5lm

Deaf 40-Year-Old Woman Hears Sound for First Time
http://ur1.ca/gz5lu

Study Shows We Work Harder If We’re Given Chocolate
http://ur1.ca/gz5lx

American University Students Walk Out on ‘War Criminal’ Cheney
http://ur1.ca/gz5m1

In Thailand, A New Kind of Protest
http://ur1.ca/gz5ma

Dotcom Launches Internet Party
http://ur1.ca/gz5mi

Kim Kardashian Goes Political re: Armenian Genocide
http://ur1.ca/gz5mm

From Zionism to Peace Activism
http://ur1.ca/gz5mt

13 Wisconsin Cities Vote YES to Overturning Citizens United
http://ur1.ca/gz5n6

R**skins Owner Dan Snyder Ridiculed by Native Leader for Promise of Aid
http://ur1.ca/gz5nd

Sen. Harry Reid Predicts R**skins Name Changes Within Three Years
http://ur1.ca/gz5nj

F.C.C. to Free Airwaves for Wi-Fi and Wireless Broadband
http://ur1.ca/gz5np

Visit http://NewWorldNextWeek.com to get previous episodes in various formats to download, burn and share. And as always, stay up-to-date by subscribing to the feeds from Corbett Report http://ur1.ca/39obd and Media Monarchy http://ur1.ca/kuec Thank you.

Previous Episode: Pedophiles, Drugs and Money in the New World Order
http://youtu.be/Fdpe2hBCsyQ


Little City, Big Heart: Middleton, ID Unanimously Bans NDAA Indefinite Detention

by Dan Johnson
P.A.N.D.A. People Against The NDAA
Mar 26, 2014

MIDDLETON, ID – In a unanimous vote of 4-0, the Middleton, Idaho city council banned the application of the NDAA and the laws of war within their city. With the passage of the Middleton resolution, 5 cities have now stood for the Constitutional rights of their people.

What’s unique about this win though, is the sincerity and quick action of the council. Middleton is a little city, with a big heart.

The 2012 NDAA, or National Defense Authorization Act, contains two provisions, sections 1021 and 1022, which violate over 14 provisions of the U.S. Constitution. These sections, known as the detention provisions, allow for the indefinite military detention of any person, including an American citizen, without charge or trial. Further, they allow for the extrajudicial execution, torture, and rendition of any person held in military custody, as well as the lockdown of American cities under military control.

Middleton joins Albany, NY, Webster and Oxford, MA, Gem County, and Emmett, ID in declaring their city is not a battlefield, not subject to the laws of war and no person will:

“arrest or capture any person in Middleton, or citizen of Middleton within the United States, with the intent of “detention under the law of war,” or

actually subject a person in Middleton to “disposition under the law of war,” or

subject any person to targeted killing in Middleton, or citizen of Middleton within the United States”

[…CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE]

MIDDLETON, ID – In a unanimous vote of 4-0, the Middleton, Idaho city council banned the application of the NDAA and the laws of war within their city. With the passage of the Middleton resolution, 5 cities have now stood for the Constitutional rights of their people.

What’s unique about this win though, is the sincerity and quick action of the council. Middleton is a little city, with a big heart.

The 2012 NDAA, or National Defense Authorization Act, contains two provisions, sections 1021 and 1022, which violate over 14 provisions of the U.S. Constitution. These sections, known as the detention provisions, allow for the indefinite military detention of any person, including an American citizen, without charge or trial. Further, they allow for the extrajudicial execution, torture, and rendition of any person held in military custody, as well as the lockdown of American cities under military control.

Middleton joins Albany, NY, Webster and Oxford, MA, Gem County, and Emmett, ID in declaring their city is not a battlefield, not subject to the laws of war and no person will:

“arrest or capture any person in Middleton, or citizen of Middleton within the United States, with the intent of “detention under the law of war,” or

actually subject a person in Middleton to “disposition under the law of war,” or

subject any person to targeted killing in Middleton, or citizen of Middleton within the United States”

PANDA Idaho’s Jason Casella noted:

“Panda Idaho would like to congratulate the great people of Middleton who have now become the second city in Idaho to block indefinite detention and laws of war. They have elected a fine group to represent them. I have been to a lot of city council meetings and have never seen one so efficient and detail oriented. The people applaud Middleton’s council for honoring their oath and doing so with no reservations.”

As Jason said, the city council of Middleton deserves some special recognition. In most cities and counties, including all of the above, the NDAA Resistance had to apply massive pressure to get anything passed.

In Middleton, it was different. Thanks to the behind-the scenes work of Councilor Lenny Riccio, when the Resistance presented the Restoring Constitutional Governance Resolution for their consideration, the council did not hesitate. They understood their oaths, acting from their hearts. Without a word, and with only three citizens in the chambers asking them to defend the rights of their people, the council did not hesitate.

Acting on one accord, after less than 10 minutes of discussion, the Middleton City Council passed the RCGR unanimously on Wednesday.

PLEASE take the time with us to thank one of the city council members or mayor of Middleton for their relentless dedication to liberty:

Mayor Darin Taylor:
dtaylor@middletonidaho.us

Rob Kiser:
Rkiser@middletoncity.com

Carrie Huggins:
Chuggins@middletoncity.com

Brad Spencer
Bspencer@middletoncity.com

Lenny Riccio
Lriccio@middletoncity.com

The NDAA Resistance is rising. 6 jurisdictions have already banned the NDAA/laws of war from their area. Yours could be next. Get started, and get expert help, for your community HERE: http://pandaunite.org/takeback/

DONATE to help support these efforts across the country: http://pandaunite.org/donate

###

Dan Johnson is the Founder and National Director of People Against the NDAA. Invite him to speak to your group here: https://pandaunite.org/aboutus/contactus/
Read more at http://pandaunite.org/ndaa-little-city-big-heart-middleton-id-unanimously-bans-ndaa-indefinite-detention/#417QOlSqAqCUA6PI.99

MIDDLETON, ID – In a unanimous vote of 4-0, the Middleton, Idaho city council banned the application of the NDAA and the laws of war within their city. With the passage of the Middleton resolution, 5 cities have now stood for the Constitutional rights of their people.

What’s unique about this win though, is the sincerity and quick action of the council. Middleton is a little city, with a big heart.

The 2012 NDAA, or National Defense Authorization Act, contains two provisions, sections 1021 and 1022, which violate over 14 provisions of the U.S. Constitution. These sections, known as the detention provisions, allow for the indefinite military detention of any person, including an American citizen, without charge or trial. Further, they allow for the extrajudicial execution, torture, and rendition of any person held in military custody, as well as the lockdown of American cities under military control.

Middleton joins Albany, NY, Webster and Oxford, MA, Gem County, and Emmett, ID in declaring their city is not a battlefield, not subject to the laws of war and no person will:

“arrest or capture any person in Middleton, or citizen of Middleton within the United States, with the intent of “detention under the law of war,” or

actually subject a person in Middleton to “disposition under the law of war,” or

subject any person to targeted killing in Middleton, or citizen of Middleton within the United States”

PANDA Idaho’s Jason Casella noted:

“Panda Idaho would like to congratulate the great people of Middleton who have now become the second city in Idaho to block indefinite detention and laws of war. They have elected a fine group to represent them. I have been to a lot of city council meetings and have never seen one so efficient and detail oriented. The people applaud Middleton’s council for honoring their oath and doing so with no reservations.”

As Jason said, the city council of Middleton deserves some special recognition. In most cities and counties, including all of the above, the NDAA Resistance had to apply massive pressure to get anything passed.

In Middleton, it was different. Thanks to the behind-the scenes work of Councilor Lenny Riccio, when the Resistance presented the Restoring Constitutional Governance Resolution for their consideration, the council did not hesitate. They understood their oaths, acting from their hearts. Without a word, and with only three citizens in the chambers asking them to defend the rights of their people, the council did not hesitate.

Acting on one accord, after less than 10 minutes of discussion, the Middleton City Council passed the RCGR unanimously on Wednesday.

PLEASE take the time with us to thank one of the city council members or mayor of Middleton for their relentless dedication to liberty:

Mayor Darin Taylor:
dtaylor@middletonidaho.us

Rob Kiser:
Rkiser@middletoncity.com

Carrie Huggins:
Chuggins@middletoncity.com

Brad Spencer
Bspencer@middletoncity.com

Lenny Riccio
Lriccio@middletoncity.com

The NDAA Resistance is rising. 6 jurisdictions have already banned the NDAA/laws of war from their area. Yours could be next. Get started, and get expert help, for your community HERE: http://pandaunite.org/takeback/

DONATE to help support these efforts across the country: http://pandaunite.org/donate

###

Dan Johnson is the Founder and National Director of People Against the NDAA. Invite him to speak to your group here: https://pandaunite.org/aboutus/contactus/
Read more at http://pandaunite.org/ndaa-little-city-big-heart-middleton-id-unanimously-bans-ndaa-indefinite-detention/#417QOlSqAqCUA6PI.99

MIDDLETON, ID – In a unanimous vote of 4-0, the Middleton, Idaho city council banned the application of the NDAA and the laws of war within their city. With the passage of the Middleton resolution, 5 cities have now stood for the Constitutional rights of their people.

What’s unique about this win though, is the sincerity and quick action of the council. Middleton is a little city, with a big heart.

The 2012 NDAA, or National Defense Authorization Act, contains two provisions, sections 1021 and 1022, which violate over 14 provisions of the U.S. Constitution. These sections, known as the detention provisions, allow for the indefinite military detention of any person, including an American citizen, without charge or trial. Further, they allow for the extrajudicial execution, torture, and rendition of any person held in military custody, as well as the lockdown of American cities under military control.

Middleton joins Albany, NY, Webster and Oxford, MA, Gem County, and Emmett, ID in declaring their city is not a battlefield, not subject to the laws of war and no person will:

“arrest or capture any person in Middleton, or citizen of Middleton within the United States, with the intent of “detention under the law of war,” or

actually subject a person in Middleton to “disposition under the law of war,” or

subject any person to targeted killing in Middleton, or citizen of Middleton within the United States”

PANDA Idaho’s Jason Casella noted:

“Panda Idaho would like to congratulate the great people of Middleton who have now become the second city in Idaho to block indefinite detention and laws of war. They have elected a fine group to represent them. I have been to a lot of city council meetings and have never seen one so efficient and detail oriented. The people applaud Middleton’s council for honoring their oath and doing so with no reservations.”

As Jason said, the city council of Middleton deserves some special recognition. In most cities and counties, including all of the above, the NDAA Resistance had to apply massive pressure to get anything passed.

In Middleton, it was different. Thanks to the behind-the scenes work of Councilor Lenny Riccio, when the Resistance presented the Restoring Constitutional Governance Resolution for their consideration, the council did not hesitate. They understood their oaths, acting from their hearts. Without a word, and with only three citizens in the chambers asking them to defend the rights of their people, the council did not hesitate.

Acting on one accord, after less than 10 minutes of discussion, the Middleton City Council passed the RCGR unanimously on Wednesday.

PLEASE take the time with us to thank one of the city council members or mayor of Middleton for their relentless dedication to liberty:

Mayor Darin Taylor:
dtaylor@middletonidaho.us

Rob Kiser:
Rkiser@middletoncity.com

Carrie Huggins:
Chuggins@middletoncity.com

Brad Spencer
Bspencer@middletoncity.com

Lenny Riccio
Lriccio@middletoncity.com

The NDAA Resistance is rising. 6 jurisdictions have already banned the NDAA/laws of war from their area. Yours could be next. Get started, and get expert help, for your community HERE: http://pandaunite.org/takeback/

DONATE to help support these efforts across the country: http://pandaunite.org/donate

###

Dan Johnson is the Founder and National Director of People Against the NDAA. Invite him to speak to your group here: https://pandaunite.org/aboutus/contactus/
Read more at http://pandaunite.org/ndaa-little-city-big-heart-middleton-id-unanimously-bans-ndaa-indefinite-detention/#417QOlSqAqCUA6PI.99


Oops, I Voted for Liberty: Gem County, ID Defeats NDAA 2-1

by Dan Johnson
P.A.N.D.A. People Against The NDAA
Feb 26, 2014

PANDA NDAA Victory Updates
BOWLING GREEN – In a vote of 2-1, the Gem County, Idaho Commission voted to prohibit the application of the laws of war, including under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, and any similar law or authority, in Gem County.

One commissioner, even, did it on accident.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is an annual Federal law which typically authorizes funding for the armed forces. However, in 2012, two sections, Section 1021 and 1022, were slipped in. These sections authorize the President of the United States to order the military to detain any person, indefinitely, without charge or trial, and apply the laws of war to U.S. soil.

People Against the NDAA (PANDA) has been facilitating local and state level resistance to the 2012 NDAA for over two years. Founded in January 2012, PANDA has introduced or pushed over 18 pieces of state legislation, including 2014 legislation in Arizona, Idaho, and Wyoming. On the local level, PANDA has helped NDAA Resistance leaders in 4 cities, including the Capitol of New York, prohibit the NDAA’s detention provisions and the laws of war in their city.

When PANDA Idaho showed up with over 40 people to a Gem County, ID Commissioners meeting on Monday, the Chair of the Commission, Carlos Bilbao, ordered over 30 people to leave. PANDA Idaho’s Jason Casella was there:

Concerned and vigilant citizens came to the county commission at 4pm on a Monday leaving work early or completely missing work to ensure their rights are protected. They were blindsided when they showed up in support of the RCG and shuffled into a room upstairs where they could hardly hear what was happening. When citizens informed commissioner Carlos Bilbao that ‘the clerk has an open courtroom and we can use that’ the commissioner responded that “he is in charge, not her.”

In the video below, you can hear muffled complaints from the people in attendance, asking to use the upstairs room, the hallway, or another place where they could meet and still see the meeting in progress. The Commission refused.

After unceremoniously kicking their citizens out of the meeting, the commission debated sending a letter to Congress as well as voting on the resolution. This resolution, drafted by the Patriot Coalition, would go further than a simple letter in that it would recognize the laws of war, including under the NDAA, as unConstitutional and therefore unlawful in their County. This would prohibit its use, and require local, state and Federal law enforcement to prevent its application in Gem County.

Regardless of the actions of the chair, thanks to the leadership of Commissioner Mark Rekow and Jason Casella, the Restoring Constitutional Governance Resolution (RCG) passed 2-1.

The best part?

Chair Bilbao accidentally voted ”yes” on the resolution.

While assuming he was voting on a letter to Congress, Chair Bilbao accidentally voted to pass the RCG Resolution. Toward the end of the video below, you can see him completely confused as to his vote, and, after Jason asks if they voted on the Resolution, he doesn’t realize he voted yes on both. Yet he did, and whether by accident or on purpose, liberty, civil rights, and the unalienable right to a fair trial will take hold in Gem County, Idaho.

By passing the RCG Resolution, Gem County, Idaho become the first county in the nation to completely ban the laws of war, including the NDAA, in its jurisdiction. PANDA Idaho’s Jason Casella noted:

“I want to thank all of the great citizens of gem counting for acting on the issue and making the sacrifice to be at the courthouse on a Monday afternoon.”

There are many things coming down the pipeline as the national security state, and the militarization of America, continues. But when it comes to the NDAA, 2 years of concentrated effort is starting to pay off.

Albany, NY – Oct 7th, 2013
Oxford, MA – Oct 9th, 2013
Webster, MA – Oct 21st, 2013
Emmett, ID – Dec 17th, 2013
Gem County, ID – February 24th, 2014

On this issue, at least, the tide has turned in our favor.

PANDA Idaho is working with citizens in over 10 cities and counties in the state to defeat the NDAA at a local level, while over 60 cities are considering it nationwide. Grab your packet and start taking back your county/city HERE: http://pandaunite.org/takeback/

DONATE and support the 2014 Take Back Tour to help us take this message across the nation, and ensure more victories like this in the future: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/panda-take-back-concert-tour/x/6276168

PANDA NDAA Victory Updates

BOWLING GREEN – In a vote of 2-1, the Gem County, Idaho Commission voted to prohibit the application of the laws of war, including under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, and any similar law or authority, in Gem County.

One commissioner, even, did it on accident.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is an annual Federal law which typically authorizes funding for the armed forces. However, in 2012, two sections, Section 1021 and 1022, were slipped in. These sections authorize the President of the United States to order the military to detain any person, indefinitely, without charge or trial, and apply the laws of war to U.S. soil.

People Against the NDAA (PANDA) has been facilitating local and state level resistance to the 2012 NDAA for over two years. Founded in January 2012, PANDA has introduced or pushed over 18 pieces of state legislation, including 2014 legislation in Arizona, Idaho, and Wyoming. On the local level, PANDA has helped NDAA Resistance leaders in 4 cities, including the Capitol of New York, prohibit the NDAA’s detention provisions and the laws of war in their city.

When PANDA Idaho showed up with over 40 people to a Gem County, ID Commissioners meeting on Monday, the Chair of the Commission, Carlos Bilbao, ordered over 30 people to leave. PANDA Idaho’s Jason Casella was there:

Concerned and vigilant citizens came to the county commission at 4pm on a Monday leaving work early or completely missing work to ensure their rights are protected. They were blindsided when they showed up in support of the RCG and shuffled into a room upstairs where they could hardly hear what was happening. When citizens informed commissioner Carlos Bilbao that ‘the clerk has an open courtroom and we can use that’ the commissioner responded that “he is in charge, not her.”

In the video below, you can hear muffled complaints from the people in attendance, asking to use the upstairs room, the hallway, or another place where they could meet and still see the meeting in progress. The Commission refused.

After unceremoniously kicking their citizens out of the meeting, the commission debated sending a letter to Congress as well as voting on the resolution. This resolution, drafted by the Patriot Coalition, would go further than a simple letter in that it would recognize the laws of war, including under the NDAA, as unConstitutional and therefore unlawful in their County. This would prohibit its use, and require local, state and Federal law enforcement to prevent its application in Gem County.

Regardless of the actions of the chair, thanks to the leadership of Commissioner Mark Rekow and Jason Casella, the Restoring Constitutional Governance Resolution (RCG) passed 2-1.

The best part?

Chair Bilbao accidentally voted ”yes” on the resolution.

While assuming he was voting on a letter to Congress, Chair Bilbao accidentally voted to pass the RCG Resolution. Toward the end of the video below, you can see him completely confused as to his vote, and, after Jason asks if they voted on the Resolution, he doesn’t realize he voted yes on both. Yet he did, and whether by accident or on purpose, liberty, civil rights, and the unalienable right to a fair trial will take hold in Gem County, Idaho.

By passing the RCG Resolution, Gem County, Idaho become the first county in the nation to completely ban the laws of war, including the NDAA, in its jurisdiction. PANDA Idaho’s Jason Casella noted:

“I want to thank all of the great citizens of gem counting for acting on the issue and making the sacrifice to be at the courthouse on a Monday afternoon.”

There are many things coming down the pipeline as the national security state, and the militarization of America, continues. But when it comes to the NDAA, 2 years of concentrated effort is starting to pay off.

Albany, NY – Oct 7th, 2013
Oxford, MA – Oct 9th, 2013
Webster, MA – Oct 21st, 2013
Emmett, ID – Dec 17th, 2013
Gem County, ID – February 24th, 2014

On this issue, at least, the tide has turned in our favor.

PANDA Idaho is working with citizens in over 10 cities and counties in the state to defeat the NDAA at a local level, while over 60 cities are considering it nationwide. Grab your packet and start taking back your county/city HERE: http://pandaunite.org/takeback/

DONATE and support the 2014 Take Back Tour to help us take this message across the nation, and ensure more victories like this in the future: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/panda-take-back-concert-tour/x/6276168

Read more at http://pandaunite.org/ndaa-oops-i-voted-for-liberty-gem-county-id-defeats-ndaa-2-1/#EYrdgLTKEWzXqjrM.99


​US announces early release plan for nonviolent, low-level drug offenders

RT USA
Jan 30, 2014

Andrew Burton / Getty Images / AFP

The Obama administration announced Thursday a new clemency effort that encourages defense lawyers to refer to the Department of Justice low-level, nonviolent drug offenders for early release from federal prisons.

Speaking before the New York State Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section, Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole unveiled the plan that seeks to determine possible clemency for inmates whose long-term incarceration “harms our criminal justice system.”

“You each can play a critical role in this process by providing a qualified petitioner – one who has a clean record in prison, does not present a threat to public safety, and who is facing a life or near-life sentence that is excessive under current law – with the opportunity to get a fresh start,” Cole said.

In addition, the US Bureau of Prisons will begin informing such low-level, nonviolent drug offenders of the opportunity to apply for early release, Cole said.

The announcement follows other initiatives and statements regarding prison reform made recently by top officials. Attorney General Eric Holder said in August that the same type of low-level drug offenders, with no ties to gangs or major drug trafficking organizations, would no longer be charged with certain offenses that instituted harsh mandatory sentences.

President Obama followed Holder in December with the commutation of sentences of eight inmates serving extensive terms in prison for crack cocaine convictions. All of the eight – recommended by the Justice Department – had served at least 15 years in jail and had been convicted before the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act, which was passed in effort to close large sentencing disparities between those convicted for crack and those for powder cocaine crimes.

Obama said at the time those eight inmates would have received shorter sentences had the law existed when they were convicted, adding some would have already served their time by then.

Cole said the Justice Department would like to send more of those kind of cases to the White House.

“The president’s grant of commutations for these eight individuals is only a first step,” he said. “There are more low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who remain in prison, and who would likely have received a substantially lower sentence if convicted of precisely the same offenses today.”

Cole did not specify how many candidates the White House will consider in the clemency program, though there are currently thousands of inmates serving time in federal prison for just crack cocaine crimes.

The Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney is in charge of advising the White House on the merits of specific cases.

Cost savings is a residual benefit of the commutations for such low-level offenders. Holder, testifying before a Senate committee Wednesday, said federal prison costs make up one-third of the Justice Department budget, amounting to “a growing and potentially very dangerous problem.”

The total cost for incarcerating federal prisoners in 2010 came to US$80 billion. The federal prison population has shot up by 800 percent since 1980, and prisons are operating at 40 percent over capacity, according to the Justice Department.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee also advanced the Smarter Sentencing Act, which would reform mandatory minimum statutes. The new bill would shorten sentences and give judges more leeway to use their own discretion during sentencing. In addition, the legislation would allow inmates to return to court to seek sentences pursuant to the Fair Sentencing Act.


VIDEO — Shop Owners- Colorado Marijuana Sales Surpass $1 Million On First Day

Before It’s News
Jan 3, 2013

[CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO]

Huff Post

Call it “Green Wednesday.”

Pot shop owners in Colorado claim they made over $1 million in sales statewide on the first day of legalized recreational marijuana sales alone, according to Denver’s 9News. Nationwide, the legalized pot industry is expected to bring in a reported $2.34 billion in 2014, including both medical and recreational sales.

Most of the 24 shops that opened Wednesday were in Denver. Owners in the city expressed concern about taking in large amount of cash, since federal banking regulations currently prohibit banks from working with the marijuana industry while the drug remains classified as illegal by the federal government.

“We all know this needs to be fixed because there is not one good reason why these businesses are not allowed to have banking accounts — only bad reasons: security concerns and accountability concerns,” Mike Elliott, executive director of the trade association Medical Marijuana Industry Group, told KDVR.

solution may soon be reached, but while the industry grapples with how to handle its cash, Colorado is banking on pot: with an eighth of an ounce currently selling between $35 and $70 after taxes, the state estimates that the retail marijuana industry will bring in $67 million in tax revenue.

The first $40 million generated by the state excise tax is dedicated to school construction, and the rest is slated for marijuana regulation.

Read More HERE

Source: http://truthisscary.com/2014/01/video-shop-owners-colorado-marijuana-sales-surpass-1-million-on-first-day/

[related: History: First Legal Marijuana Shops Open in Colorado Jan 1]