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The Michael Phelps Witch Hunt Gets Surreal
Earlier this week, Jacob Sullum noted that the Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff's Department went out and arrested eight people on marijuana charges allegedly associated with the now-famous bong photo of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.
Attorneys for two of those eight are now speaking out about how they were arrested.
“He’s sitting there on Saturday, and 12 cops kick in the door with guns drawn, search the house, and find 5, maybe 6 grams of pot,” Harpootlian said about his client, who was arrested in the first raid at the Wells Point Drive home near Ballentine.
“They never asked him, ‘Who sold you the pot?’” Harpootlian continued. “They were asking, ‘Were you at the party with Michael Phelps? Did you see him using marijuana?’ It was all about Michael Phelps.”
The charges resulted from Saturday’s raids and are not connected to the November party that Phelps attended.
Harpootlian, the former top prosecutor for Richland and Kershaw counties, and McCulloch contend Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott is conducting an overzealous investigation of their clients to try to get evidence against Phelps.
“The sheriff’s department is deploying resources they are normally reserving for major drug dealers and major criminals,” said McCulloch, also a former prosecutor...
Harpootlian said his client, whom he noted is on leave from USC, is “scared” because of the enormous publicity surrounding Phelps.
“He’s being treated more harshly than any kid anywhere in the country,” Harpootlian said. “The only reefer madness is being done at the sheriff’s department.”
According to Harpootlian and McCulloch, police seized four laptop computers, a desktop computer, a computer storage drive and a cell phone, mostly to search for incriminating photos of Phelps.
I guess they can at least be thankful Sheriff Leon Lott didn't send his tank.
Another glorious moment in America's drug war.
|2.13.09 @ 3:19PM|#
Rolling Stone cover: Phelps crucified on a cross of ganja, the wound in his side weeping hash oil.
|2.13.09 @ 3:20PM|#
I've fallen into a rabbit-hole. That must be it.
Today I had a day-mare about having my child removed from my
custody because I allowed to go outside and play, and she broke an
arm, and I was hauled in for child abuse because I did not take her
to a government approved playground.
Am I just paranoid, or are we headed down that road?
|2.13.09 @ 3:27PM|#
I'm just waiting for the Congressional perjury charges to be brought against Phelps for not disclosing his "doping" at the White House congratulations ceremony for being the best-goddamned-olypmic-athelete-ever. I mean, Tejada and his batball are so integral to the fabric of our nation, we need to stand this Phelps guy up and knock him down hard, for NationalSecurity's sake, ya know.
NeonCat|2.13.09 @ 3:30PM|#
Seriously, what's this asshole sheriff's problem? Is he shocked, *shocked* that pot smoking happens in his county? Is it because Phelps was in town and didn't drop by the station to sign autographs?
|2.13.09 @ 3:31PM|#
Well? What's it going to be? Will this be too far? Will people finally say enough over this? Or will "we've got to butt fuck Phelps for the children" be generally accepted?
guy in the back row|2.13.09 @ 3:32PM|#
What's the fun of being rich and famous if you can't do drugs and anonymous women? Really, what's the point?
|2.13.09 @ 3:34PM|#
Is Lott hoping to get praise, medals of honor and a book deal out of this? These are tremendous lengths to go to over a bong hit.
MAX HATS|2.13.09 @ 3:37PM|#
Seriously, what's this asshole sheriff's problem? Is he shocked, *shocked* that pot smoking happens in his county? Is it because Phelps was in town and didn't drop by the station to sign autographs?
The sheriff wants to be famous. No one ends up in national
newspapers as a ridiculously over the top "tough on crime" sheriff
twice. My guess is he's either angling for a job providing color
commentary to FOX's Greatest Police Shootings, or a political
career.
|2.13.09 @ 3:39PM|#
@Warren: based on Lott's resume, "we've got to butt fuck
Phelps for the children" seems to be his M.O.
The success that the Department has had in the community since that time can be measured by the civic and community oriented boards and committees that have asked for Sheriff Lott's participation, to wit:
...
* D.A.R.E. America - Board of Directors
* Fight Crime- Invest in Kids - Advisory Committee, Washington, DC
* Cooperative Ministry - Advisory Board
* Communities in Schools - Advisory Board
* Boy Scouts of America - Indian Waters Council - Board of Directors
* SC Public Safety Coordinating Council - Chairman
...
* American Heart Association - Industry Leader Division
* March of Dimes - Luxury Lockup - Chairman
* American Red Cross - Division Chair
* SC Center for Family Policy - Board of Directors
* SC Council for Conflict Resolution - Advisory Council
...
* Special Olympics - Board of Directors
* National Safety Council
* National Federation for the Blind
...
* SC Military Department - Colonel - Provost Marshal
* American Legion Post 6 - Commander - S.A.L.
* Retired Military Police Association
* Employee Support for Guard and Reserve - Board of Directors
* Association of the United States Army - Palmetto State Chapter
...
* 2004 "SC Sheriff of the Year"
* 2004 "Strom Thurmond Award of Excellence in Law Enforcement"
* 2004 SC Law Enforcement Officers' Association - "Toughest Cop"
* 2004 SC Vocational Rehabilitation Association - "Citation for Individual Contributions" (accessibility rights for people with disabilities)
* 2002 Palmetto Pride (SC Governor's Beautification and Litter Control Program) - "Outstanding Leadership in Litter Enforcement"
* 2002 SC Victim Assistance Network - "Silver Scales of Justice"
...
* 2001 Martin Luther King, Jr. - "Drum Major for Justice Award"
...
* 2000 SC Association of School Resource Officers - "President's Award"
* 2000 SC Association of Crime Prevention Officers - "Administrator of the Year"
* 1999 "Carolina's Toughest Cop"
...
MNG|2.13.09 @ 3:39PM|#
""He's sitting there on Saturday, and 12 cops kick in the door
with guns drawn, search the house, and find 5, maybe 6 grams of
pot," Harpootlian said about his client, who was arrested in the
first raid at the Wells Point Drive home near Ballentine."
Dude, if I were in any way connected with the Phelps bong hit,
living in that county, I would abstain for a little while...I
certainly wouldn't have any weed on me or in my house or effects
for a while.
Don't get me wrong, these folks do NOT deserve arrest either way,
these laws are immoral.
The sheriff is something else. It's almost seems like he sees the
fact that someone in his jurisdiction broke the law and that
everyone knows it as some kind of slap in his face that he must
wreck personal vengance.
Porkopolis Maximus|2.13.09 @ 3:44PM|#
Sheriff Leon Lott, what a guy; all the morals of a child molester combined with the brain of a goldfish. Can someone tell me again why its illegal to set people like Lott on fire?
Cabeza De Vaca|2.13.09 @ 3:44PM|#
* 2004 "Strom Thurmond Award of Excellence in Law
Enforcement"
LOL.
|2.13.09 @ 3:44PM|#
Warren, I think this backfires on the prohibitionists. Even some
hardcore evangelical nanny-staters I know are saying this is too
much, and that maybe if Michael Phelps can smoke pot at a party and
win gold medals it could be OK. I hope Phelps takes one for the
team (the charges I mean, no conviction of course) and this blows
open the marijuana is evil myth and we can finally get it
legalized.
My question regarding Phelps is, if he had been proven to be
smoking pot in Amsterdam, would Kellogg's have dropped him? Would
anyone care? I mean, so many people posting on other sites that are
not as angry as we are, think what he did is bad because it's
illegal, not because it's a drug. People seem more concerned that
he broke the law than how. So, if he smoked pot where it is legal,
does this all mean anything? We might be blessed that he smoked pot
in the county of a big time prohibitionist sheriff douchebag.
United Steelworkers of America|2.13.09 @ 3:46PM|#
2002 Palmetto Pride
Keep chasing that rainbow, Sheriff Lott!
|2.13.09 @ 3:47PM|#
RCSD's 1st amendment record:
The Richland County Sheriff's Department is committed to ensuring that its employees perform their duties with professional competence and discipline. The integrity of RCSD is enhanced by open communication between citizens and the department. Therefore, all complaints, whether by citizens or employees, will be accepted and fully investigated. At no time should an RCSD employee discourage, intimidate, or otherwise coerce anyone desiring to file a complaint. However, persons filing false or frivolous reports are subject to criminal prosecution[sic]
Orwell must be pissed he didn't get to witness this. But
rest assured, I'm sure "frivolous" is a well-defined legal
precedent...
|2.13.09 @ 3:48PM|#
* Special Olympics - Board of Directors
That's it! We need to get some Special Olympics Champion to smoke
pot in a dorm room.
|2.13.09 @ 3:49PM|#
For those keeping score at home, people should be aware that Dick Harpootlian is the former head of the SC Democratic Party.
creech|2.13.09 @ 3:55PM|#
Anyone have any extra seeds they can plant in an obscure part of Lott's backyard? Give some grow time and then call the drug police. There's got to be ways to frame jackasses like this.
|2.13.09 @ 3:57PM|#
Dick Harpootlian
*snerk*
I mean, that is one seriously funny name. I can just see the cops
around the station trying to keep a straight face, Life of Brian
style.
|2.13.09 @ 3:57PM|#
"He's sitting there on Saturday, and 12 cops kick in the
door with guns drawn, search the house, and find 5, maybe 6 grams
of pot," Harpootlian said about his client, who was arrested in the
first raid at the Wells Point Drive home near
Ballentine.
So Lott is willing to risk the lives of these kids just to build a
case on the lowest possible drug charge, all because of Phelps
celebrity status? The judge who signed off on these warrants should
be removed from office. What are the odds of any of these guys
being dangerous enough even pretend to justify these tactics?
I'd like to fantasize that this would backfire and make the public
realize how foolish the drug war is, but I've seen too
self-righteous sports parents who think that this is the
"right message" to fool myself.
According to Harpootlian and McCulloch, police seized four
laptop computers, a desktop computer, a computer storage drive and
a cell phone, mostly to search for incriminating photos of
Phelps.
What fucking good would those pictures be? They have the one
infamous shot already, and even that would be worthless absent
Phelp's admission.
I hope the kids didn't have any schoolwork or need to do any on
those computers, because they're never seeing those again.
mark|2.13.09 @ 3:59PM|#
OK I only have enough time to write one well-thought-out letter, so whom shall I write it to?
|2.13.09 @ 4:00PM|#
"He's sitting there on Saturday, and 12 cops kick in the
door with guns drawn, search the house, and find 5, maybe 6
grams of pot,"
See! See what the fraud and scourge known as the "metric system"
hath wrought on our fair land?
|2.13.09 @ 4:01PM|#
What Phelps needs is for a Nobel Prize winner--preferably in something real like physics--to get caught on tape in a similar manner.
|2.13.09 @ 4:03PM|#
I mean, I'm a libertarian and everything, but I've never touched
the stuff myself and still think this is totally insane. I've got
friends with advanced degrees who were major stoners in college and
even in high school. Not to mention the general population here at
Hit & Run.
Stop the madness! Arrest the people in our government--now
that would do some good.
|2.13.09 @ 4:04PM|#
OK I only have enough time to write one well-thought-out letter, so whom shall I write it to?
mark, it better not be to the Richland County Sheriff's Department,
because if they deem it reply to this
Tyler|2.13.09 @ 4:06PM|#
So I guess that the search and seizure is reasonable because of
"Celebrity"
Ask where their search warrant is, they can just say
"Celebrity"
Nothing matters, not rights, not these guys' future, just
"Celebrity"
jtuf|2.13.09 @ 4:06PM|#
For 7 years we had an emergency war on terror. Now we have an emergency effort to save the economy. Yet is all these supposed crises, the government still finded time and money to waste on the drug war.
|2.13.09 @ 4:06PM|#
EDIT:
OK I only have enough time to write one well-thought-out letter, so whom shall I write it to?
mark, it better not be to the Richland County Sheriff's Department,
because if they deem it false or
frivolous, they're coming after your
computers.
Bingo|2.13.09 @ 4:13PM|#
Ruining the lives of college kids to save the children. Seems worth it to me.
Zeb|2.13.09 @ 4:22PM|#
What can actually come out of this (law enforcement-wise, I mean). I am not familiar with the laws of SC, but it seems like 4 kids will pay a $250 fine or something and that's it.
|2.13.09 @ 4:23PM|#
Seriously, what's this asshole sheriff's problem?
He's seriously jealous of Joe Arpaio. He's trying to turn his
county into "Maricopa East".
Or, he's just a limp dick piece-of-shit and this is what he
does.
Justin|2.13.09 @ 4:24PM|#
Prolib:
Francis Crick Discovers DNA on LSD:
http://www.cracked.com/article_16532_5-greatest-things-ever-accomplished-while-high.html
Not a bastion of journalistic integrity, I admit, but still...
Brian Sorgatz|2.13.09 @ 4:29PM|#
Phelps is becoming the Terri Schiavo of marijuana. In each case,
an extreme political faction (pro-life fanatics or drug warriors)
is running amok with opportunistic bullying and
condescension.
I'm not pro-life, but at least I can credit pro-lifers for making
some sophisticated philosophical arguments against abortion and
euthanasia. Marijuana prohibition, on the other hand, can never
make sense to an honest, intelligent person. In this regard, the
Phelps case is the greater outrage of the two.
|2.13.09 @ 4:30PM|#
Phelps should be paying these guys' legal bills. And he should get up on his hind legs and do it openly.
Seitz|2.13.09 @ 4:34PM|#
What fucking good would those pictures be? They have the one
infamous shot already, and even that would be worthless absent
Phelp's admission.
Other pictures may show a bunch of other harmless kids that can be
hassled. Cops gotta make themselves feel big and important somehow,
and kids are far less dangerous than, ya know, actual
criminals.
TB|2.13.09 @ 4:37PM|#
I think a good point is that for all his toking, the guy has the lung capacity of a blue whale! I've never partaken, but how bad a drug can it be. The guy is freakin aquaman.
|2.13.09 @ 4:38PM|#
P Brooks,
Phelps should be paying these guys' legal bills. And he should
get up on his hind legs and do it openly.
It would probably open him up to a criminal conspiracy or witness
tampering charge. They are trying to get those kids to roll on him;
paying for a good legal team could easily be considered a
bribe.
phalkor |2.13.09 @ 4:38PM|#
I'm never going to smoke pot with a famous person as long as I live, the risks outweigh the fringe benefits.
|2.13.09 @ 4:46PM|#
It would probably open him up to a criminal conspiracy or
witness tampering charge.
I don't think it would; there's barely a civil suit anywhere that
doesn't have the insurer paying the defendant's attorney, and
that's not conspiracy or tampering.
Besides, these people are criminal defendants - they can't be made
to testify anyway. Just what evidence is being tampered with.
To be a criminal conspiracy, there has to be some kind of agreement
to do something, you know, criminal. Defending yourself against a
criminal charge is not a crime, so I'm not sure what the conspiracy
would be about.
Ska|2.13.09 @ 4:49PM|#
What if that famous person was Scarlett Johanssen, and she needed to keep her mouth occupied afterwards?
|2.13.09 @ 4:54PM|#
In my libertopia, that sleazy fuck Lott would be the one hauled up on charges for tampering with, i.e., intimidating, witnesses. But that's pretty unlikely.
|2.13.09 @ 4:56PM|#
It's sad that the accountability of government actors seems to be decreasing at all levels of government. The local fools see what the feds get away with and act accordingly.
|2.13.09 @ 4:56PM|#
I wonder- how many unsolved murders are there on the books in Lott's jurisdiction?
bill|2.13.09 @ 5:02PM|#
Those guys are idiots. Everyone in the world knows Phelps was smoking weed at your house. Maybe you should expect a visit by the cops. Sanitize your damn apartment dumbasses.
Nick|2.13.09 @ 5:11PM|#
Way to treat an American hero. He wins 12 Gold Medals for his country and this is how he gets treated? This sheriff needs to be thrown in jail before he ruins anymore lives.
Link Sys da Libertarian Robot|2.13.09 @ 5:11PM|#
Maybe Lott is like a meta dude, he is just pushing the envelope
as far as fucking possible, wondering when people will actually
question this shit. "Maybe they'll care when I get a tank with a 50
caliber machine gun on it...NO!??!?! Damnit, maybe they'll care
when I work my damnedest to arrest Michael fookin
Phelps...(awaiting response)"
Fred Phelps and Michael Phelps...what is the relation?
Jackie Treehorn|2.13.09 @ 5:20PM|#
Wonder how this is going to end up?
http://columbiacitypaper.com/index.php/News-Commentary/Commentary/Sheriff-Lott-should-stop-the-politicking.html
alan|2.13.09 @ 5:41PM|#
mark | February 13, 2009, 3:59pm | #
OK I only have enough time to write one well-thought-out letter, so
whom shall I write it to?
Make it out to Lott. Whittle the edges down on the letter until
they are extra sharp in hope that he may cut himself and die an
excruciatingly painful death.
oat willie|2.13.09 @ 5:48PM|#
That APC of Lott's has a .50 cal and that's all lethal and
stuff. Do you know why the APC is no longer being used by the
military? It's because the armor on the typical M-113 can be "swiss
cheesed" by a .50 cal. It also lacks firing ports for the squad
inside to deploy thier weapons. In other words, the people inside
have to dismount in order to fight. It is not an urban combat
vehicle as Lott will find out if his county ever has to deploy it
for riot control.
It is also a very large financial albatross around any county's
neck and I'm surprised that the citizens put up with the cost and
the intimidation it produces when people in his county have lost
jobs and are being forclosed on.
JB|2.13.09 @ 5:59PM|#
The FBI needs to investigate this sheriff; he is obviously on some sort of extreme narcotic.
|2.13.09 @ 6:02PM|#
That APC of Lott's has a .50 cal
____________________________________________
Really a .50 cal really! I can not think of one time in the past
ten years, or really EVER! that a sheriff or non milt entity would
everneed a .50 cal APC mounted Automatic weapon. It can only be
used against a massive attack, and a .50 cal will swiss cheese just
about anything, and it will go clean through most houses!
MAX HATS|2.13.09 @ 6:14PM|#
Really a .50 cal really! I can not think of one time in the past ten years, or really EVER! that a sheriff or non milt entity would everneed a .50 cal APC mounted Automatic weapon. It can only be used against a massive attack, and a .50 cal will swiss cheese just about anything, and it will go clean through most houses!
It's also extremely hard to aim the first shot well, since you
can't sight down the barrel of a M2 from a turret. Standard
military procedure is to guesstimate on the first burst, then walk
it in on subsequent bursts.
It's nothing but a toy for his personal collection and a way to get
his face on teevee. Sure, he can't use it, but he sure as shit can
buy it on the taxpayers dime. If I lived in his district I'd make
it my life's mission to get his ass fired.
|2.13.09 @ 6:36PM|#
Dunno if this is true, but is was published in The
State, South Carolina's largest newspaper. In the sports
section, no less.
The latest FBI statistics show violent-crime rates for Columbia - part of Richland County - were nearly three times higher than the national average and nearly twice as high as those for the state. For purposes of comparison, the only jurisdiction with a higher violent crime rate than South Carolina was Washington, D.C.
Priorities, you retarded piece of used buttwipe, priorities.
Hank|2.13.09 @ 6:46PM|#
According to the sheriff department's own Web site, Richland County has approximately 55 unsolved homicides going back several decades.
Douglas Gray|2.13.09 @ 7:08PM|#
Hank,
Didn't you know that Marijuana can be a gateway drug to
murder?
Seriously, in these days of declining tax revenues, is this a good
use of tax dollars, paying these sheriffs for such trivial
stuff?
|2.13.09 @ 7:10PM|#
A couple of questions for the sons and daughters of the South
-
1) Do you get irritated by other Americans looking down their nose
at you, joking that you are all a bunch of ignorant yokels?
2) What are the odds of Leon Lott getting re-elected as
sheriff?
As you can see, the questions are somewhat related.
|2.13.09 @ 7:12PM|#
J sub D, and I was about to wildly applaud The State for its incredibly smooth switch between journalistic reserve and provocative bitch slap.
|2.13.09 @ 7:36PM|#
* 2004 "Strom Thurmond Award of Excellence in Law
Enforcement"
Is that for making twice your quota of "driving while black"
arrests?
-jcr
jk|2.13.09 @ 9:32PM|#
I'm not going to participate in this survey myself, I don't live
in his jurisdiction.
But if you feel inclined, the sheriff as an open, fill-in-the-blank
web form for this question:
4. If you don't feel safe, what can the Sheriff's Department do
to make your community safer?
Place your answer here:
http://www.rcsd.net/survey1.htm
|2.13.09 @ 9:43PM|#
"He's being treated more harshly than any kid anywhere in the
country," Harpootlian said"
Ignorance is bliss
Pablo Escobar|2.13.09 @ 9:51PM|#
I share the author's attitude toward the enforcement of the law.
Why breaking t6he law is patriotic, especially if one can indulge
oneself to the fullest. Laws after all are only for the little
people.
Why in fact obey or recognize the rle of law at all? After all do
you not wish the free sale of drugs? Do you not wish to exercise
your freedom and rights just as we do here in Cali?
And I wish to thank my partners that facilitate the drug trade. It
demonstrates the full meaning of what libertarians cherish.
economist|2.13.09 @ 9:57PM|#
Holy crap, I expected the Michael Phelps deal to blow over.
Apparently not.
Pablo Escobar,
Screw off.
alan|2.13.09 @ 10:19PM|#
J sub D | February 13, 2009, 7:10pm | #
A couple of questions for the sons and daughters of the South
-
1) Do you get irritated by other Americans looking down their nose
at you, joking that you are all a bunch of ignorant yokels?
2) What are the odds of Leon Lott getting re-elected as
sheriff?
As you can see, the questions are somewhat related.
Dude, do you really want to play that game? I'll see you a Leon
Lott and raise you an Eliot Spitzer. What's this other card? A
Michael Bloomberg, maybe?
economist|2.13.09 @ 10:54PM|#
alan,
I think J sub D lives in Detroit.
Not that that's much better. B
But it's not New York.
Pablo Escobar|2.13.09 @ 11:25PM|#
Economist:
So jealous of you of J sub D and his luxury double wide eh?
Please do advise of what your next order will be the usual cocaine
or the heroin?
The sons of Detroit and Wayne County have much to be proud of, why
their mayor was a proponent of yours and free drug use. It must be
a proud thing to have such a shinning example. I do pay hommage to
such as you.
And remember no checks or credit cards accepted.
alan|2.13.09 @ 11:58PM|#
economist | February 13, 2009, 10:54pm | #
alan,
I think J sub D lives in Detroit.
Not that that's much better. B
But it's not New York.
And I don't live in South Carolina. As you know we kicked that
Shelbyville of a state down the road because they refused to abide
by our laws banning first cousin marriages.
JsubD made it a regional matter so any state North of Maryland
would have done as an example. I don't know many politicians from
Michigan except for Dingel and Kwame, wait, wtf, there is a huge
Reb history up Michigan way.
alan|2.14.09 @ 12:10AM|#
New York was on my mind though because they may have the
strictest drug laws in the country, and the recent matter
concerning salt does not inspire confidence in the enlightenment of
their leaders.
Detroit, huh? Kid Rock, Ted Nugent, Meg and Jack White, Eminem --
I'm going to assume JsubD faux culture war was a well played
tounge'n'cheeky bit of irony.
Marion Barry|2.14.09 @ 12:21AM|#
J sub D:
Well Columbia has about one tenth the murder rate of DC and about 8
per cent of Detroits. Guess Southerners need to be taught a good
lesson about how to kill people. Why in DC we can't solve murders
because there are so many. Heck we don't even bother to enforce our
drug laws, much less bother with tax collection.
That's why the Kennedies love DC, they can wallow in blow up to
their necks.
Y'all come down and visit in DC. Sniff, sniff, its got the best
blow in the North. Just ask Teddy.
alan|2.14.09 @ 12:33AM|#
Before we got the sorry ass Panthers, the 'skins were considered the home team around here.
economist|2.14.09 @ 1:07AM|#
"Please do advise of what your next order will be the usual
cocaine or the heroin?"
Actually, I don't use cocaine or heroine. However, I don't make it
my business to regulate what drugs other people use. Get your facts
straight, you obnoxious little prick.
Naga Sadow|2.14.09 @ 2:43AM|#
Why do I picture Sheriff Lott rolling through the burbs' of Richland County in his "Peacemaker" in search of Phelps? Paranoia?
Pablo Escobar|2.14.09 @ 3:11AM|#
Economist:
Ican understand your need to deny the obvious you ungrateful
cretin. All these years of delivering to your doorstep and this is
the thanks we get? You make it your business to pass judgement on
others you festering gob of hypocrisy. So shoot up. Your comments
are better understood and more easily excused.
Rationalizing evil in the name of civil liberties is so gay. Try to
be more coherent.
BakedPenguin|2.14.09 @ 8:38AM|#
Folks, "Pablo Escobar" is "Thomas Jackson" and "Curious George" a LGFtard Drug Warrior who is too fucking stupid to parse 1) being against the War on Drugs and 2) advocating universal drug usage. Also, he thinks marijuana use = heroin use. This is definitely one troll that deserves starvation, especially since he's been around here long enough to know about constantly changing handles to avoid INCIF.
Mad Max|2.14.09 @ 8:52AM|#
'Phelps is becoming the Terri Schiavo of marijuana.'
I must have missed the part where Terri Schiavo went crashing
through people's doors. It was my understanding that she preferred
a more sedentary lifestyle.
'A couple of questions for the sons and daughters of the South
-
'1) Do you get irritated by other Americans looking down their nose
at you, joking that you are all a bunch of ignorant yokels?'
To be sure, I cringe every time a vice-crusading Southern governor
gets arrested for seeing hookers, or when a Southern governor gets
impeached an removed from office for soliciting bribes. But what
can you expect when Southerners elect action-movie stars to the
governor's mansion? After all, New York, Illinois and California
are quintessentially Southern states.
Sheriff Arpaio is also an embarrassment to Southerners. I wish
Arizona weren't south of the Mason-Dixon.
And the Puritanism is shocking - where do Southern politicians get
off, banning trans fats (like in New York City, which is just next
to Little Rock, Ark) and forbidding fois gras (like in Chicago,
which is just next door to Birmingham, Ala)? What is wrong with
them?
Not to mention the anti-self-defense laws passed in the
Northeastern states of the U.S., which are actually Southern, you
know.
|2.14.09 @ 10:51AM|#
I wish Arizona weren't south of the Mason-Dixon.
Good thing it isn't - the MD line only goes west to the end of
Pennsylvania.
Mad Max|2.14.09 @ 11:02AM|#
domo,
Next you'll tell me that New York, Illinois and California *aren't*
quintessentially Southern states.
|2.14.09 @ 11:06AM|#
Mad Max-
Very good points. I grew up in Newport, Rhode Island and have lived
in Massachusetts for going on 19 years. I have been fortunate
enough to spend considerable time in 4 other states and to have
visited all the states save Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon and the 2
Dakotas.
I have never understood the Northeast corridor's, particularly the
New York/southern New England, conceit/superiority complex. It is
one thing to actually be superior and have attitude about it. Its
another thing entirely to regard yourself as superior when all the
evidence points in the opposite direction. Look at New England, New
York and New Jersey. Look at the gross dollars poured into their
public schools and their infrastructure. THen look at the
performance. Look at the decay, the blight and the the size of the
public sector in those states. It is depressing. How one can have
an attitude of superiority about that is a puzzler.
How about social grace? Civility? It is not even close. We (New
York?New England) are far more rude and far less polite than the
native denizens of the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and
Mississippi.
|2.14.09 @ 11:13AM|#
In a roundabout way, many answered my first question, "Do you
get irritated by other Americans looking down their nose at you,
joking that you are all a bunch of ignorant yokels?", with a
resounding "yes and fuck you J sub D". Although I merely asked the
question, apparently it hit a raw nerve.
Yet my relaterd second question, "What are the odds of Leon Lott
getting re-elected as sheriff?" remains oddly unanswered.
Why that is, I can only surmise.
;-)
Mad Max|2.14.09 @ 11:30AM|#
JsD,
Since I don't live in South Carolina, or in Sheriff Lott's county,
I don't know what the political situation is like. I'm from North
Carolina - a whole nuther state. Of course, Southerners are
basically interchangeable. I'm sure that people in Pittsburgh
wouldn't mind in the least being blamed for the behavior of the New
York City Council - after all, Northerners are basically
interchangeable, aren't they?
In New York, I have on several occasions had the following
experience with one of the locals. When they learn I'm from North
Carolina, they say that they have a friend/relative who lives in
North Carolina. Usually, this friend/relative moved from New York
to North Carolina. Apparently they think that life would be better
for them in North Carolina than in the Empire State.
Sadly, someone who moves from New York to North Carolina tends to
lower the average intelligence of both states. The fact that
they're smart enough to leave means they're more intelligent that
the New York average, but the fact that they're New Yorkers means
that they will pull down the North Carolina average.
|2.14.09 @ 11:40AM|#
J sub D-
The fact that this guy was ever elected is both a joke and damning
to the county. Most who post here, IMO, agree. There are some of us
here who are every bit as enraged about the WoD, in general, and
this sheriff's actions, in particular, as you are.
As to your question hitting a raw nerve, sure, it appears that it
did, with some. If you lived in New York/New England, and not in
the Detroit area, I would probably be a bit ticked off as, well I
just can't stand our superiority complex. There is no question that
I grew up in an environment that did not look favorably upon the
South. Thankfully, I was exposed to competing influences growing up
in an international city-including military families who either had
roots in the South or had been stationed somewhere in the
South.
|2.14.09 @ 11:49AM|#
State
per capita income rankings (2004).
State
violent crime rates ranking (2004).
State
college grad rates ranking (2003).
If DC is counted as a state, it is number one in all three
categories.
I've lived in the east (South Jersey), South (Virginia Beach, and
Pascagoula, Mississippi), California (San Diego and Ventura),
Northwest (Seattle), Great Lakes (Detroit and Chicago) and the
Maryland Eastern Shore (Salisbury).
All have positives and negatives, I chose to retire in Michigan but
would rank Seattle, Chicago and San Diego higher.
I'd rank Mississippi and Marylands Eastern Shore tied for the
bottom.
YMMV.
Mad Max|2.14.09 @ 11:53AM|#
'I chose to retire in Michigan'
The Michigan state motto should be "America's Favorite Retirement
Destination!"
And I know someone who grew up in Michigan and moved to North
Carolina to work. Why he skipped out on the bountiful Michigan job
market I don't know.
Mad Max|2.14.09 @ 12:00PM|#
Most expensive and least expensive states in terms of cost of living, as of 2007
Naga Sadow, resident of Biloxi|2.14.09 @ 12:29PM|#
Sadly, I would have to agree with J sub D's analysis. Mississippi sucks.
dhex|2.14.09 @ 12:35PM|#
"New York was on my mind though because they may have the
strictest drug laws in the country"
there is, thankfully, a small glimmer of hope on that issue, as the
coalition to get rid of the rockefeller laws is (slowly) growing in
strength.
it's weird here; draconian penalties and delivery services and all
that jazz.
Pablo Escobar|2.14.09 @ 12:56PM|#
Baked Penguin:
We all know you are really Jason Blair in drag. Why not just fess
up now. And you are also the Economist, Shrike and the other people
who never grew up. Keep trying peon.
zoltan|2.14.09 @ 2:29PM|#
:: Obligatory Texas is better than you and your shitty North and South. :: (Note: It is not part of either one.)
|2.14.09 @ 2:32PM|#
Lott is obviously a dick and what he is doing further illustrates the ridiculousness of the WOD, but I can't help but chalk some of this up to karma. Maybe the kids shouldn't have been dicks and take the picture in the first place. They fucked Phelps so it seems poetic in a way that they now find themselves equally fucked. That's what happens when you break party code.
|2.14.09 @ 3:39PM|#
:: Obligatory Texas is better than you and your shitty North
and South. :: (Note: It is not part of either one.)
The states of the confederacy and their dates of secession.
* South Carolina (December 20, 1860)
* Mississippi (January 9, 1861)
* Florida (January 10, 1861)
* Alabama (January 11, 1861)
* Georgia (January 19, 1861)
* Louisiana (January 26, 1861)
* Texas (February 1, 1861)
* Virginia (April 17, 1861)
* Arkansas (May 6, 1861)
* North Carolina (May 20, 1861)
* Tennessee (June 8, 1861)
Nuff said.
Naga Sadow|2.14.09 @ 3:52PM|#
Dammit J sub D! Let it go, bro! Go hunt some of those wild animals roaming through the abandoned neighborhoods and buildings of Detroit. ;)
dfd|2.14.09 @ 4:14PM|#
I wish Arizona weren't south of the Mason-Dixon.
Good thing it isn't - the MD line only goes west to the end of Pennsylvania.
Arizona is still south of the Mason-Dixon line. Would anyone
similarly argue that Los Angeles isn't south of San Francisco?
mark|2.14.09 @ 4:21PM|#
"Fellow-Citizens, in the name of your rights and liberties, which I believe have been trampled upon, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of the nationality of Texas, which has been betrayed by the Convention, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of the Constitution of Texas, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of my own conscience and manhood, which this Convention would degrade by dragging me before it, to pander to the malice of my enemies ... I refuse to take this oath."
|2.14.09 @ 5:10PM|#
Dammit J sub D! Let it go, bro! Go hunt some of those wild
animals roaming through the abandoned neighborhoods and buildings
of Detroit. ;)
Lots of pheasant and coneys, I've seen 'coons, 'possum, falcons and
the occasional eagle. The foxes are sly devils but you spy them
from time to time. A coyote was bagged by animal control downtown
about a year ago. There must be more.
Seriosly, watching nature reclaim the land as a city dies is
fascinating. The forest is relentless, abandoned houses that are
not levelled are slowly eaten by the vegetation. I expect another
100 - 200 thousand people to exit the city before population
stabilizes. But that's just a SWAG.
zoltan|2.14.09 @ 9:49PM|#
J Sub D, just because Texas wanted to keep black people as slaves doesn't mean they're part of the South. They just fought for those douchebags because they would rather be annexed to them than the Union. (Obligatory the North sucked during the Civil War, too)
economist|2.15.09 @ 12:03PM|#
"You make it your business to pass judgement on others you
festering gob of hypocrisy."
WTF? When did you see me "making it my business to pass judgment on
others"? When I called you an obnoxious little prick? Hate to tell
you this, but you are an obnoxious prick.
economist|2.15.09 @ 12:07PM|#
"Why not just fess up now. And you are also the Economist,
Shrike and the other people who never grew up. Keep trying
peon."
Where the HELL do you get off comparing me to shrike? And which of
us didn't grow up? The person who occasionally blogs to discuss
opinions on political and economic matters, or the one who blogs
because he likes to throw random insults at people and he's too
much of a coward to do it to people he might actually meet?
SunflowerPipes|2.15.09 @ 2:25PM|#
So Michael Phelps is a guy who drinks at parties smokes a little
gambles on high stakes games of beer pong and is the all time
greatest Olympic medal winner he sounds like a pretty cool guy to
me. Michael Phelps is an American Hero. He stood tall and made
America proud at the Beijing Olympics. This is how he is treated.
Michael Phelps did a tremendous amount of work to achive what he
did. Who can forget the pride we felt with the each gold medal
Phelps won in China, how can we as Americans forget all of those
things and hang a man for smoking a glass water pipe at a college
party. It is time that we as a country stand up for the rights of
the individual, it's time we stand together with our neighbors and
take collective control of our destinies. Write any congressman or
a senator; imagine the weight of millions of emails calling for a
change in policy. Lets stop them from arresting college kids at
parties in America
SunflowerPipes.com
ecnomist|2.15.09 @ 5:01PM|#
"It is time that we as a country stand up for the rights of the
individual, it's time we stand together with our neighbors and take
collective control of our destinies."
I'm sorry, but it seems like their might be a contradiction
here.
Tim Cavanaugh|2.15.09 @ 10:05PM|#
Why wasn't there a Phelps "Dope" parody of the Shepard Fairey Obama "Hope" poster 27 seconds after the photo surfaced? Is the nation so depressed nobody has the energy to pick the lowest of lowhanging fruit?
Naga Sadow|2.16.09 @ 12:53AM|#
Cavanaugh,
Maybe the would be parodist's(real word?) have been busy hiding
their dogs from Lott and his "Peacemaker"?
|2.16.09 @ 9:21AM|#
Michael Phelps is an American Hero. He stood tall and made
America proud at the Beijing Olympics.
Your definition of "hero" could use a little fine tuning.
|2.18.09 @ 8:31PM|#
kids..now don't think phelps is some kind of role model for you...See he is phelps and can win the olympics and smoke, but you are just you and are lucky to be able to function at the barely functioning level without any hinderances such as pot.
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