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220 marijuana cases dismissed in King, Pierce counties after legalization

“King and Pierce County prosecutors are dismissing more than 220 misdemeanor marijuana cases in response to Tuesday’s vote to decriminalize small amounts of pot. In King County, 175 cases are being dismissed involving people 21 and older and possession of one ounce or less. I-502 makes one ounce of marijuana legal on Dec. 6, but King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg decided to apply I-502 retroactively. ‘Although the effective date of I-502 is not until December 6, there is no point in continuing to seek criminal penalties for conduct that will be legal next month,’ Satterberg said in a statement.” Continue reading →

With Two States Legalizing Marijuana, Are Drug Warriors In Washington Freaking Out?

“Voters in Colorado and Washington made history Tuesday night. The states’ marijuana legalization initiatives, I-502 in Washington and Amendment 64 in Colorado, brought what many marijuana advocates are calling the beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition in America. But the power of the people — and the states — have one big hurdle to clear before the ban on pot is lifted: The feds. Only this time, the people may have built more than drug warriors’ boots can stomp out.” Continue reading →

Government foreclosure audit held off on looking at largest banks

“A recent study found a big reason for the program’s failure was that, despite all its rules, it didn’t change the behavior of the biggest banks. The banks did a poor job of modifying loans before HAMP was launched and weren’t much better after. To oversee the program, the Treasury awarded Freddie Mac a $209 million contract to be the program’s watchdog. Freddie Mac formed a group, called Making Home Affordable – Compliance, or MHA-C for short, but it got off to an inauspicious start. Continue reading →

Obama urged to fulfill Guantanamo closure pledge

“Rights groups challenged President Barack Obama on Thursday to use his second term to close Guantanamo and end drone attacks, warrantless surveillance and extrajudicial killings. Shortly after he took office in January 2009, Obama declared that he would shutter the prison camp for ‘war on terror’ suspects within a year, saying it served as a recruiting tool for militant and hurt US national security. Rights groups have strongly criticized the president for his Guantanamo failures and for maintaining other stringent security tactics put into practice under his predecessor George W. Bush.” Continue reading →

Poll: Nearly One Third Of Americans Would Accept ‘TSA Body Cavity Search’ in Order to Fly

“A new survey commissioned by Infowars and conducted by Harris Interactive has found that almost one third of American adults would accept a ‘TSA body cavity search’ in order to fly, with a majority of Americans also feeling a law that would make disobeying a TSA agent in any public place illegal is reasonable. The shock results emphasize the level of indignity Americans are willing to tolerate in order to travel. They also highlight how the TSA’s reputation has remained largely intact despite a series of scandals and widespread criticism from innumerable public figures.” Continue reading →

Kim Dotcom vows free Internet for all of New Zealand

“Eccentric Internet millionaire Kim Dotcom vowed this week to fund free Internet access for all of New Zealand once he gets his new website off the ground. Dotcom is currently embroiled in an extradition fight against the U.S., which accused him of running the largest criminal copyright infringement operation in history and seized his business, Megaupload, in January. Dotcom says new site, Me.ga, will function similarly, but with enhanced encryption and distributed hosting, ensuring that users ‘hold the keys’ to their own files. Dotcom’s involvement with the plan could prompt U.S. regulators to resist the installation.” Continue reading →

Amazon launches online wine store

“Amazon said the online shop would be ‘a marketplace offering customers more than a thousand wines crafted by wineries around the country.’ The online retail giant also provides international wines through external websites. Customers can ship up to six bottles of wine for $9.99. Wine sales are allowed only in states which allow it. That includes California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.” Continue reading →

Former Washington, Colorado cops explain: What’s really going to change now that marijuana is legal?

“Following wins for marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado on Tuesday night, a former Seattle police chief and a former Denver police officer sat down with Raw Story to discuss what the laws will actually do and how they think things will change. The possibility remains that the Obama administration may file suit against Colorado and Washington to prevent them from implementing regulatory schemes or granting permits for retail sales. Meanwhile, the Obama administration’s U.S. Attorneys have been adamant about busting hundreds of medical marijuana outlets.” Continue reading →