ON HILLARY CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN

(Click above photo for additional photographic metaphor)

--Junichi

OPERATION SUDDEN FALL

Worst Game of Pictionary Ever

We're not in Baltimore anymore, Toto.

A few miles away, the DEA just arrested 75 San Diego State University students and 21 others in conjunction with "Operation Sudden Fall," a major undercover investigation several months in the making. Several of the drug busts resulted from search warrants executed at multiple SDSU fraternities.

According to the DEA's press release:

DEA Agents infiltrated several student drug distribution cells and more than 130 drug purchases and seizures were made during the five-month operation."

As a result of the investigation, 75 SDSU students and 21 non-students have been arrested for various drug offenses ranging from possession of marijuana and cocaine to sales of cocaine. One student arrested was a cocaine dealer on campus who was just one month away from obtaining his Masters Degree in Homeland Security and also worked as a student Community Service Officer on campus and reported to the campus police. Another student arrested for possession of 500 grams of cocaine and two guns is a Criminal Justice major.

...

In one instance a member of the Theta Chi fraternity sent out a mass text message to his “faithful customers” stating that he and his “associates” would be traveling to Las Vegas for the weekend and would not be able to complete cocaine sales during that time. He noted that they were having a “sale” on cocaine and listed the reduced prices.

Evidence seized includes four pounds of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana, 48 hydroponic marijuana plants, 350 ecstasy pills, psilocybin (mushrooms), 30 vials of hash oil, methamphetamine, various illicit prescription drugs, one shotgun, three semi-automatic pistols, three brass knuckles and $60,000 in cash.

At this point in the blog post, you might expect me to rant about the hundreds of thousands of tax dollars wasted on a senseless war on drugs that will result in the pointless incarceration of dozens of talented college students.

But to be honest -- and I know I'm going to invite the wrath of many for saying this -- part of me finds this a refreshing shift in focus for local law enforcement.

A 2002 study of narcotics search warrants issued in San Diego found serious racial disparities. African Americans only make up 6% of the county population, but were the subjects of search warrants in 20% of the cases. Chicano/Latinos, who make up 24% of the population, were search warrant subjects in 43% of the cases. Whites, who account for 61% of the population, were subjects of search warrants in only 35% of the cases. (Source: Laurence A. Benner, Racial Disparity in Narcotics Search Warrants, 6 J. Gender Race & Just. 183 (2002)).

I have no idea the racial breakdown of the arrested, but a quick scan of Theta Chi's website suggests that this drug bust is reversing the trend of those disparities. Thanks to Prop. 209, any drug bust on a California state college campus is unlikely to be part of the trend of targeting poor communities of color.

Given the prevalence of drug use on every college campus, this major federal/state/local crackdown at SDSU never would have happened but for the death of a white female SDSU student. The DEA admits as much in its press release.

Don't get me wrong: I abhor every aspect of the war on drugs. I don't support legalizing all narcotics, but I see no point in incarcerating drug addicts.

But undoubtedly, our elected leaders will never rethink our nation's drug policies until their sons and daughters are facing a decade in prison for buying ecstasy.

So if it takes crackdowns in rich neighborhoods, college campuses, and corporate boardrooms to ignite a reconsideration of our drug laws, let's get on with it.

--Junichi

IN MEMORY OF MILDRED LOVING

another love that once dared not speak its name
I wanted to acknowledge the passing of Mildred Loving. In the late 1950s, Mildred - an African American - and her White husband - Richard - plead guilty to violating Virginia's anti-miscegenation laws and, as a condition of their plea bargain, agreed not to return to Virginia for 25 years. However, by 1963, Mildred decided to contest that ruling and the ACLU was able to take it up to the Supreme Court, where in 1967, Loving vs. Virginia struck down all laws prohibiting interracial marriage, thus removing one of the last major legacies of legalized segregation in America.

It's always been striking to me that within the lifetime of my parents (and really, only five years before I was born), states could actually outlaw interracial couplings. Today, such legislation seems so obviously pernicious, so a remnant of Jim Crow and America's legacy of racial hatred, that it's remarkable it took so long for it to be struck down (and not simply voted out by state legislatures).

Of course, the irony is that while some things have changed - viva Tony Parker and Eva Longoria - some things have not. The difference now isn't that gay marriage bans are less pernicious, less a remnant of hate and fear. No, the difference is that these aren't anachronistic laws left over from bygone eras but rather, the product of contemporary political mobilization. It's all the more shameful. It's also notable that Loving, we stopped giving interviews in recent years, did make a public statement last year, in support of the right of gays and lesbians to marry.

--O.W.

CLEAR SIGNS THAT I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT

Orange crack

The following three things really did happen to me in the previous month:

1. In the process of climbing onto a golf cart, the crotch seams of my shorts burst open, exposing my boxers to the fine people at the Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Course.


2. While walking around the house, one of my belts suddenly burst and broke. Three days later, my other belt did the same thing. The belts were neither old nor slowly deteriorating. It was as if both concocted a plan to suddenly commit suicide.
   


3. In a furniture store, I hopped onto a bed and the entire wooden frame below the mattress collapsed, as if I had fallen into a trap door. An outside observer might have thought I was performing a pratfall from a Mary Katherine Gallagher skit on SNL, especially since my wife was laughing hysterically.
   
   

Sadly, I am now part of America's obesity problem. After looking up the US Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines, I have confirmed that I am "severely overweight," the highest possible weight category.

Obviously, a strict diet of Cheetos, Taco Bell, and Dr. Pepper has taken its toll.

*

In an attempt to reverse this trend and resuscitate my metabolism, I am now going to begin training for a 10K marathon to take place on Thanksgiving morning. If you would like to support that endeavor, please click here.

--Junichi

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BARACK

--Junichi

VP CANDIDATE FOR McCAIN: TONY ZIRKLE

McCAIN / ZIRKLE 2008?

As a public service, Poplicks will be periodically submitting suggestions to Senator John McCain for potential running mates.

After a substantial vetting process, here is our first nominee for consideration to be the GOP 's next Vice President of the United States:

TONY ZIRKLE

• PROFESSION: Attorney, Former Prosecutor
  

• MILITARY EXPERIENCE: Attended the Naval Academy

• EDUCATION: Graduated cum laude from Georgetown; law degree from Indiana University

• AGE: Much younger than McCain
  

• POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Currently seeking the GOP nomination for Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District; receiving significant local and nationwide press coverage

• BELIEVES IN GUN RIGHTS: On his own website, he proposes enacting a "'Derrenger's for Dildos' policy to put guns in American women's hands instead of divorce aids."
  

• TOUGH ON CRIME: Wants to bring back the guillotine
  

• FAMILY VALUES: Major anti-pornography crusader; strongly believes that pornography is a Jewish plot against women

• HAS IDEAS FOR IMPROVING THE ECONOMY: Believes that work productivity is significantly reduced because of employees surfing for Internet porn; recession would therefore end after he bans pornography
  

• STRAIGHT TALK POTENTIAL: Believes that white people are the victims of a "genocide"; open to idea that all racial groups in the United States should be segregated into different states.

• WILLING TO REACH OUT TO IGNORED GROUPS: Recently attended a birthday party for Adolf Hitler hosted by a White Supremacist party adorning swastikas
  

• GREAT SOUND BYTES: When asked to defend his appearance at the group's Sieg-Heil-ing gathering, he replied, "I'll speak before any group that invites me ... I've spoken on an African-American radio station in Atlanta."

In sum, Zirkle is an honest and fearless man with nearly flawless Republican credentials. What could go wrong?

You're welcome, John.

--Junichi

HOORAY! THE LAPD DOES NOT RACIALLY PROFILE!

He was doing 55 in a 54.

OMG, great news!

The Los Angeles Police Department just announced that of the 320 racial profiling complaints filed against officers last year, none of them had any merit!

That means the LAPD is now 100% racial-profiling-free!

We did it! We reached the mountaintop!

The LAPD is color blind! Hallelujah!

*

In related good news, Nike just proclaimed itself sweatshop-free, the White House just declared that it has never violated the law, and I am happy to announce that I am the sexiest man alive.

--Junichi

DEEZ TRUCK NUTZ

The Latest Republican Target

Since the Democrats are tearing each other apart, I'd like to take this moment to spotlight a Republican lawmaker who will undoubtedly be causing some Republicans to get their teabags all twisted in a knot.

GOP Florida State Senator Cary Baker led a successful effort to ban fake bull testicles that dangle from the trailer hitches of vehicles in Florida. Sen. Baker's bill would fine motorists $60 for displaying the plastic rocky mountain oysters, which are known by brand names like "Truck Nutz".

If the legislation survives the house, I suspect that some wealthy vehicular gonads connoisseur will challenge the legislation on First Amendment grounds. At the very least, I'm guessing dude below will go balls to the wall to keep his nugget ornaments on his truck.

Dodge. Grab Life By The Horns.

As for my own personal opinion on the matter, I am having difficulty understanding what prompted Senator Baker to spend time on this trivial issue when there are obviously many people in Florida who still aren't wearing flag pins.

--Junichi

OUR GENERATION'S JIM CROW LAWS

Denied

I do not exaggerate when I say that we are literally in the midst of the systematic decimation of American democracy.

In yesterday's 6-3 decision in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board, the Supreme Court refused to recognize any constitutional flaws with Indiana's Jim Crow voter identification law, which is, thus far, the most restrictive in the nation.

By sheer coincidence, I also watched the compelling short documentary, Freedom To Vote: Protecting The Ballot, at the Newport Beach Film Festival yesterday. Reading the opinion before watching that was a bit like walking into a horror movie in which you know that every person on the screen is going to die before the credits roll.

As the documentary pointed out, our nation's history is a story of the struggle for the right to vote. But only in the last few years are our government leaders fighting to prevent people from voting.

To my disappointment, few seem alarmed or enraged by the proliferation of Voter ID laws. The common thinking is: What's the big deal? We need to stop voter fraud and, besides, one needs a driver's license to do many things like board a plane, open a bank account, etc.

The big deal is that 20 million people just became potentially disenfranchised as a result of yesterday's Supreme Court decision.

The big deal is that most of the disenfranchised are people of color (mostly African American), elderly, disabled and/or poor people, who tend to vote for Democratic candidates and causes.

The big deal is that these Voter ID laws are enacted because the reactionary right-wing forces of our country are intentionally trying to deprive those groups from voting.

The big deal is that 20% of black voters in Indiana do not currently have a valid photo ID.

The big deal is that almost none of the enacted or proposed Voter ID laws provide measures to help voters obtain the necessary identification or offer alternative ways of voting.

The big deal is that these laws are being passed despite no nationwide widespread evidence of fraud caused by voter impersonation. (In Indiana, there was literally not one reported incident of fraud, which the Supreme Court acknowledged.)

The big deal is that our courts seem interested in a nonexistent form of voter fraud, but could not care less about more widespread evidence of voter fraud in Florida (2000), Ohio (2004), or the New York primary (2008). (Did you realize that not one vote in Harlem went to Obama in the most recent Democratic primary?)

While the Court's decision may not fundamentally alter the 2008 landscape, it will surely eviscerate enough votes in 2010 and beyond to tilt the outcome of any election.

Which is to say, the Supreme Court just handed yet another election to the Republicans.

For the skeptics and critics, let me just say that I understand that, technically, no citizen has been denied the right to vote.

But countless studies have confirmed that the hurdles for those without driver's licenses are immense and unappreciated by those of us who drive every day. Those without licenses will have a difficult time procuring the birth certificates or passports necessary to get one. The documentary I watched yesterday noted how some African American citizens in Georgia were born during an era in which they were not granted birth certificates. Thus, the costs alone are enough to discourage people from going through the trouble.

Reading the Crawford opinion made me appreciate what it must have felt like in 1896 to read Plessy v. Ferguson.

The difference between 1896 and 2008 is that everyone understood the impact of Plessy. But the magnitude of Crawford (and the voter ID laws yet to come) will never be fully appreciated.

--Junichi

DARING THE DEVIL

Yippppeeeeee!

Those who scour Brazilian news for potential nominees for the Darwin Awards are familiar with the story of Father Adelir Antonio de Carli, who set out on April 20th to break a record by floating more than 400 miles in the air while strapped to a thousand helium-filled party balloons.

I give Father de Carli credit for finding the most imaginative way to get high on 4/20.

Unfortunately, he drifted out to sea and has been missing for over a week. He had a GPS system on him, but didn't know how to use it and forgot to bring instructions.

The Brazilian Air Force and Navy are two of several government and private groups that spent days searching for him. After finding some of his balloons in the water, most searches have finally been called off today.

Am I the only one who considers this story an apt metaphor for George W. Bush? Consider the commonalities:

• Wasted countless government resources on pointless expedition
  
• Planned poorly; counted on God to guide him
• Lacked exit strategy
• Failed to accomplish mission
• Retarded
  

(With thanks to A. Haden)

--Junichi