Random Politics & Religion #00

And pointing out that being a Muslim works the same way is met with some pretty disgusting xenophobia from the same Christians he was criticizing.

Truly, a disturbingly large amount of the world's problems simply go away if religion does.

The days are long gone when DEA leaders can vilify medical marijuana without consequences.

Acting United States Drug Enforcement Administration chief Chuck Rosenberg’s swift apparent fall from grace may soon serve as a cautionary tale for DEA chiefs to come.

Rosenberg’s recent comments in which he referred to medical marijuana as “a joke” have sparked a groundswell of public outrage that might spell the end for Rosenberg’s tenure as DEA head.

A Change.org petition calling on President Obama to fire Rosenberg over his comments has received nearly 100,000 signatures since it was posted about two weeks ago by Marijuana Majority chairman Tom Angell.

Hundreds of medical marijuana patients are planning to deliver the signatures in person to the DEA headquarters Friday morning.

“The call for change at the DEA is picking up steam,” Angell said in an email statement. “Calling medical marijuana a ‘joke’ runs counter to science showing that cannabis has medical value, and it is out of step with the vast majority of Americans who polls show overwhelmingly support enacting laws to protect patients from arrest.”

A bipartisan group of Congress members has also joined the chorus calling to give Rosenberg the boot.

Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Sam Farr (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Jim McDermott (D-WA) sent a letter to President Obama urging him to replace the DEA leader.

“Mr. Rosenberg’s comments are outrageous and misleading. The last 20 years has shown overwhelming testimonial evidence of the benefits of medical marijuana, leading 23 states, DC, and Guam to change their laws,” Rep. Blumenauer said in a news release.

“President Obama has taken action to respect state medical marijuana laws. Mr. Rosenberg is out of step with the Administration and out of touch. It’s time for new leadership,” he said.

Lawmakers called Rosenberg out for neglecting to highlight information that supports medical marijuana’s benefits and effectiveness.

They also called him a hypocrite for claiming medical marijuana is scientifically unproven, while he simultaneously blocked medical marijuana research efforts.

“The real joke is that the DEA has played a huge role in propping up federal policies that have systematically blocked research of marijuana’s medicinal value. If there are any questions about its safety or effectiveness, it’s because the federal government continues to stymie science,” Blumenauer said.

Earlier this year former DEA head Michele Leonhart resigned after making critical comments about medical marijuana that also sparked a Change.org petition calling for her to be replaced. After that petition received just shy of 50,000 signatures, Leonhart stepped down from her post as DEA chief.

The petition calling to fire Rosenberg has already received nearly twice the number of signatures that Leonhart’s removal petition did — not to mention the public condemnation Rosenberg has received from a group of sitting Congresspeople.

“Nearly 100,000 people have signed our petition saying that Rosenberg should lose his job,” Angell said. “Now a bipartisan group of lawmakers has placed this controversy right on President Obama’s desk. If he doesn’t act to make a change soon, this is going to be a continuing political problem for his administration.”

Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards will win the hard-fought and deeply negative battle for the Louisiana governorship against Republican Sen. David Vitter, CNN projects.

With 85% of the vote in late Saturday, Edwards had 54% of the ballots cast, according to the Louisiana secretary of state's website.

Edwards will succeed Gov. Bobby Jindal and become the first Democratic governor to be elected in the Deep South in 12 years.

Democrat wins Louisiana Governor race


Congratulations Louisiana! Now to dig out of that huge deficit Jindal is leaving you with.

In the same way the misinterpretation of Muslim happens. I don't judge Christianity on a misrepresentation of someone who calls themselves one by name, I look at the fruits. Which means to check the actions of said person then look if it lines up with what they say they are following. If it's any different they are falsely representing the teaching. In the same manner I don't judge a Muslim by what they say alone, I judge the Quran and hadiths and the person they are emulating, Muhammad. Unfortunately these teachings, if you bother to read are quite apparent in what is taught including the history of how they came about. For example you cannot misread or misinterpret the fact that Islam celebrates/teaches/allows pedophilia in all its context. In the text and in what Mohammed did. It's indefensible.
I always go to the source when judging a faith. It's unfortunate that others would rather get the info from second hand hearsay. Of course no Muslim living in a western society is going to broadcast the Islamic teachings considered bad/unlawful by the society they are living in. Which only goes about falsely misrepresenting the faith to those who don't look into it. This is the massive problem today. No one is saying all Muslim people are bad because there are different levels of obedience to Islam. We are all coming out and saying Islam teaches bad things, everyone look for themselves then judge.

I've read the quran and hadith and probably missed the pedophilia part. Can you please show me it so I can read it

This chilling map reveals the calculated way ISIS plan to take over the world by 2020.

The terrorist group aim to control the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Europe within the next five years, the new map shows.

BBC reporter Andrew Hosken is the author of new book Empire of Fear: Inside the Islamic State, which includes the map drawn up of areas ISIS plan to take over.

The caliphate, a state governed by Sharia law, covers areas from Spain in the west to the border of China in the east.

Andalus, for example, is the Arabic name given to the parts of Spain, Portugal and France that were occupied by the Moors from the 8th to the 15th century.

A seven-step programme, dating back almost 20 years, includes the US being provoked into declaring war on the Islamic world between 2000 and 2003 and an uprising against Arab rulers between 2010 and 2013.

ISIS have up to 50,000 members and cash and assets of nearly £2 billion, partly thanks to their control of oil and gas fields in Iraq and Syria.

They have shocked the world with their barbarity and are responsible for the slaughter of 38 holidaymakers in Tunisia in June.

They boast about throwing men to their deaths from high buildings for being gay and have become notorious for the brutal murder of British and American hostages by UK terrorist Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John.

Hosken said: "They want to take over all of what they see as the Islamic world.

"Once they have their caliphate, they plan to turn against the rest of the world.

"They envisage the whole world being under their rule.

He told the Daily Record: "They have 60 nations against them, including the United States and Russia, so one would think that is pretty unlikely.

"But one would have thought the first steps were unlikely as well.

"People should realise Islamic State don't want to create their caliphate and be left in peace.

"They see us being under their rule too and having to abide by their ideology.

"They have already destabilised Iraq and Syria, they have tried to destabilise Saudi Arabia and Libya and recently they almost destroyed Tunisia's main industry, tourism.

"And the worry is the longer they are there, the more likely it is they will develop biological or chemical weapons.

"If they had weapons of mass destruction, they would use them.

"There is no question about that."

Despite the impression ISIS are a new terrorist organisation, their origins go back decades.

Hosken reveals in his book that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who founded the terrorist group that would later become ISIS, in 1996 described a seven-step programme that would lead to Muslim victory by 2020.

He said: "We were so close to destroying them back in 2010-11.

"80% of their leaders had been captured or killed and they ended up as a little rump.

"We didn't finish them off and like a cancer they came back."

With a lengthy air strike campaign failing to halt ISIS's brutal rampage, David Cameron is facing calls to send ground forces into Iraq and Syria.

But Hosken warned: "As you can see from the seven-stage plan, Islamic State would very much like it if we invaded there with our soldiers.

"There is a danger it would be a rallying cry to Muslims around the world to come and a join them.

"Islamic State want to be seen to be fighting the West.

"They think a lot of Muslims around the world would then see that as Muslims under attack and would join Islamic State.

"For them it would be a big recruitment drive.

"This is what they want.

"The name of their magazine is Dabiq, which is a town in Syria where their Armageddon, the final battle between them and the West, takes place.

"So it could be a bit of an elephant trap.

"But at the same time, there are people saying if we don't go in, we're going to be stuck with Islamic State because the air campaign doesn't seem to be working.

"We're on the horns of a dilemma."

Well, today is an important day for south america.

So many liberal stereotypes in one post. Easy to see what way you lean.

This is a few months old, but it's interesting(and don't remember seeing it posted at the time); IS plans to achieve optimistically by 2020.

Bolded the part that stuck with me. I know we're godwinning a lot these days, but it's reminiscent of the nazi expansion. I think the world should always be wary of possible escalations beyond the simple strength of an enemy.
It's why for example someone like KJU doesn't make me laugh, his country might be piss poor, but he's crazy and capable of starting a domino effect even with no chance of winning a conflict himself.
Anyway, thinking out loud.

"But one would have thought the first steps were unlikely as well.

Islam is going through the same thing Christianity went through a couple of centuries ago. The Catholic church used to be extremely vile, repressive, militaristic, and controlling. It did lots of really really bad ***to anyone who didn't acknowledge their supremacy. This didn't make all Christians bad, but it did mean that Christian leadership was not a good thing to have around oneself. Eventually the Church was broken and it's power over governments diminished to the point where people could openly rebuke it's power without fear of death and dismemberment. This is what Islam is going through, most Muslims are very nice people yet it's leadership is still extremest and will seek to enact retribution on anyone who openly rebukes them. Islamic leadership wish's to maintain it's absolute power and thus will always resort to extremist measures to instill fear in people from openly questioning or rebelling against them. Once that leadership is broken, which can only be done by those within the faith, then you'll see Islamic extremism fade away.

Basically Muslims need to confront, question and denounce senior clerics in large numbers, large enough to start a new reformation movement that strips those clerics of power by not recognizing them or their judgements. It's not going to be pretty cause those same Clerics will call on "loyal followers" to kill those who confront or deny them.