Anti Drug War Ad Turns 3 AM Ad On Hillary Clinton

A recent web advertisement has turned around Hillary's original 3 AM ad and turned it into a powerful call for the New York senator to address New York's harsh and discriminatory drug laws:

Comments

[erykah]

Don't be stupid. This is a damn shame. I cannot judge these people. As a friend of mine always says, "But for the grace of God so go I." This could be a family member, a friend., hell, it could be you. Remember, the prison industrial complex is tied to corporate America. Most prisons are privatized and corporations use prisoners as slave labor. The 13th amendment condones it.

As for the weight of the prisoners, it is a known fact that malnutrition causes obesity. Erroneously, some of you believe these women are being well fed. They are not. Dear God folks, have some compasion. If these were "elite" women, as one writer said, they would be in rehab, not prison. God be with these women and their children.

[transendentilist]

"malnutrition causes obesity."
In prisons, they get a balanced diet. It's not like there are McDonalds or Wendys in the prisons. It's not gourmet food, but it is nutricious.

[Oldchef]

Horseshit. Have you been in a federal prison or seen the menus (the actual menus, not the guideline ones from the justice dept.). Heavy on starches, light on fruit. Fatty meats and canned vegetables and white bread.

[brooklyncitizen]

Maybe you should try it out.

You are failing to connect the ECONOMIC dots. It costs $25,000+ per yer to keep these non-violent offendors locked up. We'd rather spend money on locking up brown people than on educating them. Maybe if you looked at the direct cost and impact in people's lives you'd feel differently. My church supports a charity run by a nun that takes care of the children of the women that have been locked up for possession. THis is so they can be kept out of "the system" safe and cared for until the mother's release. Most of these kids go into foster care, creating a further economic burden on US, taxpayers. It makes no "sense" but it is the kind of policy we see more and more of: profitting by a handful of people (corporations) from people's misery while taxpayers pay the bill (Iraq belongs in this cateegory).

[disqo21]

look at the ration of prisoners that the US has compared to the rest of the world! the stats support everything you're saying about the slave labor bit. it's a solid shame.

[mice]

The criminal justice system in this country is seriously seriously flawed. Since the latest model penal code came out, all we've done is create more and more laws that don't mesh well within the framework of the MPC. Now the MPC is messed up beyond recognition and that's why you see people get sentenced to 20 years and they get out in less than half that time. Prisons are overcrowded and true threats to society are released in order to keep a minimally threatening criminal behind bars in the name of some measure that someone passes to look tough on crime. It's a crying shame.

[MiddleRoad1]

What is happening to Chris Mathews? He is showing some really disgusting love for Hillary recently. Since bittergate. Did she promise him help with his Senate bid?

[marc1antony]

HAHAHAHA - yeah, she's for the small people, just not in her own neighborhood.

[billrott]

I just found out the second chance law is bull. It appears that the decision on whether an inmate qualifies for the second chance is determinant by the warden. A relative in a minimum security prison on a crime he did not commite and is appealing (although that is another story) just informed me of the warden's response in his federal camp.

The warden called everyone together and said that he would not approve any releases as part of the second chance bill. So basically, congress passed a billed to lower the sentence or commute it of non-violent offenders and the wardens, people with a vested interest of holding onto the convict in order to secure funds, are decided against enforcing the law.

What crap. Oh well, I know this is not as important as flag pins.

[4wehttam]

We have congressman, senators and other people in government that GET AWAY with MUCH worse than so many of these woman jailed for years on end.

If we arrested every corrupt politician in washington we'd barely have any left.

[EspritDeVoltaire]

I agree, there's nothing like starting over with a clean slate, is there?

[jfor]

If Marijuana made the dicks in congress hard it would be legal and Bob Dole would shill for it.

[Duffs]

.. Drugs are bad mmmkay?

[stargazer13]

history will prove me right

every time you make any thing against the law the use of that item goes up just look at coffee when they made that against the law if we were really free this would not be an issue would it

[MiddleRoad1]

coffee is illegal? Where?

[OverCoffee]

I wonder how many of people who commented before me have ever tried marijuana, or had a friend or family member who did. It doesn't take much to get locked up for a long jail sentence, especially if one belongs to a visible minority group and/or is poor. It also doesn't take much to become overweight if you're confined to a small cell most of the day and have no physical pleasure other than food. Otherwise, the lack of empathy here is appalling.

[debwarot]

Some good points, OverCoffee.

To serve hard time in prison for personal use of a drug is much more of a crime than the one committed by the prisoner. An affluent person with the same offense will probably be sent to counseling - only the poor face prison terms.

Innocent children pay a terrible price when mothers are incarcerated. I am not saying the public is best served by eliminating prison as an option for anyone with children, just that there are often more appropriate options. Drug counseling, supervised suspended sentences, job skill training - these options, if properly done, leave the family intact while changing the offender's behavior. AND, these alternatives cost far less than imprisonment paired with foster care.

[transendentilist]

What many are failing to realize is, the high rate of recidivism among addicts (including alcoholics)
I am not saying non-violent drug offenders should be locked up, I am just pointing out the extreme difficulty of getting people to quit for good.
These draconian drug laws need to change.

[1will]

Those are some well fed prisoners.

[tbone99]

yeah oatmeal for breakfast , kibble for lunch and dinner.

[ashabot]

Hey iwill, you think those prisoners are so well fed? How about you eating healthy, nutritious prison food for, oh say, the next TWENTY years, no time off for being a clean plater.

[PrdAmerican]

She won't hear or see you...you aren't in her preferred demographics or salary range. Sorry.

[transendentilist]

When was the last time a presidential candidate visited with prisoners?? NEVER. They can't vote. The Clintons didn't start the war on drugs, it was good ole Ronnie Ray Guns.

[Oldchef]

Actually, "The War On Drugs" was a Nixon thing.

[avraamjack]

.
USA went from 1776 to early 20th century without locking up a single person for drugs.
.
Then certain people realized drug laws were a great way to keep people down.
.

[SCharb]

The War on Drugs is a huge waste of money and effort; it has only hurt America. It's almost as bad as Prohibition.

[RealityBaseCamp]

A bit of background here for anybody who didn't already know it: Drug laws were heavily promoted by a law enforcement community that had gotten established during Prohibition, and was looking at unemployment after it ended. Wow! While writing this, I looked up some things, and it looks like the Mafia also switched from booze to drugs after Prohibition, so the cops also followed that. Nothing's ever as simple as you heard. Anyway, that's when the big push to criminalize marijuana began. Look up Harry J. Anslinger, it's educational! The way the nation's righteousness turned from alcohol to pot is just stunning. I was going to say dizzying, but I was afraid people would think I was high.

[transendentilist]

What's wrong with being high?

[lylo]

Really? Almost? How many people have been imprisoned because of the drug war versus prohibition? And the war on drugs is "almost as bad" as prohibition?
No one has been killed by pot, but alcohol kills people all the time. Guess which one has landed more people in prison just for having it on them in the past hundred years. No, my friend. The war on drugs is one of the saddest, cruelest, and dumbest things that this country has done to its population ever.

[transendentilist]

And we have Reagan to thank for that.

[morbie5]

If she's been in jail for 10 years how did she have a child?? Conjugal visit?

[CindyKay]

Maybe Daddy is a Prison Guard , it Certainly wouldn't be the First Time .

[don]

Is it your contention that once beyond the age of 10 a person is no longer a child and should no longer be a matter of parental concern? Maybe they ought to have a steady job in Indonesia by then and fuel the American economy with cheap imports for insensitive louts.

[DreamConjuror]

lol

[tbone99]

the warden