Tag Archives: Direct Democracy

Has Switzerland Really Caved to US Pressure?

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“It is important to note that whilst Swiss bank secrecy is already being counted out by mainstream media across the board, the fact is that in Switzerland the resistance to losses of privacy and other fundamental rights based on demands by foreign nations is growing. More and more Swiss, in government and the Swiss Parliament too, are fed up with the pressures emanating from neighboring states and the US, all based on those countries’ dismal fiscal situations and overly zealous hunt for tax revenue. Against this backdrop, an initiative was just launched by some Swiss right-wing political parties that would make bank secrecy a constitutional right.”

http://www.internationalman.com/78-global-perspectives/944-has-switzerland-really-caved-to-us-pressure

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Jury Nullification Advocate Out Of Jail, Files Federal Lawsuit Against Judge

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“Mark Schmidter is a free man after spending 104 days in the Orange County Jail.  He was convicted late last year of indirect criminal contempt by Chief Judge Belvin Perry for handing out flyers at the Orange County Courthouse in the months leading up to and during the Casey Anthony trial. He says his fight over free speech is not over. Those flyers explained the right of jurors to nullify convictions if they thought the law was wrong, even if a defendant had committed the crime. Schmidter says he will jump right back into the fray now that he has served his time.”

http://www.my65orlando.com/story/22502777/free-speech-protester-jailed-for-distributing-fliers-at-court-vows-to-fight

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Iowa City Council Votes To Ban Traffic Cameras And Drones

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“Rather than allow residents of Iowa City, Iowa to decide whether to impose a permanent ban on red light cameras, speed cameras and drones, the city council unanimously decided Tuesday to directly adopt the proposed initiative with some modification. This marks the first time that a city council with a strong pro-camera majority has repealed an automated ticketing ordinance in response to a public petition.  The ordinance states no drone, red light camera, speed camera or license plate recognition system can be used in the city without a police officer operating the device personally handing the traffic citation to, or arresting, the alleged offender.”

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/41/4119.asp

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First major hemp crop in 60 years is planted in southeast Colorado

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“Springfield, Colo., farmer Ryan Loflin on Monday planted the nation’s first industrial hemp crop in almost 60 years. Loflin’s plans to grow hemp already have been chronicled, and Monday’s planting attracted the attention of more media in southeastern Colorado and a documentary film crew. Its cultivation in small test plots became legal last year under a Colorado law. The passage of Amendment 64 in November allowed commercial growing, even though hemp, like marijuana, is illegal under federal law.”

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_23232417/first-major-hemp-crop-60-years-is-planted

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League City, Texas Red Light Cameras Bagged

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“Red light cameras in League City, Texas were covered with bags this week, but not by vigilantes. Australian camera vendor Redflex Traffic Systems had no choice but to shut down the devices. Last November, 77 percent of voters approved a measure banning the use of automated ticketing machines — the fifth city in the Lone Star State to do so. City officials last year re-wrote the immediate ban initiative circulated by citizens and replaced it with a measure that would only take effect on October 29, 2014, when the city’s contract with Redflex expired. The change proved politically untenable, so on April 23, the council voted to pay Redflex $350,000 to end the contract on July 1.”

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/40/4098.asp

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Colorado passes laws for the legal sale of marijuana beginning Jan. 1

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“Lawmakers in Colorado voted Wednesday night to approve a historic, first-ever regulatory framework for the production, taxation and sales of marijuana.  Four bills awaiting the governor’s signature Thursday morning — SB 283, HB 1317, HB 1318 and HB 1325 — will convert the state’s medical marijuana regulatory agency into a body governing all marijuana sales and establish legal limits for driving while under the influence of marijuana. Voters will also be given the chance to approve a series of taxes on marijuana in November, starting at 10 percent sales tax at retail and 15 percent excise tax at wholesale, with additional local taxes to be set by each municipality.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/09/colorado-passes-laws-for-the-legal-sale-of-marijuana-beginning-jan-1/

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Washington lawmakers quietly approve bill to re-criminalize some marijuana possession

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“Lawmakers in the Washington House and Senate quietly passed a bill over the weekend that will re-criminalize some marijuana possession, reacting to warnings from the state’s crime lab that the current law could make it impossible to prosecute large-quantity possession charges or large-scale marijuana growing operations. The Senate passed the measure unanimously on Saturday, according to The Associated Press. The governor was expected to sign the bill as soon as Monday, but had not yet by early afternoon.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/29/washington-lawmakers-quietly-approve-bill-to-re-criminalize-some-marijuana-possession/

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Swiss banking chief tries to quell clamor about gold

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“Swiss National Bank President Thomas Jordan won’t exclude increasing the central bank’s gold holdings at some point and said most of its reserves are held domestically.  More than 70 percent of the SNB’s 1,040 tons of gold are held in Switzerland, with about 20 percent at the Bank of England and 10 percent at the Bank of Canada, he said, for the first time disclosing where the physical assets were stored.  The SNB’s gold holdings are the target of a popular initiative, which demands that at least 20 percent of the central bank’s assets be in the form of gold. The measure would also block the sale of such holdings and require all SNB gold to be located in Switzerland.”

http://www.gata.org/node/12511

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Drug czar: No state can nullify federal marijuana ban

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“President Barack Obama’s drug czar toed a strict line on marijuana Wednesday, saying federal laws will prevail regardless of state-level efforts to legalize pot.  Gil Kerlikowske said enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 — which ranks marijuana as a Schedule One drug alongside heroin, LSD and ecstasy — remains in the hands of the US Department of Justice.  ‘No state, no executive can nullify a statute that has been passed by Congress,’ the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy told a National Press Club luncheon.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/17/drug-czar-no-state-can-nullify-federal-marijuana-ban/

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Congressional Research Service says not much Feds can do about legalized marijuana

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“So where does this leave the feds? They can use their limited resources to arrest and seize whomever they can get their hands on. They can tie marijuana to other federal laws — gun possession, public housing occupancy, employment drug testing, etc.  None of these options will achieve the overturning of state laws. And their pettiness will turn individuals further against the federal government.  Or… the federal government could listen to the states, and to the people.  Just a thought.”

http://www.drugwarrant.com/2013/04/congressional-research-service-says-not-much-feds-can-do-about-legalized-marijuana/

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