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| Obama seeks to change crack sentences |
| 2009-04-29 |
| WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is asking Congress to close the big gap in prison sentences for dealing crack versus powdered cocaine, a law that critics say is unfair to blacks. Such sentencing reform efforts tend to focus on lowering the mandatory minimum sentences for crack cocaine possession, but in prepared testimony to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer did not spell out exactly how the administration hopes to make the law more fair. "The administration believes Congress' goal should be to completely eliminate the disparity in prison sentences between crack cocaine and powdered cocaine," Breuer said in written testimony to be delivered Wednesday. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #16 I have no problem w/a three time convicted crack dealer being clipped. Add child molesters and rapists into that mix as well. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2009-04-29 21:14 |
| #15 If the majority of crack dealers are black then thus goes the Obama excuse. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2009-04-29 20:03 |
| #14 Isn't death is a little overboard for drugs -- something a fair number of people have tried? I can think of many crimes which should carry the death penalty, but selling drugs is not one of them. Honestly, there are shows on TV that do more damage to more young people than drugs. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2009-04-29 18:53 |
| #13 Sparong, you're right it's more cruel, that's exactly why I advocate death, end the shit once and for all. As my grandmother said "Scare them White". |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-04-29 18:20 |
| #12 With all due respect silent brick, I favor a life-sentence, but, a true life-sentence, incarerated untill death or so an advanced age that the cullprit has only bittersweet memories of a very misspenth youth. I actually find this to be crueler than outright killing them. |
| Posted by: Spairong Lumumba1031 2009-04-29 17:56 |
| #11 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1a8_1210894109 Crackhouse. |
| Posted by: Spairong Lumumba1031 2009-04-29 17:48 |
| #10 And then there's meth. What kind of conspiracy is that and who is the target? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-04-29 17:03 |
| #9 I'd prefer drug dealers get the death penalty. You could even do 3 strikes and yer dead. Just to lessen the tiny risk of an innocent 'holding' drugs for someone gets the chop. One things for sure. A dead dealer (be he white, black, green, purple or demonrat) will never EVER sell drugs again. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2009-04-29 15:44 |
| #8 Oh. I see. Forget about CRACK, being cheaper and far more addictive. The Dealers are mostly black therefore sentence should be reduced. IMHO the sentence should be TRIPLED. |
| Posted by: Angaise Gonque4789 2009-04-29 15:04 |
| #7 This is just another "mistake" .....quite similar to flying the Air Force One back-up bird low-level over Manhatten. How about it USAF? Has anyone at the 06-09 level got enuf balls to come clean and tell Fox News about the AIR TASKING ORDER that launched that bird? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-04-29 13:26 |
| #6 One notable difference is the murder rate. But |
| Posted by: ed 2009-04-29 12:46 |
| #5 Perhaps whoever wrote the mandatory sentencing regulations/laws thought that selling cheap crack to poor Americans is worse than selling expensive crack to rich Americans? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-04-29 12:22 |
| #4 Just guessing here, but the different sentencing guidelines might have something to do with different levels of potency and rate of addiction. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2009-04-29 12:19 |
| #3 I don't get it. Are white people supposed to be evil for pushing crack cocaine on black people (as per all the Konspiracy Theories) or for putting crack dealers in jail? |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-04-29 11:12 |
| #2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEGywhma69E Pee Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) anti-crack cocaine PSA. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2009-04-29 10:05 |
| #1 This is a rare case where I actually tend to agree with Zero. Not because I believe it's a racist thing, but because I agree that the comparative mandatory sentences are not fair. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-04-29 10:00 |