Why I Am Not a Fan of Obama Part One

I have not been happy with Barack Obama's performance in office for quite some time now. Two of his egregious offences concern the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and his recent visit to Saudi Arabia. In this post, I will deal with the T.P.P.

In truth, the T.P.P. has been in the pipeline for some time now. Its progenitor was known as Pacific Three Closer Economic Partnership according to Wikipedia and first reared its head as near as I can figure in 2002. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership]. Obama seems to be involved in the summits which have occurred since 2010 in some way that I cannot figure.

The thing is, the T.P.P. is comprehensive and lacks transparency unless you happen to be a Big Corporation. The rest of us, the public, have pretty much been left in the dark. This monster has proceeded and gained momentum without any input from those of us who are the public. Fortunately, Wikileaks has obtained a leaked document [https://wikileaks.org/tpp/#QQG] which was released in November 2013. Regardless of what you think about Julian Assange, if you care at all about intellectual property laws, the criminalization of D.R.M.-ripping devices in order to make copies for one's own use, the monitoring of your activities on-line by your I.S.P. and more, then go here [https://wikileaks.org/tpp/static/pdf/Wikileaks-secret-TPP-treaty-IP-chapter.pdf] right now and download your own copy of the thing. Then read it. At least read the parts pertaining to copyrights.

Copyrights are not the only thing at stake in the T.P.P. Concerns have also been expressed about benefits to Big Pharma at the detriment of specifically New Zealand. Doctors Without Borders [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership] and The Lancet [http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/opinion/66226074/Trans-Pacific-Partnership-may-raise-drug-prices] have raised concerns about what the T.P.P. will do to drug prices.

Also at stake are product safety rules [http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/02/16/trading-us-democracy-for-corporate-profits-with-tpp/] for agricultural products coming into the United States. They will not be as stringent as the current safety protections that we have are. There is concern about jobs [http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/letter-urge-congress-to-reject-trans-pacific-partnership-20150216], and a lessening of "environmental and health safeguards" [https://www.citizen.org/tpp].

After the T.P.P., watch out for the T.T.I.P. [http://americanfreepress.net/?p=22700] Trans-Atlantic Trade Investment Partnership which will be more of the same geared at Europe.

radical sapphoq says: The T.P.P. is due to be fast-tracked in D.C. sooner rather than later. There will be zero amendments or alterations allowed. Quite frankly, I intend to vote out of office any rep in my geographical region that votes yes on this monstrocity.

References [in no particular order]:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/opinion/66226074/Trans-Pacific-Partnership-may-raise-drug-prices

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/editorials/66223914/Trans-Pacific-Partnership-Trade-deal-secrecy-par-for-the-course

http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/02/16/trading-us-democracy-for-corporate-profits-with-tpp/

http://americanfreepress.net/?p=22700

http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/letter-urge-congress-to-reject-trans-pacific-partnership-20150216

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership

https://www.citizen.org/tpp

http://tppinfo.org/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/02/09/1362851/-Why-isn-t-President-Obama-talking-about-the-Trans-Pacific-Partnership-deal

https://wikileaks.org/tpp/#QQG

https://wikileaks.org/tpp/static/pdf/Wikileaks-secret-TPP-treaty-IP-chapter.pdf

MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND COMPASSION FOR THE DYING 3/15/07

Angel Raich from Oakland, California lost her case in a federal appellate court on Wednesday for the right to use marijuana for her chronic pain from a brain tumor and other conditions. Although California is one of eleven states that allow the use of marijuana on a doctor's prescription, federal law doesn't. Her ex-husband is her attorney. Although she is terminally ill, she lost in court. In a split decision, it was found that Angel Raich does not have a fundamental right to use marijuana to alleviate suffering and to keep her alive by granting her the appetite to eat. The ruling does pave the way for her to argue that she is using marijuana in order to stay alive if she is busted by the feds. The feds have been cracking down on labs in California which supply marijuana to those who need it medically.

radical sapphoq says: The law is an ass, just like Mr. Bumble in Charles' Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist" maintained. The U.S. Congress legislated that marijuana has no medicinal value back in 1970. That is an incorrect assumption. Marijuana has been used in glaucoma treatment as a matter of routine in Arizona according to a friend who lived there; and continues to be used to alleviate nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemo. Angel Raich has an inoperable brain tumor. In a day and age where a fetus is judged to have a right to live, why is it that a 41 year old woman does not? Our current federal law regarding this matter is broken. I am no pot smoker; however, I say to the legislators this: FIX IT.

radical sapphoq who has also been free from active addiction for many years


http://news.bostonherald.com/national/west/view.bg?articleid=188643

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/15/us/15marijuana.html?ref=us

http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKN1428868320070314

http://origin.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_5441130