(Los Angeles, CA) – Today the NAACP passed a historic resolution calling for an end to the war on drugs. The resolution was voted on by a majority of delegates at the 102nd NAACP Annual Convention in Los Angeles, CA. The overall message of the resolution is captured by its title: A Call to End the War on Drugs, Allocate Funding to Investigate Substance Abuse Treatment, Education, and Opportunities in Communities of Color for A Better Tomorrow.

“Today the NAACP has taken a major step towards equity, justice and effective law enforcement,” stated Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP. “These flawed drug policies that have been mostly enforced in African American communities must be stopped and replaced with evidenced-based practices that address the root causes of drug use and abuse in America.”

The resolution outlines the facts about the failed drug war, highlighting that the U.S. spends over $40 billion annually on the war on drugs, locking up low-level drug offenders – mostly from communities of color. African Americans are in fact 13 times more likely to go to jail for the same drug-related offense than their white counterparts.
“Studies show that all racial groups abuse drugs at similar rates, but the numbers also show that African Americans, Hispanics and other people of color are stopped, searched, arrested, charged, convicted, and sent to prison for drug-related charges at a much higher rate,” stated Alice Huffman, President of the California State Conference of the NAACP. “This dual system of drug law enforcement that serves to keep African-Americans and other minorities under lock and key and in prison must be exposed and eradiated.

”Instead of sending drug offenders to prison, the resolution calls for the creation and expansion of rehabilitation and treatment programs, methadone clinics, and other treatment protocols that have been proven effective.

“We know that the war on drugs has been a complete failure because in the forty years that we’ve been waging this war, drug use and abuse has not gone down,” stated Robert Rooks, Director of the NAACP Criminal Justice Program. “The only thing we’ve accomplished is becoming the world’s largest incarcerator, sending people with mental health and addiction issues to prison, and creating a system of racial disparities that rivals Jim Crow policies of the 1960’s.”
Once ratified by the board of directors in October, the resolution will encourage the more than 1200 active NAACP units across the country to organize campaigns to advocate for the end of the war on drugs.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private

i will agree with todd. you dont mess with snapping turtles that large. it is very foolish.

>> ^TdLumpy:

OK people.. For starters, if you have never been around a snapping turtle, especially a 25-30 pound snapping turtle, you need to back off with the hate talk as to why I didnt jump right in and "help" him over the fence. This dude had a neck that comes out nearly a foot at lightening fast speed. His head is the size of a baseball.. Dont let the slow moving body fool you. These things can be NASTY as hell when you mess with them. You just dont walk over and pet it, or try to pick it up. The claws on his feet are razor sharp and about an inch long. Those feet are INCREDIBLY strong. My plan was to relocate him to the Mississippi River after work that day so he wouldnt EAT the newly hatched baby ducks and baby geese on the pond in the background. When I came back an hour or so later, he did finally make it over the fence and is now back into the pond. So far, the ducks and geese are fine. All are still accounted for.
He crawled into this fenced in enclosure sometime during the night, I found him the next morning just crawling along the interior of the fence just looking for a way out. I had NO IDEA these critters scaled fences or anything else for that matter. If you notice, the beginning of the video, how far away I am? I wasnt "waiting" for him to climb.. I just saw it in progress and started recording.. I didnt know he was going to fall either, nor did I make him fall. I just thought this was something super crazy so I recorded it for everybody to see. In a matter of 2 weeks, it has been seen nearly 60,000 times on YouTube.
I love animals just as much as anybody else and would never do anything to harm this turtle. So please knock off the "Prick" and the "WTF".. The turtle is very happy where he's at and Im sure will be there a long time..
Thanks,
Todd


welcome to Sift
No need to be defensive about your video. Even though comments might sound harsh, they are not so much comments on you but more for other Sifter's humor.
Right now your video is ranked #17. With a few more votes it'll get bumped to top 15 and then it'll get a lot more exposure. Not many people have the honor/luck of getting up there.

>> ^LukinStone:

Howard almost spoiled Red Dead Redemption for me.


He doesn't give anything away; he just says he really enjoyed the ending. He says it like 4-5x, but no spoilers.

OK people.. For starters, if you have never been around a snapping turtle, especially a 25-30 pound snapping turtle, you need to back off with the hate talk as to why I didnt jump right in and "help" him over the fence. This dude had a neck that comes out nearly a foot at lightening fast speed. His head is the size of a baseball.. Dont let the slow moving body fool you. These things can be NASTY as hell when you mess with them. You just dont walk over and pet it, or try to pick it up. The claws on his feet are razor sharp and about an inch long. Those feet are INCREDIBLY strong. My plan was to relocate him to the Mississippi River after work that day so he wouldnt EAT the newly hatched baby ducks and baby geese on the pond in the background. When I came back an hour or so later, he did finally make it over the fence and is now back into the pond. So far, the ducks and geese are fine. All are still accounted for.

He crawled into this fenced in enclosure sometime during the night, I found him the next morning just crawling along the interior of the fence just looking for a way out. I had NO IDEA these critters scaled fences or anything else for that matter. If you notice, the beginning of the video, how far away I am? I wasnt "waiting" for him to climb.. I just saw it in progress and started recording.. I didnt know he was going to fall either, nor did I make him fall. I just thought this was something super crazy so I recorded it for everybody to see. In a matter of 2 weeks, it has been seen nearly 60,000 times on YouTube.

I love animals just as much as anybody else and would never do anything to harm this turtle. So please knock off the "Prick" and the "WTF".. The turtle is very happy where he's at and Im sure will be there a long time..

Thanks,

Todd

Compared to other songs Matt and Trey have done this is pretty bad, like Sweeny Todd bad. I'm dissapointed

Tags for this video have been changed from 'live, 70s, TV, pop, television' to 'live, 70s, TV, pop, television, Todd Rundgren' - edited by Ornthoron

>> ^Morganth:

I think you the Todd.>> ^Truckchase:
I always listened to Todd.



No, you the Todd.

I think you the Todd.>> ^Truckchase:

I always listened to Todd.

I always listened to Todd.

That, is just simply amazingly cool to know! Let him know how much I enjoyed it. I have to check out his blog, and the music (I will definitely put that in the credits) thank you so much for posting it!
It is wild what you find digging around online!


>> ^timlombardo:

Hah, I can't believe this is on here...this was my brother's senior thesis as a student at Ringling in '06. He is a 3d modeler at Activision (recently designed the RC Bomb Car in Black Ops). He now posts some of his personal work on his blog - http://nicholaslombardo.blogspot.com/.
The music was written and performed by our cousin, Todd Lombardo. He writes and produces music in Nashville and is currently touring with Jerry Douglas - check out a performance from last year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORvfCJkhRm4.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'the black keys, howlin for you, western, fake trailer, shaun white, tricia helfer' to 'black keys, howlin for you, fake trailer, shaun white, tricia helfer, Todd Bridges' - edited by Trancecoach

>> ^TangledThorns:

Name calling is the best you can do? Ladies & gentleman, we have your typical Obama supporter!



Boys and girls! The typical double-standard and feigned innocence of someone ignorant enough to believe that Sarah Palin is anything more than a communications major/mouthpiece who looks good on camera:



“Can’t wait to vote this moron out of office in 2012!”

“Greyson is a fool.”

“The way this fool is running the country into the ground I expect a President Sarah Palin to save us from his huge mistakes.”

“Sarah & Todd Palin should write ten tips to David Letterman on how not to be a cheating douche bag of a husband.”

“Maher needs his notes again. I love it when he has conservatives on his panel, they always show how much of an idiot and his liberal audience is.”


“This guy is an idiot.”



Say what you want about Obama but to attack his speech-giving ability is pretty weak. Everyone makes mistakes but he's easily one of the best of the last few decades. At least his speeches don't come to a screeching halt when he sweats the talking points off of his palms. Besides, he's just trying to put food on his family.

>> ^shuac:

Is the gamebryo engine still in the mix? That's the big question.


Yes. There were a few articles some weeks ago about how they were using the same engine as Oblivion/Fallout, but heavily modified. This is the first TES game they've done which isn't on a brand new engine.

It's suspect, but I trust that they can pull it off. It's just that a lot of the inadequaces of Oblivion and Fallout 3 were attributable to the engine.

disregard that, I suck clocks

Todd Howard had spoken about how Bethesda's next project would be using the same engine, but Todd Howard is a madman.

And they both fuck people for a living.

>> ^Trancecoach:

There's one other person, besides Sarah Palin, who I've ever heard of being from Wasilla, Alaska.
>> ^dag:
Awesome. You can at least say that Palin has put Wasilla on the map, and increased the name recognition among people of the world. A lot of people here in Australia know where Wasilla is now - sure wouldn't have before.>> ^deathcow:
It was Chepos in Wasilla, no pics sorry. Todd Palin held the door for me and Sarah held the door for all of us. She was toting the youngest kid with her.