Daily Archives: May 13, 2017

On Friday (May 12), a tectonic shift occurred on Capitol Hill when attorney general Jeff Sessions overturned an Obama-era policy and incited prosecutors all over the country to give low-level drug offenders the harshest penalties, leaving open a chance to extend mandatory prison sentences. While Sessions denied that his memo would affect low-level crimes, he assured that his agenda would lay a heavier hand on crime than former President Obama and former attorney general Eric Holder. Drug trafficking is an inherently dangerous and violent business, Sessions said. If you want to collect a drug debt, you cant file a lawsuit in court. You collect it with the barrel of a gun.

READ Condoleezza Rice On Donald Trump: Look, We Have A Different Kind Of President

The pressure to extend the exhausting and problematic war on drugs has often gone unnoticed in Trumps administration, given the constant rainfall of other scandals but just weeks earlier, comedic duo Keith and Kenny Lucas shared their thoughts on the matter in the form of their first Netflix stand-up special, Lucas Brothers: On Drugs. Known for their animated series Lucas Bros. Moving Company and cameos in 21 Jump Street and Lady Dynamite, the duo decided to take their first stand-up special in a political, but light note.

READ Count On Me: 7 Times Big Black Taught Us About Friendship

The funny men blend their deadpan stoner comedy with their hatred for Richard Nixon, the purveyor of the war on drugs (or what they call the war on ni**as who want to have fun). One of [Nixons] aides, Rob Halderman, even stated that they started the war on drugs to minimise the impact of black folks on the far left, Keith said. So there was intent with the policies with Ronald Reagan later doubling down on it. But the brothers believe there could be one man to bring the earth back to a comforting axisDwayne The Rock Johnson.

I think The Rock is the dream that Martin Luther King Jr. talked about, Kenny explained. Hes a combination of Obama, the celebrity of Trump but the ability to speak like Obama. The idea of the actor as a post-Trump candidate seems more believable these days since just this week, the Baywatch star toyed around with the idea in his interview with GQ.

The potential black futurists shelve out plenty of truths in the special and our chat, from the joy in OJ Simpson jokes to their dislike for the Trump administration.

***

VIBE: What inspired the focus for On Drugs?

Kenny: We have been developing our routine for about almost eight years and when we were scanning the material, we noticed there were characteristics between the jokes that connected to a larger topic so from there we thought, we should have it more systematic.

Keith: We decided to focus it more on the war on drugs since its impacted us in so many ways. First, our dad went to prison and second, its tough to get drugs when theres a war being waged against drug dealers. Technically, our material fits into the theme.

I appreciated the balance of social construct and comedy.

Kenny: Its hard to get the message out if youre being overtly political. If youre able to disguise it in a way where youre getting your opinion out there where its mostly jokes, but people can laugh at the jokes first and get the message later, I think its more effective.

Who do you hate more: Reagan or Nixon?

Kenny: I have a personal gripe for Reagan, I really hate Reagan, but you gotta go to the first mover, the first person who started it. You have to access their psychology and their intent behind the policy and all evidence seems to suggest that Nixon was racist. He was just a racist guy who didnt like black people so if hes this racist guy and has such a big impact on policies toward black and brown people I mean, Im not saying that racism caused it, but

Keith: One of his aides, Rob Halderman, even stated that they started the war on drugs to minimise the impact of black folks on the far left. So there was intent with the policies with Regan later doubling down on it. Also, Clinton doubled down so its hard to say I hate Regan and then leave Clinton out of it since he played a huge role in locking ni**as up.

But he played the sax so ni**as didnt care.

Keith: I didnt know if you read this, but theres a book that says if a president played the sax you can arrest a hundred thousand black people and everyone would be okay with it.

Word, it would be no problem at all. The Trump administration seems to find themselves crumbling from the inside. Do you think theres going to be any real change in the presidents leadership?

Kenny: Thats not going to happen.

Keith: When you have a gangsta, its gonna end one way. Every second were speaking, a law is being broken by this administration. Its sort of an infectious impact on the rest of his minions so theyre doubling down on the rhetoric. They havent seemed to think of pivoting to get these policies in place. Sessions is a warrior so hes not going to change. These guys are 65 plus, theyve established their opinions and the way they see the world.

Kenny: These old dudes, theyre not concerned about the younger generation at all. Theyre going to wage these wars and just assume that the young people are going to fight it. I think young people need to say, F**k that, f**k you guys, we didnt vote for you and were not going to fight in any baseless wars and if you guys try to put us in any baseless wars, were gonna revolt.

Keith: How is it that they allow 65 years olds to determine who goes to war when they dont even have to fight?

They cant even fight.

Keith: They cant even drive! F**k them.

Kenny: Yea its just a bunch of old white dudes f**king up the world.

The situation is very wild but if you had to choose another entertainer to rule the free world, who would it be?

Keith: For the free world? Theres only one man who can do this.

Kenny: Hes the most electrifying man in entertainment and thats The Rock. I think The Rock is the dream that Martin Luther King Jr. talked about, hes a combination of Obama, the celebrity of Trump but the ability to speak like Obama.

Keith: And hes just a bada** dude. Hes already got catchphrases. Hes the peoples champ so you can use that on the campaign easily.

Kenny: Smell what the Rock is cooking.

Keith: You can use that.

Kenny: When hes in a debate with someone he can just say, It doesnt matter what this guy says.

Keith: He has the perfect resume. Id vote for him if he was a Republican or a Democrat.

Kenny: I dont care what he is. Hes a perfect combination of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Obama and Trump.

Keith: And hell be the second black president.

Kenny: He should run in 2020.

Keith: He should! F**k it.

If that was to happen, it would be pretty awesome. I saw in the stand up that you guys had a plethora of OJ jokes. Whats the best thing about coming up with them?

Kenny: Buried in our subconscious, for black men at least, is Damn, OJ got away. He committed the worst crime against a white person and got away with it. So subconsciously, were like, Lets have a little fun with this and relive the moment.

Keith: Im obsessed with the case and with OJ as a character, I mean obviously its a tragedy, but when its had such an influential role on how we see TV and the legal system and how we see race in America. You cant help but formulate ideas around it, especially as comedians sometimes those beliefs turn into jokes. Its just one of those things you have to say about it because why not? Everyone else has.

Yeah, thats very true. I like the one about the stabbing.

Kenny: Im sure white people didnt find it funny.

Theyll be alright. Why do you guys love (or hate) Kazaam so much?

Kenny: Its definitely a love/hate thing.

I used to watch Lucas Bros. Moving Company and I remember it being referenced on there and so I wondered if you guys really liked it or not.

Keith: Its just one of those things that stand out in my childhood. So anything that was relevant when I was a child, but its subjectively a horrible movie. But Shaq as a genie so you cant look away. Why is he in a genie uniform? He cant rap, he cant act, hes a huge genie.

Kenny: It was Touchstone Pictures and Interscope. None of these companies are around anymore.

Its funny since theres an online theory that in another universe, Sinbad starred in Kazaam. Do you guys believe in the idea of the multiverse?

Kenny: [Not the Sinbad theory] but with the multiverse, Its the only thing that makes mathematical sense. We can only see 4.9 percent of the observable universe. So that means theres a vast universe we cant see and even with us trying to explain the 4.9 percent that we can observe makes me think that what we cant see is even more inexplicable.

What would be going on in that universe right now?

Kenny: Heres my theory and it could be farfetched cause Im still hungover from yesterday (April 21), but theres a universe for every possible outcome for every action you take. Every permutation that your life can take, theres a universe that exists for that. And thats true for seven billion people so you have to calculate the permeate and the other living things.

Keith: Everything is and isnt.

Kenny: How did we get to the cosmos?

Were spinning! Ill bring it back. Do you guys plan on making a return to the animated world? I really enjoyed the end of the special.

Keith: We want to. Were currently developing a TV show with TBS. It takes place in an alternate universe (laughs). Its a magical alternate universe where we get stuck and we have to goto a magic college and we sort of have to go through certain events to get back to our universe.

Kenny: And this is a historically black magic universe.

Keith: So its like an HBCU, but more a hybrid of magic university so were getting taught black magic and how to defend wizards against the universe. Its gonna be super trippy.

Anything else you guys wanna add?

Keith: They should check out the special if youre fans of our comedy or if youre not fans and hate us and want to leave a negative review, then still watch it.

Stream the Lucas Brothers: On Drugs over at Netflix.

READ Title Aside, Dear White People Is About Much More Than Race

View post:

Interview: The Lucas Brothers Talk The War On Drugs & Why The Rock Would Be The Perfect President - Vibe

Talk about misplaced prioritiesisn't there an entire FBI scandal and collusion with Russia that he should be concerned with?

No surprises here: Jeff Sessions is moving forward with his plans to toughen rules on prosecuting drug crimes. This movewill only serve to rollback some of theprogress the Obama administration made toward directing prosecutors away from federal mandatory minimums and imposing harsh sentences for minor drug cases. Though it didntstop the mass incarceration of black and brown people, it marked the first decline of the federal prison population in a decade andit was certainly a step in the right direction. But being the good old boy andwhite supremacist that he is, Jeff wasnt satisfied with Obamas progress.Instead, he came up with his very own planto revive the war on drugs and craft tougher sentencing policy.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to soon toughen rules on prosecuting drug crimes, according to people familiar with internal deliberations, in what would be a major rollback of Obama-era policies that would put his first big stamp on a Justice Department he has criticized as soft on crime. [...]

Current and former government officials have said for weeks that Mr. Sessionss new policy could come at any time. They said Tuesday that they expected to see it finalized shortly, and Mr. Sessions himself has foreshadowed the announcement this year, calling for a return to tougher federal charging policies in speeches and issuing memos telling prosecutors to anticipate policy shifts.

If you look at the differences between the current attorney general (Sessions) and previous one (Eric Holder), and their views on the criminal justice system, they are starkto say the least. In 2013, Holder directed federal prosecutors to avoid mandatory minimums, suggesting that in certain cases it might be appropriate to omit details about drug quantities from charging documents so as not to automatically prompt harsh penalties for offenders.

We must ensure that our most severe mandatory minimum penalties are reserved for serious, high-level, or violent drug traffickers, hewrote in 2013. Too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long and for truly no good law enforcement reason.

More:

Sessions moves forward with war on drugs like he doesn't have anything more important to worry about - Daily Kos

LONG before President Duterte even announced his candidacy, I called attention in this column to the terrible menace of dangerous drugs abuse engulfing the country. Coming home after a six-year assignment abroad, I was shocked to find my neighborhood in Manila and my mothers remote village in Nueva Ecija both swarming with young drug addicts. Right outside the gate of my residence in Manila, teenage girls were huddled in the dark, sniffing some substance. These girls were later reportedly impregnated by other drug addicts in the area and delivered little naked children running around unattended in the streets. More alarmingly, in a nearby street corner, a young man from a prominent clan was stabbed dead after refusing to yield his cell phone to a drug-addicted hold-upper from the nearby slum area.

A dangerous drugs culture has permeated all levels of Philippine society. Also, owing to its strategic location in the Pacific, the Manila international airport has become recognized as an international exchange for prohibited drugs and the country has become a herding center for drug mules. Based on my experience assisting Filipinos carrying prohibited drugs at Pakistani airports, I bemoaned in the article the lack of international cooperation, especially in the exchange of intelligence information directed at the apprehension of the drug syndicates that deploy these women on their perilous errands.

Like many Filipinos, I was sanguine about President Dutertes waging an unrelenting war against illegal drugs as he promised during his election campaign. But sans Digongs colorful language and allegations of human rights abuses by certain sectors here and abroad, the new administrations war on drugs might have escaped international attention. While illegal drugs have proved to be a grave threat to the stability and growth of developing countries, there have been notable trends in the West in the last decade in decriminalizing abuse of dangerous drugs. Heroin has long been legal in Italy. In recent years, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Canada have designated parks and centers where drugs may be distributed and used without risking arrest.

Vice President Robredo has referred to Portugals efforts to treat drug abuse wholly as a health disorder. Certain states in the United States have lifted restrictions in varying degrees on the sale and use of marijuana or cannabis. Like the cigarette before, the young everywhere are lured to illegal drugs by their association with entertainment people despite the latters dying because of overdose.

The history of the negotiation of international treaties on narcotics control from its first one in the 1930s shows the international community having (at least) two minds about narcotics control. Countries known for their opium and coca plantations worried how narcotics control would affect their economies! Developed countries would not have narcotics control affect the march of medicine and science. Whether mere personal use should be controlled or not is a matter of continuously raging debate. Even as the present treaties recognize narcotics control as necessary to the well-being of the international community, enforcement of the treaty is left entirely to the individual state party and its national laws. The agencies created by these treaties such as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime have by no means supranational powers. Their importance lies entirely on their reporting trends in the use of narcotics and the listing and delisting of controlled drugs. I doubt if the whereabouts, movements, and operations of international drug lords and their multicolored lieutenants across borders are even in the UNODC radar.

Dutertes war on drugs has been criticized and pictured as a war on the poor. An American reporter won a Pulitzer prize stringing along photos taken by Filipino photographers of the death of drug pushers or users or both in the slums of Metro Manila and the overcrowding of disheveled surrenderees and inmates in a Quezon City detention center. The alarm about the peddling and abuse of dangerous drugs has been largely and precisely due to their spreading to even the most disadvantaged sectors of society, grimly putting into question the future of nearly half of the Philippine population and their offspring.

Drug lords and their minions have satanically found ways of making even the urban and rural poor take to drugs that they normally cannot afford. The drug of choice in the Philippines is methamphetamine, known locally as shabu, which is cheaper than opium, and its derivatives, and which can be marketed in small packets or degraded to make it even cheaper. It is imported from China and Korea or manufactured locally.

Dutertes war on drugs has had some defects. A principal one emanates from the very reason the people voted for him: his promise of fast, effective action to solve the drugs problem perceived to be at the root of rising criminality. It is clear by now that the deadline Duterte set for himself for solving this national scourge was unrealistic.

The Duterte administration did not allow itself a pause to contemplate the magnitude of a national campaign. It seems to have been assumed that the Philippines is merely a larger Davao.

(To be continued tomorrow)

Continued here:

Reflections on President Duterte's war on drugs - The Manila Times