Middleboro Review et al

Democracy Dies in Darkness vvvvvvvvvv The truth behind the rhetoric John Boehner is blowing smoke on prisons and pot possession Former House speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) joined the advisory board of a multi-state cannabis company. The former speaker, who was once staunchly opposed, said “ When you look at the number of people in our state and federal penitentiaries, who are there for possession of small amounts of cannabis, you begin to really scratch your head. We have literally filled up our jails with people who are nonviolent and frankly do not belong there.” There are lots of people arrested for possessing marijuana but few of them end up in prison. (There is a difference between jails and prisons. In this case, he’s talking about prisons.) Not a single state treats pot possession as a felony. And in the federal system in 2017, only 92 people in the entire country were sentenced for possession. Boehner is repeating a myth. Under no stret...

Democracy Dies in Darkness Keeping up with politics is easy now By Amber Phillips A lifelong Republican and President Trump's first FBI director is now Trump's chief antagonist. FBI director James B. Comey said on Sunday that Trump is “morally unfit to be president.” And that's just the start. Comey is no longer a Republican, and he's out with a book that calls Trump a congenital liar and an unethical leader. Trump and Comey shake hands in January 2017, when tensions were already high. (Andrew Harrer / EPA) This is not normal, people. So how did it happen? Here are some key moments Comey says he had with Trump that, in hindsight, motivated him to become the president's most outspoken critic:  July 5, 2016:  Comey announces he won't recommend charging Hillary Clinton with a crime for using a private email server while secretary of state. Trump spends the rest of th...