That is what I'm doing as part of the GottaVote weekend of action. It should be a damn good time. I mean, I abhor parades, really, but it's Pride and well, that demographic isn't called "gay" for nothing. hahaha It's also true that my state really needs a strong showing of support for equality, since haters voted against same-sex marriage some years back; still don't know how that happened. Hopefully, we'll fix it soon enough.
So, yah. I'm going down to the OFA booth at the parade today and will be registering all the voters I can. And I plan to be completely shameless about it, too. Details below the Cheetoh mist.
By shameless, I simply mean that I am going to very unabashedly base my pitch to register voters on a ballot measure we will be voting on this November. Said ballot measure proposes to decriminalize the personal possession and use of marijoooowana. As long as you are in your own home and not inflicting damage or violence, Police are to ignore pot smokers. Thankfully, this is a trend that is actually gaining traction.
We still have many states to go, though, and ideally some substance rescheduling at the federal level before we get to full-fledged legalization. This is why we need organizations working on reform everywhere, and we've got one hell of an org in LEAP. Their name stands for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Who would know better than they how futile, wasteful, and pointless prosecuting non-violent people for enjoying a !@#$%& plant is?
Founded on March 16, 2002, LEAP is made up of current and former members of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities who are speaking out about the failures of our existing drug policies. Those policies have failed, and continue to fail, to effectively address the problems of drug abuse, especially the problems of juvenile drug use, the problems of addiction, and the problems of crime caused by the existence of a criminal black market in drugs.
I can think of few entities more entitled to speak authoritatively on the matter; to have people in law enforcement on our side is, well, quite a leap compared to where we were ten years ago. LEAP attends Netroots Nation every year, near as I can tell, and they do a lot of education and outreach, making their presenters available to a variety of audiences. All of this, of course, costs money, but we have an incredible opportunity right now to
match donations :
A few weeks ago, we told you that an anonymous donor has pledged to triple all donations to Law Enforcement Against Prohibition if we raise $50,000 by summer. With the first official day of summer right around the corner, we are extremely close to meeting our goal: we’ve raised $39,938 so far!
On behalf of LEAP’s speakers and staff, I want to offer a huge thank you to all of you who have stepped up and helped to bring us so close to our goal. We couldn’t have made it this far without your generous support.
Now we need others to step up and help us finish the job – raising the final $10,000 by June 21! Your $5 donation will grow to $15. Your $50 grows to $150, and your $1,000 to $3,000. Don’t pass up this incredible opportunity to triple your impact on legalization! LEAP has big plans for the rest of this year, and you have the power to make those plans a reality.
We only have four more days to get LEAP over that final threshold so they can receive triple matching funds. Let's do this!