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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Conflict of Interest / Drugs I Wouldn't Say That to Feckless Sissy Frank Chopp (Because Frank Chopp Is a Feckless Sissy)

Posted by Dominic Holden on Tue, May 12, 2009 at 12:26 PM

I share a lot in common with this guy... I'm on the board of NORML, my name is also Dominic, and I resent lawmakers who want to lock up adults for smoking marijuana. But I'd never do this:

With a key legislative committee poised to vote on a marijuana decriminalization bill today, one of the nation's leading marijuana advocacy groups has disbanded its Connecticut chapter after the local's vice president was arrested for allegedly implying harm against a state senator.

Dominic Vita, vice-president of the Connecticut chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, was charged Friday with disorderly conduct. He's accused of sending an e-mail saying he was "getting ready to go postal" to Sen. Toni Boucher, an opponent of relaxing marijuana laws.

"It's hardly a fortuitous time for this to occur," Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of NORML. "It's hard enough to get marijuana laws reformed. Those kind of mistakes make it harder."

I mean, Washington State Speaker of the House Frank Chopp killed a bill to decriminalize marijuana this year, several sources in the legislature have told me. But I wouldn't threaten "go postal" over it. I think we ought to pick a new Speaker of the House—you know, someone who harnesses the Democratic supermajority to pass bills supported by his or her party, supports the party's interest in health care reform, doesn't throw progressive issues under the bus, and who isn't an all-around feckless sissy. Because feckless sissies like Frank Chopp don't deserve to be threatened with violence; they deserve to be voted out of office and remembered as feckless sissies.

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I wouldn't call Chopp feckless. In fact, I'd say there's a lot of feck in him. That's why many on the left call him Frank "Feck In" Chopp.

Posted by TheRain on May 12, 2009 at 10:49 PM

Where does Cary Moon stand on Marijuana issues?

I guess she supports the mayor these days, see http://publicola.net/?p=5950.

Rumor has it that she's thinking of running for Chopp's spot because of general inaction with good transportation policy.

She's no sissy.

Posted by Gabe Global on May 12, 2009 at 5:03 PM

Um, would that be our elected representatives in the majority party?

Which, on the face of it, is the SLOG.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on May 12, 2009 at 4:59 PM

So "we" ought to pick a new Speaker?

Do you have any idea who picks the Speaker?

Hint #1: It's not the Slog.

Posted by RonK, Seattle on May 12, 2009 at 4:32 PM

Wait, when did Chopp kill this bill? I had a lot of hope for it and have been eagerly waiting for a status update. It'd be great to see a followup to the "Pot's Shot" article from a few months ago so people can find out what's blocking the legislation and what we can do to let people like Chopp know that we strongly support it.

Posted by John on May 12, 2009 at 3:40 PM

Stop it, dominic. You're going to make him cry.

Posted by jm on May 12, 2009 at 2:54 PM

So, when are you running?

(crickets chirp)

Yeah, thought so.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on May 12, 2009 at 2:52 PM

Chopp is an embarrassment and has been for YEARS.

Posted by cw on May 12, 2009 at 1:45 PM

so stop calling him names and LOBBY HIM. has NORML met with chopp?

maybe break the ice & say something nice about the Choppaduct now that it's dead.

Posted by Max Solomon on May 12, 2009 at 1:42 PM

The problem, Dom, is that without Chopp there wouldn't be a Dem supermajority, or if there was, they wouldn't be able to pass gas by themselves, let alone legislation. Chopp makes things happen. Maybe not enough things, but more than the alternative,

Posted by Fnarf

on May 12, 2009 at 1:11 PM

New to Slog? Let a faithful Dom reader highlight some of his cast of locals for you:

Chopp: feckless sissy.
Write him off, blackhearted and beyond hope, never did nobody no good.

Developers: fecky lionhearts.
Praiseworthy as a rule but sort of wish they had built prettier stuff, and it's super sad they're so hurty now and people are mean to them for no reason.

Liz Dunn: Kitten With a Whip. The Girl on a Motorcycle. Demoiselle de Rochefort.

Posted by gloomy gus on May 12, 2009 at 1:02 PM

The NORML guy did not really threaten the senator... he tried to send the following to his colleague but accidentally hit Reply instead of Forward and sent it to the legislative office. Stupid but not much of a threat...

“David, not sure if you have seen what these douche bags are up to at the capitol, but I’m getting ready to go postal. Sen. Boucher is about to get my foot in his/her fucking face. My tolerance for these fucking worthless pieces of shit is rapidly eroding. Things are going to get really ugly soon.”

Posted by spock on May 12, 2009 at 12:38 PM