Duuuuuuuude:

(Massachusetts Congressman Barney) Frank has filed a bill that would eliminate federal penalties for personal possession of less than 100 grams of marijuana.

It would also make the penalty for using marijuana in public just $100.

"I think John Stuart Mill had it right in the 1850s," said Congressman Frank, "when he argued that individuals should have the right to do what they want in private, so long as they don't hurt anyone else. It's a matter of personal liberty. Moreover, our courts are already stressed and our prisons are over-crowded. We don't need to spend our scarce resources prosecuting people who are doing no harm to others."

Frank filed a similar bill last year, but it failed.

The law passed in Massachusetts last November.

Given the general timidity of the majority party and the hay that most certainly would be made by the minority party, I don't have much hope that this sensible and long-due bill will succeed, but more power to Barney Frank.

We're very excited here at C&L to have Rep. Barney Frank join us tomorrow afternoon at 12/PST-3PM Eastern Time to spend at least an hour of his time answering the many questions we all have about the state of the economy as the country tries to move forward.

He is the Chairman of the Financial Services Committee and as a result has been very busy on the TV circuit, so we're happy that he is taking the time to come to the blogosphere.

See you tomorrow.

Leave it to a wingnut Republican to post a video from inside the green zone after an attack. I would think that's a no-no, but I'm not a Republican in Congress.

The Pentagon told a North Carolina lawmaker Tuesday that he couldn’t re-air a video he'd shot in Baghdad after accusations surfaced that he breached operational security in detailing enemy rocket attacks. Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican, traveled to Iraq with other lawmakers for the first time on March 22. The video was the second incident stemming from that trip that has drawn unwanted attention to McHenry.

I wonder if he had on his lapel pin? Here's a golden oldie?

(posted on January 11th, 2007)

Barney came down on McHenry for breaking the rules and trying to implement an amendment. It's a new dawn in the House and the Republicans will not like it all that much…

Download | Play Download | Play (h/t Mark)

He cracked me up when he said his past behavior was not relevant…Hilarious.

Boston Globe:

Rep. Barney Frank said he plans to file a bill to legalize "small amounts" of marijuana.

Frank announced his plans late Friday on the HBO show "Real Time," hosted by Bill Maher.

"I'm going to file a bill as soon as we go back to remove all federal penalties for the possession or use of small amounts of marijuana," Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, told Maher.

Frank didn't define "small amounts." Efforts to reach Frank on Saturday were not immediately successful.

Frank said he'd filed a similar bill in the Massachusetts Legislature in the 1970s, but hasn't tried since he was elected to Congress.

"I finally got to the point where I think I can get away with it," he said.

Frank said he thinks "its time for the politicians in this one to catch up to the public. The notion that you lock people up for smoking marijuana is pretty silly."

I am totally for legalization of marijuana, but I have to differ with Frank on this: to think that at this time with this administration that you could get away with a bill legalizing pot actually is what sounds silly.

Barney came down on McHenry for breaking the rules and trying to implement an amendment. It's a new dawn in the House and the Republicans will not like it all that much...

Download | play Download | play (h/t Mark)

He cracked me up when he said his past behavior was not relevant...Hilarious.

(I'm really not going to post too much the next few days. I'm really not...no...really....Nicole has been yelling at me.)

Another end of year list. Favorite music is such a subjective thing that I'm at a lost as to how you could narrow it down. I have to thank Howie Klein for giving me the two most popular CDs in my house right now (Ray Sings, Basie Swings and John Coltrane: Fearless Leader). His gift has created jazz fans of my children, who are now discovering Sarah Vaughan, Tierney Sutton, Duke Ellington and Rosemary Clooney ). After years of Barney and Raffi CDs, that's the greatest gift of all.

Salon.com: My Favorite Things (includes exclusive downloads of music)

RollingStone: 100 Best Songs of the Year; 50 Best Albums of the Year

BBC: Sound of 2006: Top 10 Revisited

Metacritic: Top 10 Roundup

HUD Man

"Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) called on President Bush to ask for the immediate resignation of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson if a report about government contracts being awarded based on the contractor's opinion of President Bush are accurate. In addition, Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Barney Frank (D-MA) have also called for a full investigation...read on

Barney Cam

Friday Night Funnies

Download | play -WMP Download | play -QT (via White House) still loading on servers

Happy Holidays! From President Bush and Laura...

What will Bill O think? Who cares!

The news video features statements by Ted Kennedy and Barney Frank.

Frank: Well it is about the level of illogic you would expect from someone who told America that he made eye contact with video from a blind woman.

Download | play -WMP only

Santorum: I don't have anything to apologise to Ted Kennedy...

Of course now he says he's not blaming Boston....He's blaming liberalism in it's radical sense. Well that clears it up then. Funny how in his earlier statement: While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political, and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm." Am I missing something or did he blame Boston? For some reason he just doesn't like freedom. The kind that his President is trying to spread across the world.

Check out Brad Blog and find out. Also Brad has a scoop on Conyers and Barney Frank.

Do the Scientologists still own Earthlink?