Sunday, July 08, 2012

Silencing Chael Sonnen, Mexican riots and raging punk rockers


- Duuuuuude. Bro, like what is happening to California? First, other states start debating laws to legalize medicinal marijuana or make possession of small amounts of the hippie lettuce on par with a jaywalking ticket, threatening California’s status as America’s stoner utopia. Now, the stats is sustaining self-inflicted wounds to its rightly deserved reputation as the best place to live for those who like to get baked. The city of San Leandro became the latest problem-causer, approving a plan to ban medical marijuana dispensaries. Thankfully, state law supersedes this idiotic idea and a state appeals court ruling Monday that such bans are not permitted under state law has put the brakes on the plan. City Attorney Jayne Williams requested the delay at Monday night's council meeting, so the council did not have is planned vote on an ordinance prohibiting dispensaries for a year. For now, San Leandro has a temporary moratorium on dispensaries.
Needless to say, that moratorium is making it a bit more difficult for local stoners, er, individuals with debilitating pain who need medicinal marijuana for pain relief to get their ganja on. On Monday, the 2nd District Court of Appeal overturned a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles County, writing that Los Angeles County's "total, per se nuisance ban against medical marijuana dispensaries directly contradicts the Legislature's intent to shield collective or cooperative activity from nuisance abatement 'solely on the basis' that it involves distribution of medical marijuana." Yeah, what they said. That decision forced Williams to suck on a nice, big dose of legal reality and tell the council, "We will collaborate with the League of California Cities on how to proceed.” Hmm, where’s the haughty arrogance now, San Leandro? The court was correct: The state's medical marijuana laws authorize cooperatives and collectives to grow, store and distribute pot, a lower court judge erred when she cited the 2010 ban in granting the county an injunction against the Alternative Medicinal Cannabis Collective last year. Stop debating the asinine concept of a permanent ban and realize that the more than 17,627 marijuana plants 283 pounds of marijuana the city’s and the police department has seized since 2011 are a fraction of the market and chron is not going away……….


- Punk rock has become softer, poppier and more mainstream in recent years…..but not for former Cro-Mags frontman rocker Harley Flanagan. The tattooed rocker the attacked two of the group’s current members with a hunting knife in a dressing room before a show at Webster Hall yesterday — biting one and slashing both. Flanagan’s departure from the band was not a happy one and he clearly decided to bring that unhappiness down upon William Berario, who was slashed above the eye and bitten on his cheek, and Michael Couls, who was cut on his arm and stomach. The attack occurred as the band was about to take the stage about 8:15 p.m. The inked-up, enraged Flanagan barreled through the East Village venue’s VIP section toward the Cro-Mags’ dressing room, concert goers scattering, according to witness and law enforcement sources “Someone was yelling, ‘Get his hands, get his hands, he’s got a knife!’ ” witness Dave Gustav said. “Everything went nuts.” Security guards rushed to stop the attack, which witnesses later admitted hey saw coming after Flanagan was seen acting belligerently outside the venue prior to the show. A skeptic might suggest that Flanagan was probably intoxicated at the time of the altercation, or he’s just not great at attacking people with knives, because he suffered a broken leg by the time security finally pinned him down. Officers handcuffed him to a chair and took him out and as they led him out of the club, fans started booing him and throwing objects at him as Flanagan gave them a big middle finger. Berario and Couls were taken to Bellevue Hospital with non life-threatening wounds and so was Flanagan, who was hit with two counts of second-degree assault. With two members out of action, Cro-Mags hado to cancel the show, which was part of the CBGB Festival. “You can all thank Harley Flanagan for ruining the night for everyone,” Cro-Mags lead singer John Joseph McGowan told the crowd. Thank you cards would definitely be appreciated………


- Does ANY country actually accept the results of its elections these days? No nation in the Middle East, Africa or Asia has responded to the declaration of a victor for any prominent government leadership post with a riot or near-riot in the past 24 months or so. Now that representation rage has spread to Mexico, where tens thousands of angry Mexicans marched in the capital on Saturday to protest against alleged fraud and vote-buying in the country's July 1 presidential election. The march in Mexico City featured drums, flags and chants of ''Out Pena'', in reference to Enrique Pena Nieto, whose victory restored the once-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, to power after a 12-year hiatus. Runner-up Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador denied he was behind the marches and insisted the demonstration was a citizens' movement. He immediately fanned the flames of dissent by repeating his frequent call for a full probe of alleged vote-buying by the PRI. A recount of more than half of 50.3 million ballots cast was completed on Friday was apparently not enough, even though the recount gave Nieto 38.2 percent compared to 31.6 percent for Obrador. Opposition groups have alleged that the PRI handed out bank cards, groceries and other gifts in exchange for votes and those claims have raised concerns that Nieto will be tolerant of the corruption that marked the PRI's previous 71-year-rule until 2000. Obrador has not yet returned to his tactics of six years ago, when he lost the election and called for supporters to take to the streets. The former mayor of Mexico City lost the 2006 race to President Felipe Calderon by less than a percentage point and his supporters occupied Mexico City's central plaza and main business avenue for weeks with encampments. Venezuelan despot Hugo Chavez has also weighed in, congratulating Nieto on his win and recognizing him as el presidente. The ruling National Action Party, or PAN, whose candidate finished third, has also accused the PRI of fraud and vote-buying, so everyone who lost seems to be in agreement that those who won cheated to do so. Now the question is whether anyone can prove it and change the final result…………


- For nearly two years, loud-mouthed Chael Sonnen talked ridiculous amounts of junk about Ultimate Fighting Championship 185-pound champion Anderson Silva, all but denying Silva’s win by submission meeting on Aug. 7, 2010, ever happened. Sonned talked smack about Silva’s family, his country and anything else he could imagine even though Silva locked him in a triangle choke in the fifth round of their 2010 bout despite Silva dominating the first four-plus rounds. He promised a win in the rematch, then went out and get his ass kicked and knocked out in the second round Saturday night. Silva rebuffed Sonnen's takedown attempts and landed a knee to the chest as the challenger was on the canvas after missing with a spinning backfist. He followed the knee with several hard punches that forced referee Yves Lavigne to wave the fight off at the 1:55 mark. Sonned came out at the start of the fight looking like he may actually make good on his boasting, dominating the first round by taking Silva to the mat and pounding the champion Silva with punches and elbows. But Silva rallied back and although he failed on his own threats to break all of Sonnen’s teeth, arms and legs, he walked out of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Los Vegas as the champion. Both fighters handled themselves with class after the fight. "Chael fought me and I fought Chael," Silva proclaimed. "This is a sport. I have nothing against Chael. "If you [Chael] would like to have a barbecue at my house, I'd like to have you over. Sonnen, who some may have expected to continue taking shots at Silva in the wake of a loss, actually responded in kind. "He gave me an opportunity," Sonnen said. "He didn't owe me anything. He's a great champion. "He got me with a good knee." The man who had to be smiling the biggest at the end of the night was UFC president Dana White, as the attendance for UFC 148 was a sellout of 15,016 and the $7 million gate is largest in UFC history…………

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