Subject: Another A$$ in Congress? - or - Here Come More Mandatory Minimums

From Macondo Law:

In an earlier post titled Drug Points to Start Carding Customers?
<http://macondolaw.blogspot.com/2004_07_01_macondolaw_archive.html> we
stated


More Mandatory Minimums? Even before Blakely was decided, Rep.
James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) introduced a bill
<http://www.theorator.com/bills108/hr4547.html> that would increase
from one year to 10 the mandatory minimum sentence for anyone 21 or
older who sells any amount of a controlled substance (even a single
joint) to someone under 18. A second offense of this sort would trigger
a mandatory life sentence.

For some time all was quiet on the frontlines regarding this bill. But
it now appears, as reported here
<http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0922-08.htm> that "Despite
growing opposition to long mandatory minimum prison terms, the U.S.
House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security will
consider imposing new, even more draconian mandatory minimums on
nonviolent drug offenders on Thursday, Sept. 23, in 2141 Rayburn HOB at
9:00 a.m." The bill, H.R. 4547, is the same one sponsored by U.S. Rep.
James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) we mentioned earlier, "and would provide
radical new mandatory minimums for a variety of nonviolent drug
offenses. 'This bill would effectively impose a five year mandatory
minimum for anyone distributing any amount of a controlled substance in
an urban area -- even medical marijuana dispensaries supported by local
authorities,' said Steve Fox, director of government relations for the
Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. 'A 21-year-old who sells a
few joints to his 17-year-old brother would face a mandatory ten years
in federal prison for the first offense. Such cruel penalties will help
nobody.'" Id.

So Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) joins Rep. Feeney as just another a$$
and a yahoo in Congress we could do without.