4 ms·

This news has been happening for a while. All the way back to the First Opium War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hongkong_and_Shanghai_Banking_Corporation ht

by rms 13y ago

This news has been happening for a while. All the way back to the First Opium War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hongkong_and_Shanghai_Banking_Corporation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hongkong_and_Shanghai_Banki... Sadly, many massive crimes against humanity go unpunished when commited by corporations. Compare the crimes of HSBC to the crimes of Pfizer. http://www.fbi.gov/boston/press-releases/2009/bs091509b.htm http://www.fbi.gov/boston/press-releases/2009/bs091509b.htm http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Huge-penalty-in-drug-fraud-Pfizer-settles-2759293.php http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Huge-penalty-in-drug-... The laws of the USA suggest that corporations that are convicted of two felonies are subject to a corporate death penalty, but given the continued non-punishment of perniciously malicious companies like HSBC and Pfizer, don't expect the US Department of Justice to act anytime soon.

coldtea 13y ago
>Sadly, many massive crimes against humanity go unpunished when commited by corporations. And/or first world countries.
- rms 13y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_down http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_down
  - coldtea 13y ago
    Sure, but: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns (E.g I don't care if some strict leader in an African village behaves badly to his people and gets away with it. Compared to what large powers do and get away with, with their world wars, invasions, opression, colonialism, etc, it's neglighible).
seiji 13y ago
US drug laws are actually just about keeping people who may vote for democrats out of the voting pool wrapped around a layer of public health stigma and "scary minorities terrorizing white people" images.
- jaynos 13y ago
  Yet Democrats don't come out against Draconian drug laws because...well, I don't know...let's go with bipartisanship.
  - seiji 13y ago
    Well, all the drug laws started in the early 1900s and their rationale is forgotten unless you find a documentary or do research somewhere. For example, the reason opium dens were outlawed in San Francisco is because they got very popular with the chinese laborers and that upset the white establishment. So, the white lawmakers got together and made a campaign about "chinese men on drugs are stealing your white women." Soon after, SF outlawed opium dens to punish the chinese workers for, well, the falsely manufactured epidemic of all upper class white women falling in love with chinese railroad workers and leaving their white husbands in shame. The ruling class has a mind of continuance and more restriction, not clearing out the cruft from long ago.
    - bananacurve 13y ago
      For fuck sake. What claptrap do you have to explain every other fucking country banning opium?
      - seiji 13y ago
        Well, if 90% of your population is high and unproductive, that makes you ripe for invasion. There's a difference between fixing a problem collapsing society and targeting groups to punish them for your own gain. More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium#Prohibition_and_conflict_in_China http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium#Prohibition_and_conflict_... and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars and http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heroin/etc/history.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heroin/etc/his...
      - Daniel_Newby 13y ago
        Chinese-patronized opium dens were banned. Tincture of laudanum (opium rum) was still available at every drug store. The history of drug prohibition is a process of cracking down on one minority group after another in order to get votes. Opium: chinks. Marijuana: niggers. LSD: smelly hippy sluts. Methamphetamine: poor white trash/wiggers. Visible booze bottles: bums.

by rms 13y ago

coldtea 13y ago

>Sadly, many massive crimes against humanity go unpunished when commited by corporations. And/or first world countries.

rms 13y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_down http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_down
- coldtea 13y ago
  Sure, but: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns (E.g I don't care if some strict leader in an African village behaves badly to his people and gets away with it. Compared to what large powers do and get away with, with their world wars, invasions, opression, colonialism, etc, it's neglighible).

seiji 13y ago

US drug laws are actually just about keeping people who may vote for democrats out of the voting pool wrapped around a layer of public health stigma and "scary minorities terrorizing white people" images.

jaynos 13y ago
Yet Democrats don't come out against Draconian drug laws because...well, I don't know...let's go with bipartisanship.
- seiji 13y ago
  Well, all the drug laws started in the early 1900s and their rationale is forgotten unless you find a documentary or do research somewhere. For example, the reason opium dens were outlawed in San Francisco is because they got very popular with the chinese laborers and that upset the white establishment. So, the white lawmakers got together and made a campaign about "chinese men on drugs are stealing your white women." Soon after, SF outlawed opium dens to punish the chinese workers for, well, the falsely manufactured epidemic of all upper class white women falling in love with chinese railroad workers and leaving their white husbands in shame. The ruling class has a mind of continuance and more restriction, not clearing out the cruft from long ago.
  - bananacurve 13y ago
    For fuck sake. What claptrap do you have to explain every other fucking country banning opium?
    - seiji 13y ago
      Well, if 90% of your population is high and unproductive, that makes you ripe for invasion. There's a difference between fixing a problem collapsing society and targeting groups to punish them for your own gain. More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium#Prohibition_and_conflict_in_China http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium#Prohibition_and_conflict_... and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars and http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heroin/etc/history.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heroin/etc/his...
    - Daniel_Newby 13y ago
      Chinese-patronized opium dens were banned. Tincture of laudanum (opium rum) was still available at every drug store. The history of drug prohibition is a process of cracking down on one minority group after another in order to get votes. Opium: chinks. Marijuana: niggers. LSD: smelly hippy sluts. Methamphetamine: poor white trash/wiggers. Visible booze bottles: bums.