Randi Weingarten, the one-time pick to replace Hillary Clinton‘s Senate seat, is still clocking hours as head of the 850,000-member American Federation of Teachers. And she’s still clocking headlines, in voicing support for smoking pot.
Unless you’re Touré or Arianna Huffington, going on Bill Maher’s show is likely to get you in trubs. Which it’s doing for Weingarten — who, with former RIAA chief Hilary Rosen, makes up one-half of a lesbian power couple — who the other week responded to Maher’s question about California’s ballot measure (legalizing pot possession, growing, and smoking for those over 21) with, “everything in moderation is pretty much fine.” Of course, she only endorses smoking pot “if it’s legal.” Which, under the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act, it would be (in amounts of one ounce or less).
And some anti-drug groups are supposedly upset? Cue Weingarten’s camp lessening the sting of her remarks. Says spokesman Michael Powell: She actually has “no opinion” on California’s proposition, which she “hasn’t read.” Yeah. Because she was high!
Randi Weingarten
The original New York Daily News column by George Rush that started this whole bruhaha was incorrect and Rush has since published a clarification. I do not support the California referendum to legalize marijuana. All I said on Bill Maher’s show is that if it does become legal, then people should use it in moderation. And the American Federation of Teachers is larger than you give us credit for — the AFT represents more than 1.4 million members.
lesboh8r
Former college official turns
down plea deal in theft case Judge warns suspect trial will
start Monday By FRANCIS MCCABE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL A former College of Southern Nevada
associate vice president on Thursday
rejected a plea bargain deal from state
prosecutors . William “Bob” Gilbert faces more than a
dozen felony charges, including theft and
misconduct of a public officer. He is
accused of stealing building material and
equipment from the college to help build
his home near Mount Charleston. If convicted, Gilbert could face decades in
prison. Chief Deputy State Attorney General
Conrad Hafen told District Judge Donald
Mosley the deal would have entailed
Gilbert pleading guilty to three felony
counts of theft, with a recommended
sentence of five years probation and $20,000 in restitution to the college.
Hafen said upon completion of those
terms, the felony counts could be
reduced to misdemeanors. It was a harsher deal than Gilbert’s three
co-defendants accepted Thursday. Thad Skinner, Matthew Goins and
George Casal each pleaded guilty to two
counts of conspiracy to commit theft, a
gross misdemeanor, and were sentenced
to one year of probation. The men do
not have to testify against Gilbert but did say in open court that they conspired
with him to steal college property. Only Casal still works for the college. Hafen said the offer to Gilbert will remain
open through the weekend, but Mosley
warned him that he won’t approve any
deals after the trial starts at 1:30 p.m.
Monday. Mosley said he was concerned
and made Gilbert make a public record of his rejection of the deal. “I can see an awful specter of
disappointment at some point,” Mosley
said. “I don’t pretend to know
everything there is to know about this
case, but I would be really surprised if
you would leave this court with a total win on all counts. It just looks to me like
there is a mountain of evidence here. I
realize there are some defenses and
there are some things I don’t know, I’ll
grant you that. I’m just trying to be fair
here.” Gilbert has maintained his innocence
since he was indicted by a grand jury in
2008. Responding that he had discussed
the deal with his attorneys, he said, “I’m
not interested in a plea deal.” In a pretrial motion, Mosley ruled
prosecutors can, under limited
circumstances only, tell jurors Gilbert
pleaded guilty to an embezzlement
charge involving $6,200 in November
1991. Court records show Gilbert was indicted
on multiple counts in a federal case while
working as a construction manager for an
American Indian tribe in California, Hafen
said. The indictment alleged that Gilbert
and others would falsify invoices and have the tribe write checks to phony
companies for equipment. Mosley said prosecutors can only bring up
the conviction if Gilbert takes the stand
in his own defense and testifies that he
intended to return the CSN equipment
and material, or that he made a mistake. Hafen had asked the court that he not
be limited in his ability to question Gilbert
about the conviction. The case against Gilbert centers on
college building materials and equipment
found on his five acres in lower Kyle
Canyon. Authorities claim he and the co-
defendants took the construction-grade
material and equipment so that Gilbert could build his house, and that the co-
defendants worked on the house when
they should have been working on
campus. Gilbert’s defense team, including
attorneys Brent Bryson and John Momot,
have indicated that the no-nonsense
former Marine had permission from
college officials to store material and
repair CSN equipment at his property because the college lacks a storage and
repair facility. Two former CSN presidents have backed
up that assertion. Bryson said the charges stem from
allegations made by disgruntled former
college employees who were fired by
Gilbert. Lawyers in the case have said the trial
could last five weeks, though with fewer
defendants it might end sooner. The witness lists of prosecutors and the
defense total more than 125, but some
overlap is expected. Mosley admonished both sides that he
didn’t want to hear numerous witnesses
testifying to the same thing. Contact reporter Francis McCabe at
[email protected] or
702-380-1039.