By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
With congressional action on gun control largely stuck in a holding pattern on Capitol Hill, the real battlefields on the issue may become local, state and federal courtrooms.
U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Tuesday that federal guidance on new laws legalizing marijuana in Colorado and Washington state is imminent as state officials have been forced to tread cautiously in their efforts to implement the laws.
Top Republican legal officials say the Obama administration is reneging on key duties such as border security while overstepping its role through health care mandates and tight regulation of the energy industry, a trend that has led states to heighten their defenses against federal intrusion.
When it comes to legalized pot, Coloradans are still holding their breath.
In passing amendments in Colorado and Washington state for the first time legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, voters may have placed themselves in the cross hairs of the federal government — which steadfastly has maintained that possession of the drug remains a federal crime.
Colorado is embroiled in a legal battle over the constitutionality of the National Day of Prayer proclamation.
"We have to look to the federal government to take the charge on immigration reform," said Colorado Attorney General John W. Suthers. "The Arizona case and others are kind of mapping out what the states can do and what the federal government has to do."
It's a hot potato in Washington, but immigration fervor cools in the states →
"Needless to say, the very quick analogy that has been all over the news in Colorado is, you know, the speed limit is 75 miles an hour and they're still manufacturing these cars that go 130, 140 miles an hour -- that's the equivalent of putting a magazine on [a gun]," he said. "I would not assume that a lot of these ultimate decisions are going to be determined on a legislative level."
