S1e20- Mandatory Minimums (We have term limits... they're called elections.)

Well, we've taken the blog on the road.  I'm writing from the birthplace of cheese curds- Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  There might be more dairy references on these next few posts, but I'll try not to milk it for all its worth.  See?  This is what I'm talking about.  I'll try to be gouda, I promise.

Anyways, time for me to get writing about this episode.

Whew.  So, the West Wing is seriously energized.  We're throwing our caps over walls, swearing at the Senate Majority Leader, taking walks and eating meals outdoors.  Joey Lucas is back, Charlie thinks she's a fine looking woman and this is either Josh's normal Tuesday suit, or it's his Joey Lucas suit:

(It's his Joey Lucas suit for sure, but he might assign clothing to days of the week.)

We get to learn a bit about Toby in this episode, thanks to meeting his ex-wife, Congresswoman Andy Wyatt.  Things we learn:

• Toby is a Yankees fan.  
• Making decisions for himself is his birthright.
• Toby likes pie.
• Toby's ex-wife calls him "Pokey."

All of this makes me incredibly happy, except the Yankees part.  Not as happy as hearing Ginger give Josh's badass phone call at the opening the New Jersey stamp of approval (p.s.- confirmed- Ginger was from New Jersey because Kim Webster was from New Jersey- thanks, @itskimwebster !).

Most of this episode surrounds the administration forming a new drug policy, and there is a conversation regarding shifting focus from enforcement to treatment.  There is compelling scientific data to support this, but Al Kiefer is back, and warns the president that you can't sell science.  Don't think he's right?  I've got two words for you- Climate Change.  

Mandatory Minimums are racist.  This point is made very clearly by this episode, and this is not fiction.  In 1986, at the height of the War on Drugs, Congress passed an Anti-Drug Abuse Act that mandated a minimum sentence of 5 years without parole for possession of 5 grams of crack cocaine while it mandated the same for possession of 500 grams of powder cocaine.  According to a 2015 Study, there is still a strong correlation between race and these two forms of drugs.  African-Americans are far more likely to use crack cocaine, and far less likely to use powder cocaine.  President Obama signed a law in 2010 (the Fair Sentencing Act) that reduce this disparity in sentancing from 100:1 to 18:1- a compromise from the initial 1:1 ratio put forth, in order to ensure bi-partisan support.  So, this is another area where we can see progress in today's USA, but there's still work to do.  Things are improving, and as President Bartlet says:

"I'm sleeping better, and when I sleep, I dream about a great discussion with experts and ideas and diction and energy and honesty. And when I wake up, I think, "I can sell that.""

Uh oh.

What's next?  S1e21- Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

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