The music was great, the food was great (overpriced though, but worth it in its own way) and the little boutique tents were fantastic. Of course, that's not the point of the rally, but still.

What I didn't like was seeing so many young kids (12? 13?) out there smoking pot. This is, of course, a direct consequence of Prohibition.

I also thought the speakers should have shifted a little more focus on the events of September 11th. Without that context, some of the messages rang a little hollow. Everything they said was true, of course, but it seemed like a little context was missing.

And the worst thing was that the crowd was 99% potheads. Now, I am a pothead, I love potheads, but the Rally was probably a little too much preaching to the choir. But, that's nobody's fault; I am just making an observation.

I think we really do have to hammer home to the media just how complicit the drug war is in creating terrorism. It gives them the money they need to commit terrible acts on the one hand, and it drains law enforcement resources from fighting real crimes -- including terrorism -- on the other hand.

Reading your story on the Freedom Rally on the Boston Common, I have to wonder what our nation's priorities will be in these utterly difficult times.

I attended the Freedom Rally. I saw thousands of people united to show the world that free expression would not be quashed by the evil of terrorism.

I saw thousands of people doing no harm to anyone else. Yet your article focused on the fact that 23 people were arrested at this rally.

I really have to wonder what good it does to put 23 people in jail for doing no harm to anyone except themselves, when terrorists have infiltrated this country.

Terrorists use drug money to finance their evil activities. We need to end the drug war immediately, and remove this source of funding. This will also have the added benefit of freeing up law enforcement resources to go after terrorists, which all people -- whether they smoke marijuana or not -- will agree are a menace to society.

This is a time for all of us to come together. We need to stand united, and continuing a war on American people -- the War on Drugs -- is not the way to do this. Let's stand together against terrorism.

When I spoke, apart from clinical cannabis, I emphasized that the $20 billion spent annually on the War on Drugs would be a quick down-payment on NYC repairs.

I also pointed out that it is crazy to rely on foreign oil from nations with factions who often hates us, when we should be employing Montana farmers to produce bio-diesel from hemp seed oil.

Insinuation: Druggies are not patriots, who should be wearing ashes and sackcloth like all the other good little sheep.

"The Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition hosted its 12th annual Freedom Rally despite a request from Mayor Thomas M. Menino to reschedule the event. ''The mayor thought it would be appropriate given the tragedy that happened,'' said Carole Brennan, Menino's press secretary. ''But they didn't postpone it.''

Insinuation: Druggies are inherently stupid and selfish people, concerned with only their own rights of free speech and assembly. They don't even have the good taste to bow to offialdom's insistence upon stopping said free speech during a national emergency and public mourning!

"Organizers said the purpose of the rally, which has seen blatant drug use and numerous arrests in the past, is to protect rights of freedom and privacy, and to promote a grassroots movement aimed making marijuana legal, especially in health-related cases.

Insinuation: The activists are not only not good Americans, they are really nothing but criminals looking to use their mass numbers to smoke in public - and taunt law enforcement - with reduced chances of being apprehended.

"
Though the decision not to postpone was met with mixed feelings by coalition board members, Downing said, most agreed that people needed a break from the constant television coverage of Tuesday's terrorist attack. ''People are really getting tired of watching it,'' said Downing, adding that terrorists will not obstruct the rights of Americans to demonstrate.

Insinuation: Druggies are so callous, so shallow about the untold suffereing and horror that has transpired, they refuse to remain glued to their TV sets for the unremitting propaganda fest and mass operant conditioning that is taking place in order to ever-so-delicately seperate the American People from their rights during this national emergency. Such as the rights of free speech and assemby as being demonestrated by these awful people. For shame!

Friends, this is what we can expect more of in the future; more examples of the drum-beating and hysteria coldly and calculatedly designed to 'divide and conquer' us through manipulation of the sheeple's emotions.

So far as I know, this is the first incidence of this in the mass media. This gathering and others like it will not be seen as an affirmation that we will not allow terrorists to strip us of our rights through fear; such sentiments will instead be portrayed as unpatriotic...and deserving of opprobrium.

We have had little chance to to debate our foreign policies, and have been given no chance in the mainstream media to debate our future policy in the face of disaster. At a time when all the world looks on as our leaders choose for us our committments at this inflection point we are offered but a single choice: The Hammer of Vengeance.

The government, by its longstanding failure to abide by the rules of democracy and the demands of reason, has lost all moral and rational authority for making these arrests.

Its the right of a Free People to hold peaceful assembly.
It is the right of Americans to petition their government for change of unjust laws.

Cannabis activism - working within established guidelines to remove the unjust and stupid laws regarding cannabis possession and growing - is thoroughly American in Spirit.

The media will continue to black out the movement for now, but the time is coming soon that blacking out the Movement is simply going to cost them advertising money. Think about it: how many people want cannabis legalized? don't listen to barry McCaffery or Bill Bennett - they could be more out of touch with reality. Listen to the People: the 60-some % that vote for medical cannabis and prop 36-type referendums.

Gary Johnson knows. Dr. Lester Grinspoon knows. I know, and you know. cannabis legalization is inevitable in my lifetime.

As the investigations continue, I want to see how they intend to keep the War on Druuugs out of the spotlight.

The carnage witnessed in New York City is a brazen, ugly example of the complete stupidity of cowards, no matter how intelligent they are.

Changing laws can be done and is possible. Changing the death experienced on 9/11 is impossible.

The fools in Washington, D.C. should swallow their foolish pride and quit being such fools.

Again, no foolin' from......the(weeping)ropinfool