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  Missing Facts in the Magbie Case
Posted by CN Staff on October 22, 2004 at 20:59:02 PT
By Colbert I. King 
Source: Washington Post  

justice Respect seems hard to come by for Jonathan Magbie, the 27-year-old quadriplegic who was dispatched to the D.C. jail by a Superior Court judge for 10 days for simple possession of marijuana. Magbie died five days after being placed in the custody of the D.C. Department of Corrections. Yesterday The Post published a letter from Rufus King III (absolutely no relation), chief judge of the Superior Court, who responded to a Post news story, an editorial and two of my columns ["Another Unnecessary Death in D.C.," Oct. 9, and "A Son's Death, A Mother's Unanswered Questions," Oct. 16] concerning Magbie's tragic death. Judge King said he felt it necessary to provide information about the late Jonathan Magbie that had not been included in some of The Post's coverage.

The judge recounted that at the time of his arrest, Magbie had cocaine in his pocket and had a gun in his possession, and that there was marijuana in the car. The judge also detailed the charges handed up against Magbie by a grand jury: carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, possession of ammunition, possession of a prohibited weapon (a machine gun), possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana.

Would that Judge King had shared all of the facts at his disposal.

Had he done so, the public also would have learned that the prosecution dropped all of the gun and cocaine charges against Magbie and, instead, offered him a guilty plea for marijuana possession, which Magbie accepted because it was consistent with his guilt (he had bought the marijuana and had someone place it under his seat in the car). Magbie assumed responsibility for his conduct.

Judge King might have also noted that Judge Judith Retchin, who sent Magbie to jail, knew that he could not have put a gun in the car because of his disability. Judge Retchin acknowledged as much when she sentenced Bernard Beckett, Magbie's co-defendant and driver of the car, on Sept. 20. Beckett pleaded guilty to carrying a pistol without a license and possessing an unregistered firearm. Retchin said to Beckett: "I know from the facts in this case that you and your co-defendant [Magbie], who is a paraplegic and unable to move and control items, were driving around in a car with a loaded gun. [Judge Retchin misstated his condition. Magbie was barely five feet tall, a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down, and needed a motorized, chin-operated wheelchair to move around.] And I understand that at the time of his arrest and your arrest, [Magbie] told you to put the gun on him. Someone had to put the gun on him because he couldn't manipulate the gun."

So the gun charges, Judge King might well have told you, ended up with Beckett. Judge Retchin sentenced Beckett to one year in jail for carrying a pistol without a license with all but 10 days suspended, and a one-year suspended sentence on the charge of possessing an unregistered firearm.

As for the cocaine charge, Judge Retchin noted during Magbie's sentencing that neither he nor Beckett "has pleaded guilty to the cocaine, but I understand cocaine was found in your coat." Again, unmentioned in Judge King's letter was the fact that Magbie was not convicted of any cocaine charge.

But maybe it was enough for the chief judge to repeat unproven charges against Magbie without explaining their ultimate disposition.

Oh, how I wish that the court's attention to public records was as meticulous. I sought, for example, to learn how many other similarly situated first-time offenders have been given jail sentences in D.C. Superior Court for possession of marijuana. Court spokeswoman Leah Gurowitz wrote in an e-mail on Tuesday: "The court does not compile any aggregate disposition of sentencing data."

Too bad; it would be nice to know. In sentencing Magbie, Judge Retchin referred to a pre-sentencing report claiming Magbie had said that using marijuana made him feel better. The report, the judge said, also stated that Magbie probably would not stop using marijuana because he didn't believe there was anything wrong with it. "As long as it's against the law," she told him, "you're not permitted to do it, Mr. Magbie."

I don't know whether it's true that marijuana helps control the spasticity and chronic pain associated with quadriplegia, as Ryan Grim of the Marijuana Policy Project asserted in an e-mail this week. Neither can I accept or challenge Grim's claim that marijuana, while not a curative treatment, was an ameliorative one that helped relieve Magbie's symptoms. It is, however, clear that Judge Retchin considered more than the marijuana charge in sentencing Magbie.

She told Magbie that she had decided against giving him straight probation because while he did not plead guilty to having the gun -- as did his co-defendant Beckett -- she considered it "just unacceptable to be riding around in a car with a loaded gun in this city. . . . I believe under all the circumstances here, the appropriate sentence is ten days in jail," Judge Retchin declared.

So the gun charges to which Beckett pleaded guilty -- the gun charges that the prosecution was unable or unwilling to prove against Magbie and that Magbie never accepted as part of his guilt -- were used by Judge Retchin against Magbie. The law allows that, Chief Judge King said in his letter. That reasoning was enough to put him in jail, where his life ended.

There's so much in this case to regret.

More than a year before Magbie appeared before Judge Retchin for sentencing, he had started to turn his life around, according to Shuaib B. Neel of the Concerned Muslims of Annapolis. Neel told me in a phone interview on Thursday that Magbie had been attending classes faithfully since April 2003, except when prevented by illness. As a young believer, Neel said, Magbie was an inspiration to all.

Judge and jailers? Well, perhaps not all.

Source: Washington Post (DC)
Author: Colbert I. King
Published: Saturday, October 23, 2004; Page A23
Copyright: 2004 Washington Post
Contact: letterstoed@washpost.com
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com

Related Articles:

A Son's Death, a Mother's Unanswered Questions
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19651.shtml

Another Unnecessary Death in D.C.
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19617.shtml

Disabled Man Dies In D.C. Jail
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19604.shtml


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Comment #31 posted by afterburner on October 24, 2004 at 20:36:09 PT
Kaptin, Thanks for Mentioning the Corpus Callosum
I thought of adding it in a second post, but then I got called in to work. Another interesting book relating to the intuitive and logical partnership is Stewart Brand's II Cybernetic Frontiers. (Computers, pre-Internet; and television/videotape)

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #30 posted by ekim on October 24, 2004 at 15:35:51 PT
ban on textiles soon to be lifted (hope Virg is ok
Last nite the debate between the man R and lady D for Sen. of S. Carolina the lady very smart , said that while the man R was in the House of Reps. he voted to give China privilege trading status. and with the ban on textiles to be lifted it will be costing the loss for S.C. 40,000 jobs . The lady said also that with the help of plants the farmers will be helping to ease the fuel crunch that is upon us. i think her name was Tenenbalm. Chinese Hemp Industry has Boundless Potential Posted by FoM on November 05, 2001 at 09:01:46 PT Business News Source: People's Daily http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread11260.shtml As world fashion increasingly moves toward simplicity, comfort and health protection, experts point out that hemp, a major economic crop in China, could have great market prospects after the nation's entry into the World Trade Organization. Xia Jingyuan, a senior official with the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture in charge of the extension of agricultural technology, said that the annual output of Chinese linen is worth over 10 billion yuan (about 1.2 billion US dollars).

According to Xia, the ongoing upgrading of China's agricultural industry has given Chinese hemp a great opportunity.

Environmentally friendly, high value-added and versatile, Chinese hemp products could be a major money-maker in market both here and abroad, said Xia.

For example, ramie, once used as forage, could provide a new type of vegetable protein for livestock and boost stockbreeding of southern China.

Red hemp used in paper making could prevent the felling of forests while clothing made from hemp is particularly comfortable to wear and poses no health hazard.

Being one of the earliest fabrics used in China, hemp's heyday can date back 4,000 years when only nobles and royal families could afford to wear finely spun linen while coarse linen were favored by commoners.

The production technology of linen has undergone constant improvement. In 1984, the country made a breakthrough in the degumming technology, bringing worldwide attention to linen products.

Analysts say that to establish a modern linen manufacturing and processing system with Chinese characteristics, China should double its efforts in scientific research and international cooperation, because each breakthrough in relevant technology will greatly boost the sector's upgrading.

Source: People's Daily (China) Published: Sunday, November 04, 2001 Copyright: People's Daily Online Website: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/home.html FB: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/other/feedback.html

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #29 posted by ekim on October 24, 2004 at 15:14:36 PT
any public servant wishing to learn about jobs see
11 th ANNUAL HIA CONVENTION 11th ANNUAL HIA CONVENTION WE MEAN BUSINESS! San Francisco, CA Wed. November 3rd - Fri. November 5th, 2004

SCHEDULE

Wed. November 3rd - Hemp entrepreneurs and researchers will gather in San Francisco at the Holiday Inn Civic Center for Registration/Reception and an Awards Dinner at a local restaurant.

Thur. November 4th - The HIA Annual General Meeting will be held all day featuring Hemp Product Displays, Expert Speakers, Silent Auction and Dinner. Evening entertainment at Green Business Conference.

Fri. November 5th - Reserved for networking, committee meetings, and set up for the Green Festival, a must see event!

Immediately following the HIA Convention will be the Green Festival, where the HIA, VoteHemp and many hemp companies will be exhibiting. Saturday and Sunday, November 6th & 7th Produced by Coop America and Global Exchange.

Mark your calendar! Book your flights and rooms! Holiday Inn Civic Center 50 8th St. (and Market) San Francisco, CA 94103 Room Reservations: 800-243-1135 Be sure to tell them you are with the "Hemp Industries Association." Special rate for HIA attendees: $89 per night. Single or double. (Add. $20 for triple or quad. Rollaway beds available for add. $20)

The HIA Reception Suite is on the 4th floor where there is a wrap-around roof patio (and pool). You can request a room on this floor for easy networking access. You can get a non-smoking, or smoking room and have outdoor access. Every room has a small balcony on all other floors, too.

HIA Discounted Parking - $15 per day, with in and out privileges.

More details on Registration, Agenda, Speakers, Silent Auction, Display Space, Donations, Sponsors, etc. to be announced. If you would like to assist or have suggestions, please let us know.

Registration: $200 - Full Event for One Person. $150 - Additional employee, friend or family. $100 - Nov. 4th Meeting Only. $150 - Nov. 4th Meeting & Dinner

Sign up for FREE Exhibit Space. Bring DONATIONS for the Silent Auction, or send to the HIA office before October 30th.

Click Here to download the HIA Convention Registration Form. Send or Fax the completed form to:

HIA P.O. Box 1080 Occidental, CA 95465 Phone: 707-874-3648 Fax: 707-874-1104

http://www.thehia.org

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #28 posted by kaptinemo on October 24, 2004 at 14:51:33 PT:

For John Tyler and AB
John Tyler: No, it's not off topic, for economics are as much at play in the situation of Magpie's death as it is in cannabis prohibition, overall. Think of it as a 'butterfly effect'...or his death comprising the (Il)logical outcome of following those policies.

I daresay most of us know of the coordination of 'special interests' headed by such captains of industry as Mellon and Hearst and aided and abetted by their bureaucratic agent Anslinger in sealing off promising technological innovations based upon a simple vegetable oil. I won't thrash it here.

I will agree, however, that the time to start a crash development course in both widespread growth and production of hemp and the rendering of it's products to market is now an economic imperative. Mark my words: you WILL see oil at least 70 dollars a barrel by end of next year, regardless of who resides at 1600 Pennsy Avenue. Peak Oil is a reality bourne out by the petro industry's own figures. Something's gotta give, as my Da used to say, and it may be simple economic survival that forces this country to realize it's been destroying it's own energy independence with every yearly slash-and-burn of ditchweed it's foolishly engaged in.

I've said it before: the people of this country have been conditioned to sneer at concepts such as 'social justice' because their hidden masters live in fear of a society less polarized. They've been taught that only winning counts. Appeals to justice for relief from the tyranny of unjust laws have rarely worked in this country; just ask any African-American alive before and during the Civil Rights era.

But when it comes to the dollar crunch, this government will eventually quit with the hysteria and sheepishly roll up it's sleeves to do the right thing. The question is, will it do it in time?

AB, I've long felt that a large part of the reason why this evolutionary change is taking place, this melding of hemispheres, has a very simple reason. And it is sitting on the table in front of you.

The left brain is analytical; the right is intuitive. So how can you work a computer, which requires mainly visual and auditory cues, while physically operating a very compex machine that requires scores of eye-hand movements...which need 'processor power' from the left brain. The answer is the part of the brain that acts like the central switching station, the corpus callosum.

Most people are right handed; most mice are on the right side of the keyboard. This is left-brain territory. But the right side of the brain is also needed in order to navigate. BECAUSE OF COMPUTERS, THE TWO HALVES ARE BEING FORCED TO WORK TOGETHER, DAILY. The instrument of human evolution, while quietly accepting your keystrokes, mouse movements and whatnot, is forcing changes in the usual human ararngement of hemispheric dominance...by making concerted action between the two hemispheres necessary.

It would be very interesting to see a study conducted in the distant future to see if the corpus callosums of each generation of computer users is slightly larger than that of previous generations, because when you learn something, neural pathways are grown in the brain. Increased size of the corpus callosum might indicate the results of exposure to computers forcing evolutionary development of the human cortex. One that leads directly to ALL facets of human existence.

Yeah, I'm a hopeless wonk about such things, but just about everything interests me...a quality many here share. So I guess that makes us the 'mutants' (smile).

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #27 posted by FoM on October 24, 2004 at 11:50:11 PT
afterburner
My that was excellent.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #26 posted by afterburner on October 24, 2004 at 11:06:18 PT
Kaptin, Re Philsophers and Kings
The Apollonian vs. Dionysian analysis is fine, as far as it goes. However, you as a self-described cannabist are also a man of great logic as shown by your many posts and the career you have chosen.

As dr. slider might say the problem is with either-or thinking divorced from the paradigm shift of both-and thinking, which the younger generation has already experienced and embraced. This, of course, puts them at odds with the control freaks of past generations and the sell-outs and amnesiacs of the flower child generation. I once saw a cartoon illustrating a frog-march at gunpoint of the flower children back to the safety security and boredom of the over-controlling traditional Western society.

Brain-mind research indicates that the so-called Apollonian tendencies represent the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex in most people. The Dionysian tendencies are associated with the right hemisphere of the cerebral cortex, once called the silent hemisphere: music, art, direct religious experience, and poetry.

The antis, especially those of a "religious" persuasion, have never explained how it is that the Good Lord Creator God designed humans with two cerebral hemispheres, but that they think that only one of these should be used. Common Puritan logic indicates that the "silent" hemisphere is the seat of "evil." Hence, the prohibition on dancing, classical Greek nude statues, emotions, and all those "frills" in the public school system that *distract* students from the three R's.

The new "generation gap" has sell-out former reformers of society's ills joining the rabid racists and joy-killers against the Generation X "electronic aborigines," who pay lip service to the dominant corporate culture, but in their secret garden enjoy the blessings of the right hemisphere through music, dance, cannabis, art, religious ecstasy, and joyful emotions.

The true reality of the brain and God’s creative design provide the dynamic for both “both-and” and “either-or” experience. Those who cling exclusively to the “either-or” view, which is associated with phonetic writing and reductionist analysis, feel threatened by the electronic culture of television, radio, and computers and the children who have grown up with these technological marvels. To the children this technology is part and parcel of reality. They couldn’t conceive of the world being any other way. So they nod their heads at “just say no” and all the neo-con blather while secretly living the high life through the mediated union of the Western mind-body split.

The new millennial split in the US public, demonstrated by the hair-whisker close 2000 election and the strife, dishonesty, dirty tricks, and mega-stress of the current election, indicates a confused populace yearning to return to the “good old days” of the 1950’s, before the infant television reawakened the “silent” hemisphere in John Q. Public. The antis would de-invent the broadcast, cablecast and satellite industries if they had their choice. Since this is well nigh impossible, they choose to dominate the media with over-control, censoring any threatening viewpoints, images or melodies.

The current election seems to be about a retreat to the rugged individualism of Consciousness 1 thinking, vs. the social engineering of Consciousness 2 thinking, with the Consciousness 3 synthesis pushed into the background. The rugged individualists of the neocon movement paradoxically seem to feel that the only way to re-establish their version of the American Dream is to stifle dissent and to punish dissenters by jail, confiscation of their property and theft of their children. A crueller governance has rarely been seen on this earth, especially in a democracy. We expect such behavior from dictators and warlords, and yet, we *say* we’re better than that and that we hold out democracy as a shining beacon to the rest of the world.

The triune brain contains the R-complex or reptilian complex, the seat of will; the cerebellum, the seat of emotions; and the twin hemispheres of the cerebral complex, the seats of logic and intuitive thinking. Did the Creator God make a mistake to create the formerly silent right hemisphere of the cerebral cortex? Did God allow us to invent electronic technology to enslave humanity by inflaming the emotions and distracting humanity with creative images and sounds? Or is the reawakening of the formerly silent right hemisphere the culmination of God’s master plan for humanity, the mind-manifesting direct experience of God’s creation and our belonging?

--sources: Charles A. Reich, The Greening of America; Carl Sagan, The Dragons of Eden; David MacDermott, Meta Metaphor; Marshal McLuhan, The Medium Is the Message; Thomas S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions; John Sinclair, Guitar Army.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #25 posted by John Tyler on October 24, 2004 at 07:55:14 PT
A little off topic
This is kind of off topic, but I was thinking that with oil prices going to $55 and up a barrel and becoming a definite drag on the economy that maybe just maybe some of the politicians, or at least some of the new politicians would realize that hemp seed oil used as a diesel fuel alternative could alleviate some of the market demand and soften the oil price surge. Also, as plastics are made from oil hemp based products could be used as plastic replacements too. Then there is hemp-based paper to help save the trees, and then there is fabric, and food and beauty products. It would be a win-win situation for America farmers, industry, employees, consumers and the economy as a whole. We can no longer afford to prohibit the hemp industry from becoming a contributing member of American society. You news people and political staffers and others that read our missives here spread the word take our ideas think some new thoughts. Remember, hemp is here for good.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #24 posted by Dark Star on October 24, 2004 at 06:35:35 PT
If the Mantle Fits
Kap, you are a poet and philosopher.

Write it up as an LTE!

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #23 posted by kaptinemo on October 24, 2004 at 06:05:40 PT:

The origins of the hatred
I'm no one's idea of a philosopher, but it seems to me some things are quite clear:

At the risk of oversimplifying, the world seems divided into two groups. Those who are bent upon controlling all aspects of their environment in order to survive (which, of course, means controlling the behavior of those around them), and those who made the realization long ago that no attempt to control their environment completely will ever succeed, and manage as best they can.

It was Friedrich Nietzsche who came up with names for this split: Apollonian and Dionysian. This link explains it better than I can:

http://www.odysseyofthefuture.net/index.cfm?fuseaction=browse&id=541&pageid=31

From the link:

*For Nietzsche, the Apollonian perspective (from the Greek God Apollo) emphasized form and order, whereas the Dionysian view (from the Greek God Dionysus) emphasized disorder and ecstasy. Gell-Mann defines the Apollonian view as highlighting logic, analysis, objectivity, and fact, whereas the Dionysian attitude highlights intuition, synthesis, and passion. Fundamentally the distinction being made here is between order, revealed through reason, and chaos, expressed through emotion. We all have this balance, to a greater or lesser extent, operating all the time.*

The problem arises when those who've taken their Apollonian impulses to extremes begin to try to destroy the Dionysian elements of culture as having no value and are - to the Apollonian viewpoint - endangering basic survival by their very presence. Although the early Puritans would have killed you for daring to compare their philosophy with that of pagans, their actions were no less Apollonian.

As are the actions of their contemporaries, the antis. To this day, their top leadership honestly, truly believes (in their ice cold, stainless steel hearts) that had alcohol prohibition been maintained just a little longer, they would have achieved their goal of Utopia...bloody evidence to the contrary be hanged. They'd be quite happy to have another go at it again.

Whereas, your 'average' cannabist has no such illusions, but because they DO comprise that second group, are not intent on overweening control of their neighbor's lives. Unfortunately, this places us at the disadvantage in dealing with those who are so intent. Rather than harmonious acceptance of the Dionysian side, present day society seems determined on wiping it out. And so we have these constant 'wars' on perceived societal ills, that would be less injurious were they handled calmly and rationally rather than with Apollonian thunderbolts hurled from pulpits and government offices.



[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #22 posted by Sam Adams on October 23, 2004 at 20:00:51 PT
history
Kapt, it's true, I live in New England - the English were barely ashore and other English in Massachusetts were already fleeing to Rhode Island to get away from persecution & harassment from the do-gooders.

Often there were early settlers who came in & built up farms, businesses, and homes for themselves and then ended up leaving everything and going to Rhode Island to start over, because people would come around & tell them they had to attend sermon every Sunday for 3 hours, act certain ways, say certain things, etc. mostly religious.

Read any book on King Phillips' War and you'll learn that the Puritans were by far the most vicious and responsible for the most atrocities on the side of the English settlers.

I love this passage:

Nathaniel Hawthorne on the Puritans: "...most dismal wretches, who said their prayers before daylight, and then wrought in the forest or the cornfield till evening made it prayer-time again. Their weapons were always at hand, to shoot down the straggling savage. When they met in conclave, it was never to keep up the old English mirth, but to hear sermons three hours long, or to proclaim bounties on the heads of wolves and the scalps of Indians."

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #21 posted by Hope on October 23, 2004 at 17:18:15 PT
hatred...crossing into
Global Warming,

Since there is no logical reason for cannabis to be illegal and it is in fact beneficial to some people, it's left many of us vaguely...not completely...puzzled about why it continues to be illegal, even after all these years.

Some people have been swept into such a frenzy...and, of course, you know, there are many people out there just looking for something to get in a frenzy about. Those frenzied people become a danger to themselves and those around them. They can turn into a thoughtless thing fueled by anger, negativity, and hatred. At certain points many apparently allow what they perceive as righteous anger to cross over into hatred, resentment, bitterness, and punitive government. In cases like this, the drug war in particular…and cannabis and it’s use in particular, this sort of Democracy can mean “mob rule”.

There is, of course, such a thing as "Righteous Anger"...but it is not without end. Biblically and spiritually it ends, no matter what, at sundown.

I first find myself crossing the line usually in some form of sarcasm...then ridicule. Then it's not righteous anymore. If I don't back up and look...I'll have crossed the line into hatred.

Being angry doesn’t mean hatred. But why are so many people supposedly so angry about cannabis and it’s use? Where does the righteous anger start on that?

I’d like to know. I’d like to understand.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #20 posted by global_warming on October 23, 2004 at 16:10:40 PT
Follow Up
I like Mr. Moore, he has balls and he is treading into deep waters, some of these moralistic Christians still come at me with a folded hand, a fist of anger, a rage against our world.

I have spoken to so many people lately, especially the evangelical christians, how can they project such hatred to so many people? How can they raise their hand against their neighbor, their brothers and sisters, in this journey to the alter of the unknowns.

Some say that this is politics, and some say that this world is but a token from God. The birth defects that the Kapt is referring to go back to the most ancient of times, the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Sumerians, this Judeau-Christian culture that we are part of has within its core a disgrace and anger towards God, such a defiance, that allows the accumulators of money to be powerful.

There is no money that man can offer to God, there is no legal plea or scripture, that will save those debasing and flaunting creatures from the Landlord, when the rent is past due.

In the meantime, let us keep slaughtering each other, let us create crazy laws, so that we may suffer some more, let us build bigger prisons, let us devise more demonic tortures, let us continue this madness, for maybe, someday, some distant traveler, might stop by this world of ours, and observe a most demented species of life form.

gw

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #19 posted by FoM on October 23, 2004 at 15:12:51 PT
global_warming
It seemed good to me too. I listened to Michael Moore's speech in Utah last night. Someone threatened him early on and he stopped and said remove him. He said I don't mind people here that don't like what I have to say but pointing something at me like a gun I won't tolerate or something close to that. I can only imagine the danger he is in doing what he's doing. They threatened and tried to bribe ( $40,000 ) the students that put on the event too.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #18 posted by kaptinemo on October 23, 2004 at 14:42:37 PT:

Sam Adams, I have a partial answer
My Aussie friend said it best: "You got the witchburners; we got the 'pommies' (from POME; Prisoner of Mother England, shipped to Botany Bay)."

I've long felt that the core of any new society will have it's own particular 'birth defect' from the parent society that is unthinkingly incorporated into new generations that live within that culture. The 'birth defect' of this one is the sad belief that there are those among us superior to the rest, and seek to order our lives. Too many use religion as such a pretext.

Simple dumb hubris which usually gets a reality check through returned fire from those we seek to bring our brand of 'enlightenment' to, when we should do as Mark Twain said, and leave the targets of these do-gooders, what Twain called the 'squatters in darkness' (in what we today contemptuously call the Thirld World) alone.

Advice that hasn't prevented the country from having military cemetaries in every State...and the blood of innocent foreigners on its' hands. All because of that stupid cultural itch and some equally stupid twits who think that somehow they're special and can get away with scratching that deadly rash.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #17 posted by global_warming on October 23, 2004 at 13:58:20 PT
re:Predicted Final Results
Predicted Final Results: Kerry 284 Bush 244 Looks good to me.. Would you call that a landslide?

http://www.issues2000.org/John_Kerry.htm

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #16 posted by FoM on October 23, 2004 at 13:45:29 PT
global_warming
Thank you! I have that link bookmarked. Check out the predicted vote.

http://www.electoral-vote.com/pred/index.html

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #15 posted by FoM on October 23, 2004 at 13:42:39 PT
Sam
I agree there is nothing wrong with telling someone they drink too much if they are family or close friends. That's caring for them. If a person has a drinking problem they don't go to jail unless they commit a crime while under the influence and then it should be for the crime and not the substance. Blaming a substance isn't the answer. It should be the same way with Cannabis.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #14 posted by global_warming on October 23, 2004 at 13:36:24 PT
Link
While waiting for good news..I found this link..some may find it interesting..

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #13 posted by Sam Adams on October 23, 2004 at 13:29:02 PT
Prohibition
You're right FOM, the other interesting part of the show was all the Andrea Barthwell types they had running around - the same old thing we have today. Accusing the evil alcohol corporations of trying to addict children with rotgut - of course, people were drinking poisoned alcohol because of Prohibition! 200+ people died each year in Chicago alone from bad booze during prohibition - I'm sure 10 times more were blinded or otherwise sickened.

There's nothing wrong with telling people to stop drinking, just don't impose your laws on me! That's all we ask - keep the government out of it. They'll just take advantage of fear & end up screwing everyone over.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #12 posted by FoM on October 23, 2004 at 10:18:53 PT
Sam
How did we get saddled with these moralizer you asked. Fear created prohibition. Fear that people would lose control and our society would crumble. Some people will let alcohol overtake them but some just enjoy a drink now and then. We need to trust that people have a basically good moral belief system and not be afraid to allow people to experience life. That will make us a stronger Nation.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #11 posted by FoM on October 23, 2004 at 10:09:22 PT
Sam
The history of alcohol prohibition was great. It was just the way it is with Cannabis. The end will be the laws must change. They used different herbs to make different kinds of alcohol so someday Cannabis might be used too. I don't drink but that would probably be a rock em sock em spirit as they called it in the show.

History always repeats itself. There is nothing new under the Sun.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #10 posted by sam adams on October 23, 2004 at 09:56:49 PT
FOM
The other program was "Rumrunner, Bootleggers, and Moonshiners". It was great! I had no idea that so many states had banned alcohol before Prohibition.

Even more interesting was that the map of these states vs. non-prohibition states almost exactly matches the red/blue states of today. Not much has changed.

Prohibition was horrible. In one day, the government shut down thousands of legitimate business - retail as well as vineyards, breweries, & distilleries, and the support industries that go with them.

All I could think of was, Europe didn't do any of this. How did we get saddled with these moralizers?

I also thought this: people in the US were willing to allow the government to pass more restrictive laws, because they owed a lot to the government. For years, the govt. just handed out vast farming lands, mining rights, grazing rights, etc for free.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #9 posted by ekim on October 23, 2004 at 09:05:04 PT
Neville Yates
http://www.marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=770

Now comes another story from New Zealand that demonstrates that the lies and hatred spread by decades of prohibitionist propaganda can drag any society down into depths of mindless cruelty.

Once again, I am indebted to Blair Anderson of the New Zealand Mild Greens for bringing this to my attention. There are some great activist down there. I was pleased to post an excellent essay by Blair and Kevin O’Connell in 2000. See New Zealanders’ Analysis of the Consequences of the Violence of Marijuana Prohibition. Bravo!

The victim in this case is, Neville Yates, a one-legged medical cannabis user, who suffered brain damage when he was hit by a truck when he was 14, and has been in a wheelchair ever since. In fact, there are many parallels with the case of the DC quadriplegic. We can only hope that this story does not end the same way, but the signs are not hopeful. Despite clear police perjury, the judge instructed the jury to find him guilty and they complied.

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Comment #8 posted by FoM on October 23, 2004 at 08:39:02 PT
Mr. Magbie
Mr. Magbie was a prisoner in his own body. How dare our court system put a person in jail who couldn't do harm to anyone.

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Comment #7 posted by FoM on October 23, 2004 at 08:34:33 PT
Sam
Wasn't that show excellent! We watched it again and then watched a program about moonshine and prohibition. Rum runners and Speak easies and how they make different kinds of alcohol. Someday when Cannabis is legal there will be so many ways of using the Cannabis plant for different reasons that I can only dream of how it will be.

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Comment #6 posted by siege on October 23, 2004 at 08:22:46 PT
(a machine gun)
Judge King had shared all of the facts at his disposal. possession of a prohibited weapon (a machine gun) what dozes this Judge think the people are all stupid by telling us that this person was carring this type of weapon, a grand jury: not smart are they calling a pistol (a machine gun) or did he have two Guns. Even so he could not use them. Unless they where hooked up to the chin-operated wheelchair, but how would he reload Hooooooooo it's (a machine gun) I for got.

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Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on October 23, 2004 at 07:54:29 PT
Justifying sadism
Ohhhh, so he had some cocaine...Let's lock the bastard up! So what if he's barely more than a piece of meat in a chair....it's COCAINE we're talking about! PRISON is the answer, and a good ass-raping by some of the cons is due!

Seriously, what has happened to our society? Where is the outrage? This guy would need someone to actually hold the coke up to his face to even use it! No jail! NO F*CKING JAIL for quadrapeligics! How complicated can it be? How dare we presume the authority to lock a quadrapeligic in jail! It's ridiculous. It's beyond ridiculous, it's primitive. It's inhumane. I'm ashamed to support these bastards by paying money into the tax system in this country.

Of course, our fearless leader and president was a cocaine ADDICT for years.

I finally saw "Hooked: illegal drugs" on History channel, an excellent show. The producers "get it". They started the show off by saying, "These plants have been around for the thousands of years...only in the last 100 years have they been demonized & banned - have the drugs changed, or have we?"

That sums it all up. Yes, it's US that have changed. Hypocrisy is now the core value here. Breaking the law is now something everyone does. The government can throw just about anyone in jail and, sickeningly, the population thinks that's just swell and keeps voting the same Republicrat fascists in again and again.

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Comment #4 posted by siege on October 23, 2004 at 07:14:30 PT
mayan off topic
voting machines On Vote Fraud from what I hear from the High School kids that they have all ready been in to the code's in four states so we all can expect anything this is red neck county! what can the city kids do?

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Comment #3 posted by mayan on October 23, 2004 at 06:22:36 PT
Retchin
Judge Judith Retchin should resign immediately!

Here's more on the students who signed a petition to legalize medical marijuana and had their party registrations and polling places switched...

Students' polling places switched in scam: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04297/400512.stm

A keeper...

WRH Vote Fraud Archives: http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/archives/cat_vote_fraud.html

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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on October 23, 2004 at 03:43:32 PT
that Judge King
US DC: PUB LTE: Judge King Responds

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1494/a02.html?397

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Comment #1 posted by FoM on October 22, 2004 at 22:46:07 PT
Off Topic: Michael Moore's Speech in Utah
OREM, UTAH (2004-10-20) Michael Moore, the gonzo firebrand, spoke at the McKay Events Center on the campus of Utah Valley State College as part of his Slacker Uprising Tour.

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/krcl/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=698085

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