Corby camp hails Qantas drug arrests: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200511/s1517288.htm

This is interesting...

Medical marijuana law frustrates sheriff: http://www.chieftain.com/metro/1132967430/8

FoM, if Ken Blackwell is planning a run for governor of Ohio it seems he has a lot of explaining to do. I don't even give him a snowball's chance in hell of winning. If he does win everyone will know it was rigged...

Ohio's Diebold Debacle: New machines call election results into question: http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2005/1593

THE WAY OUT...

Compromised Science and Snake Oil: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/11/329318.shtml

WTC worker witnessed power-down the weekend before 9/11: http://georgewashington.blogspot.com/2005/11/interview-with-scott-forbes.html

Two 9/11 Airliners, Flight 93 and 175, Just Recently Taken Off FAA 'Active' List. Are Both Jetliners Still Flying in United's 'Friendly Skies'?http://www.arcticbeacon.citymaker.com/articles/article/1518131/38048.htm

Is the Light of Understanding,

Any different than power?

Our Gifts,

Shall secretly

Fill this Universe

'We can end this war on people

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving went well. As a skydiver, I have a huge family always to feast with. It is great. I hope that everyone here had one as good as mine.

Take care, and peace to all, Rev Jim

Rev Jim Lunsford

First Cannabist Church

Bows ever so humbly

In the shadow of reality

The interest that remains

Is for Eternity

That was a very good sermon for this ThanksGiving of 2005.

"Cannabis is important to this goal, though its legalization is not essential to my freedom. No external situation dictates my emotional state. At least not more than I allow it to. True happiness can be found anywhere you look. I have found this simple truth to be all encompassing law."

When the 'Law can be bought, and plea-bargained, the 'Law, no longer is the law, it becomes some disfigured nightmare, where the fears of the unknown, become a friend.

May God Light the footsteps of Angel, this frail little women has bigger balls than any man I ever knew.

Hope everyone had a good time. It's hard to say that given the circumstances. Obviously not everyone had a good time yesterday. A lot of pain going around.

Mayan on this thread I posted a video of a November 2nd protest in D.C. It was very good and worth a look.

I'm pulling for Cindy Sheehan but I see that some dolts are actually voting for Karl Rove. WHAT??? Surely they jest, but then again, he is very influential. Don't you have to have a heart to be a person?

Congressman Ron Paul Reiterates Danger Of Foreign Troops Being Used For Martial Law: http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/november2005/241105martiallaw.htm

"Reverend Crane was killed last night;.. "I was there while they were killing him,".. "Four to six guys ... they were wearing all black with black masks. ...

"He was a true American. I don't want him to be forgotten."

This is the time to end cannabis prohibition,

In that blink of your 'mortal eye

You can receive eternal grace

I personally believe that our mortal enemies are within, that 9/11, the Oklahoma City federal courthouse bombing, the explosion in a park in Oklahoma City, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Waco, and Branch Davidian, were inside jobs, iatrogenic, caused by the United States government, that the reason why alternative sources of energy have not been developed is to make it easier for them to control us into slavery, gradually so as not to arouse our suspicions.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Pot dispensary owner slain at home By LAURA CLARK/The Daily Journal

Les Crane, 39, owner of Mendo Spiritual Remedies in Laytonville and Hemp Plus Ministry in Ukiah, was shot to death at his Laytonville home early Friday morning.

Mendocino County Sheriff's Detective Commander D.J. Miller said Crane was killed about 2:30 a.m. in the home invasion. "The investigation has disclosed it appears to be robbery motivated. An undisclosed amount of currency and processed marijuana was stolen," Miller said.

Yellow tape surrounded the Road 307 residence Friday, where investigators from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, evidence technicians and members of the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team could be seen taking photographs and measurements, and periodically carrying armfuls of marijuana from a building.

Law enforcement at the scene would not disclose any more information, but a sign in the driveway spoke volumes: "Mendo Spiritual Remedies. In God we trust, Rev. Les Crane. God Gave it to us and no one can take it away. Welcome to our church."

In the midst of all the activity, a man drove up and said to one of the sheriff's officers: "I just came by to see Les, but maybe this is a bad time."

A visit later in the day to the Hemp Plus Ministry revealed the darkest details of what happened to Crane.

"Reverend Crane was killed last night; I was there," said a visibly shaken Jennifer Drewry, as she sat inside the cannabis distribution center Friday afternoon, cradling her left arm, which was broken and in a sling from the beating she took during the ordeal.

"I was there while they were killing him," Drewry, Crane's financee said, before recounting the ordeal, which could be described as nothing less than horrific.

"Les was in bed sleeping. I was sleeping in another bedroom," she said, noting she woke up to the sound of footsteps. "Four to six guys ... they were wearing all black with black masks. ... They busted down the door and all you could hear them saying was This is a raid, this is a raid, this is a raid,'" she said, noting the voices sounded young.

First, one of the men walked in and beat another of the home's residents, 20-year-old Sean Dirlam -- also known as "The Count" -- while he slept, she said.

Then she said she opened her door and one of the men -- this one not wearing a mask -- hit her over the head. "The men in the masks stayed with Les, killing him and taking his medical marijuana and his money.

"I was on my hands and knees praying to God, too loud I guess, so the one guy told him to shoot me, but he missed, and then I heard five or six other gunshots. I was too scared to look up after that, so I waited until it was quiet and then I ran into Les's room.

"He was lying there; he could still talk. There was a lot of blood. The Count was hiding, talking to 911. .... It had to be 15 minutes before anyone showed up. It was a long time ... I was out of my mind.

"They wouldn't let me sit with him," she said referring to emergency personnel. "I told them they are torturing me; he's dying ... I knew I only had a couple minutes; he was dying," she said, noting Crane was shot in the back of the head, in an arm and in his abdomen. "There was so much blood I couldn't see all the holes," she said.

"He just asked me to marry him two weeks ago. I was planning a wedding; now I have to plan a funeral," Drewry said. "They ruined my life and took my dreams away from me -- all for money and greed," she said, by this time sobbing.

Crane supplied medical marijuana to more than 1,000 people in Mendocino County. Mendo Spiritual Remedies serves more than 800 people in the Laytonville area and Hemp Plus Ministry, which opened about two months ago in Ukiah, already has 350 clients, according to those who worked there.

Christina Bagby -- who referred to herself, Crane and his friend, Ukiah Morrison, as reverends -- works at the Ukiah ministry.

"We believe that cannabis is the tree of life. In the Bible it does say the tree of life will be called upon to heal the nation. We believe that tree is cannabis. We promote hemp awareness."

Morrison also works there, and like Bagby, spoke nothing but kind words about Crane.

"He was very thankful to be alive and to help the community. That was his only objective in life -- to help others," Morrison said of the man he called his best friend. "He spent $7,000 of his own money to buy 350 turkeys both for Ukiah Food Bank and Laytonville Food Bank," he added.

Quoting from the Bible, Morrison said: "Greater work than I have done, shall you do.' Les Crane embodied that and he helped uplift the community. ... He was definitely my super hero and mentor. He was like a father to most of us."

Laytonville residents The Daily Journal spoke with Friday said Crane did indeed do some good in the community: His teen center was clean and sober and the teens did use it. He also gave to charities.

Other residents said Crane hung out with what some perceived as undesirables -- for instance other large scale pot growers. Some described him as loud and boisterous and said he had his share of scrapes with the law ... that he was courting trouble.

In October, District Attorney Norm Vroman brought cultivation of marijuana charges against Crane, who adamantly proclaimed his innocence.

"Anyone that is a patient that would like to stand up, please join me and stand up against the tyranny," Crane said at the time. "It isn't a controlled substance to me. This is a medicine and those laws do not apply to patients."

Morrison and Drewry both believe Crane's killer was somebody he knew.

"As he was breathing ... after he had been shot several times, I asked him, Who did this to you?' and he said, They came to see The Count today,'" Drewry said, adding, "They came to rob the marijuana there and a safe. They took it all."

"He always told Hemp Ministry workers Don't hesitate to open the safe; it's not worth a life,'" Morrison said, noting Crane was trusting because the money was irrelevant to his cause. Crane's door was probably unlocked, Morrison said. However, Morrison added, "He was not an idiot; he knew his work was risky."

Crane came to Mendocino County several years ago with $100 and a dog after selling his tie-dye business in Florida. He had heard Mendocino County had passed Measure G supporting legalization of marijuana in the county for personal use. He turned the $100 into a sizable profit that harvest year and took that nest egg and started the dispensary and then opened a youth center in Laytonville.

"He was a true American. I don't want him to be forgotten. I just heard him say the other day, The more you give out, the more you receive to give out the next day,'" Morrison said.

Law enforcement officials are seeing more violence sparked by marijuana.

"This time of the year there is always the potential for violence in marijuana grows due to the quantity of marijuana and the large sums of money that are exchanged," Miller said.

Laura Clark can be reached at udjlc@pacific.net .

Editor K.C. Meadows contributed to this report.

Richard Paul Zuckerman, Post Office Box 159, Metuchen, New Jersey, 08840-0159, richardzuckerman2002@yahoo.com. B.A. in Political Science, Kean College of New Jersey [Kean University], 1987; Diploma in Truck Driving, with an up-to-date New Jersey CDL, www.smithsolomon.com, 1995; Diploma in Paralegal, New York University School of Continuing Education, 2003.

Among many, many other things, I'm thankful for CannabisNews and FoM.

I'm thankful for all the people that are with us and moving to our side, in ending prohibition.

I'm thankful for winning in Denver.

I'm thankful that we are still hanging in there and will reach our goal very soon of ending cannabis prohibition.

I'm thankful for all of you.

God bless us all and have mercy on us, if He will.

The right to live certainly seemed to be an appropriate message in this court case with Angel Raisch. Who has authority over whether or not I may live? Only myself and whatever deity exists. Man certainly does not. These times sure are a changing. New ideas and lessons learned about the human state are clashing violently with old schools of thought. Such as the Catholic Church curia continuing its archaic Old Testament ban all mentality. Yet, another group called "Catholics Speak Out" is condemning this stance. Link: http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=57151

I am not gay, but I find it incredible that someone could find homosexuality so threatening. In my opinion, God made all of us. So turning away someone based upon their sexual orientation is a bit like turning away God. We also have the politics of Nazism reigning in Time Magazine as well. The thirteen-year-old twins, known as "Prussian Blue," seem to be at the center of a political storm. Link: http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=57137

Personally, I think most of the people hearing their music will have already made up their mind on the subject matter. I do not see the big threat to our society by censoring them. I do see a bigger threat in the "BAN THEM" mentality opposing them. In the end, no one's right supersedes another’s. They sounded like crap to me when I heard them on some news show "warning" of the dangers of their music, but I'm more frightened by the idea of suppressing their voice.

Anti-War protesting, budgetary concerns, pollution, speech, all areas of human activity are becoming too complex for the old rules to apply anymore. Therefore, we have this backlash of the old system. Which fights for its very survival.

Prayer is action. Conducted in a manner of compassion and understanding. Finding ways to help those in opposition of our viewpoints achieve a balance with ours. Not necessarily that our viewpoint is even correct, but to strive to understand each other as human beings instead of some archaic notion of good and evil is the hallmark of good prayer. Whether you call it prayer, political activism, meditation, or what.

Freedom of religion, pursuit of happiness, law and order, free markets, rights to defend ourselves, all are in the headlines of the world's newspapers. All areas that we have inherently in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. So, what is the problem? Us.

We, the people, gave up so many of these freedoms when we turned down the opportunity to think for ourselves. Listen to all, but believe what you learn for yourself. Not what some simplistic moronic leader tells you to believe. There is no danger by having different ideas, beliefs, whatever. This is a big world, and we are certainly capable of living in peace together.

We, the people, chose safety over freedom a long time ago. We, the people, chose to believe we were powerless against the authorities, though we are the ultimate authority in this government. Only we, the people, can restore these freedoms. And, it starts by just taking them. Freedom is not free. Ultimate freedom requires ultimate commitment. I have learned that much, at least.

As for myself, I continue my journey of attempting to understand the other person's viewpoint. I fall way short of any glory in any endeavor, but I keep trying. That is my choice, and I am free to choose it. A revolution of compassion and understanding each other is the sole focus of my "doctrine."

Cannabis is important to this goal, though its legalization is not essential to my freedom. No external situation dictates my emotional state. At least not more than I allow it to. True happiness can be found anywhere you look. I have found this simple truth to be all encompassing law.

This doesn't mean I don't prefer the legalization. All of us are quite capable of directing our own lives, and what sort of logic is inherent in prohibiting a plant that is uniquely adapted to the human state? Fuel, medicine, recreation, spirituality, etc., all are uses for this plant. Yet, we, the people, allow it to remain illegal. Why?

Because we, the people, gave away our power when we gave away our own innate ability to reason. It isn't the government, unless you count "We, the People," as government. It is us.

As for myself, I render nothing unto Caesar. That's what he deserves. Paying taxes to support policies I find archaic is against my moral stance. Not that I make a fortune anyway. Oh yeah, who cares who reads this. It is my right as a human being to protest oppression and to withhold my support for ideas I find reprehensible. I smoke Cannabis every single day. It is my body, and so, my right to do so. If I wanted to inject my body with battery acid, who has the right to stop me? Only myself. The ninth amendment states it so very clearly.

“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

Prohibition is unconstitutional. Or, as our friend, Jose states so eloquently, "Drug War is Crime."

Oh yeah, Toker00, thanks. I know you have no intent of dis-respect, and I hope you know I respect your activism. It is to the activists on this site to whom I direct my letters and opinions. To anyone else, just sitting on the sidelines, I have no voice. These would be the people "wishing" for a better way, instead of just taking their destinies in their hands. They are already dead. You are not. Happy Thanksgiving to all. Peace, Jim

Rev Jim Lunsford

First Cannabist Church

Life: Live fully each moment, for it is the task at hand that you have decided to be the most important use of your time. Don't waste what can never be recovered.

The only difference is that I don't think Clinton would have gone after medical users.

Bush Approval: Raw Poll Data http://www.pollkatz.homestead.com/files/pollkatzmainGRAPHICS_8911_image001.gif

FoM, here's another blog I just found recently...

A New Map! http://gaelicstarover.blogspot.com/2005/11/new-map.html

The 4:20 Report with Ed Rosenthal returns to KPFA this Friday Nov. 25 Noon -1:00pm. KPFA is 94.1 on the FM dial. (and every last Friday of the month)

Ed will discuss Oakland's Measure Z and what is being done to implement this pro-marijuana initiative that was approved by 65% of the voters. Ed's guests will be Desley Brooks, Oakland City Council member, and Susan Stephenson, one of the proponents of Prop Z. Other features include news and coming events. Join Ed for an exciting hour between 12 and 1 this Friday on KPFA, 94.1. The 4:20 Report is heard the last Friday of each month at 12 Noon and broadcasts marijuana news and issues.

On Sat, Nov. 26, join Ed again on KPFA ,94.1 at 9:00 AM for a special edition of the "Saturday Morning Talkies." Ed's topic will be "A Bit of Optimism Right Here at KPFA". We will be talking about current events and how they affect us psychologically. Ed's unique perspective will give you lots of food for thought with your bagels or pancakes.

Call in comments and questions will be welcomed for both shows.