cannabisnews.com: Pot Issue Gives New Meaning To Mile High City Pot Issue Gives New Meaning To Mile High City Posted by CN Staff on November 02, 2005 at 07:18:57 PT By Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain News Source: Rocky Mountain News Denver, Colorado -- Marijuana advocates scored a breathtaking victory in the Mile High City as Denver voters legalized adult possession of small amounts of marijuana. "I think it just goes to show that people in Denver were fed up with a law that prohibited adults from making a rational, safer decision regarding what they put into their bodies," said Mason Tvert, the 23-year- old Denver man who spearheaded the Initiative 100 campaign. While other big cities, such at Seattle and Oakland, Calif., have passed laws making adult pot use a low police priority, supporters said passage of I-100 would make Denver the first major city to legalize adult pot possession of 1 ounce or less. Denver officials maintain amending local law changes nothing, because the vast majority of marijuana possession busts will continue to be prosecuted under state law. "It's still illegal in the city of Denver, because Denver's in Colorado," Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said. Mayor John Hickenlooper, who opposed the measure because he says marijuana is a "gateway drug," chalked the victory up to "a generational thing." "People's attitudes toward marijuana; they're clearly changing," he said. "If that election had been 20 years ago, it would have been a very different outcome." Yet, Hickenlooper stressed: "The bottom line is, it doesn't change state law. I think it's more symbolic than anything else." The marijuana debate was anything but mellow. Critics accused the I-100 supporters of masking their pro-pot agenda by plastering the city with "Make Denver SAFER" signs omitting the word marijuana, exploiting residents' fear of rising crime rates and publicized calls for more police. I-100 forces kept hitting the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative's theme: Adults should have the right to legally choose marijuana, because it's a safer alternative to booze. The ballot supporters turned the tables on the drug war, attacking alcohol for fueling violent crime, deadly car wrecks, collegiate binge- drinking and liver disease. The strategy was intensely watched by national marijuana advocates weighing a Nevada ballot initiative next year to tax and regulate pot like alcohol. "A Denver victory clearly means that the drive to end marijuana prohibition has become a mainstream issue," said Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. "For a city of Denver's size in a red state to endorse something like this is really quite remarkable."Complete Title: OK of Pot Issue Gives New Meaning to Mile High CitySource: Denver Rocky Mountain News (CO)Author: Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain NewsPublished: November 2, 2005Copyright: 2005 Denver Publishing Co.Contact: letters rockymountainnews.comWebsite: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Safer Choicehttp://www.saferchoice.org/ Denver Pot Issue Passes By Thin Marginhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21253.shtml Pot Measure Wafts To Victoryhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21252.shtmlMarijuana Measure Stirs Controversyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21250.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #70 posted by FoM on November 03, 2005 at 08:29:19 PT Mayan I'm glad you will be able to get the different days with Neil on Conan. By that time of night Conan's humor almost puts me to sleep. I think what I don't like about humor today is it is sterile and meaningless. The 60s needs to come back. We need passion to bring change and I think it's on the way and I just can't wait. People that hate the 60s really have been told the wrong things about that time. It was a wonderful time of not following the piper and instead saying we have a better way. Onward and backward I say! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #69 posted by Jim Lunsford on November 03, 2005 at 05:54:41 PT On Change Hopefully, this world is changing. At least at a fast enough rate for me! lol It would be great if the Supreme Court trumped Religious Freedom over the Religious Right, but it is not an issue killer. I think the back lash of an oppressive government ruling as this would be a bit much for an already unpopular regime.There is unrest among the people. We, as a nation, are dis-satisfied with so many aspects of our government. And, the evangelical christian political system is an affront to many of the religious groups in this country. To include Christian denominations.What right does the government have in determining the practise of religion? None. I hope that soon, the idea of legislating religious morality into our criminal system will be seen as backwards as the rascist attitudes practised by all of America. I exempt no part of America from the practise of rascism. In the slave days, abolishinists (almost all were Southernors) were often killed by northern mobs. Just didn't want blacks up north. Wanted them down south where the labor wouldn't affect them. The boll weevil did more to free slaves in the south than any politician. And it freed the white slaves as well. For what else could you call the share croppers and tenant farmers? Perhaps this prohibition is beyond politics. It may be that it requires something beyond the control of a political arena. Certainly, the modern american is more sheep than wolf. The tyranny of a modern government is certainly far beyond the scope of political thought of the founding fathers.What founding father would have predicted that a government could tell us what substances we could ingest? Besides Jefferson that is. And he had dire predictions of a country that allowed their government to control what we eat or drink. Today, we allow urine tests without regard for individual liberties. With hardly a ripple of protest, people submit like sheep to this unbelievable travesty of justice. Shame on us! We refuse to look into issues for real solutions to problems, instead satisfying our intellectual laziness with knee jerk judgemental reactions to social issues. Our drug policies are just another tool used by the political parties to demonstrate the "inferiority" of certain classes of our society.We "prove" that blacks are "lazy and shiftless" because we refuse to provide equal social programs to encourage people to become a part of society. Instead, the drug war is used to enforce racism, by targeting select groups.This country is content to believe we are powerless against government, but we are the government. And we are cowardly in our pursuit of true societal reform. And idea that does not include harsh prison terms is deemed soft on the issue by an incredibly ignorant population.It is my belief that no government has the right to tell me how I must practise my faith. And, in reality, the government has no more right over me, than I allow it to have. I am against all of the victim-less crimes. To me, any crime which harms no one but the person perpetrating the crime, and is done in full consent with both parties, is ludicruous and should be lauged out of court. Yet, we allow it.Obviously, I am against the "sorcery" of the modern drug laws. For that is what these laws are in the religious context. Sorcerers control the use of drugs, not allowing access to them to the general public. And are also explicitely condemned in the very text these so-called christians keep beating their chests about.However, I am against ALL laws which are covered under the victim-less crimes heading. While I don't care much for prostitution, I am for it's legalization for the same reasoning. The cure is worse than the disease. And, in America we should have the ability to choose our own destinies. In reality, we already have this ability. I smoke Cannabis on a daily basis and will continue as long as I am able to do so. Yet, I have to practise my spirituality in private. The government intefering with that ability, is against the spirit of the Constitution, as laid out in the Declaration of Independence.In pursuit of happiness, I believe we are allowing ourselves to be deprived of many aspects of this inherent right of freedom. I am deprived of a medicinal plant, I am deprived of clean air, I am deprived of a society that respects the opinions of others in a political format. And Cannabis is central to these deprivations.In short, the government has failed the people, because we have allowed ourselves to fail the ambitions and hopes of those who fought and gave their lives for liberty. Shame on all of us! And all because so many of us are too lazy to question authority. Judge not, lest thy be judged in a like manner, is often overlooked by these judgemental americans. Perhaps soon, Dennis Hopper's prediction of the 90's making the 60's look like the 50's will become a reality, but not as long as the majority of Americans insist on being spoon fed their beliefs. Think for yourself Americans! Or is that too hard?Rev Jim LunsfordFirst Cannabist ChurchRights: None that you aren't prepared to die for [ Post Comment ] Comment #68 posted by mayan on November 03, 2005 at 04:13:12 PT FoM A good friend of mine recorded Conan wednesday night but he forgot to record tuesday night. I recorded tuesday but I forgot to record wednesday. Sometimes things just work out! It's good to have friends.On an unrelated note, it's starting...Students start walkout to protest war, recruiting: http://www.startribune.com/stories/1592/5704030.htmlThis is only the beginning. Young people today have so many more distractions than earlier generations but some of them are now beginning to sense a need to rise and fix the things they know are terribly wrong. I truly feel for them as they have their hands full with a world that gets more screwed up by the day. Dennis Hopper once said something like, "The 90's are going to make the 60's look like the 50's." I think he was a decade off. It looks like this decade is the one in which everything will change. It's already begun. Just look at all that has happened since Bush came to power. Doesn't that seem so long ago? It hasn't even been five years! The young have the most to lose and they are only beginning to realize that. The cycles of revolution and change have come full circle. This is their time. May we help them in their struggle to save this world that we've borrowed from them. The time is now, again...The Costs of War - by Cindy Sheehan: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10848.htmHistoric Vermont Meeting in State Capital Passes Resolution to Secede from the U.S.: http://www.arcticbeacon.citymaker.com/articles/article/1518131/36584.htmThe '9/11 Truth Movement' raises questions about 9/11 attacks: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=3407Going down? CBS poll gives Bush his lowest rating yet. Resign already! http://www.pollkatz.homestead.com/files/pollkatzmainGRAPHICS_8911_image001.gif [ Post Comment ] Comment #67 posted by Toker00 on November 03, 2005 at 04:02:37 PT A reminder to the World. You know, I have young adults ask me the question, "Why is cannabis illegal? I want to be able to toke and not go to jail! It makes me feel good, so why can't I use it?" To those young people I directed to this site yesterday, the answer to your question:To make a very long story short, the emerging petro-chemical industries at the time decided to eliminate natural competition (hemp) to their products, so they came up with this crafty little way (Using marijuana as a tool) of doing it. If you hate race-ism and fascism and sexism, read no further, for that is your answer. But if you want details, here ya go:"The primary reason to outlaw marijuana is it's effect on the degenerate races." Harry J. Anslinger"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are negroes, hispanics, philipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This mariuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with negroes, entertainers and any others." Harry J. Anslinger, U.S. commissioner of marcotics, testifying to Congress on why marijuana should be made illegal, 1937. (Marijuana Tax Act,signed August 2, 1937, effective Oct. 1, 1937.Surprised? This is why we fight to end cannabis prohibition.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! [ Post Comment ] Comment #66 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 22:47:18 PT Hope I love Prairie Wind and the song he sang tonight called The Painter. He doesn't appear on TV very often. I have the words memorized to the whole CD. Maybe he'll talk a little before the weeks over. I hope he sings It's Only a Dream and When God Made Me. But really all the songs are great. I hope to be seeing you all tomorrow again. It's time for me to call it a day. [ Post Comment ] Comment #65 posted by Hope on November 02, 2005 at 22:39:55 PT Neil Young I'm disappointed that they didn't spend some time talking to him and that he only sang one song. It was good though. [ Post Comment ] Comment #64 posted by runderwo on November 02, 2005 at 22:37:29 PT wow That's the saddest thing I've read all week. Two 13 year old girls already indoctrinated into a life of hate and bigotry. [ Post Comment ] Comment #63 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 22:23:20 PT Dankhank I checked out the article. It's very sad to see that there are people who still have a superiority complex. Some of the most beautiful looking people come from mixed marriages. I know of at least one model but I don't remember her name. [ Post Comment ] Comment #62 posted by Dankhank on November 02, 2005 at 22:14:15 PT seen this????? http://www.womenspress.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=2109&TM=54366.97 [ Post Comment ] Comment #61 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 22:02:45 PT Thank You Dankhank You said: That's why the crazy racists in America so resemble the Nazis ... they are the same in spirit.I really appreciate what you just said. I thought I was living in my own world thinking along the same line as you. [ Post Comment ] Comment #60 posted by Dankhank on November 02, 2005 at 22:02:42 PT oh yea, by the way ... Saw Neil last night, and am waiting for him, now as well.Night, ladies ... men ... all ...Peace [ Post Comment ] Comment #59 posted by Dankhank on November 02, 2005 at 21:55:47 PT Feelings We can never understand unless we are willing to acknowledge that during slavery, and for a hundred years after, plain and simple terrorism was routinely practiced by the owners to maintain control of their "servants" as they liked to call them. They wouldn't say slave, even to themselves.Slaves were treated worse than animals. A lame horse wasn't worked, a lame man, woman or child was.Even slaves out at night with their owner's leave trembled at the thought of running into one of the roving patrols that were ever vigilant, their mission to capture escaped slaves.Here's something about the "Fugitive Slave Act."http://www.usconstitution.com/FugitiveSlaveActof1850.htmUnderground Railroad ...http://www.courier-journal.com/foryourinfo/020303/020303.htmlI ran into an interesting book, stack of them, in a local Dollar Store."Fire in a Canebrake" The Last Lynching in America. By Laura Wexler ISBN 0-684-86816-4Happened in Georgia in 1946.So there are people alive today that were involved in that. Most of them must be in their 80's ... but think on that. The book offers great insight into race relations in Georgia as late as 1946. Shocking to contemplate.The only other place I can think of that was determined to prevent the powerless from leaving was any Communist-controlled territory. And maybe some Arab countries if you were not of the power elite or of a different tribe/faith of the leadership.Truly, this is a book worth reading.I bought ten of them, buck each, planning to give them to those that need them.Sadly, that might include my Mom. My father died in 1982, a couple of years later Mom remarried. The gentleman was from Mississippi and racist to the bone. She was tainted by this man.She is Munich-born, and never a hint of any prejudice while I lived at home. My family, Dad,Mom,two brothers and I, arrived in central Georgia, Warner Robins, in the summer of 1963 from a 4-year stay in England. Our first taste of southern living. Dad was an American Air Forceman of Mexican descent from NM, I, the oldest child was 13.Following is a true statement, though I recognize a few will disbelieve......We all were downtown early one evening checking stuff out when we came to a laundramat, read the writing on the front glass, turned to each other and wondered why we could only wash sheets and underclothes in this laundry. Why?There was a stenciled statement on the glass front that read ...Whites Only. A couple of weeks later I was enrolled in the whites-only junior-high School on Northside of town.My wife, I would not meet her for five/six years yet, attended the other, integrated high school close to the Air Force Base, integrated only because the Air Force said that the black childran of their black families would NOT attend the blacks-only school that, curiously, was located about a mile or so down the road from her school.Think of how the Nazis controlled what they captured, and Germany, too.The South was the same way.That's why the crazy racists in America so resemble the Nazis ... they are the same in spirit.Wow, more than you probably wanted to know ... less than all SHOULD know.Peace to all ...; and goodnight ... [ Post Comment ] Comment #58 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 21:52:53 PT Hope I am anxiously waiting until Neil comes on. Boy is it hard to watch Conan. LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #57 posted by Hope on November 02, 2005 at 21:39:55 PT FoM Managed to stay awake...Conan's on. [ Post Comment ] Comment #56 posted by Hope on November 02, 2005 at 21:28:31 PT JR Bob Dobbs comment 42 Your question has been on my mind this afternoon. I suspect they'll cite Federal Law and OSHA and insurance and no telling what to keep on doing what they are now. [ Post Comment ] Comment #55 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 20:48:23 PT runderwo I hadn't really read it but I checked and saw the Rosa Parks reference. I feel that what Rosa Parks did stands out all alone. I want the laws changed concerning Cannabis but I have no concept of the plight of the blacks in Alabama and the south so many years ago. On a PBS music special about protest songs it showed dead men hanging from trees. Whatever hate fueled those times I don't understand. [ Post Comment ] Comment #54 posted by runderwo on November 02, 2005 at 20:34:18 PT FoM I was referring to the article Sukoi posted, some blowhard in there was comparing the people who opposed the measure to Rosa Parks for some crazy reason. [ Post Comment ] Comment #53 posted by Jim Lunsford on November 02, 2005 at 18:17:11 PT Does it seem to anybody else that Bush is nominating conservatives in the truer sense of the word? People that would put the privacy of individuals over the governments wants? I note this in Roberts, who could very well opine that the government has absolutely no business telling us what drugs we can or can't take. After all, that is what a true conservative would rule.I don't think the Supreme Court could have passed a different verdict than they did on the Raisch case. Congress was powerful enough then to over-rule had they done so. But now, with a religious freedom case, the court could get away with it. And then religious freedom would actually triumph over religious politics. How cool would that be?Rev Jim LunsfordFirst Cannabist ChurchFreedom: Requires total commitment [ Post Comment ] Comment #52 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on November 02, 2005 at 17:18:33 PT Miami Police Chief's Son Busted For Pot And not just a personal use stash either - four hundred pounds. Whoops!! http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051102/APN/511021026 [ Post Comment ] Comment #51 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 16:47:16 PT Friendly Reminder: That 70s Show at 8 PM 'That '70s Show' Goes To Pot Againhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread21254.shtml#8 [ Post Comment ] Comment #50 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 16:41:57 PT runderwo I didn't see all of Rosa Parks funeral so I don't know who was comparing themselves to her. Rosa Parks stands alone and history will remember her when many politicians won't be remembered at all. I enjoyed the service what I saw and I was amazed at the length of the service and it was for one humble black woman who just didn't want to always have to go to the back of the bus. [ Post Comment ] Comment #49 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 16:28:26 PT Toker00 Words are so very important. I have been so turned off by some areas of reform. In a society we give and take to keep the peace. No man is an island. When someone says they have a right to do this or that my mind turns off and I think ok they're just into their own ego and acting selfishly. If I feel that way how do people feel outside reform circles? [ Post Comment ] Comment #48 posted by runderwo on November 02, 2005 at 16:20:13 PT nice "If the state is so convinced of the merits of this program, it should not be forcing counties to do its dirty work," Jacob said."Probably the same bunch that claims their hands are tied with respect to enforcing drug laws because of the federal prohibition, but in that case they enforce them gleefully.Oh, and I love these politicians comparing themselves to Rosa Parks. That certainly cheapens her legacy a bit. [ Post Comment ] Comment #47 posted by Toker00 on November 02, 2005 at 16:19:48 PT The L word. You're right, FoM. It's just too straight forward and stark a word for mainstream to handle right now. That's why I seldom use it, but instead say "end cannabis prohibition" when I speak to someone about it. I stress jail and pain as being my main focus, but never exclude recreation. Maybe now I can say Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation. SAFER has it pegged. I broke the news of Denver at work today. The guys were congratulatory to the movement. "When are we packing for Denver?", two of them asked. lol. These guys are straight as an arrow, but I have been loosening them up for the past two years about cannabis, and I was really pleased with their reaction today!Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! [ Post Comment ] Comment #46 posted by Sukoi on November 02, 2005 at 15:03:08 PT Another fight is brewing... in California over MMJ:http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20051102-9999-1n2weed.html Great news from Denver though :-) [ Post Comment ] Comment #45 posted by Jim Lunsford on November 02, 2005 at 15:00:21 PT Wouldn't it be great if this information led to the government subsidising hemp products? Omega-3 Fatty AcidsIn 2002, the American Heart Association, using Federal survey data, estimated that 13 million Americans (or 6.9 percent of the U.S. population) suffer from CHD, which disproportionately affects older Americans. The average age Americans experience a first heart attack is 65.8 for men and 70.4 for women. In 2000, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognized the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids in dietary supplements for preventing CHD by issuing a qualified health claim. The Lewin Group estimates potential five-year (2006-2010) savings in health care expenditures resulting from a reduction in the occurrence of CHD among the over age-65 population through daily intake of approximately 1,800 milligrams of omega-3 is $3.1 billion. Approximately 384,303 hospitalizations and physician fees due to CHD could be avoided over the five-year period. Health Impact Study Finds Seniors Who Take Certain Dietary Supplements Live Longer, More Independent Lives; Savings Estimated to be Billions for U.S. Healthcare Systemhttp://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=56082Discusses a bill to help pay for these supplements under a sort of nutritional health claim act that notes nutrition as a disease preventive measure.Woudlnt it be great if we could all just figure it out? There's so much more to Cannabis than "they just wanna get high". Maybe we also just don't want to die.Rev Jim LunsfordFirst Cannabist ChurchPhysician: Heal Thyself [ Post Comment ] Comment #44 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 14:53:34 PT Taylor121 I saw the poll and know it would be a higher percentage if it wasn't for the word legalization. Legalization means to most people a free for all. Legalization has no boundaries and in a world that is so divided it won't get high poll ratings. If the question was asked should a person go to jail for possessing marijuana the poll would probably be much different. [ Post Comment ] Comment #43 posted by GreenJoy on November 02, 2005 at 14:49:13 PT I'm Back FoM, I think it was mostly EJ's comment seventeen that set me off. EJ, I think your painting with a broad brush. A woman I'm very close to has mentioned to me that when she was pregnant some gay men were the most attentive and caring humans around. She can hardly speak highly enough of them. GJ [ Post Comment ] Comment #42 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on November 02, 2005 at 14:36:27 PT Hmm What will this do to the workplace drug-testing policies of Denver companies? Will they still be able to fire people for what they do in their own spare time? [ Post Comment ] Comment #41 posted by Taylor121 on November 02, 2005 at 14:24:11 PT Gallup Poll Shows 36% Support Nationally fo That's what the MPP has it headlines as on their site. [ Post Comment ] Comment #40 posted by Taylor121 on November 02, 2005 at 14:23:09 PT America Keeps Moving Towards Legalization Who Supports Marijuana Legalization? Support rising; varies most by age and gender The Gallup Poll; November 1, 2005 By Joseph Carroll, Gallup Poll Assistant EditorSince the late 1960s, Gallup has periodically asked Americans whether the use of marijuana should be made legal in the United States. Although a majority of Americans have consistently opposed the idea of legalizing marijuana, public support has slowly increased over the years. In 1969, just 12% of Americans supported making marijuana legal, but by 1977, roughly one in four endorsed it. Support edged up to 31% in 2000, and now, about a third of Americans say marijuana should be legal.Certain groups of Americans are more inclined than others to support the legalization of marijuana. In order to better understand which groups of Americans are more inclined to support legalization, Gallup combined the results of three surveys, conducted in August 2001, November 2003, and October 2005*.*snip*http://www.mpp.org/USA/news/10585.mpp [ Post Comment ] Comment #39 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 14:02:15 PT Thanks Hope Since I don't go to C-Span unless someone says something is going on I quick turned the channel. Now I won't just get a little of the funeral. Rosa Parks was so humble and yet strong. I'm sure she is in a wonderful place now. Humility is something that I don't see that much anymore. [ Post Comment ] Comment #38 posted by Hope on November 02, 2005 at 13:56:24 PT Rosa Parks Found the funeral on the C-span that is usually the House of Representatives. In fact that's what it says. But it seems to be the funeral. Jesse Jackson to speak soon. [ Post Comment ] Comment #37 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 13:54:35 PT Dankhank Very good idea. Thank you. [ Post Comment ] Comment #36 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 13:52:55 PT GreenJoy I don't know if you meant me but I know that straight men can be kind, polite and not intimidating. I'm married to man that is that way. I went to LA when my son was hospitalized and lived in a gay area called West Hollywood. I met some very nice men. That treated me so kind and I always felt protected and I never felt threatened. [ Post Comment ] Comment #35 posted by Dankhank on November 02, 2005 at 13:39:04 PT Next Step Here is the email for Colorado Attorney General John Suthers attorney.general state.co.us and his phone number if so inclined ... 303-866-4500I am also waiting for a call from his executive assistant to discuss this matter and also had a brief conversation with the reporter, Christopher N. Osher, 303-820-1747 or cosher denverpost.comIt would be interesting if they got a flurry of emails regarding Suthers' apparent willingness to allow an end-run around Denver's new Cannabis-legalizing ordinance by stating that Denver police will still bump posession charges to the state level.This policy seems to be inviting civil suits and/or recall petitions if such moves are made.Here's an opportunity to throw it up in the State Attorney's face ...Let's GO!!!!!!!!!!!! Truth of Hemp and Stuff [ Post Comment ] Comment #34 posted by GreenJoy on November 02, 2005 at 13:39:01 PT But I just can't accept... ...that only gay men can see a woman as something other than a sex object. Too general and not true of me anyway. I'm done. Guess I'll skeedaddle. GJ [ Post Comment ] Comment #33 posted by Hope on November 02, 2005 at 13:16:36 PT Rosa Parks She is someone to celebrate. She's "Sister Rosa" to all of us. Her life should be celebrated. [ Post Comment ] Comment #32 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 13:08:33 PT Hope They changed back to news. He was inspiring the black people in the church to keep the fires going. To vote and be strong and not to forget Rosa's way of bringing change. I think a good black preacher and a good black choir can bring a church down or should I say blow the roof off the church. Black people suffered so much and the music and the preaching comes from deep inside. I feel we can relate in the respect that we have been shunned, imprisioned and hated for just being different too. [ Post Comment ] Comment #31 posted by Hope on November 02, 2005 at 13:03:10 PT Can't find it. You'll have to tell me what he said. Some of it, anyway. [ Post Comment ] Comment #30 posted by Hope on November 02, 2005 at 12:57:11 PT Oh no.... Sounds like I should turn the TV on...much as I dislike it being on all the time. [ Post Comment ] Comment #29 posted by Hope on November 02, 2005 at 12:54:23 PT EJ, EJ, EJ. The breast business. I love the way you say it. You put it so well.Your's and Runruff's comments "blew me away". I think I learned something, too. The "truest" stuff can be the funniest stuff.This Denver business is wonderful good, I think. I am so happy about it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #28 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 12:41:51 PT Wow Reverend Al Sharpton He is preaching at Rosa's funeral and he is blowing me away! I really like him. [ Post Comment ] Comment #27 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 12:35:29 PT GreenJoy I'm not offend but thank you. I do believe that there are far more men involved in cannabis reform then women. That doesn't mean that women aren't important because women serve a purpose that is better suited to them and it helps the whole reform movement I believe. I am a peacemaker. I don't like people fighting. I believe in social issues like caring for those who lost everything from Katrina. I love children and puppys. If men and women were exactly the same then we wouldn't have a good balance. [ Post Comment ] Comment #26 posted by GreenJoy on November 02, 2005 at 12:28:36 PT FoM I understand. Most if not all hetero men are just always going to notice a beautiful woman. Most of us learn early not to leer. And I do think a man can appreciate a woman for both her mind and her body. The ones that can't are operating on the same level as the previously described women. I wasn't aware that this issue, Cannabis legalization, was male dominated. I don't see any reason why it should be. I'll take your word for it, and I meant no offense. Gj [ Post Comment ] Comment #25 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 11:55:18 PT A Strange Topic It is hard being a woman activist in a male dominated issue. GreenJoy some women do what you mentioned and they generally are shallow and not really interested in activism as much as those who want to keep it person to person and what sex we are doesn't matter. We are all just people and are all very important. [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by GreenJoy on November 02, 2005 at 11:49:28 PT Methinks Some women want it both ways. They work it and when it works out comes the hairpin and the mace. GJ [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 11:32:21 PT EJ I Know What You Mean Gay men are not intimidating and I have always felt comfortable around them. They can be friends with no motives. [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by GreenJoy on November 02, 2005 at 11:30:30 PT 10 4 runruff A well put together well kept female body is THE most beautiful sight on earth! Just flesh...only skin deep and all I know. Works for me! GJ [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by E_Johnson on November 02, 2005 at 11:28:18 PT My monent of realization runruff At the LACRC mostly all the patients were gay. I felt something was odd in my relations with them, and finally I realized it -- I couldn't make the men all shut up and listen to me by waving my breasts around. Gay people are almost 100% immune to the magic stun rays.I realized that around straight men, I don't have to have anything interesting or intelligent to say, they'll fall at my feet like a genius as long as I wear a tight sweater.It's hard to have a normal ego given the amount of abnormal attention my breasts bring. Either I feel like a goddess or a hunted animal. It's just really weird.Only around gay men do I get treated like a plain normal person. [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by skyfairy5154 on November 02, 2005 at 11:17:42 PT: We did it! Ahhh...so stoked. All of you should come to Denver and kick it and blaze :) This is the most awesome law, really - aside from the state thing, but we are working toward taking the state to court to change that. Thank you SAFER for all of your hard work!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by runruff on November 02, 2005 at 11:09:54 PT: The breast ray stun gun. Believe me I am a very respectful person. I have have two younger sisters that say they adore me. Honest! But when I am exposed to this part of the female anatomy I am like a deer in the headlights. Don't ask me why. It must be something that goes deep into my childhood. I don't want to be rude or lude but an exposed breast in my presents just wipes out any other thought. I forget to move. I studder. I cannot look away. I know, I've expirenced this many times. You'd think I'd mature or something but no. God did not make breast for men to ignore. I know this to be true because I made it up. [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 11:03:15 PT EJ I'll Add This I always was embarassed by men looking at me that way. I think breasts look like two sunny side up eggs on a plate. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by E_Johnson on November 02, 2005 at 10:56:41 PT Remember breasts often have humans attached Guys often forget that fact. The ones who stare at me on the street and do stupid frat boy tricks like cough repeatedly -- sometimes I wish I carried a long sharp hatpin. Wouldn't that surprise them? Hey, those breasts attacked me! They stuck some huge pin in my butt! Oh man, I totally forgot there was some human being attached to those breasts who didn't like being followed around and stared at like some freak exhibit in a freak museum. Now I have this big pin stuck in my butt and I have to go explain to a paramedic how it got there. Oh woe is me, poor little innocent me.Okay relax guys, it's a fantasy, I wouldn't really stick hatpins in your butts. It's an old fashioned thing. We don't need hatpins any more. Now we have pepper spray.But to be fair, what's even worse than the men are the politically correct flat chested women who assume I must have implants and proceed to treat me like the Whore of Babylon because according to them I have surgically altered my body to please men. They never bother to ask me first whether this is true. They just know it's true, because that's what their politics tells them.Breasts make people crazy. Men and women. They become stupid and say and do stupid and sometimes offensive and hurtful things over breasts.I don't know why, but it happens. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 10:37:30 PT Hope I don't know the reason but it sure has always baffled me. Maybe breasts could change the world. LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by Hope on November 02, 2005 at 10:27:36 PT FoM...comment 14 Looking at breasts sounds pretty boring to me, too. I suspect most men were weaned too soon.:0) [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 10:20:46 PT Sam They show killing on tv so much so that we become desensitized to using guns on people. What's a life? How can they keep a war going if people are relaxed and at peace and finding pleasure in kind things. As far as breasts go I personally have absolutely no interest in seeing breasts and have never understood why men think they are so darn nice. LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by Hope on November 02, 2005 at 10:16:08 PT Sam "Now we know that when the "smoke" hits the brain, new brain cells start being created, not killed off."They didn't know that for a scientific fact in the seventies. Maybe they should run a crawl at the bottom of the screen...or the top...about the new evidence refuting that erroneous belief. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Sam Adams on November 02, 2005 at 10:12:45 PT Television FOM - it's interesting, you can barely turn on the TV without immediately seeing someone get shot, killed, or tortured. Seriously, try flipping around during prime time & see how long it takes to see a killing.But God forbid, don't show a woman's breast, or burning cannabis. I guess it shows you where our priorities are. The ruling elite needs guys to go off to war & kill people. Getting high & looking at breasts doesn't help Exxon/Mobil at all.And if everyone's sitting around smoking & looking at breasts and not shooting each other, we won't need any prisons, police, or SWAT teams either. Not hard to figure out the big picture. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Hope on November 02, 2005 at 10:12:00 PT Measure 100 Does anyone know if it says anything about not confiscating the cannabis if all the other parameters are met? Will the police ignore it if they find it in your pocket, like in the Netherlands...or will they confiscate it without pressing charges? I guess wondering about that is all wild conjecture based on whether or not they intend to follow the will of the people, which they've already pretty much said they wouldn't.Does anyone know if the democratic...the popular vote...on any other matter than the legalization of cannabis, has been ignored in this country before? The outrage and desolation I felt over the overruling of the Washington D.C. vote for medical use of cannabis, is still with me. I still can't believe the "little kings" are getting away with ignoring "the will of the people" as expressed in that holy of holies in this country, the popular vote. I knew, for sure, at that moment, that we, citizens of the United States of America were victims of of a gaggle of despots. I didn't believe it could happen like that here in the "wellspring of democracy". At that time I saw Bob Barr, and everyone who voted with him, for what he was...a traitor to this country and what it is supposed to be. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 10:08:17 PT Sam When they did the Reefer Madness Show it was really funny. That was the way some people thought about marijuana back then so it fits. I agree with you. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Sam Adams on November 02, 2005 at 10:04:36 PT 70's show Interesting, looks like the networks are pulling a "me-too" act with Weeds on Showtime.They're getting bolder, but they still have the facts wrong. Now we know that when the "smoke" hits the brain, new brain cells start being created, not killed off.But, we didn't officially know that until last month, so I guess we can let it pass for a 70's show. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 09:28:17 PT Off Topic: That 70s Show Tonight That 70s Show has passed it's prime and soon they would have to go into the boring 80s but here is a little of what it will be about in the season premiere.***'That '70s Show' Goes To Pot Again***The first episode of That '70s Show drew fire in some quarters for its depiction of high school juniors under the influence of marijuana. No actual smoking was shown, then or even now. But the scene in which Eric Foreman (Topher Grace) watched the kitchen walls undulate left no doubt about what he and his pals had just done in their hazy basement lair. Fox entertainment president Peter Roth blew smoke at a summer 1998 session with TV critics. "It is definitely not our intention to in any way endorse or glamorize drugs," he said. The show's co-creator, Terry Turner, added that putting grass out to pasture in the '70s "would be like doing The Untouchables without ever mentioning Prohibition." The republic survived while That '70s Show got bolder over time. So much so that Wednesday's opener finds mom Kitty Foreman (Debra Jo Rupp) getting royally stoned (off-camera) after she and cantankerous husband Red (Kurtwood Smith) find three bags of marijuana in that well-seasoned basement. Their only son Eric has gone off to Africa (translation: Mr. Grace has left the show), but holdover friend Steve Hyde (Danny Masterson) sternly lectures giggly Kitty. "Here are the facts," he says. "When the smoke hits the brain, the cells start dying. This process causes impaired judgment and hallucinations and a lot of other wonderful things." Kitty goes on to eat a box of uncooked spaghetti before the show leaves the rest of its pot-smoking to the now twentysomething main characters and brain-dead Leo the Hippie (Tommy Chong in a recurring role). http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-bark_1031gl.ART.State.Edition1.12dc2518.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by TroutMask on November 02, 2005 at 09:27:48 PT Not worth the trouble... It's only a $100 fine for simple possession here in CO already. The chances are slim for even a state cop giving a darn about less than an ounce. So the idea of a Denver city cop taking a less-than-an-ounce bust to a state cop for a $100 fine is ludicrous, imo.-TM [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by dongenero on November 02, 2005 at 09:26:40 PT living in the past "People's attitudes toward marijuana; they're clearly changing," he said. "If that election had been 20 years ago, it would have been a very different outcome."Yet, Hickenlooper stressed: "The bottom line is, it doesn't change state law. I think it's more symbolic than anything else." Gee, if the vote had taken place 20 years ago????... Obviously, Loopy-hick is stuck in 1985....we need to ask; can we really accept people in office who cannot progress or adapt with the times?News Flash***it is not 1985....maybe it's more his speed to just retire, sit on the front porch and lament the "good ole days". [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Max Flowers on November 02, 2005 at 09:18:49 PT Ooh yuck I said "freedom is spreading"! That's way too Bush-ish.Let's change that to "freedom is reawakening." [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on November 02, 2005 at 09:17:49 PT Mayor The mayor's reaction is most interesting. His ridicule and scorn (munchie jokes) have turned to respectful acknowledgement. It's simple - the cops can still use state law, but the mayor needs those voters! His job depends on it, directly. That's why these local initiatives are great - maybe the mayor can ignore the change in law, but he can't ignore the voters' attitude and beliefs.He now has to at least keep his mouth shut. The majority of people who send him his paycheck now support MJ legalization, and he knows it. One more crack about Doritos and he'll be back to hawking beer, and missing all those sweet kickbacks & free home improvement work. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Max Flowers on November 02, 2005 at 09:17:04 PT City by city ...state by state, logic, common sense and freedom are spreading throughout the land.Now if we could just get the war criminals in the white house perp-walked out of there... [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 09:11:37 PT Related Article from The Associated Press Denver Voters OK Marijuana Possession ***By Jon Sarche, Associated Press WriterNovember 2, 2005DENVER -- Residents of the Mile High City have voted to legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults. Authorities, though, said state possession laws will be applied instead. With 100 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, 54 percent, or 56,001 voters, cast ballots for the ordinance, while 46 percent, or 48,632 voters, voted against it. Under the measure, residents over 21 years old could possess up to an ounce of marijuana. "We educated voters about the facts that marijuana is less harmful to the user and society than alcohol," said Mason Tvert, campaign organizer for SAFER, or Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation. "To prohibit adults from making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana is bad public policy." Bruce Mirken of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project said he hoped the approval will launch a national trend toward legalizing a drug whose enforcement he said causes more problems than it cures. Seattle, Oakland, Calif., and a few college towns already have laws making possession the lowest law enforcement priority. The Denver proposal seemed to draw at least as much attention for supporters' campaign tactics as it did for the question of legalizing the drug. Tvert argued that legalizing marijuana would reduce consumption of alcohol, which he said leads to higher rates of car accidents, domestic and street violence and crime. The group criticized Mayor John Hickenlooper for opposing the proposal, noting his ownership of a popular brewpub. It also said recent violent crimes -- including the shootings of four people last weekend -- as a reason to legalize marijuana to steer people away from alcohol use. Those tactics angered local officials and some voters. Opponents also said it made no sense to prevent prosecution by Denver authorities while marijuana charges are most often filed under state and federal law. The measure would not affect the medical marijuana law voters approved in 2000. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana laws in Colorado and nine other states would not protect licensed users from federal prosecution. Also Tuesday, voters in the ski resort town of Telluride rejected a proposal to make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by people 18 or older the town's lowest law enforcement priority. The measure was rejected on a vote of 308-332. Copyright: 2005 Associated Presshttp://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/sns-ap-denver-marijuana,0,138517.story? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 02, 2005 at 08:22:49 PT Marijuana Advocates Scored a Breathtaking Victory Yes it is breathtaking and thank you Denver. Thank you so much. So many people went to the polls and voted and if they hadn't we wouldn't have won. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment