cannabisnews.com: *NewsFlash* Countdown To The Shadow Conventions





*NewsFlash* Countdown To The Shadow Conventions
Posted by FoM on July 24, 2000 at 18:22:26 PT
The Lindesmith Center - Drug Policy Foundation
Source: TLC - DPF
Press Release - July 20, 2000Unprecedented Momentum Builds Against America's Drug War As More than 1,000 Prepare to Gather at Shadow Convention in Philadelphia, Tues., August 1, 2000Republican Governor Gary Johnson, Congressman Tom Campbell and Reverend Jesse Jackson to Join Drug War Victims and Celebrities to Help End Failed War on Drugs.
On Tuesday, August 1, busloads of people with family members incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses will arrive in Philadelphia for the largest-ever gathering of Americans against the drug war. This will be the third day of the first "Shadow Convention," which aims to address key issues largely ignored by the major political parties during their National Conventions.The drug policy program at the Shadow Convention will take place on Tuesday, August 1 at the Annenberg Center, University of Pennsylvania, 3680 Walnut Street   37th from 10AM-10PM.Confirmed speakers include Governor Gary Johnson (R-NM), the first U.S. governor to call for marijuana legalization and other major drug policy reforms; Reverend Jesse Jackson, who will address the racially disproportionate impact of current drug policies; and Congressman Tom Campbell (R-CA), the first major party politician to run for statewide office on a platform that includes significant drug policy reform."Millions of Americans now have a family member behind bars for violating the drug laws," said Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of The Lindesmith Center­Drug Policy Foundation, which is organizing the Shadow Convention proceedings on the drug war. "This gathering is about giving a voice to those family members and others who have been victimized by a war on drugs that is doing far more harm than good."Among the topics to be addressed on Tuesday, August 1 in Philadelphia are:The impact of the war on drugs on American families ­ Families negatively affected by New York's Rockefeller drug laws ­ the oldest and most notoriously failed experiment in mandatory minimum sentences for drug law violations -- will be present at the convention. A choir of young people from Minnesota who have lost a parent or sibling to the war on drugs will perform. Family members of those incarcerated for drug-related offenses will be wearing t-shirts with photos of their loved ones.The Economic Costs and Consequences of Current Drug Policies: Right now federal and local government spending tops $40 billion to fight the drug war, which is failing even by its own standards. Drugs are cheaper, more potent and more readily available than they were 20 years ago, when only a few billion dollars per year were spent on the drug war. By White House estimates, 57 percent of people in need of treatment do not receive it, despite numerous studies demonstrating that treatment is far more cost-effective than imprisonment at reducing drug abuse. In addition, our prohibitionist policies have empowered organized criminals, corrupted governments at all levels, eroded community order, stimulated violence, aided and abetted racial injustices, and distorted both economic markets and moral values. The evisceration of American civil rights and liberties by the war on drugs ­ The drug war is being waged against our Bill of Rights. For example, the Fourth Amendment, which guards against "unreasonable searches and seizures," is routinely violated by increasingly militarized police forces. Likewise, the Fifth Amendment states that "no person shall be.deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." Yet millions of dollars worth of assets owned by innocent people are seized without due process by law enforcement agencies subject to minimal oversight.The failed drug war is one of three topics to be addressed during the Shadow Conventions, to run concurrent with the Republican National Convention from Sunday, July 30 through Thursday, August 4 in Philadelphia, and alongside the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles from Sunday, August 13 through Thursday, August 17.Campaign finance reform and the growing wealth gap are the other two topics to be addressed.In Los Angeles, where the drug policy program will take place on Tuesday, August 15, the themes will focus primarily on: protecting our youth from both drug abuse and the war on drugs; the racist origins, conduct and consequences of the drug war; and the public health implications of U.S. drug policies."Most thoughtful Americans know that the drug war has failed, and that it cannot succeed," said Nadelmann. "Sorely lacking, however, is the political courage required to open this debate."In addition to The Lindesmith Center ­Drug Policy Foundation, the Shadow Conventions are being organized by the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support, United for a Fair Economy, Common Cause, syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington, Public Campaign, and Call to Renewal.This Press Release is available online: http://www.lindesmith.org/news/pr-july20-00x.htmlAugust 1, 2000Philadelphia, PAThe Annenberg CenterUniversity of Pennsylvania3680 Walnut StreetIf you are planning to attend the Shadow Convention in Philadelphia, and have not already done so,Please Register at:http://www.lindesmith.org/shadowconventions/You will be required to pick up your ticket in person at the convention. (Be sure to fill out your contact information so that we can send you a confirmation and details about the event.)Accommodations:There are very inexpensive rooms and dorm beds available at Drexel. Information about these accommodations can be found at:http://www.lindesmith.org/shadowconventions/housing.htmlhttp://www.drugpolicy.org/ http://www.dpf.org/The Lindesmith Center, created in 1994, is the leading independent drug policy institute in the United States. The Drug Policy Foundation, created in 1987, is the principal membership-based organization advocating for drug policy reform. The two organizations merged on July 1, 2000. An official launch will occur later this year under a new name, with the objective of building a national drug policy reform movement.Related Articles & Web Sites:Shadow Conventionshttp://www.shadowconventions.com/Shadow Conventions:http://www.lindesmith.org/shadowconventions/Overthrow The Governmenthttp://www.overthrowthegov.com/United For A Fair Economy: http://www.stw.org/Call To Renewal: http://www.calltorenewal.com/Public Campaign: http://www.publiccampaign.org/Common Causehttp://www.commoncause.org/National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support http://www.nationalcampaign.org/Party Conventions Will Have Shadows http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6505.shtmlTLC & DPF Invite You To The Shadow Conventionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6386.shtmlCannabisNews Articles On The Shadow Conventions: http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=shadow+conventions 
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on July 26, 2000 at 10:22:07 PT
US: Time Magazine: The Arianna Sideshow
US: Time Magazine: The Arianna SideshowNewshawk: Come to the Shadow Conventions Pubdate: Mon, 31 Jul 2000 Source: TIME (US) Copyright: 2000 Time Inc. Contact: letters time.com Address: Time Letters, Time & Life Bldg., Rockefeller Center, NY, NY 10020 Fax: (212) 522-8949 Website: http://www.time.com/ Author: Andrew Ferguson Bookmark: MAP's link to shadow convention items: http://www.mapinc.org/shadow.htm Note: Shadow Convention websites: http://www.drugpolicy.org/ http://www.shadowconventions.com/ The Activist And Socialite Has Plans For Two "Shadow Conventions" She Hopes Will Roil The Establishment. What Are They Really About It's not easy getting a political convention off the ground – especially when the convention is not really a convention but a "shadow convention," and especially when the politics being convened is not the old-fashioned kind but a new, revolutionary kind of politics that will "transcend the old categories of left and right." Arianna Huffington has been learning this lesson the hard way all summer. While Americans across the country – hundreds of them! maybe thousands! – eagerly await the twin spectacle of the Republican and Democratic conventions in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, the syndicated columnist and former Newt Gingrich confidant has been trying to round up participants for a self-styled alternative – the Shadow Conventions 2000, dubbed by sponsors as a "Citizens' Intervention in American Politics." TIME Magazine on the Shadow Conventionshttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00.n1052.a06.html
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