cannabisnews.com: Ed Thompson Makes the Most of His Time with Tommy





Ed Thompson Makes the Most of His Time with Tommy
Posted by FoM on May 01, 2002 at 14:35:44 PT
By Craig Gilbert of the Journal Sentinel Staff
Source: Journal Sentinel
After listening to his Very Important Brother give a luncheon speech here on health and prevention, Ed Thompson submitted a question. It was read aloud for the National Press Club crowd, C-SPAN viewers and public radio listeners around the country:"Tommy, is it true that you offered me for stem cell research?" "No," health secretary Tommy G. Thompson replied, "but it's a good idea."
Behold the delicious spectacle of the Thompson brothers, one a powerful federal official, the other an impish, anti-establishment political wild card.Ed, 57, the supper club owner and Libertarian candidate for governor, made his first visit to the seat of government Tuesday, starting with big brother's guest spot at the press club, a famous venue for distinguished newsmakers.Ed did not disappoint, milking the scene, stirring things up, talking up marijuana legalization, explaining how siblings can differ."Tommy went to college and passed the bar exam. I went to town and bought a bar," he told a reporter.Tommy didn't disappoint either, introducing Ed to the crowd, posing for pictures with him and offering coy answers to leading questions about Ed's offbeat bid for the job now held by Tommy's longtime No. 2, Republican Scott McCallum.And while Thompson on Tuesday repeated his counsel that Ed should have run as a good Republican, he offered reporters this intriguing answer to the question: Can Ed pull a Jesse Ventura and "catch fire" in the Badger State?"That's entirely possible," said Tommy. "And this year in Wisconsin, the stars are lining up so that there could be some sort of extraordinary kind of thing happening, such as an independent getting elected."At that point, an interested listener - Ed - interjected: "A Libertarian, Tommy."In an interview moments later, Ed said he didn't think he and his brother had much in common politically. One example: Ed is appearing at a "meet and greet" here Thursday hosted by NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. The health secretary is not expected.Ed also handed his brother some material on the issue of medical marijuana."Some of his policies are excellent. Some need a little more refinement," Tommy said of Ed's politics during Tuesday's lunch.Ed said he never expected his brother to back him for his old office.Nor is he looking for much from him in this race, he said."I think I got what I'm going to get today, a picture and handshake . . . I think that's about it," said Ed, who has two more days of political networking planned in D.C.Despite urging Wisconsin Republicans at a speech in Waukesha on Sunday to elect McCallum, Tommy was still insisting he hadn't "endorsed" anyone for governor, apparently saving that step for a moment closer to election day.Is an endorsement coming?"That's between (former Thompson deputy James) Klauser and Scott and his leadership and everybody else," Thompson said.Whoever wins, Tommy Thompson concluded, won't capture more than 50% of the vote, though, thanks to brother Ed's candidacy.Katherine M. Skiba of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)Author: Craig Gilbert of the Journal Sentinel staffPublished: Wednesday, May 1, 2002Copyright: 2002 Milwaukee Journal SentinelContact: jsedit onwis.comWebsite: http://www.jsonline.com/Related Articles & Web Sites: NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/The Libertarian Partyhttp://www.lp.org/Ed Thompson Joins Call for Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12685.shtmlThe Candidate On Tap - Washington Posthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12211.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on May 02, 2002 at 08:37:58 PT
News Brief from The Capital Times
Editorial: High Time for New Pot Policy 
Source: Capital Times, The (WI)
Published: May 2, 2002
Contact: tctvoice madison.com
Copyright: 2002 The Capital Times
Website: http://www.captimes.com/
Ed Thompson did Wisconsin and the nation a great service when he used a high-profile visit with his brother, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, to deliver a letter asking the federal government to ease restrictions on medical marijuana. 
The letter hand-delivered by Ed Thompson, the Libertarian Party's Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate, to Tommy Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor turned Cabinet secretary, expressed the viewpoint of the Coalition for Compassionate Care. The group has long argued that medical patients who might benefit from marijuana - which scientists agree can play a useful role in treating conditions ranging from glaucoma to cancer - ought not be forced to break the law in order to ease their pain, regain their appetite or otherwise care for themselves. 
In his letter, Ed Thompson noted that Coalition for Compassionate Care activists have had a hard time scheduling a meeting with Department of Health and Human Services officials. Tommy Thompson, who heads that agency, ought to do his brother - and America - a favor and schedule such a meeting.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on May 01, 2002 at 15:52:45 PT
Thanks JR
I'm posting the whole article in case they pull the link. This could get very interesting and thanks!
CAP HILL DRUG BUST: 11 HOUSE PAGES CAUGHT
Wed May 01 2002 14:42:00 ET 
Eleven teenage House pages are in hot water after getting caught using marijuana -- ROLL CALL's Ed Henry reported late Wednesday. 
The pages were dismissed from their duties, acording to sources familiar with the investigation. 
One well-placed staffer said the pages got kicked out for behavior "that anyone shouldn't be doing, let alone kids." 
MORE 
Henry reports: "The trouble started when one female page whose family lives in the Washington, D.C., area brought several other pages to the family home unsupervised. The pages involved allegedly smoked marijuana in the basement of the house." 
The female page then allegedly "brought some drugs back to the House page dorm on Capitol Hill, where her roommate turned her in to authorities. That led to everyone involved being disciplined. " 
Two Democratic sources tell ROLL CALL DAILY that all 11 pages were sponsored by Republican House Members. 
Developing...
Roll Call
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Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on May 01, 2002 at 15:20:16 PT
Cannabis in congress - 11 House pages in trouble
  Just saw the story at the link below and had to pass it on...
http://www.drudgereport.com/flash5.htm
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