cannabisnews.com: Was Eagles Lodge Threatened or Advised by DEA?










  Was Eagles Lodge Threatened or Advised by DEA?

Posted by CN Staff on June 16, 2003 at 12:40:18 PT
By John Fitzgerald of The Gazette Staff  
Source: Billings Gazette 

There's a political storm brewing in Billings, one that encompasses the U.S. Senate, powerful Washington lobbyists and Americans' First Amendment rights. The nexus of the storm involves the unlikely combination of the Eagles Lodge in Billings and a 21-year-old camp counselor in Laurel. How these two became involved, what happened on May 30, and why it has become the stuff of national news is a little complicated. Here's the story: 
More than a year ago, Adam Jones, 21, a camp counselor for the Laurel YMCA, was arrested with one-half gram of psilocybin mushrooms and sentenced to five years in prison with three years suspended, Jones said. After serving more than two months in jail, the judge reduced his sentence to three years probation. Because of his conviction, Jones said he can't get financial aid for college. That seemed wrong to him, so he became interested in drug law reform and that led him to start a Billings chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML. During the 2003 legislative session, state lawmakers voted down the Clinical Cannabis Act, a bill to make medical marijuana use legal in Montana. NORML would like to put the issue on the 2004 ballot and is raising money to do so, said Montana NORML director John Masterson. This led Jones to plan a fund-raiser for the initiative. The Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie #176 is often booked for concerts by some of Billings' younger, edgier bands. Jones booked the facility for May 30, hired several bands and advertised on radio and in newspapers. But when Friday rolled around, Jones was in jail. Part of Jones' parole requires him to notify his parole officer if his work supervisor has changed. Jones said his transfer from the Billings YMCA to the Laurel YMCA meant a change in supervisors, which he neglected to tell his parole officer. On Thursday, May 29, Jones' parole officer searched his house and Jones provided a urine sample. The sample came back positive for drugs, Jones said, so he was jailed. The urine sample was then sent to a laboratory, which subsequently showed that the positive result was false, he said. Jones was released on Sunday. While Jones was in jail, his fund-raiser fell apart. The bar manager for the Eagles Lodge, a woman named Kelly who asked that her last name not be used, said an agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency entered the lodge at about 1 p.m. Friday. He told her about a new law that could be used to fine venue owners up to $250,000 if drugs are used or sold during an event. The agent was polite and businesslike, Kelly said. "He didn't say we couldn't have the concert. What he said was that if we did have it and there was any drug use or selling on the premises, we could be fined $250,000." Kelly called one of the Eagles directors, who called the DEA and then the Eagles' lawyer, who told them it would be best to cancel the concert. She informed the bands as they arrived to set up. "They were shocked, but they were polite. Nobody was rude throughout this whole ordeal. The DEA agent wasn't being intimidating in any way. He was just doing his job," Kelly said. Was the DEA agent just doing his job? NORML says no. Keith Stroup, the founder and executive director of NORML in Washington, D.C., said the issue comes down to Americans' rights to free speech. He said the bill used by the DEA agent - the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act - was sponsored by Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., and failed twice in the Senate. He said Biden sneaked it into the popular Amber Alert Bill when it was in conference committee. The Amber Alert Bill was signed into law by President Bush several months ago. "This is probably the first instance that an event has been canceled due to fear of the bill," Stroup said. "The bill's sponsors kept reassuring us that it will only be used at places where the owner is selling drugs or is running a crack house." Bill Piper, the associate director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, claimed the law would punish club owners not only if they don't pay attention to the law, but even if they do. "Our concern is that small business owners will be told not to hold events," he said. "If they do, then they'll be told not to make their facilities safer with things like better ventilation or first aid or available water or any other common sense measure." He said such measures would indicate the owners knew drugs were going to be used at their venues, and would make them liable under the new law. Stroup said he has been in contact with several organizations - including the Drug Policy Alliance, the American Civil Liberties Union and Students for Sensible Drug Policy - to mount a court challenge to the constitutional legitimacy of this law. Chip Unruh, a spokesman for Biden, said the senator didn't sneak the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act into the Amber Alert Bill. Biden was chosen to be on the conference committee for the bill, and it was appropriate for him to add this bill into the Amber Alert measure. "This was a bill to protect children from harm. It addressed child pornography, sentencing guidelines - all designed to protect children. It is appropriate to have a portion to help protect children from the dangers of drugs, and from stopping crooked concert promoters from knowingly selling drugs," Unruh said. Jeffrey Sweetin, the special agent in charge of the DEA for the Rocky Mountain Division in Denver, said the Billings DEA agent saw an ad for the NORML fund-raiser and approached the Eagles' management on his own initiative. The agent suspected that the Eagles didn't know what kind of crowd a NORML event might attract. "I think it's safe to say that the kind of audience attracted to NORML concerts are typically a marijuana-using crowd," he said. Sweetin said that to his knowledge such a warning had never been given before and has not been given since. He said this is because bigger venues know how to handle controversial bookings, while smaller venues don't tend to get those kind of bookings. "The fact that it was NORML just makes it a better story," Sweetin said. "NORML sees this as an attempt to stop their fund-raiser. That's not what we do." Kelly at the Eagles' Lodge has spent a lot of time on the phone. "I've had calls from a lot of reporters from New York, Chicago, California, lots of members of NORML, a lawyer from the ACLU ... it's surprising how big this turned out to be." One of the bands scheduled to perform at the NORML concert, ENDever, has been booked to play the lodge on June 28, she said. She said the Eagles are "a really good bunch of people who do a lot of good things in the community." They are a non-profit organization with about 300 members in the aerie and the auxiliary. Members of the Eagles' board of directors were in Helena Friday attending a convention and could not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, Jones continues to work at the YMCA. He said his employers know of his arrest record. He said he will continue to work for reform. "My interest in drug reform is not an implication in drug use. That's like saying a person who is pro choice is going to have an abortion. It's not directly related to it," he said. "If anything, this whole experience has further proved to me why we need reform." Complete Title: Was Eagles Lodge Threatened or Advised by DEA Agent? Source: Billings Gazette, The (MT)Author: John Fitzgerald of The Gazette Staff Published: Sunday, June 14, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Billings GazetteContact: speakup billingsgazette.comWebsite: http://www.billingsgazette.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:ACLU: http://www.aclu.org/SSDP: http://www.ssdp.org/NORML: http://www.norml.org/Drug Policy Alliance: http://www.drugpolicy.org/Montana NORML: http://www.montananorml.org/New Law Assists Political Intimidationhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16624.shtmlFree Drugs or Free Speech?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16606.shtmlBurnout in Billingshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16603.shtmlThe RAVE Act Has Landed http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16589.shtml

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Comment #29 posted by FoM on June 17, 2003 at 19:52:18 PT
Trekkie 
That was very good. I'm sorry about your Mother's illness too. 
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on June 17, 2003 at 18:15:21 PT
mayan
You're so sweet. Thank you. I've been off in my own little world since the news is slow. I had so much fun this past weekend that I keep expanding a page I'm putting together on Neil Young. I keep checking for news but June is always very slow. Meanwhile I'm keeping myself entertained. It sure is better then watching TV these days except for the 70s Show.
Neil Young - Greendale 2003
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Comment #27 posted by mayan on June 17, 2003 at 17:50:34 PT
FoM...
You are a hero. You do more for positive change in a day than most people will do in their lifetimes. Thank you for all that you do.
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Comment #26 posted by Trekkie on June 17, 2003 at 07:59:50 PT
LTE - Billings Gazette
Following is a letter I sent to the Billings Gazette, it has yet to see ink. By the way, the GO Show mentioned in the letter is a local hot-rod meet, held annual here in Billings. Car shows, rodeos and anything to do with hunting/fishing are all VERY popular events in Billings.Imagine, if you will, you have tickets for the GO Show. You hop in the car, and head to the Metra, only to find out that the event was cancelled, because some of the attendees (being "motorheads”) MIGHT get a speeding ticket. What? Is this "Minority Report," and "future crimes" are punishable, even threatening? This is exactly what happened at the Eagle's Lodge last month.I did not have the chance to attend the fund-raising concert for NORML and Students for Sensible Drug Policy at the Eagle's on May 30th. Apparently, neither did anyone else... I'll get to that in minute.
  
I, and many of you out there, had flirted with marijuana use shortly out of high school. I never hurt anyone (myself included), got into any trouble (such as teen pregnancy, vehicular manslaughter, or gun-control issues like the current rash of "public service" commercials would lead you to believe). I had to quit many years ago, when my employment situation was upgraded (hmm, a pothead that got promoted), and I was fearful of drug testing. Please note, that I quit not because it was hurting my family or myself in any way, I was just afraid of the 5-0 (police, to the un-hip). This seems to be a recurring theme; the plant is mostly harmless, while the laws against it are not. Former President Jimmy Carter once said; "Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself." And, additionally, it has medicinal qualities...
  
I became interested in the "war on drugs" (which, by the way, how will we know when the war is over?), during the Ed Rosenthal case. Ed was deputized by the city of Oakland, CA to grow marijuana for medical usage for cancer patients, AIDS sufferers, those with MS, and whole host of other maladies that marijuana eases the suffering of, or improves the recovery from. Well, Ed was arrested. You read that right; he was deputized, and arrested. How? Well, no matter what the citizens of California believe in the medicinal properties of marijuana (along with nine other states in the US, and SEVERAL other countries around the world), the Federal government classifies it as a "Class 1 Narcotic with no medicinal value." There are a whole host of theories as to why the government takes this hard line with no credible evidence. I have yet had anyone of them convince me of anything other than - money.
  
Additionally, my mother was recently diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, which manifested itself in the form of a brain tumor, and a pair of tumors in her chest. Of course, I hope she receives the best health care, with the least suffering. And, she happens to live in California. Naturally, you could understand that my interest in medical marijuana increased exponentially.
  
Back to the concert at the Eagle's Lodge. The DEA threatened the Eagle's Lodge with a $250,000 fine if anyone on the premises used, or was in possession of a certain plant. Not the patrons, the Eagle's Lodge. In November, when The Lord of the Rings, the Return of the King is playing a Wynnsong, are they going to shut that down too? You can bet there are going to be a couple blood-shot eyes in the parking lot before that movie. How far is this going to go? How far are we going to let it go? To the GO Show?
  
The purpose of the concert at the Eagle's was for awareness of Medical Marijuana, and fund-raising to get it on the Montana ballot. Apparently, it is illegal to even talk about legalizing something that is illegal, but not illegal to illegally use legal pressure to stop something that is not illegal.  Uhhhh, got it? I don't. The right to gather and talk freely about ANYTHING YOU WANT is protected under the first amendment. To threaten a group with legal action on something that HAS NOT YET HAPPENED, is not. Unless, of course, you just don't like it. Then it must be okay. The government says so. Just don't be surprised when the next GO Show is cancelled, or concert, or movie, or gun show, or ...
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Comment #25 posted by Jose Melendez on June 17, 2003 at 07:30:08 PT
...they're ALL crooks!
from:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/keye/20030614/lo_keye/deasaysdispatcherispartofdrugringDEA Says Dispatcher Is Part Of Drug Ring
Fri Jun 13, 9:16 PM ET Police say an Austin police dispatcher arrested last week on federal conspiracy charges is part of a sprawling drug smuggling ring. Investigators say the alleged ring has operations from Mexico to Chicago. Twenty-eight-year-old Maccabee Memmen is free on bond after his June Third arrest in San Antonio. He's charged with possession of and conspiracy to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute. No trial date has been set. Newspaper reports claim Memmen is on unpaid administrative leave pending an investigation. His lawyer says Memmen would likely plead "not guilty." Four others also are in custody -- including alleged mastermind Hector Valdez. He was arrested in Del Rio in February.  
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Comment #24 posted by Nuevo Mexican on June 16, 2003 at 23:22:31 PT
Best lyrics to describe then and now!
What a great song and a great band! Steppenwold that is!
Shaped my view of the world! Funny, we're back in pre-waterGate (Slaughter-Gate) mode, and I was wonderin' which will happen first, bush falls or prohibition falls, or, could they go at the same time, as when the flushing sound starts, all the crap will be sucked down (scum always rises to the top they say!)
Spread the word, let's get bush out of office legally, now, and forever: My title, How to improve the world!Peter Lee: 'How to impeach Bush'http://smirkingchimp.com/article.php?sid=11852&mode=nested&order=0&thold=0
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Comment #23 posted by afterburner on June 16, 2003 at 22:29:15 PT:
The Eagle Is Grounded!!!
"It used to said that government has become too big and should be cut back..you know to many taxes, it was mostly thought of a money thing, but today, it not only is still too big, it is coming after us all,.. It is a monster that needs to be fed, fed with taxes and blood, and freedom... Yes, taxes, blood and freedom, all taken from me and you." -global warming.Your message reminded me of an old song I heard back in the 1970's: Monster.MONSTER - SUICIDE - AMERICA http://www.steppenwolf.com/lyr/mnnster.htmlFrom the 1970 release "Monster" 
  
Words and music by John Kay, Jerry Edmonton, Nick St. Nicholas and Larry Byrom(Monster)Once the religious, the hunted and wearyChasing the promise of freedom and hopeCame to this country to build a new visionFar from the reaches of kingdom and popeLike good Christians, some would burn the witchesLater some got slaves to gather riches*But still from near and far to seek AmericaThey came by thousands to court the wildAnd she just patiently smiled and bore a childTo be their spirit and guiding light*And once the ties with the crown had been brokenWestward in saddle and wagon it wentAnd 'til the railroad linked ocean to oceanMany the lives which had come to an endWhile we bullied, stole and bought our a homelandWe began the slaughter of the red man*But still from near and far to seek AmericaThey came by thousands to court the wildAnd she just patiently smiled and bore a childTo be their spirit and guiding light*The blue and grey they stomped itThey kicked it just like a dogAnd when the war was over They stuffed it just like a hog*And though the past has it's share of injusticeKind was the spirit in many a wayBut it's protectors and friends have been sleepingNow it's a monster and will not obey(Suicide)The spirit was freedom and justiceAnd it's keepers seemed generous and kindIt's leaders were supposed to serve the countryBut now they won't pay it no mind'Cause the people grew fat and got lazyAnd now their vote is a meaningless jokeThey babble about law and orderBut it's all just an echo of what they've been toldYeah, there's a monster on the looseIt's got our heads into a nooseAnd it just sits there watchin'*Our cities have turned into junglesAnd corruption is stranglin' the landThe police force is watching the peopleAnd the people just can't understandWe don't know how to mind our own business'Cause the whole worlds got to be just like usNow we are fighting a war over thereNo matter who's the winnerWe can't pay the cost'Cause there's a monster on the looseIt's got our heads into a nooseAnd it just sits there watching(America)America where are you now?Don't you care about your sons and daughters?Don't you know we need you nowWe can't fight alone against the monster© Copyright MCA Music (BMI)
All rights for the USA controlled and administered by
MCA Corporation of America, INC
ego transcendence follows ego destruction, a German boy escapes East Germany, hears the American rock 'n' roll on U.S. Armed Forces Radio, teaching him about personal freedom and American culture, emigrated to Toronto, and on to Los Angeles where he started the band Steppenwolf.My wife and I heard this band live at the Penny Farthing in Toronto's Yorkville when the street was drenched in cannabis culture.
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on June 16, 2003 at 19:53:59 PT

freedom fighter
Thank you so much. I really am not a hero. We all are heros. Everyone who speaks out and tries to work together to bring change is a hero. I know of many people that work hard but aren't visible. Jo-D from Mapinc. is one of them. I know that we are making a difference. It's a long hard road but maybe we will get there before much more time goes by. That hope keeps me going. I know that Canada has an issue coming up that could cause more confusion and I'm sure it will. If Canada can get cannabis truly and honestly legal we will soon follow. It is only because Canada is our neighbor and spans from the west to the east coast. What happens in Canada is very important to us I believe.
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Comment #21 posted by freedom fighter on June 16, 2003 at 19:31:56 PT

Ooohhh! You are my Hero!
Yes FoM, you are my Hero!I think of so many who would agree with me. Yes FoM, You are my Hero!pazff
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on June 16, 2003 at 19:05:27 PT

darwin & mayan
You cleared up something for me. I haven't gone to a concert since the 70s so I didn't understand when we saw Neil Young this past weekend why he blasted Clear Channel and people cheered! That was the sponsor. Now it makes more sense. mayan, I didn't know that the grass section is where people weren't hassled. If anyone lit a cigarette they swarmed down on them in the seated section. PSS: mayan, I am not brave at all. I just feel doing the news is what I can do and should do, so I do it. No hero here.
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Comment #19 posted by freedom fighter on June 16, 2003 at 18:53:44 PT

Save the Children!
Anyone bothered to ask if children will be at the event? Seems to me the Eagles Lodge is a bar..Of course, the DEAth agent forgot to ask.Sen.Biden ought to start packing his bags and purchase one-way ticket to China. paceff
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Comment #18 posted by lag on June 16, 2003 at 18:34:45 PT

Children are their god
"This was a bill to protect children from harm. It addressed child pornography, sentencing guidelines - all designed to protect children. It is appropriate to have a portion to help protect children from the dangers of drugs, and from stopping crooked concert promoters from knowingly selling drugs," Unruh said. This is ridiculous. Children have been usurped along with god to promote their ideology. I can guarantee you they care not one iota about children...if they did well, our education system wouldn't be in shambles, along with healthcare and the likes. How can people listen to this blather about concern for the children and not see how duplicitous they are?Well, I guess they haven't taken any mind expanding herbs before...let's help them get some.
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Comment #17 posted by mayan on June 16, 2003 at 18:29:36 PT

darwin...
You hit the nail on the head. If you go to a concert at a major outdoor ampitheatre(I believe most of which are owned by Clear Channel) there is so much weed being smoked on the lawn that your eyes turn red. These venues will never get THREATENED by the DEA because Clear Channel supported the IDAPA bill. This bill was meant to intimidate "politically incorrect" rallies,fundraisers & conventions. It's as simple as that. FoM, I find it ironic that you, of all people, would fear retribution. I just faxed Biden and my Senators to urge them to repeal this fascist law. I urge everyone else to do the same. Now is not the time to be silent.It only takes one minute to fax Senator Biden: 
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=22041&l=2269The way out is the way in...Why Did Bush Not Act On 9/11?
http://www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex/Documents/WATlearjet.htmThe Failure to Defend the Skies on 9/11:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/archive/scoop/stories/48/32/200306051312.263f1d60.html9/11: Did you know...?
http://www.cosmosleft.com/pages/7/index.htm
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on June 16, 2003 at 17:40:31 PT

Sam
I didn't think you were directing anything towards me. You're a nice person. It's true that people don't do enough to help though.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on June 16, 2003 at 17:37:49 PT

Sam
I don't vote for a party just a person. There are good and bad people in all of them I think. By next summer I will have a better idea who would be my pick but it's too early. Too much can change in a very short time.
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Comment #14 posted by Sam Adams on June 16, 2003 at 17:32:33 PT

Retribution
Doh - my comment was not directed to you FOM, I didn't read your message.I think the best protection from retribution is sheer numbers. I assume they receive thousands of faxes every time one of these alerts goes out, how could they possibly track everyone down?
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Comment #13 posted by Sam Adams on June 16, 2003 at 17:29:36 PT

Question:
Is anyone here still planning to vote Democratic for President next November?I hope not. The word "Democrat" is a joke. The Democrats are directly responsible for waging the absolute worst atrocities of the "Drug War". They are a party of fascism and jackbooted thugs! Whether or not the Republicans are worse is totally irrelevent. No one who uses cannabis should EVER vote for a Democrat or Republican.If there's anything that upsets me more than the evil men that run our government, it's the conformist idiots that inhabit this country who make me ashamed to be an American.
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on June 16, 2003 at 17:28:48 PT

Thanks JR
I've never used any action alerts because of fear of retribution. Are they safe to use? It's a darn shame to be afraid to state an opinion. 
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Comment #11 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on June 16, 2003 at 17:17:23 PT

More action!
From a DPA mailing:We understand that many people have concerns about writing to the DEA. It also seems that your faxes have either overloaded the DEA's fax machines or the machines have been turned off because your letters are no longer getting through. So, we've decided to shake things up at the source. Senator Biden (D-DE) - the man behind the RAVE Act - is a national political figure considering running for the Democratic nomination for President. He told critics of the law that he expected it to only be applied to "rogue" promoters that sold drugs. He needs to know that everything voters like you warned would happen has happened. It took less than two months for the law to be used against a political fundraiser and we're holding him accountable. As a possible Presidential candidate Biden needs to know that voters across the country care about this issue and won't stop until he repeals or reforms the RAVE Act. You can fax him a letter for free from our website: 
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=352518&l=2269 Copies of the fax will also go to the Members of Congress who represent your district.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on June 16, 2003 at 15:30:25 PT

Trekkie
I'm sure you helped by writing. If everyone does what they feel they should usually attention is brought to something that is getting overlooked. Thank you and keep writing!
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Comment #9 posted by Trekkie on June 16, 2003 at 15:25:07 PT

I hope I helped, I know CNews did...
I live in Billings, and I could not believe that there was nothing in the Gazette about this. After several letters, there was no response.Then, I sent an e-mail with a link to Cannabisnews.com, and an article about this travesty, mentioning that the LA Times, Rolling Stone and other NATIONAL PERIODICALS had picked up on this, yet the local rag had not. Curious, no? How embarrasing...THE NEXT DAY, this article appeared in the paper. I'd like to think that I helped the cause in some small way, but I'll never know for sure. But, I am positive that Cannabisnews, and all that support her helped. Thank you, and thank yourselves.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on June 16, 2003 at 14:30:15 PT

A Note
The Rave Act is wrong because it's whole concept is wrong. What happened in Montana is a prime example of the abuses of the law and I'm afraid this might only be the beginning. I read where a commercial marijuana web site was shutting down because it was worried about getting in trouble. I don't know if other commercial marijuana sites are getting hassled or just this one I read about. I don't remember the name but it had 420 in it.
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Comment #7 posted by global_warming on June 16, 2003 at 14:14:57 PT:

The First Step
The First StepThe people if Illinois have to bid Biden goodbye, this will send a message to the good ol'boys, that the "grass" roots movement is growing, against this wicked censorship and unconstitutional behavior.The "pee in the cup" mentality and advocates need to be told, that the people did not make america so that they could exploit thier prohitionist menatallities,..From a news article,..revisionist historians is what I like to call them," Bush said in a speech to New Jersey business leaders...I tell you, they do not know how to say "revisionist historians" down there in Texas..This deeper invasion into the "private life" of american citizens is just more of the same deprived mentallity that has somehow taken over the government..It used to said that government has become too big and should be cut back..you know to many taxes, it was mostly thought of a money thing, but today, it not only is still too big, it is coming after us all,..
It is a monster that needs to be fed, fed with taxes and blood, and freedom...
Yes, taxes, blood and freedom, all taken from me and you."We The People" need to wake up, and read between the fine print, we need to take back our lives, our families, our communities, from the these government workers, these wolves that are hiding behind the sacred efforts of the people of the past, the blood that has born the american constitution, the constitution that was fought for, the american constitution, the last great effort of mankind, that effort that propelled us all into the new age.We can pray, and we can get up and vote, vote those bastards into oblivion, for they are not our friend, they are not leaders, they are greedy, self sering bastards, hiding behind sacred symbols.They whisper in the dark places, for they cannot come out into the light, they cannot breathe the air, for they hide, frightened that the world will snatch them and cast them into Hell.I tell you, first there is this law, and there will be others, eventually they will find a way to get everybody, so that all the world is a criminal, all the world 
will have to pay them, the government, fines, probation, even time in the prisons..The Tulia people are but a small example that pervades this country, this world..There are no real experts in this world, there are imposters, there are people that can bullshit most of us, but there are no real experts, in the end we all shall die, we all share this in common, maybe thanks should be given to God, or whatever you might want to call the mystery of life and death, for after I die, they cannot take another nickel out of my pocket, they have to find some other fool to bilk and to intimidate, ha ha..you cannot beat God..So, in the meantime, we can make a difference, we can vote, at least for a little while longer,..
We can remain alert to the crap that is being legislated in washington, and we can communicate what the next best action will be, maybe we cannot ever gather again, but we can write and communicate, maybe eventually in cryptic symbolism, like the old christians, that were barred from gathering and meeting, for fear of death and prison..We must continue to hold together, Thanks to Stroup in DC, you are in the middle of the hive, keep up the good work.gw

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Comment #6 posted by FoM on June 16, 2003 at 14:13:40 PT

My Opinion
What I find the most annoying about this story is why attack groups that are trying to change bad laws? It isn't even the Rave Act but how they used it to stomp on reformers. I am a home body and haven't been out and about for a long time. We went to see Neil Young this past weekend and it was out of this world but beyond that I found being searched bothered me more then I thought it would. I got in ok and that made me happy but it was the fear that I minded. We couldn't even smoke a cigarette in an open air ampitheatre. We had to go stand behind a yellow line and stay on the grass. Now mind you the ashtrays weren't behind the yellow line so there were lots of cigarettes on the grass. We walked up to get a soda and they thought we would want beer and I felt almost apologetic when I said no thank you. I never saw so much alcohol at one place before. The concert was about liberty, big brother and freedom. I wanted to learn while I was at the concert and I did. I guess I just don't understand why some substances are ok (alcohol) and cigarettes aren't. Why isn't pot allowed behind the yellow line? 
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Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on June 16, 2003 at 14:11:48 PT

are we in a police state yet?
OK, let's run this down. A 21-year-old kid is sentenced to 3 years in prison for carrying a single mushroom, which grows freely in most US states.  We locked him in a cage for 2 months, then demand urine from his penis for the next 3 years.I don't need to go any farther, it's sickening. Wake up Americans, wake up before it's too late.
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Comment #4 posted by darwin on June 16, 2003 at 14:09:49 PT

Clear channel
These bastards have legalized racketeering as a way to keep dissedents from getting organized.
These tactics greatly benefit the select few companies that already hold the vast majority of concerts? IE: Clear Channel, Ticketmaster, etc. Why are the big name concerts immune when they have far more alcohol and drug use than these small venues? Was Michael Powell somehow involved in the Rave act/Amber Alert bill as well as the usual fascists? 
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Comment #3 posted by Ethan Russo MD on June 16, 2003 at 13:51:28 PT:

First Time
To my knowledge, this is the first time that this issue has been covered in this, Billings' largest newspaper. It was only when they realized that this was national news that it merited coverage.Billings is filled with good people. When there was an incident of anti-Semitic vandalism, hundreds of gentiles put menorahs in their windows. Perhaps they will respond now. Hopefully people will realized that this sorry affair was spawned from similar prejudices and persecution.Adam Jones is a very sincere young man who does not deserve this grief. Perhaps his cause will advance the national debate on this issue.BTW, there ought to be a law against Congress carpetbagging otherwise non-viable garbage like the Rave Act onto popular measures such as the Amber Alert Bill. This is the same manner in which our nation is hopelessly in debt with valueless pork-barrel projects designed to win votes in the home district.
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Comment #2 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on June 16, 2003 at 13:32:27 PT

Speak out!
Fax the DEA and Tell Acting Administrator William Simpkins to Stop Using the RAVE Act Against Political Events: http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=10509&ms=norml
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Comment #1 posted by cloud7 on June 16, 2003 at 13:29:46 PT

I vote THREATENED
How about you?
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