cannabisnews.com: Deep Inside Amber





Deep Inside Amber
Posted by CN Staff on June 25, 2003 at 13:07:25 PT
By John Gorman
Source: Cleveland Free Times 
What does the Amber Alert bill have in common with raves, music festivals and other gatherings of the masses? Plenty. The Amber Alert is the missing child-response program that utilizes the resources of national law enforcement and media to notify the public when children are kidnapped. Its name comes from the tragic kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman of Arlington, Texas, in 1996.The Amber Alert easily passed 98-0 in the U.S. Senate and 400-25 in the House. 
Midnight riders on bills are becoming S.O.P. in Congress. They're last-minute additions tacked on to bills that are already travelling through Congress. To ensure their passage, these riders are quietly implanted in bills favored to win congressional approval. Their concealment avoids the routine public hearings required before the new laws are introduced. Midnight riders often have little or nothing to do with the actual bill they're attached to. Deeply embedded in the Amber Alert Act is a new law, which makes organizers of nearly every public event liable for prison time and fines up to $250,000, if drugs are found on the premises. That portion, which has already been given the moniker the "Rave Act," was buried in the Amber Alert bill by Democratic Senator Joe Biden. It's called the Rave Act because Biden believes those events promote drug use. This puts concert and rave promoters at tremendous and unnecessary risk. It also creates a new sport for prosecutors who often use their position for future political ambitions. Just ask Rudy Giuliani. Biden co-chairs the Senate NATO Observer Group and the Senate National Security Working Group. That apparently makes him an expert of raves and rock concerts. In his home state of Delaware, Biden is known as a staunch crusader against drug abuse and underage drinking. The Senator is labeled a liberal for his opposition to the nomination of Attorney General John Ashcroft. He voted for the gay-friendly Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 1996, which would have prohibited job discrimination based on sexual orientation by federal employers. Biden was also a major supporter of Senator Barbara Boxer's unsuccessful 1993 amendment to modify President Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the U.S. military. As it stands, that policy still permits the dishonorable discharge of gay and lesbian soldiers due to sexual orientation. Biden's rave rules say if someone is found with any amount of pot, or any other substance deemed illegal, the promoter of the event can be popped. This puts promoters at tremendous risk. They're liable, even if they are unaware of drug usage and have made a good faith effort to prevent it. So what will Biden's bill accomplish? Enforcement would lead to higher insurance rates for promoters. This means promoters, to cover their to-the-roof premiums, may be forced to increase the cost of attending events defined by Biden's rider. It also puts the damper on any roving raves now or in the future. It's not worth the risk of jail time and heavy fines. It gets deeper. As it reads, the rider targets organizers of any event. This includes a permit-holder for a demonstration. Literal enforcement of the bill puts any promoted large public gatherings at risk. Just think of it as another chunk out of the Bill of Rights. Word to the wise. If you're planning on attending the annual playing of the 1812 Overture at Blossom, leave the pot pipe at home. We don't want Loras John Schissel and his Blossom Festival Band to get busted. Then there's the question of who's held responsible if someone's caught holding at a Biden re-election rally?The FCC was forced to admit recently that its officials took questionable advantage of nearly $2.8 million in travel and entertainment since the Telecommunications Act was passed in 1996. FCC commissioners and other staffers were the recipients of more than 2,000 trips to destinations like Paris, Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, London, Beijing, Buenos Aires and closer to home, New Orleans, New York, Miami, Palm Springs, Atlanta and San Francisco. Topping the list was Las Vegas, with 330 trips. The commissioners must really enjoy the radio stations in that city. You could say they were hooked. The National Association of Broadcasters, which represents radio and TV stations and Viacom, which owns CBS TV, Infinity radio, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, TNN and other media holdings, were among the groups covering the tabs for the FCC. What's the old saying? Never underestimate the value of a cash bribe?The Center for Public Integrity reported that FCC Chairman Michael Powell, who's never met a media regulation he'd like to keep, racked up the greatest amount of frequent flyer miles with 44 first-class trips at a cost of $84,921. That averages out to over $1,930 per trip. Powell, the number one son of Secretary of State Colin Powell, is forced to fly first class due to a pelvic injury he suffered in a vehicle accident while serving in the U.S. Army. Poor bastard.Note: Drug laws hide in missing-child legislation.Source: Cleveland Free Times (OH)Author: John GormanPublished: June 25 - July 1, 2003Copyright: 2003 Cleveland Free Times MediaContact: letters freetimes.comWebsite: http://www.freetimes.comRelated Articles:Will RAVE Act Stomp Out Drugs -- Or Dissent? http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16654.shtmlNew Law Assists Political Intimidation http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16624.shtmlFree Drugs or Free Speech? http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16606.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by ekim on June 25, 2003 at 19:19:17 PT
Nightline tonight
His story would be cleaner if he hadn't jumped to the Kerry campaign to try to boot his former boss out of the White House. But in watching Ted Koppel's conversation with Rand Beers, you'll have to decide for yourself if Beers is acting on principle or pulling one of the shrewdest political moves in recent memory. Either way, his is a fascinating tale. Richard Harris and the Nightline StaffABCNEWS Washington bureau 
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Comment #2 posted by mayan on June 25, 2003 at 18:32:15 PT
They All Knew
"The Amber Alert easily passed 98-0 in the U.S. Senate and 400-25 in the House."Make no mistake about it. Every sinator & congresscum who voted to pass the Amber Alert bill knew exactly what the "Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act" was all about & how it would be abused. They failed to pass it twice because of public outcry so they had to sneak it onto a popular bill. The RepubliCrats have wiped themselves with our Constitution & now it is our turn to wipe ourselves with them! JR is right. Everyone must let Biden & the other fascists know they screwed up!The way out is the way in...Mike Ruppert on Amy Goodman and the 9/11 Latecomers:
http://www.questionsquestions.net/docs04/0518_ruppert911.html9/11 HIGH TREASON!!
http://www.questionsquestions.net/docs0209/0930_bdquig.htmlSTILL No Arabs On Flight 77: 
http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=870 The Truth About 9/11 From 23 Informative Websites:
http://www.mycountryrightorwrong.net/23informativewebsiteson911.htm9/11 Prior Knowledge/Government Involvement Archive:
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/archiveprior_knowledge 
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Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on June 25, 2003 at 16:37:25 PT
Speak out!
Don't forget, it's extremely easy to fax Senator Biden and tell him what you think of this travesty:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=352518&l=2269
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