cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Dilemma










  Medical Marijuana Dilemma

Posted by CN Staff on August 07, 2006 at 06:58:00 PT
By Chris Conrad, Mail Tribune 
Source: Mail Tribune 

Oregon -- Medford police Lt. Tim George remembers the good old days when a cop could simply chop down a marijuana plant and ask questions later. Now, eight years after medical marijuana became a reality in Oregon, the line between right and wrong has become somewhat murky, George said."You ask any dope cop in Oregon about medical marijuana and they'll laugh you out of the room," he said. "There are probably some scenarios where people really need it for things such as glaucoma or cancer, but we have people with symptoms such as 'chronic pain' that are clearly taking advantage of the act."
George criticizes the Legislature's raising the amount of medical marijuana a card holder can possess. It is now legal for a user to have 24 ounces of usable pot, six mature plants and 18 seedlings. "That's more than one person can smoke in a year," George said, laughing. Jackson County ranks third in the state in the number of medical marijuana card holders, according to state statistics.In fact, Jackson County's 1,038 card holders are not far behind higher populated counties such as Lane (Eugene), with 1,379, and Multnomah (Portland), with 1,838.Those numbers look to climb as the state received 5,579 new applications for marijuana cards between July 1, 2005, and June 30 this year. Also, medical marijuana advocacy clinics such as the Southern Oregonians Helping Ease Medical Problems (S.O.H.E.M.P.) advertise themselves in local classifieds, promising that a licensed physician will help people with documented ailments qualify for cards.The fallout from this, George said, is a bump in crime surrounding medical marijuana users in recent years."We've had five recent burglaries reported to us where the suspects broke into homes looking to steal medical marijuana," said Medford Detective Sgt. Tim Doney.Considering a pound of marijuana can fetch between $1,500 and $2,500 on the street, it is a profitable target for burglars, George said.Jackson County sheriff's Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan said the motivation for most medical marijuana burglaries — including Tuesday's robbery in which four men bursting into a Talent home and stole medical marijuana at gunpoint — is money."It's fairly common for us to receive reports of marijuana rip-offs," Fagan added. "And I can assure you that there are people with cards that are making a profit selling their excess marijuana."Both George and Fagan described how tough it is for cops to navigate the gray area created when marijuana went from being illegal in all cases to legal in a select few. Sheriff's detectives recently worked a case where marijuana plants were found growing on property belonging to Boise Cascade in White City. It turned out the pot belonged to a man with a medical card who apparently didn't know you had to grow it on your own property. "So there are times when law-abiding people are put into peril when marijuana is found on their property," Fagan said. "And most district attorney's don't see the use in prosecuting people who grow too many plants or place them where they shouldn't. It's hard to go after someone suffering from a disease who may need it for treatment."Fagan said most cops have learned to focus their energy on larger grows run by drug cartels. "If they're going to treat it like a prescription drug, then they should dose it out from pharmacies," George added. "I'm not cold enough to think that there aren't people who really need it, but the way it's being handled now simply makes it more accessible on the street."Source: Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR)Author: Chris Conrad, Mail Tribune Published: August 7, 2006 Copyright: 2006 The Mail TribuneContact: letters mailtribune.comWebsite: http://www.mailtribune.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml

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Comment #121 posted by FoM on August 10, 2006 at 12:03:32 PT
BGreen
Yup. You're right.
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Comment #120 posted by BGreen on August 10, 2006 at 12:01:56 PT
Well, folks, they're at it again
The great deceptive booga booga has taken place today with this "liquid explosive" airline story.This has completely replaced all of the coverage of Israel/Lebanon, which had completely replaced all coverage of OUR war in Iraq, and now they're trying to boost the republican standings after the elections a couple of days ago by scaring the begeezus out of us again and they're even calling for "better domestic spying on Americans."Why didn't they enact ANY airline security measures BEFORE they made all of the arrests today?I'm flying in a month and they've just made it more of a living nightmare.Tony Blair's entire career was just about ruined because of his association with our own country of warmongers so he needed something to help his own career, bush is scared witless that the republicans are losing power since they lost leiberman so they needed this, and Israel is escalating this ground war and needed a diversion for their murderous actions.My God, I don't feel safer because of my government. I feel like a target for the hostility of the entire world.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #119 posted by museman on August 10, 2006 at 11:57:28 PT
Hope#113
Thank you. It isn't actually a song yet....I just wrote it yesterday as a 'poem.' It is a ballad, or an ode, so music could easily be put to it. Now I'm going to have to do that sometime soon.
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Comment #118 posted by whig on August 10, 2006 at 11:23:41 PT
Of course
It's not like there aren't strings pulling O'Reilly. His boss is Fox News.
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Comment #117 posted by whig on August 10, 2006 at 11:22:13 PT
OT: Power structure
So I'm in my element again, and it's a good thing.Observation of the morning. The chief of the Republican Party today, the head guy, the one who is pulling the most strings -- is Bill O'Reilly.He has the loudest voice, the largest audience, the ear of the administration at all hours of the day. He is running this show. Barry Williams.http://tinyurl.com/s82z5
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Comment #116 posted by FoM on August 10, 2006 at 11:08:24 PT
Whig
Thank you. I forgot to add it. I don't like articles like this. It mixes up Cannabis with hard drugs. The guilt by association is all that they can use against us anymore.
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Comment #115 posted by whig on August 10, 2006 at 11:04:31 PT
FoM #114
Link to full article: http://tinyurl.com/ld9hy
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Comment #114 posted by FoM on August 10, 2006 at 10:54:11 PT
Off Topic: In This War, Technology Is Key
By Alex HalperinAugust 10, 2006USA -- Who is more tech-savvy—drug traffickers or federal agents? The answer may determine who wins the war on drugs.The war on terrorism grabs most of the headlines these days, but the war on drugs is still very much underway. With legal and illegal entry into the country falling under heavier scrutiny, the work of preventing terrorism and keeping illegal drugs out of the country often overlap, and often put to use some of the same tools. As with the war on terror, fighting drug use is a highly segmented endeavor. Its missions include everything from after-school programs to keep kids busy to elaborate sting operations targeting the substances and those who make and move them. Various government agencies still fight the war in traditional ways by patrolling national borders in search of smugglers and searching out drug producing operations. But nowadays those on the front lines of the drug war are getting some pretty cool toys. In the pitched battle surrounding illegal drugs, each side has its advantages. Law enforcement can take advantage of private sector expertise, expensive machines, and, of course, the law. Those who cultivate, manufacture, and smuggle illegal drugs can leverage vast sums of cash, generated by constant demand. The fight continues. So who's winning? It's a tough call. According to the United Nations, the North American cannabis—that is, marijuana—market is the world's largest, worth anywhere from $10 billion to $60 billion, mostly fed by domestic production. On the other hand, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found in 2004 that about 20% high school seniors had used marijuana in the preceding month. This was down from nearly 34% in 1980, but up from 14% in 1990. The long-term decline probably owes something to high-schoolers knowing more about the potential harmful effects of the drug. And sophisticated border surveillance techniques employed by the Homeland Security Dept.'s Customs and Border Protection Division may have affected the decline. Of course, people trying to profit from the sale of drugs can be tech-savvy as well; often they have to be if they're going to get away with it. Law enforcement agencies have found hyper-sophisticated setups of crude labs and hydroponic pot greenhouses, which are used to synthesize crystal meth out of an ingredient found in over-the-counter medicine. The toxic process requires some understanding of chemistry and an ability to improvise uses for chemicals and materials found around the house. When found, these labs must be dismantled by people wearing hazardous material suits. In the slide show, we take a look at some of the technologies that the two sides of this war are using to outfox each other. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/08/drugwar_tech/index_01.htmCopyright: 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Comment #113 posted by Hope on August 10, 2006 at 09:52:01 PT
The Ballad of Virgil Knight
Museman, The Ballad of Virgil Knight, is extraordinary. I'd love to hear Kris Kristofferson sing it. Since it's about a real person, it's not likely to be recorded while his memory is still (although barely, from the information available) alive. Your children should take good care of it and pass it on to their children. Someday it could be a very important ballad, known far and wide, about these awful days that we've been forced to endure. I have a feeling it will be. 
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Comment #112 posted by FoM on August 10, 2006 at 09:44:48 PT
I Updated My LWW Page
I hope the video of Families works ok. If it doesn't please let me know and I'll try to fix it. Thanks.http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/war.htm
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Comment #111 posted by afterburner on August 10, 2006 at 08:40:38 PT
museman #107 & FoM #108
"The best that we can hope for is a little extra time, some breathing room before all the repercussions of this nations corporate greed kicks us real hard in the face. A lot of the world has been kicked already. We're next." museman Don't forget to duck. LOL! I know you already have."They use to dump excess equipment into the ocean during at least the World Wars and maybe Vietnam too." 
FoM {Salvage and Scavenger1. Battle damaged or abandoned American equipment provided the innovative Viet Cong with a source of raw materials. The following provided some illustrations:a. 155-mm shells were used as mines to destroy tank or personnel carrier tracks.b. High-powered American rifle shells were adapted to "water pipe" guns by expanding the bullets with coins with holes in them. Inaccurate as the weapon may be, a hit is devastating.c. 155-mm shells and others of similar size have been successfully used as mortars.Battlefield PolicingTotal destruction of abandoned equipment appears necessary. There is considerable evidence that the soldier is overly equipped and discards items on the march.}
--VIETNAM STUDIES.
Logistic Support 
by 
Lieutenant General Joseph M. Heiser, Jr. 
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY. 
WASHINGTON, D. C., 1991. 
Chapter XI: Lessons Learned
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Vietnam/logistic/chapter11.htmUnfortunately, the oversupply of soldiers and the rapid pullout did not allow time for complete destruction of equipment.{Finally, in January 1973, the peace negotiations in Paris produced an agreement of sorts. The main points of the Paris Peace Accord were: 1. There was to be a cease-fire in place; both sides would stop shooting and, until some final settlement could be reached, they would control the territory they controlled at the time the agreement went into effect. 2. All prisoners of war were to be released. 3. All US forces would pull out of Vietnam, and take their weapons and equipment with them. 4. North Vietnamese infiltration of men and supplies through Laos and Cambodia into South Vietnam was to cease. 5. The future of South Vietnam would be settled through peaceful political means. In one sense, this agreement was a joke. Neither side had any intention of obeying it. It did not settle the question of who would end up controlling South Vietnam; it left that up to the result of future political processes. ...What the United States got out of the agreement was, essentially, a way out of Vietnam. US forces were withdrawn, US casualties ceased, and the Americans who had been taken prisoner during the war were released. The US retained very limited influence over the course of events in Vietnam. When US forces pulled out they left behind a situation in which the combined strength of the Communist forces in Vietnam (North and South) was considerably greater than the strength of the Saigon government. At the time the agreement was signed, President Nixon was hoping to be able to use the threat of renewed US participation in the war to persuade the Communists not to exploit their superior strength, but Nixon's decline and fall over the following months deprived this threat of any credibility. When the agreement supposedly went into effect, the actual results were: Almost all US military personnel were withdrawn; a few were put in civilian clothes and continued to serve in Vietnam, in non-combat roles. However, instead of taking all their equipment with them, the US forces gave much of it to the Saigon government, and then explained that since it no longer belonged to the US, the Paris Agreement did not require the US to withdraw it. The Communists utterly ignored the requirement that they cease infiltrating men and supplies from the North to the South via Laos and Cambodia. On the contrary, they expanded their transportation network in Laos and Cambodia very substantially, creating by 1974 a larger infiltration capacity than they had ever had before. The shooting did not stop for so much as a single day. Most combat incidents in the first few months after the supposed cease-fire were initiated by the ARVN, which wanted to take as much territory as possible before the Communists could rebuild their forces too much. The processes for a political settlement of South Vietnam's future that had been specified in the Paris Agreement were blocked by the Thieu Administration in Saigon. }
--Edwin E. Moïse.
The Vietnam Wars, Section 9:
The Negotiations [more...]
http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/EdMoise/viet9.html
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Comment #110 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 22:59:19 PT
museman
My husband's father was in World War II. He and other soldiers were told to paint jeeps. When they were done painting the jeeps they dumped them overboard. Good going on the letter of commendation. The ocean is or was used as a dump. Medical waste is or was dumped in the sea.
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Comment #109 posted by museman on August 09, 2006 at 22:54:06 PT
FoM
"They use to dump excess equipment into the ocean during at least the World Wars and maybe Vietnam too." I don't know about 'equipment' but munitions for sure. I personally witnessed an incredible 3 day attack on a big rock in the middle of the mediterranean where an aircraft carrier, 2 cruisers, and 3 destroyers, bombed, straffed, and even emptied 45 pistols, and thompson sub-machine guns on that rock - all because it is standard procedure to not 'let the ammo go stale.' Use it one way or the other. Over the side of my ship alone went at least 10 tons of perfectly good brass.I got a letter of commendation for that 'action.'A few cities worth of garbage tonnage goes into the ocean since...well forever. The ocean was our first major garbage dump. Some harbors dating back centuries are dead because of it.
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Comment #108 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 22:28:24 PT
museman 
I honestly didn't feel right about it. Why not build more helicopters. They are good at spending money. They use to dump excess equipment into the ocean during at least the World Wars and maybe Vietnam too. 
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Comment #107 posted by museman on August 09, 2006 at 22:17:48 PT
FoM#97
That is very interesting. Totally uncharacteristic of the drug-war agenda, but indicative of political desperation on the part of a failed regime.The possibility of some other kind of setup also springs to mind. With the current change of relations with Cuba, the politics of the area are changing as well.I don't buy the story just as it is, there is something brewing there. Maybe they are planning another Iran-Contra type drug operation to gather some quick capital for some good ol American style terrorism courtesy CIA. - if the surveilance is moved away -after a year - time enough to get new drug lords established in Cuba - now that Castro's regime has ended - they could then 'smuggle' a lot of crack, heroin, and cheap meth ingredients into Florida, make a lot of money for the covert branches to go underground when Bush and Cronies are called to task for their incredible ineptitude and failure.Yes, the more I think about it, the more I believe it is a very likely scenario. There are probably others we haven't heard about that are setup to accomplish the same thing. That way, when the Republicans have been 'diminished' in the political forum, and the Iraq war is ended badly (except for the corporate rich, who cleaned up on it) the 'Democrans' make themselves look real good. Meanwhile it's business as usual. The covert groups almost revealed during the Bush administration will go into pre-funded hiding while the obvious scapegoats (deserving however) get the shaft. A few heads will roll, token attention will be given to sensitive issues, like global warming, renewable, non-polluting energy sources, etc, but the core flaw will remain, and no change of any measurable amount is going to happen.The best that we can hope for is a little extra time, some breathing room before all the repercussions of this nations corporate greed kicks us real hard in the face. A lot of the world has been kicked already. We're next.
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Comment #106 posted by ekim on August 09, 2006 at 20:21:50 PT
Please Michael Moore make a Movie about LEAP
When it was said that shadow conference to the -Kaps M7 in S.D. yes thats a great idea. If you want to see what Pete has done to give the people a voice go to www.drugwarrant.com and see his DEA handout and see the Press his is getting in the Windy City-- all the printing was taken up by a collection of activists both on line and off. Greg Francisco was the school counselor that was hit on by the k9s three times in the school parking lot. I too am disgusted with this war mentality being imposted on the civilans. Like its your duty to turn in someone-- for Cannabis--how far is that from being a AMERICAN the person i fought for while in Nam and my Dad in WW2. We offered ourselves along with countless other millions . Defending the right of a indvidual to live peacibly with out fearing the Gov't coming in his home and trying to brainwash its own with Lies that have been shown to be so.For Immediate Release August 9, 2006Contact: info leap.cc (781) 393-6985 Take 69 S. to Quincy then East to Jonesville. Fifth Annual Peace Fest welcomes Law Enforcement Professionals who encourage legalizing drugs Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) is proud to attend this year’s Peace Festival, on August 12, 2006. Hosted by The Hillsdale County Coalition for Peace in Carl Fest Park, Jonesville, MI, the Peace Festival aims to provide a place for peace groups to promote issues ranging from gay rights to ending the “war on drugs.” The year’s festival will include opportunities to speak with representatives of various politically motivated groups, listen to political speakers and to a variety of music groups, as well as enjoy the “afterglow” party and the Hillside Annex at the end of the day. Situations created by prohibition such as turf wars, unnecessary force utilized in drug raids, paramilitary raids that result in the deaths of innocent civilians and children caught in the crossfires of the drug war do nothing to diminish the drug problem and exacerbate crime and violence. LEAP’s message of ending the drug war and the associated crime and violence compliments the theme of peace this event is founded on. Speaker Greg Francisco will attend this year’s Peace Festival to speak to the public about the grave affects of the “war on drugs.” Greg Francisco joined the United States Coast Guard in 1978 because of his belief that it is the duty of every citizen to give something back to our society. Although he ended his short military career in 1982, he was awarded USCG Humanitarian Service medal, and returned to college to earn a BA/BS degree, following with a MA degree in Community Agency Counseling. Greg also became active in the movement for a common-sense drug-law policy. More than anything, Greg sees the “war on drugs” as simply a terrible waste of public monies, a futile policy driven by irresponsible government and law-enforcement expenditure. Greg represents LEAP in its mission to reduce the multitude of unintended harmful consequences resulting from fighting the drug war and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime, and addiction by ultimately ending drug prohibition.What: 5th Annual Peace Festival, (Presented by the Hillside County Coalition for Peace)Where: Carl Fest Park, Jonesville, MichiganWhen: noon-6pm. AfterGlow Party at 11pm Allison SilvaProgram AssociateLaw Enforcement Against Prohibition121 Mystic AvenueSuites 8 & 9Medford, MA 02155(781) 393-6985allison.silva leap.cc To join us please go to http://leap.cc/members/index.htm 
http://www.saferniles.org
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Comment #105 posted by Dankhank on August 09, 2006 at 19:49:03 PT
and this ...
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3738/is_200109/ai_n8953781
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Comment #104 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 19:42:23 PT
Dankhank
Thank you. It really is getting bad with all the laws.
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Comment #103 posted by Dankhank on August 09, 2006 at 19:35:40 PT
found this ....
Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act (200 mile limit) and drug interdiction laws.http://www.uscg.mil/pacarea/midgett/history.htmlbottom of third paragraphand this:http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/magact/mag3a.html#s306tried to look thru this, but, can't ... futurama is on, I medicated, some one else can look if they like ...:-)
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Comment #102 posted by Dankhank on August 09, 2006 at 19:08:24 PT
12-mile limit ...
I believe I read recently that the USA now claims the right to pursue drug smugglers on the high seas anywhere, anytime.
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Comment #101 posted by Dankhank on August 09, 2006 at 19:05:35 PT
They fail and claim progress ...
All types of drugs legal and illegal are readily available in Florida, http://www.dea.gov/pubs/states/florida2005.htmlin spite of claims that 70% of drug traffic has been interdicted ...see comment 97scan that site, lots of funny, ie: stupid, info there
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Comment #100 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 18:58:47 PT
Wayne
My nephew lives in Florida and he told me he and a friend were out fishing and saw something floating in the water and he said to their amazement it was sea weed! He only likes beer though.
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Comment #99 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 18:54:40 PT
Wayne 
I didn't know that they could do that. See how much I don't know.
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Comment #98 posted by Wayne on August 09, 2006 at 18:51:40 PT
FoM
Where I'm at in FL, we have choppers going over our house all the time, day and night. I think today when I was home, I counted 4. And they're always different colors. There's the city cops, county sheriff, and come to think of it, I did see a camouflage-green one a few weeks ago.Yes it is possible, thanks to that f***er Ronald Reagan. Our military was never involved in the Drug War until he authorized them. He also extended the military's jurisdictional range around the Florida coast, from 3 miles to 12, because the drug runners had faster boats. He wanted to give the CG a head start to catch more of them. And let's not forget the South Florida Task Force, which is still raking in the government $$ and accomplishing nothing after 20 years.
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Comment #97 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 17:12:55 PT
Museman
The video I mentioned is on this link. I don't understand how this could be.http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22050.shtml#1
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Comment #96 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 17:08:45 PT
museman
I see what you mean. I thought only the DEA and FBI chased drugs. I thought the military wasn't allowed. I thought the National Guard was military. On the video clip about Rumsfeld it shows an army guy next to a helicopter talking about it.
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Comment #95 posted by museman on August 09, 2006 at 16:46:33 PT
FoM
Since the late '80's when they started using all those Hueys left over from 'Nam, the National Guard -"at the Governors discretion" (of the respective states, who recieve federal funding for the schools, and libraries, as well as law enforcement directly related to the 'war on drugs.') -were the ones flying those 'copters.The fact that our constitution forbids the use of military against citizens has been summarily rejected so far by every court in the land, as a valid constitutional argument against the war. The Coast Guard on the sea, the National Guard in the air, both mandated to prioritize drugs.Because they have argued that the National Guard and Coast Guard are "Citizen militias" and not 'real' military such as fight wars, the constitutionality does not apply - they are like "deputized citizens assisting law enforcement."Iraq changed that, I wonder if anyone is going to make that connection?
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Comment #94 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 15:06:24 PT
A Question
I didn't think the Army could be involved in the drug war. I don't know if I have assumed all wrong but Rumsfeld wants to pull the Army and helicopters from Miami from using the helicopters to catch drugs. I thought only the coast guard could do that.
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Comment #93 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 15:01:21 PT
museman
I am only posting this because of what we have been talking about. ***Helicopter Crashes in NW ArkansasAugust 9, 2006The Arkansas National Guard today announced that one of its helicopters crashed this morning while conducting an anti-narcotics operation in conjunction with the Arkansas State Police.The two people on board the helicopter -- Maj. Timothy Dickinson and Arkansas State Trooper Andy Wiley -- are in stable condition. The crash occurred four miles northeast of Green Forest (Carroll County) at approximately 10:30 a.m., but the cause of the accident is unknown.A press release notes:The Arkansas National Guard Counter Drug Program provides aviation and ground support to law enforcement agencies at the state and federal levels as requested to help reduce the supply of illegal drugs. The Arkansas National Guard's counter drug aviation assets flew over 1,000 hours in fiscal year 2005, assisting in the eradication of over 43,000 marijuana plants.Copyright: 2004-06. Arkansas Timeshttp://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2006/08/helicopter_crashes_in_nw_arkan.aspx
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Comment #92 posted by museman on August 09, 2006 at 14:35:29 PT
I've been meaning
to write that poem for about 20 some years. You all helped me today.I was there at the time...All your links proving my memory accurate I do appreciate.He was a real Sheriff of Nottingham type, with an obsessive prejudice against herbalists, and alternative lifestyles..I always thought that his story was a good kharmic tale in this stupid, stupid war.
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Comment #91 posted by Hope on August 09, 2006 at 13:30:21 PT
better search
found this as well.http://www.odmp.org/reflections.php?oid=7635&printview=1&page=1
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Comment #90 posted by Hope on August 09, 2006 at 13:26:33 PT
Reference in that article about shooting.
"Douglas County Sheriff last suffered a line of duty death was back in 1985, when an officer was killed in a helicopter crash, while on marijuana eradiction case. Sherrif's Cpl. Virgil Knight and Sgt. Gerald Cherrick and pilot Ron Willger died when the helicopter they were riding in struck a power line and crashed."
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Comment #89 posted by Hope on August 09, 2006 at 13:24:23 PT
Virgil Knight
http://www.oregonfirepage.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=51Very interesting that Google only finds reference to Virgil Knight's accident in one tiny article about something else that happens to make short reference to it.
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Comment #88 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 13:10:32 PT
museman
Wow again.
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Comment #87 posted by Hope on August 09, 2006 at 12:37:25 PT
Drown...
I'm sure it would be more than that...likely choking and smothering, too.Has to be one of the scariest things I ever heard of....except perhaps being dragged away alive by a lion and eaten alive in front of your children.
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Comment #86 posted by Hope on August 09, 2006 at 12:30:33 PT
In the days that Rollie's son
saw his Dads killed, the children of a DEA agent saw their dad drown in a backyard cesspit that just opened up under him. He could not be rescued before he died.What a horror. I've never been able to get it to leave my memory.
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Comment #85 posted by museman on August 09, 2006 at 12:01:03 PT
The Ballad of Virgil Knight
- a true story -Virgil Knight was the man,He walked proud and tall, Though he wasn’t tall at all.With a 38 close at handHe rode that copter hard Over everybody’s yard.Sheriff of the county,He flew so far and wide,And every hippy busted,Was listed as his pride.His authority was given,But peace was not to be found,In the little pieces of hope they left lying on the ground.He smiled at every woe,He delivered in the warThat Reagan made on peopleWho don’t want war no more.There was a sacred mountain,Where some magic people grew,And Virgil was excited,‘cause the weed was there, he knew.The women and children hid,As the redneck guns came round,And one brave soul cried “How Long O Lord?”as he lay upon the ground.The sacrament was taken,But that was not the end, for he also stole the sacred pipe,and the Spirit he did offend.He was warned of consequence,and all the donut mongers joked,they didn’t see the truth of it,
 
for them the truth is cloaked.One proud, proud morning,Virgil flew into the sun,They didn’t see the power line,
 
And poor Virgil never got to use his gun.And all the hippies prayed,Thanking God for their liberty,And that such a man as Virgil KnightShould be ended so karmicly.So children be hopeful,Children be brave,The only reward for carrying the sword,Is a sure and certain grave.
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Comment #84 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 11:02:56 PT
kaptinemo
Sorry you can't make it but we will tell you all about it. I plan on taking pictures if they allow cameras of the Free Speech Zone at the concerts. Speaking of cameras. All that comes to my mind is turning brother against brother.Excerpt from article: Infrared photography is also a great tool for nighttime surveillance with "invisible" IR flash or under IR-rich sources such as common street lamps -- the same basic principle used in night-vision glasses. And since different plants reflect light in different shades of color or gray under IR, it can be used to detect illegal plants such as marijuana or opium poppies growing in a farm field. "http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=2853
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Comment #83 posted by kaptinemo on August 09, 2006 at 10:56:29 PT:
FoM, I sorely wish I could
But what leave I have I'll need later in the year. There's sooo many good efforts I'd like to be a part of, but I am deeply embedded in that very same rat-race, and can't afford to do so. (Which, of course, it is partly meant to do.)
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Comment #82 posted by afterburner on August 09, 2006 at 10:53:08 PT
Russell Barth's Latest LTE
CN ON: PUB LTE: Free Pot Growers, Jail Molesters For Life, The Chronicle-Journal, (04 Aug 2006)
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v06/n1042/a01.html?176Excerpt:{
Maybe someone in the police force would have been able to keep an eye on ( repeat offender ) Peter Whitmore if so many officers weren't on "garden duty," tearing out pot plants from basements and fields across the country. 
}"garden duty," gotta love it!
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Comment #81 posted by kaptinemo on August 09, 2006 at 10:51:34 PT:
I've just read that article
And I have to say I am throroughly ticked off by it.Here's why: She suggested that casual visitors, such as meter readers might be on the lookout for things like baby monitors put outside the house or propane tanks with a blue discoloration on the tank valve. The local tip hotline is (number deleted to prevent legal action action against this site). "All calls are anonymous and the calls are not traceable," she said. (Name deleted; go to the link yourself) said that neighbors or visitors could call the State Police meth tip hotline toll-free at (number deleted).
"Call. We're not going to ask you to testify. It's our job to get the evidence. Your name and phone number will be asked but, after an agent returns your call, that information is destroyed," he said.So...everyone is supposed to be good little snitches, ratting on your neighbors? Shades of the g-d-n East German Stasi! More evidence of the morally corrupting effect that fighting the DrugWar has on society. God, this is sickening! (Growl worthy of a ticked off grown male wolf) Every veteran who ever swore The Oath to keep that crap from happening here has their service efforts rendered pointless by this fascist crap! 
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Comment #80 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 10:47:14 PT
kaptinemo
Would you like to join us to CSNY in September? It will be a great experience.
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Comment #79 posted by kaptinemo on August 09, 2006 at 10:22:21 PT:
FoM, I have to agree
I am well aware there are many people of above-average intelligence who have figured out the 'rat race' and it's eventual aims and refused to play it. I know plenty of them in British Columbia. I knew one such man long ago in college. He was a self-professed Communist who worked as a waterman on the Chesapeake Bay when not in school. I recall very clearly a day in 1979 in which a petition was being circulated in support of military action to free the American hostages in Iran. He was standing in the lobby of the dining hall, making comments to the effect it won't make any difference (the eventual rescue attempt failed terribly), that we were ignorant about the reasons for the Iranian revolution (namely, US support of the Shah after deposing the only democracy the Iranians had ever known, but I didn't know that then) and that it was all a political stunt to give 'the bourgeois masses' some monkey-motion to distract them and make them feel like they were actually accomplishing something while 'the rulers' went on ruling. I didn't share his rather cynical beliefs at the time, but I can see now that, Commie or not, he was right about a great many things. 
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Comment #78 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 09:52:05 PT
Kaptinemo
Many very intelligent people are poor. In the movie A Christmas Carol the Ghost of Christmas Future said fear hunger and poverty. I agree with that. The war on marijuana has been a great tool at keeping people repressed and so it works for them.Check this out. I never heard of such a thing.Excerpt from article: Denise Sawyer, director of the Socorro County DWI council said about 10 percent of clients are randomly tested for drugs, usually because of smell, appearance, or erratic behavior. Of those, 100 percent are showing positive for both marijuana and meth. It seems that the marijuana is being cut with meth in an effort to increase the dealer's customer base. Meth is the more addictive drug. Approximately 98 percent of people who try meth will become addicted, most after only one use.http://www.dchieftain.com/news/63717-08-09-06.html
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Comment #77 posted by kaptinemo on August 09, 2006 at 09:35:05 PT:
Hope and FoM
I have also given this kind of thing a lot of thought.When I was going through college, I took a course in economics, largely as a prerequisite to get it out of the way. One of the (to me) shocking things I learned was that a feature of modern capitalist societies is a near permanent class of the under- or un-employed.The idea was that the denizens of that class were either by nature (think 'developmentally challenged') or by lack of skills destined to be always on the bottom of the economic ladder looking up. Needless to say, if there were no social safety nets available, such a class would do anything they had to to survive, which all too often means criminal activity.To keep control of such, the slightly more able (but still less technically inclined) of that class would be recruited as society's 'sheepdogs'. Like most chores carried about by those on the periphery of society, they would face almost as much social ostracism as the potential criminal class they were meant to control. (How many cops do you know personally?)Of course, all manner of propaganda has to be employed, both to keep the underclass from revolting beyond mere dustups, and a mythology has to be created to justify naked aggression against that class by the 'sheepdogs'. (The Thin Blue Line standing against the street scum). But nothing can remove the fact that the purpose is to preserve the lives and property of the middle and upper classes at the expense of the lower ones. The DrugWar is a perfect vehicle for this. It provides justification with its' laws to be used by the sheepdogs to keep the lid on society's pressure-cooker. Wholly artificial, of course...but damned useful to the ones who fear what would happen if that fail-safe ever gave way. Of course, none of this is an original idea of mine; it's been around for a long time. But that, IMHO, is partly why the DrugWar has gone for as long as it has. Remove it, and a major portion of the bulwark seperating societal groups would collapse. And as the middle and upper clases would say when seeing their first minority homeowner move in, "There goes the neighborhood!"
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Comment #76 posted by Hope on August 09, 2006 at 08:53:20 PT
Kaptinemo
Thank you for responding to that crazy comment over at Drug War Victims. I really appreciate it.Your post here, just now, has left me with a powerful and dark image.I fear we are doomed as a nation and a society, because our country's leaders apparently refuse to learn from history...therefore there is only one alternative.They refuse one of the greatest truths ever. "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." How ignorant is that? It's so ignorant that it's insane.
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Comment #75 posted by FoM on August 09, 2006 at 07:17:18 PT
kaptinemo 
I understand what you are saying. I read in an e-mail list that this one person thinks they can't afford to legalize cannabis because it would destroy the police state we are living in. I look at other countries and see how they treat their poor and how they treat their soldiers. Becoming a soldier is the only way to get food, clothing and shelter. If that person was right that is one scary scenario.
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Comment #74 posted by kaptinemo on August 09, 2006 at 06:56:15 PT:
History repeats itself again
The Southeastern States mentioned as being part of the "M7" are all historically areas of depressed economic development. Cannabis is the single largest moneymaker for each of them. It brings hundreds of millions of dollars into those areas. The efforts of the Feds and their State me-too wannabes serve only to increase the profit by increasing the risk involved in growing and marketing. In this economy, with the housing bubble deflating, the National Debt ballooning to unheard of levels, inflation (caused by printing too much currency) on the rise, manufacturing all but nonexistant in the continental US, and reduced funding for social safety nets, they want to throw the equivalent of petrol on a raging economic forest fire? How long before we hear of Feds and State prohibitionists coming under small-arms fire from desperate people? Nobody sane wants that, but that's what happened with alcohol Prohibition in the Appalchians (the hill people I knew as a kid long ago told dark stories of unmarked graves of 'revenooers'). Will this madness ever effing STOP? Can't anyone at any level of government learn from history's mistakes?
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Comment #73 posted by FoM on August 08, 2006 at 22:28:22 PT
potpal 
I wanted to say hello earlier but I kept getting sidetracked. I hope all is well.
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Comment #72 posted by RevRayGreen on August 08, 2006 at 22:20:45 PT:
Paul
Thanks for the LTE you sent in on my behalf to the Register. I had to break out the clipping again to know whose looking out........Ray
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Comment #71 posted by FoM on August 08, 2006 at 22:04:36 PT
Ekim
I copied this from my California List. http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs06/disrupt_mkt.html ONDCP and DEA, in conjunction with other Federal, state, and local agencies, have identified the top seven states where illicit marijuana cultivation frequently takes place. These seven states, referred to as the Marijuana Seven (M7) include California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
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Comment #70 posted by FoM on August 08, 2006 at 21:30:35 PT
Whig
You can't judge a book by it's cover I say I do.
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Comment #69 posted by whig on August 08, 2006 at 21:29:18 PT
FoM
Oh I forgot to mention last night that some of the people at the CAN meeting were from the Berkeley Patients' Group that you'd mentioned before and that I'd tried to visit last time I was in Berkeley exploring town. I didn't really get to talk with any of them yet but they seemed very nice and wise as well. I know that circumstances are what they are and people need to do what protects their activities so I don't worry too much about what it looks like from the outside.
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Comment #68 posted by FoM on August 08, 2006 at 21:26:21 PT
Whig
Yes he is. He became active and was a regular here on CNews. He got more and more involved and is a lawyer but he's a nice lawyer! I had to add that. 
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Comment #67 posted by whig on August 08, 2006 at 21:22:02 PT
FoM
It sounds like he's in Michigan?
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Comment #66 posted by FoM on August 08, 2006 at 21:20:47 PT
Whig
I don't know if you've ever talked with Michael Segesta. We have talked on the phone a couple of times and recently in e-mail. If you ever do talk to him say hi from me. He is a very good person. You would like him.
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Comment #65 posted by whig on August 08, 2006 at 21:00:38 PT
ekim
No, there was no discussion of that conference. I think we are more focused on trying to be proactive and build up our own movement than trying to be reactive and respond to the government's initiatives.
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Comment #64 posted by afterburner on August 08, 2006 at 20:47:10 PT
ekim #63
The Feds own San Diego now, thanks to spineless sell-out politicians. How pathetic! The DEA pulled the same stunt by holding their latest conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, this year. Canadian cannabis activists staged a counter-conference to inform the public of the DEA's warped agenda and to rally the troops.
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Comment #63 posted by ekim on August 08, 2006 at 19:16:49 PT
Whig was there any talk of this upcomming event
From: Michael Segesta
 To: ARO ; minorml-talk norml.net
 Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 2:30 PM
 Subject: MINORML-TALK: National Marijuana Initiative Conference - info
needed All --- Below is an e-mail from a list on which I "lurk" - a list managed by our
 friends at the ONDCP. It alludes to an upcoming conference in San Diego,
 CA, entitled "National Marijuana Initiative Conference" and focusing on
the
 "Seven marijuana states" that have been identified as "High Intensity"
 marijuana trafficking areas. First, does anyone have any information
about
 the conference generally, and how a reformer might attend? Second, does
 anyone know which states constitute the "seven states" of concern? Please e-mail comments either to the list or to me off list.  All replies
 are much appreciated. Best regards, Michael Segesta General Counsel, Michigan NORML HYPERLINK "mailto:msegesta comcast.net"msegesta comcast.net (586) 873-5086 **************************************************************** August 4, 2006 To: Invited Guests Re: National Marijuana Initiative Conference The National Marijuana Initiative (NMI), funded by the High Intensity
 Drug
 Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program, will hold its annual conference
 October
 31-November 1, 2006 in San Diego, California. This year, the NMI, in
 partnership with Californian's for Drug Free Youth and its local
 affiliate
 the San Diego Prevention Coalition, has expanded the conference for
 California and other states' Drug Free Community grantees and
 prevention
 organizations. For the first time ever, the NMI is inviting prevention
 professionals to join us for Day 1, and for a new Day 2. An agenda will
 be
 sent out within the next few weeks. All of the HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) Directors
 located
 within the "Marijuana-Seven" states have been invited to participate.
 The
 HIDTA and their appropriate state and local law enforcement personnel
 will
 share their marijuana investigations and eradication efforts on public
 lands
 on Day 1. Day 2 will focus on marijuana prevention efforts. Day 1
 The first day of the conference will be dedicated to discussing the
 outcomes
 of calendar year 2006 operations and other topics of interest to
 agencies
 participating in the NMI. We know you will find the information
 provided by
 HIDTA personnel on Day 1 interesting and useful. Day 2
 The second day of the conference will provide the opportunity for
 prevention
 coalitions and organizations to focus on appropriate and timely
 marijuana
 prevention actions, involving youth, community members, decision makers
 and
 law enforcement. We will focus on successful marijuana prevention
 strategies, programs and activities from around the US. The conference will be held at the San Diego Marriott Mission Valley.
 The
 hotel's address is 8757 Rio San Diego Drive, San Diego, California,
 92108.
 A block of 100 rooms at the government rate has been reserved for
 October 30
 and 31. A conference fee of $100 payable in cash only will be
 collected the
 morning of the 31st from 0700 - 0830. The meeting will run from 0830
 to
 1700 hours on both days, with a continental breakfast being served from
 0700
 to 0830 both mornings. A no-host reception will be held from 1800 to
 2000
 hours on October 31st. Reservations must be received on or before September 30, 2006 in order
 to
 secure the government rate. Please have those attending let hotel
 reservations know they are with the "National Marijuana Initiative"
 meeting. Simply cut and paste any of the links below and to facilitate the
 reservation process. You will be directed to the property's home page
 with
 the code already entered in the appropriate field. All you need to do
 is
 enter your arrival date to begin the reservation process.   San Diego Marriott Mission Valley >>
   If you prefer, reservations can be made by calling the Hotel at
 619.692.3800
 or 800.842.5329. Upon check-in, attendees must present a completed Transient Occupancy
 Tax
 (TOT) exemption form. This form is attached below for your
 convenience. We will be having nametags made courtesy of NHAC. Attached is a form
 where
 you can show name and title for your nametag. Please provide Valerie
 Taylor
 (HYPERLINK"http://us.f358.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=taylorv cbag.hidta.org&YY=87155
 &order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b"taylorv cbag.hidta.org
  ) this
 completed
 form
 no later than August 30, 2006. If you need additional assistance concerning the hotel, please contact
 Valerie Taylor at 619-230-8171. Sincerely, /s/TOMMY C. LaNIER
 Director
 National Marijuana Initiative         THE CITY OF
  >   SAN DIEGO
         CITY OPERATIONS BUILDING ~1222 - 1ST Avenue ~ San Diego,
 California 92101
 OFFICE OF
 CITY TREASURER
 Transient Occupancy Tax
 (619) 236-6647
 (619) 236-7143 FAX
 REQUEST FOR TOT EXEMPTION FOR EMPLOYEE OF THE UNITED STATES
 GOVERNMENT AND ITS INSTRUMENTALITIES
 This form is to be completed in full by persons claiming exemption from
 the
 Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) of the City of San Diego. Any exemption
 applies only to those days during which you are engaged in business for
 your
 employer and not to other days of your occupancy. Please print the
 information requested below. Name/Title:
 ___________________________________________________________________
 Work Telephone Number:
 ________________________________________________________
 Employer Name:
 _______________________________________________________________
 Employer Address:
 ______________________________________________________________
 (Include City, State, Zip)
 Supervisor's Name and Telephone Number:
 __________________________________________
 Purpose of Stay:
 ________________________________________________________________
 Date(s) and Location of Event:
 ____________________________________________________
 Hotel Name and Location:
 ________________________________________________________
 Date(s) of Hotel/Motel Stay:
 ______________________________________________________
 Documentation Used for Proof of Employment:
 _______________________________________
 I certify under penalty of perjury that the above information is
 correct and
 that the purpose of the above mentioned stay was for official Federal
 government business. If this stay is determined to be used, in whole or
 in
 part, for non-business purposes, I shall
 be liable for payment of the applicable Transient Occupancy Tax of the
 City
 of San Diego for my occupancy on such non-business days. _______________________________________________________________________
 Signature                              Date  > National Marijuana Initiative Conference Nametag Form
 First Name: Last Name: Job Title:
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Comment #62 posted by Wayne on August 08, 2006 at 17:52:59 PT
RevRay
Gee that works out to about 2-1/2 hits of a joint per person (give or take).My God, they can't even go after pot smokers outright anymore, they have to use more dangerous substances as a front. How much more pathetic is it going to get....really?
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Comment #61 posted by RevRayGreen on August 08, 2006 at 15:11:20 PT:
say Buena Vista
how about that 2 1/2 month investigation in BV/StormLake that led to 21 arrests in July, netting only 4 grams of marijuana, while the investigation was more for meth ?
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Comment #60 posted by paulpeterson on August 08, 2006 at 12:24:46 PT
mayan
Nice article about that prison abuse scandal. Very timely, too.Yesterday I visited a ground-breaking ceremony for the new BV County Jail in good old Storm Lake, Iowa.Everybody was glib and jovial, since this here building boom helps to invigorate the local economy.Recently they even had an article about how a commercial company that is bidding for the right to bring in meals for inmates-told how the price of meals will increase substantially, but they actually published comments that to wit:"they will make it up on volume".That made me sick then, and now to see the county pols digging in with gold shovels, to christen this world class caging facility, made me even sicker.The local Sheriff even quiped last January that "just the natural, if we build it, they will come".Because I gave him a bad time in the press about that, now I am being viciously prosecuted for nothing.Thanks for your post about torture, which needs more play than the war efforts to start WWIII, in my opinion. Paul Peterson
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Comment #59 posted by lombar on August 08, 2006 at 09:03:04 PT
Yes but..
.. as reality demonstrates, they don't need for the gateway effect to be actually true. Just that they can convince voters that a lie is the truth and 'manufacture consent' to persecute the cannabis users... which requires the big pool to insure endless job security for so-called 'justice' related jobs. The governments basically have no credibility left with respect to cannabis, none at all. Been lied to about cannabis, what else are we being lied to about?
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Comment #58 posted by Wayne on August 08, 2006 at 08:40:18 PT
lombar
Oh but don't forget... the "experts" are certain that those millions of cannabis users will turn into millions of hard drug users. It's never happened yet, but oh it could happen any day now.I know... let's put everyone in a cage!!! That will keep them away from hard drugs!The nine most dangerous words in the English language: "I'm from the government, I'm here to help you."
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Comment #57 posted by lombar on August 08, 2006 at 08:24:21 PT
rchandar
"But then, authorities are loathe to prosecute meth much because they prefer prosecuting weed. "If the war on drugs was just a war on meth, cocaine, and heroin, there would not be enough users to justify the huge bloated 'dope-cop' budgets. There are thousands of hard drug users but millions of cannabis users.
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Comment #56 posted by FoM on August 08, 2006 at 06:54:57 PT
Whig
That sounds like a good project for you to get involved in. 
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Comment #55 posted by potpal on August 08, 2006 at 06:49:48 PT
dope cop
'Bout says it all, doesn't it?You ask any dope cop in Oregon about medical marijuana and they'll ... choke on their donut.
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Comment #54 posted by mayan on August 08, 2006 at 06:00:26 PT
BBC Channel 4 Investigates
Torture Inc. - Americas Brutal Prisons (video):
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8451.htmThis country has really gone to hell.
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Comment #53 posted by Hope on August 08, 2006 at 05:23:14 PT
Prisons
It's sickening that this country is about imprisoning people.A commercial I heard recently on the radio was a sickening sign of our times. It was trying to get people interested in going to a Criminal Justice school. It said the field of Criminal Justice was the fastest growing profession in the country.Disgusting. What kind of country is that?It means failure as a society and we wondered if this country would fall and how it would happen. I think I see how it's going to happen...and is happening.Disgusting.
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Comment #52 posted by The GCW on August 08, 2006 at 05:14:12 PT
USA out of step
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/08/07/EDGOGKBEO31.DTLOut of step Editor -- Imagine my surprise when, as a member of an international meeting to discuss issues facing women in prison, I read the morning paper announcing Italy's decision to pardon 12,000 prisoners from its overcrowded prisons. A second news article described the call by Howard's League in England to close the women's prisons and transfer resources to community programs and treatment. The third article -- indicating that my governor is prepared to spend $6 billion to incarcerate 40,000 more people -- reminded me that California is woefully out of step with the rest of the world. The contrast could not be more extreme. DONNA WILLMOTT
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children San Francisco 
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Comment #51 posted by mayan on August 08, 2006 at 05:06:55 PT
Misc.
NYPD busts for pot puffing show racism, study asserts: 
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/441771p-371922c.htmlTaser-Death Details Vague:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4149256Marijuana issue unresolved: Dispensing regulations remain the same: 
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060808/NEWS01/608080325/1006/news01The Scariest People In Prison? Republicans, Says Ex-Con Doper Author Tommy Chong: 
http://www.thebookstandard.com/bookstandard/news/author/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002951483
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Comment #50 posted by rchandar on August 08, 2006 at 02:30:46 PT:
Wayne
Yes, they talk a lot about the "meth epidemic". I don't think meth is good at all, it's addictive and causes many illnesses. But then, authorities are loathe to prosecute meth much because they prefer prosecuting weed. 
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Comment #49 posted by rchandar on August 08, 2006 at 02:27:43 PT:
last comment
I think CAN has been around for a long time, probably since the late 70s. They had a helpline of some sort in Kentucky when I was a college student.
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Comment #48 posted by whig on August 08, 2006 at 00:53:42 PT
Cannabis Action Network
Okay, the report. These are real good people. MAPS was there, as was NORML, and even EFF. I got to meet and talk to a lot of really good people. I didn't talk much about CNews except to say that I spend a lot of time here by way of introducing myself. Mostly we were focused on, and the purpose of the meeting was to, get people to volunteer and participate in the upcoming Wonders of Cannabis Festival.
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Comment #47 posted by whig on August 07, 2006 at 23:34:53 PT
Wonders of Cannabis Festival
Okay, here's what we're doing out here at the moment and I'm going to try to be involved in this because it is exactly the way I think we change things everywhere. They are throwing a festival. Here's the details so anyone who can come to this will know about it.Join Ed Rosenthal and Cannabis Action Network for the WONDERS OF CANNABIS FESTIVAL. SAN FRANCISCO, Golden Gate Park's County Fair Building at 9th and Lincoln. October 28 - 29, 2006, 11AM - 7PM on Saturday & Sunday.Experience: 2 stages of music, herbal consultants, medical consultants, forums & speakers, comedians, massage, cannabis culture, demonstrations, contests, glass gallery, history and human rights.Wanted: Exhibitors, volunteers, sponsors, entertainers.Call CAN for more information at (510) 486-8083Tickets available through www.CannabisActionNetwork.org. All proceeds benefit Cannabis Action Network & Green Aid.
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Comment #46 posted by Wayne on August 07, 2006 at 20:06:00 PT
rchandar
You just touched on two important points, and I want to take it a step further. Our government has a horrible problem with using the word "epidemic". It has been used by them to describe such things as marijuana, heroin, cocaine, crack, methamphetamines, bird flu, teen pregnancy, abortion, homosexuality, AIDS, and I'm sure a lot of other things I can't think of right now.And maybe with the exception of AIDS, the word "epidemic" never even applied to any of them. In the last 25 years, illegal drugs have caused less than 0.1% of all deaths in the US. They claim there is a "meth epidemic" in our country right now. Amphetamine use has been rock-steady for the last 16 years.As far as scare tactics...I've said it before and I'll say it again: If the government doesn't stop trying to scare people, one day we just won't be scared anymore.
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Comment #45 posted by Hope on August 07, 2006 at 19:55:35 PT
Goneposthole comment 42
I laughed out loud!
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Comment #44 posted by rchandar on August 07, 2006 at 19:38:17 PT:
goneposthole
personally, I don't get the "potency" argument at all. It's a meaningless argument that goes something like this: "Marijuana is a dangerous drug. But it's more potent now. Therefore, marijuana is a VERY dangerous drug."No it doesn't make any sense because these are things that can be disproved. Nepalese hash has been made since the 8th century, its 26 percent THC. The "kif" or "ganja" grown in traditional Third World countries (no indoor growing) generally hovers around 7 or 8 percent. They talk of an "epidemic", of cannabis becoming addictive like heroin or cocaine. Trouble is, THC is THC, and the Government always lists cannabis as "not inducing physical dependence, but possibly inducing psychological dependence". Potency has nothing to do with it since chemical properties are just that. You can't turn a nonaddictive substance into an addictive one; modern science even cannot do that.It's just scare tactics. People are turning on, they have always been "turning on."--rchandar
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Comment #43 posted by mayan on August 07, 2006 at 18:23:32 PT
Whiners
If these cops don't like the medical cannabis laws then they should quit whining and change them! Kap'n, thatnks for the heads up and for contacting MPP! If that is actually happening we can't let the crooks get away with it.THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN....Huge Opportunity To Expose The 9/11 Commission Whitewash Of The Crime Of Our Time:
http://www.911blogger.com/2006/08/huge-opportunity-to-expose-911.html911podcasts.com presents Jason Bermas on MSNBC: 
http://www.911podcasts.com/display.php?vid=1529-11 Truth Movement: Focus or Die:
http://falseflagnews.com/terrordrills/9-11_truth_movement_focus_or_dieNo Conspiracy Theories in the Heartland:
http://www.newshounds.us/2006/08/06/no_conspiracy_theories_in_the_heartland.php9/11 PROSECUTIONS IMMINENT:
http://www.freemarketnews.com/Analysis/94/5758/noel.asp?wid=94&nid=5758Alex Jones' "TerrorStorm" (full-length video):
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7516705476148472744&hl=en
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Comment #42 posted by goneposthole on August 07, 2006 at 17:44:29 PT
a percent per year
Since cannabis has been warred upon since Nixon was the preznit. It was one percent THC back then, now it's thirty percent.So, then cannabis has been around for nine thousand years, it is nine thousand times more potent since its first year of use by humans.It's official. cannabis is nine thousand times more potent since its first use.You get nine thousand times higher than the first humans who tried it a long time ago. Call the cops!
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Comment #41 posted by global_warming on August 07, 2006 at 15:22:16 PT
re: The Scariest People In Prison?
"Hippie stoner Tommy Chong went to the slammer for selling bongs, but now the 68-year-old is back on the outside, peddling his tale. So take a hit of your substance of choice and settle in to listen as the ‘70s pot icon relates his story of how he wound up in prison—specifically how his marijuana-themed comedy both helped him get through prison and landed him there in the first place."http://tinyurl.com/fuhfgCanada is fine with me mbc.
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 14:31:19 PT
Whig
That sounds great. Please let us know all about it then. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #39 posted by whig on August 07, 2006 at 13:54:45 PT
Speaking of political activism
I'm going to see how this goes.The Cannabis Action Network (CAN) meeting is the first Monday of every month.7:30 to 9pm. at 1605 Ashby Ave., Berkeley 94703Contact Danielle with questions at:510.486.8083 or cannabisactionnetwork gmail.comI'm not sure what to expect, but I'll be there.
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Comment #38 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on August 07, 2006 at 13:33:38 PT
Well, FoM, it's kinda like reforming the Mob.
What am I saying? It's EXACTLY like trying to reform the Mob.The 2 major parties are crooked, and an honest person has to become crooked to gain power in either.
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 13:29:40 PT
Sinsemilla Jones 
What I meant by Mexican slaves is the poor workers who are trying to stay under the radar and not be made to go back to Mexico. Maybe slaves isn't the right words but very poor folks trying to survive and often working in the fields like the Blacks had to do before them.
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Comment #36 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on August 07, 2006 at 13:25:11 PT
We don't have Mexican slaves, FoM.
"Why do you say that?"If anybody's a slave in the South these days, it's ALL the working poor."Is it any different then the north as far as drug testing and low paying jobs?"I don't know. Probably not, but I've never been able to afford to move and find out.As far as Mexican slaves, I thought most of those were owned by conservative Republican Texans and liberal Democrat Californians.
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 13:01:41 PT
Sinsemilla Jones 
Why do they need to compete with one another? If I was a Green I would hope to become a Green in the Democratic Party. Like a little corner of the Party. To me that would strengthen the Party and reach further then it presently can. Libertarians seem more like they should be in the Republican Party and it would strengthen them too. I hope it isn't because the people want to be number one instead of just being part of something to bring change. 
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Comment #34 posted by afterburner on August 07, 2006 at 12:59:31 PT
More Drivel from Prohibitionist UK
Decriminalisation does not work! Leaving supply in the hands of criminals allows those criminals to profit at society's expense. Leaving the black market intact does NOT protect the children. Criminals do not ask for ID. Criminals are motivated to push hard addictive drugs to increase their bloody profits. Wake up, United Kingdom, your half-baked approach creates the very problems that you say you abhor. Legalization is the only way to remove the criminal element from the cannabis trade. Legislate Educate Medicate Regulate! The tax money will do the country good.UK: Cannabis Law Is Boosting Hard Drug Use
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1040/a09.html
(Mon, 07 Aug 2006)
Daily Mail (UK)
 UK: Cannabis Disaster
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1040/a08.html
(Sun, 06 Aug 2006)
News of the World (UK) UK: No 10 Fears Cannabis Link To Hard Drugs
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1040/a07.html
(Mon, 07 Aug 2006)
Daily Telegraph (UK)
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Comment #33 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on August 07, 2006 at 12:52:30 PT
Certainly don't let me discourage you FoM! Vote!
I've voted in every U.S. Presidential election (and most minor ones) since I was first eligible in 1980, but have never voted for a candidate who actually won the Presidency! But I keep on voting, like the stubborn idiot I am.JR Bob Dobbs is right! Vote for the person not the party, but make sure the person isn't against you rather than for you.I voted Green in 2000, because I was voting for Ralph Nader.I voted Libertarian in 2004, because I was voting for Michael Badnarik.I voted in the 2004 Democratic primary, so I could vote for Dennis Kucinich.And although I've never voted for a Republican in the general Presidential election, I think I might have even voted in their primary once or twice. If a man or woman like Nader, Badnarik, or Kucinich ran as a Republican, I'd vote for 'em, but I'd expect that they'd at least try to change the party platform.Unfortunately, the Democratic platform is virtually the same as the Republican, except we are to assume it would be a "kinder, gentler" War on Terrorism (Freedom), War on Drugs (Hemp and Potheads), NAFTA/CAFTA (War on Working People), and War (Quagmire) in the Middle East.But while the true liberal, anti-corporation Greens and the true conservative, anti-government Libertarians obviously disagree on much, they BOTH officially believe in ENDING the Quagmire in the Middle East, ENDING the War on Working People, ENDING the War on Industrial Hemp, Medical Marijuana, and People who use Pot, and ENDING the War on Freedom.Just to give credit where credit is due.
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Comment #32 posted by afterburner on August 07, 2006 at 12:24:06 PT
Hope #28
"We have to not forget they're out there." Yes, prejudice runs deep and strong.CN NU: LTE: Igloolik Is Overrun With Pot-Heads, Nunatsiaq News, (04 Aug 2006) 
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v06/n1030/a08.html?176Canada: PUB LTE: Street Weed Dangers, National Post, (05 Aug 2006) 
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v06/n1031/a01.html?176&&& Today's obnoxious puns:Canada: Psst Wanna Buy Some Weed, Man?, Vue Weekly, (03 Aug 2006) 
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v06/n1034/a04.html?176
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 11:48:23 PT
Sinsemilla Jones 
Why do you say that? Is it any different then the north as far as drug testing and low paying jobs?
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Comment #30 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on August 07, 2006 at 11:44:17 PT
FoM, we're ALL slaves in the South.
Black to white, female and male, old to young, long hair to bald, neat to sloppy, pierced and tatooed to unmarked can ALL work together in the warehouse for 6 to 8 dollars an hour and be judged by the quality of their pee rather than the quality of their work.
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Comment #29 posted by Hope on August 07, 2006 at 11:30:44 PT
Music
Yesterday, I actually heard a recent country song I actually like.It was something like, "If you're going through hell...keep on moving. Maybe the devil won't notice you're there."
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Comment #28 posted by Hope on August 07, 2006 at 11:29:16 PT
It's good for us...Sad as it is.
Guys like the wannabe Singaporean are a menace to society. We have to not forget they're out there.
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Comment #27 posted by Hope on August 07, 2006 at 11:27:52 PT
Amazing...a new high in arrests?
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1040/a01.html?3971,219 Arrested In Drug Sweep(Have they gone over the top yet?)
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 11:19:40 PT
Hope
I guess I am jaded from doing CNews so long but anyone that posts on a web site like DrugWarRant and says death for drugs has to be someone who just doesn't want us to make any progress and could work for the prohibitionist or be totally bored and is a troll. Just my 2 cents.
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 11:15:36 PT
Sinsemilla Jones
I believe I must mention something else. Of the minor parties I like the Green Party. They do seem to care about more of the issues that are important to me then any other of the minor parties. I believe in giving credit where credit is do. Now I feel better.
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Comment #24 posted by Hope on August 07, 2006 at 11:13:13 PT
Observer, Kaptinemo, anyone?
The latest commenter over at Drug War Victims needs some information. I'm mulling it...but if you could provide him with some facts and understanding as soon as possilbe, it would be appreciated.It's another..."Let's be like Singapore" and "Death for Drugs" guy.Singaporean Judge: We already have the death penalty for drugs. What more can we do? Sentence them to death twice?
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Comment #23 posted by observer on August 07, 2006 at 10:57:01 PT
Police: Judge, Jury, Executioner, and Doctor
Police Lieutenant Tim: "You ask any dope cop in Oregon about medical marijuana and they'll laugh you out of the room," he said. "There are probably some scenarios where people really need it for things such as glaucoma or cancer, but we have people with symptoms such as 'chronic pain' that are clearly taking advantage of the act."I see. The kindly "Police Lieutenant" merely wants to be judge, jury, executioner AND play doctor, too. 
the drugsense newsbot
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 10:36:30 PT
Sinsemilla Jones 
I am not real smart about politics but I thought the south got angry with Johnson when he signed something to help blacks with civil rights and they liked having slaves and became republicans. I could be wrong but that is what I thought. The south got mad about not being able to own slaves so now they have the mexican slaves and are republicans.
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Comment #21 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on August 07, 2006 at 10:35:10 PT
Beyond labels
There are Democrats who support ending the drug war, like Dennis Kucinich. There are Republicans who support ending the drug war, like Gary Johnson. There are even Libertarians who support continuing the drug war, like Cal Skinner. So, if this is the main issue that decides who gets your vote, look deeper than just party affiliation - find out how they believe about this specific issue. DrugWarRant has an excellent guide to politicians' viewpoints on this issue. There's also some relevant questions asked by the Vote-Smart.org questionnaire.http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm
DrugWarRant's Voting Guide for 2006
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 10:32:01 PT
JR Bob Dobbs 
I believe that newspapers other then for local news aren't as popular as forums like CNews and Blogs. We have become accustomed to responding when something makes us react. Instant communication is the key to change. There is no lost time this way.
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on August 07, 2006 at 10:27:34 PT
FoM  Comment 14
Yes! And the (assumed) problem "will require further study".Sensimilla Jones, "...seen the horror, firsthand." Lol! Those guys must be thinking about looking in the mirror at themselves when they're making that oft used statement. 
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 10:25:39 PT
Sinsemilla Jones 
I am easily discouraged and I could say I will not bother to vote before I would vote for a minor party since I don't believe what they believe either. Whig doesn't vote and I never voted except for Kerry and Reagan because Carter didn't change the laws like he said he would back then but cocaine entered the picture and the gateway theory took off. We know now that the gateway theory is false but back then no one really knew.
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Comment #17 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on August 07, 2006 at 10:08:10 PT
Beware of Democrats, the original Anti-Pot Party!
I'm sorry to rain on y'all's parade, but the Democratic Party is NOT on our side.FDR and an overwhelmingly Democratic Congress gave us the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act!With Democratic President Jimmy Carter favoring decrim, not only did a majority Democratic Congress never give him the legislation to sign, Ted Kennedy runs against him and insures the election of Ronald Reagan.Supposedly liberal, Bill Clinton appointed, Democratic Supreme Court Justices Breyer and Ginsburg voted AGAINST us in Raich v. Ash-zales, while Republican conservatives O'Connor, Thomas, and even Nixon appointed Chief Butthole William Renquist voted for us.A Democratic Congress passed Nixon's re-criminalization of pot and created the DEA in 1970.The Democratic Party was the ONLY party for a 100 years in the South. The KKK, segregation, the myth of the cocaine crazed negro, George Wallace, Lester Madox, and the tactic of attacking your opponent as too liberal all came from the Democratic Party.I've written my Democratic Congressman to enlist his support in our cause, but as a former DA he's seen the horror of drugs first hand....If you want to vote for a party that is For US, For Med MJ, For Hemp, For Decrim and Legal Control, Against the War(s), Against NAFTA....Vote Libertarian! orVote Green!
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Comment #16 posted by kaptinemo on August 07, 2006 at 10:06:23 PT:
I've notified the national MPP office about Fresno
Let's see if this goes anywhere...
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Comment #15 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on August 07, 2006 at 10:02:49 PT
Good LTE - but
I've gotten contacted by newspapers wanting to print a LTE I've written and sometimes they will ask if the letter is on a blog or other internet site. They didn't say what would happen if it had been, but I'm assuming that it wouldn't bode well for the letter getting published, since I presume they would want to print all-new material. I wonder what this means for mapinc.org's sent-lte group? On the other hand, prior to that I'd posted letters here on CNews and it's nice to know that it's right there next to the article, that others will be able read your rebuttal to an article faster than the newspaper can publish it, and people can read it even if it doesn't make it into the paper. Something to contemplate, anyway...
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 09:59:51 PT

Hope
I would love to see Yes or No with an explanation as an answer. Let's see if I can make  a loophole in a comment like politicans do.Here goes:It could possible be the answer but it might not be because we really just don't know what is is.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 09:53:41 PT

kaptinemo
Thank you. I don't like politics because issues that aren't issues become the issue. I didn't vote for Clinton but what he did in office made his wife angry and that was probably punishment in itself but what Bush has done hurts the whole world but we don't hear much about it. Values are all mixed up.
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on August 07, 2006 at 09:48:12 PT

Assuming the news....
 "There are probably some scenarios where people really need it for things such as glaucoma or cancer, but we have people with symptoms such as 'chronic pain' that are clearly taking advantage of the act." (Key words for recognizing Assumed news: May, Probably, Might, etc.)
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Comment #11 posted by kaptinemo on August 07, 2006 at 09:47:58 PT:

FoM, I can't say with surety
But this in itself should ring alarm bells (from the article):"This Republican party employee goes on to tell me that she is there to attract people to the table that is set up in Fresno’s Courthouse Park, and that the legalize marijuana petition is just a prop. She confirmed that there is no ballot initiative to legalize marijuana. She said that the petition will be given to an elected official in Sacramento. I have my doubts about that."(Emphasis mine -k.)No mention of MPP. No mention of NORML. No mention of any of the better known local CA State organizations such as ASA. No mention of any such affilations. This stinks big time of political jiu jitsu and 'bait and switch' of the lowest order. They must really believe their propaganda about stoners being stupid if they think we'll let this get by without a legal kick to their pants. 
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Comment #10 posted by E_Johnson on August 07, 2006 at 09:27:38 PT

A word to the "dope cops"
Any police officer who purports to give medical advice without a license has indeed earned the title "dope cop."
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Comment #9 posted by Wayne on August 07, 2006 at 08:58:25 PT

not a bit surprised...
This is pretty low-down, but I'm sure Republicans and Democrats have done much worse than this.But this is the reason why I have doubts about changing marijuana laws through the voting process. Besides the fact that corruption is rampant... Why should we vote to change something that we never voted on to begin with? Unlike alcohol prohibition, we never voted to make marijuana illegal, we never asked to declare war on drugs, why should we have to vote to end it all? And if voicing our discontent to our elected officials never works, what makes us think that a ballot initiative will? The DEA has routinely ignored laws and verdicts long after they've come into effect.I'll leave that question to be answered by someone else, some other day. But it really does make you wonder... in this day and age, how making some marks on a piece of paper and dropping it in a box ever became sooooo complicated?
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on August 07, 2006 at 08:56:42 PT

Kaptinemo or Anyone
Why do Republicans do that? They did that in 04 too. If a person registers as a Republican can't they vote for a Democrat? Is there a reason why Republicans want lots of people registered with their party? I think I will register as a Democrat at the CSNY Freedom of Speech tour if they have a booth set up.
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Comment #7 posted by kaptinemo on August 07, 2006 at 08:26:03 PT:

RED ALERT! RED ALERT! ACTION STATIONS!
Sorry for the dramatics, but I just came across this a few minutes ago and felt everyone here should know about this:Legalizing Marijuana - A New Republican Strategy? The Republican Party has a new voter registration project in Fresno. It involves luring people to sign a LEGALIZE MARIJUANA petition and then re-registering them as Republicans. http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/08/03/18294421.phpLooks like what I've been saying for years - that cannabists constitute the single largest voting bloc in the US - has been taken to heart by apparent Republican Party dirty tricksters. If this is indeed the case, it is both vindication for us and an indictaion of how low these b*****ds are willing to stoop. Historically, it has been the Republican Party that has been the prime movers and shakers in ratcheting up the penalties associated with cannabis possession and sales. If there is any truth to the allegations, then they need to be the recipients of a major lawsuit.Fresno cannabists, can you check on this?
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Comment #6 posted by Treeanna on August 07, 2006 at 08:12:35 PT

Thanks, guys :)
I will tell him your comments :)He says "they may be premature...have to see if they bother to publish it first!"
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Comment #5 posted by afterburner on August 07, 2006 at 07:56:42 PT

Treeanna 
Excellent letter. It's becoming quite obvious that the new rallying point in the War on Drugs is the attack on pain management. Doctors who seek only to ameliorate the pain of their patients are demonized. Patients themselves are ridiculed since no one else can see their pain or feel it. The Cruel War continues on the ill and the dying and on their caregivers.
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Comment #4 posted by mai_bong_city on August 07, 2006 at 07:56:20 PT

he laughs
maybe he'll end up in chronic pain - let's see how much he laughs then.....this is sickening.....
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Comment #3 posted by Graehstone on August 07, 2006 at 07:54:00 PT

Treeanna
Give your caregiver a great big hug from all of "us" patients for me please?
Much love and respect. 
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Comment #2 posted by Max Flowers on August 07, 2006 at 07:47:47 PT

Treanna
Very nicely done. Thanks to you and your caregiver.
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Comment #1 posted by Treeanna on August 07, 2006 at 07:34:20 PT

Response to this guys' BS
My caregiver and I live close to this paper, so my caregiver wrote an LTE:Dear Editor,
 
It was disgusting to read the uninformed, unqualified, and self-serving comments by Lt. Tim George regarding medical marijuana.
 
He and other “dope cops”, who make their living at the non-productive, failed “war on drugs” (including stealing from people not convicted of crimes via “asset forfeiture”) have no qualms making false statements to keep the drum beat of anti-marijuana propaganda thumping.
 
Clearly, neither George nor any of his loved ones ever suffered “chronic pain”, or he might not be so dismissive and cruel regarding the suffering of those who have. Maybe a nice car wreck and a few spinal surgeries would cure his lack of compassion, but in the meantime, I guess if one’s condition isn’t immediately apparent to George (who does not have medical training, much less a doctorate, it seems), that means a patient doesn’t have a right to use the medication of their choice.
 
Finally, George, without being a doctor, and without citation to supporting documentation, goes on to state that 24 ounces of medical marijuana is “more than one person can smoke in a year”. In fact, the Federal Government, as part of its Investigational New Drug Program, gives medical marijuana patients 5.8 to 7.2 pounds of marijuana per year (that’s 92.8 to 124.8 ounces). Unfortunately the program is closed to new applicants. The government found out that the marijuana was working, non-toxic, and had few side effects. Those results are a threat to the profits of the drug companies, and of the prison industrial complex. Follow the money.
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