cannabisnews.com: 'The U.S. vs. John Lennon'





'The U.S. vs. John Lennon'
Posted by CN Staff on October 06, 2006 at 10:28:55 PT
By Barry Paris, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
USA -- The Dixie Chicks' difficulties pale in comparison with John Lennon's. The man quoted (incorrectly) as saying the Beatles were more popular than Jesus caused an international uproar thereby.  Years of such brouhahas and 24/7 media coverage gave him the false sense that he could say anything he wanted with the Anglo-American impunity of free speech.
"The U.S. vs. John Lennon" is an excellent documentary reminder of how wrong he was, how musically brilliant he was, how politically powerful he and the Vietnam anti-war movement were, and how ferociously our government counterattacked.Everybody's present and accounted for here: John and Yoko Ono, Strom Thurmond and J. Edgar Hoover, Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, George McGovern and Gore Vidal, G. Gordon Liddy and Angela Davis, Walter Cronkite and Dickie Smothers. Co-directors David Leaf and John Scheinfeld have rounded them all up -- dead or alive.There's no doubt about anyone's point of view, including Leaf's and Scheinfeld's, but "U.S. vs. Lennon" is not a Michael Moore rant. It is, rather, a carefully extracted and constructed historical account with a fascinating assemblage of then-and-now interview footage, peppered by vintage news clips, showing how very different this rebellious Liverpudlian was from the other three-quarters of his Fab Four.Our revolutionary peacenik's legal trouble began in earnest when his and Yoko's infamous weeklong "sleep-in for peace" (among other publicity stunts) produced public support and opposition -- plus a media circus -- beyond their imaginings.Lennon's radicalization was heightened by his alignment with the Black Panthers and manipulated by Rubin and Hoffman to fuel the movement. Last straw for the paranoid Jedgar and Richard Nixon was Lennon's dynamic concert appearance on behalf of Detroit pothead John Sinclair (sentenced to 10 years for having two joints).That footage, and the "10 for 2" song he wrote and sings in it, is perhaps the film's most riveting moment, along with his hilarious encounter with a condescending New York Times reporter in her office.The technical basis for Lennon's deportation proceedings was his conviction for possession of "dangerous drugs" -- read: small quantity of marijuana -- in England years earlier. The real reason was the anti-war voice that he and his celebrity supplied in general, his "Give Peace a Chance" anthem in particular.The CIA's illegal COINTELPRO domestic spying operation during the Nixon administration invites obvious comparisons with the warrantless wiretapping et al. dubious wartime practices in the name of "national security" today. At the heart of both is authoritarian secrecy and the cynical knowledge that, if and when such operations are "outed," the snail's pace of legal challenges will take years to stop the abuses.Whether you love or hate or don't know Lennon -- whether you miss him (as I do) or not -- you should see this hugely informative film.P.S. And guess what? Twenty-four years later, the government is still thwarting the Freedom of Information battle for release of the final 10 controversial documents in the FBI's Lennon-surveillance files.La plus ca change, la plus c'est la meme chose: A quarter-century after his murder, the U.S. government is still afraid of John Lennon. John would enjoy the bitterly delicious irony of that. He is resting in peace, and they're still not giving it a chance.Note: Documentary gives Lennon's plea for peace another chance to be heard.John Lennon Videos: http://www.johnlennon.com/html/videos.aspxSource: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)Author: Barry Paris, Pittsburgh Post-GazettePublished: Friday, October 06, 2006Copyright: 2006 PG PublishingContact: letters post-gazette.comWebsite: http://www.post-gazette.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:John Lennonhttp://www.johnlennon.com/The U.S. vs. John Lennonhttp://www.theusversusjohnlennon.com/U.S. vs. John Lennon: A Man Who Dared To Dreamhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22214.shtmlWhile Nixon Campaigned, FBI Watched Lennonhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22199.shtmlJohn Lennon Shines On In New Documentaryhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22132.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #30 posted by mayan on October 07, 2006 at 05:09:54 PT
Misc.
The politics of pot:
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20061007/NEWS/110070096Marijuana will still be dispensed:
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061007/NEWS01/610070334/1006/news01And there's more good stuff on the SAFER blog...http://cat.he.net/~saferco/blog.htmlTHE WAY OUT...U.S. Government Caught Red-Handed Releasing Staged Al-Qaeda Videos:
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/october2006/051006redhanded.htm"Al-Qaeda" Does Not Exist:
http://infowars.com/articles/terror/al_qaeda_does_not_exist_bin_laden.htmGovernment Knew Attacks could be INSIDE the U.S.:
http://911blogger.com/node/3504James Fetzer and Kevin Barrett   UW in Madison OCT. 1st (video): 
http://wokensheeple.blogspot.com/2006/10/james-fetzer-and-kevin-barrett-uw-in.htmlAlex Jones Interviews Ed Asner:
http://prisonplanet.tv/audio/041006asner.mp3Jeff Rense Interviews Alex Jones - Hour 1:
http://www.senderberl.com/rense_jones_100206.mp3 
 Jeff Rense Interviews Alex Jones - Hour 2:
http://www.senderberl.com/rense_jones_100206_2.mp3 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #29 posted by global_warming on October 07, 2006 at 01:56:54 PT
this should be fun, watch his eyes
NEWSMAKERSDrug Control Policy This week on Newsmakers, John Walters, director of White House Drug Control Policy is interviewed by Donna Leinwand, USA Today & Elaine Shannon, Time Magazine. They discuss the war on drugs & the 2006 elections.SUN., C-SPAN, 10AM & 6PM ET
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #28 posted by whig on October 07, 2006 at 01:15:03 PT
Sinsemilla Jones
And now I know too, but I have more to learn before I will understand Christopher Robin.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #27 posted by whig on October 07, 2006 at 01:08:50 PT
Sinsemilla Jones
It's all over but the shouting now.You have pinned the tail on the donkey and everyone will know it soon.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #26 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on October 06, 2006 at 23:47:54 PT
Christ, you know it aint easy.
I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together.Nothing is real. And nothing to get hung about.All you need is love.Imagine.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #25 posted by mayan on October 06, 2006 at 18:30:23 PT
WE ALL SHINE ON
The Dixie Chicks' difficulties pale in comparison with John Lennon's.But you can bet your ass the Dixie Chicks are being spied on by the feds, with our tax dollars of course. They are so dangerous! Toby Keith probably has Secret Service (SS) agents protecting him! John Lennon will never die. We all shine on.  THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Peter Gabriel Joins 9/11 Truth Movement:
http://911blogger.com/node/3488Kristol confrontation makes YouTube waves:
http://www.jonesreport.com/articles/061006_kristol_discussion.htmlWar Criminal Kristol Confronted in Austin (w/video):
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/October2006/061006Kristol.htm9/11 widows blast Bush Administration over Rice, Tenet meeting: 
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/911_widows_blast_Bush_Administration_over_1006.htmlStates of Denial: Bob Woodward's best-selling State of Denial dooms the official 9/11 narrative: 
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=98079/11 Truth: Thermite & The Case for Controlled Demolition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd1-Dp_-7WI&mode=related&search
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #24 posted by ekim on October 06, 2006 at 18:19:20 PT
Hear Norm Stamper in Missoula
Oct 10 06 Missoulian Editorial Board & Reporter Meeting 03:00 PM Norm Stamper Missoula Montana USA 
 
Former Seattle, WA, Chief of Police, Norm Stamper, attends the Missoulian Editorial Board & Reporter Meeting to discuss the failures of drug prohibition. Fisit the paper's web site at: http://www.missoulian.com/ Oct 10 06 Forward Montana 07:00 PM Norm Stamper Missoula MT USA 
 LEAP speaker and advisory board member Norm Stamper is welcomed by Forward Montana, a progressive political youth group to discuss alternatives to the drug war. Oct 11 06 University of Montana Law School Symposium on Privacy N/A Norm Stamper Missoula Montana USA 
 Former Seattle, WA, Chief of Police Norm Stamper attends the University of Montana Law School Symposium on Privacy. Location: The University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive. Visit the university web site at: http://www.umt.edu/law/ 
http://www.leap.cc/events/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #23 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 17:24:20 PT
More on how cannabis works
I'd appreciate feedback on whether you think this is correct or if there is more that I need to say, or qualify in some way.http://cannablog.wordpress.com/2006/10/06/how-cannabis-works-part-2/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #22 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 17:23:10 PT
gw 
Do I deny there are millions imprisoned?I demand their release.We cannot free them until we ourselves have been freed. We cannot expect to prevail in winning them from prison while their actions remain criminal in the eyes of the state.We must change the world by changing everyone's perception, one person at a time, to see the goodness which is inherent in every single one of us.I have been sent to a place where I can speak more freely, but it is not safe here while it is unsafe anywhere. Here in the Hotel California, I can check out any time I like but I cannot leave and still have my sacrament permitted. Such a lovely place, but the whole world needs to become free.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #21 posted by global_warming on October 06, 2006 at 16:27:26 PT
re: comment 18
"There are two of us, one is trying to save the world, and one is trying to destroy the world, and it's a race against time.That is just another metaphor, but it is also true."Snap out of this illusion Whig,There are millions of people in prison, here in River City.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #20 posted by FoM on October 06, 2006 at 16:03:41 PT
Whig
The path of Peace should be a little mellower or I wouldn't know when I actually arrived at Peace.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #19 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 16:02:15 PT
our purpose
We are here to save the world.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #18 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 16:01:23 PT
FoM
There are two of us, one is trying to save the world, and one is trying to destroy the world, and it's a race against time.That is just another metaphor, but it is also true.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #17 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 15:59:34 PT
I want to teach
that is my purpose.I also want to learn, and to then pass along what I figure out to others.I say things in the first person and sound egotistical to myself, and I am. I don't want to raise myself above others but I do not always hear others speaking the words that I think need to be said to those who do not understand.We are in a critical time of change and it will be for all our sake that we convert as many people to the path of peace as quickly as possible. The alternative is our destruction and a new beginning from a much worse position than we have now. It gives me urgency, and if that is served by elevating myself, I must do so and only try to raise up my friends as quickly as I can to the same level. Nor am I more ascended than many others, there are literally millions of us, I am sure of it, and many who have been there forever. I'm still young and learning, but that gives me the opportunity to express what I am feeling while I am learning and pass it along to the next wave.I hope this is making sense to you because it is a stream of consciousness and not something that I'm even exercising a great deal of conscious control over.We are Buddha, all of us.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #16 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 15:48:11 PT
I just learned
The Four Noble Truths were originally spoken by Buddha, not in the form of a religious or philosophical text, but in the form of a common medical prescription of the time.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #15 posted by FoM on October 06, 2006 at 15:47:03 PT
Whig
You asked for it. Here goes. Get a chair and set a spell. Now take all the things you were and delete them. Then go to the recycle bin and delete it.Now you begin to learn what a liberal is to me. A liberal is a person who cares about other people and animals and nature. Basically a humanitarian but that might not be the right word. Then realize the wrong that is in the world and learn about it but know that when you learn it will be with you always. Then sort thru it and you begin to realize that the here and now is what matters. Nothing more and nothing less. That makes us free to allow others to live and let live. That's just my opinion though. I could be wrong.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #14 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 15:45:14 PT
Wow
I just became Buddhist.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #13 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 15:38:13 PT
My problem, FoM
is that I am too authoritarian.It isn't good. I'm still learning how not to be. I was a conservative, and then a libertarian, and now I am a liberal, but the process of learning how to relate to people in equality without being dictatorial (or territorial, which really is the same thing).Help guide me if you want to.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #12 posted by FoM on October 06, 2006 at 15:37:02 PT
Whig
You're a very good person. You are very intelligent and emotional. You sometimes let the intelligent side hitch a ride on the emotional side. People like me get totally lost. The emotions we all have are different. Some of us care about other issues and our direction is fragmented. That's all ok and probably good. That's why we need to really do our best to understand each other and care about how they feel even if we don't agree. That's a community.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 15:08:10 PT
FoM
I'm not sure what to say. I don't mean to treat others in any way other than I prefer to be treated myself. I want to be corrected. You are correcting me now, I think, and I'm trying to take the lesson.I do not want to intimidate you or anyone else, but I become more strident than I need to sometimes. The truth is that I get used to speaking in a lot of different contexts and this is a way I have learned to make statements that are noticed, which is highly important when I am a lone voice in the wilderness as I am most places.I think you may be upset at me over the political disagreement we had before, and I won't repeat what I said because it isn't my intention to make you upset. I could say more than I did, and you would not want me to.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by FoM on October 06, 2006 at 14:58:22 PT
Whig
If someone uses a word that doesn't seem accurate to you, you tell them. I don't know why. It takes away from each individuals use of expression and soon they won't have anything to say because they will fear being corrected. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 14:47:24 PT
My opinion
We are all children before God.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 14:46:11 PT
FoM
I appreciate being corrected too, even though I may defend myself until I understand what I may be doing or saying that I should not.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 14:43:32 PT
FoM
I don't know, I treat everyone as an equal regardless of age. I'm sorry if you think it is rude of me, and I do not intend any disrespect. I express myself strongly but it is not meant to insult or put you or anyone else down beneath me.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by FoM on October 06, 2006 at 13:21:47 PT
Whig
I have a question for you. I feel sometimes like I am a teenager again when my mother was never pleased with whatever I did. Why do you always correct everyone even if they are much older then you are?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 12:47:08 PT
nuevo mexican
There's nothing gross or shameful about Karl Rove and Jeff Gannon, if that rumor is true. It needs to be outed nonetheless.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by whig on October 06, 2006 at 12:45:03 PT
Lennon's revolution
http://cannablog.wordpress.com/2006/10/02/this-is-the-revolution-now/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by nuevo mexican on October 06, 2006 at 12:03:50 PT
John Lennon: Working class hero!
If he were alive today, guess who would be President of the U.S.!Yes, Nixon knew what he was doing, just making sure the U.S. never got a premature version of Arnold Schwartzenagger, the  
European for President scenario!Imagine!Someone like John Lennon for President! We had Reagan, now bush, why not the one true leader of the world, musically, spiritually, and politically!They saw it coming and had to nip his Americanization in the bud!Anyway, here is the big scoop for the day that needs to be forwarded far and wide, just in time for Mondays' News!http://www.bradblog.com/?p=1353...Gannon-Guckert/Secret Service Docs Reveal Odd White House Comings and Goings…
Checked In, But Didn't Check Out! 13 Times!
(Is it the White House, or Hotel California?!)RAW STORY beats the competition. As usual.The Freedom of Information Requests from the Secret Service have come in. And whoops…look what RAW found!
Guckert made more than 200 appearances at the WhiteSo.....was Jeff Gannon/Guckert, who was reportedly kidnapped as a teenager to become what he is.....Read on...bush and jeffy look like they may have had a few 'rendevous' at the White House, which would be par for the bush course, sick as it seems, this could be the trail that brings the White House back to it's knees!Sorry, the analogies are rampant, abundant, and a coup for comedians, bush will never recover from the pedifilication of the Re-pubic-hairs.Gross!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by FoM on October 06, 2006 at 11:55:37 PT
museman
John Lennon's life and words live on. What an impact he had on me and so many people. He was always the one that stood out way in front of the other three. George Harrison was my second favorite Beatle.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by museman on October 06, 2006 at 11:39:02 PT
John and the Fed
Yes that's right. And don't nobody forget it. John's untimely death, the reasons they did it, and the fact that his message still haunts the halls of injustice -and they can't kill it- is cause enough in itself to wage blind war on anyone who might be inclined to listen. The fact that the music industry is totally under the control of the same bastards who killed John Lennon, ought to be a warning to any musical artists who labor under the illusion that there is any good coming out of it.
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment