cannabisnews.com: Friends Say Drugs Played Only Bit Part for Obama 










  Friends Say Drugs Played Only Bit Part for Obama 

Posted by CN Staff on February 09, 2008 at 08:53:45 PT
By Serge F. Kovaleski 
Source: New York Times 

New York -- Nearly three decades ago, Barack Obama stood out on the small campus of Occidental College in Los Angeles for his eloquence, intellect and activism against apartheid in South Africa. But Mr. Obama, then known as Barry, also joined in the party scene.Years later in his 1995 memoir, he mentioned smoking “reefer” in “the dorm room of some brother” and talked about “getting high.” Before Occidental, he indulged in marijuana, alcohol and sometimes cocaine as a high school student in Hawaii, according to the book.
He made “some bad decisions” as a teenager involving drugs and drinking, Senator Obama, now a presidential candidate, told high school students in New Hampshire last November.Mr. Obama’s admissions are rare for a politician (his book, “Dreams From My Father,” was written before he ran for office.) They briefly became a campaign issue in December when an adviser to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mr. Obama’s chief Democratic rival, suggested that his history with drugs would make him vulnerable to Republican attacks if he became his party’s nominee.Mr. Obama, of Illinois, has never quantified his illicit drug use or provided many details. He wrote about his two years at Occidental, a predominantly white liberal arts college, as a gradual but profound awakening from a slumber of indifference that gave rise to his activism there and his fears that drugs could lead him to addiction or apathy, as they had for many other black men.Mr. Obama’s account of his younger self and drugs, though, significantly differs from the recollections of others who do not recall his drug use. That could suggest he was so private about his usage that few people were aware of it, that the memories of those who knew him decades ago are fuzzy or rosier out of a desire to protect him, or that he added some writerly touches in his memoir to make the challenges he overcame seem more dramatic.In more than three dozen interviews, friends, classmates and mentors from his high school and Occidental recalled Mr. Obama as being grounded, motivated and poised, someone who did not appear to be grappling with any drug problems and seemed to dabble only with marijuana. Vinai Thummalapally, a former California State University student who became friendly with Mr. Obama in college, remembered him as a model of moderation — jogging in the morning, playing pickup basketball at the gym, hitting the books and socializing. “If someone passed him a joint, he would take a drag. We’d smoke or have one extra beer, but he would not even do as much as other people on campus,” recounted Mr. Thummalapally, an Obama fund-raiser. “He was not even close to being a party animal.”Mr. Obama declined to be interviewed for this article. A campaign spokesman, Tommy Vietor, said in an e-mail message that the memoir “is a candid and personal account of what Senator Obama was experiencing and thinking at the time.”“It’s not surprising that his friends from high school and college wouldn’t recall personal experiences and struggles that happened more than twenty years ago in the same way, and to the same extent, that he does,” he wrote. What seems clear is that Mr. Obama’s time at Occidental from 1979 to 1981 — where he describes himself arriving as “alienated” — would ultimately set him on a course to public service. He developed a sturdier sense of self and came to life politically, particularly in his sophomore year, growing increasingly aware of harsh inequities like apartheid and poverty in the third world.He also discovered that he wanted to be in a larger arena; one professor described Occidental back then as feeling small and provincial. Mr. Obama wrote in his memoir that he needed “a community that cut deeper than the common despair that black friends and I shared when reading the latest crime statistics, or the high fives I might exchange on a basketball court. A place where I could put down stakes and test my commitments.”Mr. Obama wrote that he learned of a transfer program that Occidental had with Columbia and applied. “He was so bright and wanted a wider urban experience,” recalled Anne Howells, a former English professor at Occidental who taught Mr. Obama and wrote him a recommendation for Columbia. Mr. Obama’s half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, said her brother focused more on his future at Occidental. “I think he felt it was time to do some heavy thinking and assessing and time to start making a more meaningful contribution,” Ms. Soetoro-Ng said. “He felt New York was an interesting place to be in terms of the exchange of ideas, overlapping cultures and rigorous academics.”As for Mr. Obama’s use of marijuana and, occasionally, cocaine, she said, “He wasn’t a drug addict or dealer. He was a kid searching for answers and a place who had made some mistakes.” After arriving in New York, Mr. Obama wrote in his memoir, he stopped getting high.In the 442-page book, published when he was 33, Mr. Obama’s references to drug use are limited to the equivalent of about a page and a half. He got the book contract after becoming the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. At first, he considered writing a more scholarly book about the law, race and society, but scrapped that in favor of writing about his search for identity.The son of a white American mother and a black Kenyan father, Mr. Obama wrote that he would get high to help numb the confusion he felt about himself. “Junkie. Pothead. That’s where I’d been headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man,” he penned in the memoir. “Except the highs hadn’t been about that, me trying to prove what a down brother I was.”“I got high for just the opposite effect, something that could push questions of who I was out of my mind.” At Punahou, a preparatory school that had few black students, Keith Kakugawa and Mr. Obama were close friends. They met when Mr. Obama was a freshman and Mr. Kakugawa, who is Japanese-Hawaiian, was a junior.Mr. Kakugawa remembered that the two often discussed wealth and class and that their disaffection would surface. He said race would come up in the conversations, usually when talking about white girls they thought about dating.“We were dealing with acceptance and adaptation, and both had to do with the fact that we were not part of the moneyed elite,” Mr. Kakugawa said. Mr. Kakugawa, who spent seven years in and out of prison for drug offenses beginning in 1996, said he pressured Mr. Obama into drinking beer.But Mr. Obama did not smoke marijuana during the two years they spent time together even though it was readily available, Mr. Kakugawa said, adding that he never knew Mr. Obama to have done cocaine. “As far as pot, booze or coke being a prevalent part of his life, I doubt it,” Mr. Kakugawa said. He had graduated, however, by the time Mr. Obama was in his junior and senior years, when he wrote that he most frequently used marijuana and cocaine “when you could afford it.”Mr. Obama describes a scene in that period where, in the meat freezer of a deli, he watched someone named Micky — “my potential initiator” — pull out “the needle and the tubing,” apparently to shoot up heroin. Alarmed, Mr. Obama wrote that he imagined how an air bubble could kill him. Neither Mr. Kakugawa or the others interviewed for this article who knew Mr. Obama at Punahou recalled hearing that story from him.In his freshman year at Occidental, Mr. Obama and his dormitory mates would gather around a couch in the hallway of their floor while stereos blasted songs by bands like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the B-52’s and the Flying Lizards. The conversations revolved around topics like the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter’s proposed revival of draft registration and the energy crisis.Mr. Obama displayed a deft but unobtrusive manner of debating.“When he talked, it was an E. F. Hutton moment: people listened,” said John Boyer, who lived across the hall from Mr. Obama. “He would point out the negatives of a policy and its consequences and illuminate the complexities of an issue the way others could not.” He added, “He has a great sense of humor and could defuse an argument.”Mr. Obama seemed interested in thinkers like Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud and Jean-Paul Sartre, whom he studied in a political thought class in his sophomore year.The professor, Roger Boesche, has memories of him at a popular burger joint on campus.“He was always sitting there with students who were some of the most articulate and those concerned with issues like violence in Central America and having businesses divest from South Africa,” he said. “These were the kids most concerned with issues of social justice and who took classes and books seriously.”Mr. Obama was involved in the Black Students’ Association and in the divestment campaign to pressure the college to pull its money out of companies doing business in South Africa. To make a point, students camped out in makeshift shantytowns on campus.In his book, Mr. Obama said that his role in the divestment push started as kind of a lark, “part of the radical pose my friends and I sought to maintain.” But then he became more engaged, contacting members of the African National Congress to have them speak at the college and writing letters to the faculty.He was one of a few students who spoke at a campus divestment rally. Rebecca Rivera, then a member of a similar Hispanic students’ group, said: “He clearly understood our social responsibility and the way the college’s money was impacting the lives of black people in South Africa and preventing the country from progressing.” She added, “There was passion, absolutely, but not incoherent fieriness.”While he would sometimes attend parties held by black students and Latinos, Amiekoleh Usafi, a classmate who also spoke at the rally, recalled seeing him at parties put together by the political and artistic set.Ms. Usafi, whose name at Occidental was Kim Kimbrew, said the most she saw Mr. Obama indulging in were cigarettes and beer.“I would never say that he was a druggie, and there were plenty there,” she said. “He was too cool for all that.”Source: New York Times (NY)Author:  Serge F. KovaleskiPublished: February 9, 2008Copyright: 2008 The New York Times CompanyContact: letters nytimes.comWebsite: http://www.nytimes.com/ Related Articles:A Truth Obama Won't Dare Tell http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23655.shtmlObama's Positions On Issues Has Changedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23647.shtmlObama: Decriminalize Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23646.shtml 

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Comment #59 posted by afterburner on February 12, 2008 at 12:20:56 PT
Green, green, it's green they say 
"Green, green, it's green they say on the far side of the hill. Green, green, i'm goin' away to where the grass is greener still."
Green Green The New Christy Minstrels Written by Minstrel members Barry McGuire and Randy Sparks
http://ntl.matrix.com.br/pfilho/html/lyrics/g/green_green.txtTHE ENVIRONMENT
TheStar.com 
Granting legal rights to nature.
Don't expect to see a bird or a bear testify in court anytime soon, but there is a growing body of opinion that 
animals, birds, rivers, forests – nature – should have greater standing before the law.
Jan 27, 2008 04:30 AM. 
Andrew Chung, 
Staff Reporter
http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/Environment/article/297752ECO-NOMICS 
TheStar.com.
We'll pay for Suncor expansion.
Feb 09, 2008 04:30 AM. 
Cameron Smith. 
Turning a blind eye is supposed to be a bad thing, because you live a lie. You act as if you didn't know.
In Canada, we do this every day. Some make a lot of money at it. Others believe – in a mad, schizophrenic way – that 
it's a formula for prosperity.
http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/301874THE ENVIRONMENT 
The alarming redefinition of 'glacial'.
Long considered a national symbol, Canada's iconic Athabasca Glacier is not just retreating, but doing so at an accelerating pace.
Feb 10, 2008 04:30 AM.
Christl Dabu, 
Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/Environment/article/302087
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #58 posted by Hope on February 12, 2008 at 11:43:46 PT
"Just A Kiss Away"
http://www.keno.org/stones_lyrics/gimme_shelter.htm
Gimme Shelter
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)Oh, a storm is threat'ningMy very life todayIf I don't get some shelterOh yeah, I'm gonna fade awayWar, children, it's just a shot awayIt's just a shot awayWar, children, it's just a shot awayIt's just a shot awayOoh, see the fire is sweepin'Our very street todayBurns like a red coal carpetMad bull lost its wayWar, children, it's just a shot awayIt's just a shot awayWar, children, it's just a shot awayIt's just a shot awayRape, murder!It's just a shot awayIt's just a shot awayRape, murder!It's just a shot awayIt's just a shot awayRape, murder!It's just a shot awayIt's just a shot awayThe floods is threat'ningMy very life todayGimme, gimme shelterOr I'm gonna fade awayWar, children, it's just a shot awayIt's just a shot awayIt's just a shot awayIt's just a shot awayIt's just a shot awayI tell you love, sister, it's just a kiss awayIt's just a kiss awayIt's just a kiss awayIt's just a kiss awayIt's just a kiss awayKiss away, kiss away
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #57 posted by FoM on February 12, 2008 at 11:12:45 PT
afterburner 
That was a very good article. I agree with it too.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #56 posted by afterburner on February 12, 2008 at 10:55:28 PT
OT: Obama
The Page - by Mark Halperin - TIME. Politics Up to the Minute
by Mark Halperin|Tuesday, February 12, 2008
HALPERIN’S TAKE: Sixteen Underappreciated Obama Advantages
http://thepage.time.com/halperin%E2%80%99s-take-sixteen-underappreciated-obama-advantages/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #55 posted by afterburner on February 12, 2008 at 09:00:28 PT
Celaya #33
Yes, how is it that Alcoholic Beverage makers, like Denver Mayor Hickenlooper, and Pharmacists oppose cannabis decriminalization / legalization / regulation? Yet, two well-known Insurance moguls, George Soros and Peter Lewis, favor ending cannabis prohibition? Could it be that one of the over-riding issues of the insurance industry -- safety -- would be increase by getting some of the impaired drivers (alcohol, sedatives, hypnotics) off the road?Follow the money.
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Comment #54 posted by FoM on February 11, 2008 at 16:59:52 PT
aolbites
Thank you. My husband will be home tomorrow and I have been trying to pinpoint when the problem happens and when it works fine. When I turn the computer on in the morning it grinds for a minute or so. When it is on it is working fine. I had two power outages a few days ago and I was wondering if something happened when it went out like it did. I think he'll look into the computer for me but he doesn't work on computers but he did replace a hard drive for me once.
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Comment #53 posted by aolbites on February 11, 2008 at 16:41:25 PT
FoM
Take the side panel off and vacuum the dust bunnies out of your fans!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #52 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 16:09:09 PT
fight_4_freedom 
Yes we had problems in my state. I thought my computer started working ok but the noise is back so once again if I disappear for a day or more that will be why. I'm almost sure with the grinding sound it must be the HD. Maybe it's worse then that though. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #51 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 10, 2008 at 15:40:23 PT:
Yeah they do
I should have remembered, didn't Ohio have some controversial voting machines or something last time?
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Comment #50 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 15:22:32 PT

fight_4_freedom 
We go to a little Mennonite Church and vote. No caucus but they look like such fun. The interaction seems amazing that I saw on C/Span.
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Comment #49 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 10, 2008 at 15:12:22 PT:

Heck Yeah
It sounds like a lot more fun than just voting. I didn't even know they did that before this political season. lolI hope I get that chance. Does Ohio Caucus or just vote?
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 15:09:23 PT

fight_4_freedom 
Yes do look into it. There might even be a group that could help you.
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Comment #47 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 10, 2008 at 15:07:45 PT:

That's not right either though
I didn't even have the option of voting for Obama. And knowing the delegates wouldn't count anyways, why would I vote for a democrat? I'll have to look into this.
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Comment #46 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 15:06:25 PT

One More Thing
If you couldn't vote going to a caucus would be fun I would think. I have learned a lot this political season about things I never knew or even cared about. The word caucus means meeting of the tribes I heard. I like the caucus idea more then just voting. 
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Comment #45 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 15:02:15 PT

fight_4_freedom
I don't know. Maybe not. 
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Comment #44 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 10, 2008 at 14:57:17 PT:

That wouldn't be right at all
Obama would have campaigned here if he knew the delegates would have counted. I hope they end up doing that. But I wonder if I could still vote since I voted republican for Ron Paul?
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Comment #43 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 14:51:19 PT

fight_4_freedom 
Yes, if it is too close they are talking about a caucus in Florida and Michigan but Hillary just wants the votes to count as is and that isn't fair.
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Comment #42 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 10, 2008 at 14:42:42 PT:

FoM
Why would they do that? Is that what's going to happen if the delegates are too close at the end? Or are they thinking about doing that because we were left out from giving any delegates to the democrats when we voted? I'm confused.
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Comment #41 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 14:35:39 PT

fight_4_freedom 
On the main blog people click on your bio when you comment to see what you care about and to make sure you aren't there just to cause trouble like trolls do. So without saying a word when you post on the blog you are sending a message. People are on our side on his blog but it just isn't the topic that people care about. If he gets the nomination and Hillary is out of the picture then I expect to see more about our issue but Hillary is still fighting on because they are so close. He is leading in Maine. Being subtle works wonders I've found. If th DNC allows a caucus in your state you would meet so many people close to your age and that would be great.
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Comment #40 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 10, 2008 at 14:32:07 PT:

BTW
I just changed my username to my real name,Adam K, in case anyone else wants to find me on there.
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Comment #39 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 10, 2008 at 14:26:36 PT:

ALRIGHT!!!
We are now officially "Obama Friends" lol. I guess I wasn't allowing messages. Oops. I just changed my settings though, so now I can accept them. I'll have to write something on the main blog like you said. I've sent a few more friend requests already. It's basically just like myspace, except all about Obama.I like debating people about our issue. Although sometimes I just give up because a lot of people are so ignorant to the facts. And they never just admit that they're wrong lol. I post at Safe Access sometimes, and I like to have comment wars with people in the comment section of a lot of the articles you post. Unless you have to sign up for that particular newspaper website, I never do that. I was watching cnn for like 2 hours with a couple friends earlier, waiting for Obama to speak. They really haven't heard him in a speech (they aren't in to politics). So I really wanted them to listen to one of his speeches. They kept saying Barack will be coming out to speak right after these messages. It would go to a commercial then they'd have a clip of Mccain, Huckabee, or Hilary, then go back to commercials. Continuously saying he'll be speaking when we get back. So we wait for more than an hour and then they go to some other programming after we all waited for over an hour. lol. I was so mad at CNN.Just thought I'd share that with you.
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Comment #38 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 14:06:00 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I don't know if you are allowing messages. The best way to get friends is to go into the main blog and get involved with what is happening and then people ask you to be in their friends list. When I commented on the drug issue when it first hit the news that is when people asked me to be on their friends list. I have only posted on his blog maybe 10 times. I read it all the time though. I haven't posted about politics on any site other then BO's blog. I'm not into debating or things like that like many people are. I stick to CNews.
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 13:55:24 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I found the group and sent you a message.
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #36 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 13:50:49 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I found a couple of groups but what is the title of your group?
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #35 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 10, 2008 at 13:43:38 PT:

FoM
I just added a picture of me and my niece on the Obama site under that username. I only have 2 friends on there so I definitely need some more.lol 
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 13:35:44 PT

Celaya
About Jimmy Carter this is how I remembered it from watching the news back then. I really followed the marijuana issue but I wasn't into politics. I just wanted marijuana decriminalized. Jimmy Carter said he would decriminalize marijuana and then cocaine entered the picture. My heart sank when I saw that on the news and I said to myself and my husband well maybe when we get much older and have political clout, which is now more then any other time, marijuana will be decriminalized. That's embedded in my head from years ago. 
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #33 posted by Celaya on February 10, 2008 at 12:52:22 PT

Sam and John
Thanks. There was always 'something' that did not compute about the issue of marijuana prohibition. When Jimmy Carter was president and said marijuana should be decriminalized, it seemed the end was near. But something made him back off the truth and killed reform for twenty years - until Prop 215 in California and the arrival of the Internet back in 1996.Police/prosecutors used to feel secure in their con game, and would always say, "Don't blame us. We don't make the laws, we just enforce them." But you don't hear that anymore. Now the rebirth of marijuana reform is threatening their golden goose, and they have well-funded lobbyists working to maintain the persecution.That's a good point about the protection racket aspect. Makes you wonder about the other ways police have of exerting control. How do we break their power? That may be the ultimate question facing us. Consider this piece of bad news:http://www.guerrillanews.com/headlines/16649/FBI_Gives_Private_Contractors_Extraordinary_Powers_Including_Shoot_to_KillToday, more than 23,000 representatives of private industry are working quietly with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. The members of this rapidly growing group, called InfraGard, receive secret warnings of terrorist threats before the public does — and, at least on one occasion, before elected officials. In return, they provide information to the government, which alarms the ACLU. But there may be more to it than that. One business executive, who showed me his InfraGard card, told me they have permission to “shoot to kill” in the event of martial law. InfraGard is “a child of the FBI,” says Michael Hershman, the chairman of the advisory board of the InfraGard National Members Alliance and CEO of the Fairfax Group, an international consulting firm.Mussolini defined fascism as the merging of the corporations and the state.
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Comment #32 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 10, 2008 at 10:36:54 PT:

FoM
You might have to join that group before you can see my profile. I really don't know, I haven't been on that site for very long. If you type in Obama Supporters for Marijuana Law Reform under the group search, you'll find it. Then once you join there's a list and my name is FreedomFighter420. I don't have a picture up yet. It's not very active. I've got a few e-mails from the people in this group as I think it's more like an e-mail discussion list. You can choose to receive e-mails from the group.
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Comment #31 posted by Sam Adams on February 10, 2008 at 09:19:43 PT

Celaya
what a great post, I think you have hid the nail on the head. IF what you suggest is true, that the police are now more powerful than the elected officials above them, then we have completed the transition a police state.I remember lobbying an elected official once on MJ reform. He said "this makes sense to me, but my district is in a college neighborhood. I can't afford to alienate the police".  He was afraid they'd stop enforcing laws that keep the rowdy college kids in line, just to make him look bad & get run out of office.I remember thinking that, in his district, it is now a police state. The police are controlling the highest level of govt. and the laws that are made.I believe that a big part of it is the constant dumbing-down and sensationalist fear-mongering of the media industry. The whole system is set up to keep Americans living in fear.
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Comment #30 posted by John Tyler on February 10, 2008 at 09:05:08 PT

good point 
Richard Cowan has a good point. Seventy percent, plus or minus a few points, (a huge mandate by any measure.) of the population supports some form of decrim and or medical cannabis use. Some state level politicians will give it some tepid support in their legislative chambers. This or that law enforcement group will then speak against it and the whole thing goes down in flames. What gives them veto power over the rest of the public? Is it political blackmail? Is it because anti-cannabis laws are needed to harass and intimidate certain groups to “keep them in line” and the legislators have to be reminded of that fact again and again? Is it because the majority of the Drug War funding is over cannabis and without that aspect the huge Drug War funding would decline significantly possibly leaving the Drug Warriors unemployed? They have a vested interest in this whole mess and their point of view is biased. They are only looking out for what is good for them, not the public. 
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Comment #29 posted by FoM on February 10, 2008 at 07:42:02 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I found a blog that mentions marijuana but I didn't see your name or any real activity. Is there more then one blog? Is there a link?
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Comment #28 posted by Had Enough on February 10, 2008 at 04:00:26 PT

The 60’s
and the cars we drove…Click to seehttp://cruzintheavenue.com:80/CarsWeDrove.htm

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Comment #27 posted by Celaya on February 09, 2008 at 23:49:53 PT

Richard Cowan writes of Obama's Pot flip-flop
http://www.marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=972"the more basic question remains: Why are politicians afraid to support a position held by an overwhelming majority of the people?--- Whether it is simple “decrim” – ending possible jail time for possession – or medical marijuana, both of which are supported by large majorities, and both of which are already the laws of states with about one third of the population, the politicians oppose the people. --- One need only look at the debate about decrim ongoing in Vermont to understand the situation. Almost the only opposition is from the police, and they will probably prevail."I have heard this observation a few times, and it makes you wonder. In our surveillance-obsessed society, is it possible the police have something on everyone? Are politicians being blackmailed by the police state into silence on the fraud of marijuana prohibition?Stranger things have happened. 
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Comment #26 posted by runruff on February 09, 2008 at 22:56:50 PT

hope w/dope!
In the sixties I used to read comic books about the "Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers".
Their saying was ,without dope there ain't no hope".Also they said, "times with dope and no money are better than times with money and no dope".We were just cuttin' loose at that time. Trying everything.Robert Crumb was big back then.
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Comment #25 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 09, 2008 at 21:10:34 PT:

Bill Maher on Larry King tomorrow night
at 9 p.m. "No Holds Barred" Gotta love him. He always speaks for our cause.
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on February 09, 2008 at 21:03:01 PT

runruff
To me the meaning of hope is having a dream and applying the needed footwork to make it a reality.
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on February 09, 2008 at 20:35:36 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I have been watching the speech and news and haven't checked it out but I will. I am registered under my real name.
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Comment #22 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 09, 2008 at 20:33:39 PT:

RunRuff
I think the second version fits a lot better. I was trying to create my own, but yours sounded better than anything I could come up with lol.BTW I listened to quite a bit of the show last night, but I didn't hear you. It was a tad bit too late over here in Michigan. But I'll check out the archives eventually.I definitely liked what I heard. Good tunes and talk.
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Comment #21 posted by runruff on February 09, 2008 at 20:27:03 PT:

H.O.P.E. (revised)
Having optomistic, peaceful expectations.
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Comment #20 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 09, 2008 at 20:19:53 PT:

Everyone must have jumped on 
the site after that speech. I can't get to my page because the servers are too busy.
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Comment #19 posted by runruff on February 09, 2008 at 20:03:09 PT:

H.O.P.E.
Hope is good: Having Optomistic Peaceful Endevors.
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Comment #18 posted by RevRayGreen on February 09, 2008 at 19:56:04 PT

re:FreedomFighter420 on the Obama site
I'll look for the blog.....
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Comment #17 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 09, 2008 at 19:50:52 PT:

My username is
FreedomFighter420 on the Obama site. You'll see me on the list for that group I just mentioned.
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Comment #16 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 09, 2008 at 19:40:45 PT:

Yep there sure is
Just search under groups for Obama Supporters for Marijuana Law Reform and you'll find it. It's not very active but we can make it that way :)BTW, he's speaking on CNN right now.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on February 09, 2008 at 18:57:20 PT

fight_4_freedom 
You mentioned MPP not endorsing him. I never thought they would because they are mostly Republicans.
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on February 09, 2008 at 18:55:48 PT

fight_4_freedom 
Thank you. I didn't even know there was such a group. We had company for dinner and I'm only catching up on the tv news but it does seem good for him tonight. runruff, I know that somethings can happen that are out of our control but I still want to hope a little while longer.
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Comment #13 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 09, 2008 at 18:49:07 PT:

Looks like Obama will be undefeated today 
A while back I joined the Obama Supporters for Marijuana Law Reform on his website. And I was looking through my e-mails and found one from one of the more prominent members of MPP supporting Obama. MPP is not endorsing him, but this one person is.Although you might not care, I just thought maybe you'd like to hear that FoM.
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Comment #12 posted by runruff on February 09, 2008 at 16:46:17 PT:

The skys are talking.
On the 29th of this month there will be a full eclipse of the full moon. On August 1st this year will be a full eclipse of the sun. I talked with Chief White Feather today. He is a Cherokee medicine man. He said some of his colleges in Washington saw Hillary come out of a meeting with members of the Luminati.
He said Rockefeller told her she will be the next president.Einstien said he didn't know how WWIII will be fought but that WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones.Will Rogers said, when congress makes a joke it becomes a law. When they make a law it becomes a joke.Namaste
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on February 09, 2008 at 12:07:32 PT

Taylor121
I agree that no one knows how any of them would be. The difference between Bush and Obama though is Bush didn't want to talk about it. Obama wrote about it. 
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Comment #10 posted by taylor121 on February 09, 2008 at 11:58:23 PT

No, that's not the case necessarily
"I believe that a person who has had past drug experiences will see the drug issue differently then a person who has never experienced illegal drugs. They know that prison won't stop drug use. "George W Bush used marijuana and look what he did. Obama may turn out to be quite the drug warrior.
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Comment #9 posted by Sam Adams on February 09, 2008 at 10:50:53 PT

NY Times
 just a quick word on the Times. It's a great newspaper in terms of in-depth coverage, reporting on serious issues, etc. But editorially, it is the biggest liberal imposter I've ever seen. They endorsed Giuliani back when was in the thick of turning NYC into an occupied police state and destroying free speech.I think the Repubs' talk about the NY Times as being liberal just because they want everyone to think that's what liberalism is. Wrong! Maybe the NYTimes has decided they'd like McCain to be in the White House. Any mention of drugs with a black candidate is an attack piece, no doubt about it. Hillary and her insider Democratic party minions should clam up about Obama's drug use. It's not going to drive any Democratic voters to Hilary, is it? It may cause some Repubs to vote for McCain though.Isn't fascinating the way Bush didn't deny drug use, he basically pleaded guilty, yet it received almost no media coverage? We're going to see Obama's drug use as a recurring theme, just wait till he wins the nomination, the Republicans will come after him and take no prisoners. I'm only sorry he can't step up to the plate. We see again and again that 70+% of Americans believe MJ should be decriminalized, why not take a stand and say you're in favor? Why not show some cajones? It's worked for him so far.btw, isn't it interesting that Chelsea Clinton works for a hedge fund in Manhattan?  I'll take a wild guess that no one in Obama's family has ever worked for a hedge fund. This election is a struggle for the life of the Democratic Party - do they still exist as a separate entity from the Republicans?  Hillary is a Republican in sheep's clothing.  If the Progressives in the party are not able to stop her from winning the nomination, they are gone for good. McCain will come in, and when he's dohe Huckabee (his VP) will run as in incumbent, and I'll move to Canada.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on February 09, 2008 at 10:39:40 PT

How Much Reefer Did Barack Obama Toke?
Saturday, February 9, 2008 URL: http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2008/02/how_much_reefer_did_barack_obama_toke/
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Comment #7 posted by Sam Adams on February 09, 2008 at 10:38:59 PT

Hillary
Of course, as President of Young Republicans at Wellesley, Hillary was already well aware of keeping up appearances. I"m sure that's why she preferred brownies, no smoke, no muss, no fuss, no one sees you smoking.I mean, look at her husband, according to him he took the joint just to look cool and then didn't inhale on purpose.  Look at how they live their lives! Bill wouldn't even commit to having a real affair with his intern, he was still checking the polls & bailing at the end - pulling away before actually fulfilling the act of having sex by climaxing.Give me someone of substance! One of the only people I've ever seen with some backbone is Ricky Williams the NFL running back. He never said, "I was wrong, I didn't inhale, it was wrong, I only did it once, it was secondhand smoke, I won't answer questions on it" etc. He said I did it as part of my rastafarian beliefs and lifestyle, so there. And then he had to go play in the CFL because Canadians aren't as obsessed with the hypocrisy.
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on February 09, 2008 at 10:15:22 PT

runruff
It's interesting that the NYT did this article on a voting day. They endorsed Clinton.
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Comment #5 posted by Runruff on February 09, 2008 at 10:13:17 PT:

I hate bullies and hypocrites!
You know when you consider all of the republicans who have admitted to using drugs in their youth. If you read the history of the immense amount of cocaine that was brought in to the United States by the CIA through Mena, Arkansas under the guidance and protection of George Bush senior and then governor Bill Clinton.
I don't believe the stories about George W. Bush using drugs are rumors. I believe they are absolutely true. The Bush family is famous for viciously attacking people were telling the truth about them.
People who went to college with Laura Bush claim her nickname was the $10.00 bag lady. Apparently she picked up her extra cash on the side selling $10.00 bags of marijuana.
A friend of George W. Bush who was in the National Guard with him said, that that two of them used to snort cocaine off the wing of the airplane.Friends of Hillary Clinton who went to college with Hillary said that she loved eating brownies laced with hashish.So when I hear them attacking Mr. Obama for his casual use, experimentation, or whatever you want call it, it just irks me. What a bunch of scheming hypocrites.

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Comment #4 posted by FoM on February 09, 2008 at 09:09:15 PT

fight_4_freedom 
I agree with you. 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 09, 2008 at 09:08:32 PT

Related Article About Senator Obama
Unexpected Turn in The Story of Obama’s Teenaged Drug Use February 9th, 2008URL: http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/14526.html
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Comment #2 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 09, 2008 at 09:04:09 PT:

I totally agree FoM
And I understand that as much as I want him to come out in favor of decriminalization, now would not be a good time to do it.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 09, 2008 at 08:59:14 PT

A Comment About The Article
I believe that a person who has had past drug experiences will see the drug issue differently then a person who has never experienced illegal drugs. They know that prison won't stop drug use. 
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