cannabisnews.com: Libertarians Say Governor Is Their Guy 





Libertarians Say Governor Is Their Guy 
Posted by FoM on October 02, 1999 at 15:36:17 PT
By Mark Oswald, The New Mexican 
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican 
Some members of the Libertarian Party want Gov. Gary Johnson to join their party - and run for president on the Libertarian ticket.
Joe Knight of Farmington, state chairman of the Libertarian Party, said Friday that there are party members who are "quite serious" about mounting an effort to draft Johnson as a Libertarian candidate for president for the 2000 election."And I've been encouraging them," Knight said, although as state party chairman he must remain officially neutral."It's a chance for the Libertarian Party to have a Jesse Ventura of our own, and we're quite excited about it," Knight said, referring to Minnesota's ex-wrestler governor who is a member of the Reform Party.Since June, Johnson has undertaken a crusade to soften the nation's drug laws, saying the get-tough war on drugs has failed. This week, he came out in favor of legalizing marijuana, heroin and possibly other drugs.Johnson's controversial drug stance has drawn fire from most leaders of his own Republican Party in New Mexico, including Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici and state Senate Republican leader Skip Vernon of Albuquerque.Knight said he plans to write a letter to Johnson asking the governor "to come home to his philosophical base" by leaving the Republican Party and joining the Libertarians. "They think he's an embarrassment," Knight said. "We're cheering him."Johnson was unavailable for comment. He has said many times that he will never run for elected office again. His second four-year gubernatorial term concludes at the end of 2002.Knight said he has "not talked to (Johnson) personally" about switching parties or running for national office as a Libertarian. Bruce Bush of Albuquerque, a member of the Libertarian Party's state central committee and a one-time Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate, said a formal announcement of the "Draft Johnson for President Campaign" could come next week.On the drug issue, Bush said, Johnson "wants to try for what I call true freedom, and what he calls the Big Enchilada." He said he was among supporters of Johnson's drug stance who met with the governor last week. Knight said Libertarian state party chairmen from other states have contacted him about Johnson and also are interested in trying to persuade Johnson to run for president. "They've just been expressing interest, looking for information," Knight said.The New Mexican - 10/2/1999© The Santa Fe New Mexican 1999 The Libertarian Partyhttp://www.lp.org/Governor Gary Johnson's Home Pagehttp://www.governor.state.nm.us/Drug Czar Criticizes Governor Johnson - 10/02/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3115.shtmlDrug Chief Gives Cato Conference a Boost - 9/27/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3046.shtmlFederal Drug Czar Urges Johnson Policy Change - 9/23/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2986.shtmlGovernor Support Legalization of Heroin, Marijuana - 9/29/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3073.shtmlBeyond Prohibition - CATO Institutehttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3043.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by kaptinemo on October 03, 1999 at 10:01:07 PT
"But you're wasting your vote..." 
Having been a Libertarian since 1980, I can tell you that the problem is not that third parties lack innovative and important ideas... on the contrary. The problem has been the perception by many that a vote for a third party is a 'waste' of a vote.Whenever anyone tells me that, I just ask them: "Has Congress or the President done all the things they have promised to do in their campaigns? How many times have they gotten into office, and then voted for something they said they wouldn't? How many times have they made a public statement favoring reforms and then reneged on them? How many times does it devolve into "the Good 'Ol Boys" network, and screw the constituents? How much of the legislation they propose comes not from their districts but from special interests? If they do that to you after all the promises they made to you, then who wasted whose vote?Even more important: if you *keep* voting these kinds of people in, who turn around and then urinate in your face and dare to call it rain, then whose fault is it? Me, wasting my vote? Nope.Adherents to the DemoPublican party have wasted their vote for decades. And look at the mess we're in because of it.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on October 02, 1999 at 19:10:09 PT:
Thanks Again!
Thanks Dr. Ganj!You once again wrote exactly what I needed to sort out my feelings about this complicated drug issue. You made me see that we can not expect a perfect system just a more humane one. That's what I got from what you said and it settled my thoughts on this subject.Thanks Again, FoM!
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Comment #1 posted by Dr. Ganj on October 02, 1999 at 17:46:03 PT
A new start
We've learned trying to jail everyone for using some drugs doesn't work. (Trust me, I know first hand)Now, what's the worst that could happen if we used all those billions for education, treatment, and the implementation of legal dispensaries of most schedule I drugs? I'll wager not as much damage that is already happening. Sure, it won't be a perfect system, but that's the real world. As it stands now, I can go get some coke, or heroin probably within one hour. However, I have chosen not to, as I have weighed the pros verses the cons, and I'll stick to having a beer instead.The point being, just because we decriminalize drugs doesn't mean this nation is going to be awash with druggards and addicts. It means our prisons will finally have space to house criminals that deserve to be there. Snorting coke, or smoking marijuana should not be a crime, unless people are directly affected. Meaning, if one is thoroughly intoxicated(on drugs), and is driving a motor vehicle, (that is affecting the public) should be treated as a criminal act. We are, as a society, starting to realize we can't stop drug usage. It just can't be done. Hey, there are drugs in prison, what's that tell us!The real problem isn't cocaine, or marijuana being a problem to society, it's the gigantic amount of money that is being made by keeping them illegal. Remember folks, we're talking about 17 billion dollars a year in this fabricated drug war. That's a big, ugly machine that needs to keep going.The only way to slay this monster is by doing what we're doing. Medical marijuana initiatives are the biggest swords we have, and as more states pass their laws, the beast is going to die.This has been the most insidious monster our country has seen, because it appears it does good, when in absolute fact, it has caused way too much evil, and it's been long overdue to finally stop the madness.Dr. Ganj 
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
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