USA - US pResidents Read!!! Do It!!

[Heretic.Ape.]

There is an important vote in drug policy reform coming up next week.
The following is from an email I recieved from stopthedrugwar.org:

Since medical marijuana initiatives were first passed over ten years ago, the DEA has conducted raids against medical marijuana clinics in California, recently with increasing frequency, forcing hundreds if not thousands of patients to procure marijuana in the black market instead. In a ruling issued on June 6, 2005, the US Supreme Court upheld the government's power to do this.
While this didn't change anything -- state laws protecting medical marijuana patients and their providers still are binding upon state and local law enforcement authorities -- it was a missed opportunity for the Court to rein in federal overreaching and help some of our society's most vulnerable members.
Fortunately, Congress will have a chance next week to set things right. The Hinchey amendment, to be considered during the debate on the Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations bill, would prohibit the federal government from arresting, raiding or prosecuting patients who are abiding by state medical marijuana laws.
Your help is needed to get it passed, and there won't be another chance until next year at the earliest. Please visit http://stopthedrugwar.org/medicalmarijuana/ to send an e-mail to your US Representative asking him or her to vote YES on the Hinchey medical marijuana amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill. When you are done, please call your Rep. on the phone as well to make even greater impact -- call the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected, or use our lookup tool at http://stopthedrugwar.org/lookup.html to get the direct number.
TALKING POINTS FOR YOUR PHONE CALL OR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

• The Hinchey Amendment, which will come up during debate on the House Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations bill this month, would forbid the Dept. of Justice from using funds to undermine state medical marijuana laws.
• More than three out of four Americans think medical use of marijuana should be legal, according to polls, and twelve states -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Washington -- have all enacted medical marijuana laws in recent years.
• Despite such strong support, the federal government continues to block even research to determine marijuana's medical benefits. Yet the 1999 Institute of Medicine report determined that marijuana does have medical benefit.
• Medical organizations such as the American Nurses Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians support legal access to medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation.
• Blocking patients from receiving needed medicine -- threatening them with arrest, prosecution and incarceration -- is senseless and cruel.
• Congress should respect state's rights and not used armed federal agents to threaten patients and providers who are in compliance with state law.

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Get ahold of your congressman, etc and let's get this shit taken care of.
h.a.

Reputation Comments on this post:

excellent suggestion

[Police Officer]

Excellent post. I dont think I have read one quite this good in quite a while. Someone has a specific complaint with a specific law. Contained is a way to help to change the law. If you dont like the law, change it. Dont break the law, change it. Nice one Heretic.

Reputation Comments on this post:

good reply

[Felonious Skunk]

Originally Posted by Police Officer

...Someone has a specific complaint with a specific law. Contained is a way to help to change the law. If you dont like the law, change it...

Bah. Revolution would be quicker.

But seriously, you're right. I think I'll send some emails to a few of these characters. I am, of course, under no illusion that they will be read by either the congressmen or their lackeys.

But, symbolically at least, my grumbling will be slightly less hypocritical. We'll see how it goes and if Hinchey doesn't fly, we can start sharpening the pitchforks and boiling the oil...

Originally Posted by Police Officer

...Dont break the law, change it...

Keep in mind that the medical marijuana issue would not even exist if everyone had been good little boys and girls and done everything that Daddy Government told them to do. Civil disobedience is a major precursor to both legal change and revolution.

Lest you think revolution is an intrinsically bad thing, the American Revolution is what begat this country. Its fomenters were lawbreakers first, revolutionaries second, and lastly Founding Fathers. They would have gotten nowhere with 18th-century versions of email and phone calls.

The issue goes far beyond a "right to party" or medicate oneself. If it's true that 3/4 of Americans support access to medical marijuana and states have enacted legislation reflecting that, a government that deploys heavily-armed goon squads to subvert the will of its citizens has become truly fascist.

Aw shit, you've got me spelling Amerika with a "c" again, and someone's set my chair on fire...

Reputation Comments on this post:

let the revolution grow

[Heretic.Ape.]

The week is upon us. I hope those of you who have read this took the mere minutes to try to actually have a positive impact on the policies and take away some of the fascist powers of the DEA, returning some bit of power to the original notion of a republic this country was founded on (supposedly). I hope as I make this addition more people will see and act. Remember: belief without action is nothing, not even true belief. Speaking about change and refusing to take part in that change is hypocrisy. If that sounds inflammatory it is; just trying to light a fire under some asses .
h.a.

[jcdjinn]

What are others' thoughts about the possible legalization of marijuana in the near future? I think once the older generation which has been indoctrinated with propoganda dies off and there isn't a conservative running the country, it may become legal within a decade or two. Anyone else think that's a realistic possibility?

[Heretic.Ape.]

Hard to say. Atitides and policies regarding marijauna have fluctuated so much over the past few decades. So many times it's been *so close* to being legal, only for some politico to see gettin "tough on drugs" as an opportunity get good with his christian base, to look like a crime fighter (since drug law is pretty much the only arena that feds get the opportunity to do this), etc. Ever since Arslinger there have been negative propaganda that completely turns a blind eye on research concluding marijuana to be safe as well as the many times committees of various stripes have recommended legalization. The war on drugs is a valuable tool to the feds, I doubt they would let any part of it go without considerable resistance.

[Heretic.Ape.]

This issue has not yet reached it's moment for the vote, sooooo
YOU CAN STILL CALL YOUR CONGRESS REPRESENTATIVE
It is expected to go through by wedensday, so if you haven't already, call now. Here's a blurb from a DPA announcement:

Please urge your U.S. Representative to support the Hinchey medical marijuana amendment to the "CJS" spending bill by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Congress will vote on an amendment this week (as early as Wednesday) that would protect Angel Raich, Valerie Corral and other patients with cancer, AIDS and other diseases who use marijuana for medical reasons. Make sure your Representative votes to protect patients from federal prosecution: call him or her as soon as possible, and forward this alert to everyone you know. (You can check out our website to make sure Congress hasn't voted on the amendment before you call).

What to Do: Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to speak to your U.S. Representative. If you're not sure who represents you, the operator can tell you. You can also look up your Representative at http://www.house.gov by entering your zip code at the top of the page.

What to Say: Once the operator transfers you to your Representative's office, give the person who answers the following message:

"Hi, I'm a constituent. I'm calling to urge my Representative to vote for the Hinchey medical marijuana amendment to the Commerce-Justice-Science (“CJS”) spending bill, which will be voted on this week. This issue is very important to me."

(Hinchey is pronounced Hinchee.)

Then forward this alert to friends and family.

[Heretic.Ape.]

Just thought I'd let you all know, predictably, congress voted against patients rights and decided to give the DEA fascists the right to trump state decisions. On the positive note, the vote for the measure was higher than last year (slightly) with 65% of voting democrats in favor and 8% of voting republikkkans.
It's good to know that the people representing the states at the federal level are predominantly for giving up states rights in favor of federal rule (anyone smell hypocrisy from republikkan "no federal intererance" rhetoric?).
God bless Amerikkka and may the empire keep us all safe from ourselves.

[Nacumen]

I read/listen to 3 mainstream media outlets (NPR, Washington Post, NY Times) and none of them mentioned a word about any of this.

We've a long way to go...

[Felonious Skunk]

Well I sent those emails, the federal goons are still chaining people in wheelchairs to fire hydrants, and the next time I go to get on a plane I'll probably find out I've been put on some narco-terrorist list for my trouble.

Porky, help me out here, bubba. I'm...uh...SWIM's gonna have to cook up some alternate ID...

[Police Officer]

Originally Posted by Felonious Skunk

Porky, help me out here, bubba. I'm...uh...SWIM's gonna have to cook up some alternate ID...

I would try something original, like John Smith. Or something like Pablo Smith, or John Escobar might work.

[Felonious Skunk]

Funny you should mention Escobar. My pal from Colombia has that name, which is apparently a common one in that country. But when he travels internationally, the shit he deals with is not to be believed.

But for me, the name doesn't matter. It's the face that always attracts trouble...

Well I tried. Time to start La Revolucion.