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?Protecting? the public from drugs
Montana Standard ^

Posted on 01/02/2004 10:07:44 AM PST by Fred Kevlin

December is the season for giving, and no one gives more generous gifts than the U.S. Congress. Of course, Congress has the advantage of doing its last-minute holiday shopping at someone else’s expense, namely yours and mine.

For example, on Dec. 8, the House of Representatives passed a bill that gives the White House drug czar’s office $145,000,000 of taxpayer money to run anti-marijuana propaganda ads. My personal favorite in this genre is a television ad in which police rough up a high school student when arresting him in the school’s marijuana-smoke-filled bathroom. This is followed by a caption reading, “Marijuana: Harmless? Think again.” (And no, I did not make that up).

Yet this bill contains something far more obnoxious than pots of money for another round of clueless anti-marijuana propaganda. A section of the bill prohibits any local transit system that receives federal funding from running privately funded ads that call for marijuana policy reform.

In other words, at the same time that the federal government is forcing you to spend your money to publicize its willingness to engage in storm trooper tactics to persecute the tens of millions Americans who smoke or have smoked marijuana, it is trying to prohibit you from having the freedom to spend your money to protest these same tactics.

If this bill becomes law, it will be illegal to buy advertising space on a city bus or in a subway station, advocating that doctors be given the right to prescribe marijuana as a painkiller for their terminally ill patients.

Two words that are thrown around far too loosely in political debate are “fascism” and “unconstitutional.” Nevertheless, this sort of thing has a distinctly fascist tinge. And if the First Amendment means anything, it ought to mean that the government cannot take away the right of citizens to engage in public political protest.

Anyone who has doubts that the drug war is wrong ought to consider what it tells us when our federal government tries to make it illegal to protest that war. Fence sitters might also want to view a the video from the surveillance tape at a Goose Creek, S.C., high school, which on Nov. 5 was raided by police looking for drugs. (A photo from the tape can be viewed at www.mpp.org).

After a search, the police found no drugs, but they did terrorize more than 100 students (two-thirds of whom were black, even though less than 25 percent of the school’s student body is black). With guns pointed at their heads, students were handcuffed and forced to lie on the floor.

One student said he assumed the police “were trying to protect us, that it was like Columbine, that somebody got in the school that was crazy or dangerous. But then a police officer pointed a gun at me. It was really scary.”

What’s really scary is that incidents such as this seem to stir so little outrage. What level of government persecution will put a dent in public apathy about the madness that is the war on drugs?

If the police at the Goose Creek high school had inadvertently shot a student or two in their zealous search for marijuana cigarettes, would that be enough to distract people from holiday shopping and channel surfing? Or would such an incident be shrugged off as another regrettable accident of the sort that is inevitable in wartime? Take a look at that photograph, and consider: This is your government on drugs.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: doubtit; leroysthread; wod; wodlist
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To: jmc813; ellery; CWOJackson
An admitted troll? Where have I admitted such?

Any trollism here would be you, and your sad, tired attempt to drag the Constitution into legitimizing illegal drugs.

141 posted on 01/05/2004 7:09:42 AM PST by AxelPaulsenJr (Excellence In Posting Since 1999)
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To: Hemingway's Ghost
They go there on the weight of their own merit...which I am sure is very demoralizing for you. Good.
142 posted on 01/05/2004 11:28:50 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: jmc813
Seems like the owner of this forum isn't as wrapped up in this issue as a small handful of people are.
143 posted on 01/05/2004 11:29:59 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: AxelPaulsenJr
It must be very frustrating for them...they are so quick to lash out in their angst.
144 posted on 01/05/2004 11:30:47 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: CWOJackson
LOL, yup. JMC is just upset that his bud got detected and banned so quick.
145 posted on 01/05/2004 11:45:01 AM PST by AxelPaulsenJr (Excellence In Posting Since 1999)
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To: AxelPaulsenJr
Oh well, I guess they are right about one thing...when they say "we" are loosing the war on drugs they are speaking for themselves.

I'be always been amazed that so many people, who swear they don't use drugs and never would, can become so consumed over a single issue. Reminds me of Churchill's Battle of Britain quote...in a bastard sort of way.

"Never have so few..."

146 posted on 01/05/2004 11:54:06 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: CWOJackson
I had thought I would return to being a donor to the Freepathon ... like I used to be, but jake actions like celebrating the official law-enforcement distrust of fellow adult citizens, banning a legitimate poster, and the continued diminishing of the ideals of Liberty -- condoned and encouraged by the moderators and proprieters of this forum have paused my hands.

The day YOU are banned, sir, is the day I will consider once again donating.

147 posted on 01/05/2004 11:54:30 AM PST by bvw
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To: bvw
Can you sing "Cry Me A River" next?
148 posted on 01/05/2004 11:55:38 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: All
I'd love to hang around longer but all this depression is too hard to observe. Have a nice drug free day. Later.
149 posted on 01/05/2004 11:58:25 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: CWOJackson
Can you sing "Cry Me A River" next?

No, but I bet he can sing, I got plenty of nuthin'.

Say did you see the reference to Soros on his or her fr home page?

150 posted on 01/05/2004 12:14:40 PM PST by AxelPaulsenJr (Excellence In Posting Since 1999)
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To: AxelPaulsenJr; jmc813; CWOJackson
What's the point of attacking each others' supposed motives in this discussion? It always turns into the well-worn FR WOD thread "doper-statist" insult exchange. AP, do you believe all aspects of the WOD are unquestionably Constitutional? If not, do you believe one can oppose the unConstitutional elements without promoting drug abuse?

On a separate issue, what does everyone think of this hypothesis: the desire for intoxication seems to be innate in humans -- it's found in large segments of most human societies in history. This desire can both provide benefits or it can kill you. Thoughts?
151 posted on 01/05/2004 4:01:21 PM PST by ellery
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To: AxelPaulsenJr
Is this from you jmc? About me? I thought you liked me

I do like you. You're in my top 10 "FReeper friends". However, you and the Chief have both admitted to showing up on the drug threads for your own amusement and not to contribute to the debate. That doesn't mean that y'all are both useless. Jackson is very knowledgable on military threads, and I enjoy discussing certain shows with you. I just have issues with you guys on the drug threads, that's all.

152 posted on 01/05/2004 6:04:17 PM PST by jmc813 (Help save a life - www.marrow.org)
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To: CWOJackson
...they are so quick to lash out in their angst.

I hooked up with a college chick on New Year's Eve. Angst is at an all time low for me.

153 posted on 01/05/2004 6:05:45 PM PST by jmc813 (Help save a life - www.marrow.org)
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To: AxelPaulsenJr
JMC is just upset that his bud got detected and banned so quick.

Not really. It's been how long now? 3 months? I'm over it.

154 posted on 01/05/2004 6:07:19 PM PST by jmc813 (Help save a life - www.marrow.org)
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To: CWOJackson
They go there on the weight of their own merit...which I am sure is very demoralizing for you. Good.

You're an excellent troll---you should be quite proud of yourself. You manage to souse up every W.o.D. thread you can find---your sole interest in this area is to see that every W.o.D. thread finds its way to the Smokey Backroom, where it's effectively killed. Every single time you show up on one of these threads, it's only a matter of time until it gets sent to the Smokey Backroom. You've obviously got the ear of an Admin Moderator or you are one yourself.

Honestly, be proud of your accomplishments. You're providing a vital cheerleading service to your party. You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about with regards to this particular issue, but nevertheless, you're providing a valuable "legbreaking" service for the GOP.

155 posted on 01/06/2004 5:34:12 AM PST by Hemingway's Ghost
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To: Hemingway's Ghost; CWOJackson
You've obviously got the ear of an Admin Moderator or you are one yourself.

I can say with reasonable confidence that Jackson does not have any kind of special stroke around here. Otherwise his buddy Palpatine would be back by now.

156 posted on 01/06/2004 5:48:50 AM PST by jmc813 (Help save a life - www.marrow.org)
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To: jmc813
You may very well be right, but the pattern is there: W.o.D. thread, Jackson trolls up, thread gets Smokey Backroomed. Like clockwork.
157 posted on 01/06/2004 5:53:54 AM PST by Hemingway's Ghost
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To: Hemingway's Ghost
My sister-in-law has a little child like you...constantly whinning how life isn't fair and creating new excuses to cover up for his faults.

I'm flattered that you and your buddies think I'm so all powerful that I am the reason your threads end up here and that "you are" loosing your war on the WOD. Thanks.

158 posted on 01/06/2004 12:10:06 PM PST by CWOJackson
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To: jmc813
Hey, don't rain on my power trip...I'm due all the credit for these threads ending up back here. Even all those that I don't post on...I channel my objections to a mod and whoosh...back to the smokey backroom.
159 posted on 01/06/2004 12:11:19 PM PST by CWOJackson
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To: jmc813
Otherwise his buddy Palpatine would be back by now.

I don't think there are very many of us that were sorry to see "Palp" leave us (who knows, he may already be back).

160 posted on 01/06/2004 1:18:14 PM PST by Hacksaw (theocratic Confederate flag waving loyalty oath supporter)
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