Posted on 07/25/2006 1:08:16 AM PDT by freepatriot32
Excuse me for a moment while I vent about the mind-boggling stupidity of the autocratic, bureaucratic, right-wing, Neanderthal numskulls who keep pushing an insane, inane, and inhumane holy war against marijuana – which is, after all, a weed.
The most embarrassing thing for these holy warriors is that the weed is winning! They've been at this war since 1937, spending billions and billions of our tax dollars, militarizing our borders, and stomping on our Bill of Rights. They've used phone taps, garbage searches, jackbooted raids, and draconian prison terms to ... well, to do what? To nab peaceful, mellow tokers who aren't bothering anyone, that's what.
Despite 60 years of spending our money, they've failed: 85% of Americans say marijuana is easy to obtain today, a third of our population says they've tried it, nearly 15 million people partake of it at least monthly – and more high school students now smoke marijuana than cigarettes!
Meanwhile, the holy warriors have become more fanatical and thuggish than ever. A marijuana arrest is made every 41 seconds in America – nine out of 10 of them for mere possession. In 2004, 772,000 Americans were arrested on marijuana charges – more than for all violent crimes combined.
Even sicker, the sanctimonious weed warriors have made it a crime for thousands of seriously sick people to get the medical benefits of using small amounts of doctor-prescribed marijuana. Weirdly, our doctors can prescribe cocaine for patients – but not marijuana. Worse, drug thugs from the DEA and FBI bust down the doors of these patients, seize their dosages ... and haul them to jail.
For information and action to stop this absurd war, call the Marijuana Policy Project: 202/462-5747.
I am someone who suffers from a painful and debilitating disease for which there is no known cause, and no known cure. I am tortured by my symptoms 24/7. My disease has stolen from me my life, independence, my career, my friends, my home, and is a daily threat to my relationship with my family. My medications are about 25% effective in masking the symptoms, have bad side effects, and since I am temporarily forced to be on Medicaid, are costing taxpayers approximately $700 - $1000 per month, compared with marijuana, 100% effective in completely relieving the symptoms. If marijuana were legal, I would, again, be able to function, return to work and live a normal life.
Just something to think about for those who oppose the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
But for the grace of God.....
It's easier and cheaper today than ever before. Good stuff too.
Laws restricting certain public behaviors are perfectly congruent with classic liberal political theory. I believe the philosophy that "laws should only constrain acts that harm another" is an overstatement of a basic principle, and should not be used as a practical basis for crafting law.
And you don't even seem to be a hippie.
Seriously, I've had persons in my family that have been in extreme pain due to different conditions. Some were put on Morphine and some were allowed medicinal marijuana. The morhine users were basically numbed out of their minds, and had little quality time with the family in their final days. The one who were prescribed marijuana, were alert, and able to communicate and also dealt with their pain.
There's a reason they call it "DOPE" . . . nm
Classic liberal political theory? Where did that come from?
Stay with me here. We're talking about Libertarianism. Not classic(al) liberalism. When it comes to "victimless crimes" the two are different.
The Libertarian conception of justice says that individuals have rights not to be harmed in certain ways (force, theft, fraud) by others, and rights to live as they choose so long as they do not harm others in these certain ways.
Third request. How does your Libertarian justify a law agaist such behavior?
LOL, hippies were my older sister's thing. I believe she still considers me to be Ms. Perfectly Goodytwoshoes, knowing I'd rather die (no pun intended) than take the risk of doing something illegal. I have three (young) adult sons who beg me to use and offer to get it. I beg them not to break the law, but continue to refuse my doctors' offers of the addictive legal stuff, oxycotin and morphine, for the reasons you've stated.
In my next life, I think I'll ask to be a hippie ;)
You'll have to ask a party member, my friend. I'm not a member of the LP.
But, it is true. There have been at least 2 studies that show the same thing. Stoned people tend to drive slowly in the right hand lane. Yes, they are impaired....but they negate their slowed reaction time by driving more slowly and carefully.
I didn't DO the studies, I just read about them. One was done in England. I don't recall who did the second one.
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Would said Libertarian be able to explain how that behavior harms another? Unless you're arguing that laws may be passed against behavior that merely offends another? -75-
Public displays of offensive behaviors are harmful as they lead to breaches of peace.
The Libertarian conception of justice says that individuals have rights not to be harmed in certain ways (force, theft, fraud) by others, and rights to live as they choose so long as they do not harm others in these certain ways.
A public display of masturbation offends others, leading to breaches of the peace, -- thus, the masturbators behavior may be restrained using due process of law.
Third request. How does your Libertarian justify a law agaist such behavior?
Because paulsen, if you were to persist in such behavior, in public, someone will come along and use 'undue' force, leaving you with a bloody stump. -- We libertarians don't think that's the right way to resolve the issue.
Heh heh heh.
I'm still emotionally disturbed over the whackin' it in public imagery.
Bobby isn't disturbed at all to be rationalizing such behaviors. -- Were you there on the thread where he was making this same type of argument about 'flashing' young girls on the subway?
Bizarre.
I believe I was, but I didn't contribute because it got into the truly zany.
Good one! Took me a while to get used to down in the BVI this summer too!!!
Then, with all due respect, perhaps you shouldn't speak so authoritatively as to what a Libertarian would argue in a given situation.
Keep up the fight. It's never easy, but just try to stay ahead of it.
True. Then punish the breach of the peace (assuming, of course, that others are harmed). Certainly you're not suggesting that we're justified in writing laws against any "offensive behavior" that may result in some breach of the peace.
Then robbie, seeing you have no due respect for libertarians, perhaps you shouldn't speak so authoritatively as to what they would argue in a given situation.
Who made you an expert?
Likewise. With all due respect, my friend.
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