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| Move To Penalize Drug Views Amounts To Censorship |
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Posted by CN Staff on April 29, 2004 at 08:12:06 PT By Bill Piper, Special To The AJC Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution 
In building his case for liberating Iraq, President Bush told Congress and the American people, "America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: the rule of law, limits on the power of the state, respect for women, private property, free speech, equal justice and religious tolerance."These principles continue to comfort and motivate both our soldiers making the ultimate sacrifice for America and the Iraqi people struggling to build a free society of their own. Yet, at the very time our soldiers are risking their lives to bring democracy to Iraq, certain members of Congress are undermining it at home. This year, U.S. Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.) slipped a provision into a federal spending bill that takes transportation grants away from any city that displays ads on its buses and subways from groups advocating "the legalization or medical use of" marijuana. The provision is already having a chilling effect on free speech. Afraid of losing at least $85 million in transportation funding, the Washington transportation authority rejected an advertisement this year submitted by a coalition of drug policy reform groups. The ad shows a group of ordinary people standing behind prison bars under the headline, "Marijuana Laws Waste Billions of Taxpayer Dollars to Lock Up Non-Violent Americans." The goal of the Istook Amendment is to prevent residents from educating their neighbors on why we need to reform our nation's marijuana laws. Of course, it won't be long before other members of Congress try to censor viewpoints they disagree with. Abortion-rights groups could lobby Congress to ban anti-abortion ads and vice versa. This is censorship, plain and simple. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/views.htm Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA) Related Articles & Web Sites: MPP: http://www.mpp.org/ Challenge To Metro Ad Curb Argued Federal Judge Hears Arguments Over Pot Ads Istook's Illegal Amendment Suit Targets Ban on Pro-Pot Ads Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #2 posted by The GCW on April 29, 2004 at 19:42:34 PT |
| President Bush told Congress, "America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: ... equal justice and religious tolerance." Cannabis is part of many peoples religious spitual belief. Yet unless I'm mistaken, Bush wants to cage those people for using that cannabis in their religion. That's not "religious tolerance." The Green Collar Worker [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by Ron Bennett on April 29, 2004 at 10:00:21 PT |
| The drug war is built on half-truths and outright lies so it's no wonder the U.S. government want to suppress such ads. It's telling that the U.S. government isn't challenging the actual content of the ads, but rather merely wants the ads outright censored. Afraid of the truth are they... The U.S. government is grasping at straws...it's only a matter of time before the drug war as we know it ends. Ron [ Post Comment ] |
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