cannabisnews.com: Freedom Evolves in Surprising Ways Freedom Evolves in Surprising Ways Posted by CN Staff on November 21, 2003 at 15:19:17 PT By Steve Chapman Source: Chicago Tribune It's been a good week for tolerance. California inaugurated a governor who once appeared in a documentary film smoking marijuana--and he's a Republican. A ban on same-sex marriage was struck down by the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, a state founded by Puritans. And the Victoria's Secret models exhibited skimpy lingerie and much else on prime-time broadcast TV, in front of God and everybody. America is one of the most religious countries in the industrialized world. But in recent years, we've established that faith and sin can coexist quite comfortably. It used to be said that Oklahomans would vote against alcohol as long as they could stagger to the polls. Today, in most places, it's just the reverse: Even the sober and straitlaced generally prefer to live and let live.In almost every sphere, Americans have decided that vice is nice, or at least a long way from evil. In the 1960s, nearly every state treated possession of marijuana as a felony. Today, none does, and a dozen states have decriminalized small amounts of cannabis, punishing users roughly the way they punish traffic violators. No fewer than 36 have passed measures endorsing its use for medical purposes.Californians apparently don't care that Arnold Schwarzenegger smoked pot in his younger days, even after they got to see clips of him puffing away. The indifference extends to higher offices. Recently, during a Democratic presidential debate, three of the candidates admitted having smoked the stuff, and no one even noticed.Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, however, made a newsworthy confession. "I have a reputation for giving unpopular answers at Democratic debates," he said. "I never used marijuana. Sorry." But why should Democrats mind a little pot when Republicans have a president who refused to deny that he ever used cocaine?When John Adams wrote the Massachusetts Constitution, which historian David McCullough says is "the oldest functioning written constitution in the world," he couldn't have dreamed it would someday be interpreted to sanction homosexual partnerships. At the time, Massachusetts made sodomy punishable by death. These days, however, not much is banned in Boston, or most other venues.As of 1960, all 50 states prohibited sodomy. Illinois was the first to repeal its ban, in 1960, and by 1986, only 24 states still had such laws. By this past summer, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional, the number was down to 13, and prosecutions were practically unheard of.When the court announced its verdict, Justice Antonin Scalia issued a blistering dissent, predicting that it would bring on "a massive disruption of the social order." In fact, it reflected the massive changes that have already taken place.Scalia feared the decision would lead to gay marriage, but the Massachusetts decision was in the works even before, and it was based on the state constitution, not any federal guarantees. The idea of gay marriage has gained a measure of popular acceptance because gays have gained so much popular acceptance.Something has changed when every Democrat running for president endorses legal recognition for same-sex couples--an idea that would have been seen as insanely radical a decade ago.Americans have come to regard sexual matters as beyond the rightful reach of government control. There is a now a billboard of half-naked porn star Jenna Jameson in Times Square--not the old, disreputable Times Square, but the modern, family-oriented one. How scandalous is that? One tourist approached by a New York Daily News reporter confided, "I'm from Michigan, and I didn't even notice her."Baring flesh just doesn't get you noticed the way it used to. "The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show," which virtually erases the line between lingerie ads and soft-core porn, was something of a disappointment last year for attracting only 10.5 million TV viewers. Teenage boys may have trouble believing that until 1987, the broadcast networks didn't allow live models on commercials for undergarments. Bras had to be displayed on mannequins.The proliferation of racy fare on mainstream television must shock moralistic conservatives like William Bennett, now that he's not distracted by his gambling habit. He was able to enjoy it thanks to the growing spirit of tolerance, which extends to casino gambling. Once an exotic activity allowed only in Nevada, it's now available in 11 states.On this and other activities once stigmatized as sinful, Americans are generally inclined to let freedom ring, even if they don't always like the results. John Adams and his fellow founders would be surprised, but when you decide to protect the pursuit of happiness, there's just no telling where it will lead.Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)Author: Steve ChapmanPublished: November 20, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Chicago Tribune CompanyContact: ctc-TribLetter Tribune.comWebsite: http://www.chicagotribune.com/CannabisNews Justice Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/justice.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #6 posted by Jose Melendez on November 23, 2003 at 06:00:00 PT Suprise! Religious Freedom " . . . the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion . . . "see:http://www.sunnetworks.net/~ggarman/tripoli.htmlhttp://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diplomacy/barbary/bar1796t.htmhttp://earlyamerica.com/review/summer97/secular.html Here's the Outrage! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Kegan on November 22, 2003 at 12:32:33 PT "Freedom" My ASS! Regarding Freedom,With the largest prison population in world history, a million of those inmates for simple possession of drugs not sanctioned by the government, with police raiding a school in Goose Creek with guns drawn, with the DEA raiding state-sanctioned medical marijuana gardens and throwing Tommy Chong in jail for selling glass, and with Ashcroft, Bush, and John (pee in the cup) Walters wiping their butts with your constitution, how can you say that the United States is the "Land Of The Free"? What a joke! The United States' current version of "Freedom", "tolerance", and "acceptance" is the scariest thing to happen since Hitler. Your country is heading for the biggest revolution since the Civil War. I hope you are ready to flee up here to Canada, where we know what tolerance REALLY is. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Jose Melendez on November 22, 2003 at 08:58:12 PT Freedom Evolves http://www.weedtalk.com/board/index.php?s=8964156a5a51e5969beea35907541097&showtopic=218 [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on November 22, 2003 at 08:28:22 PT That's what they want you to think, pal America is more tolerant today than ever? What's this guy been drinking? It's funny that he mentions the MJ laws, they did indeed improve after the 60's, but only up until about 1977, since then arrests have been skyrocketing.I love the quote about "not much is banned in Boston". Very interesting. I'm sure Massachusetts has its share of the 700,000+ arrests for marijuana. Smoking tobacco was recently banned in Massachusetts. Boston has steadily eradicated strip clubs since the 70's, now there are none in the city. Boston arrests women who take off their tops in the annual Gay/Lesbian pride parade, so nudity is verboten in the city. The DSS in Massachusetts will take away your family's kids just because you're poor. Several such foster kids have been killed by their foster parents in the last 10 years. There was a notable case in Mass. recently where the state was trying to jail a couple for home-schooling their children.Gambling is illegal in Boston. Prostitution is illegal in Boston. So providers & partakers of those services are forced to deal with criminals, or be exposed to violent crime without police protection. This is truly doublethink, telling us that tolerance and freedom is increasing when instead it's been in a complete freefall over the last 25 years. In many areas of the US, you can't even hang your laundry out in the backyard anymore, or put up a flagpole. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Virgil on November 21, 2003 at 16:30:28 PT Victory by lists For students and such there is a list of major reports here- http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/studies/majortoc1.htmNational Report on Ganja- August 7, 2001- http://www.stcl.edu/faculty_pages/faculty_folders/terrell/csa/jamacrpt.docCanadian Senate Report on Illegal Drugs- August 2002 - http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/rep-e/summary-e.pdfThe La Guardia Committee Report - 1944 - http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/lag/lagmenu.htmShafer Commission report known as The Report of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse - March, 1972- http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/nc/ncmenu.htmThe Le Dain Commission report known as The Report of the Canadian Government Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs - 1972 - http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/studies/ledain/ldctoc.htmlThe Wootton Report from the UK in 1968 - http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/wootton/wootmenu.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Virgil on November 21, 2003 at 15:43:42 PT Jamaica There is an article up here- http://www.marijuana.com/article.php?sid=7936&mode=nested&order=0 - talking about Jamaica and its report of August 7, 2001 That was the time that I began reading Cnews and the widespread use of ganja by the 3 million or so Jamaicans seemed like it would make the Jamaican government come to its senses. That report was called THE REPORT OF THE JAMAICAN NATIONAL COMMISSION ON GANJA.You can believe that the big factor that slowed everything down was the threat to cut US aid to what is a very poor country. The two biggest papers in Jamaica are the Gleanor and the Observer - http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20031121/index.html and http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/ Now do a search with the word "Ganja" and see how the articles all but ended once the report came out. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment