cannabisnews.com: How Do We Get Politicians to Act Rationally?










  How Do We Get Politicians to Act Rationally?

Posted by CN Staff on February 15, 2004 at 14:01:27 PT
By Robert Deitch 
Source: Big Left Outside 

Let me start by saying that I have been studying this issue for about 35 years and have recently had a book on the subject published. Its title is "Hemp - American History Revisited," and it speaks to the relationship America has always had with Cannabis - both as a raw material and as an intoxicant. I'm sure most of you will be surprise to learn that the fundamental reason the British colonized America was to secure a large land mass on which to grow hemp, hemp they needed to feed their domestic hemp-based industries - particularly textiles (linen, made from hemp). 
Colonial Americans were basically hemp farmers, and our domestic uses of hemp (textiles, ship building, and paper) is what created prosperity in America. No other agrarian society in the history of the world was as prosperous as colonial America, and that prosperity, not the search for religious freedom, is what spawned the rapid growth of America. It was all due to the amazing Cannabis plant - the most versatile and fastest growing plant on the planet.Those of us who started smoking marijuana in the 60s (the Hippie generation) learned long ago to only trust politicians with a track record of thinking, acting, and voting as you would if you were there. All other politicians need to prove themselves worthy of your trust or should be considered the enemy. The problem with politicians (worldwide) is that most, not all, seek power to serve their own interests rather than serving "the peoples" interests - it's an historic problem, a reality of life, and the nature of the beast. I know that sounds cynical, but its also reality. Even the most altruistic politicians are corruptible because money is a major a factor in politics, and politicians live by the credo that the first job of a politician is to get re-elected. Its not only money its political favors owed to colleagues for their vote on previous issues: it is who they're indebted to. All too often politicians find that by the time they get to a position where they can really make a difference they can't really do what they truly believe is the right thing to do, because the people they've taken money or favors from have conflicting interests. The marijuana issue is a perfect example. It is hard to believe that politicians really care about what intoxicants people use. But publicly taking that position will result in a wave of pressure from colleagues that are indebted to the special interests groups that want marijuana kept illegal. It is why so few congressional politicians have taken a rational principled stand on the marijuana issue, and its why most avoid it like the plague. Its rather easy to identify those indebted to the opposition, they usually refer to marijuana using umbrella words like "drugs" with the intent of vilifying it. It's an old and tired trick that fools no one.Unfortunately, I've come to the conclusion that it is going to take another devastating economic depression, the likes of the Great Depression of the 1930s, before our elected officials will come to their senses, as was the case with Alcohol Prohibition. While no one enjoys being the barer of bad news - and I can only hope that I am proven wrong, the ugly truth may well be that we are already on the brink of such a disaster, and still there is no sign of sanity in the nation's capital - at best they're doing little more than arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. They're still ignoring us. They think we're stupid and easily manipulated. But, I suggest that "the people" are not stupid and will not, much longer, continue to allow them selves to be victimized by this foolish war on drugs or the police state that it has created. And, the lines are hardening. Already, millions of people in eight states have demonstrated through the initiated process that they are determined to pass laws that force reform of America's insane drug laws. It has not gone un-noticed, and realizing public opinion has dramatically shifted politicians have toned down their tough on drugs rhetoric.I have painted this rather bleak picture so that ordinary Americans as well as our elected officials will understand that what is really at stake is the America we all claim to love.I remember when pro-marijuana activists were mocked for suggesting that legalizing marijuana would solve many of our problems, as if it were the solution to everything. Well, their not mocking us anymore because they know its basically true. The drug war, especially outlawing marijuana, is the root cause of most all our social, economic, and environmental problems. It exists for one reason and one reason only and that's greed. The greed of multi-national oil, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, liquor and tobacco companies, the forest industry, and cotton producers reluctance to compete fairly with Cannabis, which is cheap to produce and process into a wide variety of products that are better (by any standard), environmentally cleaner, last longer and cost less than the products these multi-national corporations are producing. Not only have these corporations used their wealth to influence politicians and public opinion in America, they've usurped the influence and prestige of the US government to promote and maintain Cannabis' illegal status around the world. That's about to change, and it's changing because social, economic, and environmental pressures are forcing a change..We know that virtually everything currently made from petroleum (oil) can be made from hemp - fuel, lubricants, plastics, even shampoo and toothpaste. In under five years we could forever end our dependency on foreign oil and stop the funneling of well over fifty billion dollars a year out of our economy. Seriously reducing our everyday use of dirty petroleum will do more to improve the environment than the EPA and all the environmental groups put together have ever done.John Kerry, in particular, speaks to the need to develop alternative energy resources to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. He talks about wind turbines, building biomass conversion plants - meaning turning organic matter (plants) into fuel and lubricants. He even talks about a Soy-based lubricant. What Kerry may or may not realize is that when he uses words like "biomass" and "alternative energy resources" his audience is thinking "hemp." Thanks to Jack Herer and other Cannabis researchers and activists, people, worldwide, already know that acre-for-acre and pound-for-pound hemp will yield more fuel (energy) than any other plant on the planet. Is Kerry subtlety telling us something? If so, why does he feel the need to be subtle?Hemp can provide all the paper products - ranging from soft facial tissue to super strength cardboard, we could ever use. Four times more per acre than from trees, and without the need for toxic Sulfuric Acid used to break down the wood fibers, which is used once and then dumped into our rivers and streams. Why are we wasting our dwindling forests resources on toilet paper, paper towels, and newspaper that have a life expectancy of under 24 hours? Saving all those trees would dramatically improve the quality of the air we breathe.Marijuana is medicine. It is estimated that 30% of FDA approved prescription drugs, which by the way kill about 100,000 Americans every year, and 70% of over-the-counter medicines and preparation, would be less effective than Cannabis-based medicine - and Cannabis is non-toxic and no one has ever died from using it. Instead of worrying about our kids smoking marijuana we should be worried about all the prescription drugs we're forcing down their throats. The truth is if marijuana was readily available, nobody would be using far more dangerous drugs like Prozac.The use of alcohol has dramatically declined over the last twenty years or so, except for young adults (college aged) who are binge drinking. Alcohol use is also responsible for the death of about 100,000 Americans every year. In contrast, I don't know of any regular marijuana users that are heavy drinkers. I also remember hearing a local news reporter interview a beer and liquor distributor who stated that he was able to tell by his weekly sales figures if marijuana was plentiful or scarce. Sagging liquor sales meant marijuana was readily available, indicating that people prefer marijuana, which is far less dangerous.Also, less than 25% of the people that smoke marijuana regularly also smoke tobacco. On average, marijuana users are very health conscious, perhaps more so then the population at large, and they're, generally, not overweight. Tobacco kills about 350,000 Americans every year. Smoking non-intoxicating and non-addictive hemp leaves for a couple of months instead of tobacco would probably be the most effective means of ending cigarette smokers' addiction to nicotine.Yes, the use of marijuana will substantially rise when legal, but the probability is that the use of the more dangerous drugs we are currently using will dramatically decline.Before the invention of the cotton gin less than 5% of the cloth produced was made from cotton. Hemp cloth (also known as "linen") was far more desirable - it was more comfortable to wear, it lasted longer, didn't tear as easy, and was warmer in winter and actually cooler in summer. Cotton became the standard fiber only because it was cheaper to produce, thanks to the cotton gin and slavery. Today, hemp cloth would actually be much cheaper to produce. Cotton's two 18th century advantages - slavery and the cotton gin, are no longer relevant. Slavery, of course, ended after the Civil War, and the introduction (early 20th century) of a machine known as the "decorticator" eliminated the advantage of the cotton gin. What make cotton less competitive is that it attracts insects and requires the constant use of expensive chemical pesticides (a petroleum product) that destroys and erodes the soil. Because cotton is the principle fiber used in clothing - literally 50% of the pesticides used in agriculture is used to produce cotton. Cannabis plants do not attract insects and do not require the use of pesticides. The cost of those pesticides is escalating because the cost of crude oil rising, and that is a major factor in the profitability of cotton farming, the cost of new clothing to urban Americans, and most definitely a determining factor in the economic stability of rural America.The cost of fighting the drug war is also a drag on the American economy and has been since its inception. Unlike a factory worker involved in the production of a product that is eventually sold at a profit, economically, the military, law enforcement, security guards provide an intangible product - safety, a deterrent to crime and property theft, it certainly has value but there is nothing actually produced or sold and no income is realized, those services are strictly an expense. Currently, the government (federal, state, and local) is spending in excess of a hundred billion dollars a year to fight the drug war, with absolutely no hope of ever winning. It wouldn't make the slightest difference if we spent a lot more or a lot less, its an unwinnable war - and the real casualties in this war are the middle-class taxpayers that bare most of the tax burden.Part of that burden is the cost of needlessly incarcerating over two million people in America, better than 60% of who have been convicted on non-violent drug related charges. And, because of the federal government's crackdown on the operators of marijuana clubs that provide medicine (marijuana) to relieve the pain and suffering of seriously ill or dying medical patients, many of those prison inmates are themselves medical marijuana patients. It is also worth noting that it was almost exclusively medical marijuana patients that wrote the initiative and organized the effort to get California's Proposition 215 on the ballot in 1996, the first of eight similar state laws initiated by Athe people  not the legislature.America's "war on drugs" has failed miserably to stop the flow of illegal drugs, as did Alcohol Prohibition. Outlawing any substance doesn't stop or reduce its use, it simply abrogates our ability to regulate and accurately measure it effects, either positive or negative. The drug war itself is responsible for most of the drug related deaths and overdoses of the 60s, 70s and 80s, in large part because drugs being illegal there was no government oversight to assure purity and relative safety. Its not the drugs that kill, it's the effects of the drug war.Both Alcohol Prohibition and today's drug war were inspired and promoted by the Republicans. It is virtually only when Republicans are in power that anti-drug laws become even more stringent, and that was particularly true of the Nixon and Reagan administrations. It has been incredibly bad politically strategy, especially since the late 1960s, for the Democrats not to take a principled position against the drug war. It is precisely because they haven't, proof of little discernable change or progress to come, that has enabled the Republicans to appear stronger and more decisive and allowed them win the presidency 6 out of the last 9 elections. And, who do you think is pouring all that money into the Republicans campaign war chests? I'll tell you who, it the same multi-national corporations that are making a humongous fortune keeping Cannabis (marijuana & hemp) illegal. Are the Democrats simply blind and stupid, or are they laying down on this issue because their campaigns are financed primarily by the Trial Lawyers Association whose members are also making a fortune on the drug war?Democrats should not hide from the marijuana issue. Time-and-again the American people have demonstrated their desire to put the drug war behind us. Strictly because of his support of legalizing marijuana, literally tens of thousands of mostly young adults, all of who passionately hated Richard Nixon, organized a grassroots campaign (1972) that state-by-state catapulted George McGovern, a relatively unknown US Senator from a small state, into the Democratic nomination. On his way to the convention hall to thank the delegates after officially winning the nomination McGovern stopped to answer a reporters question, it was about marijuana, and McGovern used that opportunity retract his support of marijuana legalization. His announcement was televised nationwide and his popularity almost immediately declined - it was the biggest mistake of his political life and he actually lost the election that night. Four years later, virtually the same people involved in McGovern's grassroots primary campaign did exactly the same for "Jimmy Who" Carter, because he supported decriminalization, and Carter did exactly the same thing McGovern did. Carter was expected to win that election by a large margin, because his opponent Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon, but Carter only barely won. It was an era for Democrats when all they seemed capable of was shooting themselves in the foot. Four years after Carter lost his re-election bid along came Fritz Mondale, an old school Democrat. He also lost the election the night of his acceptance speech by telling the convention delegates and the American people that he was going to raise taxes.As for the current election: Although two of the Democratic candidates Dennis Kucinich and Carol Mosely Braun, once each, at least indicated their skepticism of the drug war (Braun) and their support for decriminalization (Kucinich) at the debates, you can't really say it either helped or hurt them. Bob Graham, Joe Lieberman and Richard Gephardt avoided the issue altogether and they are out of the race. It takes both money and a message to win a presidential nomination, and neither Dennis Kucinich or Carol Mosely had the money to win the nomination, but had they pushed the drug war issue more than they did they probably would have done much better then they did - the both had more to gain than lose. But, consider for a moment what would have happened if they did. It would have forced the other candidates, with more money, to take a position, either pro or con - and considering that the Democrats are basically liberal minded, it is likely that the eventual nominee would have supported ending the drug war. He (the nominee) could have used that position to force George Bush and the Republicans into defending the drug war, which is inherently indefensible. It's inconceivable that Bush could win that debate and he'd look foolish trying.Whoever wins the Democratic nomination, which appears for now to be Kerry, despite conservative rhetoric, will probably defeat Bush in November - most likely, because of growing anti-Bush sentiment, in a landslide. The question really is, how effective will the policies of a Democratic president be at getting America back on the road to real prosperity. Not simply slow but steady arduous recovery, but real opportunity ridden widespread prosperity. And to be excruciatingly blunt, I see nothing on the horizon, nor heard anything from any of the Democratic candidate, and obviously nothing from the Republican side, that will create real economic prosperity as quickly or as robustly as ending the drug war and re-implementing our use of Cannabis (hemp & marijuana) for all its many applications.Complete Title: How Do We Get Politicians to Act Rationally about Marijuana?Newshawk: sukoiSource: Big Left OutsideAuthor: Robert DeitchPublished: February 11, 2004Copyright: 2004 Al Giordano Contact: al bigleftoutside.com Website: http://www.bigleftoutside.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #35 posted by den on February 21, 2004 at 18:00:59 PT:
How Do We Get Politicians to Act Rationally?
  The People who have control over us are bullies and biggots. The victims in the war on hemp are mainly those who they consider to be the weak: #1 people who don't handle stress as well as others #2 People who have physical or psychological pain #3 People who are physically unable to drink alcohol (like myself) #4 the uneducated/unemployed (drug dealers)... We are the invisible People who don't stand up, even for our most basic human right to deal with our own pain and stress in our own way, or to demand a good job with good health care... but isn't it about time that we did? Think of it this way, how far would the Civil rights movement have gone, if the majority of African Americans would have somehow colored their skin to look like a Caucasian? Bullies and biggots are cowards, they may have most of the top level positions in Government and in the private sectors, but if ever confronted with our true masses, they would very quickly back down... I'm just waiting for that day when People find the guts to stand up.
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on February 17, 2004 at 18:25:52 PT
Nuevo Mexican 
Wooooo there ya go again talking right over the top of my head. I understand you though. LOL! I think Edwards might beat Kerry in Wisconsin so I looked to see if Edwards has a message board for those who have been posting on Kerry's board but I couldn't find one like Kerry has. Edwards really concerns me since he seemed quick to say no about MJ.
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Comment #33 posted by Nuevo Mexican on February 17, 2004 at 17:59:27 PT
Check this out!
Here's a research project for you. The New Moon in Picses is on the 20th of Feburary, making a conjunction to the Planet of Revolutionary Change, Uranus, at the same time.Make a wish list, 10 items, relating to your emotional needs, (I wish for love, and emotional security to come easily, happily, and quickly. for example). Things that relate to compassion, sympathy, resolution, spirituality, and cleansing our emotions. You know I looking forward to that! Wait 30 days, make your next wish list, and check off the items you've recieved in the last 30 days. It really works!This is huge, and noisy, good for 'broadcasters' and the internet, acts of humanitarianism, good will, equality, things that we already see now, will accelerate.The news will pick up, radically good news, mixed with the 'sad', with compassion dripping from the news items. Earthquakes will be in the news, Floods and electricity/water-themes. Cell phones and cell phone towers will be exposed finally, as cancer-causing devices, with everyone at risk from being pelted by electro-magnetic fields, so we can all be more efficient robotons for corporate profits, running from gas station to gas station, wal-mart to bank, grocery to doctor, you know, the rat race routine.Also Phone implants will be on the market soon, so you'll never be inconvenienced! With the dialer encoded in your finger tips! Fun! It is a good time to take a break FOM, while you can, the calm before the storm as someone described it, news wise, (Bob Dylan was right when he said you don't need a weatherman to knows which way the wind blows)! True! (Same with the stars, just listen to your heart, your gut feelings, same difference! I'm just waaaay analytical, betcha couldn't tell! LOL!)
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on February 17, 2004 at 15:25:08 PT
Nuevo Mexican 
The news has been so slow. I know it will pick up when we get Kerry and Bush on issues as the year moves on but until then we are stalled. If I didn't believe we are in a time that is the calm before the storm I'd be going crazy with no news to do but I feel it in my bones that the best is yet to come. I know the drug war will continue for awhile. Society isn't ready to do much in that area but our issue might get resolved at least in part in the not to distant future. I hope that MPP and NORML go everywhere where Kerry will speak and do their best to keep asking what about us! I started spring housecleaning early but will stop to listen to the returns. I am not into astrology but my opinions come from what I feel is right. I know you like Dennis but I still stand with anyone but Bush. I wouldn't want Edwards or Dean because of their views on MJ though.
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Comment #31 posted by Nuevo Mexican on February 17, 2004 at 15:07:21 PT
You heard it here first!
Remember my posts' regarding Deans weak spot: his flip-flopping Gemini Moon? Now, the repugs are onto Kerrys' Gemini Moon and 3 other planets in Gemini, warning, warning says the robot to Dr. Smith (from Lost in Space!)Edwards is a Gemini, with a Gemini moon too, oh me, oh my, lions, tigers and bears! LOL!Believe me FOM, somehow there are such things as Repuglican Astrologers, not sure what part of the Uni-verse they've been hatched in, but it't true. My point? As 'Christian' as the repugs claim they are, they hire Astrological sell-outs (Hitler had his), and are looking for Kerrys Achilles heel, and have found it.How can Kerry not just come out and say marriage between two people is just that: marriage between two people. Period. Get off the civil marriage blah, blah, blah, thing now! America is ready to throw off the REDNECK label, wake up! There is no gay, or straigt, we fall in love with whoever we fall in love with, and are then labeled for it.If you look at the people getting married in San Fran, they look just like you and I, the cleaks at the grocery, your Doctor, your nurse, your taxman, your hairdresser, etc.
Get over it Kerry, you will not win by waffling!
If you want my vote kerry, you can have it, if you 'get it'.Steal your lines from Dennis, he won't mind, he's giving you the right answers, and he won't accuse you of 'cheating'!The hypocrisy of Kerrys postition will be emphasized by the media, as bushes hypocrisy is always passed over, the deserter, AWOL, idiot boy is the medias dream come true. Hands off Ceaser! He can do no wrong!!! Right!But word has it the venom for bush has reached the inner circles of Washington, and the gloves are off, he will not survive the times. Inside, inside info folks! So Kerry should embrace legal Cannabis now, not later, Gay Marriage now, not later, out of Iraq now not later, and he better have a good Astrologer, (he does) as does Dennis, (where does DJK get that positive attitude?) if he wants to know what plan God (us, you, I. the plant and animal kingdom, the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, there is no separation) has for America in November.The future is here, now, and it is awesome!My father was rejected by the service for his bad heart, me, I was moving to Canada, and proud of my decision, but my number was high in the lottery, and as luck would have it, I was spared, where others were not. I assume I was killed in war in my last life, thus, my profound abhorence of war in this life. Our physical form changes life to life, but our souls are continuous, a light never to be extinguished, here from before time began, and here long after 'time' ceases to exist!Everything is illusion, maya as it is known in India.George Harrison said it with his song: 'Beware of Maya'
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on February 17, 2004 at 12:57:56 PT
Nuevo Mexican 
Never mind I found it. He has a heart problem that kept him out of the service. That's all I really wanted to know. 
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Comment #29 posted by FoM on February 17, 2004 at 12:47:06 PT
Nuevo Mexican 
I just went into Dennis's web site because I don't think I've ever heard about his military record. Everyone was drafted back then and do you know what branch of the service he was in? I normally wouldn't concern my self with military issues but we are at war so I do think it's important. Thanks.
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Comment #28 posted by Nuevo Mexican on February 17, 2004 at 12:28:45 PT
Who does the media fear most! Dennis! Why?
Ask JFK II! He knows the answer, will someone ask him in a debate?From parallel-youniversity.comso… what will the new president do? we get to see! if he does nothing (as the extreme conspiracy assumes) then we get absolute confirmation that we're dealing with a 2 faced vampirelite dominance model. and, much more important, EVERYONE GETS TO SEE IT (see the poll below that shows 68% of brits expect the butler enquiry to be a whitewash - in advance!). that will surely herald the End of the Dinosaur Age.Well said!So, where are we at today?Dennis Kucinich will shape the debate that the Dems and Repugs fear, wait til Gay Marriage in San Fran starts the tidal wave of citizen activism bush fears taking place, soon to occur:ALL over the world! Gay Marriage is coming to Texas, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, you name it, and a state near you! First Cannabis-hemp is legal to grow, and the Feds are told not to arrest Medi-cannabis users, now, people who love each can marry, regardless of their sex! 2004 has already fulfilled its contract to be a year that the world catches up with the peoples agenda!States rights, back on the front-burner, let's take a cue from our Gay Marriage Rights friends, they're doing exactly what we've been doing for years, and we need to leap frog on the backs of this movement, as the folks who rightfully planted cannabis yesterday in Oakland did. I applaud these fellow 'Pagans'. Anybody that enjoys the spiritual, medicinal, recreational, and relaxing benefits of cannabis is a pagan, they just don't know it, and it doesn't matter anyway! But it is the case, it takes one to know one! LOL!For those not 'sheeple herded' into buying the mainstream 'bandwagon' approach to solving life threatening problems, as well as Planet Earth threatening concepts of permanent war on U.S. created terrorist (kerry seems to think there really are terrorists bigger than bush, but he'll be radicalized like Al Gore by the time the election is here one hopes!). Al Queda is a CIA created group, 1980, Ossama works for CIA etc., his family does biz with bush etc. do your research folks, don't leave it to mayan and me!), Cannabians are usually in posession of the ability to think out of the box, let's hope we stay cutting edge, and not morph into the mainstream of cluelessness.From parrellel-youniversity.comFAIR COVERAGE FOR KUCINICH!Dennis Kucinich has finished both the Washington and Maine caucuses ahead of candidates John Edwards, Wesley Clark and Al Sharpton. This represents the strongest back-to-back showing of his campaign to date. Such a clear surge should require coverage from the national media. It hasn’t happened.On the evening of February 8th, as Dennis Kucinich was running strong in Maine, and a day after defeating Edwards, Clark, and Sharpton in Washington, CNN put out a report on the Maine caucuses stating that, "Dean, struggling to revive his once-promising campaign, was the only candidate who campaigned in the state Sunday, making stops in six cities." It ain’t true. Dennis Kucinich spoke at the Bangor Civic Center caucus site which was filled with television cameras, as well as caucus sites in Lewiston, Auburn, Portland and Westbrook. The international media watchdog group Media Tenor, after performing an exhaustive review, determined that the nightly half-hour national news broadcasts from ABC, CBS and NBC devoted exactly 0.94% of their coverage to the Kucinich campaign.Dennis has begun a strong surge in the race for the Democratic nomination. He is in this race to the end. The time has come for the national media to get wise to this, and at a minimum, to begin reporting basic facts with accuracy and integrity. Please encourage CNN to give Dennis fair coverage by writing to them at
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/
The most effective letters are original, brief, polite, and stick to the facts.http://parallel-youniversity.com/
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on February 17, 2004 at 10:56:45 PT
This is The Person That Scares Me! - Go Kerry!
George Bush, Make-Believe President: http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0407/schanberg.php
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on February 17, 2004 at 10:39:25 PT
Max Flowers
I agree with you and I really don't care about S&B. I've read enough about it that I believe it really isn't something that will make any difference in the election. I am really worried now that I see a poll that has Kerry and Bush even. I hope this is over soon and the democrats get behind Kerry so we can see Kerry go up against Bush. Right now on TV Bush is flying in to some base to talk to the troops. We don't have time to wait. Kerry has to take Bush on and soon! 
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Comment #25 posted by Max Flowers on February 17, 2004 at 10:21:09 PT
Nuevo Mexican
Kerry has acknowledged his S&B membership, but downplayed it heavily. I recall reading his response to a reporter who confronted him with it; Kerry said something like "So what?" or "it's no big deal".Personally, I don't give a rat's butt what fraternity he belonged to decades ago in college. What counts is what he does if he gets into office. It will be very easy to tell where he is coming from by the moves he makes in the first couple of months. If he is a true leader he will start righting wrongs---as he is pledging to do as we speak---right out of the gate.
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Comment #24 posted by breeze on February 17, 2004 at 00:18:48 PT
Is there something wrong with me?
First of all- Sukoi, Thanks so much for the links! I was able to use one of them to write to Dr. Dave West, a leading researcher into the use of cannabis as an alternative fuel source and ask if cannabis can be used as a supplement or additive to corn (gasahol) that will be used to power the hydrogen powered motor.If we get the industry that is planning on utilizing this new invention as allies in the ending of prohibition, the rationalization for legalizing hemp is that much closer to a reality.It only makes common sense that the use of any alternative fuel source is ideal to the survival of this nations lower and middle class, but since hemp alone isn't making any heads turn, the utilization of hemp as an even better/cheaper source of energy would certainly make the use of a hydrogen powered machine that much more appealing.This machine can even be used to power a home with electricity, and has been seen as the next major break through in the answer in reduction harm to the enviroment as well as being fuel efficient. I will post his answers as soon as I hear from him. This is definitely a subject that should be addressed, and could be a serious challange to big oil companies if enough people demand this type of clean burning/fuel efficient technology. Cheaper heating bills, cheaper electric bills, cheap fuel for transportation will definitely get the attention of the nations middle/lower class, but it has to become a message that the public in general cares about, not corporations. The big oil conglomerate's are stauntly against any technology that would threaten their buisness, and this device is a pioneer of such machinery. It might not be the end all to the nations energy troubles, but its a beginning.The public at large is never too concerned with ecology (pollution)or the damage that is being done to the enviroment- in fact society often succombs to the jokes and disinformation the media,logging companies,& other various corporations use against anyone that is a threat to their power, greed and destruction. This will end if the information is provided in the proper format, in other words- tell a poor person or family of four that their monthly bills could be cut by one-third or more by using alternative fuels to drive their vehicles,heat/cool their homes,power their televisions and run their appliances, and it will quickly take ahold of popular demand for this type of technology.Yeah- I am definitely for the legalization of cannabis in all of its forms, because it is so versatile in all of its uses. But I am more for cutting the "cost of living" I have to pay each month, and this is where John Q Public will take notice and make demands. If John Kerry is concerned about this nations future, he will address the issue of alternative fuels, and the many uses cannabis will contribute to such a plan- whether congress agrees or not, the public can ALWAYS vote out those reps that dont represent the blue collar worker in this respect, but it takes a bigger man than most to agree to take on such a task. Present the argument this way to your neighbors, and you will bring them around to the common sense that is desperately needed in this nation!Big budget spending doesn't mean lower prices at the gas pump, it doesn't mean lower power bills, it doesn't mean that you will have a job tommorow. America has to be on the edge of technology, constantly re-inventing itself. Imagine the number of jobs that would open up to the jobless in America if this new technology was applied tommorow! Their would be a tremendous need for designers, engineers, production workers, the list goes on! America has been importing oil and fuel from other nations for years, the use of alternative fuels could end this. Farmers would now have a renewed purpose for their land- in case you didn't know, the cotton fields of the south are now no longer needed as cotton mills import all of their cotton from overseas. America would no longer be dependent on other nations for fuel, it would begin a new era of self reliancy. What most people do not know about the USA's economy is that the high prices paid for food, clothing, furniture, and anything else in your home is based on shipping costs. Big rigs,18 wheelers, semi-trucks are the number one method of delivery- cheaper fuel equals cheaper goods and services! You are paying $2.oo for a loaf of bread not because of the money it costs to make the bread or package the bread, but because how much money the bread man must charge to delivery it to the store you shop in! His fuel costs are what drives up the price, but it also drives up the price of everything else!  The thing that bothers me the most is simply that most people do not know this. They complain about the economy, the lack of jobs, the elected officials- and expect someone to do something about it, while they refuse to demand change from the people whose job title is to make such changes- the representatives in office. The rich get more wealthy and more powerful and more famous, while the poor lose what little they do have simply because they don't know the truth and the changes that need to be made, nor how to make those changes or that they are even capable of making those changes by the most simple of efforts. All they know is what their talking box shows them or tells them. And when they do listen to whats being said, they are guided into their thoughts and directed unto their actions."Give me Liberty or Give me Death"- no longer has the meaning to most people it once did. It is obvious what message society has sent to the rulers of our nation today is, "Take my liberties , and give me debt." 
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Comment #23 posted by Nuevo Mexican on February 16, 2004 at 12:49:25 PT
Just watched 'the Skulls' again last night!
I highly recommend this well done portrayal of the Skull and Bonesmen, as it is revealing, and ends with a MORALITY tale for all to consider. Watch it and consider Kerrys membership, and the fact that the media hasn't done a Howard Dean to him (yet), which is highly suspicious.Of course, Kerry is better that bush, but not if he is the chosen corporate standard bearer. (unless he has plans to upset the apple cart once in office, which is possible, this is what FOM hopes for, and I am rooting for that scenario, but have suddenly become jaded about the Dems not caring about the grassroots of the party, we seem to get used everytime, then thrown overboard)Does anybody think the corporate media, largely responsible for allowing bush to steal an election is interested in what the American people really want. Dennis was great last night, did anyone notice his comments were largely the only ones applauded by the audience, and that his clear, consise, truthful, and educational views were met with the reporters pretending to have not heard a word he said. When truth, common sense, compassion, and logic are ignored by the pundits, you know its time to throw in our chips, game over, election decided, our input, invalidated, ignored and marginalized.My only hope between now and the election lies with the higher powers that be, as leaving our fate to humans is to be doomed, fated to embrace the lowest common demoninator, and designed to lower our expectations of what we deserve.If Kerry would renounce or admit he was a member of Skull and Bones, this would easily be put to rest, so why hasn't he. Secret societies are not good credentials for the Presidency, much worse than being too short, or too honest for the media. 
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on February 16, 2004 at 11:59:32 PT

Max Flowers 
Thank you so much. I needed to hear what you just said. It is very hard being a meanie but I know that after the anger about an issue subsides I want us all to still be friends. We will then still respect one another. If we turn on each other the antis win is the way I see it. I feel that if those who want to go out and share their beliefs on other boards like John Kerrys I think it is great! I feel that some of the good comments I've read on Kerry's board are from people from here and that makes me feel good inside. We are in a battle for our hopes and dreams and maybe our civilization. I try to remember the word from a song that goes like this. I hum it frequently.You can't always get what you want but you'll get what you need. That is how I stay calm in the midst of these crazy times.
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on February 16, 2004 at 11:35:53 PT

Thank You sukoi
That is great to know. I bookmarked the new thread too.
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Comment #20 posted by Max Flowers on February 16, 2004 at 11:34:45 PT

Just had a stoned epiphany
I just realized that FoM's positivity is like the glue that holds together our not-so-little community here and the message(s) that our comments spread. And I am starting to suspect that it is spreading a lot further and wider than I had originally thought.Some of we men who post here are angry, disillusioned, disgusted and just plain in mourning for our country. I can't help thinking that if we were left to our own devices, the websites that any of us would create would be far more angry and confrontational, which would likely hurt the communication of its messages. FoM's refusal to let this site devolve into a collection of useless angry posts is very smart and shows once again how women are probably far better leaders than men are. Thanks FoM for making us take the high road in a medium where it's too easy to take the low one.
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Comment #19 posted by sukoi on February 16, 2004 at 11:25:40 PT

FoM (comment #15)
There are actually now two threads about the WOD on the Kerry web site, both mainly geared towards cannabis:When Will War on Drugs End?http://forum.johnkerry.com//index.php?s=385e5a74febdf596e60db2fe7b02c3bd&showtopic=525And:Solutions and alternatives to the war on drugshttp://forum.johnkerry.com//index.php?s=385e5a74febdf596e60db2fe7b02c3bd&showtopic=3680
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Comment #18 posted by Max Flowers on February 16, 2004 at 11:20:17 PT

Fearfull
You wrote:"If he wins the nomination, I suggest that we all contact his campain to make it clear to him that any continuation of the WOD is unnacceptable. This issue needs to be pounded into his brain incessantly. And we are the only ones that will do it." This is exactly right. We must NOT wait until he is in the White House and try to convince him then. In all likelihood that will be too little, too late. We here at CW and all our allies need to contact him and his people aggressively, incessantly, and loudly to make sure he knows what the deal is. Assuming he is not already corrupted by the WOD in some way, there is a small chance that he will awaken to the reality we already know and have known for a long time. I want to know whether he wants to be a truly progressive president who will change and improve America, or if he is just another link in the chain that currently weighs our nation down and is making us sink.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on February 16, 2004 at 10:27:21 PT

fearfull
It wasn't your comment but The GCW about Skull and Bones. Even William F. Buckley is a member of Skull and Bones and he is on our side. I think Kerry will do more about treating drug addicts then Bush has done and not make it a religious issue like Bush is trying to do. Complete Transcript: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44506-2004Feb15.htmlIs this a bad thing what Kerry said?But let me give you the best -- one of the examples I'm proudest of. I went to Harlem in 1992 or so at the request of a friend. I visited a building where 15 kids were working, all of them out of gangs, out of street -- drop outs, at-risk programs, court diversion programs. And these kids were learning how to rebuild that building. They were getting a skill and getting their high school equivalency at the same time for a one-year program. I was so impressed by it, I went back to Washington, I wrote it into the law. Today it's in 43 states in our nation, in 173 cities. There are 25,000 graduates. They are full citizens, not inmates of a jail, not drug addicts. They have families they're paying taxes. And there is a need to make certain that every child in America gets that kind of opportunity, and I will do that. 
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Comment #16 posted by fearfull on February 16, 2004 at 10:06:38 PT

Sorry FoM
I didn't think I was really bashing him. Just pointing out a fact. I for one believe that the WOD and CP go hand in hand.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on February 16, 2004 at 08:10:58 PT

A Request
I hope the thread continues on Kerry's Board about fighting the drug war. Maybe he will help with marijuana laws but I don't know about hard drugs. I don't know that anyone thinks drugs should be easily available that is running for president not even Dennis. I don't want any bashing of any one here. 
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Comment #14 posted by fearfull on February 16, 2004 at 07:31:49 PT

Kerry is not the answer.
I was looking over the Kerry web site this morning and was only able to find the following indirect reference to the WOD. 
"In order to deal with the problem of illegal drugs in this country, efforts must be focused on keeping drugs out of the country and our communities, as well as reducing demand for illegal drugs. John Kerry supports aggressively targeting traffickers and dealers, as well as making a commitment to sufficiently fund drug prevention and treatment programs."I can only believe that he will carry on the unwinnable War on Drugs, and continue to lock up otherwise law abiding citizens. Citizens who pay their taxes and who love this country. If he wins the nomination, I suggest that we all contact his campain to make it clear to him that any continuation of the WOD is unnacceptable. This issue needs to be pounded into his brain incessantly. And we are the only ones that will do it.Fearfull
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Comment #13 posted by sukoi on February 16, 2004 at 06:07:55 PT

breeze
Here is some info. on "Hempmobiles" both past and present:The Ford Hempmobile
http://www.hempfarm.org/FordHempmobile.htmlHempmobile’ promotes effort to use alternative fuel methods in automobiles
http://www.bupipedream.com/011009/news/n10.htmlThe USA does not need to drill for oil when they can grow it!
http://groups.msn.com/druiddudeonip/hempfuelreallyworks.msnwHemp In Japan Part 1
http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-1669.htmlHemp Fuel in Alaska
http://www.ontariohempalliance.org/hempnews/othernews/102600.htmlWHAT IS AS VERSATILE AS THE SOYBEAN BUT ILLEGAL ANYWAY?
http://www.hoboes.com/pub/Prohibition/Law%20Reform/Hemp%20Farming/Versatile%20as%20the%20SoybeanAnd of course:Scientists Ponder Biodegradable Cars
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread9820.shtml 
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Comment #12 posted by The GCW on February 16, 2004 at 04:50:56 PT

Skull n bones vs. heart and soul.
Revelation 18:23 (NASB); “...for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.” Bush is a businessman; MERCHANT. One of His first remarks on the boob tube after 911, was, it will be business as usual.Bush is a member of Skull n Bones; does S & B meddle in "sorcery"?Kerry is also a member of SKULL N BONES.420Rather than grammer, being given the emphisis, let the fruit be what We catch. What We have been given in the past is good grammer and no substance. Let's ask for more with less than perfect grammer but contains perfect fruit.Also notice how that relates to Kucinich. Bush is the one saying He is a Christian, yet it is Kucinich who does the walk.Better is the walk than the talk.Kucinich may be closer to the Spirit of Truth by loving His brother than Bush who says He is Christian, yet can not seem to kill enough.420Bush and Kerry have Skull n Bones; Kucinich has heart and soul.It's a spiritual thing. They know it; You better know it too.
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Comment #11 posted by billos on February 16, 2004 at 02:55:23 PT:

thanks Max Flowers....
I thought it was me!!!
The gist of the article was good. Long live Hemp and long live Kerry. I think Kerry gets a B in his "where he stands on cannabis" rating.
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Comment #10 posted by Max Flowers on February 15, 2004 at 21:26:35 PT

Impressed and also amazed
I loved the content and message of the article, but was appalled at the number of grammatical errors in it. They're when it should be their, its when it should be it's, this kind of stuff drives me crazy. My main problem in this case is that I think it gives our adversaries something to point to to attack its legitimacy ("What dumb pothead wrote this? Look at all the mistakes!"), and that at the very least, it gives it an air of amateurishness.Since this article is obviously serious journalism, where is the quality control?? No one proofread it. I can't believe things make it to press and then out on the internet as a news piece with such a profusion of mistakes.Other than that, I thought it was a fantastic piece and right on the money. Here's hoping many more like it come out in the near future (sans the English errors of course).
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Comment #9 posted by ekim on February 15, 2004 at 19:56:18 PT

many are called but few are chosen
  Yes Virg you been written some powerfull visuals. Your question on what China and others are wearing lead me back to this story. 
The other nite while watching C-Span with Greenspan taking questions from lawmakers asking him what effect will outsourcing have on American jobs. He had the nerve to say he use to work for the Textile Industry he named Berlington as one that was sound and had great mills and good jobs that just could not compete. Just think of how Alan Greenspan could have chosen to live the rest of his life and be forever remembered if he had just chose to befriend the Hemp Industry and rejuinate the Textile Industry like China has been doen for the last 10-20 years about the same amount of time as Greenspan watched the American Mills go belly up.
 Chinese Hemp Industry has Boundless Potential 
Posted by FoM on November 05, 2001 at 09:01:46 PT
Business News 
Source: People's Daily 
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread11260.shtml
 
As world fashion increasingly moves toward simplicity, comfort and health protection, experts point out that hemp, a major economic crop in China, could have great market prospects after the nation's entry into the World Trade Organization. 
Xia Jingyuan, a senior official with the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture in charge of the extension of agricultural technology, said that the annual output of Chinese linen is worth over 10 billion yuan (about 1.2 billion US dollars). According to Xia, the ongoing upgrading of China's agricultural industry has given Chinese hemp a great opportunity. Environmentally friendly, high value-added and versatile, Chinese hemp products could be a major money-maker in market both here and abroad, said Xia. For example, ramie, once used as forage, could provide a new type of vegetable protein for livestock and boost stockbreeding of southern China. Red hemp used in paper making could prevent the felling of forests while clothing made from hemp is particularly comfortable to wear and poses no health hazard. Being one of the earliest fabrics used in China, hemp's heyday can date back 4,000 years when only nobles and royal families could afford to wear finely spun linen while coarse linen were favored by commoners. The production technology of linen has undergone constant improvement. In 1984, the country made a breakthrough in the degumming technology, bringing worldwide attention to linen products. Analysts say that to establish a modern linen manufacturing and processing system with Chinese characteristics, China should double its efforts in scientific research and international cooperation, because each breakthrough in relevant technology will greatly boost the sector's upgrading.Source: People's Daily (China)
Published: Sunday, November 04, 2001
Copyright: People's Daily Online
Website: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/home.html
FB: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/other/feedback.html
 

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Comment #8 posted by breeze on February 15, 2004 at 19:45:03 PT

About this article
I was truly impressed by the above article,as it was informative and accurate. While we have learned much in the past few months about the political figures in our future, it seems that big money corporations rule this country more than contribute to its survival. Its the people who live here, and its the people who have to live with the descisions that trickle down from the heads in our capitals. The only way to get an action, or even reaction- is to simply hammer these individuals into understanding. They often truly believe their own lies, which makes them even better at lying. We have to write letters, and do it now. I say now because this is the time for debate.It is true that DK should have made the issue of legalizing cannabis more of an issue, if anything, he would have recieved more contributions to have more money to spend on ads, and he would have forced a major upheaval among the voters and the candidates. But he did not, now he pays the price.While the whispers of Nader throwing his hat into the race are merely whispers, it would be probably useless for him to do so if he didn't make a major stand on the money being wated on the WOD. Even this is merely an observation of someone who is not actively involved in politics.The article also mentioned the use of hemp for a fuel resource. Recently, there have been great advances in the engineering of a hydrogen engine small enough and effective enough to be used to power automobiles as well as advanced enough to be a power source for a home.http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040213/ap_on_sc/hydrogen_reactors_4If you have followed the above link, notice that the source of hydrogen can be from ethanol (a corn based version of alcohol). I wonder if hemp could be used in a similar process to produce hydrogen for this machine? If anyone has an answer, please post it. It would certainly provide more fuel for our fire of reasoning to use hemp as a fuel source (no pun intended).In the current times we live in, energy is a major concern of everyone, as are pharmaceuticals and the enviroment. The cannabis plant is indeed a miracle plant, as it has such a wide variety of uses, beyond that of recreational. 
But, major corporations have their dirty little fingers in everything, and this includes destroying the world their children will live in for their current climate of greed.http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040216/ap_on_go_pr_wh/fuel_fightBefore the planet is destroyed by using harmful products to make our lives easier, we need to address so many subjects that cannabis can solve. Start local, and work our way out to the politicians. We do this by converting the thought patterns of the sheep into the thought patterns of the free thinker, the self reliant individual.We are in a war, much more than we have ever been before, and we aren't fighting just for a recreational herb any longer, its about mother earth and her survival. 
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Comment #7 posted by Virgil on February 15, 2004 at 19:19:39 PT

What will China do?
This was a highly informative article and the sulfuric acid used in pulp paper is one thing that had escaped my thoughts on hemp benefits. The durability of hemp should play out to more use across the world and here is where I would like to know about hemp production in China. What are the billions in India and China wearing? Will they recylce their hemp clothes to print on "rags." You would think we would have a way of knowing how these countries are dealing with food, clothing, and shelter in regards to the cannabis family of plants.There is this article from 1997 that half-way answers some of the questions concerning China and hemp clothing from http://www.gluckman.com/hemp.htmlThat would be a big payoff for China, far and away the leading producer even after a drastic drop in hemp production in recent decades. Hemp, and the cellulose that comes from its fibrous stalk, has been in wide use for centuries and was once a common component in thousands of products, from dynamite to cellophane. But the last 50 years brought the rise of synthetic alternatives. That, plus the backlash from anti-marijuana campaigns, has snuffed out meaningful cash crop cultivation in most of the world. China's annual hemp production topped 100,000 tons in 1980, but fell to less than one-tenth that over the following 10 years. Aside from use as clothing and bags by ethnic tribes in places like Yunnan province and Xinjiang region, China mainly relegated hemp to such low-end uses as pipe insulation and livestock feed bags. Nowadays, hemp is being revived by environmental activists -- they appreciate its ability to thrive with little water or fertilizer -- and the fashionmeisters, many of whom tout it as better than cotton. "Hemp is a marvelous material," says a spokesman for Armani. "It's cool in the summer and warm in winter." The only problem: limited supplies of sufficient quality.That may be changing. "Traditionally, hemp has been considered a rough material, the kind of thing you would only use in backpacks or for hippie shorts," says Douglas Mignola, owner of Amsterdam's Hempworks, one of Europe's biggest hemp apparel makers. "China changed all that and revolutionized the industry." The key is a patented process, developed by Chinese scientists more than a decade ago, that uses a variety of washes and acid treatments to produce a cloth as soft as cotton but with five times the strength. The procedure might have gone nowhere were it not for Rich. Working in Amsterdam to help expand the market for hemp oil, the American was surfing the Internet when he came upon a citation for Chinese scientists who won an award for textile innovation. Rich set about commercializing his find. Using his Amsterdam-based Naturetex International as a vehicle, he formed a joint venture with mainland partners. They converted an underused cotton factory into the Dongping Hemp Mill. It employs over 2,000 and can churn out five million square meters of hemp fabric a year. 
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on February 15, 2004 at 18:33:19 PT

Transcript: Democrats Participate in Wisconsin 
Complete Transcript: Democrats Participate in Wisconsin Debate: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44506-2004Feb15.html
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on February 15, 2004 at 17:52:08 PT

Very Good Debate
I'm still watching the reviews on MSNBC but I wanted to say that I feel all the men in the debate deserve high positions if Kerry gets elected our next president. I sure hope we won't have Bush much longer.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on February 15, 2004 at 16:07:51 PT

Thanks Virgil
I didn't know it was online.
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Comment #3 posted by Virgil on February 15, 2004 at 15:44:56 PT

Internet link for the debate from Milwaulkee
http://www.wisconsindebate.com/liveplay.asp 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 15, 2004 at 15:29:18 PT

A Comment About The Debate Tonight
I was never really interested in politics and I still have a hard time with politics except I have really enjoyed the debates. All the men make good points. I don't recall this many good men making sense like they have. I hope everyone gets to see it too.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 15, 2004 at 14:18:22 PT

Democrats Face Off in What May Be Last Debate 
 Sunday, February 15, 2004
 John Edwards and Howard Dean sought to slow John Kerry's march toward the Democratic nomination, squaring off Sunday in what may be the last debate of the primary season. 
 Complete Article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/02/15/politics1647EST0519.DTL
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