cannabisnews.com: Strange Bedfellows





Strange Bedfellows
Posted by CN Staff on March 19, 2004 at 22:26:07 PT
By Sue Scheible
Source: Patriot Ledger 
First gay marriage, now pot. Founding father John Adams, whose Massachusetts Constitution has been cited recently by supporters of same-sex marriage, is now being drafted by marijuana advocates.On Saturday night, Quincy actor Jim Cooke, who has portrayed some of the most famous figures in American history, is auditioning a new character - one of Adams' alter egos, a farmer named Humphrey Ploughjogger.
And he's doing it for the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, a group supporting medicinal and recreational marijuana use.Under his colonial costume, Cooke plans to sport a psychedelic purple ‘‘Don't Tread on Me'' shirt.Ploughjogger was the pseudonym the 28-year-old Adams used when he wrote a letter to the Boston Evening Post in 1763 advocating the production of hemp as a cash crop to pay off debts and taxes.‘‘We shall by and by want a world of hemp for our own consumption,'' the young lawyer from Quincy wrote.The fiber of the hemp plant, which is also known by its Latin name cannabis, is used to make a variety of goods, including clothing, caulking and rope for sailing ships. The leaves and flowers are smoked as marijuana.Cooke, a member of the Cannabis Reform Coalition, said he realizes Adams was talking about industrial uses of hemp and not its hallucinogenic properties.‘‘There is no evidence that Adams ever smoked it,'' he said. ‘‘The use Adams envisions is not as a combustible.''The historian at the Adams National Historic Park in Quincy says marijuana advocates have hijacked the nation's second president. Yes, said John Stanwich, Adams did write about the advantages of developing the hemp industry. But no, it had nothing to do with the 21st-century cause of legalizing marijuana.‘‘This has come up before, and it's so wrong,'' Stanwich said. ‘‘John Adams didn't even like smoking. If you read his letters, he thinks it's a vile habit.''Cooke, a Libertarian, said Adams' point was not about marijuana but governmental intrusion into people's lives.‘‘Adams as Ploughjogger argued that ‘People can't pay these high taxes today, people don't have enough money to live on, young men have died in the recent war and why? And what is the point of all these personal political attacks?' ''Cooke hopes his portrayal of Ploughjogger Saturday night, at the Cannabis Reform Coalition's annual meeting in Newton, might even be a dress rehearsal for the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July.‘‘What if Humphrey Ploughjogger were to address the people who came here in July?'' Cooke said. ‘‘I think it would do a real service. When I think of John Adams later speaking out on views that could have cost him his life - and today politicians worry if they speak out, they won't be re-elected.''Staff reporter Lane Lambert also contributed to this story. Complete Title: Strange Bedfellows: Marijuana Group Co-opts President Adams' Alter EgoSource: The Patriot Ledger (MA)Author: Sue ScheiblePublished: Saturday, March 20, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Patriot LedgerContact: editpage ledger.comWebsite: http://ledger.southofboston.com/MassCannhttp://www.masscann.org/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on March 20, 2004 at 13:55:01 PT
A Very Nice Picture of Protest
People bearing torches form a giant peace sign on Budapest's Hero's Square on Saturday March 20, 2004. 30 civil organizations planned the peace event to protest against the war in Iraq (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky) http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040320/capt.bud10103201944.hungary_iraq_anti_war_protest_bud101.jpg
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on March 20, 2004 at 13:44:45 PT
Pictures of The Protest Marches
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?g=events/iraq/082701iraqplane&a=&tmpl=sl&ns=&l=&e=1&t=&prev=2
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on March 20, 2004 at 13:39:54 PT
Nuevo Mexican an Article on The Protests
March 20, 2004Thousands Worldwide Demand Troops Pull Out of Iraq:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4612065§ion=news
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on March 20, 2004 at 08:00:31 PT
Nuevo Mexican 
I saw a little news blip last night on the protests but I just checked and they aren't mentioning anything on tv as of a few minutes ago. I really get upset about what doesn't make the news. 
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Comment #2 posted by Nuevo Mexican on March 20, 2004 at 07:51:59 PT
Anti-War, Anti-Bush protests worldwide today!
Check out the protest closest to you, they are virtually everywhere. Please get out there and make some noise, the war on drugs is the excuse drug warriors use to distract governments from the real war, the war to steal other countries resources. Period. Oil: The real reason for war. Once you have control of the oil, you control the world.It is a ruse, and has no other purpose. March 20: The World Still Says No to WarMOMENTUM BUILDS FOR GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION
OUTREACH MATERIALS • EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS • UPDATES • ENDORSERS 
CALENDAR OF MARCH 20 EVENTS • NEW YORK CITY PROTESThttp://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2136
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Comment #1 posted by mayan on March 20, 2004 at 05:22:01 PT
Jr. Grew it... 
The Cultivation Of Hemp By John Quincy Adams:
http://www.rense.com/general50/hemp3.htmOn an unrelated note...Alameda County, CA Phillipsburg, NJ Portland, ME St. Louis, MO Duxbury, Somerville and Aquinnah, MA These locations are the latest of the three states,270 cities, towns and counties that have passed resolutions, ordinances or ballot initiatives to protect the civil liberties of their residents...Bill of Rights Defense Committee:
http://www.bordc.org/OtherLocalEfforts.htmFeel a draft?New bill calls for G.I. Jane draft:
http://www.datelinealabama.com/article/2004/03/14/5576_news_art.php3The way out is the way in...Clinton Aides Plan to Tell Panel of Warning Bush Team on Qaeda:
http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=136&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
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