cannabisnews.com: Bush Official Presents Case Against Marijuana
Bush Official Presents Case Against Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on April 28, 2004 at 08:12:29 PT
By John Zicconi, Vermont Press Bureau
Source: Times Argus
Montpelier -- The two sides of the medical marijuana debate collided here Tuesday, when a supporter of the controversial state legislation loudly interrupted a presentation given by President George W. Bush's deputy drug czar, who was in town to advise local lawmakers on drug policy. The Bush administration strongly opposes decriminalizing marijuana for medical purposes. The protester was among about 60 people who attended Dr. Andrea Barthwell's hour-long public presentation at the Pavilion Building auditorium. He said he was upset that the White House is trying to influence the local debate.
Vermont would become the 10th state to decriminalize marijuana for medical purposes if a bill now being considered by a House committee becomes law. The Senate has already approved the measure. "They did not come here to listen to us, they came here to lecture us on their drug policy," the unidentified male protester yelled before being escorted out of the auditorium by security guards. "They have no business coming here and affecting our local debate." The interruption curtailed a public question-and-answer session, which did not resume. He was one of about 40 persons who earlier in the day attended a rally on the Statehouse stairs supporting the use of marijuana in medical treatment. The rally was called by several pro-marijuana groups in response to Barthwell's visit. Before meeting with the public and catching a mid-afternoon flight back to Washington, D.C., Barthwell spent the morning at the Statehouse, where she met privately with Gov. James Douglas and testified before the House and Senate Health and Welfare committees. Douglas, who does not support medical marijuana use, said Barthwell was invited to Vermont in part to "meet with legislative committees and explain to them why legalizing pot is not a good idea." Although her marijuana stance clearly drew the most attention, Barthwell also spoke with lawmakers about the administration's of methadone to treat heroin addiction and a new federal initiative to identify non-addicted drug users - so-called recreational users - and get them off drugs before they either become addicted or convince non-users to try drugs for the first time. Barthwell said marijuana users are among the program's prime targets. Besides decriminalizing marijuana for medical use, Vermont lawmakers are also considering expanding methadone treatment beyond a single Burlington-based clinic that can only treat 105 addicts. The proposal approves additional clinics and allows recovering addicts to take liquid methadone doses at home instead of having to ingest them in front of clinic staff. Take-home methadone would allow the Burlington clinic, which has a waiting list of about 150 addicts, to treat an additional 30 patients. Barthwell, who is the deputy director for demand reduction for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said she supports expanding Vermont's methadone treatment to opiate addicts. However, she does not favor the medical use of marijuana for any reason, she said. "We do not want to see a medical marijuana bill pass here or anywhere else," Barthwell said. Barthwell said despite anecdotal accounts from cancer, Multiple Sclerosis and AIDS patients that smoking marijuana relieves nausea, eases severe pain and increases appetite, there is no scientific evidence to back up such claims. In fact, allowing people to grow and smoke marijuana would expose already sick people to potentially harmful, uncontrolled doses of the drug, she said. "It's a cruel hoax that exploits our passion for the sick," said Barthwell, who believes terminally ill patients are often "coached" on what to tell lawmakers by those whose true agenda is to legalize marijuana for everyone. Barthwell told lawmakers that THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, does show medical promise. Researchers are working to extract regulated doses of THC for medical use, much as they already have done with opiate compounds like morphine. But until science does this, the drug should remain illegal, she said. "Smoking a crude plant product is not a safe delivery system," Barthwell told lawmakers. "Smoking a crude plant is not medicine." Medical marijuana supporters said terminally ill people are not instructed how to talk to lawmakers. They also said that smoking the substance is both safe and effective medicine. "I went to school all right, the school of HIV," said Katherine Perera, a Hancock resident who contracted AIDS 22 years ago and uses marijuana to combat the nausea caused by her medication. "I'm fighting for something I believe in. To put me down that way leaves me a little speechless." Sen. James Leddy, D-Chittenden, chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, also took Barthwell to task on her stance. "We heard nothing that was an alternative for these people's pain and suffering, so we struggle to understand where the hoax is," Leddy told Barthwell. "They are seeking desperate relief from pain and nausea. The government says the cruel hoax is taking the plant and using it in an illegal way... You are making a statement that based on the testimony we heard is not credible to the committee." Complete Title: Bush Official Presents Case Against Legalizing Marijuana as MedicineSource: Times Argus (VT)Author: John Zicconi, Vermont Press Bureau Published: April 28, 2004Copyright: 2004 Times ArgusContact: letters timesargus.comWebsite: http://www.timesargus.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Transcript: Hearing On Medical Marijuanahttp://freedomtoexhale.com/hearing.htmWhite House Official Talks About Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18742.shtmlHouse May Tighten Rules on Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18651.shtmlMedical Pot Law Opposed by Douglas http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15583.shtml
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Comment #78 posted by ekim on July 02, 2004 at 20:03:10 PT
Paul Peterson do you know who might support Hemp
The Illinois GOP seeks a candidate to replace Jack Ryan, who beat Rauschenberger and several other candidates in the March primary but announced his withdrawal from the Senate race last week after the release of embarrassing court documentsiam truly sorry i mentioned the club issue. when a person is refused serving the public because of a dui then that affects anyone that has gotten a dui for thc ma-tabs. if 700,000 are branded each year how many have suffered darning this War. the old Gov Ryan vetoed Hemp bill after Hemp Bill. I wonder what this New Ryan running for the Sen thinks about that and how far ahead the State of Ill could have been right now if the Universities had been allowed to help the farmer keep his land and offer jobs for the future that is now.
Daily Egyptian Gov. George Ryan vetoed legislation on Friday that would have given Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and the University of Illinois the green light to research industrial hemp as an alternative crop in Illinois. http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread8817.shtmlman when one man can stop progress with a single stroke of a pen the Civil Rights Bill should apply who will stand and tell the truth to power. all this as we take time to remember the civil rights bill signed back in the 60s. 65 i believe.
Bill Cosby asks what has happen to the children,
}earth to Bill" where were you with your 100 Million.given to Higher Learning Schools. was any used to refute the premises that Millions of us have been branded. Not just your people but all of us. Bill i love the humor and intellect now train your self to see this unjust war needs attention.
http://www.minorml.org
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Comment #77 posted by Jose Melendez on July 02, 2004 at 08:26:33 PT
Re: drunk vs. stoning, Barthwell
from: http://www.pjstar.com/news/topnews/b3f5uetp050.htmlGOP bickers over Ryan fill-in Senator accuses state party chairwoman of rigging the selection July 1, 2004 By MIKE RAMSEY of Copley News ServiceCHICAGO - The Illinois Republican Party's attempts to handpick a U.S. Senate nominee drew fire Wednesday from GOP incumbent Peter Fitzgerald, who said the screening process for his possible successor is rigged to exclude "an excellent candidate," state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger.Fitzgerald claimed state party chairwoman Judy Baar Topinka has structured a "vetting" procedure that would bounce Rauschenberger because of a drunken-driving conviction and his business history. The Illinois GOP seeks a candidate to replace Jack Ryan, who beat Rauschenberger and several other candidates in the March primary but announced his withdrawal from the Senate race last week after the release of embarrassing court documents."I think Steve Rauschenberger is an excellent candidate, but if you saw the way Judy Baar Topinka was putting out her credentials that she's looking for ...," Fitzgerald told reporters at a Chicago appearance."She wrote those credentials in a way that would try to rule out Steve Rauschenberger, because Steve had a DUI, which he's freely admitted, years ago, and he also folded a furniture business in Elgin. And (Topinka) said her attorneys are only going to look at two things - whether there were any records like a DUI and what your credit history was."State Republican officials shrugged off the remarks by Fitzgerald, a party maverick from Inverness who has long clashed with GOP leaders. They said two prominent attorneys, Bill Roberts and Ty Fahner, will oversee background checks on individuals who wish to run in November against Democrat Barack Obama, a state senator from Chicago who led Ryan in the polls(snip) Fitzgerald blasted the officials for "stoning" Ryan after keeping quiet about allegations that swirled around former Gov. George Ryan, a Republican who has been indicted on corruption charges."I think the Republican Party can do quite well on its own - maybe not this year - but I think it will have a rebirth," Fitzgerald said. "We probably need a forest fire to bring up some new growth in the party, and I think we probably won't have that growth until the old George Ryan cabal no longer runs the state party." Sen. Fitzgerald's decision not to seek a second term generated crowded primaries for the open seat. Republicans hold a slim edge in the U.S. chamber.Names of potential replacements are due Friday, Kjellander said, and the Illinois Republican State Central Committee is expected to make a selection in mid-July. Already, there's been plenty of jockeying.State Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale, an influential member of the committee, said Rauschenberger has "unique credentials to line up against Barack Obama" but stopped short of formally endorsing him.U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, has encouraged another failed Ryan opponent from the March primary, businessman Andy McKenna, to throw his hat into the ring. Second-place finisher Jim Oberweis, an Aurora dairy owner, is reportedly interested.Other possible contenders include businessman Ron Gidwitz, a former chairman of the Illinois Board of Education, and Andrea Barthwell, a drug-control officer for the Bush administration.July 1, 2004
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Comment #76 posted by ekim on July 02, 2004 at 05:24:54 PT
man this would be a race to remember
Barthwell, who is the deputy director for demand reduction for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, C-Span today said that Barthwell had offered to run for office in IL. The main Gop candidate just recently was forced to drop out as stories of sex club came to light.
http://www.leap.cc
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Comment #75 posted by FoM on June 30, 2004 at 09:48:44 PT
afterburner
How do they determine who is mentally ill? I haven't been to a doctor in over 10 years so what about people who don't have insurance and can't go to the doctor I wonder? That will leave out a huge population of people. Some of the doctors I've seen in the past were more wacky then me! LOL!
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Comment #74 posted by afterburner on June 30, 2004 at 09:29:15 PT
Comments #14, 18-19, 23-26, 29, 63-65, 68, 73
Could this be part of the new "Federal Initiative"?LIFE WITH BIG BROTHER:
Bush to screen population for mental illness:
Sweeping initiative links diagnoses to treatment with specific drugs -
Posted: June 21, 2004,
5:00 p.m. Eastern, © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39078
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Comment #73 posted by Hope on May 01, 2004 at 08:49:58 PT
Initiative for the testing industry
“…a new federal initiative to identify non-addicted drug users - so-called recreational users - and get them off drugs before they either become addicted or convince non-users to try drugs for the first time. Barthwell said marijuana users are among the program's prime targets.”At this point and after research, I believe she means…school drug testing…drug testing…drug testing…and more drug testing…and lots and lots of money to pour into it. This is wonderful news for their buddies, the drug testing industry, forecasting another extravagant windfall of money, money, money. I bet they are just giddy with the promise of increased future income. The urine and hair sleuths are promised a glorious future for as long as the government can get our income and give it to them.
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Comment #72 posted by Hope on April 30, 2004 at 20:21:40 PT
ekim
I posted to the Drudge Report from that area they have on the web page for doing so. At least two people have asked them to investigate it. A hundred homes raided in your area? How is that possible? It must be starting, whatever it is. Who would have thought that a group of Americans could go so far off the deep end as to terrorize and persecute another group of Americans over consumption of a plant?
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Comment #71 posted by FoM on April 30, 2004 at 20:10:08 PT
ekim and Hope
ekim I'm glad you liked my question and Hope I'm glad you like Wildwood Weed. It always makes me laugh when I hear it too!***All good things gotta come to an end,And it's the same with the wildwood weed.One day this feller from Washington came by,And he spied and turned white as a sheet.Then they dug and they burned,And they burned and they dug,And they killed all our cute little weeds.Then they drove away,We just smiled and waved ..........Sittin' there on that sack of seeds!Y'all come back now, hear?http://users.cis.net/sammy/wildweed.htm
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Comment #70 posted by ekim on April 30, 2004 at 19:23:08 PT
world court smacks soft wood subs
FoM you made me smile when you said how many pounds was that:) Do you think that you have the exact words that W said when he was running for President. Something like when it comes to med cannabis let the states decide. I hope that those words will be placed after anything that comes from this admin. CA today nixed the diebolt machines.tried to call Mat Drudge today. wanted to tell him of this new govt Initiative and see if he had read it.ive sent it to all i know. passed out 51 copies of it today on the streets Kal. yesterday the Kal Gazette said that the drug enforcement unit in the last two days has raided 100 homes. How much did that cost. now we are going to see what nida and allen have been up to. laying the ground work on the defective user. this site will be used as exhibit a. as more and more states will vote to [protect there people] tonight the names will be read the spotlight will shine -- those who recall nam will register the reasons given for flinging ribbons --seeing today prison pictures will alert those that do not recall nam.W says they hate us cause were free. Please listen to yourself W and stop the war on Cannabis.
http://www.mmdertoit.org
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Comment #69 posted by Hope on April 30, 2004 at 16:45:40 PT
Thanks, BGreen
I appreciate it. I really do.Texas too, is a place where there is a lot of hatred for marijuana users and legalizers. The fear mongering and demonization techniques used by the propagandists took well here.Marijuana prohibition is stupid. It really is and a lot of people know it...even a lot of cops...and they go around acting like they don't know anything...they just follow orders (like the Nazis said they did.) How can their consciences bear what some people are being forced to endure because of lies and fear of personal responsibility?
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Comment #68 posted by BGreen on April 30, 2004 at 16:06:42 PT
Welcome back, Hope!
I'm sorry you've been feeling poorly, but it sure is good news to know you'll be an active poster again.The Reverend Bud GreenP.S. I live in the country outside of a small town in Missouri. Every cannabis user is already in the crosshairs of the local Barney Fife's. barthwells' mention of this initiative angered me, too, not because it's anything new to me, but because it means so many more of my friends around the country are in for the same mistreatment that I've become accustomed to.
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Comment #67 posted by Hope on April 30, 2004 at 16:05:41 PT
Thank you so much, FoM.
Oh man...I'm embarrassed...blushing...and smiling, but so glad. It's good to hear these keys rattling again. I've always been here, though. Just didn't feel like saying anything because every thought out of my mind or mouth was whiney or grumpy.This forum is very important to me. Thank you very much.I'm very glad to be home.
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Comment #66 posted by FoM on April 30, 2004 at 15:57:25 PT
Welcome Home Hope!
My subject line says it all for me.
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Comment #65 posted by Hope on April 30, 2004 at 15:49:24 PT
BGreen
I am concerned. Very concerned. In fact...I'm fired up. I've been overworked and ill for a year or two now. I'd lost my spark and couldn't get it back. But Dang! Now they've stepped on this solemn little monkey's tail.
My fire is back. I haven't talked or written much in a while. Reading the news is painful and stomach churning, anyway, but just a few weeks ago this article would have doubled me over in pain. Ulcers. An unpleasant thought can be like getting a breath taking punch in the stomach. Keeping up is all I've been able to do and very occasionally, letters or posts. Instead of sick when I read this...I got mad. I don't want to be caged and re-educated...but if this outrage is their next ploy ... I want to be sure they find my name with yours and the rest of the workers for peace and liberty. I'll be posting more now... so they won't have to go so far back to get evidence that I'm with you guys. Whatever I say may be used against me in a court of law, but I'm going to say it and say it and they will be wishing they could get a way from me and go find someone dangerous to deal with...instead of someone that can talk on endlessly about the injustices that they are perpetrating on the citizens of this country and the world.Give me liberty or give me a soapbox! This looks like a damn fine soapbox to me.
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Comment #64 posted by BGreen on April 30, 2004 at 14:39:00 PT
They're going after the 18+ Million
peaceful participants in the cannabis sacrament that aren't dealers, kids or state-legal MMJ patients.The only way they've figured out to stop cannabis smokers so far is to arrest them, then offer "treatment" in order to stay out of jail.barthwell admitted they're coming after the rest of us. That endangers every brave person willing to speak out against cannabis prohibition. They'll immediately be placed on "the list."You're right to be concerned, Hope.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #63 posted by Hope on April 30, 2004 at 14:14:47 PT
Wildwood Weed!
*smile* thank you, FoM.I'm enjoying it again as I type this. Released the spider this morning. Just a nasty little spider, thankfully. I wish there was more discussion of this danged "new initiative". I think something's up and we need to know what it is. It looks to me like she is saying the Feds are going after recreational (non-addicted) marijuana smokers. The Feds! They have a war to tend to and terrorists to find and they are going to go after people who smoke marijuana occasionally? This is too strange and too quiet...almost like she misspoke. I guess if there is anything to it, we will soon hear more about it.
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Comment #62 posted by FoM on April 30, 2004 at 13:36:32 PT
Hope, I Thought of This Song
After talking about spiders and snakes and Jim Stafford I just had to find this song. Here it is!http://www.jimstafford.com/audio/wildwoodweed.html
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Comment #61 posted by Jose Melendez on April 30, 2004 at 04:37:38 PT
Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now . . .
from: http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_6816.shtmlThe two faces of George
By Michael Harris
Apr 24, 2004, 11:39The cover of The Economist for April 3-9 looks like it came straight out of John Kerry's media room. It shows a photograph of President Bush in blue jeans and a denim shirt, wearing an army helmet emblazoned with two and a half stars. Red arrows point to various parts of his body, each with a caption. The arrow pointing to his helmet is accompanied by "All hat and no plans for post-war Iraq." The one aimed at a point eight inches below his belt-buckle says "No cojones on Palestine and Israel." A third arrow aimed at his hindquarters is labelled "Hot air on Weapons of Mass Destruction." An arrow pointing to his T-shirt is followed by "Too close to vested interests." Liberal propaganda? Hardly. The Economist, a prestigious British publication, endorsed the Bush candidacy in 2000 and steadfastly supported the president and British prime minister Tony Blair in the Iraq war. So what has changed at The Economist? The president himself. The moral character of the man Americans decided was the foil to the tawdriness of Bill Clinton is now one of the central issues in the U.S. presidential election. Is George Bush as honest as he once seemed? When measured against his professed beliefs and his deeds, the answer is a resounding no. Anyone who has read his memoir, A Charge to Keep, must be wondering who really wrote the book. In it, Bush declared his deep support for states' rights, individual civil rights, and the beauty of small government. He declared that local governments that were closer to the people, and not distant federal bureaucracies, should be making decisions for average Americans. In other words, he projected a classic conservative image. In office, George Bush has been the champion of Big Government, spending the United States into record budget deficits, (normally a Democratic vice) and giving Washington unprecedented power over the lives of Americans with the Patriot Act. Several major U.S. papers have made the legitimate point that 9/11 and not the president's personal preferences dictated the sacrifice of civil liberties in the name of national security. Though arguable, it is a fair point to make. But national security was not involved when the president expressed his support for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. The man who once wrote that states should decide such issues now wanted to decide for all Americans and all times whether or not they could get married, their sexual identities and civil liberties notwithstanding. Nor was national security involved when he directed Attorney General John Ashcroft to reverse Oregon's law allowing physician-assisted suicide. Not only had Oregon decided that this was good public policy, so too had the people of the state, who approved it in a ballot box vote. The president also came out against those states which opted to permit the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, unleashing his attorney general to make legal challenges to decisions already made at the state level. So much for the president's much ballyhooed dislike of judicial activism. One or two about-faces do not add up to dishonesty, but a pattern of them surely raises red flags about what is principle and what is puffery. from: http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=17519“Terrorists” has also been used to describe people or groups who threaten US interests.Some examples are: Iraqis who are trying to take the control of Iraqi oil out of the hands of the thieves who stole it from them, namely the USA. The Colombian FARC has been labeled a terrorist organization from the time that the USA has been leading its supposed “war on drugs” (by eradicating the coca, marijuana and opium plantations, many of which lie in FARC controlled territory). Meanwhile, the pro-Colombian-government-elite paramilitary murder units (which control elite involvement in the drug trade) are not necessarily classified as terrorists. On the other hand, anyone who collaborates or helps to finance any so-called terrorist groups can be arrested without charge ... and jailed as an accomplice to terrorism. from: http://www.whiotv.com/news/2961553/detail.htmlTwo men arrested on Friday during Vice President Dick Cheney's visit to the Miami Valley have now been formally charged.The men were taken into custody after one of them allegedly made a threatening statement about President George W. Bush. Then, officers said they struggled with one of the men during the arrest.Edwin Annable Jr., was charged in federal court with resisting arrest. Larry Oliver was charged with possession of marijuana.from: http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usoval303779741apr30,0,1635092.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlinesAlthough the commission had fought to have all members present, two of them, former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) and former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), left about an hour before the end, citing prior commitments.see also: Bush, Cheney Practice CYA Before 9-11 Commission
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4470.shtmlApril 30, 2004 -- In a stunning snub, two Democrats on the 9/11 commission yesterday abruptly walked out in the middle of the Oval Office interview with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Both early-departing panelists, former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey and ex-Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton, insisted they had prior commitments - but their sudden slip out the side door of the White House left Washington and some fellow commission members in shock. Kerrey dashed to handle a private business matter - lobbying Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) for more money for his employer, the New School University in Manhattan. Hamilton bolted so that he could introduce the Canadian prime minister at a ceremonial event at the Woodrow Wilson Center, which employs Hamilton as its director. From http://drudgereport.comWALK OUT: 9/11 COMMISSIONERS BOB KERREY AND LEE HAMILTON LEAVE IN MIDDLE OF BUSH/CHENEY TESTIMONY
Thu Apr 29 2004 18:24:41 ET President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney answered every question on Thursday from the panel investigating the Sept. 11 attacks, a meeting that both the White House and the 9/11 commission had billed as historic. The Oval Office session began at 9:30 a.m. and ended at 12:40 p.m., but two Democrat commission members -- Lee Hamilton, the vice chairman, and Bob Kerrey -- walked out before it was over! The stunning walk out -- after Democrats had complained that Bush was not alloting enough time for questions -- has ignited talk throughout official Washington. In a written statement, Kerrey said he left an hour early to attend a previously scheduled meeting with Senator Pete Domenici on Capitol Hill. Kerrey: "My office has received several calls asking why I left the White House prior to the conclusion of the session with the President and the Vice President. The reason is I had a previously scheduled meeting with Senator Pete Domenici on Capitol Hill." Kerrey explained to reporters: "Yeah, it's a little awkward to leave early. But the president certainly understood what we were doing." Hamilton left Bush/Cheney 70 minutes early to meet with the Canadian Prime Minister.Interestingly: Meanwhile, Obasanjo yesterday said his administration invited and accepted foreign observers into the country "to show the world how seriously we intend to nurture, strengthen and sustain democracy in Nigeria." Obasanjo, who disclosed this when he received the leader of the Commonwealth Election Observer Group (CEOG), Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, stressed that "if we had anything to hide, we would not invite observers and give you unlimited access to all parts of the country." "Give us the details of observed shortcomings to enable corrections and the right lessons to be learnt for future use," he said, adding that, "no human activity can be regarded as perfect because perfection can only be found with God." http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Naija-news/message/2728Arpaio's latest addition to the jails is the "Jail Cam." Fixed in the Madison Street Jail, four web cameras broadcast live over the Internet from the men's holding cell, the pre-intake area, the search cell and the holding cell area. "If we had anything to hide, the sheriff certainly wouldn't allow cameras," said Sheriff Deputy Dave Trombi. The controversy of Arpaio's methods continues as the lawsuits and investigations continue. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=17995Obasanjo was more pleased with a report by Commonwealth observers, which put a more positive spin on the elections despite also uncovering some shortcomings, and met with the team at his residence on Thursday. "If we had anything to hide, we would not invite observers and give you unlimited access to all parts of the country," the president told the observers, according to a statement from his office. Independent Nigerian observers have also called into question some of the results, such as Obasanjo's victory in his home state of Ogun, where the president won an astonishing 99.82 percent of the vote. http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2003-04/24/article15.shtmlIf we had something to hide, we would not have met with them in the first place . . . and i think it was important for them to see our body language as well, how we work together . . .George W. Bush, after meeting with the 9-11 commission April 29, 2004 (as heard on npr.org)"If we had something to hide, we wouldn't have met with them in the first place," Bush said. "We answered all their questions. ... I think it was important for them to see our body language, as well, how we work together." http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/04/30/MNG8G6DMDV1.DTLhttp://www.maconareaonline.com/news.asp?id=6702http://www.fox41.com/news/news_detail.asp?id=14684§ion=2http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i3191
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Comment #60 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 20:29:02 PT
Off topic...but wondering how this is going...
Prime Minister to visit Washington, D.C.
NEWS RELEASE
April 23, 2004
Ottawa, OntarioPrime Minister Paul Martin will visit Washington, D.C. on April 29 and 30, 2004 for meetings with US President George W. Bush and congressional and other non-governmental leaders. This will be the second face-to-face meeting between the Prime Minister and President, following on their January 13 meeting in Monterrey, Mexico. "Because the Canada-U.S. relationship is so central to our respective interests, we must develop a more sophisticated relationship based on informed dialogue, shared values and respect for our differences," said the Prime Minister. "While I do not anticipate major breakthroughs, I look forward to advancing issues that are of critical importance to Canadians as we place our working relationship on a firm footing." On April 29, the Prime Minister will deliver a keynote address to the "Director's Forum", a gathering jointly hosted by the Center for Global Development and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Following the address, the Prime Minister will participate in a roundtable discussion with Washington think tank representatives, hosted by Lee Hamilton, President and Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. On Thursday afternoon, the Prime Minister will attend a series of meetings with Senate and House leaders.The Prime Minister will participate in a breakfast roundtable on April 30 with representatives of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs), hosted by the Centre for Global Development. The discussion will be an opportunity to exchange innovative ideas on global development, including how NGOs can help further the recommendations of the UN Commission on Private Sector and Development, and the role that they can play in advocating for the provision of lower cost medicines for developing countries. The Prime Minister will then meet with President Bush in the Oval Office and continue their discussions over a lunch in the White House. The Prime Minister will raise a number of bilateral issues, including BSE and softwood lumber. In both cases, he will press for a resumption of normal trade. The Prime Minister will also update President Bush on Canada’s substantial progress on national security. The two leaders will discuss ongoing border cooperation, the global campaign against terrorism, the environment, and exchange views on a wide range of multilateral issues, including Haiti, Afghanistan, the Middle East, as well as the upcoming G-8 Summit at Sea Island, Georgia.The Prime Minister will be accompanied in Washington by Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham, International Trade Minister Jim Peterson, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Bob Speller and Scott Brison, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister for Canada-U.S. Relations.
http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news.asp?id=184
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Comment #59 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 19:40:35 PT
Looks like he got what he asked for.
"I want to escalate the war on drugs. I want to renew it. I want to refresh it, relaunch it, if you will." - Attorney General John D. Ashcroft, February 7, 2001
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Comment #58 posted by Jose Melendez on April 29, 2004 at 19:34:58 PT
what were they smoking?
2001: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF MARIJUANA PROHIBITION "House Republicans Thursday unveiled a package of bills to combat drug abuse and vowed to make America virtually drug-free by 2002." - Reuters, May 1998 Welcome to 2002, Land of the Virtually Drug-Free. We are a people unanimous in our conviction to eradicate marijuana from the face of the earth. Or are we? Despite 13 million marijuana arrests since 1970, several hundred billion dollars spent, and the development of the largest prison system in the history of the world, a record 34 percent of Americans believe that marijuana should be legalized. The 64th year of modern Marijuana Prohibition, 2001, was characterized by a widening of the gap between the hard-line drug policies of the United States and the increasingly tolerant approach of many governments abroad. In May, the United States was voted off the United Nations Drug Control Board and Human Rights Board on the same day. Meanwhile Portugal, Switzerland and Belgium decriminalized personal possession of marijuana, and polls showed a majority favoring outright legalization in Britain and Jamaica. Forty-seven percent of Canadians polled favor marijuana legalization. Despite a campaign promise that he would allew states to decide on the issue of medical marijuana individually, the newly-elected President George Bush reaffirmed his commitment to hardline prohibitionism through the appointments of John Ashcroft as Attorney General, and John P. Walters as Drug Czar. In their own words: "I want to escalate the war on drugs. I want to renew it. I want to refresh it, relaunch it, if you will." - Attorney General John D. Ashcroft, February 7, 2001 http://www.mapinc.org/bcmpnews/v02/n028/a10.html?999
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Comment #57 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 19:12:29 PT
Thanks, FoM.
It does make me smile.
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Comment #56 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 19:09:41 PT
baby snakes
I stepped on a young copperhead once as I was stepping off my front porch. I didn’t notice it. As I walked back up to the porch, there it lay on a dusty slab of concrete. It’s head crushed completely flat in my heel print.Once I opened a large old wooden box and there were black widow spiders…numerous ones, crawling quickly towards me. I dropped the lid, ran and screamed for my husband and the spider spray. (Yes, I did.) When he opened the lid, spray in hand, there were three dead black widows crushed at the rim of the box by the falling lid.I feel blessed.
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Comment #55 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 18:57:18 PT
Grinning back at you, Jose
It never hurt that bad. Should have had gloves on. Just the mildest touch like a feathery cacti quill from a very small, very sharp quill, stuck in the web between my fingers then evaporating. I knew there wasn't any cacti nearby so I did an instant search and there he/she stood...all upset at me. My husband wants to turn him/her/it loose now but I'm going to wait until tomorrow. And he/she/it will be released far away from the house.
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Comment #54 posted by FoM on April 29, 2004 at 18:46:55 PT
Hope
I understand! I don't like spiders and snakes. I stepped on a baby snake a few years back and it made me feel all freaky.I hope this makes you smile though.Spiders and SnakesBy Jim Staffordhttp://www.webfitz.com/lyrics/Lyrics/1974/161974.html
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Comment #53 posted by Jose Melendez on April 29, 2004 at 18:44:42 PT
hope, all . . . re: comment #38
I'm sorry about the spider bite. How odd that your pain was so rapidly ameliorated . . . - grin( . . . it takes both wings to fly, it takes both wings to fly, it takes both wings to fly . . . ) http://lists.democracygroups.org/mailman/listinfo/rightwatch
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Comment #52 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 18:25:12 PT
Brown Recluse
My husband is pretty sure it's not a brown recluse. It is brown and smallish. I can't bear to look at a picture of one right now. Thank you, though. I appreciate your concern.I put ice on my hand in the vicinity of the bite. It looks like it will be fine. I only mentioned it because I made that remark about poisonous spiders. It looked sort of idiotic so I thought I might ought to explain if any one happened to be reading it. I am a bit fearful of spiders. The ONLY reason I’m not more fearful of them is that they seem to know it if I am and seek me out!I don't like spiders and snakes.
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Comment #51 posted by Jose Melendez on April 29, 2004 at 18:17:06 PT
can you drive on spider 'venom' metabolites?
I though this was funny. The government wants to keep us from even STANDING on grass:"In denying the permit, city officials said the Aug. 29 event would exceed the 13-acre lawn's capacity of 80,000 people and "cause enormous damage to the lawn." The group said on its application that it expected 250,000 demonstrators. "Now we just have to do another piece of organizing, to put pressure on the city to change their mind," said group leader Leslie Cagan. In its appeal, the group plans to state that numerous events with more than 80,000 people have taken place on the lawn, including a 1981 Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel concert that drew at least 400,000 fans and a 1982 anti-nuclear demonstration attended by more than 750,000 people, considered the largest protest in city history. "http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040429/ap_on_re_us/gop_convention_3New Yorkers are stubborn:from: G.O.P. Protesters Plan to Infiltrate Convention as Volunteershttp://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/28/nyregion/28convention.htmlMember ID: cannabisnewspassword: password" . . . New York, which has a long way to go to reach its target, has so far registered only about 1,400 potential volunteers. Marilyn Shaw, director of volunteer services for the host committee, said all volunteers would be vetted by law enforcement before they are signed up. She also said volunteers would be expected to attend many meetings before getting their volunteer shirts."I'll be honest with you," she said. "We meet and greet them so many times they become our best friends."Some people are thinking more Trojan horse than friend. "I think they don't understand either just how much of New York City is not prepared to welcome them," said Amanda Hickman, who described herself as a community gardener from Brooklyn. "I don't think that has clicked."
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Comment #50 posted by FoM on April 29, 2004 at 18:11:06 PT
Hope
I know we know what a black widow looks like but here is a picture of the Brown Recluse Spider for you to compare.http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2061.html
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Comment #49 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 18:03:51 PT
Spider bite
So far, I’m fine. It’s been about three hours or so since it bit me. If it were nasty poisonous I should be experiencing some significant pain about now...I would think. Got the little bugger in a jar till I see if I'm getting an all clear on it.
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on April 29, 2004 at 17:54:11 PT
Hope
Are you OK? Some spider bites are dangerous.
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Comment #47 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 17:52:11 PT
Spider bit
working in the yard and a dang spider bit me on the hand
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Comment #46 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 16:02:22 PT
News
Smokers saw it coming years ago. Pets next. There ought to be a law against poisonous spiders.Reckon?
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Comment #45 posted by FoM on April 29, 2004 at 15:41:05 PT
News on TV
I turned on MSNBC and they are talking about a law that will make it illegal to smoke in a car if your children are riding in the car with you. I don't know if this is new or not. I know adults shouldn't smoke in a car around their children but a law? I don't know where this is headed anymore.
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Comment #44 posted by BGreen on April 29, 2004 at 14:45:00 PT
Hope, You're Not Alone!
No matter how much we all disagree some of the time, we're all in the same position in regards to this war on cannabis.In an off-topic but totally related story CBS showed a story about Iraqi prisoners being mistreated and photographed by so-called "americans."Army Reserve Staff Sergeant Chip Frederick has been charged with maltreatment, assault and indecent acts for posing for a photograph while sitting on top of a detainee, striking detainees and ordering detainees to strike each other, among other things, CBS reports.Frederick, a prison guard from Virginia in civilian life, and his lawyer Gary Myers blames the problems at the prison on the atmosphere created by commanders.Just wait until these "soldiers" come back and resume their jobs as cops and jailers. They'll not only be filled with hatred, but they'll also be conditioned to believe ANY horrendous treatment of prisoners is justified as long as they put the blame on "commanders."The Reverend Bud Green
'System wide' mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners: report
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Comment #43 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 13:41:06 PT
well...this is CannabisNews
So it is about marijuana, too. Cannabis. Ultimately though...the real cause...the big cause...is even greater than this one plant...this one herb...I know enough about cannabis to know that the laws against it are unjust and expensive in more ways than one. I know that those laws are part of something that wreaks of immorality...something wrong. Something that must be resisted...and the cannabis issue is a fine place for me to firmly and irresolutely set my feet.
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Comment #42 posted by FoM on April 29, 2004 at 13:37:10 PT
Hope
I totally understand where you are coming from.
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Comment #41 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 13:17:44 PT
FoM
For many of us this is not about marijuana at all. It’s about injustice and suffering. It’s about government intruding too deeply into our lives. I became really interested in the drug war because I am a mother. I have already been educated and re-educated to my conscience’s satisfaction concerning the world’s war on drugs. I thought it might be a good idea, once. I did not know any better. Now I do. I am a mature adult, of sound mind and I feel strong and stubborn in my position, for I am a person of conscience and my conscience is clear in speaking out against these unjust laws. I did not come to this decision lightly. Integrity and common sense forced me to side against the war on drugs. If you will allow me, God led me gently and purposefully to the truth. There I now stand, must stand.
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Comment #40 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 12:45:53 PT
Kaptinemo...I expect you are right
Now is not the time to back off.Now is the time...probably...for the rebel yells.
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on April 29, 2004 at 12:44:50 PT
Hope
This is a day of reflection for me. As usual I'm listening to Neil Young and just thinking. I admire Neil Young. Right or wrong he does it his way. Many musicians are no more or totally burnt out by his age. He'll be 60 next year. At the Radio City Music Hall Concert Neil was trying to tell the story of Greendale between the songs and people where yelling different things wanting him to play this or that. One guy yelled out Southern Man and Neil said take care of that guy and the place roared with applause. Then he calmly said let me finish my story and I will come back and play what you think I am. We go thru life and make decisions. Some are good but some are bad and we live with the result of those decisions either way. Cannabis really isn't the issue anymore for me. Cannabis is Freedom. Freedom is Cannabis. Freedom to be who we are is what it's all about to me. We can't be fit in molds. We are unique and I'm glad we are. All the different people who comment here remind me how precious a gift diversity really is. That's what made our country good in years gone by!
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Comment #38 posted by kaptinemo on April 29, 2004 at 12:38:47 PT:
As far as retaliation for posting is concerned
It would be the final nail in the coffin of our liberties, and an unavoidable admission of their ultimate intent to engage in that kind of thing...for the rest of the population. Just look at the furore that is growing out of the off-handed mindless blatherings of some of the Republican pols about drafting Johnny and Suzy to fight their oil wars. Just last weekend, I heard my bro-in-law talking about it to his young nephew. My bro-in-law is a Vet like me, another former proud alumnus of the All-Volunteer Army...and he told the kid to high-tail it if it came to that. When it gets close to Mr. and Mrs Middle Class, then the reality begins to set in that the matter involves *them*, not just 'those (Lower Class/Lumpenproletariat) people'.No, the antis are not concerned about us mouthing off here; what our opponents *really* want is for us TO CENSOR OURSELVES OUT OF FEAR. Essentially, to do their work for them, by marginalizing our own selves. And so reduce the strain of engaging in the efforts they *would* have to initiate to 'get' us.The louder we are, the *safer* we are. If we silence ourselves, we make it that much easier to 'disappear' us if it comes to that. For if we drop off the face of the 'Net by our own choice, we are eventually forgotten, even by our own. *That's* when you can expect the 'knock at midnight'.Hundreds of thousands of hits at this site. Not all of them by LEOs. Many by lurkers who cheer us on and engage in their own quiet activism. Like it or not, we are already in somebody's gunsights. But they won't dare pull the trigger unless they feel safe in doing so. And, ultimately, the signal to do that would be our silencing of ourselves.
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Comment #37 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 12:31:11 PT
Where's my sponge bob shirt?
The one that says, "Get out of my mind".My mother will be so mad if I have to be re-educated. A lot of mothers will be mad. A lot of us are mad mothers.
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Comment #36 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 12:25:43 PT
gal darnit birdie you are hard headed!
I'm so glad you are.
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on April 29, 2004 at 12:13:00 PT
Hope
It would be hard to re-educate me. I am very hard headed. My father always told me that when I was young. He'd say: gal darnit birdie you are hard headed! LOL! I guess he was right!
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Comment #34 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 11:35:21 PT
dormitory/ward style or separate cells?
*Sigh*And it's off to re-education camps we go.I hate being cold and mosquitoes eat me up! But the company will be good if we activists are together.
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Comment #33 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 11:23:49 PT
FoM
Thanks for answering. Assuring to know you are still there.I shudder to imagine how those patients felt hearing the things this woman said. Did she smirk?
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on April 29, 2004 at 11:14:15 PT
Hope
I've been reading your questions and I just don't know the answers. I know that so far speaking out about a law is still ok. I think it would be hard to shut down activist's web sites but they could shut down web sites that promote illegal activity the way they are going in this administration. I don't know what Bartwell means by her comment and I would like to know too. My advice is to remember what we say publically or in e-mail isn't private. I saw a Tech TV show and they said e-mail is as private as a postcard sent in the mail. I don't go to web sites that worry me.
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Comment #31 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 10:41:43 PT
disappearing
Are posters to these websites, and others like them going to start disappearing?
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Comment #30 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 10:30:52 PT
"Powerful, well funded drug legalizers."
But not powerful enough to have paid...well paid...professionals thoroughly document every face and every name involved in their movement. They know everyone who attends any of our rallies or meetings or writes to editors. They know all of us who dare to express open dissent to their livelihood and ideas on the Internet. Dissent to their livelihood. A livelihood they enjoy. I’m sure they have a long and thorough list.We’ve been standing out in the open for a very long time.
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Comment #29 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 10:11:12 PT
Initiative
Call me paranoid...but I'd say known activists would have to be on such a target list.
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Comment #28 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 09:56:44 PT
Kaptinemo
Thank you, Kap. I'm really curious about what you think this means.
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Comment #27 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 09:53:22 PT
"dictatorial regime act"?
Perhaps the so called “patriot act” would be more aptly named, “ comrade act”.When one group of people wants this much control over another group of people, freedom and liberty are in danger. Those who didn’t see it coming might notice when they find themselves paying for having to have members of their own families re-educated. (Think of all the jobs.) When they feel it in their pocketbook, oh, I mean, “heart” or “rational mind” or whatever, they might notice. Might. Maybe. It all depends on how much demonization they were able to soak up.
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Comment #26 posted by kaptinemo on April 29, 2004 at 08:47:03 PT:
More sugar-coated, smiley-faced fascism
This 'new initiative' has the scent of another, warmed over bit of wretched, reeking, dripping totalitarianism - the old "Know Your Customer" legislation that would have turned bank tellers into narcs.For the only way that the Feds can identify recreational drug users *immediately* is by monitoring large scale money movements - specifically, withdrawals of money from bank accounts for purchases. Since many people are now forced by their workplaces to have 'direct deposit' of their paychecks into their accounts, the mechanism for monitoring is already three-quarters installed. Large withdrawals would no doubt signal a computer program at organizations such as FINCEN (see http://www.privacilla.org/government/fincen.html for a quick lowdown on this organization) which would in turn be used to further monitor any future withdrawals...and possibly be used as 'probable cause' to initiate an investigation, or even acquire a warrant under the (choke! gag! cough!) PATRIOT Act.The IT community made the rest of the public aware of the "KYC" legislation being proposed at the time and the dangers involved in such surreptitious domestic spying. The legislation died under public pressure...only to be resurrected in other forms. Looks like the wooden stake didn't dispatch this tough vampire; time for the silver bullet. With a crucifix etched into it for good measure, and a hollow point filled with garlic juice.
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Comment #25 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 08:40:36 PT
prime targets
Barthwell said, "marijuana users are among the program's prime targets."
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Comment #24 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 08:37:44 PT
Federal Initiative?
"a new federal initiative to identify non-addicted drug users - so-called recreational users - and get them off drugs before they either become addicted or convince non-users to try drugs for the first time. Barthwell said marijuana users are among the program's prime targets." How do they plan to accomplish this task? Will they snatch everyone who has come out of the closet in the last ten years? Will they fine us heavily for our “subversive” Internet comments? So heavily that we can't pay them and therefore must be imprisoned to serve out the time for the fine. Hmmm. Will they give us shock treatments?Such ‘good’ people doing so much for humanity.
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Comment #23 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 08:21:38 PT
Afterburner
"Do WEthePEOPLE get to vote for or against this so-called "initiative"?"Reckon not
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Comment #22 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 08:17:24 PT
Alaska is not hideous
It's beautiful and pure and pristine...mostly. There are places in every state that no one would live.
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 08:12:24 PT
Alaska?
There are plenty of hideous places in this country. It could be off to the worst, most isolated place in Alaska (away from the ‘good’ people of Alaska, of course) with a
wool blanket and paper slippers for dissenters.
Brrrrr
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 08:01:09 PT
WEthePEOPLE
WEthePEOPLE may be in re-education camps soon. I wonder where the Siberia of North America is? I hope it's not cold or mosquitoey. :(
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Comment #19 posted by afterburner on April 29, 2004 at 07:17:11 PT
Federal ''Initiative''
Do WEthePEOPLE get to vote for or against this so-called "initiative"?
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Comment #18 posted by Hope on April 29, 2004 at 06:52:19 PT
A "Federal Initiative"
a new federal initiative to identify non-addicted drug users - so-called recreational users - and get them off drugs before they either become addicted or convince non-users to try drugs for the first time.Barthwell said marijuana users are among the program's prime targets.
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Comment #17 posted by Jose Melendez on April 28, 2004 at 21:04:04 PT
fight real crime: arrest prohibition
"a new federal initiative to identify non-addicted drug users - so-called recreational users" See also:" . . . (O)ur constitutional traditions cry out for caution whenever the government comes to pry, however persuasive the reason. The public interest must be urgent, there must be no other way of serving it, and the intrusion of privacy must be to the least extent possible. The sponsors of the legislation could meet those concerns by narrowing the list of medications that would be tracked. Prescription drug abuse is a real problem, and doctors who knowingly capitalize deserve to be punished. Beyond the obvious privacy concerns, the bills, HB 397 and SB 580, worry advocates in the fields of pain control and mental health. With prescription data centralized, physicians might be frightened away from treating mental illnesses and severe pain aggressively, because treatment often requires large quantities of the drugs under scrutiny. An atmosphere of fear already pervades the prescribing of OxyContin, which has become a favorite club drug. Chronic pain patients tell horror stories of trying to access sufficient quantities of the drug to ease their suffering. Doctors and pharmacists are not police officers and should not be expected to add "narcotics detective" to their job descriptions" http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/12/Opinion/Prescription_police.shtml
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Comment #16 posted by Jose Melendez on April 28, 2004 at 20:47:47 PT
Did we not call it, years ago?
I had to read this twice to believe my eyes:from: http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=103-04262004Contact: Robert Weiner, 301-283-0821 or 202-329-1700 WASHINGTON, April 26 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by former spokesman for the White House Drug Policy Office Robert Weiner: -- White House Drug Staffer Who Fought $1.15 Million Contract Bribery and $400,000 Blackmail Deserves Heroic Medal, Not Pushing Out of Govt., Says Former ONCDP Spokesman Weiner; -- Calls for Investigation to Highest Level Including Drug Czar by Professional Justice Arm, Not Political Appointees The head of the White House Counterdrug Technology Center, Dr. Al Brandenstein, who fought against apparent bribery and blackmail in the White House Drug Policy Office involved in a no- bid contract arranged at a powerful U.S. Senator's request (Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Col.), "deserves a heroic medal and award, not being pushed out of government," asserts the White House Drug Policy Office former spokesman, Robert Weiner. Brandenstein headed CTAC since its inception in 1991, and Weiner served with him as Director of Public Affairs at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, of which CTAC is a part, from 1995-2001. "What Al did is courageous, the ideal of what a government employee should do when he sees wrongdoing involving $1.15 million potential contract bribery and $400,000 possible blackmail. The Administration first tried to demote him, and then Al resigned with a record of distinguished federal service rather than succumb to the office's vindictiveness over his exposure of likely illegality." "Instead of what the new Drug Czar, John Walters, spitefully did to Dr. Brandenstein, Walters or even President Bush should give Al a medal for courage," Weiner said. "Even more important, the Department of Justice must investigate to the top, including Drug Czar Walters. It is not enough that Walters' Chief of Staff, Chris Marston, has now left the office. As someone who worked at ONDCP for great Drug Czars Lee Brown and Barry McCaffrey and the Bush transition for over six years, I can tell you that clearly Walters, a former aide to earlier Drug Czar Bill Bennett, knew what was going on. ONDCP is an intimate place where senior staff confers routinely and almost hourly with the Drug Czar, so he had to know. "Because of the political nature of the allegations, the Justice investigation must be by professional, not political appointees," Weiner added"See also: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n043/a04.html?60176http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n042/a02.html?60176
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Comment #15 posted by Virgil on April 28, 2004 at 20:32:48 PT
Ekim- Ask the pResident
Why not ask the worst president ever when he visits Kalamazoo and then Detroit on Monday?- http://www.wwmt.com/engine.pl?station=wwmt&id=8293&template=breakout_local.html
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Comment #14 posted by ekim on April 28, 2004 at 20:18:30 PT
a new federal initiative to identify --drug users
Although her marijuana stance clearly drew the most attention, Barthwell also spoke with lawmakers about the administration's of methadone to treat heroin addiction and a new federal initiative to identify non-addicted drug users - so-called recreational users - and get them off drugs before they either become addicted or convince non-users to try drugs for the first time.Barthwell said marijuana users are among the program's prime targets. a new federal initiative to identify non-addicted drug users - so-called recreational users and get them off drugs before they either become addicted or convince non-users to try drugs for the first timeWhat is this new initiative. Sen. James Leddy, D-Chittenden, chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, also took Barthwell to task on her stance. You are making a statement that based on the testimony we heard is not credible to the committeePlease Sen. Leddy print what new federal initiative the Dr. is talking about. Lets all see what they are cooking up now.
http://www.mmdetroit.org
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Comment #13 posted by kaptinemo on April 28, 2004 at 19:22:01 PT:
OverwhelmSam has made an important point
And it ties in very neatly with Gandhi's Progression about first they ignore you, then laugh at you, then fight you...then you win.Consider: prior to 1996, the antis would never have deigned to stoop so low as to mention 'medical marijuana" (it's *cannabis*, you anti twits; medical *cannabis*...to use the Latin gobbledygook you're so fond of) much less campaign against it. Then along came the double slaps with the cosmic 2X4 called Props 200 and 215. All of a sudden, the subject becomes Priority #1 as far as the antis are concerned...and their efforts to stop it have taken on a hysterical tone once reserved for jeremiads against heroin or cocaine.Of course, the problem here is that 80 million Americans (I suspect the numbers are MUCH higher) know the truth - and the difference. They *can't be bamboozled. If only because the so-called DARE generation is even *more* sophisticated, alkaloid-wise, than their parents were. Only the demi-conscious would possibly swallow these lies without some critical thought being applied to them.At some point, at some critical junture, we will witness the long-awaited "Emperor's Clothes" scenario, when the truth becomes so glaringly obvious the antis will be shown to be not only wrong, but foolishly, idiotically, didactically wrong. At some point, all the built up pressure will break - and I witnessed the prelude to this last week at the DC kickoff of "Dr." Barthwell's campaign when a young mother asked her point-blank why La Barthwell and her ilk want to throw the mother in prison and take her children away. At some point, the Great Disconnect between the public moralizing about 'marijuana' and the reality of prison and rape and HIV for mere possession will be brought up and thrown in anti faces. At some point, we will see, as happened to Senator Joseph McCarthy so long ago, the moment when the tipping point is reached and the explosion released.The antis know this, and for all their bombast and attempts at preserving a facade of impermiability, are quaking in their jackboots. Otherwise they wouldn't hesitate to debate us; they simply lack the convictions necessary to enter the arena. And it's becoming increasingly obvious, as demonstrated by Senator Leddy's comments, the antis are losing the support of many legislators, who are listening to their constituents more and to Washington less. Those constituents want medicinal cannabis; not 'in the next 15 years' as "Dr." Barthwell actually proposed in that conference in Washington (what are the sick and dying to do til then, "Doctor"?), but *right now*.The antis days are numbered; the stomach of the tiger they've ridden for so long is growling. The question is: who gets served up for din-din first? I suspect it's "Dr." Barthwell; you don't see Johnny Pee out there beating the drum anymore.He's too busy...hiding behind "Dr." Barthwell's skirts.
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Comment #11 posted by Jose Melendez on April 28, 2004 at 19:04:57 PT
prediction . . .
Cannabis was never legally prohibited.
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Comment #10 posted by OverwhelmSam on April 28, 2004 at 15:35:10 PT
They Can't Stop Legalization
Try as they might, they can't stop medical marijuana legalization, although they are pulling out all the stops to slow it down. They're insisting on their fear based message of the deadly consequences of marijuana use, and unfortunately, irrational emotionally based messages win out over attempts at a logically rational policy every time.I like the message of the Dutch: We don't want to criminalize marijuana because it's out in the open where we can control it. Genius!
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on April 28, 2004 at 14:11:28 PT
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Do you hear my applause kapt? I really hope the day comes when common sense prevails and the laws are changed. This war against citizens must stop. How can they expect us to stand with the USA in what they do when they attack us? I don't think that is right. If someone gives me a little bit of respect I always return it. That's really all we want is a little respect.
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Comment #8 posted by Sam Adams on April 28, 2004 at 14:09:56 PT
Formerly known as Dr. Grubb
How can she sleep at night? She knows full well that many actual sick people are coming to see her talks in every city. What kind of example is she - who would want their kids to turn out like her? A professional liar.
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Comment #7 posted by kaptinemo on April 28, 2004 at 14:03:39 PT:
Like a scratched CD
Or for the older set, a 'broken record'."Cruel hoax." "Powerful, well funded drug legalizers." "Smoked marijuana is not medicine." "21st Century medicine." "Emergency room visits."Blah, blah, blah...and all on our dime and our time, paid for with our taxpayer's dollars."Dr." Barthwell, I know your friends in the LEO community are keeping you abreast of what's going on at places like this. This activist can spout your lines to the last sentence, I've heard them so often. Can you possibly come up with anything new in the way of LIES? Your old ones have gotten quite stale and tiresome, like fish that's been in the 'fridge too long, and aren't even worth the effort of laughing at them. The day that a *real* debate breaks out between the ONDCP's medical mercenaries like "Dr." Barthwell and an activist is the day the public gets a good hard look at the terrible waste of money that her little junket represents. Which is why the antis try to make sure they never face the public without their goons being present. Can't have real *democracy* with its' attendent debate breaking out suddenly, now can we? Might distract from the job at hand - which is LYING to the public.But the day is coming, folks, oh, yes, it is. Some day, they will be placed in the position of 'put up or shut up'; either defend your positions in true debate or slink home with tail between legs....and then they fall. Hard. Oh, speed the day!
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Comment #6 posted by Virgil on April 28, 2004 at 13:48:44 PT
Lie, Lie, Lie
"It's a cruel hoax that exploits our passion for the sick," said BarthwellThis is an absolute lie in defense of a fraud that supports pain and suffering, robbery, mass murder, and treason. The entire federal position is a hoax or fraud, if you will.The thought that might escape someone new to the issue is that there is not a difference of opinion. There is a difference of position. The federal position is stonewalled to hold a total prohibition including MMJ. The reformers evaluate the facts of the situation and draw a conclusion or opinion if you will. The federal government ignores the process of evaluating facts and just tries to hold their treasonous position. There is not a difference of opinion. There is a difference of opinion due to the overthrow of the government of the people where a more perfect union is no longer a goal as described in the Preamble to the Constitution. The Constitution is ignored and we are ruled by treason.The biggest hoax in the debate is the bending of the main question of whether cannabis is medicine or has medical value. It has untold medical value as the peasants of the world can use it for pain relief and anti-inflamatory, a good nights sleep, a rage reducer, and a relaxant. It is a ubiquitous product for the ailments of mankind that defines safety and defines value as it can even be grown wild and hash extracted with a little ice water. Cannabis wins on safety, on efficacy with many things, and above all, it is a clear winner on cost.The prohibitionists bend the issue to the medical value of cannabis only to defend it with lies. The real crime of it all is that cannabis should be free in its own right. It is prohibition that has blocked the research and crapped away the resources that would have unlocked the secrets of the cannabinoids. It wasn't even until about 1191 or 1992 that scientist even found the cannabinoid receptors in the brain. CB1 are brain receptors and in the spinal cord and CB2 receptors are for pain. Plan A with beating back the treason that sponsors this mass murder and suffering has to do with evoking our unalienable rights. The founding fathers did not conceive of a state where these rights could be denied like we see with today, much less a federal government whose rights were limited by the state and who could not derive a power the states themselves did not have. It is in the Declaration of Independence that we are told that our unalienable rights include the life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We see all three of these unalienable rights trampled on and who in our states is saying that the federal government along with the states themselves need to back off and respect the unalienable rights of man.This is thread 18746 at Cnews. It is the next article #18747 that contains this paragraph that shows that the unalienable rights of man need defending from both the states and the federal government that have no say and no power in the issue where life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are concerned- Angel Raich, the lead plaintiff in the case, put the matter in a nutshell: “The government doesn’t dispute that I would die without cannabis, but they not only want to keep my medicine from me, they want the right to take me from my children and see me die in prison.”
Plan A with me is to defend my rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I do not recognize Cannabis Prohibition as lawful and those that support the fraud/hoax of prohibition are guilty of many things include conspiracy in mass murder and treason and crimes against humanity.Barthwell and her conspirators need to be brought to justice and sentenced.
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Comment #5 posted by RasAric on April 28, 2004 at 09:56:44 PT
E_Johnson
Under this prohibitionist/crusader regime, Potato chips must certainly be made illegal.....just recently it was discovered that a specific carcinogen results in the manufacturing process. Oh yeah, and since they are a recreational snack, there should be a hefty fine to pay and time to serve when caught eating them. As for Frito-lay and old dutch?.....I believe they would have manufacturing charges brought against them!
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 28, 2004 at 09:14:58 PT
AP: What Ads Should Metro Accept?
WTOP's Neal Augenstein reports from U.S. District Court. Audio Link: http://audio.wtopnews.com/april2004/042804_ads.ramWednesday, April 28, 2004 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday on whether transit agencies have to accept paid advertising critical of the war on drugs. The judge's decision could have wide-scale implications. A federal law bans such ads if the agency gets federal money. The law was sponsored by Rep. Ernest Istook, R-OK, who was upset over Metro's plans to take ads advocating reform of marijuana laws. Metro stood to lose $85 million in federal money if it took the ads, so Metro rejected them. Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups contend the law amounts to discrimination and censorship. They're suing the Transportation Department, arguing transit agencies nationwide could lose billions in subsidies. They're also suing Metro for not accepting the ads. A Justice Department lawyer has argued that Congress can make value judgments about conditions under which federal funds can be provided. The judge didn't say when he'd rule. Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press
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Comment #3 posted by global_warming on April 28, 2004 at 09:13:08 PT
Amazing Grace
It always amazes me, how such intelligent people can continue to spout their lies with a straight face. If the US were truly interested in helping the sick, they would have done the research that they frequently site as lacking, many years ago.It is clear to me and I'm sure to many others, that the time for research has passed away, it is now time for the people to get control of their lives and their country.The only cruelty that I see is the good Dr. saying, that she will arrest and incarcerate these people that are dieng, these people that are in pain, these people who are being treated by her style of medicine and have a hard time keeping it down, much like her dribble.I know this is a bad thing to say, but I hope that she and her kind of people will someday be in a similar position, faced with pain or arrest.
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Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on April 28, 2004 at 09:08:25 PT
Obese teens have thickened arteries
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=541&ncid=751&e=6&u=/ap/20040428/ap_on_he_me/fit_australia_obese_childrenBan potato chips and soda?
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Comment #1 posted by ubas on April 28, 2004 at 08:29:21 PT
Barfwell
Sen. James Leddy, D-Chittenden, chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, also took Barthwell to task on her stance. "We heard nothing that was an alternative for these people's pain and suffering, so we struggle to understand where the hoax is," Leddy told Barthwell. "They are seeking desperate relief from pain and nausea. The government says the cruel hoax is taking the plant and using it in an illegal way... You are making a statement that based on the testimony we heard is not credible to the committee." Vermonters are not easily swayed by outsiders. Walters' hired-gun will likely have no influence on the voting public. Gov. Douglas, however, still presents a real problem.
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