cannabisnews.com: Lepp Ready for October Court Date





Lepp Ready for October Court Date
Posted by CN Staff on September 28, 2004 at 07:57:58 PT
By John Lindblom - Record-Bee Staff
Source: Lake County Record-Bee 
Upper Lake -- Although he faces the possibility of two life sentences plus 10 years on charges filed against him in conjunction with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) latest raid on his property, Eddy Lepp is not backing down in his fight in support of medical marijuana."If I have to go to prison the rest of my life to make sure the (California marijuana) laws are enforced the way they're written, then I'll go to prison," Lepp vowed Monday. 
The issue, simply, is which will prevail California's Proposition 215, which categorizes medical marijuana as legal, or the federal government's position that there is no such thing as medical marijuana.Even Dennis Perone, who helped frame Proposition 215, wonders at Eddy Lepp's adamant stand against the DEA, which he is suing for an astronomical sum. "Eddy's in a battle for his life and for the soul of America, if you think about it," said Perone. "Eddy is 59 or 60. How much of his life does he have left? Does he want to spend that life in prison? I think he'll fight the fight, but he might lose, too."Lepp, who willingly has become a lightning rod in the escalating cultural war over legalization of marijuana, is scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco Oct. 4 on manufacturing and conspiracy to distribute marijuana and the possession of a .32-caliber revolver. He is free on $200,000 bail after being arrested Aug. 18 when a DEA-led force raided his property, destroying 40 acres of marijuana.Lepp had touted the marijuana crop highly visible from Highway 20 as the largest stand of legal marijuana grown in the U.S.In the interim since Aug. 18, Lepp has attained a folk hero-like status among varying segments and even outside the community. A woman asked her minister to lead a prayer for him and said she would quit the congregation if he didn't. An exotic dancer mortgaged her property to pay his bail.Saturday, a crowd that Lepp personally estimated at "several hundred" were at his hilltop home in Upper Lake for a fund-raiser to pay his legal costs. The event raised $5,000, according to Lepp. He also reported that a network television station from Sacramento and a reporter from Rolling Stone were in attendance."I was overwhelmed by the support we got, but there's always some idiot," said Lepp. "Some woman showed up early Saturday down at the gate (to the driveway) and made a big scene."She was yelling, My son got arrested for pot you guys are criminal!' and was so drunk she did a burnout in my driveway and my neighbor's driveway. Then, she ripped out her car's oil pan on my neighbor's fence post, drove down to the corner and left five quarts of oil at the intersection. But she was the champion the only one who showed up for the other side."While Lepp said he is not afraid to go to prison, he does acknowledge he is fearful for his wife, Linda, which caused him to buy a second house and have her live separate from him. "If I'm lucky, I'll spend one night a week with her," he said. "Everybody around me, quite frankly, is scared to death that some cowboy' in the government is going to take me out in the same way it happened at Ruby Ridge or Waco. But personally I don't concern myself about that very much."Lepp said that collectively his clients suffered a loss of about $1 million when the DEA and accompanying state and local law authority destroyed his marijuana crop. Under his method of operating, patients who have medical recommendations lease a small plot of ground to grow marijuana or cannabis in his 40-acre field. In return, Lepp's cannabis "ministry" received a donation to care for the plant. His average patient, he said, lost between $3,000 and $5,000 in the raid. Lepp had warned patients up front that he could not guarantee against an invasion by the DEA such as the one that occurred the second by the DEA in three years.Lepp had maintained the legality of his crop by clinging to the phrasing in Article 3, Section 3.5 of the California Constitution, which he said, "states clearly that, even if it's in conflict with federal law, no office has authority to not enforce the law written in the state of California until it is proven that it is in conflict with the (U.S.) Constitution or against the Constitution."That's not my idea," he exclaimed. "That's in the friggin' (state) constitution."Perone argued that to ban the use of marijuana as a medicinal treatment in California the federal government needs to amend the U.S. Constitution, much as was the case in the 1920s with the 21st amendment to create prohibition."The federal government is like a paper tiger and this is going to backfire on them," Perone said. "They're going to create a civil war with this. It's already brewing, one cultural group against another cultural group. Once they start going, everybody's going to be in on it."Said Lepp: "I am going to fight. This isn't about me being right or wrong or finding a loophole. This is about following the laws this country is governed under, the laws that people in this state and nation vote into law."Source: Lake County Record-Bee (CA)Author: John Lindblom - Record-Bee StaffPublished: Tuesday, September 28, 2004Copyright: 2004 Record-BeeContact: editorial record-bee.comWebsite: http://www.record-bee.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Marijuana.orghttp://www.marijuana.org/Eddys Medicinal Gardenshttp://www.eddysmedicinalgardens.com/Marijuana Grower Could Face Life in Prisonhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19368.shtmlLepp Arraigned in Federal Courthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19367.shtmlDEA Raids Lepp's Pot Farmhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19362.shtml 
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Comment #36 posted by FoM on September 30, 2004 at 11:13:08 PT
Update on Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens Case 'Under Review'http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3704120.stm
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Comment #35 posted by E_Johnson on September 29, 2004 at 12:28:01 PT
Dankhank
What happened to this woman is more about socially degenerated forms of tribalism than it is about Islam. In a tribal society, everything is about reputation, and they can go to extremes to protect the "reputation" of their tribe.Then they get into vendettas that never end, until the violence escalates to extremes as we see here.This was about a tribal vendetta. I don't see anywhere here that Islam itself was involved. The rape sentence was made by a tribal council -- not by a Mullah or a mufti or any official with a role in islam.Rape is not allowed in the Koran any more than it is allowed in the Bible. The Koran tells people to obey what they read in the Bible by the way.As we can see from Christian history, the people who claim to be part of a religion do not always represent the actual values the religion means to propagate.
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on September 29, 2004 at 08:21:36 PT
Off Topic: Cat Stevens on 20/20 - Oct. 1st
‘In the Dark’British Singer Wants to Know Why He’s No Longer Welcome in AmericaSept. 27, 2004 — The singer once known as Cat Stevens says he felt immediately disconnected from his world when federal agents held him for questioning after his flight to Washington, D.C., was diverted.
 
 
 
"I was literally cut off from my family, from my daughter. I was in the dark," the musician, now known as Yusuf Islam, told ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas. Watch Elizabeth Vargas' full interview with Yusuf Islam this Friday on 20/20. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/2020/Cat_Stevens_Vargas-1.html
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Comment #33 posted by Dark Star on September 29, 2004 at 06:13:06 PT
Way Off Subject
This is way off subject, but I wanted to comment. This kind of behavior has nothing to do with Islam. Barbaric idiots use the Koran (or Bible for that matter) as an excuse for every kind of perversion and violence. Hate the perpetrators, but not their religion. 
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Comment #32 posted by Dankhank on September 29, 2004 at 05:07:24 PT
Islam
Here's a good example of the peace of Islam:The saddest thing is that this kind of behavior is not rare.http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/29/opinion/29kris.html?hp"Since becoming a Muslim, I have devoted my life to education, charity and helping children around the world."Ok, Yusuf, think you can do anything 'bout this?
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Comment #31 posted by goneposthole on September 29, 2004 at 04:08:31 PT
thanks for the correction
I realized my mistake after I posted. My apologies, I'm feeling a huge disconnect with reality these days.
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Comment #30 posted by E_Johnson on September 28, 2004 at 21:53:00 PT
goneposthole
1. I don't think I am feeling scorn, I think it is fear. Fear of repeating the seventies, for example. 2. It wasn't Eddy Lepp, it was "Cinque" Peron.
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Comment #29 posted by FoM on September 28, 2004 at 20:38:00 PT
kapt
That was good. We heard that now people with felonies in our state can vote. 
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on September 28, 2004 at 20:29:20 PT
Dankhank
I didn't know how to spell Yusuf and I was too lazy to look for it when I posted. Thank You. The Bible and the Koran are open to any way of thinking. It's up to the reader to decide what it means. War has mostly been about religion so I guess it will always continue for the same reasons. I've never read the Koran so I can't comment on it. Faith is so very different then religion. 
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Comment #27 posted by goneposthole on September 28, 2004 at 20:28:03 PT
E_Johnson
When you pay taxes, you are helping to pay for the drug war that KILLS people over a plant. You are coercively counted 'in' to prosecute the drug war by no fault of your own.Anyway, it's what the neocons want. Mr. Lepp is falling into a trap. His remarks are out of line and somewhat irresponsible. He's letting hate get the best of him. He should get ahold of himself. He needs to sit down and think it over. Settle down, Mr. Lepp. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of E_Johnson's wrath and scorn. 'Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn'
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Comment #26 posted by kaptinemo on September 28, 2004 at 20:18:55 PT:
A powerful Flash video on the DrugWar and voting
http://www.drugpolicy.org/flash/felon/Cuts right to the heart of the matter...
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Comment #25 posted by Dankhank on September 28, 2004 at 20:04:56 PT
da man speaks, finally
"The Koran equates the murder of one innocent person with the murder of all of humanity."If that's true what "Koran" are murderers reading?What I have read about the Koran says that there are two parts of the Koran. The earlier part that was about love, compassion and peace, and the later part that was more militant in nature.Sound alot like OUR bible? The fire and brimstone of the Old Testament and the peace, love and forgiveness of the New Testament.For Yusuf, and by the way FOM that's his name now and has been for a long time, suggests he's not being entirely forthcoming. There's some pretty nasty shit in some parts of the old Testament, witness some of the attitudes of the maniacally conservative Christians.Stuff about killing your kids if they disobey and lot's of other garbage. A man who offers his daughters to save his own life ...So believe in Jesus or Mohammed, doesn't seem to matter, both religions have plenty of bad advice for those who need to justify blowing up a bus with children on it or caging millions for using a plant.For another opinion I submit:ImagineImagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...Imagine no possesions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one. John Lennon
October 9,1940 - December 8,1980by the way, murdered by a fundamentalist Christian.
Imagine
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Comment #24 posted by E_Johnson on September 28, 2004 at 18:58:12 PT
Does this represent the marijuana movement?
""The federal government is like a paper tiger and this is going to backfire on them," Perone said. "They're going to create a civil war with this. It's already brewing, one cultural group against another cultural group. Once they start going, everybody's going to be in on it."
"I do not want to be associated with any movement whose leaders make public statements to the news media LIKE THIS.There -- is that clear now?If the leaders of this movement run around saying things like this to the news media -- count me out.
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Comment #23 posted by E_Johnson on September 28, 2004 at 18:19:35 PT
I beg to differ JustGetnBy
" EJ re: #2 Pointing out something you think may be heading our way is not the same as hoping or wishing for it"Like I said, go aehad and use it as a campaign slogan for our movement.And watch how many people leave, and never ever come back.
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on September 28, 2004 at 17:36:30 PT
The Link Might Not Work
Here's the page I found the video on.http://catstevens.com/downloads/index.html
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on September 28, 2004 at 17:27:04 PT
A Small Video from Cat Stevens
It is easier for me to remember the name Cat Stevens rather then his Muslim name that's why I call him that name. After watching the interview with him on the DVD I understand him better. He said he is Cat Stevens too and pointed out to the world with his arm. He is a very complex person. Bob Dylan was a key part of him breaking into poetic music. It was a good concert and interview.Never Say Never - 2.26 MB: http://catstevens.com/downloads/neversaynever100.rm
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Comment #20 posted by VitaminT on September 28, 2004 at 17:08:38 PT
BGreen
Thanks for posting the letter by Yusuf Islam.
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Comment #19 posted by JustGetnBy on September 28, 2004 at 16:01:02 PT
  I Agree!
  EJ re: #2 Pointing out something you think may be heading our way is not the same as hoping or wishing for it.  Kapt. What you said! I'd give up small body parts to express myself as clearly as you do.  Eddey Lepp!!!!
What can you say. He's right, he's there, he's in their face
and he ain't goin away voluntarily.
 I think, when history sorts it all out, Eddy Lepp will be
compared to figures such as John Paul Jones, Patrick Henry and their ilk. I am proud to be in the same movement as he, and thee.  FOM  I nominate you for the Betsey Ross Award 
  
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Comment #18 posted by sukoi on September 28, 2004 at 15:35:30 PT
Constitution
"Lepp had maintained the legality of his crop by clinging to the phrasing in Article 3, Section 3.5 of the California Constitution, which he said, "states clearly that, even if it's in conflict with federal law, no office has authority to not enforce the law written in the state of California until it is proven that it is in conflict with the (U.S.) Constitution or against the Constitution. 
"That's not my idea," he exclaimed. "That's in the friggin' (state) constitution." 
Perone argued that to ban the use of marijuana as a medicinal treatment in California the federal government needs to amend the U.S. Constitution, much as was the case in the 1920s with the 21st amendment to create prohibition."To me, that’s it in a nutshell; how can he be convicted if he has not violated ANY Constitutional law, U.S. or state?
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on September 28, 2004 at 12:42:43 PT
BGreen
I saved this article because this is how I feel about what happened to Cat Stevens.http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/2004092613381513
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Comment #16 posted by BGreen on September 28, 2004 at 12:39:41 PT
Letter From Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)
This letter answers some of the questions raised on this website last week.The Reverend Bud Green*********************************************************Something Bad Has BegunThe former Cat Stevens says he hasn't changed but the U.S. has.By Yusuf IslamSeptember 28, 2004 "Los Angeles Times" -- I was flying to Nashville last week with my 21-year-old daughter to explore some new musical ideas with a record label there. Ironically, I was trying to remain low-profile because of the speculation that it might have raised in the music world about a return of "the Cat." Media attention was the last thing I wanted. But it seems God wanted otherwise.Toward the end of our journey from London to Washington, the plane was diverted. The captain announced something about "heavy traffic." After landing in Bangor, Maine, six tall, blue-uniformed officers boarded and surrounded me and my daughter. "Is your name Yusuf Islam?" they asked."Yes," I confirmed. "Do you mind coming with us and answering a few questions?" At that point my heart stopped, and my daughter's face turned aspirin-white. This was the start of the nightmare.Three FBI agents escorted me away from my daughter and asked me questions. At first, it sounded like they might have me mixed up with somebody else, as they repeated the spelling of my name. "No. Y-u-s-u-f," I carefully spelled out. The agents looked a bit puzzled.As they continued asking questions, some of their queries were obviously not related to me, so I thought this must be a matter of simple mistaken identity. Whether it was a mix-up or not remained unclear because they weren't under any obligation to give me a reason; the green visa waiver form I had so neatly filled in earlier had effectively denied me any right to appeal or answers. It was only when an immigration official read out to me a legal reference number that he mentioned some implication with "terrorism" — no further details necessary. The most upsetting thing was being separated from my daughter for 33 hours — not knowing how she was or when and where we might be united. Because my phone was confiscated, I couldn't contact my family.God almighty! Is this the same planet I'd taken off from? I was devastated. The unbelievable thing is that only two months earlier, I had been having meetings in Washington with top officials from the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to talk about my charity work. Even further back, one month after the attack on the World Trade Center, I was in New York meeting Peter Gabriel and Hillary Rodham Clinton at the World Economic Forum! Had I changed that much? No. Actually, it's the indiscriminate procedure of profiling that's changed. I am a victim of an unjust and arbitrary system, hastily imposed, that serves only to belittle America's image as a defender of the civil liberties that so many dearly struggled and died for over the centuries. Need I say that any form of terrorism or violence is the antithesis of everything I love and stand for? Anyone who knows me will attest to this. I have spent my life in the search for peace and understanding, and that was mirrored clearly in my music. Since becoming a Muslim, I have devoted my life to education, charity and helping children around the world. Consistently I have condemned the attacks of 9/11, stating that the slaughter of innocents, the taking of hostages and coldblooded killing of women and children have nothing do with the teachings of Islam. I've openly and publicly repudiated the actions of groups that resort to such acts of inhumanity — whatever their names. Any allegations to the contrary are fabricated. The Koran equates the murder of one innocent person with the murder of all of humanity.Ever since I embraced Islam in 1977, people have regularly tried to link me with things I have nothing to do with. Take the Salman Rushdie case as an example, or the regurgitating of the accusation that I support groups like Hamas.I am a man of peace, and I denounce all forms of terrorism and injustice; it is simply outrageous for anyone to suggest otherwise. The fact that I have sympathy for ordinary people in the world who are suffering from occupation, tyranny, poverty or war is human and has nothing to do with politics or terrorism. Thank God my daughter and I were relieved of our ordeal and delivered home safely. I also thank all those who prayed for me and supported me through this dark episode; I have never harbored any ill will toward people of God's great Earth anywhere — and wish the reverse was also true. Copyright 2004 Los Angeles Times
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on September 28, 2004 at 12:33:37 PT
goneposthole
Thank you! You really are sweet!
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Comment #14 posted by goneposthole on September 28, 2004 at 12:32:38 PT
just to compare and contrast
I'll give it a rest. 
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Comment #13 posted by dr slider on September 28, 2004 at 12:29:21 PT:
the curse
If Alaskans find the courage to see this to fruition, I assure you we'll see a reduction of alcohol related problems there. A shining beacon to the north. Us micks know enough about "the curse" to empathize with our cousins.
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on September 28, 2004 at 11:56:03 PT
goneposthole
Why do you keep talking about cocaine? You know it isn't an issue here. Are you trying to fire someone up? Please be kind. Cannabis really is why we are here. I won't fight for other substances since I know how bad they can be.
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Comment #11 posted by goneposthole on September 28, 2004 at 11:52:11 PT
Massachusetts too
Kitty Dukakis had trouble with her drinking problem. But, it is true about alcoholism in the northern regions of Canada and in Alaska. However, it isn't fair to single out native Alaskans. 'Firewater' has been the bane of indigenous peoples all over this land from coast to coast. It is a problem everywhere, not just Alaska. Kind of like cocaine has become a problem for other races.Man just wants to alter his conciousness, no matter how. Cannabis is the benign method to do so. It's always good for you.
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Comment #10 posted by siege on September 28, 2004 at 11:42:06 PT
 society
as members of a peaceful democratic society?
since when have we been a peaceful society from the time we broke from england the U S has been a waring nation just read history and the only time the people of this country are making money is when it is at war. sorry,,
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on September 28, 2004 at 11:31:21 PT
Alaska
I don't know if it's true but I am under the impression Alaska has a bad drinking problem. Maybe if the laws concerning cannabis are changed tranquility might become the norm in Alaska. If I'm wrong about alcohol and Alaska I meant no harm.
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Comment #8 posted by goneposthole on September 28, 2004 at 11:27:08 PT
Domestic Tranquility
Some of the most radical people I have ever seen live in Alaska. You don't disturb their peace.Never saw any cannabis, but I did see poppies growing along the side of the road. The typical hypanthium of the poppy plant was right there, although sort of in a 'bonsai' size.Alaska is one incredible place to see.
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Comment #7 posted by E_Johnson on September 28, 2004 at 11:05:23 PT
So should that be the campaign slogan in Alaska?
Legalize marijuana now, or it's civil war?Is that a message that is going to appeal to voters who see themselves, rightly or wrongly, as members of a peaceful democratic society?
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Comment #6 posted by siege on September 28, 2004 at 10:49:28 PT
Comment #1
I think it was MAMA bush the old woman that sayed that she would have them killed if they f**k with her kids. Maybe the Dems Dimwits have taken her it her word so they let the Village Idiot run over them.Bush let the Gun law drop they have the id that something big is in the works at least that is what uncle Repub sentor  says that is why they are bring back all the man from over seas they think the people. 
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Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on September 28, 2004 at 10:26:10 PT:
'Civil war'? We already GOT it!
Sure, there's no uniforms to denote the belligerants - save for those of the oppressors.There's no national songs of the factions - save the ones that have gently chided those in power for not adhering to the will of the people in the respective States where cannabis is acknowldeged as medicine.But a civil war? Yes, we already HAVE a civil war; the War on Drugs. In which the oppressors have drawn first blood. They have sought to render us mute politically by denying us access to recourse against the oppression they foster. By using political control of the media they seek to render us invisible. They have used the means of legislation to legally steal what they ordinarily could not to destroy us financially. They have used every means at their disposal to disenfranchise a segment of the population, attempting to segregate it from the rest of society, and dehumanize the minority in order to acclimate the majority the idea of destroying it. Finally, they have killed innocents, even children, and suffered nothing but wrist-slaps. And their unholy State has smiled upon such proceedings, and thus, encouraged more slaughter.Whether you find the facts unpalatable or not is a non-sequiter. The reality steps on our necks with hob-nailed jackboots every day, whether you feel it or not. 
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Comment #4 posted by Overwhelmsam on September 28, 2004 at 09:56:50 PT
It appears we have our Martyrs.
I'm all for defending one's self in the face of cruel and unusual punishment, but falling on one's own sword is still suicide in my book.
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Comment #3 posted by goneposthole on September 28, 2004 at 08:43:24 PT
nailed to a cross?
Nah, the feds just shoot them in the head at Rainbow farm. It's an internecine thang.
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Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on September 28, 2004 at 08:32:15 PT
I wish Dennis would learn how to do PR
Civil war?Oh come on, that's not only stupid -- it's an ugly wish for the country, and I feel soiled by having such an ugly wish coming from someone who claims to be representing my interests.
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on September 28, 2004 at 08:17:39 PT
life in prison?
C'mon feds, show some stomach! Why not just nail him to a cross right on highway 20, a la Spartacus? Maybe a public disembowlment in downtown San Fransisco? The saddest thing is, we're WORSE than the Romans - Spartacus actually marched on Rome and killed thousands of people. This guy grew medicinal PLANTS!!! It seems pretty clear that Kerry is going to lose now, even without a last-minute Bin Laden capture or terrorist attack. I shudder to think of what the feds have planned for California in the 6 months or so after the election, the neo-cons will be riding high, drunk with power. Cheney ain't going to run in 2008 so they'll throw caution to the wind for 4 years.Again, I ask: where is Kerry on medical MJ? I just read today that US Air and the other big airlines are working to get a court judgement to drop their pension plans, screwing thousands of past & present airline workers. Nary a peep from Kerry, the Democrat whose is supposed to stand for the workers.Sometimes I think the Democrats WANT to lose to the Repubs. It seems that way - the Repubs tried to take Clinton down hard, impeaching him over a blow job. Bush has done a half dozen things or more that could be grounds for impeachment, and the Dems are like "duh, OK!!! no problem!" The theft of information off the Dems' Judiciary committee computer was much worse than Watergate. Ditto for the war in Iraq.  It seems like the whole thing is staged, the "campaign" is just a big distraction to keep everyone's mind off real problems for a couple years. The far-right rich elite are taking back this country from the working people and the pace of the conquest is increasing every year.
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