cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Gains Support 





Medical Marijuana Gains Support 
Posted by CN Staff on September 02, 2005 at 07:10:52 PT
By Brandon Johansson
Source: Craig Daily Press
Colorado -- The Oak Creek Town Board passed a resolution in support of medical marijuana three weeks ago. On Thursday night, the Hayden Town Board discussed a similar resolution. The resolutions are part of a plan to drum up local support for medical marijuana after the U.S. Supreme Court decided in June that federal laws trump medical marijuana laws on the books in 10 states, including Colorado. Colorado voters voted in favor of medical marijuana in 2000.
"When a local governing body speaks out on this, it really can make a difference," said Brian Vicente, executive director of Sensible Colorado, a Denver nonprofit that specializes in medical marijuana issues. Hayden resident and medical marijuana user Don Nord is driving the resolution in Hayden. Grand Routt and Moffat Narcotics Enforcement Team authorities seized Nord's marijuana plants in 2003. Nord had a permit for the plants and was never charged with a crime, but he never got his plants back.Nord said he hopes passing local resolutions eventually will lead to legislation at the national level."If local governments will agree to it, why shouldn't the federal government agree to it?" Nord said. The 58-year-old said marijuana helps his many ailments, which include kidney cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes and chronic pain. "I won't have to sit here and worry they're going to let GRAMNET come in and tear up my house again and take my medicine away from me," Nord said. If the resolution passes in Hayden, Nord said he plans on trying a similar resolution in Craig. He handed out petitions in support of medical marijuana in Craig on Wednesday. He said he got about 100 signatures from people of all ages. He has 500 signatures from supporters throughout the valley.Nord plans to send the petitions to U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa."I've gotten a lot of people in Craig (who support me)," Nord said. Nord hasn't presented a resolution to the Craig City Council or the Moffat County commissioners yet. Craig city manager Jim Feree said medical marijuana isn't an issue the City Council is very concerned about."It's not something we have even talked about," Feree said. Moffat County Commissioner Darryl Steele said he hasn't been following the issue, but he doesn't think he would be in favor of it. "I guess I would be hard pressed to vote for that," Steele said. Nord said he isn't sure what he'll do if the Hayden Town Board doesn't support his resolution. "If I get rejected here in Hayden, I don't know what I'll do," Nord said. Nord said he might move if the resolution fails.Source: Craig Daily Press, The (CO)Author: Brandon Johansson Published: Friday, September 2, 2005 Copyright: 2005 The Craig Daily PressWebsite: http://www.craigdailypress.com/Feedback: http://www.craigdailypress.com/site/feedbackRelated Articles & Web Sites:Don Nordhttp://www.donnord.org/ Sensible Coloradohttp://www.sensiblecolorado.org/Marijuana Resolution Passes http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21029.shtmlMarijuana Case Dismissed http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20983.shtmlNord Files Motion To Get Marijuana Back http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18567.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #33 posted by mayan on September 05, 2005 at 09:12:46 PT
nuts
China and Taiwan got it and another typhoon is headed for Japan. Let's hope they've learned a little from Katrina.Typhoon death toll rises in China:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/asia-pacific/4214390.stmTyphoon set to hit Japan mainland:
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,16495050%255E1702,00.html
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #32 posted by FoM on September 05, 2005 at 09:00:55 PT
Mayan
I think you need some chicken soup. You must not be feeling very well!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #31 posted by mayan on September 05, 2005 at 08:42:25 PT
FoM
Bush wouldn't stoop so low as to partake in photo-ops. He is a natural born leader and will single-handedly rebuild the city of New Orleans. FOCUS - Oil prices at 100 usd/barrel no longer unthinkable in wake of Katrina:
http://www.forbes.com/finance/feeds/afx/2005/09/04/afx2205462.html 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #30 posted by FoM on September 05, 2005 at 07:55:08 PT
Oh Mayan
I know what's wrong! You must have fell on your head! LOL! I couldn't resist saying that. I am not even watching the news since Bush is going to be doing photo ops. Music is so much better. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #29 posted by mayan on September 05, 2005 at 07:52:31 PT
Bush
 He's doing such a good job. Thank heaven for his leadership. What would we do without him?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #28 posted by jim lunsford on September 03, 2005 at 15:56:47 PT
militia
the national guard is just that, national. however, a militia would be a true civilian militia with state infastructure. it is not there because the people don't want it. we want someone else to do it. People from New Orleans are now in Texas, and florida and elsewhere. a government is comprised of all the people. not just a few. we have a centrist government because we want someone else to save us all the time. we have the corporations buying the politicians because we don't care enough to stop it. All politics are local. local politicians do what the "citizens" demand. not all the people, just the ones who demand action. those are the citizens. we want low gas prices so we can buy our suv's and get everything else at no cost. there is nothing free in this world. but we want someone to blame for all this when the world doesn't work the way we think it should. we are to blame. we don't like black people. and i am ashamed. because i am the government and i did nothing. the government is there only because we want it to be where it is. not as an individual, but as a group. and that is truly why things are the way they are. 
  to hold who accountable for all this? bush? me? you? i say everyone. including the people trapped there. they gave up their freedom so they could wait for someone to help them. we waited for someone to help them. and only the president came. yet, he doesn't like black people. oh yeah, i forgot, what would we do once we got there? what would our plan of action be? he didn't have one either. but he got one. when no one else would. so, who is the oppressor in this case? bush or us?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #27 posted by FoM on September 03, 2005 at 14:49:39 PT
Jim
I don't live anywhere near the south or New Orleans. I don't expect people from the south to come up to the midwest to help us if we have a disaster. Who has the money to drop everything they need to do to keep their life going when there is a disaster? I don't know one person who could afford to do it but we can contribute money to an organization of our choice and earmark the money for the victims of Katrina. That really does help.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #26 posted by jim lunsford on September 03, 2005 at 14:36:56 PT
accountability
to explain how you and i are government in this recent tragedy. the question isn't why did it take so long for bush to respond, the question is why did he have to? it's because none of us gave a damn either. if we did, we would have gone to respond ourselves. we wouldn't have set around and said, when will the government do something? when we don't care enough to do it ourselves. and then whine we don'[t get what we say we want. if we had really wanted it, we would have made sure we had at least an adequate transportation system at the minimum. instead, we refused to spend that money as it would be too soft on something. if the people really want to do something, they will do it. i didn't go and so i too have failed in my government. the government only took the power we didn't want. so yes, we are the government and we failed. because we didn't care enough ourselves.  if 80% OF THE people really wanted cannabis legal, it would be legal. instead, 79.9% of the people just say the words, not live them. we want, but aren't willing to do. that's how we are the government. because the government is no more oppressive than the people want it to be.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #25 posted by mayan on September 03, 2005 at 13:31:35 PT
Accountability
"we are all responsible for that because we want to hold some mysterious entity for that, instead of ourselves." Please don't tell me or others here that we are responsible because we have been fighting day in and day out to prevent the insanity that reigns supreme in the U.S. government from infesting every aspect of our lives and society. The totally insane policies of our so-called leaders has made disaster inevitable. There is another system churning out in the Atlantic. Let's pray that it turns north because there is no accountability in this land and no reason for government officials to perform their duties competently. Why So Few First Responders in New Orleans? They're in Iraq! 
http://www.thenewamerican.com/artman/publish/article_2136.shtml
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #24 posted by FoM on September 03, 2005 at 13:03:01 PT
Jim
You really sound upset and I don't know if I can say anything to make you feel better. Everyone that posts here cares and we do what we can to help the best way we can. We all have reasons that are personal and important that direct our activism. I wish you the best and hope another storm doesn't come your way. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #23 posted by Jim Lunsford on September 03, 2005 at 11:53:59 PT
My last post
I have no faith. i am no christian. i don't care of your faith or any other. it is your business. i am not lording, instead i wonder how stupid a race we are. this is no ordinary hurricane. this is more than enough to destroy a nation if it is weak. this is also the resources of the heartland of america. there are approx 8-9 more predicted this year. some of those will hit florida. if it were to hit this week, we would be unable to evacuate because of lack of resources. in short, the time we spend blaming on someone, instead of helping ensures we have even less capability for us to survive here. but who cares? if it ain't your govt, then i'll say it's mine. and it's my fault because it wasn't uncomfortable enough for me to insist on it being different. a second that is spent blaming is a second that is not spent helping. 
  calling around down here, it comes as no suprise that no one has even thought about doing anything themselves. someone else is responsible. news flash! no one did anything to prepare about this, and this was the worst possible scenario. no one ever even took the time out to insist that we have public transportation becuase that would seem like catering to the undesirables. That would be the poor. no one took time out to strenghten the levy because they would have been voted out had they not promoted something flashy that the people wanted instead of building the city. this was the attitude from the voters, the city leaders, the state leaders, the feds. and when the poor tried to feed themselves after being abandoned from the beginning, they were criminals. we are all responsible for that because we want to hold some mysterious entity for that, instead of ourselves. we don't want to know the truth, we want illusions of goodness and charity. 
  that there is food there now, is not because of us, but because of the govt. now, there are more hurricanes coming and all we have is people blaming each other. we are ALL responsible. there will be many more deaths this year from this attitude and i am quite sure that, being poor, i have a good chance of being one of those. of course, i can rest assured that you will find someone to blame for this. that's so much better than actually being alive. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #22 posted by FoM on September 03, 2005 at 06:38:45 PT
Jim
Cannabis News isn't a Christian web site even though many here have faith. I don't believe in preaching at people or lording it over those who don't believe. What if a Muslim who worships Allah would start to teach us how to become a good Muslim? Activism and religion should always be kept at arms length or we offend those who don't believe in a higher being. If it doesn't matter if we offend those who don't believe in a God then we are making ourselves superior to others. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #21 posted by mayan on September 03, 2005 at 05:49:20 PT
Virginia Nurses... 
Virginia Nurses Again Demand Medical Cannabis:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/9/prwebxml279873.php
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #20 posted by mayan on September 03, 2005 at 04:57:12 PT
Jim
You said..."Regardless of what people have done before, I am willing to forgive them."I must ask, would you let all murderers,rapists and child molesters out of prison today if you could? If not, then I assume that you do believe in accountability,punishment and justice. If we maintain this system that rewards failure and holds nobody accountable then we are all toast!WE ARE NOT THE GOVERNMENT!!!!!!!!!!!The questions a shocked America is asking its President:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article309938.eceA Can't-Do Government
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/02/opinion/02krugman.htmlIt's About People, Not Politics:
http://www.komotv.com/stories/38926.htm
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #19 posted by The GCW on September 03, 2005 at 03:55:25 PT
LTE from Marc Emery
Marc Emery has a letter that just came out on the archive next door at MAP. Since He doesn’t send papers many LTE’s, I’ve put what is easily available below also.THCUCN ON: PUB LTE: 'nazi' Label Suits People Who Assault Pot Users
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1428/a01.html?111395   Pubdate: Thu, 01 Sep 2005THCUCanada: Web: We Shall Be Released
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n491/a05.html?111395   Pubdate: Fri, 26 Mar 2004THCUCanada: Quote Of The Day
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1829/a03.html?111395   Pubdate: Wed, 26 Nov 2003THCUCN BC: PUB LTE: Forget The Grow-Ops, Police The Schoolshttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1748/a08.html?111395   Pubdate: Mon, 10 Nov 2003THCUCanada: Letter from Marc Emery to MAP
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n438/a16.html?111395  
 Pubdate: Sun, 23 Mar 2003THCU CN BC: PUB LTE: 'I Offered Them Seed'
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n912/a10.html?111395  Pubdate: Mon, 13 May 2002THCUCN BC: 2 PUB LTEs: Going To Pot
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n674/a07.html?111395  Pubdate: Tue, 17 Apr 2001
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #18 posted by Jim Lunsford on September 03, 2005 at 02:31:31 PT
Waging Peace
  In all of this, I have decided to heed the words of the First Lady. I watched her beg all of us to go there and help. And, I will ask the people of this town to help. This is far bigger than the old system of doing things could handle, and we have just witnessed the birth of a new government. Our government admitted that it handled this horribly, and that the responsiblity ran through the entire government, but it is now working as hard as they can to save what lives can be saved. 
  It seems the world is thinking that our government is doing nothing, but it's only a day old. We are the government. We are all accountable for all that has transpired. And no one did anything for all kind of silly little things. 
  After a short time on the ground, Bush became quite aware, and so have the people, of the horror of it. He is still there, and touring more areas and this is our number one priority. But in the end, he is only one man. We, the citizens, are the government. I am as guilty as anyone else. But this accountability thing is something to worry about later. At the present time, we have a government that is too busy helping their fellow humans survive. And we are that government. 
  This is a tragedy that will be in our face for many years. The repurcussions of this haven't even begun yet. Debt, fear, all of those obstacles are still looming. But, they aren't really the big deal. We have a government for the people NOW, and it is the people. And this is our call to help however we can. I'm sorry FOM, but I am a follower ONLY of the Christ path. I don't believe that any of us are any less accountable than anyone else. 
  But life changing events such as this create new realities for people. All of this has been centered around class warfare. The drug war was class warfare. But, this is a natural disaster far greater than 9/11 and I am pretty proud of the way people have responded after they realized that these "undesirables" are human beings as well. I hope this moves us to a level beyond where we worry about such things anymore. 
 We have an opportunity to be a part of a government that exists to truly help others in need. Regardless of what people have done before, I am willing to forgive them. 
  After all, the public outrage resulting from all of this has already wrested control from the old powers. I am fine with the oil companies not being punished. I would far rather they use their resources to help us help others. 
  This catastrophe is a re-birth of all aspects of our society. Economics, government, everything has been turned upside down and is now completely different, and for different purposes. Before this, our govt was just cronyism, now it is activism. And it is us, for helping our fellow people. I apologize FOM, I tend to sermonize. And, of course, I'm just as clueless as anyone else on what the right thing to do is, in life. So, I could be wrong, or we could both be right. Who knows? Anyway, peace and know this rant is as much to myself, as it is to you. Thanks, Rev JimWe are the government
Be a compassionate government
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #17 posted by runruff on September 02, 2005 at 21:55:11 PT:
Yea, well!
So long as the ONDCP And the DEA are well funded
And I know that nobody out there will be smoking a joint this evening I can sleep well tonight. Yez sir! And ol' John Walters is saying "If God had wanted the people of New Orleans to smoke pot he wouldn't have gotten their rolling papers all wet". God and John Walters have spoken.Good night W sleep well.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #16 posted by FoM on September 02, 2005 at 21:34:59 PT
Jim
I understand what you are saying. I believe in the moment and don't look backward or forward because all we have is now. I believe we are a product of our past though. Life is a journey. We learn and grow and hopefully gain wisdom. As far as the disaster I don't blame but I do believe that those who are our leaders must be accountable to those who want to know why the levee wasn't re-enforced. It had to be done and it wasn't. We pay taxes and can expect accountability with how our hard earned money is used.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #15 posted by Jim Lunsford on September 02, 2005 at 21:20:26 PT
FOM
I understand your sentiment. My concern is that by focusing on what went wrong and holding people accountable for that, is different from moving forward. There is a trickle effect to this tragedy, and it is not the last one of the year. By continuing our Old Testament tradition of holding everyone else accountable, we forget that we are just as accountable. This government was no more intrusive and oppressive than we have allowed it to be. Most of us had accepted that our government is insufficient in many ways, but we have not insisted enough that it reflect what our views are. And the problem is, these oppressions and extortions reflect what we, as a nation, have permitted and so it does fit our views enough. Because it didn't intrude into us enough, we tolerated it. Now is a time for unification and solutions to the moment. We all knew the oil companies are crooks, that the government was owned by the corporations, but we did nothing as a society. And we have known of hte consequences and did nothing. We are all accountable, because we allowed it. I hope that the emphasis is not on Old Testament retributions, but more New Testament. After all, remember the little story of "Those of you without sin cast the first stone". We are all lost little sheep in this world. The Buddhists say the past doesn't exist anymore and the future is a fantasy. All it means is that all that is important is what is happening right this moment. I believe that the President is a different person than he was this morning and that his viewpoint is different as well. And if it isn't, and we allow him to remain, then that means we are responsible for his actions. I do not mean to preach, nor to sound as if I am criticizing you, it is just tha tI believe this to be one of the most glorious opportunities we have ever faced to practise a life of compassion. Jesus called our path to be one of unconditional love for God and our neighbor. And who isn't our neighbor? We have that choice now to practise this compassion and when we do, it is hard to be selfish and fearful and vengeful. Sorry if it sounds like a rant, but I just hold myself as accountable as the oil company ceo's for all of this. Please wage peace and love,Rev Jim
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #14 posted by The GCW on September 02, 2005 at 20:53:03 PT
The sky isn't NORML
Let Me get this straight; If Amsterdam were to increase the war on cannabis to the level that the US, has, it may not have the great dikes that they have?Well why didn't the US do what they do and quit spending the money to persecute and exterminate a plant that can help humans in favor of spending the money on good dikes?THCUTHCUTHCUTHCUAnd remember the story: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1427/a06.html?397US CO: CSU Students Hooked On HookahsGET THIS: Police come right out and say their job is to insure tobacoo (1,000 per day death tool) is to be used; and that the plant that kills nobody gets the shaft.  """"CSU Police Department Sergeant Reed Beery said although hookahs are legal if used to smoke tobacco products, they will take precautions to make sure that is all students are smoking. """"""THCUTHCUTHCUAND Friends, there has not been any real numbers to indicate how many dead... like when other countries get a similar situation, there are numbers that seem to start and grow, but they haven't started.And if it is 100,000 dead, cigerettes will kill more than that in a quarter year and keep on going like the killer rabbit ...But then more often than not, those are more dead poor people and even dead people create a more lucritive economy for certain groups, than poor living people. (Someones portfolio may even include tobaccoo and grave stones at the same time, with its own sales jingle.The competition to get money goes beyond what is physical.I'm sorry.But My Spiritual life is real and it indicates this hurricane is nothing. What George Bush has been doing to earth will make that storm seem like a back rub after one of His mountain bike rides.Bush and His fellow evil spirited club members have been screwing humankind thoughout the seven oceans.And the last thing He / they will conceed is cannabis / hemp.THCU420If the glorious Spirit of Christ God Our Father can "HUSH, BE STILL" the sea.Can the evil spirits of the one We call bush, madden the sea?Bush the anti-christian, skul n bonesman? Do their secrets include some control over the weathers?And would it take away attention from His habit of messing up everything He looks at?Is there merit to the Armenians claim that the SS produced that quake?Weather is a He like the plants are a He. It is not just animals.They have feelings and they know Ours. They have advanced communication systems that exist just beyond Our attention span, doing their job like the other spirits. And there are different spirits doing different jobs.Their feelings go back before We came, and have not left.The skys down there is still not "normal"That's:NORMLThe Green Collar Worker 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #13 posted by FoM on September 02, 2005 at 20:47:30 PT
MikeEEEEE 
I too have jumped between news channels and see the difference between Fox and CNN. MSNBC has brought in a few new anchors that were on Fox before and they have brought the way they feel along with them. That's ok because I see what makes them tick and it helps me form my opinion easier about what is important to me. I know that I live better then many people as most of us here on CNews do I'm sure. It could be me in a terrible life situation so I feel I must care and understand all the more.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #12 posted by MikeEEEEE on September 02, 2005 at 20:34:16 PT
You're welcome FoM
The media play the blame game all the time. In 30 seconds or less they can destroy the character of any person or group they choose. A friend of mine complained today that Fox news is only focusing on black looters carrying guns. While CNN shows mostly the relief effort and the incompetence of the feds. Yes, the media such as Fox (Murdoch) have their favorite colors, fuel anger, and can hurt relief efforts.
 I looked recently at the Bush popularity poll, it is 36%, after 9/11 it was 96%. My guess is his popularity will go down with this latest incompetence, and high fuel prices.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by FoM on September 02, 2005 at 20:22:35 PT
BGreen
Thank you. I really believe it too.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by BGreen on September 02, 2005 at 20:19:03 PT
Well put, FoM
Bravo.The Reverend Bud Green
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by FoM on September 02, 2005 at 20:09:16 PT
Jim
I don't ever focus on blame but I strongly believe in accountability. I believe I must be accountable for what I do and I expect others to be held accountable for what they do. That isn't blame.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by MikeEEEEE on September 02, 2005 at 20:05:24 PT
Off-topic: The NY Times is widely read
by the New York Times.
 
A Can't-Do Government 
by Paul Krugman  
Before 9/11 the Federal Emergency Management Agency listed the three most likely catastrophic disasters facing America: a terrorist attack on New York, a major earthquake in San Francisco and a hurricane strike on New Orleans. "The New Orleans hurricane scenario," The Houston Chronicle wrote in December 2001, "may be the deadliest of all." It described a potential catastrophe very much like the one now happening.
So why were New Orleans and the nation so unprepared? After 9/11, hard questions were deferred in the name of national unity, then buried under a thick coat of whitewash. This time, we need accountability.First question: Why have aid and security taken so long to arrive? Katrina hit five days ago - and it was already clear by last Friday that Katrina could do immense damage along the Gulf Coast. Yet the response you'd expect from an advanced country never happened. Thousands of Americans are dead or dying, not because they refused to evacuate, but because they were too poor or too sick to get out without help - and help wasn't provided. Many have yet to receive any help at all.There will and should be many questions about the response of state and local governments; in particular, couldn't they have done more to help the poor and sick escape? But the evidence points, above all, to a stunning lack of both preparation and urgency in the federal government's response. Even military resources in the right place weren't ordered into action. "On Wednesday," said an editorial in The Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss., "reporters listening to horrific stories of death and survival at the Biloxi Junior High School shelter looked north across Irish Hill Road and saw Air Force personnel playing basketball and performing calisthenics. Playing basketball and performing calisthenics!"Maybe administration officials believed that the local National Guard could keep order and deliver relief. But many members of the National Guard and much of its equipment - including high-water vehicles - are in Iraq. "The National Guard needs that equipment back home to support the homeland security mission," a Louisiana Guard officer told reporters several weeks ago.Second question: Why wasn't more preventive action taken? After 2003 the Army Corps of Engineers sharply slowed its flood-control work, including work on sinking levees. "The corps," an Editor and Publisher article says, citing a series of articles in The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, "never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security - coming at the same time as federal tax cuts - was the reason for the strain."In 2002 the corps' chief resigned, reportedly under threat of being fired, after he criticized the administration's proposed cuts in the corps' budget, including flood-control spending.Third question: Did the Bush administration destroy FEMA's effectiveness? The administration has, by all accounts, treated the emergency management agency like an unwanted stepchild, leading to a mass exodus of experienced professionals.Last year James Lee Witt, who won bipartisan praise for his leadership of the agency during the Clinton years, said at a Congressional hearing: "I am extremely concerned that the ability of our nation to prepare for and respond to disasters has been sharply eroded. I hear from emergency managers, local and state leaders, and first responders nearly every day that the FEMA they knew and worked well with has now disappeared."I don't think this is a simple tale of incompetence. The reason the military wasn't rushed in to help along the Gulf Coast is, I believe, the same reason nothing was done to stop looting after the fall of Baghdad. Flood control was neglected for the same reason our troops in Iraq didn't get adequate armor. At a fundamental level, I'd argue, our current leaders just aren't serious about some of the essential functions of government. They like waging war, but they don't like providing security, rescuing those in need or spending on preventive measures. And they never, ever ask for shared sacrifice.Yesterday Mr. Bush made an utterly fantastic claim: that nobody expected the breach of the levees. In fact, there had been repeated warnings about exactly that risk.So America, once famous for its can-do attitude, now has a can't-do government that makes excuses instead of doing its job. And while it makes those excuses, Americans are dying.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by Jim Lunsford on September 02, 2005 at 20:02:26 PT
But still.....
Instead of focusing on blame, I think that working on what lies ahead is enough to keep us busy. This method of government is already gone. Peope are ashamed of themselves and the government we have chosen. Let us demand to help others so that it doesn't happen again. Wage peace, Rev Jim
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by FoM on September 02, 2005 at 19:50:06 PT
MikeEEEEE
Thank you for the article. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by MikeEEEEE on September 02, 2005 at 19:48:02 PT
Off topic: The looting 
by the Boston Globe Big Oil's Bigtime Looting 
by Derrick Z. Jackson  
President Bush yesterday told ABC-TV, ''there ought to be zero tolerance of people breaking the law during an emergency such as this, whether it be looting or price-gouging at the gasoline pump or taking advantage of charitable giving or insurance fraud."
Zero tolerance is meaningless when the White House lets the biggest looters of Hurricane Katrina walk off with billions of dollars.We are not referring to the people you currently see in endless footage, crashing through storefronts and wading through chest-high water with clothes, food, and pharmaceuticals. Some folks are disgusting in their thuggishness, but a great many others are simply desperate, having now gone three days without food or water. The latter are living out one of the most famous hypothetical problems in moral reasoning -- should a husband steal a cancer drug he cannot afford for his dying wife?No such sympathy is to be extended to big oil. The nation has on its hands a disaster so profound that we have not even begun to seriously count the bodies in the floodwaters. It brings us as close as we may get in our lifetime to places like Bangladesh.New Orleans is under martial law and will not return to normal for years. Members of the Red Cross, the Coast Guard, the National Guard, police agencies, and firefighters are sacrificing time and risking lives to save lives. Texas is opening up its school systems for homeless Louisiana children. Generous food wholesalers are giving away their stocks to passersby. The Astrodome is taking in the refugees of the Superdome.In the midst of this charity, big oil looted the nation. The pumps instantly shot past $3 a gallon, with $4 a gallon well in sight.In a thinly disguised attempt to act as if it cared about the people wading in the water, Chevron has pledged $5 million to relief efforts. ExxonMobil and Shell have pledged $2 million apiece. British Petroleum and Citgo have pledged $1 million each.This is nothing next to their wealth. Of the world's seven most profitable corporations, four are ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, and Chevron. ExxonMobil is the world's most profitable company, making $25.3 billion last year. It and the other three corporations had combined profits last year of $72.8 billion. ExxonMobil is also the world's most valuable company, with a market value, according to Forbes magazine, of $405 billion. The combined market value of ExxonMobil, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, and Chevron is nearly $1 trillion.And that was last year. A month ago, ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips announced record second-quarter profits of $7.6 billion, $3.7 billion, and $3.1 billion, respectively. Royal Dutch Shell's quarterly profits of $5.2 billion were up by 34 percent over the same period last year. Other well-known companies like Sunoco also had record second-quarter earnings.If ExxonMobil were to maintain its current pace of profits, it would cross the $30 billion barrier for 2005. The company's chief financial officer, Henry Hubble, bragged in classic corporatese, ''Our disciplined project management and operating practices deliver the benefits of strong industry conditions to our shareholders."Those disciplined operating practices are hardly confined to the oil fields. Everyone knows that Bush does not really mean what he says about price-gouging at the pump, since he just gave energy companies the bulk of $14.5 billion in tax breaks in the new energy bill. Surprise, surprise. In Bush's two elections, oil and gas companies gave Republicans 79 percent of their $61.5 million in campaign contributions, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.If Bush really meant what he said, he would call for a freeze or cap on gasoline prices, especially in the regions affected most dramatically by Katrina. He would challenge big oil to come up with a much more meaningful contribution to relief efforts.Insurance companies are expecting up to $25 billion in claims from Katrina. For ExxonMobil, which is headed to $30 billion in profits, to jack up prices at the pump and then only throw $2 million at relief efforts is unconscionable.Stay fixated, if you wish, on the thieves and desperate families who are so much easier to catch on camera than comptrollers electronically stealing your cash. It is not pleasant to see anyone loot a store. But ExxonMobil and big oil are looting the nation, and no one declaring martial law on them.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Jim Lunsford on September 02, 2005 at 19:42:59 PT
The poor people get the shaft
Heard that just now on CNN. Through this outrage, we will have a better country. Blacks are offended at America's moral failure. Just heard that as well. As well they should be. We should all be offended at this, and I think we are now that we are becoming more aware. The govt is the people. And this is just the first hurricane of the year. I guess the Iraqi war is over now. But, this really isn't the time for impeachment and blame. Not if there is true compassion out of us. We are all to blame for we haven't devoted our lives to doing good for others. It is our selfishness and belief that there is scarcity that has created this. Perhaps it's time for us to devote ourselves to just helping others. Wouldn't it be nice to have a govt that is totally devoted to helping those in need? It is up to us. We have the govt we deserve. Because we are the government. Peace to all, Rev Jim
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by global_warming on September 02, 2005 at 16:58:26 PT
History and Understanding
A song: "Union Maid"
There once was a union maid;
She never was afraid
Of goons and ginks and company finks
And the deputy sheriffs that made the raid.
She went to the union hall
When a meeting it was called,
And when the company boys came 'round
She always stood her ground.A song: "Talking Union":
Suppose they're working you so hard it's just outrageous,
And they're paying you all starvation wages.
You go to the boss, and the boss will yell
"Before I raise your pay I'll see you all in Hell."
He's puffing a big seegar, feeling mighty slick
'Cause he thinks he's got your union licked.
Well, he looks out the window, and what does he see
But a thousand pickets, and they all agree
He's a bastard ... unfair ... slave-driver ...
Bet he beats his wife.Now, boys, you've come to the hardest time.
The boss will try to bust your picket line.
He'll call out the po-lice and the National Guard;
They'll tell you it's a crime to have a union card!
They'll raid your meetings, they'll hit you on the head --
They's call every one of you a Goddamn Red---
Unpatriotic ... agitators ...
Send 'em back where they came from. ,,,'Sounds like something that would come from the the mouth of George, poor georgie porgogie and that lamer dickee who has a heart filled with disease or cholesterol and lives in a cave that insulates from reality.Reality, is happening in New Orleans, reality is just across your street, as far as your neighbor.Happy Labor Day
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by global_warming on September 02, 2005 at 16:27:35 PT
Happy Labor Day 
How labor won its dayBy Patricia K. Zacharias / The Detroit NewsHistory has almost forgotten Peter McGuire, an Irish-American cabinet maker and pioneer unionist who proposed a day dedicated to all who labor. Old records describe him as a red-headed, fiery, eloquent leader of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.Peter J. McGuire
The Father of Labor Day, Peter J. McGuire of New York City, in 1882 introduced the idea for the holiday.   McGuire introduced his idea formally at a meeting of the Central Labor Union on May 18,1882. "Let us have, a festive day during which a parade through the streets of the city would permit public tribute to American Industry," he said.   The following September New York workers staged a parade up Broadway to Union Square. Few, if any, workers got the day off. Most were warned against marching in the parade with the threat of getting fired. Despite the warning, more than 10,000 workers showed up for the march. Led by mounted police, bricklayers in white aprons paraded with a band playing "Killarney." The marchers passed a reviewing stand crowded with Knights of Labor: a holiday was born. McGuire's holiday moved across the country as slowly as did recognition of the rights of the working man.   Twelve years later, on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland, long a foe of organized labor, but under voter pressure, signed a Labor Day holiday bill."http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=
150&category=business..
Labor Day
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 02, 2005 at 08:42:26 PT
Related Article from The Steamboat Pilot & Today
Marijuana Measure Mulled Hayden Town Board receptive to resolution request. By Tamera Manzanares, Pilot & Today Staff Friday, September 2, 2005 The Hayden Town Board on Thursday was receptive to a request for a resolution supporting medical marijuana.The board, after hearing from advocates and Hayden resident Don Nord -- a registered medical marijuana user in Colorado -- decided it will write its own resolution and vote on it later this month.Nord wants the board to write a letter to Colorado legislators in Washington, D.C., emphasizing support of a state law allowing seriously ill individuals to use marijuana with a doctor's recommendation. Federal authorities in 2003 raided Nord's home and confiscated marijuana plants and 2 ounces of the drug, which he uses to ease pain and problems from cancer and other disorders. The U.S. Supreme Court this summer backed up federal authorities' right to prosecute medical marijuana users. Advocates such as Nord want to influence Congress to change the law.Medical associations have widely accepted marijuana as a legitimate medicine for some seriously ill people, said Brian Vicente, executive director of Sensible Colorado, an advocacy group for drug-policy reform and medical marijuana users. "It comes down to ultimately honoring the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship," he said. Mayor Chuck Grobe pointed out that, like marijuana, all prescription drugs are illegal when used by individuals who do not have a doctor's prescription."A doctor prescribed this drug for Don, so why is it such a debating point," he said.But Mayor Pro Tem Crecencio "Chencho" Salazar said he didn't understand the point of the resolution if medical marijuana use already is permitted by state law, which, in itself, should influence legislators."In Oak Creek, we felt that by sending a town letter ... We are letting our senators and Congresspersons know we expect them to honor the vote of Colorado," responded Mike Kien, a member of the Oak Creek Town Board, which passed the resolution last month.Although most board members appeared to favor the measure, Hayden resident Jill Altman supported their decision to take more time to consider the resolution and get public input before voting. "If you make this resolution, I would make sure it's what the town wants and not what you personally want," she said. Also Thursday, the board discussed the town's policy that makes residents responsible for maintaining and repairing sidewalks. Town Manager Russ Martin recommended the board revisit the policy in light of a proposed land-use code that requires new development to have sidewalks. The board will review the new code later this month.Board members directed Martin to provide other options at their next meeting. In other business:The board decided to offer J.D. Paul, who currently works in the town's public works department, the full-time job of Parks and Recreation Department supervisor. The board agreed to contribute $5,000 of the town's contingency funds to the American Red Cross's relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. The board adjusted water and sewer tap fees for a company building airport hangars at Yampa Valley Regional Airport. The town calculates fees based on projected use. Company representatives argued that actual use would be less than what the town projected.-- To reach Tamera Manzanares call 871-4204 or e-mail tmanzanares steamboatpilot.comCopyright: 2005 The Steamboat Pilot & Todayhttp://www.steamboatpilot.com/section/westroutt/story/32367
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment