cannabisnews.com: City Drops Pot Charge Against Footer





City Drops Pot Charge Against Footer
Posted by CN Staff on January 18, 2006 at 15:02:03 PT
By Sue Lindsay, Rocky Mountain News 
Source: Rocky Mountain News 
Colorado -- The city’s pot possession case against Eric Footer is over. Charges were dismissed this morning against Footer, 39, the first person arrested for possessing marijuana after Denver’s marijuana initiative passed. Footer, a real estate consultant, was cited for possessing less than one ounce of marijuana the day after Initiative 100 went into effect. "We view this as a real victory for Denver voters and a validation of what happened in November," said Footer’s lawyer, Brian Vicente.
"Denver voters spoke loudly and clearly on this issue and it looks like Denver officials are listening," he said. "The city has recognized there is better use of resources and taxpayers’ money than prosecuting these cases. We hope this will send a message to police that the city attorney views this as futile." But prosecutor Greg Rawlings said the dismissal of charges against Footer means no such thing. Rawlings said he dismissed the case because of problems with the search of Footer’s car after police pulled him over in an unrelated traffic incident. Officers found a small amount of pot and a pipe. "I didn't think there was sufficient probable cause for this search and I didn’t think we would be able to prevail," Rawlings said. But the decision has absolutely no bearing on any other pot possession cases, he said. "I am prosecuting a number of marijuana cases today and will continue to prosecute them," he said. "These cases are a large part of the docket every day." Footer said he was pleased and relieved by the dismissal of charges against him. "I’m happy on a personal level, but I am more happy for the voters of the city and county of Denver," he said. "I’m representing everybody who voted on the initiative. That’s who I am here for." Footer said he uses marijuana for relief of chronic back pain. He said he gave police permission to search his vehicle, believing there would be no problem if officers found his marijuana. "I thought I was abiding by the law," he said.Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News (CO)Author: Sue Lindsay, Rocky Mountain News Published: January 18, 2006Copyright: 2006 Denver Publishing Co.Contact: letters rockymountainnews.comWebsite: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Safer Choicehttp://www.saferchoice.org/Sensible Coloradohttp://www.sensiblecolorado.org/Man Says He'll Fight Marijuana Busthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21348.shtmlSpeakout: Time Has Come To Legalize Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21300.shtml
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Comment #36 posted by FoM on January 19, 2006 at 18:17:44 PT
Sukoi
I sure appreciate it. I mind even needing to mention it but I really don't want to get in trouble. The best thing is to cut out the news article and just post what he has to say. I can post the article and snip it and I generally don't post one from the Denver Post because they don't archive their links I don't think so it breaks. I usually post it snipped in a comment somewhere.
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Comment #35 posted by Sukoi on January 19, 2006 at 18:05:49 PT
FoM
I'll try to remember that but that was exactly the email that I received from SAFER except for the link; that I provided.On a side note, I think that Mason Tvert et al. are doing a wonderful job and I certainly hope that they don't stop until the red and blue states are history and all that we see is a sea of green.
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Comment #34 posted by Dankhank on January 19, 2006 at 17:04:56 PT
Puzzlin'
When I100 was proposed the City Attorney and others of his ilk stated that they had been bumping possesion cases to the State  and foresaw no appreciable change in policy or daily business. It was observed that the citation to be written for possession had NO box to check for city juristiction and that the ONLY option availabe to the officer was to check the "State" box.Did something change??
-----
Colorado -- The city’s?? pot possession case against Eric Footer is over. Charges were dismissed this morning against Footer, 39, the first person arrested for possessing marijuana after Denver’s marijuana initiative passed.
----Is this at odds from stated procedure prior to the sucessful conslusion of the I100 initiative?
----
"I am prosecuting a number of marijuana cases today and will continue to prosecute them," he said. "These cases are a large part of the docket every day."
----What's this? ... The city DOES do possession cases???Wondering minds ....
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on January 19, 2006 at 16:36:56 PT
The GCW 
I liked that. I have been thru Colorado but never stopped and saw anything. Colorado is so beautiful.
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Comment #32 posted by The GCW on January 19, 2006 at 16:31:59 PT
Denver
Just out side of Denver is a little place called Colorado.
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Comment #31 posted by global_warming on January 19, 2006 at 15:23:45 PT
Go Denver
The 'greenest city in this 'worldLet this be the 'first rockThat will bash the stone heads of 'C'annabis prohibition,In 'E verlasting faithThe good guy always wins.
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on January 19, 2006 at 15:22:00 PT
Sukoi 
It's good to see you and thanks for the press release. The only problem is please only post a link to an article because I'll get in trouble with Mapinc. The Denver Post is one they tell me I must snip and I don't want to get in trouble. Thanks.
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Comment #29 posted by Sukoi on January 19, 2006 at 15:16:59 PT
Message from SAFER
-- Please forward this message widely to friends, family members, and co-workers in Colorado and around the country --Today SAFER scored yet another key victory in Colorado when the Denver City Attorney's Office dropped all charges against the first person to challenge a marijuana citation following passage of SAFER's Denver initiative.City officials and police swore they would defy the will of Denver voters and needlessly continue to cite Denver citizens under state law, and they lived up to their word. Among those cited following the passage of I-100 was Eric Footer, a 39-year-old real estate professional who decided to challenge the citation with the help of SAFER (as well as SAFER ally Sensible Colorado). Following a plethora of press coverage when the case first came to light in November, SAFER called on prosecutors to dismiss the case in a press release it sent out Monday regarding Footer's arraignment. Reporters were already buzzing around the Denver City-County Building prior to the 8:30 a.m. court session, and our 10:30 a.m. announcement that the Denver City Attorney's Office had dropped all charges against Eric Footer was attended by all the TV news stations and the three main Denver newspapers. The fight in Denver is not over yet, though, as a Denver police representative quickly announced DPD would continue to cite adults possessing less than an ounce of marijuana under state law. The city attorney's office also announced it would continue to prosecute these cases because it purportedly has to do so under state law. In fact, the assistant city attorney handling the Footer case told the Denver Post they would continue to do so because marijuana cases are "a majority of what we do." Of course this appeared in the on-line version of the story for mere minutes before the city attorney's office corrected the statement to "a lot of what we do." (see the full Denver Post story below)Nevertheless, today's victory proved two points SAFER made throughout our Denver campaign:1) Prosecutors in Denver do NOT have to charge individuals in such cases, as they can use prosecutorial discretion to determine who they cite and under what law (eg. not Footer).2) Our city's limited law enforcement and criminal justice resources are being wasted on citing and prosecuting people for simply choosing to use a less harmful drug than one you can buy at Wal-Mart.Thus, it also clearly demonstrated the need for the statewide initiative SAFER is placing on the November 2006 ballot. City police should not be forced by state law to cite adults for private marijuana possession, especially when voters overwhelmingly ask them to stop. Furthermore, the city attorney's office could be doing far more important things than handling small marijuana cases. If you agree with us that this is entirely irrational and you would like to do something about it, please go to www.saferchoice.org to make a donation to SAFER today. There is clearly momentum for our work in Colorado and we are currently working on expanding to other campuses and cities around the country. Thus, we are working hard to raise the money we need to maintain our operating costs. Whether it is $10 or $100, your donation will play a key role in our fight to end marijuana prohibition in Colorado and throughout the nation.Thank you again for your continued support. Sincerely,Mason Tvert
Campaign Director, SAFER* New SAFER office number: 303-861-0033 *Denver Post
1/19/06Denver pot charges droppedA Denver man and pro-marijuana activists are declaring victory for the new city ordinance allowing adults to possess less than an ounce of marijuana after the city attorney's office dropped charges against the man for having marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia in his car.Eric Footer, 39, a real estate consultant, was charged on Nov. 17, the day after the ordinance took effect, said he was happy the case is over and hopes it sends a message to others to fight prosecutions for marijuana possession."I see it as a personal victory," said Footer, who says he uses marijuana to dull back pain, "but more than that, I see it as a victory for all the voters who voted on this initiative."In November, Denver voters approved a vote by a 54-46 margin making the adult private possession of less than an ounce of marijuana legal under city ordinances. It is still illegal under state and federal law.Assistant city attorney Greg Rawlings said he declined to prosecute Footer not because of the controversy of a case that pitted a city ordinance versus a state law, but because the marijuana seized from Footer's car by police was not taken properly."I couldn't find a real reason for there to be a search," said Rawlings, who noted he had other possession of marijuana cases he was continuing to prosecute."Office policy is to follow the state statute," he said, adding that marijuana possession cases "are a lot of what we do."Footer's attorney, Brian Vicente, said marijuana arrests are a waste of taxpayer dollars and divert police from more serious crimes such as those dealing with violence or property theft."I think this will send a strong message to Denver police that adults using marijuana responsibly will not be prosecuted," said Vicente, executive director of Sensible Colorado, an organization that backed the marijuana initiative.Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said while officers would review what happened in Footer's case, they would not be deterred from making marijuana arrests for possession under an ounce."We've always enforced on the state statute," Jackson said, "and will continue to do so."Mason Tvert, campaign director for Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), a non-profit organization, said he believed the city dropped the case because of its media attention, not because of a bad search."He did give consent, so I don't know how it was a bad search," Tvert said of Footer's incident. "I think they're just caving under the pressure of the people of the city."Tvert, who said he believes marijuana is a safer choice than alcohol, said his organization as well as Vicente's will continue to push for the legalization of marijuana use by adults on a state level.Before Footer's case was dismissed today, he said, they were tempted to make a public plea in court."We thought about asking for a show of hands of anyone in there on marijuana charges, and asking them to plead 'not guilty,"' Tvert said, "but I didn't think it would be proper court etiquette." http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_3414765
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Comment #28 posted by Max Flowers on January 19, 2006 at 08:54:46 PT
Never consent
- He said he gave police permission to search his vehicle, believing there would be no problem if officers found his marijuana. -That's nice for him that the they dropped the charge, but he blew it. You should never, EVER give up your constitutional rights and consent to a search. There's no reason to! It's stupid! It opens doors to the cops that would otherwise be totally closed (literally and figuratively). Even if you think you'll be okay, things can happen. You could have a psycho cop who likes to plant things on people. You just never know. NEVER consent!! 
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on January 19, 2006 at 06:47:17 PT
Related Article from The Rocky Mountain News
City Throws Out Pot Charge***Prosecutor says he's going after other marijuana cases By Sue Lindsay, Rocky Mountain News January 19, 2006The city on Wednesday dismissed a pot possession charge against the first person arrested after Denver voters backed a measure legalizing small amounts of marijuana. 
Defendant Eric Footer, 39, learned of the decision to throw out the case when he appeared at a hearing with plans to plead not guilty to the charge. Footer, a real estate consultant, was cited Nov. 17. Voters passed Initiative 100 on Nov. 1. "We view this as a real victory for Denver voters and a validation of what happened in November," said Footer's lawyer, Brian Vicente, who also is executive director for Sensible Colorado. "Denver voters spoke loudly and clearly on this issue, and it looks like Denver officials are listening," he said. "The city has recognized there is better use of resources and taxpayers' money than prosecuting these cases. We hope this will send a message to police that the city attorney views this as futile." But prosecutor Greg Rawlings said the dismissal of charges against Footer means no such thing. Rawlings said he dismissed the case because of problems with the search of Footer's car. Officers stopped Footer after a motorist complained that Footer had pounded on his vehicle. Footer, who drove away after the altercation, maintained the man nearly ran over his foot. During the traffic stop, Footer dropped his keys on the floor of the car, prompting officers to quiz him about what he was reaching for. After officers ordered him out of the vehicle, Footer shifted his cell phone in his pocket - a move he said led police to suspect he might be reaching for a weapon. Police patted him down, then asked if they could search his vehicle. "When they didn't find anything on me, they said, 'we're going to go ahead, if it's all right with you, we're going to search your vehicle. If we do that, is there anything there that you shouldn't have?' " Footer recalled after the incident. "And I said, 'No. Go ahead.' " Footer, who said he uses marijuana to ease the pain of three enlarged spinal discs, knew there was marijuana in the vehicle but said he didn't think twice about consenting because he thought pot had been legalized. Officers cited him after they found a small amount of pot and a pipe. "I didn't think there was sufficient probable cause for this search and I didn't think we would be able to prevail," Rawlings said Wednesday. But the decision has nothing to do with the controversy surrounding the case and has absolutely no bearing on any other pot possession cases, he said. "I am prosecuting a number of marijuana cases today and will continue to prosecute them," he said. "These cases are a large part of the docket every day." Nonetheless, backers of a state initiative to legalize marijuana applauded the move as a signal that Denver won't pursue those possessing small amounts of pot. "I don't believe it had to do with problems with the search," said Mason Tvert, campaign director for Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation. "We believe it had to do with the pressure put on the city by people who voted in this initiative." Tvert urged others charged in Denver to contact his group, which plans to put a statewide measure legalizing adult pot possession on Colorado's November ballot. "We will continue to encourage people to challenge these cases if they are charged," he said. Footer said he was pleased and relieved by the dismissal of charges against him. "I see it as a personal victory and a victory for all people who voted for this initiative, " he said. "I'm representing everybody who voted on the initiative. That's who I am here for." Footer said he believed he was "abiding by the law." The measure approved by Denver voters makes it legal for adults to privately possess less than an ounce of marijuana. But it remains a crime under state and federal law. Copyright: 2006 Denver Publishing Co.http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4399011,00.html
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Comment #26 posted by whig on January 19, 2006 at 05:51:03 PT
global_warming
Who do you defer to? Not me, I hope. We are equal, part and parcel, one and the same.
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Comment #25 posted by global_warming on January 19, 2006 at 03:10:02 PT
re:comment 22
Sorry, my spelling sucks, meant to say,..de·fer 2 Pronunciation (d-fûr)
v. de·ferred, de·fer·ring, de·fers
v.intr.
To submit to the opinion, wishes, or decision of another through respect or in recognition of his or her authority, knowledge, or judgment. 
To commit or entrust to another.
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Comment #24 posted by potpal on January 18, 2006 at 20:40:22 PT
Ah...the truth is...
 "These cases are a large part of the docket every day." Without 'em you can lay off a lot of lawyers and the police can get back to catching bad guys.
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Comment #23 posted by cloud7 on January 18, 2006 at 19:13:17 PT
Great call mayan!!
"He said he gave police permission to search his vehicle, believing there would be no problem if officers found his marijuana.""They obviously had probable cause(according to "their" law) since Footer consented. Rawlings was terrified that Footer would be found not guilty had this gone to trial and that would open the door for everyone to fight their charges and uphold the voter's will!" I missed this at the end of the article and it wraps up their lies in a neat little package. What a good catch! 
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Comment #22 posted by whig on January 18, 2006 at 18:29:46 PT
global_warming #11
what do we differ on?
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Comment #21 posted by OverwhelmSam on January 18, 2006 at 18:19:24 PT
Ahhhhhh
Oh c'mon. Little wuss district attorney didn't want to take it to Jury trial? I assumed this conclusion. Now, everyone else that gets busted for pot in Denver needs to sue.
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Comment #20 posted by mayan on January 18, 2006 at 18:02:40 PT
Cowards
"I didn't think there was sufficient probable cause for this search and I didn’t think we would be able to prevail," Rawlings said. But then...Footer said he uses marijuana for relief of chronic back pain. He said he gave police permission to search his vehicle, believing there would be no problem if officers found his marijuana.They obviously had probable cause(according to "their" law) since Footer consented. Rawlings was terrified that Footer would be found not guilty had this gone to trial and that would open the door for everyone to fight their charges and uphold the voter's will! 
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on January 18, 2006 at 17:48:02 PT
Toker00
You know what is so good about you? I'm sure you wouldn't say anything so I'll tell you. When people get set in their ways they can't comprehend new ideas and direction. You don't have that problem and that is why you will be a tremendous benefit to ASA. I just know it.PS: We aren't alone. It's a great feeling isn't it?
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Comment #18 posted by Toker00 on January 18, 2006 at 17:36:11 PT
TYGW :)
What Graehstone said, FoM. I tell ya, it felt good in Dallas when the HHS Representatives came out of their majestic (to them) headquarters to invite the ASA protesters inside the building to discuss their petition for rescheduling Cannabis. I don't mean it made just me feel good, but it made a LOT of people feel good. This organization HAS done tremendous things in a short time. I believe they have halted other raids with their Emergency Response system. I have no problem helping get Cannabis to those who deserve it the most, first, the sick and dieing. ASA is a respectful vehicle, in this insane WOSD, to do this, I believe.I've really enjoyed the enlightening new posts. Sometimes we feel alone here, and then out of nowhere, fresh Sanity appears, and presents itself to us with familiarity, and with a feeling of kinship. Cannabis Fields Forever!Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!  
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Comment #17 posted by ekim on January 18, 2006 at 17:28:41 PT
 wording 4 Billboard on State Cannabis initiative
prosecutor Greg Rawlings said "I am prosecuting a number of marijuana cases today and will continue to prosecute them," he said. "These cases are a large part of the docket every day." 
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on January 18, 2006 at 17:25:25 PT
Graehstone 
Thank you. I couldn't add more then what I do here or it would become too hard for me. CNews is my activism. I live in a very rural section of Ohio but if they have a chapter I would like to get e-mail. 
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Comment #15 posted by global_warming on January 18, 2006 at 17:22:44 PT
re:noble causes
good night good peopleMay you find the 'healing 'blessingsThat is part of your 'blessed 'breathCannabis, 'Stands before the the foot of the 'devil,
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Comment #14 posted by Graehstone on January 18, 2006 at 17:12:49 PT
ASA
I really can't say enough good things about ASA. I go to as many meetings as I am able to but due to health issues I am not able to make them all.
Check out the site and contact them. I am sure they will be able to help you get in contact if there is one in your State and if not then why don't you think about starting your own chapter with their help.
There are few such noble causes these days and this one is very worthy of all support.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/
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Comment #13 posted by global_warming on January 18, 2006 at 17:00:27 PT
until
my difference is recorded in the book of 'time, my 'witness, can assembleIn the court of wisdomMy soul is witnessPrepares for 'our 'destinythis is not -friday
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Comment #12 posted by siege on January 18, 2006 at 16:57:14 PT
 Nevada Regulate Marijuana
http://www.regulatemarijuana.org/home/
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Comment #11 posted by global_warming on January 18, 2006 at 16:48:13 PT
hey whigger
i differ
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Comment #10 posted by global_warming on January 18, 2006 at 16:43:44 PT
toker 00
May God Light 'your every footprint
This new 'worldIs ready to to bandage your flesh,There is an 'infinite succorprepare those have captureda glimpseof the Lightthat 'we carryinto Everlating Eternity
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on January 18, 2006 at 16:43:00 PT
Toker00
Is ASA in my state I wonder?
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on January 18, 2006 at 16:41:08 PT
 Toker00 
That's really good news. You go guy!
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Comment #7 posted by Toker00 on January 18, 2006 at 16:31:31 PT
ASA
Doin' fine, FoM. Getting involved with ASA more. You know I advocate Safe Access for ANY use of Cannabis, but after corresponding with ASA more, I would do better advocating Medical Use, rather than Recreational use, here in Tejas. At least for now. They sent me all the info and materials I will need to establish an Emergency Response to DEA raids in ANY state with passed medical mm...ma...mar...cannabis laws. It takes a while to set up, but with my experience with other protest organizers, I'll have it up and running soon.Peace, all you Lovely People!!! Wage peace on war. END CANNBABIS PROHIBITION NOW! 
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on January 18, 2006 at 16:11:23 PT
Toker00
Good to see you. I was wondering if you were ok. 
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Comment #5 posted by global_warming on January 18, 2006 at 16:09:30 PT
twinkle
in some blink of your eyeyou have glimpsedthe power and gloryEverlasting Peaceat the foot of the man who has nails in his feetit is 'our feetwho walk and breathe this fresh air,
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Comment #4 posted by Toker00 on January 18, 2006 at 16:06:47 PT
A victory, by any other name...
"I thought I was abiding by the law," he said.He was. I guess this is just a "symbolic" victory for a "symbolic" law. Does anyone think the charges would have been dropped had this initiative not passed? We'll take the victories anyway we can get them. As long as it is peaceful, because there is no question that it is the right thing. Re-Legalize our God Given Rights again by Ending Cannabis Prohibition Now, and ridding Washington of the Vultures and Vampires that Be.God bless ya, Cindy.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #3 posted by global_warming on January 18, 2006 at 15:50:26 PT
I Love Cindy
I cannot bring back her child, but I can stand as witness in this world, 'our world.What kind of world do I stand witness before?
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Comment #2 posted by b4daylight on January 18, 2006 at 15:24:46 PT
pre-vail
"I didn't think there was sufficient probable cause for this search and I didn’t think we would be able to prevail," Rawlings said.wow 
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Comment #1 posted by global_warming on January 18, 2006 at 15:24:38 PT
ot:please consider
He said he gave police permission to search his vehicle, believing there would be no problem if officers found his marijuana...Our Country has been Overtaken by Murderous Thugs
by Cindy SheehanMy son was killed in Iraq on this day one year ago, the same day of April on which Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in 1968. Dr. King wrote these words from a jail in Birmingham: “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence ... of the good people.“And the Apostle Paul said this:“[T)hose who desire to be rich fall into temptation ... into a snare that plunges men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evil.”Thirty years ago, 1975, Gerald Ford was president of the United Sates. His chief of staff was Dick Cheney. His secretary of defense was Donald Rumsfeld. Paul Wolfowitz was heading up the international arms-control end of things. All of these positions related directly to national security. While these men were looking after the nation‘s safety, they and President Ford concluded that Iran needed to supplement its energy system by adding nuclear power. The nuclear energy project that these men approved would have netted certain U.S. corporations billions of dollars. Had the Shah of Iran, a blood-bought servant of U.S. corporate interests, not soon been overthrown by his own countrymen, the bigwigs at Westinghouse or General Electric, or perhaps both, would have amassed personal fortunes from this one project alone.Some of the stockholders would have also made bundles on the deal.In 1975, my son had not yet been born. Today he is in his grave. Dick Cheney, on the other hand, is now vice president of the United States, and he is materially wealthy beyond what any of us would ever pray to be. This is the same Dick Cheney who, during the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq, said that Saddam Hussein not only has stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction—more than a hundred metric tons of the deadly stuff—but he also said that Saddam Hussein was well-advanced in developing nuclear weapons and that therefore the U.S. must invade Iraq and dethrone Saddam Hussein. Clean, quick, and simple, according to Dick Cheney. Yet, for some time now, he has changed his tune. He now says, as if he had said it all along, that the U.S. occupation of Iraq will require years of difficult and sometimes bloody conflict before Iraq is stable enough to bring our loved ones home. And so, rather than speak of weapons of mass destruction, he now uses the word “democracy” a lot.Is there still an American who cannot clearly see that Dick Cheney, whether in 1975 or 2005, will say whatever he thinks is required to ultimately cause wealth and power to move to himself and to his friends? Need I defile this holy place with words like “Halliburton” and “Kellogg, Brown & Root” and “torture” and “U.S. weapons industry”? Indeed, the Apostle Paul is correct in saying that, ultimately, the love of money leads to ruin and destruction.Donald Rumsfeld is again secretary of defense. Only yesterday, it seems, he told the whole world that Saddam Hussein has stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. He even announced to the world that he and his generals knew where Saddam‘s feared weapons were hidden. He announced this only days before our loved ones risked their lives searching those very areas where he so confidently said the weapons were hidden.Tell me, isn‘t it entirely reasonable for us to assume that those very places were being surveilled every second of every day and night until the very moment when our loved ones reached those areas and began their search? Donald Rumsfeld told us that the search would net more than a hundred metric tons. Are we to believe that Saddam quickly assembled a caravan of eighteen-wheelers and loaded all this stuff up and hauled it away to some new hiding place, and that U.S. surveillance, the best in the world, didn‘t notice any of this happening? Are we to believe that this administration was, once again, asleep at the wheel, just as they would have us believe that they were innocently caught off-guard on the morning of September 11, 2001 ?I implore you to read some of Scott Ritter, and you will finally begin to understand that the horrid price we and the people of Iraq have paid to discover that Saddam‘s weapons of mass destruction had already been destroyed is not the result of any failure at the U.S. intelligence agencies. It is, in fact, a validation of U.S. intelligence agencies. Ritter will explain to you exactly how Rumsfeld was well informed by knowledgeable people within the intelligence community, that Saddam had been stripped clean of such weapons, that Saddam‘s ability to reconstitute such weapons‘ programs had also been destroyed, and that any moves Saddam might have made in that direction would have been observed and stopped forthwith.Is there anyone in America who cannot yet see that Donald Rumsfeld is a liar, that he will say anything so long as he thinks it will help shape the world to his own liking? Is there even one sane adult among us who cannot see that Donald Rumsfeld is a threat to our nation‘s security and to peace on our beloved earth?Paul Wolfowitz, after months of not finding any weapons of mass destruction and after hundreds of U.S. soldiers were killed—my son among them—and after tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens were killed, this same Paul Wolfowitz casually explained, with his kindly charade and his ever-so-soft voice, that a decision was made to put forth “weapons of mass destruction” as the need for the invasion. Essentially, Paul Wolfowitz admitted that he and his fellow conspirators had decided among themselves, “Let‘s just go with the bit about weapons of mass destruction. It‘s the one thing that will scare the American people enough so as to cause them to get behind this invasion.”As soft-spoken and sincere-sounding as Paul Wolfowitz is, is there yet any sane adult in this country whose skin does not crawl when this murderous liar opens his mouth and speaks? Am I the only person in this room who clearly sees that Paul Wolfowitz is a threat to our nation‘s security and to peace on our beloved earth?Thirty years ago these three men gave the green light to Iran so that Iran could hire U.S. companies to go there and build a $6.4 billion nuclear power facility. No doubt the final bill would have been at least three times that much. Yet Dick Cheney recently said this of Iran‘s current intentions to add nuclear power to its energy system: “They are already sitting on an awful lot of oil and gas. Nobody can figure why they need nuclear to generate energy.” Did these men not notice thirty years ago, while they and their cohorts were being wined and dined by the Shah, that the opulent surroundings were bought and paid for with oil and gas that were being taken from the ground beneath their feet? Yet these men agreed, clear back then, that Iran needed to add nuclear power to its energy system. It is now thirty years and God only knows how many tens of millions of barrels of oil later. Why should we believe these men, who we know are liars, when they now say that Iran‘s primary motive for wanting nuclear power is so that they can make nuclear weapons with which to destroy us and our allies? Even now, the International Atomic Energy Agency reports that there is no evidence that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. The Bush administration‘s response?‘ They are trying to oust the agency‘s lead inspector, Mohammed al-Baradei. But who can forget that it was Mr. al-Baradei and the International Atomic Energy Agency who, during the months prior to the invasion of Iraq, reported that Saddam no longer had a nuclear weapons program.Our country has been overtaken by murderous thugs, gangsters who lust after fortunes and power; never caring that their addictions are at the expense of our loved ones and the blood of innocent people near and far. We‘ve watched these thugs parade themselves before the whole world as if they are courageous advocates for Christian moral values and the spread of democracy. Yet we all know that they are now putting in place, all across this country, a system of voting that provides no way to validate the accuracy of the counting of the votes. Our loved ones have been buried in early graves even as these arrogant thugs parade themselves before the entire world, insisting that democracy is worth dying for, killing for, and destroying entire cities for, all the while they are busy here at home overseeing the emplacement of an electronic voting system that invites fraud at every turn, an electronic vote-counting system that provides no way to validate the votes cast, and that, by its very design, prohibits the recounting of votes.For these men to not see to it that our own system of voting and vote counting is accurate, understandable, and verifiable, all the while sending our loved ones to kill and to die so as to establish a democracy in some far-away place, is just one more staggering piece of evidence that the U.S. government is now ruled by murderous hypocrites—criminals who should be arrested, charged appropriately, confined behind bars, and then tried in a court of law, not only here in our own country, but also in all the other countries that have suffered their incomprehensible greed. In their secret hiding places, while celebrating newly won fortunes with their fellow brass, these men must surely congratulate themselves with orgies of carnal pleasure as they mock the multitudes who are yet so blind as to mistake them for God‘s devoted servants.Thank you.Speech by C. Sheehan, held at Riverside Church, 
New York on April 4, 2005http://www.currentconcerns.ch/archive/2006/01/20060105.php
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