cannabisnews.com: Pot Church Takes a Hit 










  Pot Church Takes a Hit 

Posted by CN Staff on July 08, 2006 at 23:16:24 PT
By Stephanie Innes, Arizona Daily Star  
Source: Arizona Daily Star 

Pima, AZ -- The Church of Cognizance, which has quietly operated here since 1991, has an unusual tenet - its worshippers deify and use marijuana as part of their faith. Until federal authorities charged them with possessing 172 pounds of their leafy green sacrament earlier this year, church founders Dan and Mary Quaintance say they smoked, ate or drank marijuana daily as a way of becoming more spiritually enlightened.
But now, with added conspiracy charges, the Quaintances face up to 40 years each in prison in a case they call religious persecution.Federal prosecutors say religious freedom does not exempt the use of illegal drugs. The Quaintances say it does. They also say a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing a religious group's use of a hallucinogenic tea containing a federally banned substance should nullify the charges against them. The couple is scheduled to go on trial in Las Cruces, N.M., on July 18, though defense lawyers are asking for a delay. "They have a bona fide religion and the only marijuana they utilize is for the practice of their religion," said Mary Quaintance's attorney, Mario A. Esparza. "Our Constitution in the United States guarantees that freedom of religion, and the Quaintances are being punished for the very thing the Constitution stands for. "They did not distribute to anyone outside of the church and they never profited from it," Esparza said. The Church of Cognizance, which leaders say has 72 monasteries located in members' homes nationwide, has a simple motto: "With good thoughts, good words and good deeds, we honor marijuana; as the teacher, the provider, the protector." Dan Quaintance, 54, says the church has 40 to 50 members in Arizona, but cannot estimate how many there are nationwide. Leaders say members must be 18 to join, and he says the average age of worshippers in Arizona is 35. Dan, who preaches at weddings and funerals of church members, says the church does not sell its sacrament or proselytize. "Laws exist to protect people from injury and we've injured nobody," said Dan Quaintance, an Iowa native, Vietnam veteran and retired welder who identifies himself as his church's "chief cognoscente." "Marijuana is the averter of death," he said. "The energy and spirit that is in marijuana is God. You consume the plant and you consume God. You are sacrificing your body to the deity." The Quaintances were arrested Feb. 22 in Lordsburg, N.M., just seven days before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a small religious group based in Santa Fe that combines Christianity and American Indian practices could use hallucinogenic tea in its ceremonies. The tea, called hoasca, contains dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, known for its hallucinogenic properties. A variety of religious groups representing millions of members filed briefs supporting O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao Do Vegetal, or UDV, and its use of hoasca - among them the Arizona Civil Liberties Union, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Association of Evangelicals and the Union for Reform Judaism. Some supporters likened banning the tea to a federal ban on sacramental wine. Graham County Sheriff Frank Hughes says that in his 10 years on the job, he's never had a complaint about the Quaintances, who live in a small rectangular home in the sparsely populated rural community of Pima, about 90 miles northeast of Tucson. Their home sits on a four-acre property that's dotted with old vehicles. Alongside their house is a wall made out of tires, which the Quaintances say eventually will form the boundary of an outdoor chapel. The couple's 31-year-old daughter, Zina; her husband, Tim; and their three children have a home on the property, as do the Quaintances' 28-year-old son, Dennis, and his wife, Vanessa, and their son. Their home bears no resemblance to a traditional church, inside or out. Yet the Quaintances call it a monastery and are adamant that the church they founded together is a sincere, legitimate faith - on par with any mainstream religious denomination. A tapestry of Bob Marley smoking a large joint decorates the front hallway, and inside, the couple has a few handmade pipes, some of which have won ribbons in the glazing division of the Graham County Fair. Most of their pipes and other sacramental accessories were seized when authorities searched their home March 3, they say. The Quaintances do not grow their sacrament but, rather, say they rely on donations of it, which they pick up from church "couriers." That's what they say they were about to do when they were arrested. They smoke the marijuana or sometimes blend it into a milk-like drink, saying it helps them to become more enlightened and in tune with the universe. Until they were arrested, the Quaintances say they'd smoked or ingested the plant every day of their 33-year marriage, even before they formed their church. Both were marijuana users when they met, and they credit the plant to helping their marriage survive. "It makes you better at what you do, enhances who you are. It is the most beautiful plant on Earth," said Mary Quaintance, 51, a homemaker from Northern California who married Dan in 1973, when she was 18. They met while Mary worked as nurse's aide in Chico, Calif., and rented a room from Dan's parents. Dan Quaintance, who grew up in the United Methodist faith and once was president of his church youth group, says finding marijuana helped him finish high school, later kick a heroin addiction and get through acute pancreatitis. It was during his illness that he began researching marijuana's use among ancient cultures, and he started to think about forming his own church. As he reread the Bible, he believed many passages that referred to a leaf, tree or plant were talking about marijuana. "Religion is basically putting your faith in what you rely on," he said. "Jesus started his church because of what he believed and learned." He filed a "declaration of religious sentiment" on behalf of the Church of Cognizance with the Graham County Recorder's Office in 1994, though Dan, his family and other members say the church dates to 1991. Services at the Church of Cognizance aren't scheduled. According to the Quaintances, members call the monasteries and arrange a worship time, which typically includes using marijuana and listening to sermons by fellow cognoscenti that talk about peaceful existence. "Dan and Mary are two of the most beautiful, wholesome people," said Daniel Jeffrey, an enlightened cognoscente in Puna, Hawaii. "We're not involved with herb for any kind of profit gain. If you tell people that, their mind just can't grasp it." Still, Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the Virginia-based First Amendment Center, says any group seeking an exemption to the nation's drug laws, even for religious purposes, has a "hill to climb." And he says the federal government is likely in a better position to win against the religious use of marijuana than it was for the hallucinogenic tea case, given the prevalence of marijuana and the federal government's concern about a drug problem in the country. The hallucinogenic tea is difficult to find and reportedly doesn't taste very good, Haynes said, noting the same is true for peyote, which also is a federally banned substance. A federal exemption for peyote exists when it's used for religious practices by members of the Native American Church. In Arizona, people using peyote who aren't members of the Native American Church also are exempt as long as the peyote is used for a "bona fide religious purpose" in a manner that doesn't threaten the public. But there are no such exceptions for marijuana. "Marijuana is difficult, even if they have a sincere religious belief," Haynes said. "The federal government has already successfully fought efforts to get a medical exemption." The U.S. Constitution contains no legally recognizable definition of religion, but courts still can apply a test of sincerity, said Jeremy Gunn, director of the Freedom of Religion and Belief program for the American Civil Liberties Union, which supported the UDV church. If, for example, a group of prisoners calling themselves the Church of Cabernet and Filet Mignon argued religious belief as a reason to be served wine and better food, the government would have a right to question the sincerity of their theological belief, he said. "The UDV case did not open the floodgate," he said. "The government needs to show why it makes sense to apply the drug laws in that circumstance. In the UDV case, the hallucinogenic tea is honestly a traditional part of the religious practice." The office of the U.S. attorney for New Mexico, David C. Iglesias, prosecuted the UDV case, and also is prosecuting the Quaintances. His office declined to comment on a pending case. The Quaintances have no history of criminal convictions in Arizona, where they've lived since 1986, but both have prior convictions for marijuana possession in Washington state, records show. Dan Quaintance says he also has a 1974 conviction from California for driving under the influence and spent 30 days in jail for that offense. The Quaintances spent two weeks in a New Mexico jail after their arrest this year and, as part of their court-ordered release, must have regular urine tests to ensure they aren't using any marijuana. Both say that living without their deity for the first time in more than three decades is extremely difficult. The complaint against the couple, which was amended, includes two other defendants ¡ª Timothy Jason Kripner, 23, of Tucson and Joseph Allen Butts, 48, of California. The revised complaint raised the stakes in the case, adding conspiracy charges and more than 220 pounds of marijuana. Dan Quaintance says Kripner and Butts are both certified couriers for the church. Kripner was traveling with the Quaintances when they were arrested, and authorities say Butts was involved in a conspiracy with them to distribute marijuana. "They may take Dan and Mary down but they will never take the church down," Mary Quaintance said. Contact reporter Stephanie Innes at 573-4134 or at:  sinnes azstarnet.comNote: S. Arizona couple face prison for what they say is religious use of marijuana.Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ)Author: Stephanie Innes, Arizona Daily Star Published: July 9, 2006Copyright: 2006 Pulitzer Publishing Co.Contact: letters azstarnet.comWebsite: http://www.azstarnet.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #126 posted by Had Enough on July 13, 2006 at 15:09:18 PT
FoM
#88 & 89Meant to reply earlier. “Daily Grind” kept the time occupied.It doesn’t have to take over the interview, just a little plug at the end.I’m sure that they will help you with this.Not sure if you are still watching this thread, but I thought I would reply anywho.
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Comment #125 posted by FoM on July 11, 2006 at 08:53:23 PT
Just a Note
I have been talking with Whig in e-mail. They are about ready to leave for Berkeley. Friday morning is the day. He will drop in here if he can but he said his footprint is getting smaller. I wish them a safe trip and wonderful experience in the land of open minds.I sent them this song today: http://tinyurl.com/zxymg
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Comment #124 posted by Wayne on July 11, 2006 at 07:56:09 PT
Re: Hope, a large percentage of revenue collected
Unfortunately for them, seizures and forfeitures don't generate any money at all. I loved it when they said, "It works in the United States."No it doesn't, and here's why. Say a $250,000 Ferrari gets seized by an ALLEGED drug dealer. They feds take it to a storage facility, where it sits for a few months, maybe a year. The fees for storage cost LOTS of money. Then they take it to a government auction, where everything literally goes for pennies on the dollar of its actual value. That Ferrari will probably get sold to a REAL drug dealer for $20,000. In the end, after you figure in the seizure and storage fees, the government probably just lost $75,000 on that Ferrari. And the same is true with houses, boats, airplanes, jewelry, even land (but that usually goes back to the government anyway). It ALL adds up. Yup, that's how it works in the United States. Forfeitures actually cost us a fortune. So yeah it works alright...just in the wrong direction.So, in summary, what they're proposing is just doling out more of the government's debt on the public. Big shocker there.
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Comment #123 posted by afterburner on July 11, 2006 at 06:56:23 PT
Speaking of Injustice and Slanted Media
Letter: Newspaper seems to have it in for church.
2TheAdvocate, LA - Jul 4, 2006
.(for growing marijuana)”. ... The church had nothing to do with its employee’s personal life and could not know she was growing pot at home. ... 
http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/3276866.html
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Comment #122 posted by Hope on July 11, 2006 at 06:26:28 PT
"a large percentage of revenue collected "
According to what's reported to the people...Grow-Ops and Meth Labs are just huge expenses to the public. There's "revenue" in it? Hmmmm. Somebody didn't tell us something before. "Absolutely nothing" for the locals? Where in the world did I get the idea it was supposed to be about "Protecting the children". Now I learn it's "absolutely nothing" if they don't get the "revenue".Must be lazy media, I guess. 
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Comment #121 posted by Hope on July 11, 2006 at 06:19:23 PT
Afterburner's post is a gut churner...
Stan and Kirk do a wonderful job, as usual. They're a blessing to us.The pop-up is stunning. It took me a few seconds to realize that the first picture attacking my eyes and soul was a picture of the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Bad stuff. People cared then about murders, even of gangsters. Now a days they just say "Good riddance" when it's gangsters and "Oh well...what a shame...but we can't stop" when it's innocents and children. That's a sorry, sorry state of affairs. I've written so many letters referring to the incident that opened so many peoples eyes to the bloodshed caused by Prohibiton 1. They were never published.And the last one...Law Enforcement for Profit. It's like breaking and frying a rotten egg and serving it up for breakfast for the family. Aaaaarggh.A couple of quotes from the Law Enforcement for Fun and Profit efforts of a city council in Canada...trying to get Americanized...good and proper. "District of North Vancouver council took a step June 26 in what will likely be a long road, to lobby the federal government to share a large percentage of revenue collected from seizures of marijuana grow ops and crystal meth labs in local residential homes.""We bear all of the costs and we see absolutely nothing.""It's important that the federal government recognize this, what is known as the fiscal imbalance." (No profit in fiscal imbalance, heh? Got to remedy that...Law Enforcement is a business, right?)(Aaargh again.)Nothing like a dose of "Who gets the money?" first thing in the morning.Stan and Kirk did well, though. They are fighting injustice.Thanks, Afterburner. We need to know. 
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Comment #120 posted by afterburner on July 11, 2006 at 05:20:58 PT
Keep those LTEs Coming, Stan White & Kirk Muse
US IL: PUB LTE: Bible Led To Support Of Medical-Marijuana
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n914/a04.html?397 (Mon, 10 Jul 2006)
Pantagraph, The (IL)
 CN ON: PUB LTE: Prohibitionists Don't 'Get' Cannabis Issue, Windsor Star, (10 Jul 2006) http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v06/n912/a04.html?176A Little Pop-Up You Might Like courtesy of CannabisLink.ca
http://www.cannabislink.ca/promo_regulate.htmEnjoy!And the inevitable forfeiture lovers rear their ugly head in Vancouver, selling their souls for a few pieces of silver:CN BC: DNV To Lobby Ottawa For Pot And Meth Op Revenue, North Shore News, (07 Jul 2006) http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v06/n900/a10.html?176Know your enemy, and tell them what you think of their dirty tricks!
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Comment #119 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 21:52:45 PT
Hope
It really is something to see this happen right before our eyes. Back when I was a teenager and because of my religious schooling I was always asking questions. Qustions that I never got an answer to. Then what I saw in Woodstock, even though I wasn't there, was something beautiful. Hippies didn't ever go away. They just went on about their lives. The word Hippie means to me the love of people. 
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Comment #118 posted by Hope on July 10, 2006 at 21:50:30 PT
Storm Crow
I may be wrong. Maybe I dreamed it! But it seems like I saw a picture of her somewhere on a url she posted.
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Comment #117 posted by Hope on July 10, 2006 at 21:49:01 PT
Women at C-News.
There's a reason more women have difficulty speaking their minds against this prohibition in a public forum. It's a real problem if you have young children. Mothers have to protect those babies and their rights to them above all else.That's another reason that so many of us are a bit older. It's a dangerous government we have and many, if not all prohibitionists are dangerous, hate filled, crazy people. Younger people with younger children have to keep that in mind.
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Comment #116 posted by Hope on July 10, 2006 at 21:44:13 PT
FoM...That feeling 
that the best of the sixties is coming around again.I feel it, too!Speaking of the Rainbows and their ways and their successes has made me feel it, too.Somewhere, yesterday, I think, I was reading that the Hippies have endured in a way that nothing or no one else has.There is a lot more talk of Hippies in the news these days and a lot more of it is positive. I'm really tickled about that.
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Comment #115 posted by afterburner on July 10, 2006 at 21:43:34 PT
Hope
I did not know that Storm Crow is a woman. I miss MamaWillie too. It's hard to make a list because someone always gets left out, like Michelle Kubby. Over the years I'm sure there have been many others, and I thank those who just browse the articles and comments because they find inspiration, comity and comfort.
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Comment #114 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 21:04:55 PT
afterburner
You're very welcome. 
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Comment #113 posted by Hope on July 10, 2006 at 21:04:35 PT
Storm Crow! Afterburner...Don't forget Storm Crow!
And thanks. I miss MamaWillie, though.
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Comment #112 posted by Hope on July 10, 2006 at 21:02:34 PT
Thanks, Museman
For the true translation of Halleleujah. I didn't know that.I've always sort of thought of it as... I'm so happy! I'm so thankful and Praise the Lord for it! He is Good! He is Good! He is Great! He is Wonderful!I'm glad to learn that. Thank you.
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Comment #111 posted by afterburner on July 10, 2006 at 20:57:20 PT
I'd Also Like to Thank the Women of Cannabis News
Just for Being Here and Fighting the Good Fight. FoM, Hope, E_Johnson, mai_bong_city, runruffswife, and all those who drop in or post comments only occasionally: we love you!Too many times it's only the men who care enough about our issue to put their lives and time on the line. Our women help make this site a caring sharing family and keep us guys from getting too bellicose.Woodstock was playing just now on The Mighty Q as I was composing this post. Love the One You're With is on now.
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Comment #110 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 20:42:00 PT
afterburner
That's great. I have been reading reviews of the tour and so far I haven't seen one negative comment. I hope that CSNY are having fun with this tour. They go back a long way. They sure are making people happy and challenged it seems.
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Comment #109 posted by afterburner on July 10, 2006 at 20:28:45 PT
FoM Hope museman
I'm listening to Neil (Keep on Rockin' in the Free World) as I read museman's account of the Rainbow Gathering. Magic! Q107 is treating us to an hour of CSNY because of today's concert in Toronto (Flags of Freedom). Beautiful. God bless.
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Comment #108 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 18:02:48 PT
For Those Who Are Interested
Here are pictures from the Ottawa Concert and song clips.http://www.csny.com/photos/12
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Comment #107 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 16:59:26 PT
Oops Forgot The Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFGVbjxHSRs&search=%22Neil%20Young%22
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Comment #106 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 16:56:30 PT
Museman
I just found this on the Rust List. Bob Dylan singing Neil Young's Old Man.
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Comment #105 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 16:51:58 PT
musman
This is very interesting. I want to say more but we are starting to have an electrical storm that's trying to break loose. If I don't get back for a while that would be why.
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Comment #104 posted by museman on July 10, 2006 at 16:45:45 PT
Rainbows and Christians
Have been interacting at gatherings for a long time. About 80% of rainbows consider themselves followers of Christ, albeit church doctrine and dogma find little purchase with them. The "Rainbow" is first and foremost a judeo-christian (Islam as well) symbol of the covenant between God and man.In the early days various xtian churches attempted over and over to convert the rainbows, but more often than not it worked the other way around. Real charity and human compassion is hard to condemn by folks who also claim it part of their belief and faith.
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Comment #103 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 16:11:27 PT
museman
I really thought that article about the Katrina disaster and their meeting of hearts instead of minds between the two very different groups was wonderful. It is happening. 
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Comment #102 posted by museman on July 10, 2006 at 15:58:58 PT
FoM
I heard about it at the gathering. The article caught the flavor rather well. It's good to see those pictures! The one thing I missed was the circle on the fourth because I was down with fatigue and altitude sickness. I could hear them oming, and the mighty shout when they were done. My sons got pictures but yahoo got some good ones.Their numbers are rather conservative however. There were that many cars, buses and motor homes. The parking lot was miles long.
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Comment #101 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 15:35:15 PT
Museman
Check this out. I really enjoyed the story of the Christians from Texas, The Rainbows and Katrina.Christians, Hippies Bond in Katrina Efforts: http://www.religionnewsblog.com/12908http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21956.shtml#4
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Comment #100 posted by museman on July 10, 2006 at 15:24:58 PT
halle lu ya
Halle = Holy or Sacred. Lu = Is. Ya (or 'Jah') = God, Great Spirit, YHWH."Gods name is LOVE."Therefore halleluya means "Holy is Love."Love IS the answer. The only one that will establish itself and all of life that bind to it - forever.The Rainbow Gathering is (I think)the contemporary supreme example of that Love we all carry inside finding common ground to pour out and share. We carry the rainbow and it's promise inside of us, which is why the powers and principalities hate it - it cannot be taxed or regulated. They themselves having so little real love in their lives cannot fathom it, so they fear and hate it.But even the meanest cop is still our brother, and until that meanness is healed for good and for all, our promise for a paradise on earth is held back. We are truly all in this together. I personally have very little tolerance for BS, and there is a time to stand up with adamant conviction and strong words, yet if we cannot act with the underlying understanding that we are all related, then there is no hope for success. Conflict has no real resolution without that understanding.Thank you for your warm welcome to my return to cyberland, and this community which is as Rainbow as I've ever seen, whether the association or identification is made or not.I listened to LWW over and over on the way, shared with friends. Thanks Had Enough!
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Comment #99 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 15:14:13 PT
Museman
You son's words are very good. If we keep our eyes fixed on the moment we can avoid dwelling on things that will only bring us down. That doesn't mean not to look forward to something or it doesn't mean don't look back now and then but we don't or should never live in the past or in the future but only the moment. Only the present is real.
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Comment #98 posted by Hope on July 10, 2006 at 14:59:11 PT
translation continued...of Halleleujah!
You're the Best...the One and only...the very Best! (Addressed to the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. They are One!)
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Comment #97 posted by Hope on July 10, 2006 at 14:57:16 PT
Museman
I'm glad you knew I was praying for you, too. Sometimes I feel that I can tell when someone has prayed something about me. It sounds amazingly wonderful, what happened there. What a grace filled society. Love is the answer. Truly it is. The Father and the Son and the Spirit have been telling mankind that for so long...and some people get it...thankfully. It is true and truly wonderful.Halleleujah! (translates to "Way to go, God! Really, really cool! Thank you!)
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Comment #96 posted by museman on July 10, 2006 at 14:35:28 PT
FoM - Hope
Thanks sisters.I carried your blessings and prayers with me, and told a few people whom I thought might relate to our little family here on Cnews about the high level of thought and communication here on this forum. Hope, it may be a while before there is a Texas gathering; the availabilty of national forest land with trees and water sufficient to support a Rainbow Gathering in Texas has been discussd before. There is a rather large rainbow presence in Austin. There have been regionals. If I find out about one I will let you know.You will hear rumors of many 'bad' things going on at the gathering, and it is true that not everyone's experience was as fine and good as mine - there were plenty of reasons to succumb to negative emotional reaction - but that too is part of the experience. Peoples basic needs were met however, and other than the unfortunate interference of the fed, there were no major conflicts, violence, injury or destruction of property, even in the potential choas of over 40,000 people gathered in such wide open freedom.There were some youngers who did not handle some of the contemporary psychedelics very well, and much counselling between them and those of us olders who were available happened, resulting in satisfactory healing and understanding. Children were lost for an hour or two, then found safe asleep under a tree, but while they were missing the entire camp was aware and looking.We had an incident with a known child-molester who was eventually walked to the perimeter and warned not to come back. He was safely removed without incident or harm because many people are looking out for each other.There were the usual human failings; family squabbles, frustrations of all kinds, and I myself even at one point early on fell into a funk that threatened to keep me from the rest of my experience. Fortunately for me my youngest son sang me a song he wrote that goes like this;"Life is what you get, why not try to make the best of it?""What are you doin' sittin' around. wrapped in the chains that make you bound."How could I ignore that?I raised myself out of the ashes of self pity and went on to one of the greatest experiences of my life. Not everyone can do that all of the time, and it sometimes takes a lot of healing to get to that point. It took me 21 years in some levels, but that is my own story. It didn't necessarily have to take that long, but it did.What I saw, felt, and experienced gave me great hope for the future however, and all those struggling rainbows striving towards a light that only some few of us barely understand is truly something to raise the Spirit of this dark time, and something to be supported even at high cost.The disparity between rich and poor is also evident at the gathering, because both rich (not incredible wealth, just adequate resource) and poor are there, just like in the society at large, but out there in nature, at the gathering, that gap gets a heck of a lot thinner, and we hold hands and pray without thought to one another's bank account solvency.Not everyone is completely of service, there are two-bit scammers, petty thieves (I heard of no major thievery however), wannabe gurus, and every religion under the sun trying to get converts, but these are all in minority, and ignored by most except when peoples rights and honor is violated, it is then dealt with with as loving actions as can be accomplished.It is a magical city that appears in the wilderness, complete with all the human parts that make up such a situation. In this city however, the government is of a very high kind, and most truly of the people and by the people. Mr. Bush and our entire government could take some lessons in the real thing.
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Comment #95 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 12:53:04 PT
Museman
Your story is amazing to me. I am so happy you went. I prayed for you and wanted you to have a profound experience. You did. That makes me so happy. I know how to win a war. Love your enemy and when they get angry again love them all the more. Soon the walls crumble. We are put on this earth for a reason. What will be said about us when we are gone? What legacy will we leave? Do we teach our children the important things about life? Do we pray with our children like you did? Do we admit our own inability to solve every problem? Do we allow our own impefection to be seen? God Bless You Museman.
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Comment #94 posted by Hope on July 10, 2006 at 12:50:51 PT
Rainbows in Texas
I avoid crowds...but I might make an exception for their gathering.Thanks so much and share as much as you can about the event. It sounds to me like God was there and happy with you guys.
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Comment #93 posted by Hope on July 10, 2006 at 12:48:55 PT
Oh, Museman!
That's so wonderful and so encouraging. All of it!A preacher once said, specifically..."Thank God for that flat tire!" as part of a sermon about being thankful for ALL things and that "ALL things work to the good of them that love God".How wonderful!Next time the Rainbows are in Texas, I want to try to get in on that wonderful experience you describe. It's wonderful I'm full of hope and praise.Halleleujah!
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Comment #92 posted by museman on July 10, 2006 at 12:13:38 PT
rainbow news
"Bob Dylan said we've got to serve somebody. That means everyone has to serve somebody. Who do we want to serve? I believe that we are awakening from something but I don't know what."That provides me an opening to tell of the gathering.Words really don't have the capacity to describe the whole experience, and my perspective is only one of the 40,000+ who were there.It was perhaps the largest gathering ever. The almost 9,000 foot elevation provided us with clarity on several levels; clear, clean air, clear clean water, and clarity of spirit.The size of the gathering was huge, almost daunting to some of us older hippies, who were in evidence along with the new generations. There were hundreds of children.The fact that GWB and his warpig cronies sought to disrupt, and stop the gathering backfired on them. The presence of so many LEOs (law enforcement officers) provided a common focus for everyone in attendance.We ourselves had some aprehension about the blockade, because we had a medical marijuana cardholder, along with an abundance of his medical stash.An event happened along the way which ultimately helped us with this dilemna;We had a tire go bad just past Salt Lake City, and discovered that our spare was the wrong one. Tensions and tempers were high (my old friend and I brought 6 of our sons with us) and threatened to stop our journey cold right then and there.The two olders (myself and friend) sat down with the youngers and we prayed. We illuminated the fact that there was obviously a reason why we were being delayed with car trouble, and that everything would be fine. A search for a new tire rendered a slightly magical event of finding the only tire in town that matched the car, and getting it mounted and balanced for a pre-millennium price of $30!That in itself may not seem like much, it is a rather common event, however as we approached the gathering the timing and synchronicity became starkly apparent.As we drove up the last paved highway, about 20 miles from the parking lot, I saw more LEOs; Homeland Security, BLM, Forest Service, State Police, and Sheriffs than ever in my life. There were literally miles and miles of various agency vehicles, hundreds of them. But they were all going the opposite direction from us. A lot of them looked like they would love to see what we were about as we drove by, but none broke the formation to come after us.When we got to the parking lot we discovered that we had just made it through a rare window of opportunity - about an hour - when the LEOs were all at a meeting, and the blockade had been temporarily opened. Many others were searched, and over 500 tickets were handed out from DMV 'violations', to 'illegal camping', to marijuana possession. The presence of the LEOs made for a lot of paranoia in the younger generation, and everyone was advised that the code "six-up" meant 'LEOs approaching.' Only 2 people were arrested on site for posession, and at least one of them kind of brought it down by being blatant and flaunting in front of the cops. I got one piece of video showing a line of LEOs marching down the trail with that one person handcuffed and being walked between them.The olders, (ourselves included) spent some amount of our time explaining the nuances of faith versus fear in dealing with the LEOs (like dogs, they can smell fear) and by the time of the 5th their presence was no longer such a cause of fear, but rather a new challenge which most folks accepted as such, and the whole vibe changed.To illustrate this; On the 6th, the local sheriffs walked through. One of the common mantras that is heard at a gathering (for many years now) is the phrase "We Love you!" chorused by many voices. As the cops walked through a group of rainbows called "We Love you!" and the sheriffs actually, really, called back "We Love you too."!!!The local LEOs were respectful, and went out of their way to be non-intimidating. It was the federal 'authorities' that acted like the Gestapo.GWB got the republican state reps in Colorado to declare the Rainbow Gathering 'illegal' and on that basis numerous 'illegal camping' citations were handed out. As of the 5th, all of the ones that appeared before the judge were thrown out as blatant violation of the 1st ammendment. Some others are part of a class action suit being taken up by the ACLU against the fed. They will win. The precedent set at this gathering just about insures that the feds cannot 'declare' it illegal ever again.There was so much music, I found my opportunities to play few, but when I did it was special and magical.I stated here before I left that I had 'personal issues' to deal with. I personally had a great healing and epiphany about the real meaning of 'service.'I learned that many of my old friends, including one who once was very close, were no longer with us. Many of my old friends were however, and we all managed to meet each other in the midst of the teeming thousands. When they said 'Welcome Home" to me I cried. I'm crying now just thinking about it. We talked about this new embryonic spiritual renaissance/awakening (that is upon us) in circle after circle, in camp after camp. As I walked by the many folks sitting, sharing the sacred herb - OVER FORTY THOUSAND!! -the conversations were the same.Service.The energy of serving each other in any way, with our talents, our skills, and knowledge was of such power and presence to nearly put the lie to entropic systems of decay and death. We all caught a glimpse of something new, and it is growing.I personally discovered an aspect of my own being which has been in a state of various levels of self-enforced denial, and limited understanding for many years. At the gathering it unfolded for me like the proverbial lotus, and I experienced clarity of vision and understanding beyond what I have ever imagined. By sheer osmosis - I did no mind expanding substances (the first time I didn't at a gathering) but I got the energy anyway.I will be meditating on the intensity of the flow of information, much like 'updating the OS' we are all so familiar with with Windows, for at least many months. Though I was 'estranged' from the Rainbow for 21 years, it was like I never left. I was healed of my old anxieties, and had some kind of rebirth. I came back and was welcomed with unconditional love. It was a marvelous and humbling experience.As friends of the 'inner circle' we initiated a request to have the next gathering in Washington state, and as of the latest rumor, we got our wish.I am now on a mission to have a solar powered stage set up at the 'Gate.' I have returned to my place in the Rainbow. My friends there is nothing like it in the world, not since Y'shua gathered his followers on the mountain and fed the multitudes. I invite you all to get the experience, and look forward to next year with a brightness of expectation I never thought to have again.
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Comment #91 posted by konagold on July 10, 2006 at 12:04:37 PT:
manini scoop of good news
AlohaI got a call from Rev. Tom Brown the other night, he has relocated from AK to CA, describing how a woman here in Hawaii had her religious use of Cannabis recognized by a drug court judge and charges against her dismissed. Shortly there after the woman called me to thank me, as the Judge, who was the presiding judge over the RFRA defence of my possession trial in 1997, before this woman could present any responce the judge asked her if she was familuar with my case, mentioning me by name, and citing the knowledge gained from that dismissed her charges.The details given me of her charges are a little vague, but putting it together I believe that her family member was a 'client' of drug court, and that other family members must enter some kind of a binding contract with the court as a part of the drug court formula, as a result she was subjected to a urine test which found indications of her Sacramental use, resulting in charges being brought against her.AlohaRev. Dennis Shields  
http://thereligionofjesuschurch.org
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Comment #90 posted by lombar on July 10, 2006 at 10:55:57 PT
Actually I did not notice...
.. the stupid smirkish joke in the headline. 'Stoners take a hit' of injusitice, yet again. It's like so many other headlines that belittle people for using cannabis. It's offensive really but I did not notice the headline for the content which is far more offensive. If scientology can be a 'religion' than so can ANYTHING since its science fiction anyway. If they ritually smoked catnip, nobody would care. If they ritually let themselves be bit by rattlesnakes, nobody would care. Any religon that gives 'absolution' for our self destructing society is allowed, anything that frees people from the lies, forbidden. We are allowed drugs that don't work because they can be monopolized but denied herbs that work because there is no way to control it via the bureaucracy, our self-appointed keepers run amok. They wrest the struggling eagle down, feasting on its still beating heart, thinking "Who are so great as we? Are we not Gods on the earth? We shall never see sorrow. We are rulers of all we see."In one hour so great riches have come to nought.
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Comment #89 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 09:32:43 PT
Had Enough 
I agree it would be a good idea but I don't know how to mention CNews. If the interview happens I want to keep it on LWW, the Soapbox Tour 06 (that's what Neil called it) and CSNY. This will probably be the last time CSNY will perform together. Crosby is 65 and none of them are young anymore. I would want what I would say to basically be a thank you for Ohio, Our House, Chicago, For What's It's Worth, Woodstock and what those songs mean to me after all these years. Does this make sense?
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Comment #88 posted by Had Enough on July 10, 2006 at 09:13:00 PT
Interview
ekim #80 has a good idea here. I’ll bet if you asked them if you could mention this website during the interview part, the interviewer might even help lead it along. That would be cool.I believe they will have a pre-interview talk with you right before, to tell you how they will conduct the actual interview. This would be the time to see if you can “plug” our favorite website. Go get’m girl. It is your turn at bat. I see a Grand Slam above “Right Field” and over the fence, across the parking lot, and coming to rest, rolling onto emerald green fields.Ron Bennett & Co, get ready for 20 million hits a day. :)
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Comment #87 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 08:59:25 PT
Truth
Check out this article if you have time.'60s are over, but folks still dig idea
Memorable music and tie-dye in the hearts of hippiesBy Bill ReedThe GazettePeace, love and flowers ... forever. It's been 40 years since the Grateful Dead became the house band at acid tests in Golden Gate Park, since the word "hippie" assaulted the ears of confused "straights," since music and culture began a period of wild, careening change. But it's not the anniversary that's remarkable. It's the fact that hippie culture never went away. Disco is dead. New Wave is nuked. "Leave it to Beaver" is a distant dream. The '60s, though, are still groovy, for young and old alike.Jerry Garcia: http://tinyurl.com/g5y8rArticle: http://www.theolympian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060710/LIVING/607100309/1004
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Comment #86 posted by FoM on July 10, 2006 at 08:44:10 PT
Yoo Hoo Museman
Since the news is slow I am listening to different songs on LWW Today's web site. I don't know if you knew that Neil was putting up protest songs on his web site. I thought you might be interested in submitting one of your songs.http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/lwwsongspage.html
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Comment #85 posted by Truth on July 10, 2006 at 08:37:37 PT
B. Green
Amen, brother
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Comment #84 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 22:32:47 PT
BGreen
My goodness thank you. Life does teach many lessons. Some are very hard. I try anymore to look at what is in front of me and not look back or look forward. Bob Dylan said we've got to serve somebody. That means everyone has to serve somebody. Who do we want to serve? I believe that we are awakening from something but I don't know what. I know how our country is run now and it is sad to lose an innocence but that's what has happened to me over these last number of years. We are moving way too fast. What goes up must come down. I believe we are going to see serious times soon. Elections are this fall. I am nervous but my eyes are opened.
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Comment #83 posted by BGreen on July 09, 2006 at 22:11:50 PT
Way to go, FoM!!!!
I've said it before that it's my belief that all of us aren't here on earth or at CNews.com by mere chance, and as part of this family/team/congragation we're all doing our part for one major goal, even though it's hard to really understand exactly how our own little part fits in the whole scheme of things.FoM, I also believe that you are running this site by divine providence. God took the unimaginable pain and incredible learning journey that you went through with your son and is using you to help save many other mothers from losing their children, too.I know this isn't any replacement for a child, but you are now the "mom" to a huge family, and the world is a much better place because of you.Now. that being said, you are the absolute perfect person to do the interview. You're smart and you know your stuff. This is really a blessing placed upon you for your faithful work for the good of humankind and we're all behind you 100%.With love to you and my CNews.com family,The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #82 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 21:30:15 PT

Ekim
Thank you. I am still a little overwhelmed by it all. For a little while the Camden, New Jersey show will be playing on Rust Radio. Roel from the Rust List has the radio online only on the weekends. I am going to listen to it a little more before it is turned off for the week. http://www.rustradio.org/
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Comment #81 posted by Hope on July 09, 2006 at 20:56:37 PT

Museman!
Welcome back! I'm so glad you made it through safe and sound. I'm so thankful that the trouble there didn't escalate any farther than it did.Rest up. We want to hear about the event as soon as you are up to it.
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Comment #80 posted by ekim on July 09, 2006 at 20:38:40 PT

great news FoM
now if stick can get a sticher at one of the stops to lay down some neat tracks of cnews.com on a shirt and hat you could have the logo go nation wide with the doc.good luck you have worked hard, thanks for helping so many.
http://www.saferniles.org
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Comment #79 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 18:20:22 PT

Jack Herer on My Space Now
http://www.myspace.com/hempjack
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Comment #78 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 18:01:38 PT

museman 
Welcome Home! Rest up and tell us all about it when you have recovered from the trip.
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Comment #77 posted by museman on July 09, 2006 at 17:50:43 PT

a note
Hello all,Just returned from the Rainbow Gathering. I am totally fried from the journey, but full of the experience. This topic was discussed with me by a couple of members of the Church of Cognizance who were at the gathering.I am about to melt, amd I am going to rest.The Gathering was wonderful, and I look forward to sharing with you all....tomorrow.peace
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Comment #76 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 15:17:41 PT

Toker00
Thank you. This is all I know about the Documentary. http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/rust/message/164907
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Comment #75 posted by Toker00 on July 09, 2006 at 14:54:25 PT

Poll update
54% Religious Freedom39% Cannabis is illegal 7% Just don't get it.A little better.Toke.
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Comment #74 posted by Toker00 on July 09, 2006 at 14:41:57 PT

Congrats, FoM!
We will all want a copy of that documentary. You are already our star, so we know you can do it. Let us know when and how to buy it. You are very deserving of the interview!Kool, Whig, I was hoping you would have good things to say about this church. These people, like us, are True Believers. I expect this to be our Religious case against the Federal Government. Can we conjure up a miracle? I believe we can. This church is without doubt, a legitimate church. Let's all project Love and Peace to these people. They are definitely on the Line.What state are you in Afterburner?Wage peace on war. Living With Drug War. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! 
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Comment #73 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 13:07:06 PT

Whig
I checked it out. I sure don't understand any of it though. My background is different then theirs is. They should be allowed to follow their religion and it's culture. 
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Comment #72 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 13:00:28 PT

FoM
Check Comment 17 on the AZ Star article.Dan Q is participating.
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Comment #71 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 12:48:58 PT

afterburner
You're welcome. I really can't handle fighting. It turns into like a oneupsmanship thing to me. Anyone with determination can usually win an argument but what good does it do anyone?Whig that's all I could think of. Maybe someone else might know more. 
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Comment #70 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 12:39:59 PT

FoM
This is what I posted to Glenn Greenwald's blog:http://tinyurl.com/keogf
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Comment #69 posted by afterburner on July 09, 2006 at 12:37:00 PT

I Waded thru 71 comments on the Newspaper's Forum 
Thank you, FoM, that we don't have that kind of daily, petty flaming here at Cannabis News.
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Comment #68 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 12:26:48 PT

FoM
It's not so much that I want to get in touch with Dan & Mary as I want the legal aid departments of some of our better funded organizations to get in touch with them.There's not much I can do in that respect, as I'm not a lawyer. I know enough law to be able to write a paragraph or two on why I think this is an important case for NORML, MPP or ACLU to get involved in, but that's about it.I'm going to mention this over on Glenn Greenwald's blog in the meantime, because he is a First Amendment lawyer and probably knows some people, if he's interested in helping.
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Comment #67 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 12:22:03 PT

Whig
At the top of the page there is contact information that might help. I can't copy and paste it because it is a banner.http://coc.enlightener.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi
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Comment #66 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 12:12:50 PT

FoM
Do you know how to get in touch with the legal beagles? I can write a legal paragraph or two about how I see the issues in this case and why it is so vital. But I don't know who to send that to.
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Comment #65 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 12:00:44 PT

Link To Slide Show
http://community.azstarnet.com/slideshows/flash/index.php?id=586
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Comment #64 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 11:58:39 PT

May Dan and Mary
remain free
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Comment #63 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 11:55:10 PT

Whig
Thank you. I fixed it in the copyright section of the article.
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Comment #62 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 11:54:06 PT

Woo
I like the full article.I really like this Church of Cognizance.As much as I hate that anyone ever gets hassled, we know it's going to happen to some of us, eventually. And we know that we are going to have an uphill climb if we assert our religious right to use cannabis. We had better be glad that when they decide to persecute our religion head on, they are faced with a pure example of what we believe and someone who has a demonstrated experience bringing others to understanding.In other words, I feel badly for Dan and Mary, but I cannot help but take some comfort that they are better prepared to defend than many of us might be.What needs to happen, and desperately, is the organizations with their well-financed legal departments, the NORMLs and the MPPs and the ACLUs and the rest who can help in defending Dan and Mary Quaintance, get in touch with them. It is so vital that Dan and Mary have all the resources at their disposal as quickly as possible, so that from the very first impression of the court case, they are making the best presentation for the record.
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Comment #61 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 11:46:50 PT

URL again
This one still works:http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/metro/137087The link in the article above doesn't work.
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Comment #60 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 11:44:07 PT

or can hear?
additional material
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Comment #59 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 11:43:36 PT

My Goodness
Did you look at the Slide Show on the AZ Star link?Dan Quaintance is absolutely, perfectly benign. He is a saint and a good man. Just beatific.
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Comment #58 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 11:41:21 PT

what?
lombar, what happened to your Buddhist skill, do you really think that the whigger is listening?
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Comment #57 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 11:40:26 PT

Hope
Thank you. I have been asked to moderate other boards and I can't do it. Moderating is the hardest part of doing CNews. It goes against my very nature. I had this idea in my mind years ago that I wanted CNews to be like a friendly party that we can talk about news or world events or whatever. The only thing I didn't want was hate and trolling to corrupt what I wanted to be a sanctuary of sorts. That is the hardest part of the whole thing. I never get any joy in banning anyone. I have never been banned anywhere I have ever posted. I respect other people's hard work. 
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Comment #56 posted by lombar on July 09, 2006 at 11:36:15 PT

whig
What would an igloo dweller know about deserts and their flora? :)I was just curious the other day and read up on peyote. With human assistance, a peyote cactus can mature in 6-10 years and that they have been over harvested. (yeah, that never happens to anything) I did not look for other mescaline producing plants, I linked to a synthetic reaction procedure to make the mescaline. Go get 'em FoM!Tom Petty - I Won't Back DownWell I won't back downNo I won't back downYou can stand me up at the gates of hellBut I won't back down------------------------No, I'll stand my groundWon't be turned aroundAnd I'll keep this world from draggin' me downGonna stand my ground------------------{Refrain} I won't back downHey baby, there ain't no easy way out I won't back downHey I will stand my groundAnd I won't back down-----------------Well I know what's right, I got just one lifeIn a world that keeps on pushin' me aroundBut I'll stand my ground and I won't back down------------------{Refrain thrice}No, I won't back down-----------------------------------

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Comment #55 posted by Hope on July 09, 2006 at 11:32:39 PT

Those polls
It's pretty obvious that some prohibs or LEOs have already cheated. So gw is right...there will likely be a whole lot of cheating going on by the prohibs. So, because of that, even after we've all voted and if we still lose...we will know why.Whatever the poll says though...we are right. Freedom of Religion is far more important than their petty, ill conceived, and illegitimate prohibition laws. It makes them traitors and not true patriots of what this country was founded on.Their efforts at promoting and inflating a traitorous lie make it no less a lie.
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Comment #54 posted by afterburner on July 09, 2006 at 11:31:20 PT

Fruits of their Labor
Canadian cannabis activists have been involved with a hush-hush plan to plant non-THC hemp seeds in public places to overgrow the Canadian government's stubborn prohibitionist backlash. The no-longer-secret results are in and you may now view them at 
http://www.cannabisculture.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1241713&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=11&vc=1
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Comment #53 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 11:30:36 PT

afterburner
cannabis -- smells badReminds me of a song.***Momma Told Me Not To Come - Randy Newman:open up the windowlet some air into this roomI think I'm almost chokin'on the smell of stale perfumeand the cigarette you're smokin''bout scares me half to deathoh open up the windowlet me catch my breathhttp://tinyurl.com/ott8v
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Comment #52 posted by Hope on July 09, 2006 at 11:23:13 PT

FoM! Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!
The interview request...My, oh my, oh my!Pray and go for it! "Don't worry about what you'll say ahead of time"...just trust and go for it. You'll do more than well. I know you will.This will be an interview, too...so it's just asking questions and all you have to do is answer them. It'll also be a friendly interview. They won't be trying to trip you up or mess you up in any way.Your devotion to this site has gone so far beyond the call of a normal sense of duty. It's been nothing short of astounding. You've spent so much of your time and worked so hard "enabling" Freedom of Speech in a situation where so many are so afraid to speak their minds...that you really deserve notice and recognition for your devotion to the work you've done. You really do. You are responsible for a venue that has been so helpful to so many of us. Cannabis News is as much about Freedom of Speech as it is about News. It would be nice if they could interview you at a time separate from the concert so that anxiety about the interview wouldn't interfere with your enjoyment of the concert.Martha, "Full of Grace"…you'll do so well. I know you will.(Freedom of Speech note: Through the years you've felt you had to ban some people from practicing their particular freedom of speech at this particular site. I know you had your reasons. And I respect that. It's your site. Your "house". Your "domain". You are the boss of it. When I see what you have made of Cannabis News…I sure can't deny that your choices were good ones and made for sound reasons to preserve what you were trying to create here. You've done an exceptionally good job. Congratulations.)

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Comment #51 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 11:22:19 PT

re: poll
religious freedom is more sacred than illegal drug laws51-42the tide has turnedHope you can hold on, for the piggies will get nasty and rotten, for they were always pigs, swallowing in filth and rotten greedy godless and useless imaginations, the longest fiber, the longest gift cannot be hidden from the population.
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Comment #50 posted by mai_bong_city on July 09, 2006 at 11:10:39 PT

afterburner
exactly! i guess it's the pungent smell of truth :)
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Comment #49 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 11:10:31 PT

global_warming 
No No No not lovers. I am old enough to be his mother! LOL!
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Comment #48 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 11:07:58 PT

while you two lovers
may come togetherthere is much unfinished business
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Comment #47 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 10:58:00 PT

whig
You're welcome. You are just so huggable.Oh dear I'm talking like one of those hippies with hugs and all. LOL!Thanks SoberStoner.
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Comment #46 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 10:53:59 PT

SoberStoner
I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do, but what I have decided for myself is to talk openly about my beliefs, because in doing so I am encouraging others to give me feedback and help me to understand better, and we all help one another to understand all of us. I hope that makes sense to you, and if you ever feel like this is a comfortable place to talk about what you believe, I'd love to know where you see things similarly or differently from me.Really, more than anything, CNews is my church. It's not that I learn everything here, but it is the only fixed establishment where I can always go and meet and talk to my coreligionists, any time of day or night. I love it here.Thanks again FoM for making it happen, and thanks for everyone's participation! I love you all.
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Comment #45 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 10:48:39 PT

lombar
Natural mescaline cactuses are plentiful, easy to grow and are commonly used by many people traditionally. San Pedro, Peruvianus cactus have less mescaline than Peyote, but sufficient to be easily extracted in a tea.The recent decision with respect to UDV is more on point, however. It was the current court, it was Roberts opinion, and it stood foresquare for the principle that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act gave the group the right to use Ayahuasca for religious purposes, they may even import it.Ayahuasca does not take years to grow, but it does require a rather tropical climate and that means it is impractical to grow in the United States.
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Comment #44 posted by SoberStoner on July 09, 2006 at 10:47:15 PT

Wow, thats awesome!
Congratulations FoM!  Whether you appear or not, it's really a blessing that you were asked. I can completely understand that camera shy part, but if nothing else, you can ask them if they can alter the lighting so that you won't be seen except as a shadow. That may help you get over being in front of the camera.As for the story, it just gives me a good reason to keep my church quiet for now. I wish I could be more open and spread the word about my beliefs more openly, but this story illustrates the dangers of doing so in this country. The fact that I cannot freely practice my religion without fear of prosectution is exactly why we are supposed to have the first amendment in the first place. The founders would be outraged at this and anyone that knows anything about our constitution should be as well. 
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Comment #43 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 10:40:24 PT

i can just see it
rats shooting cannabis and heroin, then there is those fat cats just waiting for those fat and chilled out rats, HaHaHa,you have to do a little bit better, can you smell a different world?
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Comment #42 posted by lombar on July 09, 2006 at 10:34:29 PT

Peyote
I think the SCOTUS decided peyote was ok because it takes 10-30 YEARS to cultivate. The synthetic routes to mescaline are much more productive but involve some work, knowledge, and equipment.WolfgangWyldeYou are right, it's game over. The media, the governement, the DEA, and NIDA, are all prejudiced, and not to be trusted especially with respect to cannabis. I looked at one report that started with 'scientists believe that pot is a gateway'... so they set out to prove what they already 'believed'. The simple fact is that if you habitiate an animal to drugs(condition it to take them) is it really a surprise that they take more drugs when given the option? I will trust my own experience over their biased studies.... your experience, FoMs, whigs, gws, Mark Emerys.... long before I EVER beleive the 'authorities' again. Using cannabis has not made me into a herion addict, nor do I crave cocaine or even alcohol.. but I guess we can't be trusted like caged rats.So you are right, the game is 'democracy' and it is OVER because it has been usurped by greedy warmongers.
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Comment #41 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 10:30:11 PT

global_warming and Had Enough
Thank you too. 
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 10:28:38 PT

MBC and Whig
Thank you. 
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Comment #39 posted by Had Enough on July 09, 2006 at 10:22:12 PT

gw #38
Agreed
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Comment #38 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 10:18:44 PT

comment 34
May your man hold your hand tight, you may feel a little lift, but you and your husband have been precious anchors in this world, and this venue of ending cannabis prohibition, it will be a piece of cake, you have done much more difficult things, and there are many 'witnesses, that will agree..
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Comment #37 posted by afterburner on July 09, 2006 at 10:14:42 PT

FoM #24
You have mail."one of two" should read "one or two": dang typos. 
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Comment #36 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 10:14:24 PT

afterburner
A review from last night's show.http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/rust/message/165247
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Comment #35 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 10:08:45 PT

afterburner
Peyote -- tastes bad.It really, really does.Well, I'm stretching a point a little because what I know the taste of is not technically peyote but a mescaline cactus nonetheless. Very bad, almost nausea-inducing.
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 10:04:40 PT

global_warming 
I agree that we need to always speak from our heart. My problem is I won't be earthbound. My husband won't be able to let go of my hand or I might just float away never to be seen again. LOL!
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 10:00:55 PT

Had Enough
How could I possibly do it if I can't wear my Vote for George T-Shirt? LOL!
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Comment #32 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 09:59:50 PT

re: clutter  28
If you speak from your heart, you cannot go wrong, if you speak from the clutter that fills your mind with confusion, you will baffle and be baffled..
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Comment #31 posted by Had Enough on July 09, 2006 at 09:55:55 PT

Making Sense
“I don't want the flow of what I will experience to get cluttered if that makes sense."It makes perfect sense. That is why you will do fine. You are already figuring out a way to prevent that. You will clear every hurdle in your way. Do you see what I mean by that? Oh you will do it right. Yes you certainly will. Just keep your eye on the prize, ignore the clutter.Now about your Wardrobe. Please, do not wear a “Vote for George” T-Shirt!!! :)

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Comment #30 posted by afterburner on July 09, 2006 at 09:50:57 PT

MBC
Didn't *they* (the arch-prohibitionists) say in other places that cannabis "stinks." Wouldn't that qualify it in their twisted little fantasy. "The hallucinogenic tea ... doesn't taste very good, Haynes said, noting the same is true for peyote, which also is a federally banned substance." According to the "Church" of Prohibition:ayahuasca tea -- tastes badpeyote -- tastes badcannabis -- smells badSo, what's the diff?
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Comment #29 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 09:41:03 PT

global_warming
I think museman must be on his way home. The Gathering ended on the 7th but it looks like he has a long drive back. I figured he'd be home tonight or maybe tomorrow.
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 09:39:18 PT

Had Enough 
I guess if I am suppose to do it I will but darn this is hard since I am really camera shy. I hate my picture taken and always have. I am going to give it a lot of thought. I won't decide today. I'll sleep on it a few days. I don't want the flow of what I will experience to get cluttered if that makes sense.
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Comment #27 posted by mai_bong_city on July 09, 2006 at 09:37:30 PT

go FoM! :)
i think that is so excellent! 
i voted :)
good luck to you FoM i know you will have words of wisdom to speak.
on that rat thing, i think it's hooey, meself. we went over all that posts ago, too.  good points JT.
i'm with the church on this one, the argument they give about the use of hallucinogenic tea as opposed to cannabis - that the tea doesn't taste good, therefore....that marijuana is more plentiful, therefore.....
phooey. 
when is sense and decency gonna' prevail....i am downright tired of waiting.
tell it like it is, FoM. right on.

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Comment #26 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 09:33:48 PT

wondering
has anybody heard from the museman and the rainbow gathering?

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Comment #25 posted by Had Enough on July 09, 2006 at 09:32:15 PT

FoM goes Hollywood
Congratulations.There you go girl. Have at it. Don’t worry or be nervous. You will handle it well.Fame & Fortune are not what you seek; it is truth you want to teach. For this is why the “spirit” will be with you, and you will do fine.A couple of threads back there were talk of movie stars, directors, musicians, etc… getting together to make movies and documentaries. And today we find this. Coooool…Imagine That!!!

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Comment #24 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 09:30:31 PT

afterburner
Do you want me to buy a ticket for the show. I worry about them selling out the last show. It's a present so don't worry about it. 
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 09:27:52 PT

afterburner
If money is what would keep you from coming here I can fix that. 
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Comment #22 posted by afterburner on July 09, 2006 at 09:23:38 PT

So Cool, FoM 
Congratulations, FoM, I knew Neil was reading this site. I know you will do us proud. Many Canadian activists are of the opinion that we need to out ourselves to show the public that we are just down-home folks like themselves. This thought is scary for Americans due the the ever oppressive US Jihad against Cannabis.I'm still praying for a miracle that will let me see CSNY on Tue.11.Jul.2006   The Air Canada Centre in Toronto. I have the night off, but no tickets. I have worked so far 188 of 189 days this year, not counting later today (189/190). I feel I deserve a break, but unexpected financial emergencies have so far kept me from affording tickets. I've been waiting and hoping for far too long to see Neil Young in concert, and I've decided that this is the year, come hell or high water, and they certainly have been coming of late.If nothing comes through by Tuesday, I may have to join you and Toker00 later this year, in Ohio(?). Thanks for the invite. I have not yet envisioned such a trip due to extreme financial pressures, much as I would like to meet and greet both of you and your families. However, I remain optimistic, dedicated, and thankful to the Creator for the healing herb, this wonderful site (my online family), and the re-awakening of world citizens working to restore the blessings of cannabis to this hurting and confused world.
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Comment #21 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 09:23:25 PT

FoM
It looks like the website you posted in #7 is correct. There's a great poll question on the right-hand side of the page, by the way.Also, global warming is right, I think. If you just talk to the camera as if you were saying something to Neil Young about his album/concert/music you won't go wrong. For one thing Neil will see it and hear what you have to say, so you really are talking to him. And everyone who watches the video will pretty much share the same viewpoint and what you say to Neil is equally appropriate for them, in the same way as we write messages to one another here on CNews which are equally appropriate for everyone here to read.
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 09:07:17 PT

CSNY Review of Last Night in Ottawa
Live Review: CSNY in Ottawa***Icons are forever YoungBy DENIS ARMSTRONG -- Ottawa Sun
   
OTTAWA - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young have been singing songs that tell American presidents to stop the war for close to 40 years. Back in the late 1960s, it was about getting out of Vietnam. Four decades later, the U.S. is once again in a controversial war, this time in Iraq, and support for the peaceniks is swelling. With all this renewed hippie-friendly sentiment fomenting, and pop music looking backwards anyways, it was a largely fascinating exercise in wishful thinking as the veteran supergroup stirred up outrage and affection in the 12,000 fans attending their Freedom of Speech '06 tour at Scotiabank Place last night. Proof that if you stick with something long enough, eventually it will come back into fashion. 
 Complete Article: http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2006/07/09/1675272.html
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Comment #19 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 09:03:52 PT

just imagine you are talking to Niel
Tell him how much you appreciate his new album, kind of like a video email..
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 08:59:33 PT

John Tyler 
This is very hard for me. They put the camera right in your face I was told and the last Neil Young concert I saw when I walked out into the night and it had just snowed while we were in the concert I swear I was floating about the ground. I don't know how much sense I would have made if I had to comment on anything. I was in my own world actually for days! LOL!PS: I didn't drink either!
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Comment #17 posted by afterburner on July 09, 2006 at 08:59:18 PT

Latest Results of Poll
It took 5 minutes to load, but the wait was worth it!Still 46 % 
48 %
, 
Total number of votes 136
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Comment #16 posted by John Tyler on July 09, 2006 at 08:51:34 PT

FOM
The Crosby, Still, Nash and Young? You will get to meet the band! This is so great, but I see your dilemma. I know you will make the right decision. Very best wishes.Just voted. The numbers are coming around. 46 to 48. Keep voting. Why are they bothering these people living out in the middle of nowhere, not bothering anybody? What a waste of time and effort.

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Comment #15 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 08:40:14 PT

poll
43-50
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 08:33:58 PT

global_warming 
Thank you. I am really stunned and I need to think this out. I am going to this tour because I want to connect to deep meanings and thoughts about how I feel about where we are now and where we are going. I am spontaneous just ask Whig. LOL! I think I'll be praying about this too.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 08:28:02 PT

Poll: Please Vote
A couple is claiming they use marijuana for spiritual enlightenment. Does the government have the right to stop them?***Current Results:No, religious freedom is more sacred than illegal drug laws. 41 % Marijuana is illegal. End of story. 52 % Wait - what was the question? 7 % Total number of votes 115http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/metro/137087

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Comment #12 posted by global_warming on July 09, 2006 at 08:23:24 PT

go for it fomme
here is your chance to express yourself about freedom
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Comment #11 posted by John Tyler on July 09, 2006 at 08:22:02 PT

Amen
Amen to the Quaintance and their Church. I know what they are talking about. Sometimes words can't convey the real thing. “It’s all around if we could but perceive”. I say more power to them.And that rat study again… The first thing I learned in college when doing a research paper was to consider the source. First look who is doing it. National Institute on Drug Abuse. What is their angle on this? Their stats might show that (12) lab rats when injected with THC as babies might prefer heroin when they get older. Where did these researchers get this heroin? It’s illegal to possess that isn’t it? Does some pharma make it for them, or did they get it from the DEA evidence room? It’s junk science. They are doing a rigged study to “prove” a preconceived outcome. Similar kinds of studied…. Beer Institute study proves that beer is good food and has no adverse side affects, or Executive Pay Study Group proves that company executives deserve more pay.I have known only two real junkies in the last 35 years. The first person I barely knew. The second person was a friend who got started as an alcoholic, then pain pills, then cocaine, then crack. He started using heroin to take the edge off of the crack and got addicted to the heroin that way. No cannabis involved. Maybe alcohol is the real “gateway drug”.

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Comment #10 posted by unkat27 on July 09, 2006 at 08:18:18 PT

AZ or NM?
I have noticed that this article is reported from AZ, while the case is occurring in New Mexico. From everything I have heard and read, these states have much different stands on the cannabis issue. AZ is extremely fascist, kisses the DEA's ass without question, and has one of the most reactionary right-wing penal systems in the USA. NM, on the other hand, has a strong group of cannabis-friendly people, including some very smart people in the govt who don't blindly let the feds and the DEA control their courts and congress. I'm somewhat confused about the actual location of the church. "Dan Quaintance, 54, says the church has 40 to 50 members in Arizona..."It's my guess that this is the fact that the AZ govt is using against them to exert some cross-state influence to destroy them. AZ has some big vultures who'd love to cash in on some legal land-grabbing and the Quaintances are going to need some of the best NM allies to fight this and win.
Is the Struggle for Cannabis Freedom a Religious Struggle?
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 08:17:43 PT

Toker00 and Everyone
I am a little more then stunned right now and I don't know what to do since I am a very camera shy person. I was just asked to be interviewed at the CSNY Freedom of Speech Tour for the documentary they are filming. Oh my what to do. 
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Comment #8 posted by mai_bong_city on July 09, 2006 at 08:08:37 PT

clarification WWylde?
i'm not sure i get the message here.....what game? how is 'it' over? 

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Comment #7 posted by FoM on July 09, 2006 at 07:49:57 PT

Church Of Cognizance
I'm not sure if this is the right web site but it's worth a look.http://coc.enlightener.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi
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Comment #6 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 07:22:17 PT

Toke
I have no doubt that what the Quaintances believe is more or less the same as what we do, and they were misunderstood and misquoted to some degree by the reporter. So I won't waste much time trying to disentangle what they meant unless I could read it in their own words.I don't think we are sacrificial lambs in any sense, I do not submit myself to the will of an external God because it is my own responsibility to exercise the will I was given in the way that I can best discern. There is free will and there is a choice of paths, and we are not forced or submitting in any way to take one or the other. That is how I see it.
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Comment #5 posted by Toker00 on July 09, 2006 at 06:42:04 PT

Thanks Brother Whig.
I think they are saying their bodies (lives) are offered to God, to be used as a vessel for his sacrament, which connects us with Him. Not necessarily sacrificing our bodies for cannabis, but for the Will of God. It is Cannabis that is sacrificed (consumed) not the body. Does that make any sense at all?Toke.
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Comment #4 posted by whig on July 09, 2006 at 06:24:21 PT

Toker00
Amen, Toke.I don't consider use of the sacrament to be sacrifice of my own body, which is something that seemed to be part of the Quaintances' practice but on the other hand the reporter (Stephanie Innes) could easily be misreporting to some extent.I'm totally in agreement that cannabis is spiritual, religious, and this is the fundamental basis which entitles the Quaintances to be given deference and respect. Medical marijuana only goes so far, and recreational isn't really the point of why we want it legal (though a recreational user may discover the medical and spiritual benefits).I believe cannabis is the sacrament, and prohibition denies me the right to practice my religion.Godspeed to the Quaintances.
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Comment #3 posted by WolfgangWylde on July 09, 2006 at 06:16:46 PT

Game over, guys....
In what could be a coup for antimarijuana forces, new research shows that rats exposed to pot's active ingredient at an early age devour more heroin as adults than rats without early exposure. Some experts, though, say the jury is still out on whether the finding is enough to officially label marijuana a "gateway" drug. According to statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, most adults who take illicit drugs start doing so in their early teens. In addition, the earlier kids start smoking dope, the more likely they are to use harder drugs later on. For example, of people who first puffed weed before age 15, 62% went on to use cocaine and 9% to use heroin. But of those who started smoking pot after age of 20, only 16% moved onto cocaine and 1% to heroin. Some researchers think this means that marijuana is a gateway drug--one that leads to harder drug use. Others point out that such a claim is hard to prove because the same factors that lead people to use marijuana in the first place might also lead them to use other drugs. To see through the smoke, neuroscientist Yasmin Hurd, now at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, gave 4-week-old rats THC, the most common psychoactive component in cannabis. The researchers injected the rats with the THC equivalent of about three-quarters of a joint (scaled down for a rat's size) every third day for 3 weeks until they reached mid-adolescence, about 7 weeks old. The dose probably created a mild buzz, but not high enough that the rats stumbled. After a week-long break, the rodents were allowed to self-administer heroin using levers that provide the substance. Rats that had been exposed to THC as "teens" took about 25% more heroin than did their just-say-no peers. Biochemical tests of the adult animals showed that THC-doused brains had the same number of receptors that responded to THC as unexposed rat brains, but more receptors for heroin and more of a compound associated with reward behavior in their neurons, the team reports online 5 July in Neuropsychopharmacology. Whether this indicates marijuana is a "gateway" drug depends on the definition of "gateway," says Hurd. She says both groups of animals took the same amount of time to start taking heroin, suggesting THC use doesn't start them on the path to hedonism, but the THC-primed rats got more into it, suggesting it paves the way for increased use. "The important finding is the fact that adolescence is a time of increased vulnerability to drugs," says neuropharmacologist Sari Izenwasser of the University of Miami School of Medicine in Florida, who notes that such behavior may alter fundamental brain processes. But pharmacologist Aron Lichtman at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond inserts a note of caution. "The data really are very provocative," he says, but not conclusive. He questions whether other reward-reinforcing behavior, such as eating food, would also be increased under these conditions.
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Comment #2 posted by Toker00 on July 09, 2006 at 05:16:55 PT

Can I get an Amen, Brothers and Sisters?
The Church of Cognizance, which leaders say has 72 monasteries located in members' homes nationwide, has a simple motto: "With good thoughts, good words and good deeds, we honor marijuana; as the teacher, the provider, the protector.""Marijuana is the averter of death," he said. "The energy and spirit that is in marijuana is God. You consume the plant and you consume God. You are sacrificing your body to the deity.""They may take Dan and Mary down but they will never take the church down," Mary Quaintance said.It's a Sacrificial Herb, plain and simple. Thank you God, for Cannabis. Your sweet healing helper. Thank you, God, thank you. All who use cannabis belong to this Church. Looks like we have a Holy Mary, too. :) Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #1 posted by afterburner on July 09, 2006 at 02:09:10 PT

OT: Ornithopter (14 sec) Beat Wright Bros (12 sec)
It flies! Aviation history is made by the `flapper'.
"`Perfect day,' says jubilant designer as ornithopter flight caps 30-year dream"
Jul. 9, 2006. 01:00 AM.
DEBRA BLACK,
STAFF REPORTER
http://tinyurl.com/j7czy"Instead of all of this energy and effort directed at the war to end drugs, how about a little attention to drugs which will end war?"
-- Albert Hoffman [discoverer of LSD]Fly Lyrics Excerpt:Iiiii just wanna fly(are ya are ya are ya, high, high, high)Put your arms around me, baby x2YeahhhIiiii just wanna fly(like a birdie in the sky up so high)Put your arms around me, baby x2Iiiii jussssst waaaa(grow your wing and fly)nt tooo fly(uh, whawhawhawha where you want x2)Iiiii jussssst waaaa(spread your love and fly)nt tooo fly(uh, awhawhawhawha where you want)(try, awhawhawhawha will ya?)
SUGAR RAY — ( Fly Lyrics )
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