cannabisnews.com: E-Mailed Accusations Make Rep. Look Like Dope





E-Mailed Accusations Make Rep. Look Like Dope
Posted by CN Staff on February 01, 2007 at 06:24:56 PT
By Ben Conant, Staff Commentary
Source: Equinox
New Hampshire -- I was under the impression that in America, politicians have to do what we tell them. Now that may sound a little harsh, forward or even like reverse fascism, but that really is a representative government stripped to its purest form. We elect "politicians" and they are supposed to represent the interests of their "constituents."Apparently, newly elected New Hampshire State Representative Delmar Burridge hasn't received his orientation yet. Seems that Burridge is on the committee overseeing discussion of House Bill 92. 
For those out of the loop, H.B. 92 would remove the criminal penalties for possession of marijuana. The bill is sponsored by Keene State's own Chuck Weed, poli-sci prof. by day and N.H. state rep by night. Anyway, KSC student Toby Iselin took notice of the proposition, and wrote an e-mail to Burridge. Here's an excerpt:"I know you are opposed to this bill, but I trust you can understand how important of an issue this is to many people both in Keene and the rest of New Hampshire. I hope you will consider passing it through committee so that all sides will have their chance to speak on it." It appears to me that this kind of message is exactly what our country needs more of: young people getting involved in their local government. Thomas Jefferson would be proud.What happened next is Orwellian in nature, the kind of thing that would have been shocking before we all started living in "1984", approximately five and a half years ago. Rep. Burridge responded to Iselin's e-mail by saying he didn't care about his constituents and that for personal reasons (weed killed his brother) he would vote no on the bill. He went on to tell tales from his days working in "the poorest section in Philadelphia", where he stood "eyeball to eyeball" with "reefer users" who had devastated their families through use of the demon weed.Newsflash: if you can't drive a car after smoking a joint, don't. Burridge then told Iselin "change all your friends," then dropped some tactics on the Gestapo tip. I'm not even going to paraphrase this, you just need to read it. "You are very passionate in your beliefs and would make a great snitch. It is thrilling to dime on your so called friends."Wow. Instead of bowing to the will of the people as is his appointed duty, Burridge tried to get this poor, na've kid who apparently believed in a representative government to narc out his friends just for what they choose to do to/for themselves.Ronald Reagan once said "I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves." Of course, he also said, "Say NO to drugs!" Okay, he was senile. Nobody's perfect.No matter where you stand on the issue of marijuana decriminalization, you should be appalled that a so-called public servant would hold a personal grudge over the needs of the people. This modern-day Harry Anslinger is using his power as a government official to block decriminalization of marijuana. Anslinger was the United States' first drug czar, and he was adamant about making marijuana a crime, mostly because it was making the Mexicans too lazy and the blacks too uppity. Burridge wants to keep it illegal because his brother died in a car crash after smoking a joint. Newsflash: if you can't drive a car after smoking a joint, don't. There are plenty of people who can handle that, but it doesn't really matter anyway since H.B. 92 has nothing to do with any DUI laws. Alcohol is legal, but you're not supposed to drive a car after that. I'm sure if Burridge's brother had died in a car crash after pounding some Wild Turkey, he would be pushing to make alcohol illegal too.If you think that the government officials we elect should do what the public wants them to do, do your part to get Delmar Burridge out of office. If you think that people should be able to control what they put in their own body without the government, then push for H.B. 92 to be passed. I'm going to leave you with a couple more quotes from people slightly smarter than me."The government is merely a servant -- merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn't. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them."-Mark Twain"Excuse me while I light my spliff."-Bob Marley"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong." -Voltaire."The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive." -Thomas Jefferson."Drop a dime and I'll break you off something proper…"-Ice CubeBen Conant is a writer for the Equinox. He is a hardcore Ice Cube fan and a heady supporter of the decriminalization of marijuana. Complete Title: Inappropriate E-Mailed Accusations Make State Rep. Look Like DopeSource: Equinox, The (NH Edu)Author: Ben Conant, Staff CommentaryPublished: February 1, 2007Copyright: 2007 The EquinoxContact: equinox keene.eduWebsite: http://www.keeneequinox.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Common Sense Marijuana Policyhttp://www.nhcommonsense.org/KSC Professor Introduces Bill in N.H. House http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22581.shtmlLive Free, Get High in N.H.? http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22563.shtmlBill Would Make Pot Legal in Statehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22543.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on February 01, 2007 at 09:53:22 PT
New Hampshire
Bastion of freedom.I hope.
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Comment #3 posted by Truth on February 01, 2007 at 08:47:59 PT
Yep
All three of the doctors I visit tell me I SHOULD consume cannabis. They say if I didn't I would be consuming pharmaceuticals every day with serious side effects.In the words of Tony...."I feel great!"
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Comment #2 posted by OverwhelmSam on February 01, 2007 at 07:39:30 PT
Marijuana Going Mainstream
I had a meeting with an oncologist this week relating to a possible kidney problem. He was going through his standard questions and asked me if I was taking any medications or drugs. I told him I smoke a little marijuana in the evening to help me relax and sleep. He just shrugged and said anything else?Not only did this fact not shock, alarm or terrify him, his attitude was like, So what? Anything else? This is the response of a medical specialist. A Doctor, highly skilled in his narrow field could care less about marijuana use. I think the public at large gets that marijuana is no big health consequence, deserving of a so what shrug from most people. The only reason I can imagine the government wants to keep marijuana illegal is pure prejudice and hate.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 01, 2007 at 06:36:37 PT
Editorial: N.H. Citizens: Live High or Die
February 1, 2007 New Hampshire -- What do Tom Cruise, the Fox News Channel, Rush Limbaugh and Keene State College's own Chuck Weed have in common?Not much, unless you ask Keith Olbermann, political pundit for MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, who, on every show, counts down the top three worst people in the world.Weed, who is also a New Hampshire state representative, recently had the distinct honor of holding the nightly title of "one of the worst persons in the world" for his proposed House Bill 92, legislation for the decriminalization of marijuana in the Granite State.Predictably, Weed's support of marijuana has been an easy headline target. But despite the blatantly ironic connotation with Weed's name, many are missing the big picture. Marijuana reform is a serious matter, as Weed told the Equinox. Although he does not expect the bill to pass, legislation for the decriminalization of marijuana on the state level is the way to change federal drug policy.While many are skeptical that the bill has any reasonable chance of passing, The New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy (NHCCSMP) supports HB 92 and has started an online petition http://www.nhcommonsense.org/ to send to the NH state government.The NHCCSMP contests that New Hampshire's prisons are overcrowded as is, and with mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana possession, the problem continues to grow. It costs roughly $20,000 annually to keep a prisoner detained. According to a 2004 Bureau of Justice Statistics survey of state and Federal prisoners, approximately 12.7 percent of state prisoners and 12.4 percent of Federal prisoners were serving time for a marijuana-related offense. Until then, people should keep themselves informed on issues surrounding marijuana reform and policy. The individuals of New Hampshire should have right to choose to Live High or Die.Copyright: 2007 The Equinox
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