cannabisnews.com: Shadow Convention Focus Turns To Failed WoDs Shadow Convention Focus Turns To Failed WoDs Posted by FoM on July 31, 2000 at 17:22:55 PT Tuesday, August 1st Schedule of Events Source: U.S. Newswire The Shadow Convention turns its attention Tuesday to the failed war on drugs for what promises to be the most significant forum on the topic ever held during a national political convention. A full schedule of speakers, panels, and cultural events kicks off at 10 a.m. at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Center at 3680 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. "There is emerging bipartisan opposition to the crumbling war on drugs," declared Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation. "It's racist, and it simply doesn't work. Increasingly, some politicians from both major parties are brave enough to speak out. More and more know the drug war is doing more harm than good." "I am not soft on drugs," declared Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Calif.) in helping launch the Shadow Convention on Sunday. "I think pushers are punks and cowards who should be punished with the full force of the law. But the money used to send military helicopters and advisers to Colombia to intervene in a 30-year-old guerrilla war would be better spent on drug treatment programs at home." Busloads of people with family members incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses are coming to the failed drug war session of the Shadow Convention for the largest ever gathering of American opposed to the drug war, a $40 billion a year debacle whose victims can be found scattered across the American landscape. Other participants in the Tuesday sessions of the Shadow Convention include: -- Governor Gary Johnson (R-N.M.) -- Reverend Jesse Jackson -- Al Franken -- Pat Nolan, former Republican Speaker of the California State Assembly -- Ernie Preate, former Attorney General of Pennsylvania -- Sylvester Salcedo, retired U.S. Navy commander who returned the medal he was awarded for his work as a naval intelligence officer in the drug war and has become an opponent of U.S. military intervention in Colombia -- Eric Sterling of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation -- Children's Choir from Minnesota, comprised of children whose parents are incarcerated for drug-related offenses -- A letter from Walter Cronkite on the failed drug war will be read Shadow Convention proceedings on the drug war are organized by the Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation, an institute which educates Americans on alternatives to our nation9s current drug policies. The war on drugs has failed, resulting in crises of massive incarceration, public health problems, and foreign policy risk. It strikes disproportionately at the other America, our fellow Americans whose concerns are not represented by money politics, who do not follow the Tao of the Dow. Almost half a million people are now incarcerated in America on drug charges, ten times as many as in 1980, more than the total number of people incarcerated in Europe for all criminal offenses. To: National Desk, Political Reporter: Contact: Beach von OesenPhone: 202-365-0392 or Megan Colligan Phone: 917-626-6502both for the Shadow Convention. Posted: July 31, 2000Copyright 2000, U.S. Newswire Related Articles & Web Sites:Drug Policy Foundationhttp://www.dpf.org/The Shadow Conventionshttp://www.shadowconventions.com/Shadow Conventionshttp://www.lindesmith.org/shadowconventions/Common Causehttp://www.commoncause.org/Public Campaignhttp://www.publiccampaign.org/ Shadow Convention 2000 News Boardhttp://homepages.go.com/~marthag1/Shadcon.htmMapInc. Articles On The Shadow Conventions:http://mapinc.org/shadow.htm CannabisNews Articles On The Shadow Conventions:http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=shadow Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #14 posted by FoM on August 01, 2000 at 10:52:20 PT Hi There DankHank! Hi DankHank! This is so cool! Have a great time and tell us all about it when you get home! Thanks for dropping in!Peace, FoM! [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by Dankhank on August 01, 2000 at 09:53:11 PT: Shadowilng the GOP High all from Philly ...!!!I'm here in the press room of the Shadow Convention, it's lunch time and things are slow so I have borrowed a laptop to tell you how energizing it is to be among some movers and shakers. Your head spins with ideas, half-heard coments in the lobby.I may be interviewed shortly by the LA Times ... coolness !!Anyway, know that many earnest folks are here working to try to end the madness.Seeing and hearing Gov. Johnson was electrifying ...Jesse Jackson was eloquent, as always ...Al Franken was funny and perceptive...lTry to get to the Shadow Convention in LA ....Peace to All Hemp n Stuff [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Dan B on August 01, 2000 at 07:48:29 PT: To Kanabys and dddd Thanks for the back-up. I appreciate your comments on the D.A.R.E. thread.Sincerely,Dan B [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by dddd on August 01, 2000 at 06:35:47 PT crusade Lehder,,,I am inspired by your noble crusade.The world needs more people like yourself....sincerely.............dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Dave in Florida on August 01, 2000 at 05:19:57 PT A mention on ABC >But even with this huge step forward by Canada, and the fact that there's a Marijuana Party, and the whole ShadowConventions in general - I haven't heard one tiny whisper on the tv news of ANY of it!!I did see a mention of the Shasow convention on ABC on the opening day when McCain spoke. They showed McCain speaking and then the boos and hisses when he mentioned Bush. It was not real favorable for our cause. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Lehder on August 01, 2000 at 05:16:27 PT getting votes to oppose the Gullible Majority I have been encouraging people to vote and distributing voter registration forms informally at bus stops, parks, soup kitchens and various places where I expect to find people who are disenchanted and have simply dropped out. I was one of them and did not vote at all for years. The most common response is simply "I don't vote. Get lost." and it is perfectly understandable. If I do get an ear, which is the case about 70% of the time, I ask them if they know that there is a candidate who is prepared to eliminate income taxes and dismantle the DEA. Almost none do and are surprised and interested. Many have been disenfranchised involuntarily, but some of these ask for forms to take to family and friends. I am getting about 15% resolution to register and vote Libertarian. In presenting the argument, I point out that their entire tax payment for their entire year's work, when they used to work, is about enough to pay for a single thousand pound bomb and that the explosion lasts about one second in Iraq or wherever. I explain that there is an entire spectrum of third parties that can be voted for, ranging from the communist and Nazi parties to the Pansexual Peace Party, and that a vote for any of these is far from wasted because it tells the election winners that a lot of us out here are not very happy. Also, local candidates sometimes do win. The stupidest response that I get is from those who, in the privacy of the voting booth, feel compelled to vote for the election winners, whoever they may be, whatever their agendas. I forget about these hopeless ignoramuses immediately: they are future drug war warriors who, when the war is won, will have to forced into rehabilitation (like learn how to read and break the tv addiction). It is the two-party-closed-convention-election system, both parties war parties, that insures their victory by duping the Gullibile Majority into believing that they are making some sort of reasoned, responsible and deeply considered decision in choosing between Gore and Bush. But kaptinemo is right - I sense a ground swell developing out there and that 15% who accept the forms shake my hand and say "yes!,yes!" too. These are people who have not voted in decades, some of them never. I hope more people will grab a stack of voter rigisteration forms from the library or wherever you can find them and try out some proselytizing like I have. Just go about your normal business and have the forms in hand. Show how short and easy they are to fill out and explain why a vote for a losing candidate can be really effective. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Mitchell on August 01, 2000 at 05:07:32 PT: High Hopes For Shadow Convention High Hopes"Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhereThe ceremony of innocence is drowned." —William Butler Yeats, "I Dreamed I Saw An Internet" The Internet. It’s funny you would think it would have ushered in an era of e-populism by now and yet the major party parties seem more in charge, more openly cynical and less inclusive than ever. Combined, the Reform Green and Libertarian Parties look to take maybe ten percent of the vote at this point, while Bush and Gore ignore them (us.) All the more reason why I think the idea of the Shadow Convention was a brilliant stroke. Even if the major parties can’t be brought to heel, maybe the tail can wag the dog at least on a couple of issues, like drug legalization. Hooray for Arianna Huffington. No doubt the Internet has helped coalesce and keep informed those that are interested in this issue.Still it can be frustrating. The major media have invested millions of dollars into their own Internet sites, making it difficult for little web sites, or even more substantial organizations to get their viewpoint out. For instance, Shadow Convention organizers sent out the following press release: The Shadow Convention turns its attention Tuesday to the failed war on drugs, for what promises to be the most significant forum on the topic ever held during a national political convention. A full schedule of speakers, panels, and cultural events kicks off at 10 a.m. at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Center at 3680 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. "There is emerging bipartisan opposition to the crumbling war on drugs," declared Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation." This information would probably be interesting news to lots of people. Yet, the Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation is largely preaching to the converted. No major news wire service nor national press organization picked-up on this story. If you already know that today is the day the Shadow Convention focuses on the War on Drugs, you probably already know what a sham the war effort has been. The only story that came up from my extensive search concerning today’s activities was one from the Drug Free America Foundation: " While the Republicans meet in Philadelphia next week, organizations promoting the legalization of dangerous drugs will be lurking in the shadows. They have created a counter-event, aptly called the Shadow Convention, to discuss political topics rejected by Republicans and Democrats alike; among them, America's ‘failed’ war on drugs. " You send out press releases that everyone ignores, and then the people on the other side accuse you of "lurking." But then it gets more absurd: "America's drug use has been reduced by 50 percent since 1980, evidence that much is right with America's drug policies." This is a good example of how to lie with statistics. Drug use has actually doubled since 1990, about the time the Drug War began in earnest. "Scientific studies have proven the overwhelming majority of Americans do not favor the ‘reform’ movement, which seeks to make illicit drugs legal," stresses Drug Free America's executive director, Calvina Fay. This is true. Most Americans believe illegal drugs should stay that way. However, most Americans used to think that rubbing heroin on baby’s gums was a great way to relieve teething pain. They used to believe riding a bicycle would damage a woman’s organs of matrimonial necessity; they used to believe homosexuals should be shipped off to Devil's Island, until such time as a first rate florist was called for on their daughter’s wedding day. Americans used to oppose legalized gambling. And they opposed imperialism too, until everyone saw how easy it was to take over the nation of Hawaii. Seemingly overnight, the American public went from anti-imperialism to pro-imperialism that summer, over a hundred years ago. There are some people favoring legalization who share, what I consider a superstition of the Drug Free America Foundation and others, the fear of intoxicated states of consciousness. I believe, if the pro-legalization forces and the anti-legalization forces were both allowed to present their views on an equal footing, drug prohibition would soon come to an end. The consistent willingness of the prohibitionists, across the board, to resort to lies and other distortions, demonstrates their own lack of faith in their position. Pro-legalization does not mean pro-drug. In the old days. (Last year) The primary objection non-conservatives had to conservatism (pronounced "conservativism", by George W. Bush) was that it is an ideology lacking in compassion. That’s why between now and the first Tuesday in November, you are going to hear the phrase "Compassionate Conservativism" about a million times. You have probably heard it a million times already. Similarly, the American public probably needs to hear the phrase "pro-legalization but anti-drug" about a million times, per capita, to help offset the high-priced propaganda war waged by the prohibitionists during the last ten years. No matter what happens at today's symposium on the war on drugs, the fact that so may activists will be in one place while supporters, detractors and the curious look on, is a great step forward. Next year: The McWilliams Cann. March Mitchell Greentower http://www.amabong.com [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Dan B on August 01, 2000 at 00:24:04 PT: Off Subject of this thread, but . . . Will somebody please help me out in responding to Fred in the thread about the D.A.R.E. program (DARE Funding Should Be Pulled Program Doesn't Work)? I'm a bit too emotionally involvd to write what I want to be an adequate response (although I've tried and ended up with several typos and grammar errors). Anyhow, I resent this guy, Fred, for attacking me personally, and I want to get a good response or two in from the rest of you. Your help will be much appreciated.Thanks, in advance.Dan B DARE Funding Should Be Pulled Program Doesn't Work [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on July 31, 2000 at 21:26:29 PT Join Online Voice Discussion with Ethan Nadelmann Tuesday, August 1st:Next Firetalk Discussion:Tune in at 10:30am PST for Ethan Nadelmann's speech to the Shadow Convention Tune in at 11am PST for a live, online voice discussion with Ethan Nadelmannhttp://www.shadowconventions.com/fireland.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 31, 2000 at 21:22:29 PT The Failed Drug War Schedule Of Events The Annenberg Center - 3680 Walnut StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19104Tuesday August 1, 2000 THE FAILED DRUG WAR http://www.shadowconventions.com/Conveners: Ethan Nadelmann, Lindesmith Center Drug policy reform is rapidly emerging as a new movement for political and social justice in the United States. The Shadow Convention assembly on August 1 will be the most significant gathering to date of citizens calling for an end to the failed war on drugs. 10:00 – 10:05 AM Arianna Huffington opens the day with Conveners from Monday and Wednesday eventsVideo: Short highlight package from Monday events 10:05 – 10:20 Opening remarks by Ethan Nadelmann, Lindesmith Center/Drug Policy Foundation10:20 – 10:35 Reverend Edwin Sanders, Opening Benediction10:40 – 11:00 Speaker: Gov. Gary Johnson (R-NM)11:00 – 11:05 Slide Presentation highlighting faces of non-violent drug offenders11:05 – 11:15 Speaker: Gus Smith, Father of Kemba Smith11:15 – 11:25 Speaker: Deborah Small, Drug Policy Foundation Community Outreach11:25 – 11:35 Music: Children’s Choir from Minnesota, composed of children whose parents are incarcerated for drug-related offenses.11:40 – 12:00 PM Speaker: Reverend Jesse Jackson, National Rainbow Coalition12:30 – 12:45 Speaker: Nora Callahan, Executive Director of The November Coalition, introducing family members of incarcerated non-violent drug offenders12:50 – 1:05 Video: “Warzone” introduced by filmmaker Layla Law-Gisiko-Demay1:05 – 1:20 Speaker: Graham Boyd, ACLU Drug Policy Litigation Project1:20 – 1:30 Speaker: Sylvester Salcedo, retired U.S. Navy Commander1:30 – 1:50 Speaker: Ethan Nadelmann, Lindesmith Center/Drug Policy Foundation Interactive Discussion: Join Ethan online immediately after his speech for a Firetalk Discussion 1:50 – 2:00 Video: Walter Cronkite Special on government money wasted on drug war2:00 - Urban Recovery Tour - Randy Primas, former Mayor of Camden, New Jersey, will lead a tour leaving the Annenberg Center for the inner city neighborhoods of Camden.>> 2:05 – 2:15 Speaker: Eric Sterling, Criminal Justice Policy Foundation2:20 – 2:30 Video: Excerpts from the film “Grass”, a film by Ron Mann2:30 - 3:30 PM Interactive Discussion Online with: Holly Catania Katherine Hoffman Kristy Gomes, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy >> 3:00 – 4:00 Panel: MANDATORY MINIMUMSModerator: Catherine Crier, Court TVPanelists: Jedonna Young, Jailed due to boyfriend’s drug convictionKaren Garrison, Twin sons imprisoned as first time offendersJulie Stewart, Families Against Mandatory MinimumsErnie Preate, Pennsylvania Attorney GeneralSol Wachtler, CADRE Inc. of New YorkPat Nolan, former California Assembly Speaker4:00 – 4:15 Speaker: Al Franken, Author of “Why Not Me?”5:00 – 5:45 Panel: CRIMINALIZATION AND STIGMATIZATIONPanelists: Wyndi Anderson, South Carolina Advocates for Pregnant WomenCarol Tracey, Women’s Law ProjectJennifer Johnson, Drug case defendantMichele Giordano, Student Activist6:00 – 7:00 Panel: CULTURE JAM ON THE DRUG WAR Moderator: Farai Chideya, Journalist and AuthorPanelists: Michael Franti, SpearheadAkilah Watkins, Youth LeaderDJ SpookyKristy Gomes, Students for a Sensible Drug PolicyInteractive Discussion: Join Michael Franti and DJ Spooky online immediately after his speech for a Firetalk Discussion 8:00 – 9:00 SHADOW CABARETHotline Comedy Festival (Part 1)Performers: Will DurstBob SomerbyJim MorrisGame: IPOcracyJoin in the fun as America goes public, sells out, and everyone gets rich…It’s IPOcracyPeter Hirshberg, Co-founder IPOcracyMichael Markman, Co-founder IPOcracyDrew Youngs, Musical Director and Composer Spoken Word: Michael Franti, Lead singer of Spearhead9:00 – 10:30 RAPID RESPONSE PANELThis panel will respond to a live telecast of Republican Convention coverage.Moderator: Harry ShearerPanelists: Matt Cooper, Time MagazineWalter Shapiro, USA TodayPaul Krassner, The RealistLewis Lapham, Harper’s MagazineJonathan Alter, Newsweek MagazineAl Franken, Author of “Why Not Me?” [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on July 31, 2000 at 19:07:56 PT: Earthquakes don't give much warning You know how earthquakes start, don't you? Tectonic plates push against each other. The pressure builds. Then they are stuck together. The plates grind together for years before they bust loose with force equivalent to strategic nukes. And very rarely do they signal their approach.This issue has been just like those plates. We have had enormous pressures building for years in our inner cities. 25 - 50% of all imprisoned are there for drugs. Most of those were non-violent (though who can vouch for their attitudes *now* after being locked up with murderers, rapists and robbers?). Most of those were from minorities. And the only solution the Powers That Be have had for years is build and fill prisons. Something had to give.And it is.The Breyer decision. The Abrams Report. The Apprendi ruling. And now, the Ontario Court of Appeals. One after another, within a fortnight of each other. The dominoes are crashing down. The Shadow Conventions are just a hint of the tremendous pressure that's been building in this country. The plates may be about to bust loose again, this time socio-politically. With all that's happening, I venture to say the antis will make the kind of slip that the Far Right wing of the Republicans did in 1992, by showing what they really had in mind for those who did not share their agenda. When they finally show to the public what fascist b*****ds they are, the last domino will fall.One thing is for sure; the ground is starting to shake under the antis. The smarter of them will try to make position shifts and save what face they can by parlaying with those they have victimized all these years. The less intelligent of them, however, will continue to laughingly apply their jackboots to our necks... until their masters call them off.Very interesting times, indeed. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by freedom fighter on July 31, 2000 at 18:49:10 PT vote for green party or libertian party both want to legalize the marj. Harry Browne for libertian Ralph Nader for Green party.. Take your pick but just do not vote for Bush/Gore party!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Natrous on July 31, 2000 at 17:58:27 PT It does, doesn't it... But even with this huge step forward by Canada, and the fact that there's a Marijuana Party, and the whole Shadow Conventions in general - I haven't heard one tiny whisper on the tv news of ANY of it!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Jerad on July 31, 2000 at 17:44:05 PT: Sounds good I'm hoping these shadow conventions really effect Bush/Gore's idea about marijuana and other drugs. What we really need is something like what Canada has, which is a political party dedicated to making marijuana legal. This would be up in Bush/Gore's face, and much more effective. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: