cannabisnews.com: Johnson Airs Views on Drugs





Johnson Airs Views on Drugs
Posted by FoM on August 01, 2000 at 06:55:39 PT
By Loie Fecteau, Journal Politics Writer 
Source: Albuquerque Journal 
Gov. Gary Johnson is back on the national stage today in Philadelphia to promote a pet cause — the legalization of marijuana and reform of drug laws. Johnson, along with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and rap star Chuck D of Public Enemy, is to be a featured speaker at a so-called "shadow" convention.   The shadow convention, running simultaneously with the Republican National Convention, is designed to focus attention on issues the major political parties won't touch, organizers said. 
Those issues include drug law reform and campaign finance reform.   Johnson is scheduled to give a 20-minute speech on drug policies beginning at 8:40 a.m. MDT. Johnson's speech and other shadow convention activities are to be simulcast on the Internet at www.shadowconventions.com.   Johnson also has agreed to speak Aug. 15 at the shadow convention being held in Los Angeles during the Democratic National Convention. While in Los Angeles, Johnson is to tape an episode on drug reform for ABC television's "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher."   Johnson is featured prominently in the August issue of Penthouse magazine in a story that calls for the legalization of marijuana. The article lauds Johnson "as a mind-blowing anomaly — a politician who tells the truth, consequences be damned."   Rep. Ron Godbey, R-Albuquerque, a vocal critic of Johnson's views on drugs, on Monday called Johnson's appearance in the sexually explicit magazine "degrading."   "People in politics, people in public life, should not be featured prominently in trashy magazines like Penthouse," Godbey said. "It degrades the governor and the office of the governor."   Dave Miller, Johnson's legislative liaison, said Johnson sees the shadow conventions and national magazine articles as ways to reach millions of people about his views on drugs.   Johnson has been featured on "60 Minutes." He recently gave interviews to Playboy magazine and to a writer from the Sunday New York Times Magazine, Miller said. Those articles are expected to run sometime this fall during the election season, he said.   "Whether it's '60 Minutes' or the New York Times Sunday Magazine, which has a circulation of 7.1 million, Penthouse, Playboy and other publications with large circulations are worthwhile outlets with large readerships," Miller said. "It's part of Gary's high-risk, high-reward strategy. Sure, to some it may be high-risk to appear in a publication like Penthouse, but the governor sees a high reward in terms of readership and political buzz."   Johnson also is attending the Republican National Convention this week in Philadelphia, but he is not scheduled to speak, Miller said. Johnson is scheduled to attend receptions with other Republican leaders today for Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and for Nancy Reagan, who launched the "Just Say No" campaign against drugs while her husband was president, Miller said. Contact: opinion abqjournal.com Santa Fe, New Mexico Published: Tuesday, August 1, 2000 © Copyright Albuquerque Journal Related Articles & Web Sites:Governor Gary Johnsonhttp://www.governor.state.nm.us/The Shadow Conventionshttp://www.shadowconventions.com/Shadow Conventionshttp://www.lindesmith.org/shadowconventions/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 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on August 01, 2000 at 11:34:04 PT
Shadow Convention: The Failed Drug War
The Shadow Convention: The Failed Drug WarAugust 1, 2000Live streaming audio is right now available of today's program: Tune In!Archived streaming video highlight clips of Monday's program brought to you by RealImpact http://www.shadowconventions.com/http://stream.realimpact.net/rihurl.ram?file=farm/*/realimpact/shadowconventions/live/ph_live.rm&proto=rtsp
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Comment #1 posted by Dan B on August 01, 2000 at 07:45:28 PT:
Backing Up Governor Johnson . . .
I had to laugh at the idea that using a national publication with millions of potential readers that happens to carry pictures of naked people in sexual positions is degrading to the governor. While it may be unpopular to associate oneself with a porn magazine while currently in office, Governor Johnson is actually following the example of Jesus Christ. One might recall that Jesus spent a great deal of time with "tax collectors and sinners" and was roundly rebuked by the religious leaders of his time.The appearance of his views in Penthouse does not necessarily indicate an endorsement of everything else the magazine stands for. Governor Johnson is simply publicizing his views to a wide audience. Penthouse is read by Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Green Party members, etc. It crosses party lines because its emphasis is one of universal appeal (sex). That is why I think it is a good idea to publish political views in such a magazine, however distasteful it may be to some of his constitutents. The important thing is getting the message out.Remember when people got upset with Billy Graham for his interview in Playboy?
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