cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Advocate Stirs The Pot





Marijuana Advocate Stirs The Pot
Posted by FoM on May 02, 2001 at 07:32:18 PT
By Bill Nemitz
Source: Press Herald 
They knew from his reputation that he likes to blow smoke. But nobody dreamed Don Christen, Maine's self-appointed minister of marijuana, would show up breathing fire. "I shouldn't have even come down here," fumed Christen, sitting in his pickup truck outside the town office Monday. "I should have known better . . . I didn't see many friends in there, to tell you the truth." Which raises a question about Christen's first face-to-face meeting with those who will decide whether he brings his "Hempstock" concerts to this pastoral village this summer: 
What exactly did Christen see when he stood up before the board of selectmen and, for no apparent reason, started shouting?Or, as more than a few townsfolk wondered aloud after he stormed out muttering about his rights, how does the president of the Maine Vocals keep his balance with that kilo-size chip on his shoulder?The answer is he doesn't. On even his best days, Christen straddles the line between polite politics and pure paranoia – and Monday was clearly not one of his best days.The purpose of the meeting was simple: Christen, who wants to export his pro-pot campaign to Pownal from its longtime home in Starks, was expected to submit his application to hold the Cumberland County Hemp Festival in June and the Sweet Leaf Fall Festival in August – both on Andy Jordan's 110-acre farm on Elmwood Road.Problem was, Christen showed up without an application. And when town attorney John Shepard told him the selectmen can't start the mass-gathering-permit process without one, Christen went into orbit."I didn't bring my attorney, so I'm not going to talk to you," he snapped at Shepard. "I'm not in legal capacity to talk to you."That left some wondering just what capacity Christen was in . . . but nobody went there. Even Sheriff Mark Dion and his two uniformed deputies looked dumbstruck as Christen ended his five-minute tirade with the announcement, "I'm not going to play games," and stomped out to his truck.Sitting behind the wheel as the microphones caught up with him, Christen then spent a half-hour ranting about lawyers, the courts, Pownal's "unacceptable" mass-gathering ordinance . . .Back inside, townsfolk scratched their heads and tried to figure out what had just happened. Said one white-haired man who lives near Jordan's farm and refused to give his name, "I wasn't impressed." Nobody was. Even Jordan, who'd only met Christen twice before and would still like to make a few bucks off his land this summer, later said during a twilight tour of his farm that Christen's finger-in-the-eye hello to the town wasn't exactly productive."Pleased? No, I wouldn't say I'm pleased with how it went at all," Jordan said. "I always say you get a lot more done with honey than you do with vinegar."True enough, although Christen rarely seems all that interested in getting anything done. Unlike those who argue passionately and rationally that marijuana laws should be relaxed or even repealed, he specializes only in ticking people off. The harder he advocates for his favorite weed, the more he becomes a poster boy for its prohibition.He'll be back, of course. And in all likelihood, Christen and the town will hammer out an agreement on security guards and toilets and water and all the other necessities spelled out in the town's ordinance. But if Pownal seems a little on edge from this week forward, the man with the Bill of Rights on his T-shirt has only himself to blame.Standing in the meeting room as Christen went his way and the selectmen went theirs, Sheriff Dion allowed himself a long-overdue chuckle."Sometimes," he said, "democracy can get a little messy."And sometimes it goes up in smoke.Source: Portland Press Herald (ME) Author: Bill NemitzPublished: Wednesday, May 2, 2001Copyright: 2001 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. Contact: letters pressherald.com Website: http://www.portland.com/ Related Article & Web Site:Maine Vocalshttp://www.mainevocals.org/Pownal May Be Home To Concerts Promoting Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9520.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by Dan B on May 03, 2001 at 10:35:49 PT:
There is a lesson here . . .
. . . and I believe most of us have already come around to it. It is more important to make headway than it is to simply make waves. If we work with the system, things will go more smoothly for us. If we simply rail against the system, we will likely get only funny looks and angry stares.According to this account, Christen is clearly not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to interpersonal communication. Sometimes venting one's frustrations can be useful, but usually that only works when done in privacy. In public, we must work the system, or we will find it working us.One way to change one's public demeanor for the better is to stand by the old adage, "hope for the best and expect the worst." It's easiest to be polite when we are at once optimistic and realistic. Let's all remember Christen when we become inflamed against the tyranny and hostility we see around us. Be firm and stand your ground, but be courteous.Dan BP.S. I am writing at least as much to myself as to anyone else who reads this. 
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