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Posted by CN Staff on May 14, 2006 at 09:09:57 PT
By Roger Christie  
Source: Star-Bulletin  

Hawaii -- The Associated Press now reports that cocaine use is on the rise on the Big Island -- again! I have a sincere message for all prohibition-minded citizens, lawmakers, police, D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the Drug Enforcement Agency and others who profit from the failed war on drugs: Please stop what you've foolishly and unconstitutionally been doing to us for decades. Give up and turn yourselves in for treatment. Your addiction to a failed social policy plus your continuous promotion of disinformation about cannabis is killing Hawaii's right to privacy, domestic tranquility and security. Your services are no longer welcome.
Look at the results. You have done more damage to Hawaii than all of our so-called enemies put together. Terrorists? Osama bin Laden? North Korea? China? Russia? You prohibitionists have them beat by a mile. You couldn't be bigger failures at protecting us if you tried.Gov. Linda Lingle, Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona, state Narcotics Enforcement Division chief Keith Kamita, Big Island Mayor Harry Kim, Hawaii County Councilman James Arakaki, Dr. Fred Holschuh, Larry Burnette and the Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Agency, just to name a few, the community can't take your "help" any more. Now the Legislature has taken away our precious constitutional right to privacy for our electronic communications because of your -- and their -- policy failures. Why should the good people of Hawaii be made to suffer the loss of freedom for your prejudice and stupidity?Hawaii used to be lovely. Marijuana cultivation and enjoyment was a key part of that loveliness. Prohibition destroyed it. You blew it. We all know that marijuana is at least medical, yet the Honolulu Police Department's Web site still doesn't acknowledge this fact. Marijuana is still scheduled in Hawaii law as having "no recognized medical value." How can that be, six years after the medical use of marijuana became legal here?Prohibitionists created, supported and funded the Green Harvest marijuana eradication program, which caused a substitution factor of marijuana users turning to crack, heroin and crystal meth, or "ice." Simple as that. Then you exported this failed policy to other jurisdictions, which now also suffer ice epidemics. If a criminal is one who commits a crime or causes one to occur, you are the biggest criminals in Hawaii history.How many of our children have you caused to be attracted to ice and crime? Who knows? You refuse to account for it in program reviews or any official studies or reports. Who can blame you for that? I can. Too many of our neighbors and relatives rot in prisons here and on the mainland, yet you're hoping to retire comfortably with big, fat pensions and cushy health benefits.On your watch and because of your policies the people of Hawaii suffer for decades. No one gets fired for this, and you keep the failed programs going. I will do my best to keep shining a light on your malfeasance until this situation is healed once and for all.Prohibitionists, you have stolen the liberty, the freedom, the health and the hope of our good people. Now we want it back.Roger Christie is founder of the THC Ministry in Hilo, Hawaii.Note: Dear prohibitionists: Please stop 'helping' us.Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI)Author: Roger Christie Published: May 14, 2006Copyright: 2006 Honolulu Star-BulletinContact: letters starbulletin.comWebsite: http://www.starbulletin.com/THC Ministryhttp://www.thc-ministry.org/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #36 posted by observer on May 25, 2006 at 17:46:44 PT
re: Open letter to the Prohibitionists of Hawaii
The Open letter to the Prohibitionists of Hawaii is a really powerful OPED by Roger Christie ... wow! Nice work!
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Comment #35 posted by observer on May 25, 2006 at 16:57:37 PT
Open letter to the Prohibitionists of Hawaii ...
this just in ...Open letter to the Prohibitionists of Hawaii - Please Stop 'Helping' Us 
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?39b98c45-6a17-4cd1-9296-8d300eae5538
Author: Roger Christie
cached: http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/article/hawaiireporter6346.htm
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Comment #34 posted by afterburner on May 16, 2006 at 15:07:45 PT
Another Tactic of the Prohibitionists Resisted 
CN ON: Mom Challenges CAS [Children's Aid Society].
Hamilton Legalized Pot Advocate Advises Her To Reject Drug Test.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n621/a07.html
Pubdate: Mon, 15 May 2006.
Source: Hamilton Spectator (CN ON)
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Comment #33 posted by runruffswife on May 15, 2006 at 19:58:23 PT
runruff - word from the Inside
Hi Everyone. I just wanted to share with you some of what my dear sweet husband is up to in Federal Prison, for growing the cannabis plant. He is such a light and a blessing to that grey cement prison, they are really lucky to have him. 
I wanted to share with you this story, as I feel you will appreciate it. 13 years ago, before I knew Jerry, I went to the Siddha Yoga Meditation Center for the first time wanting to learn how to meditate and after the program I saw some literature on an information table about something called the Prison Project, Freedom On The Inside. I was immediately drawn to it, it jumped into my heart. I picked up the literature, took it home and read what it was about. It's about teaching inmates, through the teachings and practice of yoga philosophy how to access their true freedom, their inner connection to the Infinite. I loved this idea and thought what a great service for people who have lost or given up their physical freedom. As a yoga teacher now I learned everything I know about yoga from the Guru Gurumayi, the ashram, the Siddha Yoga Meditation Center. Gurumayi told the yogis to teach, the world needs more teachers. Well, Jerry/RunRuff and I met in my yoga class 5 1/2 years ago. He was a student. His first day in my class, in any yoga class, there he sat on the floor, front row and center with his legs outstretched leaning back on his hands, with an amused grin. I knew right then he was different, every other beginner student I've had hides in the darkest back corner of the room. Jerry really took to yoga, he came to every class and loved it and said he wanted to teach someday, and that we would be teaching together. I thought he was a little nuts for saying that, as we had just met weeks prior. So here we are in life at this point, 5 1/2 years later. Jerry is in prison. I am home. Two weeks into his sentence I signed Jerry up for the Prison Project study course, so he now receives two lessons a month on the teachings and philosophy of yoga. His reading it has sparked interest in other inmates and they are now requesting it. The other day Jerry called me and said, "I taught my first yoga class today." He had two students. Today he called me and through tears he told me how word spread through the prison like wildfire about yoga and he's been approached and asked to teach a regular class. The staff and inmates all are asking him to teach. He said he would do it and is now assigned to teaching 3 classes a week. He said,"Linda, everything I learned about yoga I learned through you." And I told him "everything I learned about yoga I learned through Gurumayi and the Center." This is a real cosmic moment for me to see the reality of the Prison Project unfolding somehow through me and through Jerry, 13 years after I first learned about it. It's amazing to see one's intention manifest. Intention is so powerful. So there is my husband in a Federal Prison in Massachusettes spreading the light of Truth and teaching others how to be Free on the Inside. I am so proud of RunRuff. He is a blessing to this world. Love Love Love, RunRuff's wife, Linda P.S. If you would like to communicate with me please email me at blossomasana yahoo.com 
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on May 15, 2006 at 18:58:26 PT
potpal 
It's really good to see you. I hope all is well.
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Comment #31 posted by potpal on May 15, 2006 at 16:19:16 PT
Roger Christie
Thank you.http://www.google.com/custom?q=roger+christie&domains=starbulletin.com&sa=Search&client=pub-9695435974299667&forid=1&channel=9736296138&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&cof=GALT%3A%23366799%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%23FFFFFF%3BVLC%3A868686%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BALC%3A000000%3BLC%3A000000%3BT%3A000000%3BGFNT%3AB3A581%3BGIMP%3AB3A581%3BLH%3A48%3BLW%3A252%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fstarbulletin.com%2Fmasthead-small.gif%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fstarbulletin.com%3BLP%3A1%3BFORID%3A1%3B&hl=en&sitesearch=starbulletin.comMay the force be with you.
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Comment #30 posted by Toker1776 on May 15, 2006 at 10:54:51 PT:
And there in "LIES" the problem!
To all the cold hearted apethetic law makers, we voted you in to office to do the peoples bidding you lined your pockets looking out for you and yours all the while turning a deaf ear to the out crys of the sick and disabled. We will vote you out on your spoiled indifferent asses!Wake up and know that a new dawn is comming soon! As in any lie the snow ball effect will over run and bury you in your own greedy sludge! And the souls of those whom you have devowered so well will haunt you into your dying days without mercey! Then and only then will you fat cat pigs understand what you have been doing to us for the past 70+ decades with your witch hunts and your demonization campain of hate and greed at any cost! Yes, you'll all have to get real jobs then 'cause we won't be your cash cow any more! And who knows, if things work out in the great balance of karma, maybe you'll be the ones the jail houses are filled to capacity with? So enjoy your last few moments in the sun, all you S.O.B.'s 'cause we're breaking through the wall of crap filled controlled lies so that we may feel the warmth of a sun that you would never let us have otherwise!Long live the revolution!!!!!!!
Free the tree, and toke in peace!!!!!!!!!
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Comment #29 posted by Toker00 on May 15, 2006 at 09:43:15 PT
Well, I actually meant...
We have a war on Immorality, now we have moreIMmorality.Peace to all who tell the Truth.Toke.
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Comment #28 posted by ekim on May 15, 2006 at 08:30:19 PT
this too will pass
Mr. Christie has the right approach. I see that today we will have full relations with Libya. Reminds me of what was said about Viet Nam when we were at war with them. Same goes for all the loss of human life and billions of dollars on the cold war. 
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on May 15, 2006 at 07:44:39 PT
Toker00
You got that right!
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Comment #26 posted by afterburner on May 15, 2006 at 07:40:12 PT
That's a Good Idea, Toke 
Ontario to fund testicle implants.
Operation delisted by Harris Tories 
$2,300 procedure for youths under 18.
May 15, 2006.
http://tinyurl.com/qyzfaExcerpt: "But Smitherman added the government — which like its predecessor is struggling to control health-care costs — has no plans to reverse its own 2004 decision to end OHIP coverage of chiropractic care, most physiotherapy services and most eye exams by optometrists."And the few MMAR patients (only 1,300 in all of Canada) have to pay for their own medicalmarijuana. An herb which could do wonders to minimize medication costs and expensive procedures is demonized by the very cabinet department authorized to administer the MMAR, Health Canada. Plus the CMA (Canadian Medical Association) warns doctors not to recommend medicalmarijuana to their patients. Sure, they want to keep down costs of public health-care. In a pig's eye! Toronto Hemp Company (THC) - Index
http://www.torontohemp.com/April, 2006; Health Canada Forces Patients to Black Market.
$23,000,000.00 Federal Government Medical Marijuana Program Fails:
Compassion Clubs serving thousands at no public cost to taxpayers.
http://www.medicalmarihuana.ca/blackmarket.htmlExcerpt: "Only 1,300 Canadians are registered with the program that has cost tax payers $23 million to set up and more patients are relying on compassion clubs than the government."Praise God and pass the keyboard.
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on May 15, 2006 at 07:36:57 PT
Whig
When I think of the lack of empathy I think what happens when a person shoots up Meth a couple times a day for years. It twists the mind. That's why I can't just say legalize drugs and everything will be fine. No one should go to jail for using any substance.
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Comment #24 posted by Toker00 on May 15, 2006 at 03:49:46 PT
How about a War on Peace?
We have a war on Poverty, now we have more poverty.We have a war on Cancer, now we have more cancer.We have a war on Terror, now we have more terror.We have a war on Immorality, now we have more morals.We have a war on Drugs, now we have more drugs.Do you think it would work with Peace???Legalizing cannabis and referring ALL drug abuse victims to doctors instead of judges would bring about social peace in America. Hard Drug and alcohol use AND abuse would plummet. You know that, I know that, and so do they. But they are only concerned with the plummeting of their budgets and paychecks. That is all.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #23 posted by mayan on May 15, 2006 at 03:46:31 PT
Good One!
Roger Christie! Howdy, bro! 
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Comment #22 posted by whig on May 14, 2006 at 23:53:25 PT
FoM
"Meth causes a person not to feel empathy."Perhaps, but methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) causes a person to feel empathy quite intensely. Hard drug or soft drug is a matter of preference, to some extent. Most people consider LSD a hard drug, too.I'm not trying to side-track too much here, but I'd also point out again that meth is not completely prohibited, it is Schedule II. MDMA, LSD and Cannabis are all Schedule I, prohibited altogether for any reason.I would say that I'm no fan of heroin, but if opium were legal it would probably be a lot more scarce.Now back to our regularly scheduled CNews.
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Comment #21 posted by afterburner on May 14, 2006 at 23:27:10 PT
lombar & FoM
"We watched High Hitler on the History Channel again and it shows Hitler and his use of Methamphetmaine." I heard once that Hitler was a sugar freak. Former President Ronald Reagan was also fond of his jelly beans. Draw your own conclusions.As far as anti-Americanism in Canada goes, I have seen some nasty incidents directed at American individuals by Canadian individuals. For example, a Canadian smashing his fist into the window of a car with US plates. Or bigoted comments by some ignorant Canadians that make visiting Americans uncomfortable. However, the majority of it is mistrust of the US government and its bullying of Canada, like the softwood lumber "victory," lombar mentioned. Or mad cow (one cow fed the same foolish cannibalistic feed as in the USA during the same period). Suddenly the border closes to Canadian beef. Then, there was SARS, which decimated the tourist industry in Toronto a few years ago. Americans stayed away in droves.And since Steven Harper became Prime Minister of Canada, hatred and bigotry seem to be all the rage in Canada. I have not heard and read so many judgemental statements and intolerance of minorities and diversity in the last 38 years as I have in the last several months since the election of the Conservative minority government. The pent-up anger of so-called "hard-working Canadians" against the poor, immigrants, and welfare recipients is oozing out like pus. Even more alarming is the fact that the Canadian federal government increasingly does most of its policy-making through bureaucratic cabinet programs, rather than through parliamentary legislation. The MMAR (Medical Marijuana Access Regulations) are a case in point. The Ontario Court of Appeal (OCA) in Regina v. Parker ruled that prohibition of marijuana possession was unconstitutional and the law must be rewritten. Instead the federal government responded with MMAR, a bureaucratic solution, not a new law. Court challenges questioned the use of temporary cabinet solutions instead of legislation and resulted in rulings that the marijuana law is unconstitutional for everyone. However, in possibly an attempt to save MMAR and the concept of legal Canadian medical marijuana, activists and judges more or less agreed to another OCA ruling overturning the unconstitutionality argument. This leaves the MMAR program on shaky ground. One federal government cabinet set it up. Another could just as easily dismantle it. This is why we activists fight so hard for our rights. We will not allow the Harper government to cancel our hard earned gains, flimsy as their foundation may be. As Russel Barth, a legal MMAR exemptee and activist said recently, "I will not allow the Harper government to turn me in a criminal." So, we take to the streets for 4/20, for GMM/MMM, for Fill the Hill, "for duty and humanity."SamThanks for the info about Apollo. I'll research it more and see if I can find any more details.
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on May 14, 2006 at 17:42:39 PT
lombar
I am not upset with you or any Canadian. I love all of you! I didn't vote for Bush. He only won by a very small margin in 04 and I don't believe he won against Gore. I didn't mean you personally just over the years I sense more anger towards us then at your government. Even though I am not involved in any political party I think we need to turn this thing around this fall. I believe the democrats stand a good chance at unseating the republicans this election. Even when Clinton was president there were many republicans in control. If the party gets real control most of them are not hard liners on drug issues. Unless we see that change we are doomed to what we are living with now and it will only get worse I believe. Lookin' For A Leader - NYYeah we've got our electionBut corruption has a chanceWe got to have a clean winTo regain confidencehttp://www.human-highway.org/lyrics/lyrics-47.html#008
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Comment #19 posted by lombar on May 14, 2006 at 17:31:23 PT
It's just all depressing sometimes...
Sorry if I am bringing you down or anything. I have a computer on my desk that was made in 2004, had updates just last week, and yet we are ruled by an antiquated parlimentary system from the 18th century.
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Comment #18 posted by lombar on May 14, 2006 at 17:25:34 PT
vicious circle.
We can't change our drug laws until the USA changes theirs. It really is that simple. Until we withdraw from the 1961 UN convention, we are bound. You must have misconstrued my rantings as negative, I was merely observing my own perceptions. Also the expressions of some of my friends. I like the USA for lots of reasons but I won't be visiting any time soon... not since 911."We can't change your government. Only you can do that."*ahem*... Iraq."If your government wants our government to help them ( I'm not agreeing that it is right ) in the drug area then work on stopping it."You have seen the work done? Supreme court challenges et al? None of it matters, we are now back 30 years. The only laws that change here are tax laws, ie they go up for the little people and down for the corporations. I have no faith in the system or its abilty to fix itself. It is too corrupt."Always remember how tough our laws are down here."Which is why I fight against the importation of the US drug war. Most people don't care at all because it appears not to affect them directly. I wont have to 'remember' we are getting them now thanks to some 32% of the population electing the current government.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on May 14, 2006 at 16:58:55 PT

Off Topic: Dixie Chicks
I was checking a list on Neil Young and they said the Dixie Chicks were on 60 Minutes. I turned on 60 Minutes and only heard a minute or two and it was over. They talked about crossing over to rock because country music is now red neck music and it made her sad. I bet their new album does very well for them.
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on May 14, 2006 at 16:27:44 PT

lombar
As far as Hitler and the High Hitler documentary on The History Channel I believe it is accurate. Hitler had a Doctor and he recorded everything and they sampled what he was giving Hitler and that is what it was.I understand fears of our government but what seems to be in the reform circles is anger towards us rather then trying to change your laws. We can't change your government. Only you can do that. If your government wants our government to help them ( I'm not agreeing that it is right ) in the drug area then work on stopping it. We as citizens of the United States aren't the enemy. Always remember how tough our laws are down here. High Hitler: The History Channel: http://tinyurl.com/njzs2
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Comment #15 posted by lombar on May 14, 2006 at 16:09:44 PT

Hitler and meth
I thought they did not even find the body? All we could possibly have is hearsay evidence. I trust nothing about drugs in the media, how can I be sure its not just a lie to further demonize meth, further justifying the suspension of civil rights to 'protect us'? I have NO faith in anything that comes from the box now, I have seen enough evidence of collusion with the drug war to think the media neutral enough to be objective when it comes to drugs.However, it may explain why he was so insane to attack Russia before consolidating Europe (ie defeating britain). That was his real downfall, war on 2 fronts.He was already insane long before he was ever chancellor given his method of rising to power, anti-semitism. He never had empathy for Jews so I doubt he lost it by using drugs.
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Comment #14 posted by lombar on May 14, 2006 at 15:58:53 PT

People don't hate the USA
.. as much as your media may indicate. Tradtionally, the liberals use anti-americanism as a political tool, the media sensationalises it. I think most Canadians are just fearful of the US. Handshakes one year, cruise missles, sanctions, invasion the next...(we have lots of oil too)we can count on only one thing which we secretly envy which is that the USA government will further the interests of the US hegemony, whereas ours won't even buy a helicopter for people they put in harms way. I'm sure the average person has about as much say in either country. Unfortunately when your government kicks over anthills, you have to expect the swarming angry masses of retaliation. Look at the softwood deal. We lose some $1bn after winning NAFTA hearing after hearing and our government considers this a victory? So the people here can be doubly choked. Choked at our government for being spineless, and choked at yours for bullying us into losing when we are the victors in all the 'nafta dispute hearings' We signed the fta so we could have a dispute resolution mechanism that would be fair. When we win, the fight goes on until we get tired of fighting and are willing to lose. This engenders a lot of mistrust and hatred in people, and its MINOR compared to the damage the drug war is causing. The war on terror is a war of creating terror and fear engenders hate. We have a section in the charter of rights about unreasonable search and seizure but this law will have to be challenged in court so that will take years. Meanwhile they can just get away with it. I have been told it will not pass constitutional muster but in the mean time, bc hydro = police agent. That is a bad bad thing, a big corporation being a defacto agent of a police state. Really its bad business for them, the high power users who do pay will be the ones who pay the penalty, the ones who steal the power and create the real dangers will go on unimpeded. Encouraged even.
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Comment #13 posted by Sam Adams on May 14, 2006 at 15:46:12 PT

crash
afterburner - the only non-space shuttle accident that killed people that I'm aware of is the time one of the Apollo rockets burned up and killed a few people, I have no idea what the details are, I thought it was before 1975.lombar - the answers to your question are yes, the US utilities cooperate up the wazoo with LEO. The three big phone monopolies, I mean companies, gave every single phone call record to the federal government over the last year, without even telling anyone.I know Comcast routinely gives any cable/internet related info to the government upon request. Comcast also refused to run medical MJ political ads on its local networks.I would assume there is zero protection for Americans in terms of utility/phone/internet info being given to LEO. LEO has only to ask. If it's not legal for them to get the info now, believe me, it soon will be.Let's open our eyes to what's really going on. You ask, is this what the government really wants? Yes, absolutely. Look at the worst case scenario. Violence and hard drug use explode. What's the result from the government's perspective? The media and population clamor for the government to do something about the evil drug bikers (never for an instant blaming the govt). The government gets a free pass to increase in size and power. More tax and budget for more cops, more machines, more jails, more lawyers. Resistance to further erosions of civil liberties eliminated.Americans are experts in this cycle because we've watched it happen right in front of us since 1970. We have 5 or 6 times as many people in prison as 1970. We have police forces totally militarized and exempt from civil right protections that have all fallen in the name of the drug war. Don't ever think that government is somehow naive or dumb and doesn't get the big picture. Their policies are driven by the big picture. They know exactly what they're doing. You think it's any different in Canada? Hell, just a few years ago the Canadian Senate had the best minds available analyze the cannabis "problem" and write up a 600 page fully documented report. It advocated legal cannabis for everyone over 16. 
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on May 14, 2006 at 15:23:25 PT

Electric Bills
If a person has a high electric bill and has always had a high electric bill that shouldn't become an issue. I think they look for people who move into a house where the utilities were a certain amount and if they spike high they get noticed. It would seem to be more about spikes in bills rather then the size of an electric bill. I could be wrong though.
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on May 14, 2006 at 14:46:07 PT

lombar 
I appreciate your comment. I don't believe in police arresting a user of any hard drug. I know that doesn't help anyone. I just don't believe in a free for all way of thinking. We watched High Hitler on the History Channel again and it shows Hitler and his use of Methamphetmaine. Would he have been as evil as he was without being a drug addict? I don't think he would have killed so many people. Meth causes a person not to feel empathy. Some drugs effects can have a terrible consequence. I like people from Canada but people from Canada sure are vocal about not liking us it seems. We are a global economy. Canada is almost just like us and the people of Canada look more like an American then Americans now. If we flip this around this fall things will start changing and in a few years if we have a Democrat as president many of these problems will be resolved I believe.
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Comment #10 posted by Max Flowers on May 14, 2006 at 14:40:54 PT

lombar
Regarding the release of electricity customers' usage records to police without a specific warrant or court order, maybe it is a state-by-state thing or even a regional thing, but I can tell you that at least in one northern county in California it doesn't happen. I know this because I know of a few growers there who run up phenomenal power bills (and pay them), and never get hassled in any way. I'm talking about bills of multi-thousand dollar size, at residences. In one case a guy was paying close to $10,000 a month and nothing was ever said to him.The practice of simply turning over wholesale to law enforcement the names of customers using a lot of power is very unconstitutional and wrong for various legal and moral reasons. The large electrical utility in my area has specific privacy rules they have to follow which state that they cannot release customer information without due process, meaning a very narrow subpoena naming the customer specifically and stating why they are after those records. At least in this jurisdiction, cops can't just say to the utility "give us the names and addresses of everybody using unusually high amounts of power compared to their surrounding neighbors", unless that's changed as a PATRIOT Act thing, but even in that case it would be an obvious abuse, as they cannot credibly maintain that they are looking for terrorists with that kind of information and then use it to bust growers. If/when they use the PATRIOT Act to monitor the sales of things like chemicals that can be used to make explosive compounds, and biologically hazardous materials, etc. that is credible and anyone can understand that. Doesn't the Canadian charter of rights have anything about the right of privacy of citizens and their affairs in their homes (how much electricity they use being a great example of something which is home-related and should be totally private unless upon valid presentation of specific information and well-established suspicion, which is supposed to be the American standard)?
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Comment #9 posted by lombar on May 14, 2006 at 14:20:30 PT

I understand...
I guess I would just rather have a country littered with junkies than a 100% surveilence society, miltaristic police, and ubiquitous drug testing. Hard drug usage can be opposed and fought against, I just don't want the cops doing it anymore. 80 years of miserable failure is enough for me. The respect for the rule of law in this person will not be restored until these issues are dealt with in a SANE fashion. The law stopped being about 'providing freedom to the people'(which I believe was the intent of the USA founders) and has become 'keep the people in line'(which is the philosophy of every totalitarian despot).... all stick, no carrot.If they legalize the cannabis and separate it from the hard drugs I believe that would go a LONG way in reducing use of the other substances. However for freedom to reign, people must be allowed to make their own mistakes... when that mistake directly harms OTHERS then the state has an obligation to intercede. Until then, step along citizen, step along.Some days I think that I really understand the intent of the USA founders and would have NO PROBLEM erasing the border and adopting the Constitution here and just ditching Ottawa (cos' they just do Wash. bidding anyway, extra unnecessary taxes) altogether if the USA society actually reflected the republic which was originally created. Could just be my own misinterpretations though as well as my own dissatisfaction with the apparatus of government and the decidely orwellian turn of the last few years. It's not that I think its better in the USA, indeed, quite the opposite given what many posters put here daily. It's just more an aknowledgement of reality. The USA could take all our resources and we could not stop you. However in the spirit of peace and co-operation, we are happy to share (at lower than our own costs) our resources with our great friends to the south. The sooner we get over the crying over losing what we never really had, the sooner we can work to improve both nations. The entrenched apparatus is geared towards profit making and not creating a better world and this needs to be changed. I ultimately beleive the world will be a better place without all the borders. I support the idea of a one world government in prinicple, just not a militaristic fascist despotic police state one-world-government. Perhaps that is the inevitable state of all governemnt, they all become despotic ultimately to preserve their own power at the peoples expense of course.I would be a lot happier knowing my neighbor can pursue his own happiness without that costing the taxpayer a lot of extra money to steal his property and liberty. So maybe it needs to be turned around so we are trying to facillitate happiness rather than wealth... wealth is the tool to do this, not a bludgeon to rule with. We won't chain the great dragon until we sort out the debt-based monetary system. I wonder if any of the christian proponents of the current monetary system have ever read Deut. 15? Perhaps being a proponent of the debt based money system precludes one from being a christian at all. Hey that comment got pretty long ;). Take everything I say with a grain of salt....
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Comment #8 posted by afterburner on May 14, 2006 at 13:33:20 PT

Sam RE another space crash
I watched a live blast-off of some US space flight on TV with a group of school children between 1975 and 1977. We were horrified when it exploded killing everyone on board. I can't seem to find any record of it so far. Do you remember or know which manned flight it was? Whatever it was, it led to a downsizing of NASA's space program, culminating in the space shuttle program.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on May 14, 2006 at 13:32:36 PT

lombar
Yes I think we have laws like that down here. As far as drugs go I just see solutions in a different way then some people. My thoughts are really just my own and  my own way of looking at the hard drug issue.
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Comment #6 posted by lombar on May 14, 2006 at 13:04:25 PT

Question
Do you have laws like that in the US? Do the hydro utilities spy on their customers on behalf of the government?I think they should legalize all the drugs for the simple fact that drug prohibition is unenforcable and worse than the original problem. The issue is whether we have the right to self-medicate or consume whatever we want. Simple observation of the truth would disuade most kids from trying meth and if it was all legal, it would just be 'boring adult stuff'. We can have a 'free world' or a 'drug free world' but not both.I used to totally agree with you FoM about hard drugs but I changed my mind a few months ago. The police just cannot be trusted to deal with this HEALTH problem so I want them right out of it. The rhetoric they use and the slimy tactics to keep putting cannabis beside the hard drugs only shows that they are the LAST group to be trusted to 'help' the addicts. As much as I hate what hard drugs can do to someone, I cannot abide societies hatred to land on hard drug users any more than it should fall on us. The laws response to illicit drugs is hatred and fear and that is just not acceptable, however damaging the drug is to individuals. Alcohol is also a hard drug in my opinion.People need to be held to account for their actions, not their consumption habits. People can be functional heroin addicts, it is the prohibition that causes them to throw away their lives to pursue it because of the expense.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on May 14, 2006 at 12:40:37 PT

lombar
I know what you mean. Cannabis prohibition will create more hard drug use and dealers. It is much easier to hide powders then it is to hide cannabis.
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Comment #4 posted by lombar on May 14, 2006 at 12:29:39 PT

New Law in BC
The Government of BC just passed a law that makes the hydro utility, BC Hydro, to turn over consumption records to the police. These guys are total morons... same thing will happen. If it gets too hard or dangerous to grow cannabis, the so-called biker gangs will just go full time into meth production... that does not spike electrical bills... so how is this better? Loss of privacy being justified by a totally unjustified prohibition and the people do nothing. The opposition supported it but for one MLA. Sad and pathetic.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on May 14, 2006 at 12:10:05 PT

Hard Drugs
My stand on hard drugs isn't very popular with people who believe in legalizing all drugs but one thing I know is I must always be true to myself. I hate hard drugs. I had trouble with hard drugs legal and illegal and they are bad. I have lost family and friends to hard drugs. Cannabis is gentle. Cannabis is kind. Cannabis isn't a substance that should be demonized. Mind expanding substances like Cannabis and LSD gave birth to the Hippie Culture. When hard drugs entered the picture it turned sour to me. 
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Comment #2 posted by Storm Crow on May 14, 2006 at 11:42:28 PT

Substitution of other, more harmful drugs
The changing to hard drugs during a prohibition operation such as "Green Harvest" is nothing new. I saw it back in 1969, when they did "Operation Intercept". I lost friends to speed and heroin. My brother started to use speed then. He went on to try just about every drug in the book. You think the prohibitionists would know that drying up the marijuana supply just breeds more hard drug addicts. Kids just want to get high and if a safe drug, such as marijuana, is not available, they WILL try other drugs. It's just that simple! Keeping marijuana illegal puts kids in contact with drug dealers who sell truely dangerous drugs. I'd rather have them out gardening and getting some exercize pulling the weeds from around their legal pot garden. Keeping marijuana illegal is a danger to our children--police raids (traumatic, sometimes fatal), CPS breaking up the family (a friend is going through this right now), exposure to dealers who sell more than pot, pot of unknown orgin (possible pesticides, mold, deliberate contamination with other drugs, etc), loss of financial aid for college, the cost of lawyers for court and, of course, their fate as innocents in an over-crowded federal prison. "THINK OF THE CHILDREN!" indeed! 
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on May 14, 2006 at 11:34:56 PT

nice one
This is my kind of writing! Hell yeah. I've got bad news, though, the problem ain't just in Hawaii. Nobody got fired for 9/11, either - no one. Not a single government employee. No one got fired for either space shuttle crash, either. Only one person in the entire country has been fired for the Katrina disaster/abandonment.
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