It was revolutionary! The real visionaries, who laid down our laws, those who defined what an American patriot would be, were rebels with just cause. They made it not just our right but our patriotic duty to rebel against big government corruption. Our founders knew big government would always mean a gang of evildoers.
They were good Christian men led by the holy spirit but money the root of all evil was part of it. They wanted to create the land of abundance. They knew ethics would have to rule for it to work. The Spirit of '76 is the Holy Spirit and our true north.
One of my 2008 Rebel with Just Cause Awards goes to Dr. Ron Paul for the Love Revolution he helped generate that is sweeping America, returning us to our roots of self-government, free of tyranny and big government oppression. Our founders believed the best way to spread the freedom philosophy is by being a shining example.
"I love every concept the Statue of Liberty stands for - that individual liberty is held above the objectives of government - that, as Washington and Jefferson said, America imparts good will toward all and threatens no one - that this country is so big-hearted and prosperous it can welcome people from all over the world fleeing oppression or poverty. " - Harry Browne
Our flag is a symbol of liberty, justice and freedom! It is a beacon for hope in a troubled world. Don't let its reputation be tarnished by incidents of torture. Recapture the Flag by demanding a government that respects human rights, leadership that rejects all forms of corruption, and elected officials who fiercely challenge anyone who seeks to undermine the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Write your US Senators or Representatives.
After five years of war in Iraq, Army suicide rates have reached a new high. You can participate in the "Million Doors for Peace" coalition, an effort to end the Iraq occupation by community organizing. Join the grassroots effort, help build the type of movement we need to end the war and prevent future wars of aggression.
Freedom is Golden! "As the Olympics wind down, I am amazed at how things change every four years. Many Americans were glued to their televisions to watch the excitement from Beijing, and also heard announcers wax nostalgic with memories of times when the Soviet Union was the USA's biggest competitor for Olympic gold. There was a time when it was unthinkable that a government as powerful as that of the Soviet Union's could possibly crumble, yet crumble it did. The irony is that the strength of the Soviet government was also its weakness, as no country, no economic system can remain strong under the crushing burden that is central planning." - Ron Paul
Unlike Dr. Paul some politicians are like bad horsemen who are so preoccupied with staying in the saddle that they can't bother about where they're going. Some are outright servants of tyranny definitely not servants of the people. Can you tell the difference?
Will the 2008 election be an an exercise in futility? McCain is more of the same! Obama has picked a drug warrior vice president and his "change" about war also sounds wimpy now. Are they giving us anyone who can possible win who isn't just more of the same?
Here's a wakeup call for corruption! During a small 2003 protest in Manhattan against the fledgling Iraq war the ironfisted crowd-control tactics of the NYPD have cost them a cool $2 million court settlement. The department employed the same tactics in even more shocking mass arrests at the Republican convention in 2004. The moral of the story: "In the United States of America, you don't arrest people simply because they assemble to protest government policy." Warnings to convention city police this year.
Mexico's drug war violent blood baths are triggered by our insane policy. Prohibition creates the black market supporting blood thirsty terrorist, despicable people who sell drugs to children and recruit them to sell to their peers.
Save the children, just say NO to prohibition!
Trigger less violence, racism, tyranny and ruined lives!
Stories of violent attacks, hate crimes and murder fill the media. Two young women were found killed execution style in Granbury and three Dallas children were shot in the back seat of their mom's Mercedes recently.
Atlanta police killed 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston in a botched drug raid not long ago and the carnage continues. An Ohio SWAT team killed Tarika Wilson and shot her one-year-old son.
Prohibition's legacy is legend in the waste of our precious lives and resources. Deaths and needless injuries happen too often in botched paramilitary drug raids. Overzealous, unconscionable to the extreme, situations are occurring!
Ashley Villarreal: in San Antonio DEA agents shoot innocent 14-year-old girl in the head, but deny any wrongdoing.
Rachel Hoffman: a young college grad, coerced by police to act as an informant after she was arrested for marijuana possession and then killed by drug dealers following a botched drug sting.
We all want, "Resilient Teens, Empowered Parents, Strong Communities!" This is Joy Strickland's Mothers Against Teen Violence organization's motto, following the tragedy of losing her son Charles Christopher Lewis (Chris), 19, and his friend, Kendrick Demond Lott, 18, who were robbed and brutally murdered in Dallas. Joy believes the war on drugs undermines the safety of our children.
Over a thousand people die each day due to tobacco use! Close to 300 a day die from prescribed pharmaceuticals. The tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceuticals gangs deal drugs that kill many more annually than all illicit drugs. We tolerate their salesmen!
"Record numbers of citizens arrested for marijuana possession have been forced into treatment by the criminal justice system. The resulting distortion of treatment statistics is used by shameless drug warriors to make the misleading claim that marijuana is 'addictive'." - Robert Sharpe, Policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy
Science shows that withdrawal symptoms from caffeine are much worse than those for cannabis. Cannabis is one of the most benign chemicals we can ingest. Arresting nonviolent people for making a safer health choice in medicinal/social drug use is scandalous reefer madness.
The other 2008 portrait is awarded to Steph Sherer, the powerhouse Director of American's for Safe Access who organized protesters against the 2007 DEA raids of state sanctioned medical marijuana dispensaries. "We're patients, not criminals!" They chanted.
We are punishing people because servants of tyranny ignore science in naming their choice unwise when in fact it is a scientifically proven safer, wiser health choice, compared to legal alternatives. Taking children from the homes of parents who have made a safer health choice in medicinal or social drug use is insane policy.
Taking property from these same, destroyed by government families, is legalized extortion ! States seized $1.52 billion in 2007 End asset forfeiture! We owe reparations to people for all this tyranny.
Research shows little or no overdose deaths before prohibition. Currently bodies pile up like cordwood or holocaust victims (more than 33,000 precious lives lost in 2005).
Treating AIDS is expensive, providing sterile syringes to addicts is a cheap and effective way to curb the epidemic. Yet, the United States has used its influence in the United Nations to prevent countries that receive UN aid from distributing sterile syringes for disease prevention.
We can see where our laws are causing more harm than good and change accordingly; with modern unbiased, science based statistical reporting.
Snipers, killers and violent sexual and other hate-filled predators roam free, while we use up limited resources policing individual medicinal and social drug use. Drug warriors don't have to look far for something better to do.
The countless daily injustices mean it's time to ramp up efforts to end the Drug War, repeal prohibition! European harm reduction policy works so much better than our current response.
US Representative Barney Frank has filed a bipartisan federal bill to legalize "small amounts" of marijuana and make room for serious criminals. Representative Ron Paul is a cosponsor. This Texas straight talker says we are "politicizing pain." Visit Marijuana Policy Projects Legislation page to write your Congressperson about "The Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act"- HR 5843.
No Walls, No Fences, No Tyranny, No Propaganda, No Secrets, No Fear!
Leaders responsible for current quagmire will one-day answer to a higher power for their crimes against humanity. It's time to end the terror by changing our intrusive, big-bully policies, both foreign and domestic. The monetary and environmental costs are staggering and the human suffering unconscionable.
Join the brotherhood of the good, join the easy revolution. Stop war, save the American dream! Restore justice in the world; construct science based drug policies about saving and rehabilitating instead of ruining lives. Warriors can get their adrenaline rush increasing public safety; chasing murderers and violent sexual predators.
Compiled and written by Colleen McCool
I'm fairly familiar with the Libertarian opposition to "Prohibition," thanks partially to you, and from reading Ron Paul's book. I'm not convinced that legalizing "hard drugs" will significantly reduce violence.
Firstly, these drugs are mind altering, and can induce homicidal rampages. Sounds exaggerated, I know, but let me use an example from my community. Recently, a man was sentenced for killing a 14 year old girl. He was on cocaine. The court decided it was in fact a drug-induced sexual rage that led to the murder. Even if cocaine was legal, that girl still would have died…
Secondly, just because a substance is legal doesn't mean it will disappear from the black market. Hard drug users resort to violence when they want their fix, and steal to finance their addiction. Ending Prohibition won't change that at all; drug users will still use violence and theft to be able to afford their hard drugs, the only difference being that they come from the pharmacy instead of the dealer.
Cosmic, we may never end violence you are right.
I want the violent to be caught and punished whether they use drugs or abuse them or don't ever touch drugs. Ending Prohibition will end prohibition triggered violence! It will not end all violence. I suggest sterilization of the violent as part of their punishment might just breed violence out of us eventually.
But nonviolent medicinal or social drug use is not hurting others and should not be a crime. We need to use our limited resources to go after the violent, to solve murders, catch pedofiles and rapists, incarcerating these predators truly makes our neighborhoods, our children safer.
All the stats I've found point to alcohol and psychotropic pharmaceuticals as the leading drugs for inducing homicidal rages.
Colleen McCool is a portrait artist, poet and peace activist.
http://mccoolportraits.com/2007rebelwithjustcause.htm
Member - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
http://www.leap.cc/
& Drug Policy Forum of Texas
I've noticed most of your lamentations about drug violence actually refer to police violence, not criminal violence. I agree that we need to battle a "police state," and that the police have other urgent matters to pursue, but I'm wary of giving drug users any reprieve.
Since I put a lot of stock in "nurture over nature," I don't agree that your method of sterilizing criminals would be effective, since I see violence as learned, not inherited.
For the few drugs which can be considered medicinal (like marijuana), I support states' rights in deciding whether such substances should be legalized (for pharmaceutical use only).
I believe that alcohol is just as likely to induce insanity, and subsequent violence. I support stricter alcohol sale regulation. I also think psychiatric patients need to make well informed decisions regarding any medication they may take.
Yes, I'm pretty severe when it comes to substance abuse. I will concede that we can't legislate our problems away, so perhaps we need to employ education as the means to prevent people from ever picking up the bottle, needle or blunt in the first place.
Perhaps at the core of our disagreement are our perceptions of personal freedom, and whether that freedom extends to allowing one to harm oneself, as in the case of drug usage. I don't think that personal freedom applies any longer in that case; I would bet that you do.
The truth about drugs will keep our children off them. Sound medical and unbiased scientific knowledge are the most effective moral persuasions. Present policy falsehoods and scare tactics undermine our credibility.
Effective drug education based on medical science builds student's confidence to make informed responsible choices. We want to encourage drug free behavior not awaken their curiosity. Truth, trust and reason encourage open communications between youth, parents and faculties.
We'll never agree on everything. Do you know who agrees with you politically?
http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html
Even if you are sure you are a liberal, conservative, libertarian or authoratarian, it's fun to see if you will chart as you believe you will.
All major religions believe that life is sacred. Save the Children, just say NO to Prohibition and war! People of all faiths and goodwill can stand together for a more just, science based, reasonable and compassionate alternatives to current senseless policies.
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Cosmic.
Colleen McCool is a portrait artist, poet and peace activist.
http://mccoolportraits.com/2008rebelwithjustcause.htm
Member - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
http://www.leap.cc/
& Drug Policy Forum of Texas