Just days after the White House released their inherently flawed 2010 National Drug Control Strategy (Read NORML’s refutation of it on The Huffington Post here and here.), and mere hours after Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske told reporters at the National Press Club, “I have read thoroughly the ballot proposition in California; I think I once got an e-mail that told me I won the Irish sweepstakes and that actually had more truth in it than the ballot proposition,” the Associated Press takes the entire U.S. drug war strategy and rakes it over the coals.
It’s about damn time!
AP IMPACT: After 40 years, $1 trillion, US War on Drugs has failed to meet any of its goals
via FoxNews.comAfter 40 years, the United States’ war on drugs has cost $1 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives, and for what? Drug use is rampant and violence even more brutal and widespread.
Even U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske concedes the strategy hasn’t worked.
“In the grand scheme, it has not been successful,” Kerlikowske told The Associated Press. “Forty years later, the concern about drugs and drug problems is, if anything, magnified, intensified.”
Seriously, if you care at all about drug policy and marijuana law reform, you really must read the entire AP analysis. It’s that good.
In 1970, hippies were smoking pot and dropping acid. Soldiers were coming home from Vietnam hooked on heroin. Embattled President Richard M. Nixon seized on a new war he thought he could win.
“This nation faces a major crisis in terms of the increasing use of drugs, particularly among our young people,” Nixon said as he signed the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act. The following year, he said: “Public enemy No. 1 in the United States is drug abuse. In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all-out offensive.”
His first drug-fighting budget was $100 million. Now it’s $15.1 billion, 31 times Nixon’s amount even when adjusted for inflation.
Using Freedom of Information Act requests, archival records, federal budgets and dozens of interviews with leaders and analysts, the AP tracked where that money went, and found that the United States repeatedly increased budgets for programs that did little to stop the flow of drugs. In 40 years, taxpayers spent more than:
— $20 billion to fight the drug gangs in their home countries. In Colombia, for example, the United States spent more than $6 billion, while coca cultivation increased and trafficking moved to Mexico — and the violence along with it.
— $33 billion in marketing “Just Say No”-style messages to America’s youth and other prevention programs. High school students report the same rates of illegal drug use as they did in 1970, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drug overdoses have “risen steadily” since the early 1970s to more than 20,000 last year.
— $49 billion for law enforcement along America’s borders to cut off the flow of illegal drugs. This year, 25 million Americans will snort, swallow, inject and smoke illicit drugs, about 10 million more than in 1970, with the bulk of those drugs imported from Mexico.
— $121 billion to arrest more than 37 million nonviolent drug offenders, about 10 million of them for possession of marijuana. Studies show that jail time tends to increase drug abuse.
— $450 billion to lock those people up in federal prisons alone. Last year, half of all federal prisoners in the U.S. were serving sentences for drug offenses.
At the same time, drug abuse is costing the nation in other ways. The Justice Department estimates the consequences of drug abuse — “an overburdened justice system, a strained health care system, lost productivity, and environmental destruction” — cost the United States $215 billion a year.
Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron says the only sure thing taxpayers get for more spending on police and soldiers is more homicides.
“Current policy is not having an effect of reducing drug use,” Miron said, “but it’s costing the public a fortune.”
The so-called ‘war’ on some drugs — which is really a war on consumers of certain temporarily mood-altering substances, mainly marijuana, can not survive if continually faced with this kind of scrutiny. Even the Drug Czar — when faced with the actual evidence and data above — folds his cards immediately, acknowledging that U.S. criminal drug enforcement “has not been successful.” Yet apparently neither he, nor the majority of Congress, the President, the bulk of law enforcement officials, or any of the tens of thousands of bureaucrats in Washington, DC have the stones to stand up and put a stop to it.
And that is — and always has been — the problem.
And so the drums of war beat on, and the casualties mount.
Isn’t it about time that we all said: “Enough is enough?“
I really makes me happy to know that the AP has shown the guts to tell it like it is! The people responsible are heroes to me – and clearly a thorn in the side of those who would like to continue the oppression. I hope that other news agencies hop on this bandwagon and spread the truth our Government has been trying to hide for so many years.
Now, what I think would also help tremendously is to have the nations television and movie studio executives start showing more marijuana smokers in their movies and shows – but showing them in a realistic way (i.e. don’t use typical stoner humor). I think the series “Weeds” did an excellent job of this but I don’t think it ever got a large percentage of the publics attention.
Associated Press, not Associate Press, right?
Finally, a piece of mainstream journalism that says exactly what needs to be said about the War on Drugs. It has been an abject failure from the beginning, harming many more lives than it can claim to save, not to mention the incredible monetary cost. I can only hope more people who are ignorant of the situation can read this article and have their eyes.
First California, then America, then…THE WORLD! LEGALIZE IT!
Wow. I just read thru the first seven pages of this abortion of a new National Drug Control Strategy and all I read was that they want to create more taskforces, developing more initiatives, creating more organizations, groups, and policies that will no doubt come at the expense of the taxpayer. Oh and my personal favorite “Promoting and supporting alternatives to incarceration such as drug and problem solving courts” and “Mandating treatment and court monitoring for chronic drug-using offenders who disproportionately burden the healthcare and CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM”. So let me get this right….The government wants to make more courts for the drug offenders flooding the current courts. Sounds like more federal jobs.
Holy Crap.
I just added up the billions and it came to $673.
$673 Billion flushed down the black hole, not to mention all the human lives ruined or lost.
And Janet N. wants more.
Who are the terrorists, again?
Looks like FOX News took it off their main page… *sigh*
I saw this come by on the AP RSS feed and was astonished. Has common sense finaly started invading the MSM or are they just riding a public bandwagon? I guess we’ll have to see if anyone picks it up from the wire…
A Government of the people, by the people and for the people,my ASS!! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
don’t forget to stumbleupon this article so we can get more traffic to it so more people can find out about it, so that hopefully it will reach the decision maker types.
The one thing that angers me the most is how Gil Kerlikowske claims that scientific findings are not the truth. Seriously how can he spout out lies and laugh and joke about it? I just don’t get it.
You seem to have forgotten to add how many innocent lives were needlessly lost byway of vehicular homicide via DUI drivers. (Just sayin’) And how drunk drivers get a virtual slap on the wrist when they *are* caught; in PA you lose your license for 3-6 months and are forced to take and ‘alcohol awareness’ course, which amounts to 3 hours in a city hall room listening to someone drone on about the dangers of drunken driving.
I was busted for underage drinking in ’87; my license was suspended for 6 months and I had to take an alcohol awareness class. But I didn’t know the real danger of drinking and driving until July 19th 2001 when I stupidly, foolishly got drunk and wiped out on my brand new 600cc 2001 Honda CBR f4i. Into a wall. With no helmet.
Now I’m deaf thanks not to the accident but the ototoxic drugs I was inundated with after I awoke from my 6 month coma. I don’t remember the broken collar bone, broken shoulder blade, punctured lung, 2 broken ribs or 5 skull fractures the doctors’ reports tell me I had, but I do remember the speech therapist in rehab saying ‘I want you to try this because you seem to have trouble hearing what people say,’ as she pulled a hearing amplifier out of her desk.
I responded ‘you’re crazy, you just need to speak up is all.’ Then while the drugs whittled away at my hearing I turned the volume up on the hearing amplifier, thinking the batteries were dying.
Oh and I’m glad FoxNews seems to be on our side now by posting this. The majority of the people in this country and the news outlets all seem to be on our side. The only ones who aren’t on our side are the politicians.
Politicians Make Me So Angry They Need To Stop Listening To Lobbyists(money) And Start Hearing What Their People Actually Have To Say…Were Not All Stupid Sheeple…Last Time I Checked The Only Things That Get Hurt When People Enjoy Cannabis Are Twinkies Please Please Legalize My One True Love Mary Jane
Wow the way the drug czar sounds like its not going to happen. Does he know something we don’t know? I hope they have people guarding the votes.
VOTE VOTE VOTE in 2010 and 2012. Just don’t vote for incumbents UNLESS they support reform/legalization!
marijuana is not easy to find because it is illegal, according to our government. Apparently they don’t realize that if you just go and ask people if they know where to get some chances are you will find it that day. IT IS EVERYWHERE!!! You can’t just say something and it be true. I think it is easier to find marijuana then it is to find alcohol, seriously
people will always use something to relax and unwind,whether it be alcohol or drugs, it is so stupid to jail people and treat them as though they are terrible people for choosing to relax and unwind in thier own personal way to say that drug users and pot smokers are addicts and need treatment is so far from the truth,why should i have to be randomly drug tested just because i choose to relax on a friday night in my own home smoking a joint.i shouldnt have to worry about my job i am a tax paying productive person
Nice job Paul. Hats off. Funny to see different “pull-the-string” comments from Gil depending on who’s watching (stick with your Seattle roots man). Awesome to see the MSM getting up to speed. Hope the politicians aren’t too far behind. Political suicide is continuing to support this huge waste of money. Maybe soon even the big guy will talk about the elephant in the room?
Wow now that’s a lot of money. Wonder how much more money it will take before the rest of the world wakes up. i guess it takes a while to fix all the brainwashing from anti-cannabis commercials on TV and everywhere else paid for by us.
If we’re fighting for lives with the WOD (War On Drugs) why do we ok swat teams bursting into houses of citizens who’s only crime is using a drug that occurs naturally and has been shown to improve a myriad of conditions and even completely relieve intractable pain? Why do we subject honest taxpaying citizens of this country to traumatizing situations such as paramilitary groups under the flag of law enforcement breaking into their home, violating their privacy and rights simply over a plant? Could someone please tell me what the worst side effects of pot use are? Are they permanent, are they debilitating, are they worse then alcohol or tobacco? Do the main effects of marijuana cause a relief of pain, stress and and a general sense of well being for millions of users? Then why are we vilifying it in this country? Why is it in the same class as heroine or any other schedule 1 drug? I simply don’t understand the reasoning in our federal government, that claims to be for the people and by the people, that we should tax our citizens to the hilt in order to pay for a policy that simply doesn’t work.
I didnt realize it reached 1 trillion. For fuck sake…THIS IS ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT. I am really really really really excited to see what the federal government is going to do with legalization in california looming
Another good reason for legalziing Marijuana recreational use and to grow is because of all the drugs out today and myths made up.
It would be wise to legalize something that truley is NOT harmful to adults. To stray away from using harder drugs that their dealers may know how to get.
Another reason to legalize weed, you are going to create more alcoholics. I have to drink alcohol in order to be in the law and intoxicated (even though much more unhealthy to my health in my family of alcoholics!) I have no ways of getting any hash and hash helps me with my anxiety much better than the flower itself does. It really helps me calm down and I have been fortunate enough to have some for my finals last year because it helped me focus on studying. I got a 4.0 in that class.
I think that most mature and reasonable adults have already said “enough is enough”. It is only the politicians, the “representatives” of the people, who haven’t gotten it yet.
Definition of Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
In this case, doing the same thing for forty years and expecting a different result.
It’s almost seems like the government ENJOYS wasting tax payer money?
To put 1 trillion dollars into perspective. If i won the lottery for 100 million dollars every day (not counting leap years and months count for 30 days) it would take 27 years 4 months and 25 days of winning tickets to get that.
It makes me think how many people could be clothed, feed and housed for that much. How many… poor and low income families could be given a higher education changing their family for generations to come.
The drug war isn’t about making our society better, its about power and control.
it is true what Albert Einstein said: “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.”
it took the AP THIS long? people are very slow in addition to being very stupid.
I have been spreading this at every site I can. O especially like the Homeland Security she-wolf’s answer about why Osama Obama would continue failed programs when he himself was a toker.
“Look,” she says, starting slowly. “This is something that is worth fighting for because drug addiction is about fighting for somebody’s life, a young child’s life, a teenager’s life, their ability to be a successful and productive adult.
So we arrest them,give them a criminal record and make sure if the drugs don’t hurt their chances in life,we will!
Holy Smokes! AP got it right. 22,000 dead since 2006 in Mexico. I wish Mrs. Clinton would utter the words “We will not forget the people of Mexico” as she will not forget the women of Afganistan.
The Rev.sLeezy
This Info is fine and dandy but it needs to be shown to more than just us! Fox news is great but we need NBS ABC CBS CNN to carry it so it reaches more people. How can we get this information out to the rest of the country?
One more thing. I once heard someone say that if you want to smuggle a nuclear bomb into the USA just put in a Marijuana shipment. Well heck we need to make it leagle to reduce the chances of someone doing just that!
This is a good report from a respected main-stream news organization, but I wonder why they didn’t mention Nixon’s rejection of the Shafer Commission’s findings and recommendations? That denial of reality has led to the absurd situation we have now, where the most powerful government the planet has ever seen is terrified of a non-toxic plant.
I’ve been telling my doctor for years I smoke pot. You know what they say about it? NOTHING. They don’t even say to quit. They say “that’s fine, but you need to quit the cigarettes”
What I don’t get is why Cannabis is still schedule 1. I mean, medical marijuana? Also, I can get weed within an hour from 3 different places. I am 13 and the American government thinks the war on drugs has worked? Jeez, I can’t even go buy liquor, and kill my brain and liver like my parents did, but I can buy an ounce of weed that the government rates as a hard drug, with other hard drugs. Hahahahahahahahahahahahah stupid government. I laugh at your futile attempts of drug oppression. I’m proof it is an utter fail.
Drugs, even as widely used and accepted as pot, are bad news, and every effort should be made to end their recreational use. But like alcohol the prohibition of them by federal law has been shown to be counter-productive, adding criminals by adding criminality, with little to show in reducing irresponsible use. take a minute to investigate the Libertarian Party views on this. You might see a glimmer of sanity, not only in drug policy but across the breadth of government/individual relationships. It is likely that readers of this blog are wanting a new policy on pot, and other drugs. Look at the Libertarian way!
The Drug War Has Failed to meet its goals and is an utter pathetic money PIT where our tax dollars go to die for a hopeless cause. The morality police will always tell you that this war is worth fighting and that we must protect people from themselves. But the drug war hasn’t worked for 40 years, but they continue to keep doing what they were doing. Didn’t Einstein say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result?
There will be no end to the drug war until the federal government comes to it’s knees because of a mountain of debt and decades and decades of excessive spending. When they can’t sell their debt via bonds anymore and they can’t finance this war, that is when it will end. The time is coming but it isn’t here yet.
We must stay the course in the war on drugs. What is a trillion dollars when you measure it against the evil of people smoking marijuana? If we spend double the $15 billion we spend today surely we will have better results. What we need is a drug surge, commit more money, more resources, more troops there will be light at the end of the tunnel, it worked in Iraq and it is working in Afghanistan. When the troops come home from those wars they should be assigned jobs in the war on drugs. House to house searches, neighborhood lockdowns, rock concert suppression and augmenting airport and border security are a few of the jobs that our highly trained military can easily handle. The vast majority of Americans must be convinced that drugs are evil, fund terrorism, lead to a decline in our moral character as a nation and put democracy at risk. We need stronger penalties from our courts as a deterrent; the longer we keep drug users in jail the greater the deterrent factor and after 25 years in prison many of those released will certainly think more than once about picking up a marijuana cigarette again. We can also change the law so parents of those who take drugs are liable for court costs and can be forced to do time with their children. We could also establish a reward system, like neighborhood watch, where neighbors can be rewarded for turning people in in cash, scholarships, mortgage buy-downs, health-care or vacations within the good ole USA.
The number of new prisons built and the jobs created will be a boon to our economy and may lead us out of the recession and into a drug free America, strong and free. (Meggafish wrote this and don’t let our elected Nazis see this.)
They tried to destroy , Michael Phelps career ove a toke from a bong . Keep on boycotting ” Kellogs ” products . Let us not forget what they did .
Cannabis doesn’t kill people, drugs kill people. What? 5x the carcinogens huh?? How about 5,000 years without causing one single death = bow down. It’s that simple folks 😉 For farmers like me, we know that we will grow whatever crop we think is best for us. Fact is the Hemp plant is the single most valuable Abundantly useful/durable/beneficial/natural/ industrial commodity there ever was, and still is. Not only that, but it’s roots replenish the soil in between grain-growing seasons! Prohibition has only been useful in killing jobs for millions of independent American farmers since the first ‘drug’ conviction in 1937.
Why is there such a lag time between what the People Of The United States require and what our ‘representatives’ desire??? Each day prohibition of cannabis ‘drugs’ remains law is like a major slap in the face to every single one of the founding fathers who all grew. Don’t be decieved by an ad campaign being spewed by monopolistic industrial interests plz.
One simple thing the govt can do right now is change it from a sched I to a sched II and still save face lol.
MESSAGE TO REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ALIKE – BUT – ESPECIALLY REPUBLICAN PROHIBITIONISTS:
“If either party, including any individual, at a later date, decides to repeal medicinal cannabis laws, we will guarantee you “one term in office…with no chance of representing us at even a local.”
Since when has a politician stop you from enjoying CANNABIS?!
comment #37 moldy must be another over ego government sicko!
It’s appaling how sadistical that kind really is!
Seems to some that he is a waste of tax payers money!
I hope this brings a smile to Marc Emery
War on Drugs = Epic Fail
Nice to see MSM finally paying attention to the truth about cannabis prohibition. I don’t usually trust the media as they normally do their advertisers bidding for them (i.e. big pharma,alcohol and tobacco companies private prison industry, drug testing labs, rehabilitation clinics) you get the idea. I wonder who is behind telling the truth on this issue. That person or persons will surely be told to stop publishing articles like this. It’s bad for business don’t you know!
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….what more proof do they FREAKIN need?!?!
If I were involved in campaign planning for NORML…
I think we should ask the president, senators, and representatives whether any pharmaceutical lobby/lobbyist has ever pointed out to them that they’ll lose money if marijuana is legalized. Can we get some kind of freedom of information request going to that effect? I’m sure it will be tough to get anyone to admit that they heard arguments from a lobbyist in opposition to marijuana legalization/regulation. All we need is one whistle blower lobbyist to prove it. Would it be too difficult to find someone? There’s gotta be one old pot smokin’ hippie in there somewhere who’s sympathetic to our cause.
We could also get a few experts(very important) to assess just how much the pharmaceutical corporate empire does stand to lose if X/Y/Z% of people switch to free homegrown cannabis based medicine? Emphasize the pure greed that is truly stopping legalization. But don’t forget to also point out that the jobs will go to a new greener industry and away from giant corporations and all the societal costs THEY incur. Also, remind everyone over and over and over and that MARIJUANA IS SAFER THAN the horrible toxic and addictive opiate pain medications, SAFER than alcohol. I know if someone in my family is in physical or mental pain and needs relief I’m going to pass them a joint before I pass them paxil, zoloft, effexor, Lexapro(Yes, anti-depressants are crazy bad for your mind long term and short, the withdraw is SEVERE)vicodin, percoset, or oxycontin any day. Anyone who can actually say that they would prefer their loved ones be on the MORE DANGEROUS OPIATES is sick in the head. It’s medical fact people…FACT FACT FACT….MEDICAL-FUCKING-FACT! that opiates, antidepressants(and you KNOW how many of those are sold every year) alcohol, and cigarettes are more addictive and more toxic than non-smoked OR smoked marijuana. IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, I hate to bring God and Christianity into this but…what they are doing is wrong in the eyes of God. Many Non-Christians around the world already resent Christians for trying to force their morals on them. Why are we making it worse? People are free to do with their own bodies what they will. Just as the general population ALLOWS us to practice Christianity and use our bodies and minds for any purpose we see fit, so should we as Christians(yes, I am a Christian) allow others to do with their own bodies and minds as THEY see fit.
WHAT WOULD JESUS DO!?!? He would take the addict in off the street and give him a meal, he would give him comfort, he would allow the man to sleep in his own bed whilst he slept on the floor at his feet. He would give him chance after chance, and as long as he (the “addict”) hurt no one but himself with his actions. He would be his FRIEND, maybe ask what was wrong, did they need some help. Jesus would never, ever, EVER bind someone in ropes or throw them in a cold hard jail cell and remove all their hopes for a bright future. He would never make them PAY for the care he gave them either! He would give freely of whatever food and care he possessed. Because that’s what heals folks, LOVE, not shame and ridicule and beatdowns and lockdowns.
/RANT OFF
Wow, when is the U.S. government going to learn? This is absolutely stunning to say the very least. It is time to STOP wasting tax dollars on this FAILED War on Drugs! All of the BILLIONS of tax dollars we spend annually on Cannabis prohibition does not, and I repeat, DOES NOT reduce the availability of Cannabis on the streets by no means whatsoever!
Besides not reducing availability and wasting billions of tax dollars, it is so easy for Cannabis to fall into the hands of minors because DRUG DEALERS DO NOT ASK FOR ID!
Please, I strongly encourage you to contact your elected officials and let them know how you feel on this failed War on Drugs. Make it your job to contact them daily, weekly, monthly, whatever you feel is necessary. Just make sure you TAKE ACTION and CONTINUE TO TAKE ACTION. I cannot stress how vital this is to ending Cannabis prohibition sooner than later!
Here is the answer. We need to declare that we as supporters of the cannabis plant will vote for a candidate that is serious about reforming our laws. If he fails to even try and reform our horrible cannabis laws then we will rebel and rebel hard. We can start a new movement. Mass protest, we can finish Lennon’s dream!
I know people don’t want to threaten..but its a peaceful threat. If they won’t try, then we will make their life hell by drawing mass attention to their failed policies.
so whats going to happen now since the drug czar has admitted that the war on drugs has been a complete failure after losing a trillion dollars over the past 40 years? is government going to try to make things better by legalizing marijuana ? will they finally take a day or a week to sit down and seriously discuss process to legalize marijuana in the united states? this is very important to know. cause we have 3 major events happening in our country that require alot of money. 1- the big oil spill 2- terrorism in New York city/U.S. 3- drug cartels/immigration law in arizona. all these situations need money to pay for all of these to either staff protection or to fix something, but theres no money ! if marijuana was legal then government would have that tax revenue to secure new york with the proper staff and drug cartels would be completely out of business. but i would love to know what is going to happen now that people have realized the drug war is a failure ?
#33 Tom Beebe: “Drugs, even as widely used and accepted as pot, are bad news, and every effort should be made to end their recreational use.” O RLY? That is enough to make us NOT vote for your party. Nice work.
re: comment 28
“So we arrest them,give them a criminal record and make sure if the drugs don’t hurt their chances in life, we will!”
Another definition of “Insanity”.
When ALL the drug addicts fill the most complete earthly prisons, then what?
Will your sack clothes and ashes comply with the Law?
The Obama administration has shown itself with this drug control strategy and with the nomination of Michelle Leonhart to head the DEA. I’ve had it, myself. I’m changing my voter registration to Independent after being a registered Democrat for 45 years. I gave money to the Obama campaign because I actually believed that he was going to use science when setting social policy. No more. From now on, all my political donations go to NORML and other organizations working to end this crazy war on marijuana smokers (of course, it’s a war on people, NOT drugs). And I will vote only for candidates who truly support human dignity and freedom, regardless of their party affiliation. Don’t think for a minute that Democrats aren’t at least as bad as Republicans when it comes to being drug warriors. There are a few good people in each party. We need to make the effort to find them instead of just blindly voting with one party or the other.
Well,they’ve met one goal…convincing NORML to go along with letting the govt tax the hell out of it as a different form of punishment.
Just imagine where we would be if the war on drugs money had been put into health care
Everybody seems to forget Gil Kerlikowske’s roots. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida. This should give you a clue. His time in Seattle was very short. There he was doing what he was told. I am sure if he had had his way things would be a lot different in Seattle.
LEGALIZE IT im sick of people going to jail because of a plant
If we (the people) were actually in control, then yes, enough would be enough. Sadly you have all been misled. The war on drugs is actually a cover for a larger war that has been going on for over 2,500 years. All these public figures we are supposed to trust are pawns of the “real players” and they are very old, very rich, and very powerful. Im sorry America, but we are fucked. It’s only a matter of time. Marijuana will NEVER be legal here in the U.S. Never. You have no idea who we are up against.
I wouldn’t hold my breath on California winning. It is starting to sound like George Bush all over again with drug policy. I suspect that the votes will be cheated on by your lovable government just like old George Did when a few places had it on the ballot during his terms.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=116721921681147
Do a search for Nick Severson Vermillion, SD. You guy’s will love it.
A million seconds is 12 days.
A billion seconds is 31 years.
A trillion seconds is 31,688 years.
back in the 60’s the flower children were right about the way to live. passing a Hoint was as much social bonding as an amazing new experience.
we said and practiced – heh heh – make love not war and so forth.
those who NEED/DEMAND war continue to NEED/DEMAND war. dey gotz a war fer u dey gotz a war 4 me. spearhead paraphrase
the govt, military and gangstas are in control. these fascists are vampires like in the bad movie called reality in the u.s. of friggin a.
there is no substantive correlation between our drug laws and reality. the situation is deliberately and maliciously out of control.
“i hear a very gentle sound with my ear down to the ground. very near yet very far, come today ….” doors
keep the faith anyway. yowzah
peace
Well Donker, I agree in part with what you said, especially the “real players”. But let’s not get to sucked into the conspiracy side so far that we don’t look at this movement in the 360 degree view point.
Americans have wised up incredibly fast to the farce of g’ment and there really are more people who are willing to spread the truth and dispel the same old lies. We’re a tough bunch so to speak, without that sounding negative. We are to the point where they. the prohibitionists and “real players”, are fighting for their lives because all the hideous lies and manipulation are being effectively exposed at all levels.
I may get discouraged but I’m not giving up.
I just don’t understand why the people “in-control”/the government just say “I’m sorry”, drop all laws, GIVE us/everyone the proper education about our wonderful plants around us, and let the individuals base their choices on their knowledge. Noone should be punished for wanting to learn and grow.
We have all said again and again enough is enough! We all know that our State & Fed Gov. lack a moral compass of any kind. Corp. Lobbiest have purchased this country out from under US. Corp America has now destoried the Gulf of Mexico for their profit not ours. How long will we debate with global criminals before we get our rightful change. Lets debate this in the open, but lets not ignor history and how this Constructive Fraud came into being. Lets have some transparency here. Lets not forget all that has been erased from history to support these lies our government has forced upon us violating the foundation of the Constitution.
Can we call in? How about a nation-wide townhall meeting to debate this issue, you kow , out in the open.
“I HAVE SEEN THE SPARROW”
To incompetant servants in our house [the peoples house].
Turn your back on “We the People” – and – “We the People” [will] turm our backs on you. Turn – you – only to be the recipiant of a blow of protection required by the Constitution [ass kickin’].
You were [elected] to represent “We the People” in places where we need to be represented. You were [elected] to be out voice where our voice need be heard. You have failed – miserably I might add. Instead of representing “We the People” you have chosen to represent “You the People.” Hang your head in shame, for you have forsaken us.
To represent “We the People” you [must] pledge your allegiance to “We the People”, our freedom, and majority rule – or – leave in disgrace, with no honor,{faceless] to those who had faith in you, who are now [faithless]. You have failed to accomplish what you were sent by “We the People” to do.
See you in November – or – not – and – we will show you what our failed allegiance is like. Further; if you make any attempt to repeal the American Policy, you might as well go fishin’. Right! Go fish! How’s that for a cup of tea, without sugar and cream.