Pubdate: Wed, 31 May 2000 Date: 05/31/2000 Source: Mountain Xpress (NC) Author: Timothy "Anonymous" Leonard Well, so much for satire. It blows my mind that so many people could read my letter, "Hurrah for the Pot Police" [April 26] and not see, or even taste, the sarcasm oozing out of every sentence. Starting with the words "brave" and "courageously" to describe the terrifyingly totalitarian actions of 25 adult police officers frisking traumatized children while searching like well-trained yet brain-dead dope dogs for a benevolent herb that the Corporate Police State doesn't want around. Did all of you actually read the article regarding the raid of Hart Squire and his family at their Reems Creek farm? Even the most brainwashed, DARE-educated, pot-fearing, fundamentalist reactionary could not have seriously condoned such a blatant violation of civil liberty, human dignity and personal privacy. Then how on earth do such extreme violations of basic human rights keep on occurring day after day after day? Can we stop a minute and think about this? Do you think this "war" doesn't affect you? ... Did you ever stop to wonder why? Why is this plant illegal? Why does the Drug Enforcement [Administration] spend, according to its own reports, $13.5 million of our money every year to "eradicate marijuana"? Why does the same agency ladle out millions more for this purpose to local jurisdictions, including the Asheville Police Department and the Park Service? It is estimated that the entire effort costs American taxpayers half a billion dollars a year... Why? Well, let's just think about who might not want this herb spreading around. Where should I begin? The prison industry, the police industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the alcohol industry, the tobacco industry, the petroleum industry, the plastics industry, the tree-based paper and timber industries, the cotton and synthetic textile industries and, of course, the religion industry (a.k.a. the Church). The prisons would empty out if the "war on drugs" were ended. As it is, jails are a booming industry. And the police, what would they do all day? ... Parallels to other historical police states and authoritarian regimes may be considered extreme. But if you pay attention, you will be aware that there is a huge segment of the population that is ostracized, intimidated, discriminated against, urine-tested, persecuted and/or incarcerated for their choice of medicine. Yes, medicine; cannabis is a medicine. To classify and thus stigmatize marijuana as a "drug" ignores both its physiological effects and its chemical makeup. ... Imagine ... a garden, perhaps private, perhaps communal, where you could grow the medicines you need for the cost of seed. Medicines for your body and spirit. In this garden of inspiration, you could explore your potential for health, well-being and, dare I say it in the midst of a political diatribe, higher consciousness! ... Careful what you grow: They may be watching. Consider this: Over two-and-a-half million harmless citizens have been arrested for cannabis just since Big Bill took office. So much for getting a baby boomer in the White House. Drug-war stats are staggering. I'll leave it to groups like NORML (check them out at www.norml.org) to show you the carnage. Which brings me to the practical edge of this letter. Let's vote these authoritarian, war-mongering half-wits out of office. The Republican and Democratic parties are an extinction waiting to happen. Rule one: Never again vote for the lesser of two evils, or against the dumber of two stupids; vote your conscience. Don't vote for the eco-cidal corporate police state, which both the Republicans and Democrats administer. Don't let your mind be managed and your decisions be determined by the mass media. ... Look at the alternatives and confront the candidates. One party for whom personal liberty is still a primary consideration is the Libertarian Party. An intelligent and compassionate woman (and mother) named Barbara Howe is running for governor. Ending the drug war is a very solid plank in her platform. Vote for her... Will cannabis hemp revolutionize our economy as an ecological source of paper, food, fuel and textiles? For our environmental integrity and well-being, I hope so. Will its psychedelic and medicinal cousin be allowed back in the garden? For our spiritual integrity and well-being, I hope so. Will the present corporate police state be demolished and replaced with a true democracy? Not if we continue to vote for the least repulsive candidate instead of someone who actually represents us and protects our rights. Many of you may agree with a bumper sticker I saw the other day. It said, "If voting could really change anything, it would be illegal." Well, strange as it seems, it can change things (if you don't vote Republican or Democrat). ... Political alternatives exist: Libertarian, Green and Natural Law. Organize, educate and, when the time comes, vote! Timothy "Anonymous" Leonard, Asheville