Pubdate: Wed, 09 May 2001
Source: Trail Daily Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2001 Trail Daily Times
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/britishcolumbia/trail/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1043
Author: Hubert Beyer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjparty.htm (Canadian Medical Marijuana Party)

EXCLUDING MJ PARTY UNDEMOCRATIC

Pandora Street runs from staid Oak Bay right to downtown Victoria.

It has a wide centre boulevard adorned with lawn and trees. It is 
heavily travelled and therefore an ideal location for election signs.

Yet, so far, the only signs sprouting on the lawn are of a mildly 
anarchistic character.

"Media-controlled Election Fraud," says one. Others ponder 
politicians' lack of ethics. But not one sign urging motorists to 
vote for this or that candidate.

I thought about the alleged media-controlled election fraud for a 
while and couldn't help but give the sign at least some credence, 
particularly as far as television's role in election campaigns is 
concerned.

The recent party leaders' debate on BCTV, an admittedly useless 
affair the constraints of which didn't allow for any real exchange of 
ideas, nevertheless was an example of how the media can sap democracy 
of its lifeblood.

Four parties were represented - the NDP, the Liberals, the Greens and 
the Unity party. The latter two are not running full slates in this 
election.

Another party that is running a full slate was barred from the 
debate. That would be the Marijuana party. In spite of the fact that 
it is fielding candidates in all 79 ridings, BCTV didn't deem it 
necessary to allow the party to take part in the leaders' debate.

It isn't difficult to guess why. A party named after an illegal 
substance causes shudders in the BCTV boardroom.

Yet, many of the Marijuana party candidates, a university professor 
and a former Alliance party bigwig included, don't smoke the stuff 
and don't want to. So what attracts them to the Marijuana party?

Freedom and choice, they will tell you. The freedom to choose a 
lifestyle not determined by the social engineering that has become 
the hallmark of Canadian governments.

Whenever critics of our system of government get vocal, the advice 
is: don't just protest, get involved. Run for political office, we 
tell them, and change the system from within.

So here, some people decided to do just that. They formed a political 
party and in no time at all, they had 79 candidates to run for office.

They knew that a one-issue party would not appeal to voters. So they 
hammered out a platform that includes policies on everything from 
education to health care.

And if you think the Marijuana party is a collection of left-wing 
would-be rebels, think again. Many of their policies are decidedly 
conservative, appealing to the right wing of the political spectrum.

Take school vouchers, for instance, giving people a choice to shop 
around for the school they believe best serves the needs of their 
children.

You may not like any of the policies advocated by the Marijuana party 
and that's fine. You don't have to vote for them. The point is that 
as a legally-constituted party, it has a right to be heard and vie 
with the other parties for the voters' favor.

And that's why BCTV's decision to bar the Marijuana party from the 
leaders' debate was a total abrogation of its responsibility as a 
disseminator of news.

Media-controlled election fraud? Well, maybe not quite, but certainly 
media-controlled news. And that should worry us.

And lest someone whisper it your ears, yes, my oldest son, Chuck, is 
one of the founders of the Marijuana party and a candidate in this 
election.

I may not support all the policies of the Marijuana party, but I am 
proud of my son for doing what we have taught all our children: Get 
involved.
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MAP posted-by: Josh Sutcliffe