US Marijuana Party

Friday, June 30, 2006

Pain Still Mandatory

Pain Still Mandatory After 109th Congress Votes Against Hinchey/Rohrabacher Amendment.

On June 28, 2006 the 109th U.S. Congress voted to allow the D.E.A. to continue raiding, arresting and prosecuting patients and caregivers for medical marijuana in the 11 states where such laws have been passed.

After spending about 5 hours watching these buffoons waste billions of taxpayer dollars I find myself longing for the power to make some elected officials spontaneously combust LIVE, on Color TV. Wouldn’t that be a cool power to have?

I’d start with the first one who got up and said “Marijuana has no medical value because it is a Schedule I drug like heroin, cocaine and meth, blah, blah, blah,”

Like this guy.


Rep Steve King – ( R ) Iowa- “I thank the chairman for yielding and the chance to address this issue. We heard from the other gentleman from Iowa, Mr. Latham, that the Food and Drug Administration has classified marijuana along with heroin, LSD, methamphetamine, hashish (as if hash is a different drug than pot) and a lot of other drugs as Schedule I drugs. That’s because they carry a high potential for dangerous abuse and so doctors in most states even prohibited them from being prescribed for medicinal purposes. That’s the standard that’s the national standard.”

Excuse me. Methamphetamine is a Schedule II drug meaning the D.E.A. has decided it has medicinal value. Please see
US DEA Schedule of Controlled Substances.


Methamphetamine in prescription form is sold under the name Desoxyn.
It is prescribed for severe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression and obesity. So, according to the FDA it is perfectly ok to use meth if you are fat, sad or hyper but not ok to consume a natural plant if you are in the agonizing throes of cancer or AIDS.

Why a bunch of assholes with Federal badges and guns are deciding anything medical is still beyond my ability to grasp. Additionally, doctors are NOT the ones who wrote the Schedule of Controlled Substances and they are not the ones who prohibit anything from being prescribed. They are, in increasingly alarming numbers, being arrested and prosecuted for prescribing the very drugs the DEA has said it is legal to prescribe. Anyone care to take a stab at the circular logic behind that one?

It should also be MANDATORY that any Rep. voting on any bill about drugs, drug use, drug abuse and/or drug addiction/treatment at the very least KNOW what the schedule of controlled substances says. Christ, is that just too much to ask?

If they get it wrong like Rep. King did then their vote should not count because their reason for voting was not an EDUCATED one. After their vote is disqualified they get ZAPPED for being unjustifiably and willfully stupid and lazy.

Next up in the ZAP line is,


Rep. Tom Latham- ( R ) - Iowa – Thank you Mr. Chairman. I rise in strong opposition to this bill. Let’s be clear marijuana is not harmless as some claim. It is a Schedule I drug under the controlled substances act meaning it has no accepted medical use in treatment and has a high potential for abuse. In fact, marijuana continues to be the most widely abused drug in the US. Those who anecdotally claim that marijuana has a medical benefit do not differentiate between THC and whole marijuana. Whole marijuana contains hundreds of chemicals many of which are harmful to ones health. An evaluation by several federal agencies concluded that no sound scientific studies supported marijuana’s medical use and smoking marijuana is not approved as legitimate medical use by the FDA. The bottom line is marijuana is an addictive substance that is linked to cancer and respiratory ailments and problems with the immune and reproductive system. And let me say that as a member of the speakers drug force, or drug task force or for drug free America, marijuana is the drug that will tell whether or not someone is going to get on meth, it is the precursor the gateway drug for heroin use, uh, as we continue to fight this battle on illegal drug use this is the drug that gets people started and anyone whose trying to send a message to our young people today should be embarrassed by having an amendment like this because this is telling people that this is ok, that its socially acceptable. That you can start here and it wont hurt you and, in fact, medically, scientifically, that is dead wrong. And the message we are sending to our children today is very strong whether we support legal use of marijuana as a precursor to methamphetamine to heroin this is the message we will be sending if we approve this. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote against this (pause) amendment.” (said with distaste and a shake of the head).

It is so easy to take apart what Rep. Latham said. For instance this comment,

“Whole marijuana contains hundreds of chemicals many of which are harmful to ones health. An evaluation by several federal agencies concluded that no sound scientific studies supported marijuana’s medical use and smoking marijuana is not approved as legitimate medical use by the FDA”

The first red flag is that federal agencies are notoriously famous for discounting studies that do not go along with what they want. They will commission a study and then throw it out when it does not say what they want and then they will proceed to waste more of our money commissioning more studies until they get the answer they desire. As for being approved by the FDA, well lets all remember that the FDA gave us VIOXX, which killed or injured 155,000 people and a host of other drugs stamped with their approval have done the same or worse. Marijuana has never killed or injured anyone anyone.

The second outright LIE is this, “The bottom line is marijuana is an addictive substance that is linked to cancer and respiratory ailments and problems with the immune and reproductive system.”

However according to the Washington Post; The largest study of its kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking marijuana, even regularly and heavily, does not lead to lung cancer.

The new findings "were against our expectations," said Donald Tashkin of the University of California at Los Angeles, a pulmonologist who has studied marijuana for 30 years. "We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more positive with heavier use," he said. "What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect."

Federal health and drug enforcement officials have widely used Tashkin's previous work on marijuana to make the case that the drug is dangerous. Tashkin said that while he still believes marijuana is potentially harmful, its cancer-causing effects appear to be of less concern than previously thought.


So, as we see here, Dr. Tashkin’s studies were sound and scientific when he was espousing beliefs that fit the prohibitionist way of thinking, but now that he has changed his tune his research is no longer sound or scientific. I think I’ll trust the judgement of a physician with a medical degree instead of some cornhuskers-turned-Congressmen from Iowa, thank you very much.

No offense to the good people of Iowa. I have no room to talk when it comes to ‘bumpkin Representatives’ in D.C., seeing as how my own

Senator Jeff Sessions once stated that he thought the Ku Klux Klan was ok until he learned some of them smoked pot. I was lucky that none of the Representatives from Alabama got up to speak in opposition. Thank God for small favors, eh?

Third. Is anyone really worried that some sick, little old lady cancer patient is going to suddenly run out and start snorting coke or smoking meth? From the arguments put forth on the House floor yesterday by those in opposition to this amendment you’d think that it was preordained by God Almighty that medical marijuana would lead to just that.

There were a couple more Reps who spoke in opposition but I won't nauseate you with the hurl-inducing details.

The best comment of the day came from Rep. Dave Obey from (D)-Wisconsin when he said,

“If I am terminally ill it isn’t the business of anybody on this floor how I handle the pain or the illness associated with that illness. With all due respect to all of you Butt Out! I didn’t enter this world with permission from the Department of Justice and I’m certainly not going to depart it by seeking their permission or any other authority.. The Congress has no business telling a patient how they can manage their pain or illness. I would trust any doctor in the nation before I would trust some of the Daffy Ducks in this institution to decide what I am supposed to do if I am terminally ill. The idea that we are somehow creating a gateway to drugs like meth is a JOKE. I detest meth. I’ve seen what it does. It is a plague on my district and especially in the Mid-West. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the management of pain and misery for people who are sick and dying. When is this congress going to recognize that individuals in their private lives have the right to manage their problems as they see fit without permission from the big guy in the White House and the big guy in the Justice Department or any of the Lilliputians on this Congressional floor? Wake up!”

A-fuckin-men!

My take on this is very much like Rep. Obey's.

I am sick of asking these bastards for permission. Asking them to grant
permission is also giving them to power to say NO...as they continue to do.

Not to diminish any of the hard work done by all of those groups and individuals who have lobbied, called, emailed and visited their congressional representative in person. I may be counted among their numbers..but it’s time for us to get off our knees and stop begging our slave masters for permission to ease our pain or, alter our consciousness for recreational purposes, for that matter. That is not theirs to decide.

Why aren't there more of us running for office at state and federal level?
There are MANY members of various organizations as well as individuals in the United States of America with enough political experience gained through drug policy reform work to step up and RUN.

I’m running for the highest office in the State of Alabama with much less experience than most of my drug policy reform colleagues and I am having a huge impact despite all of the obstacles placed in my way by those currently in power. Imagine what some of you could do in a state with less restrictive ballot access laws?

Others running for state and federal office in the 2006 mid-term elections with a drug policy reform plank in their platforms are,

Cliff Thornton for Governor of Connecticut

Kevin Zeese for U.S. Senate (MD)

Ben Masel for Senate in Wisconsin
$1 contributions can be sent to:
Masel for Senate
1214 East Mifflin Street
Madison, WI 53703

Roger Goodman for WA. State
Representative


To me this is the only way we will ever get what we want in the halls of our
government....we have to BE the GOVERNMENT...either that or just damn defy
them in mass numbers come hell or high water.

I know some of you will say. “Well, I am not a politician and I don’t know how to do what they do.”

Guess what? They don’t know what the hell they are doing. One thing I have learned in my very limited experience in politics is that it’s all make-believe. None of this is real. Anyone can do it. The people currently elected to public office are not special. They are not superhuman. They are not smarter than you. In many cases they are dumber than rocks and so far out of touch with their constituents that it is disgraceful. These people are not Gods and they do not belong on pedestals.

I am not saying that lobbying efforts should cease. I am saying that in addition to lobbying efforts by groups and individuals there should be a massive battle being waged on the election front. Our elected officials understand one thing and one thing only. FORCE! When we stand up and begin to FORCE them out of a job then we will begin to see the results we are striving to achieve.

To see how your representative voted please see the
Roll Call.


If your representative voted to keep pain mandatory then start organizing a campaign against their re-election. Consider running for office yourself. Stop begging. Get off your knees. Pick up your “I’m gonna kick your ass out of office club" and start swingin’ it.

If your representative voted to keep Uncle Sam and his Hell Hounds out of your garden and your medicine cabinet then send them some money and a thank you note. They deserve it.

Sorry if my militant message pisses anyone off....but damn.... my knees are
sore.

Your Compatriot in the Fight for Liberty,
Loretta Nall
Vote Nall Y'all...It's Just Common Sense

Other notable quotes from the day.

Rep. Maurice Hinchey – (D) NY-“This amendment has to do with two things. It has to do with compassion. Compassion for people that are very seriously ill or dying. And the ability of those states in which they live to provide means by which their suffering can be relieved. It also has to do with one other point and that is states rights. The ability of the states to determine how medical care will be regulated in those states. We have 11 states in this country Mr. Chairman who have determined that it is in the interest of the people in those states that they be allowed to use marijuana for medicinal purposes to alleviate the suffering of such things as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, MS, those states are Alaska, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Hawaii, RI, Vermont & Washington. The federal government has decided that they are going to intervene and prevent those states from carrying out the laws which were passed in two cases by the state legislatures and in 9 cases by referendum by the people of those states. We will hear from the people who oppose this amendment that marijuana has something to do with a gateway drug in other words it introduces people to other drugs. This amendment has nothing whatsoever to do with that. This amendment has nothing to do with drug addiction, this amendment has nothing to do with the potential for drug addiction. This amendment simply has to do with the ability of states to relieve the suffering of their citizens without federal intervention and the right of states to pass laws regulating medical practice without federal intervention. It is a very simple amendment and it ought to be passed. Those people here who believe in small government should support it. Those people here who believe in the issue of states rights ought to support it. Those people here who believe that state governments and the people in those governments have the right to take care of their citizens and alleviate their suffering…those people in this house ought to support this amendment as well.”



Dana Rohrabacher - (D) California – “Thank you Mr. Chairman. I rise in strong support of the Hinchey/Rohrabacher amendment. Our amendment would prohibit any funds made available in this act to the Dept. of Justice from being used to prevent the implementation of legally passed state laws in those 11 states authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Our coalition of freedom minded Republicans and Democrats on this issue is based on compassion for those who are suffering, a commitment to personal liberty and a firm belief in the principles of federalism.”



“The use of marijuana to ease the pain of victims of a wide variety of medical conditions is well known and increasingly documented in the media and in medical journals. For many of these people medical science has not been able to relieve their pain.

Just recently a friend of mine and a friend of many years passed away. Lyn Nofziger. And many of you here probably know him. He was Ronald Reagan’s first Press Secretary. I went to see him after he got out of the hospital with his treatments for cancer. He had his good days and his bad days. I saw him about a week before he died, and I asked Lyn about it and he said, “Yes, sometimes it’s bad other times its not but I couldn’t get myself to eat and I had this pain no matter what they did for me.” And I said, “Did you ever try that medical marijuana that we have been talking about and debating about?” and he got a twinkle in his eye and he says, “Yes I did and it brought my appetite back and I slept like a baby.”

“Don’t tell me that we should have fed law enforcement people come in to a state where people have approved and if a doctor agrees and get in the way of Lyn Nofziger and any other people who are suffering and use federal money and federal resources that should be used should be going to fight crime in order to create that obstacle. That’s a travesty. Individuals who live in the 11 states affected by this amendment have been granted by their voter in these states the legal right to use marijuana to alleviate their pain if a doctor agrees. If the voters have so voted and the doctor agrees it is a travesty for the government to intercede, for the federal government to allocate our scarce resources to fighting this..getting in the way of someone using something to alleviate their suffering. This is something that should be left to the states as American tradition dictates. Sandra Day O’Connor stated it best when she stated that states should serve as a laboratory so that people can try certain new ideas out to see how they work. Well, this federal government shouldn’t get in the way of what is going on in these 11 states to see how this works. The most recent decision of the Supreme Court has thrown the ball into the hands of the US Congress. Justice John Paul Stevens made it clear. “The voices of voters may one day be heard in the halls of Congress on behalf of legalizing medical marijuana. 11 states have already acted.”

Thursday, June 29, 2006

4 tons of marijuana, 805 pounds of cocaine seized in border probe

By SCOTT GUTIERREZ
Seattle Post Intelligencer
06/29/06

BELLINGHAM -- Forty-five people have been indicted in connection to a smuggling network that relied on helicopters to deliver tons of marijuana and cocaine between Canada and Washington and boasted to be "better than FedEx," U.S. and Canadian authorities announced today. Forty people have been arrested so far.

The two-year investigation, dubbed "Operation Frozen Timber," pitted law enforcement agents on both sides of the border against smugglers who dropped payloads of "B.C. bud" into remote wooded locations in exchange for cocaine that they ferried back to Canada.

Pot smoke wafting through drive-thru window gives pair away

(Buffalo, NY-AP) June 29, 2006 - Police say a pair of pot smokers picked the wrong moment to use the drive-through window. The two men pulled up to the drive-through at a KFC in Buffalo, New York, Wednesday afternoon.

Inside the restaurant, a couple of narcotics detectives were ordering their usual Wednesday special. They say a cloud of marijuana smoke wafted into the restaurant, and they spotted the two men smoking what one of the detectives described as "the biggest marijuana cigar your ever saw."

The detectives went outside and arrested the two. They're charged with possession of marijuana and smoking it in public.

Cops seize marijuana, assorted fireworks, and '98 Lexus

2 men from South Shore are caught allegedly transporting illegal items
Thursday, June 29, 2006
By JEFF HARRELL
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER

Police continued their offensive against illegal fireworks with two arrests, one involving two Staten Islanders who also were reported to be carrying marijuana.

Christopher Cusumano, 36, of Seguine Avenue in Prince's Bay, and Michael J. Rubel, 33, of Mallow Street, Rossville, were stopped at about 7:05 p.m. Tuesday in a 1998 Lexus on the Staten Island Expressway near Route 440 North by cops who had tracked them back to the Island from Pennsylvania, police said.

Cops searched the vehicle and seized more than $500 worth of bottle rockets, sparklers, grand finales and assorted other fireworks from the rear passenger seat and the trunk, police said.

During a subsequent search, the officers found a container filled with alleged marijuana in Cusumano's pants pocket and a pipe containing a "blackened leafy substance" in the car's center console.

Cusamano and Rubel were charged with one count each of unlawful dealing with fireworks and unlawful possession of marijuana, and cops also seized the Lexus.

About 30 minutes later, Noel Vargas, 40, of Remsen Street, Dongan Hills, was pulled over in the 500 block of Targee Street, where police searched the trunk of his Chevy Geo and confiscated approximately $75 worth of "spinners, bottle rockets, multipacks [and] firecrackers," police alleged.

Vargas was charged with one count of unlawfully dealing with fireworks and police also seized his vehicle.

Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment Squashed in Congress; Yet Another Victory in Drug Policy, Proclaims Drug Free America Foundation

To: National Desk

Contact: Lana Beck of the Drug Free America Foundation, 727-828-0211 or 727-403-7571

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., June 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Hinchey- Rohrabacher amendment would have prohibited the U.S. Department of Justice (including the DEA) from allocating funds to enforce federal drug laws in states that have legalized marijuana for so- called medical purposes. This amendment was soundly defeated in Congress by a vote of 259 to 163.

Despite the drug legalizers' dogged efforts to influence Congress, they failed. Although the pro-drug lobby touts biased polls that create an illusion that the majority of people are for marijuana as so-called medicine, the facts show that our legislators listen to their constituents and not the drug pushers. Legislators wisely considered the scientific evidence that dispels claims of marijuana being a legitimate medicine.

"This victory indicates an end to the medical marijuana scam," says Calvina Fay, Executive Director of Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. "Last year in the Raich v. Gonzales Supreme Court Case, the justices ruled in our favor against smoked marijuana as medicine. Then on April 20, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement concluding that they continue to support marijuana's placement as a Schedule I drug and agree that there is sound evidence that smoked marijuana is harmful. This reaffirms that medicine by popular vote is a dangerous process that bypasses the FDA, reduces consumer protections and jeopardizes sick patients."

Drug Free America Foundation is dedicated to fighting drug use, drug addiction and drug trafficking and to promoting effective, sound drug policies, education and prevention. It is equally committed to exposing and refuting the drug legalization advocates and their deceptive tactics.

If you would like to set up an interview regarding this issue with Calvina Fay or several other drug policy and prevention experts, please contact Lana Beck, Director of Communications, at 727-828-0211 or 727-403-7571.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment Defeated In Congress

06/28/06

Tin-Pot Tyrants Uphold Persecution Of The Terminally Ill
Congress Stands in Direct Opposition to the Will Of The People
Congress Pounds Yet Another Nail into the Coffin of Federalism

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Rep. Dave Obey (D)-Wisconsin spoke in favor of the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment:

"If I am terminally ill it isn't the business of anybody on this floor how I handle the pain or the illness associated with that illness. With all due respect to all of you Butt Out! I didn't enter this world with permission from the Department of Justice to and I'm certainly not going to depart it by seeking their permission or any other authority.

The Congress has no business telling a patient how they can manage their pain or illness. I would trust any doctor in the nation before I would trust some of the Daffy Ducks in this institution to decide what I am supposed to do if I am terminally ill.

The idea that we are somehow creating a gateway to drugs like meth is a JOKE. I detest meth. I've seen what it does it is a plague on my district and especially in the Mid-West .It has nothing whatsoever to do with the management of pain and misery for people who are sick and dying.

When is this congress going to recognize that individuals their private lives that people have the right to manage their problems as they see fit without permission from the big guy in the White House and the big guy in the Justice Department or any of the Lilliputians on this congressional floor? Wake up!"

'Bama's Simpson to enter drug program

Associated Press
Fox Sports
06/28/06

BESSEMER, Ala. (AP) - Alabama linebacker Juwan Simpson agreed to enter a pretrial drug program during a brief court appearance that a defense attorney said was the first step toward resolving misdemeanor marijuana, theft and weapons charges.

Impaired reasoning

by Jacob Sullum
Town Hall, DC
06/28/06

A police officer pulls you over at a checkpoint and asks, "Have you been drinking?" Assuming he wants to know whether you have consumed alcohol in the last few hours, such that it might be affecting your ability to drive, you say no. "Not at all?" he asks. Well, you admit, you did have a beer the night before, whereupon he arrests you for driving under the influence.

If that scenario makes sense to you, you should have no problem with Michigan's new policy regarding driving and drug use. As recently interpreted by the state Supreme Court, Michigan law prohibits marijuana smokers from driving long after the drug's psychoactive effects have disappeared. A dozen states have similar policies, and federal drug officials think all of them should, which would in effect revoke or periodically suspend the driver's licenses of more than 25 million Americans.

Indictments issued in muffin incident

KVUE, TX
06/28/06

A Dallas County grand jury returned indictments Wednesday against two teens in connection with the delivery of marijuana-laced muffins to the Lake Highlands High School teachers' lounge last month.

Former Bishop Lynch High School student Ian McConnell Walker and former Lake Highlands student Joseph Robert Tellini, both 18, each face five counts of assault of a public servant.

Officials said 18 school staff members were hospitalized May 16 after snacking on the drugged pastries, though none were seriously injured.

At a news conference May 26, Mr. Walker called the incident "juvenile and stupid" and expressed regret in the incident. Mr. Tellini has not made a public statement.

Mr. Walker's attorney Tim Menchu would only say he is "disappointed" by Wednesday's indictment.

As a result of the indictments, new warrants have been issued for the teens' arrest.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Britain 'deserves its drugs problem' says UN

By Andy McSmith and Stephen Castle
Belfast Telegraph, United Kingdom
06/27/06

Cannabis use has turned into a pandemic that is causing almost as much harm as cocaine or heroin, the head of the United Nations anti-drugs office says. He criticised governments, such as the UK’s, which have downgraded the cannabis threat, saying that they have got the “drug problem they deserve”.

Sask. Marijuana Party raises money for food bank

Sarah MacDonald
The StarPhoenix, Canada
06/26/06

With a cannabis leaf flag flapping and the sounds of the jazz festival in the backgroud, the Saskatchewan Marijuana Party held a barbecue in Kiwanis Park Saturday afternoon to raise money for its coffers and for the Saskatoon Food Bank.

The barbecue was its first event since gaining official party status on June 7. The marijuana party plans to help the community as well as campaign to legalize cannabis.

"As a community-minded organization, we will endeavour to help those who are most in need where we can," said Nathan Holowaty, the party leader.

The party has been in the works since October 2004. Mike Kereiff, the deputy leader, said he's been involved in the party "since Day 1." He said that when Marc Emery, a B.C. marijuana activist, was released from jail in Saskatoon in October 2004 after serving a sentence for drug traffi cking, some of his supporters had a celebration. At that point, they decided to start a Saskatchewan Marijuana Party.

Cannabis Ice Tea goes on sale in Britain

24dash.com
Press Association
06/25/06

An ice tea containing cannabis extract is hitting stores in the UK.

C-Ice Swiss Cannabis Ice Tea is being marketed for its health benefits.

All narcotic elements of the plant have been removed to make the drink legal.

But David Raynes, policy adviser at the National Drug Prevention Alliance UK, warned: "This is a normalisation of cannabis as an image in young people's minds. So many people come off the rails because of cannabis, particularly young boys and early teens."

The chilled black tea is described as having "added hemp blossom syrup with an extract of hemp bloom".

It comes in individual cardboard orange "cans" decorated with cannabis leaves and the slogan "fantastic natural feeling".

Produced by an Austrian company and using hemp grown in Switzerland, the product is already available on the Continent and in South Africa.

The £1.29 ready-to-drink cans are being distributed via health food shops.

Lubbock County Uses Drug Money to Buy Property

KCBD-TV, TX
06/26/06

When it comes to weapons training, the Lubbock County Sheriff's deputies will soon have a place to call their own. A firing range was seized in a drug raid more than two years ago. Now, Lubbock County Commissioners are buying it with drug money.

Commissioner Patti Jones says, "It's a win win situation. We are going to get a piece of property that was seized in a drug raid and then funds that the sheriff's office acquires over the next three years will be applied towards that so it's a great win win situation for Lubbock County."

The firing range sits on about 35 acres of land northeast of Reese. The previous property owner was sentenced to six years in prison for trafficking prescription pain killers.

20 years after, a legacy hijacked

Salt Lake Tribune
By Clarence Page
Tribune Media Services
06/27/06

WASHINGTON--Twenty years have passed since the cocaine-induced death of basketball wizard Len Bias touched off a war on drugs. His legacy, in the odd way that politics play out, is harsher penalties for crack cocaine, which is not quite the same drug that Bias used.

The wrong way to fight the war on drugs

By Jim Bildner and Madeline Drexler
Boston Globe
06/27/06

THIRTY-FIVE YEARS ago this month, President Richard Nixon launched the modern-day war on drugs, calling illicit substances ``America's public enemy number one." Today -- after endless confiscations and arrests, stacks of scientific reports, and hundreds of billions of dollars in government funding -- Americans are left with one conclusion: The war on drugs has failed.

Losing the Drug War -- Decriminalization would be more effective than drug eradication

The Monitor View
Editorial
Monitor, TX
06/27/06

The police are doing what they’re supposed to, but they’re fighting a losing battle because the drug war ignores economics and common sense.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Green Party Connecticut governor hopeful: Let's end drug war

By RAY HACKETT
Norwich Bulletin, CT

COLCHESTER -- No one will ever accuse Clifford Thornton of shyness.

The 61-year-old retired businessman and Green Party candidate for governor is passionately blunt in describing what he sees as the failure of government -- and unconcerned if some find his sharp and pointed criticisms offensive.

"The war on drugs is meant to be waged, not won," he said, adding billions have been spent building prisons and fighting the drug war with no tangible evidence of success. "That's money that could have been spent on education, transportation infrastructure, housing, economic development and myriad other programs."

Blumner: Supreme Court has unleashed an 'invading army'

Salt Lake Tribune
By Robyn Blumner
Tribune Media Services
06/26/06

And when police come charging through the wrong door, they aren't dressed in a trench-coat and Dockers. These raids are typically conducted by militarized SWAT teams, outfitted for war. They are dressed in black masks and carry military-issue automatic weapons and other paramilitary gear, obtained gratis from the Pentagon. People who experienced such a raid must have felt like they were being attacked by an invading army. It isn't any wonder that, as in war, there is significant ''collateral damage.''

Sunday, June 25, 2006

THREE ARRESTS IN HEALDSBURG MARIJUANA OPERATION

CBS 5, CA
06/23/06 5:45 PDT

SANTA ROSA (BCN)

Narcotics agents from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the California National Guard have arrested three people in connection with an indoor marijuana growing operation in Healdsburg.

Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Bertoli said agents searched the property on Chiquita Road today and discovered a sophisticated four-room growing operation in a barn on the property. Agents eradicated 630 plants.

Bertoli said to eliminate detection, the residents manufactured a bypass at the PG&E meter that enabled them to steal electric power for the grow operation.

One room of the barn was used for cloning plants, another room was used to further their growth and the plants were then placed in two rooms until they matured, Bertoli said.

The street value of the plants at full maturity is estimated at $630,000 and the street value of the three pounds of manicured marijuana found at the site is $12,000, Bertoli said.

The National Guard's Team Wolf agents found $5,000 in currency wrapped in a vacuum seal bag under dirt and leaves beneath a cinder block, Bertoli said. The soldiers then located $140,000 buried in Ziploc and vacuum seal bags about one foot in the soil under a planter box, Bertoli said.

Agents arrested Richard Nall, 58, and Roxie Nall, 51, of Healdsburg for suspicion of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and theft of utilities.

Seth W. Russell, 24, of San Francisco, was arrested for suspicion of cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to sell. All three suspects were booked into the Sonoma County jail under $500,000 bail.

Teenager to sue detention center

South Bend Tribune, IN
06/25/06

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- A young woman who says she was sexually abused at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center said she intends to sue the center and the Indiana Department of Correction for failing to protect her.

The woman said she was assaulted by a detention center youth manager on Feb. 5, 2000, when she was 13, and that center officials did not properly investigate or respond to her allegation.

The woman also said in her notice of intent to sue that she told a counselor at the state-run Indiana Girls School in Indianapolis about the alleged assault, but her complaint was not reported to child welfare authorities as required by law, The Indianapolis Star reported Friday.

Chillicothe park drops festival

Springfield State Journal Register, IL
By DAVE HANEY
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
06/25/06

CHILLICOTHE - Three Sisters Park has had enough of Summer Camp.

The annual outdoor music festival more than doubles the population of Chillicothe, with concertgoers from across the country trekking to this Peoria County town.

For three days and nights last month, more than 8,000 Summer Camp attendees reveled in jam-band harmony while shelling out their tourist dollars to many of the local businesses.

Unfortunately, the concert also has come to symbolize a draw for illegal drug users and distributors and potential life-threatening consequences.

As a result, park manager Chris Cassidy said last week the privately owned Three Sisters will no longer host the event.

CAMP season begins

Chris Durant
Times-Standard, CA
06/25/06

The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, coming off its record-breaking 2005 season, is about to begin efforts to rid the state of as many large marijuana growing operations as possible.

Attorney General Bill Lockyer's office said the 23-year-old program has found and destroyed 5.2 million plants that had an estimated value of more than $20 billion.

Last year 1,134,693 plants were found and destroyed statewide.

”Last year's success is a direct result of a law enforcement cooperative effort and the hard work of the individuals who work on CAMP teams and sheriff's departments,” said CAMP Commander Michael Johnson. “It is CAMP's mission to effectively impact illegal marijuana production, take back and make safe public lands and do this in the safest manner possible.”

Marijuana initiative aims for low priority

By SEAN BRESLIN
The Missoulian, MT
06/25/06

A local activist group has proposed a ballot initiative that would make marijuana offenses the lowest priority, causing law enforcement officials to question the group's motives and the measure's validity.

The measure - proposed by Citizens for Responsible Crime Policy - would make “citations, arrests, property seizures, and prosecutions for adult marijuana offenses Missoula County's lowest law enforcement priority.”

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Ex-Inmates Say Prison Sex Abuse Rampant

Forbes
By BRENT KALLESTAD
AP
06/22/06

Former inmate Ashley Turner was not surprised to hear that investigators had raided a federal prison to arrest guards accused of having sex with inmates. She said she was pressured by guards at the same facility.

Wednesday's raid set off a deadly shootout when one of the guards pulled a handgun on federal agents. But the confrontation also raised new questions about whether men should be assigned to guard women's facilities.

Turner said she never had sex with the guards at the Tallahassee Federal Correctional Institution, but they coerced her to strip and touch herself sexually. She said other inmates would have sex with guards in exchange for cell phones, money and marijuana.

The sex-for-contraband scheme had been going on for years, she said, and involved more than the six guards who were indicted.

"That list should probably be three times longer," said Turner, who was released in 2004 after serving slightly more than three years for bank fraud. "These are just the ones who hung around long enough to get arrested."

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Good Samaritan Hospital dismisses ER doctor arrested on pot charge

The Journal News.com, NY
By STEVE LIEBERMAN
06/22/06

SUFFERN — Good Samaritan Hospital yesterday dismissed an emergency room doctor arrested at work on accusations of possessing marijuana.

Dr. Eric Silva, 49, of New City was charged Tuesday night with second-degree aggravated harassment, a misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation.

Suffern police said officers arrested Silva in the hospital parking lot on a warrant charging him with aggravated harassment.

A complaint had been made by a woman, police said.

After arresting Silva, officers accused him of possessing a marijuana cigarette, Detective Craig Long said.

"He was stopped based on an arrest warrant," Long said. "It was at that point the officers found a marijuana cigarette."

Silva was released without bail by Justice Matthew Byrne, who signed an order of protection mandating that Silva stay away from the woman who filed the complaint, Long said.

Silva is due back in court July 18.

Because he was arrested on hospital property, Silva could not perform his duties and is no longer associated with the hospital, said Dr. Michael Lippe, the hospital's emergency room director.

Pot Smokers Now Face DUI Charges in Michigan

WLNS, MI
06/22/06

There are now stricter penalties in Michigan for people caught driving after smoking marijuana. The State Supreme Court has made it easier to prosecute drivers with a chemical found in their body that's released as the active ingredient in marijuana, THC is broken down.

Those drivers can now be charged with "driving while intoxicated." The ruling also says prosecutors don't have to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a person was intoxicated while driving, just that the chemical was present in their body at the time they were behind the wheel.


releated stories: Google

Police: 2 Penn St. students, alum growing hundreds of pot plants

Associated Press
Centre Daily Times, PA
06/22/06

ALTOONA, Pa. - Two Penn State University students and a recent graduate were charged with possessing more than $500,000 worth of marijuana plants seized from an apartment.

The 346 plants were found Sunday afternoon after firefighters answered a false alarm call reporting a fire in the building. Altoona police got a search warrant and seized the plants, which prosecutors said have an estimated street value of $519,000.

Kimberly Jasorka, 22, of Womelsdorf, Jared Gagne, 23, of Altoona, and Patrick Kelly, 23, of State College, were arrested Tuesday in State College. Jasorka graduated in 2005.

They were charged with manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Gun, pot, duct tape round out strange crime scene

Katu.com, OR
06/22/06

CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore - The series of events that landed three men in police custody Wednesday even had officers scratching their heads.

According to police, three men apparently burglarized the Clackamas County home of Brad Poppino, taking a large quantity of marijuana, which Poppino, 43, has a medical exemption to legally grow.

But they didn't take all of it, and Poppino, along with neighbor Drew Kester, 27, reportedly decided to lay in wait for the burglary suspects to return to complete the pot heist.

Which they did.

Poppino and Kester confronted the three men, and two of them fled.

But Paul Canul, 18, reportedly pulled out a gun. Somehow, he was subdued, bound with duct tape and beaten by Poppino and Kester.

According to Detective Jim Strovink of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Poppino and Kester then threatened to cut off one of Canul's toes for every hour the two other men did not return with the stolen marijuana.

The two alleged burglars then called police, informing them of the situation at Poppino's home.

Police arrived at the home and took Poppino, Kester and Canul into custody.

Police say Poppino does have a license to grow six marijuana plants, but officers discovered about 50 in his residence.

The investigation is continuing.

Pot activists' hearing hits legal-aid snag

SHANNON KARI
Globe and Mail, Canada
06/22/06

VANCOUVER -- The possible extradition of Marc Emery to the United States to face charges of distributing marijuana seeds is stalled because of a dispute about legal funding for one of his two co-defendants.

Convict, then forfeit

Muskogee Daily Phoenix, OK
Editorial
06/22/06

District Attorney Richard Gray said he anticipated “some glitches” in a recent audit. Missing $14,723 in forfeiture money is no glitch. It’s out-and-out mismanagement and incompetence, and calling it a glitch is a poor excuse for spin doctoring.

If someone in business or government came to Gray, who is the district attorney for Wagoner, Cherokee, Adair and Sequoyah counties, and said more than $14,000 was missing from the business or government agency, Gray would be conducting a criminal investigation, not looking for a glitch.

Beginning in the 1980s during the start of the War on Drugs, district attorneys were allowed to seize and forfeit suspects’ property that they believe may have been used in the commission of a crime.

Sometimes those suspects are never charged. Sometimes they are charged and found not guilty, but have no recourse for the return of their property. And some accuse DAs of offering and settling for lighter sentences just so they can get property and cash in exchange.

The bonanza has provided prosecutors and their drug task forces with funding to fight crime, but it has also led to the things we’re seeing, loose accounting of seized property and complaints from people that law officers are seizing property that has no part in any crime.

We have said it before — forfeitures of property should not be allowed unless a person is convicted of a crime. And any money or property forfeited from illegal activity — after a conviction — should not return to police departments or district attorney offices, but should be used in drug rehabilitation and victim compensaton.

Thornton: "Cocaine Use Has Double-Standard as Seen in Bridgeport Mayor Case"

Green Party US (press release), DC
06/22/06

Hartford, CT – ‘Bridgeport Mayor John Fabrizi should use the media spotlight now on him to expose the hypocrisy and double standards of the war on drugs,” said Cliff Thornton, the Connecticut Green Party candidate for Governor.

“Mayor Fabrizi’s acknowledgment that he snorted cocaine while in office reveals a double-standard,” Thornton said. “Powerful white politicians are held to one standard of behavior, and poor, brown and black people are prosecuted based on another standard for this same behavior.”

Witness says officers prepped informant in meth case

Macon Telegraph, GA
GREG BLUESTEIN
Associated Press

ROME, Ga. - A witness testified Thursday that investigators told an undercover informant to talk fast and use a slang term for methamphetamine as part of a sweeping drug sting that defense lawyers contend unfairly targeted South Asian-owned stores.

John Edward Ross told a federal judge that a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent told his cousin to buy pseudoephedrine, which can be used to produce meth, and tell the clerk he was going to make a "cook."

The ACLU wants U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy to toss out the cases against dozens of South Asian merchants indicted last year in Operation Meth Merchant, a sting designed to send a message to retailers knowingly selling methamphetamine-related products to drug makers.

The group contends that prosecutors and police selectively targeted South Asians during an 18-month investigation that aimed to curb the sale of household products used to manufacture methamphetamines, while ignoring white-owned stores in the drug sting.

Ross, who overheard the conversation while preparing to drive his cousin to the store, said when his cousin objected the officer told him they were going to "close these Indian stores down because they can't speak good English."


-------------------------------
ACLU on ACLU Reveals Proof of Racial Targeting in Major Meth Investigation
(4/5/2006)

Baby born with meth, other drugs in its system

WAFF, AL
06/21/06

A Valley woman faces charges of torture after giving birth to a baby that had meth and other illegal drugs in its system.

Franklin County Sheriff Larry Plott says the case is unusual and disturbing.

"Even though this child would be weeks old it has the symptoms, feelings as an addict even though its small," says Sheriff Plott.

Nall Launches Campaign Ads

These ads will begin airing on Friday, June 23, 2006 in the Montgomery market. They will run for three weeks. If you'd like to help me air them in other Alabama markets you may do so by clicking HERE

Drug Policy

Initiative & Referendum

Government Schools

Out Jesus

Iraqi Democracy

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Student Is Charged In Camera Incident

By LYNNE TUOHY
Hartford Courant
06/17/06

WEST HARTFORD -- It was a busy day at Conard High School Thursday, what with the release of scores of crickets in the cafeteria as a senior prank and the arrest of student council president Francisco Acevedo Jr., after he video-recorded what he said was excessive use of force by a police officer in the midst of the chaos.

Acevedo was suspended and faces the prospect of not being able to graduate with his classmates Wednesday or attend the school's post-graduation party. Acevedo, 18, and his attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, were in federal court Friday seeking a restraining order that would permit Acevedo to graduate. They also want a judge to order West Hartford police not to tamper with or destroy Acevedo's digital camera and memory card, which Officer James Parizo took from him at the school.

Friday, June 16, 2006

DEA Microgram Bulletin


(MARIJUANA GUMBALLS) IN HOWARD COUNTY, MARYLAND
May 06

County OKs pot plan: Board passes ordinance for marijuana citation

By DAN SIMMONS
LaCrosse Tribune, WI
06/16/06

A new La Crosse County ordinance would send criminal charges up in smoke for low-risk offenders busted with under 25 grams — a little less than an ounce — of marijuana.

At a Thursday meeting, the county board voted 15-12 to pass the ordinance, which would send first-time offenders away with a citation and fine instead of a misdemeanor charge.

Giambra is right; new approach needed to drug war

By NICOLAS EYLE
Op/Ed
Buffalo News
06/15/06

We've spent billions of dollars on drug prohibition in New York State. What's the result? Drugs went from being a small problem confined, for the most part, to a few jazz musicians and some experimenting college students, to a common commodity in our schools.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Drug War, What Is It Good For?

by Dmitry Chernikov
lewrockwell.com
06/16/06

Warrant required, knock on door optional

The government owns your home

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A split Supreme Court ruled Thursday that drug evidence seized in a home search can be used against a suspect even though police failed to knock on the door and wait a "reasonable" amount of time before entering.

The 5-4 decision continues a string of rulings since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that in general give law enforcement greater discretion to carry out search-and-seizure warrants.

President Bush's nominees to the high court, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, notably sided with the government.

-------------------------
Hudson v. Michigan: Cato Expert Says Court is Wrong on "No-Knock" Police Raids
06/15/06

Mexico lawmakers work to revive drug bill

Penn Live, PA
By IOAN GRILLO
The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — Mexican lawmakers are working to revive their bill decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and heroin, and hope to override a veto if necessary, saying the reform will help curb drug-related violence that has killed more than 600 people this year.

President Vicente Fox called on Congress to drop decriminalization from the drug-law overhaul after intense lobbying from the U.S. State Department and mayors of several U.S. border cities, who called it a disaster that would encourage hordes of young Americans to cross the border for "drug tourism." Mexico's Roman Catholic Church also opposes it.

With the July 2 election looming and lawmakers limited to one term, any reform could be stalled until after a new president is inaugurated in December.

"Consumption and addiction are public health issues, while drug dealing is a criminal problem," said Rep. Eliana Garcia, who worked with the federal attorney general's office as well as the health and public safety departments to draft the original bill. "When you mix them you get corruption."

Sweeping meth epidemic 'grossly overstated'

Contra Costa Times, CA
By Mark Sherman
ASSOCIATED PRESS
06/15/06

WASHINGTON - Methamphetamine use is rare in most of the United States, not the raging epidemic described by politicians and the news media, says a study by an advocacy group.

Meth is a dangerous drug but among the least commonly used, the Sentencing Project policy analyst Ryan King wrote in a report issued Wednesday.

Rates of use have been stable since 1999, and among teenagers, meth use has dropped, King said.

"The portrayal of methamphetamine in the United States as an epidemic spreading across the country has been grossly overstated," King said. The Sentencing Project is a not-for-profit group that supports alternatives to prison terms for convicted drug users and other criminals.

Overheated rhetoric, unsupported assertions and factual errors about the use of the drug -- including frequent, misguided comparisons between meth and crack cocaine -- lead to poor decisions about how to spend precious public dollars combating drug addiction, King said.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy did not immediately comment on the report.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Fifty pounds of pot discovered inside newly purchased furniture

WHDH-TV, MA
06/13/06

BILLERICA, Mass. -- A couple finds a surprise inside a vanity for their new bathroom.

When they opened the cabinet, which was bought by a contractor at a Home Depot in Tewksbury, the couple found inside 50 pounds of marijuana.

Investigators say the box does not look like it was tampered with.

Both local police and the Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating.

No comment as of yet has been made from Home Depot on the drug discovery.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Nall Campaign Coverage on For the Record

Loretta Nall and Dick Clark
Alabama Public Television
06/06/06

Tim Lennox of Alabama Public Television's For the Record gave my campaign some coverage on Tuesday nights election results show. There is also a very good interview with Dick Clark who is chair of the Alabama Libertarian Party and a candidate for House District 79.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Countering meth incursion in Md.

Matthew Dolan
Baltimore Sun, United States
06/12/06

QUANTICO, VA. // In World War II-era Quonset huts deep inside this sprawling Marine Corps base, two Harford County sheriff's deputies spent a week learning how to cook methamphetamine.

The illegal drug recipe isn't hard or especially secret. The primary ingredients are cold medicine, denatured alcohol, phosphorus, reagents and iodine.

"It's not rocket science," Deputy 1st Class Greg Young said.

Still, for the 35-year-old deputy, the final white powdery product was striking to see for the first time. Young wants to be able to recognize the ingredients of a drug that has been popping up in his largely rural county with increasing frequency.

The deputies' cooking instruction came as part of an effort by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to train authorities across Maryland and other states to identify, dismantle and secure clandestine methamphetamine labs.

Items seized during busts proving useful in war on drugs

Phillip Ramati
Macon Telegraph, GA
06/12/06

Last month, drug investigators from the Bibb County and Monroe County sheriff's departments unveiled what they seized during a major marijuana bust.

Along with the drugs, weapons and cash the suspect had with him, officers seized a 2002 Ford F-150 pickup, a Yamaha four-wheel all-terrain vehicle, three brand-new flat-screen TVs, DVD players, VCRs, a home-theater system and video game systems - about $30,000 worth of merchandise.

Those vehicles, electronics and cash seizures will eventually be used to continue the war on drugs.

Some think that the current system is unfair to the person whose stuff is seized and is later found not guilty of the criminal charges.

"In my opinion, no, I don't think it's fair," said Macon attorney Franklin Hogue. "I have two cases pending right now where it's that exact thing. The police come into a garage with a drug case, and they seize every tool they can pick up and carry. Wrenches, welders, things a guy could have had for years, things that might have been passed down, they take it as though it was purchased with drug money.

"If you don't get a lawyer to answer the civil complaint, they can keep that stuff. The person is ... accused of a crime that could send him to prison. They're not as worried about the property."

Hogue thinks that the system could be bent by law enforcement officials.

"It provides incentives to the police to become aggressive in pursuing cases even when the criminal case is weak," he said.

Even a minor traffic stop could result in cash being seized, he said.

"The cash is then gone, and the burden of proof shifts to the driver to prove to the court that it could be traced to legitimate sources," he said.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

The Dangers of Pornography

porn defeats terror at reason.com

More Wakarusa festival-goers arrested

Lawrence Journal World, KS
06/09/06

The Douglas County Sheriff's Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol and agents with the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control at this year's Wakarusa Music Festival have arrested 20 people on either drug or alcohol-related charges.

This is the ABCs first year to participate in enforcement at the festival at Clinton State Park, and on the first day of the four-day music festival 13 people from out-of-town were arrested on underage drinking charges.

Troopers with the Kansas Highway Patrol, who conducted three days of checklanes near I-70 and K-10, arrested three more people:

A 19-year-old Milwaukee, Wisconsin man was arrested on charges of possession of narcotics with the intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia.

An 18-year-old Oconomowoc, Wis. man was arrested for possession with the intent to sell LSD, possession of marijuana, no tax stamp, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

And a 19-year-old Madison, Wis. man was arrested for being a minor in possession of alcohol.

Douglas County Sheriff's deputies assisting with Thursday's traffic gridlock arrested three people stuck in a car on East 900 Road and Clinton Parkway. The deputy found the three men from New Mexico were in possession of marijuana and a substance suspected of being liquid hashish.


Article followed by extensive comments

Is justice for sale in Whatcom County?

Seattle Post Intelligencer
By GENE JOHNSON
AP LEGAL AFFAIRS WRITER
06/09/06

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- Neither Joshua Sutton nor Joseph Hubbard had any criminal history when they bought $15,000 worth of marijuana from an undercover detective in Whatcom County last year. Both were arrested and charged with unlawful possession with intent to deliver, a felony.

But then their cases diverged dramatically, thanks to a practice which has been routine for nearly three decades in this county on the Canadian border, where federal agents dump reams of drug cases on local officials every year.

Sutton, who put up most or all of the money for the drug buy, paid $9,040 to a fund administered by the Whatcom County prosecutor. He was allowed to plead guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge, received a suspended sentence and went on his way. His payment was nearly double the maximum fine for the misdemeanor.

Hubbard, a construction worker, pleaded guilty as charged and was sentenced to 45 days on a work crew. The felony on his record means he loses the right to vote, and it could affect his ability to land a job for the rest of his life.

Their cases illustrate the inequality of an unusual system in which defendants with quick access to $2,000 or more can often "buy down" the charges against them, many legal experts say. In some cases reviewed by the AP, people caught with several pounds of marijuana pleaded guilty to reduced misdemeanor charges after paying thousands of dollars to the county's fund. In another, a young man caught with less than 2 ounces pleaded guilty to a felony after he failed to pay.

"Yikes, it sounds like the sale of indulgences in the old Catholic church," said Janet Ainsworth, a criminal law professor at Seattle University. "If you were to have a continuum between paying a fine and bribery, this is somewhere in between."

Prison guard sentenced for trying to smuggle drugs into prison

Helena Independent Record, MT
06/10/06

MISSOULA - A former Montana State Prison guard was sentenced Friday to three years and one month in prison for trying to smuggle marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine into the prison.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy also ordered Michael Short, 50, of Anaconda, to forfeit $4,500 in cash, his pickup truck and two guns.

Short pleaded guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine, and to being a drug user in possession of a firearm.

Court records said Short admitted smuggling tobacco and what he believed were drugs into the prison. He also admitted he had used marijuana for about 30 years.

Neighbors awaken to drug raid by agencies

By Kristina Davis
San Diego Union Tribune
06/10/06

ESCONDIDO – Residents of a quiet, upscale canyon neighborhood were jarred awake to the sound of an armored SWAT vehicle crashing through a picket fence and police helicopters zooming overhead as dozens of federal agents served a search warrant on a home on Vintage Place early yesterday.

“It was like watching TV out your front window,” said Vickey Kittell, who said she has never seen anything like it in her “serene” neighborhood near Dixon Lake.

The Escondido police SWAT team helped the Narcotics Task Force and Drug Enforcement Administration agents serve the search warrant at 6 a.m., Lt. David Mankin said.

Two women, a man, two young boys and a baby finally emerged from the home in the 2000 block of Vintage Place, Kittell said.

The adults were handcuffed and taken away in police vehicles, and the children were taken into protective custody.

DEA officials would say only that the raid was narcotics-related and the investigation was ongoing.

Mob Figures Are Charged With Controlling Trash Hauling in Connecticut

NEW HAVEN, June 9 (AP) — A reputed mob boss, a former Waterbury mayor and the owner of a Danbury trash hauling business were among 29 people charged on Friday in a federal investigation of the mob's influence over the trash industry in Connecticut.

Companies owned by James Galante paid a "mob tax" to a reputed Genovese crime family boss, Matthew Ianniello, as part of a scheme in which trash haulers carved out routes for one another, according to a 117-page indictment.

Others named in the indictment include a state trooper, Paul Galietti, who is charged with two counts of misusing state computer systems to run criminal background checks, and Louis Angioletti, a federal drug agent from New Jersey, charged with unlawfully accessing a law enforcement computer system.


Does this mean trash causes crime?

Firm may develop network

Scottsdale's C4 Systems a finalist for wireless government system

Max Jarman
The Arizona Republic
06/10/06

General Dynamics Corp.'s Scottsdale-based C4 Systems is one of two final competitors for a huge government contract to develop a common secure wireless communication system to be used by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

If awarded, the estimated $3 billion to $10 billion pact would result in a significant expansion of the Scottsdale business that employs 4,500 people locally and 11,000 worldwide.

"It's an incredibly big project and an opportunity for us to penetrate the homeland-security area on a national basis," said General Dynamics C4 Systems President Chris Marzilli.

Ex-drug czar shares findings

By KEVIN HOWE
Monterey County Herald, CA
06/10/06

Drug addiction is a medical problem that should be treated as a chronic disease, according to experts gathered Friday at the Hyatt Regency Monterey for a national forum on drug and alcohol dependency.

Illegal drug use in the United States "has by and large already been decriminalized," said former U.S. drug czar and retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey. The problem, he said, isn't that drugs are illegal, but that they cause mental, medical, legal and social problems.

-----------------------------------
That's odd... I didn't get the memo.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Hoover Metro Kiwanis Club Recap

A couple of months ago I was invited to address the Hoover Metro Kiwanis Club today in Birmingham,AL.

Seeing as how the invitation came only a day or two after my run in with the Hoover law and the gentleman who invited me seemed a tad too excited, I was a little skeptical...paranoid....whatever you want to call it. But, I accepted the invitation and this morning at 7 a.m. I made good on it.

Since I had to be there at 7 a.m. I spent the night in Birmingham last night because it is over an hour drive from my home. I didn't sleep because I was nervous about speaking this morning. Generally, crowds of folks don't make me nervous....but this was a crowd of successful businessmen in one of the nicest neighborhoods in the entire state and I had myself worked into a tizzie thinking that these guys would tear me apart.

As it turns out I had nothing to be worried about.

I arrived about 15 minutes til 7 and went inside to the meeting, which was being held in the back dining room of The Golden Corral on Lorna Rd. I was greeted with a hearty "Good Morning" and led to the coffee. Mr. Lyda (extended invitation) came up and introduced himself and welcomed me to the meeting. I thanked him for the invitation and told him how skeptical I was when I first received it. He laughed and said he had read the story of the traffic stop in Hoover, but that I could rest easy because he was simply very interested in my platform and my story of how I got started in Alabama politics.

He introduced me to another gentleman and told me that he learned about me through him. His friend then explained that a friend of his in San Francisco had emailed asking if he knew me and about my run for Governor. At the time he had not heard of me so he looked me up, read the website and asked the other folks at Kiwanis if they would be interested in hearing what I had to say.

I made my way around the room speaking to everyone and then we all sat down to breakfast and some casual chat before the big speech. The gentleman who invited me suddenly smiled and asked me, "Is that story about you trying to visit your brother in prison really true?"

Me: "Every word."
His smile got bigger.

A few minutes later the meeting was called to order and the first few minutes were spent taking care of business stuff and then I was introduced.

I started out by thanking these gentlemen for inviting me and then I told them about how nervous I had been because of the timing of the invitation and the excitement of the gentleman who extended the invitation. I explained a little bit about the traffic stop and when I got to the part about the tag being held in place by Duck Tape the whole room just howled.

They wanted to know how I got into politics so I shared with them the helicopter/LTE stories, which also drew some hearty laughter.

I then told them that because of Alabama's overly restrictive ballot access laws, my name would not appear on the ballot in November. I talked a little about how third parties are prevented from ever becoming a major force or real choice for voters because we are forced to spend all of our meager resources trying to get the state to acknowledge our existance. I told them that it makes me very upset when I think about Alabama soldiers dying to ensure free and fair elections in Iraq, (where there were 75 political parties and 111 candidates in the last election) when apparently Iraqi's already have freer and fairer elections than Alabama does.

Then I went into drug policy and prison reform. I went over the numbers, the detrimental affect prohibition has on society, how an unregulated market means any kid can get whatever they want, how the laws create the crime and violence, how the spread of deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS, Hep C and things like death from overdose could be drastically reduced if drugs were in a regulated market.

For the prison part I again went over numbers and I told them the story of my brother Randy, the career alcoholic, being given the work release assignment of loading Budweiser trucks while in prison for alcohol related offenses. As always, that story draws the reaction of supressed laughter from those who hear it. You can actually see peoples faces freeze half way to laughing and in their inds you know they are thinking, ("Jesus that is a scream but I am not sure if I am suppossed to laugh!")
It is hilarious. I let them off the hook by acting out what I guessed Randy's reaction must have been when he was given that assignment.

That story serves as a very effective tool for demonstrating just how the prison system is designed to fail those who enter it and what a gargantuan waste of tax dollars it is.

I spoke about the public education system and tax credits for private and homeschool families as well as opting out of unfunded federal mandates like No Child Left Behind.

Next I spoke about the need to keep religion and government separate. This meeting had been opened with a lovely prayer by one of the members and I had some reservations about bringing up that particular topic. However, this group fully understood and appreciated the need for seperation.

I then covered lottery & casino gambling.

When I got to Alabama out of Iraq I stated that my position as a Libertarian is that only defense is legitimate. After all we do not have a Department of Offense or a Department of Pre-Emptive Strike...but a department of DEFENSE. I told them also about my trip to Colombia, South America and how that trip finally made me understand why 911 happened. I said I not only wanted to get Alabama out of Iraq but to hereafter retain sovreignity over them and only send them to war when it is in defense of our nation.

Next, I covered bio-diesel, non-compliance with the Patriot & REAL ID Acts and finally immigration.

I had thought that immigration would be a touchy subject. Hoover police have a very bad reputation for immigrant abuse and there's a very large number of undocumented immigrants in Hoover. I stated why I though mass deportation, imprisonment and militarization of a peaceful border were all really bad ideas and why naturalizing the ones already here and absorbing them into the tax base was the only logical solution. To stop the flow over the border I suggested that we start charging PENNEX one barrel of oil per illegal border crosser...and not entirely in jest...but mostly.

At that time I opened the floor for questions. The gentleman who invited me asked me to talk about trying to visit my brother in prison.

I looked out at the room and said, "I don't wear panties and I am sure that is probably more than you ever wanted to know about me but the story is that my mother and I were denied entry into prison to visit my borther because we weren't wearing any." I said they would have to read the story online because it was too long to tell.

Another gentleman said, "Of all of the things you have spoken about today the one that pisses me off the most is that you can't be on the ballot. And what you said about the soldiers in Iraq fighting for that very thing...wow. It makes me very upset that only two candidates from the same old parties with the same old song and dance will be the only printed choices. What I want to ask is do you think running for office is the best way to address the ballot access issue? Most people don't even know that you are being denied equal status and I think most people do want more choices. Is there another way?"

I told him that a couple of years ago the Libertarian Party introduced a bill to ease ballot access restrictions and that it went no where because it basically boils down to asking the enemy to let you into their house. They do not want competition, especially not competition like me. I also made it a point to name some specific legislators who were and are supportive of more reasonable ballot access laws. I told them that throughout the rest of my campaign I will be drawing attention to those laws in hopes of educating the public to support a bill that would eleminate them altogether or make them the same for everyone.

It was then time to close the meeting so I said my thank you's again and was greeted with a very enthusiastic round of applause. The gentleman who closed out the meeting thanked me for coming and encouraged the other members to stay around if they could and chat with me.

One gentleman came up to me and said, "I completely agree with you on the drug war and I believe many other people do as well. The problem is we are scared to say anything. I just wanted to say thank you to taking on these really tough issues and giving the rest of us a way to be able to change things."

Another said he agreed with home-schooling and the failure of the public education system.

Another gentleman walked over and commented on how he agreed with what I said about the prison system and how he has wanted for a long time to do something in that regard.

Two others walked over and said, "You've got our write-in vote and if you need campaign help here in Birmingham just let us know. We'll place signs..whatever you need."

And as I was writing this recap I received the following email from one attendee,

Loretta,

On behalf of all Hoover-Metro Kiwanis Club members in attendance at this
mornings meeting, THANK YOU for your willingness to address our club on the
most important issues in your campaign for governor. Your talk was
informative, very frank, and in my opinion from your heart! I appreciate
you taking time from your busy schedule to speak to us, and hopefully have a
good time too. I've got to say that I learned more from you in 30 minutes
on issues relative to this years race than all other candidates and their
radio/TV ads. It was refreshing to hear someone speak openly without a
hidden agenda.

Good luck in your race for governor.

Warmest Regards,


I am almost certain that is one of the nicest emails I have ever gotten.

So, who needs ballot access anyway?
If I can get this type of response from a group of Alabama businessmen then just about anything seems possible. I am in this race. I am staying in this race and if my luck holds out I will win this race, ballot access or not. My face was long for a day or two over not getting enough signatures....but this mornings event has washed away all traces of doubt that I will be able to have a positive effect on this election and on politics in general in Alabama.

I had a magnificent time in Hoover this morning. What a great group of people and such a fantastic way to start the day! On behalf of freedom loving individuals everywhere THANK YOU Hoover Metro Kiwanis for the invitation and the incredibly warm, enthusiastic response to my message of REAL CHANGE for Alabama.

ONWARD!

Who's getting away with the murder of Rebekah Gould?

Baxter Bulletin, AR
Editorial
06/09/06

"After almost two years, authorities are no closer to solving the murder of a 22-year-old woman in Izard County."

That was the lead Thursday in a story about the status of the investigation into the brutal slaying of Rebekah Gould, who disappeared in September 2004. Her body was found about a week later, dumped at the bottom of a 35-foot embankment on State Highway 9 south of Melbourne.

Why does it appear authorities are no closer to solving Miss Gould's murder now than they were when she went missing, even though they say they're moving forward?

That's the main question surrounding a case that generates question after question.

It took months for the State Crime Laboratory to "trickle" results — an investigator's description — from evidence exams to investigators. Apparently, meth labs and determining if green, leafy vegetable material was marijuana received priority over homicide. Why was that? As we've asked repeatedly, shouldn't murder cases take precedent over other cases, even drug cases?

Marijuana Party rolls into Sask. politics

James Wood
The StarPhoenix, Canada
06/09/06

REGINA -- The proverbial "smoke-filled rooms" where political deals are cut may take on a whole new meaning in Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan Marijuana Party has become an officially registered provincial political party with Elections Saskatchewan.

Like other marijuana parties in the country, it is expected to advocate the legalization of possession and cultivation of cannabis.

Man wielding eyeglasses case killed by police

Tracy Press, CA
Associated Press
06/09/06

SAN FRANCISCO — A man killed by police while hiding in a friend’s town house attic was holding an eyeglasses case, not a gun as originally reported, police Chief Heather Fong said.

Asa B. Sullivan, 25, was fatally shot Tuesday by two officers after he scampered into a 2-foot-high crawl space and vowed he would not be taken alive, Fong said Wednesday.

One officer mistook Sullivan’s eyeglasses case for a weapon and opened fire, grazing his partner’s head with a bullet and causing her to believe they were under fire. She also began firing, Fong said.

“They believed this individual was pointing a firearm at them,” Fong said. “They took action they felt was appropriate at the time.”

Sullivan’s mother, Kathleen Espinosa of Van Nuys, said her son was not a violent person but was convicted for robbery in 1999. He was also on probation for dealing marijuana.

“He didn’t want to go back to jail,” Espinosa said. “I know his personality. He would be one to hide. He was scared.”

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Billy Don't Be A Hero

Bill2
An Iraq War mix that I posted to Google Video.
Enjoy!

Blind2
Drug-War-Fueled militarization of public schools
Features Alabama National Guard in the classroom

bushantichrist4
War Pig Superstar

Coe2
David Allen Coe song gets an ALMJP Tribute
References to Willie, Merle Haggard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, June Carter, and Marijuana.

Freedom
Aretha Franklin v. Bush
2004 election
Bush/Iraq/Colombia

Material

ALMJP.mp3
March 18 2003 Loretta announces march on state capitol
This ad ran on 95.1 The Fox in Montgomery.

Bill2.rm
Iraq
Video with several different elements including: lying bully recruiter, BYOB-System of a Down, Veteran of the Psychic Wars-BOC, and the anti-vietnam war song Billy Don't Be A Hero

blind.rm
Drug War Militarization of Public Schools
Photos of Alabama National Guard troops in public elementary school classrooms, narcotics officers making themselves and their dogs at home in the highschool halls.
Music from some gentlemen who call themselves Carcass.

bushantichrist5.wmv
Self-explanatory

coe2.mpg
David Allen Coe song gets an ALMJP Tribute
References to Willie, Merle Haggard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, June Carter, and Marijuana.

freedom.mpg
This was before the 2004 election. Aretha Franklin vs. Bush

grim.wmv
Police song "Invisible Sun" with early ALMJP animation

lucy3.mpg
Pot TV logo with ambient sounds

nelson2.mpg
Photo of guy with guitar mixed with Velvet Underground's "Heroin"

push5.rm
Push it real good
Parody of the ONDCP Blog

starfire9.mpg
Devo
Uncontrollable Urge

Missed one: juliadream.WMV
Pink Floyd song with ALMJP logos, Loretta gets on the TV, a trip to the swamp and the death of Ophelia.

Our Failure of a Prison System

Talk Left
06/08/06

The Vera Institute has completed a bipartisan report on our prison system for Congress. 13.5 million people are jailed each year. On any particular day, more than 2.2 million people are locked behind bars. The cost for all this is a staggering $60 billion per year.

Border Patrol Officer Charged With Selling Marijuana

News4Jax.com, FL
06/07/06

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A U.S. Border Patrol officer based in Jacksonville was arrested Wednesday, accused of distributing marijuana.

Tony Henderson, 45, of Macclenny, is accused of selling a quantity of marijuana in Baker County in December.

The arrest came after an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration agents, the FBI, immigration agents, the Suwannee and Columbia county sheriff's offices, and the inspector general's office from Homeland Security.

According to court papers, Henderson, who is also known as "Hollywood," arranged to sell the drugs over the telephone, setting the price and arranging to make the sale at his home.

Henderson will make his first appearance at 3 p.m. Wednesday in Jacksonville federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Monte C. Richardson.

If convicted, Henderson could be sentenced with up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and supervised release of at least two years. The criminal complaint also seeks forfeiture of Henderson's home.

Montel Williams urges OK for medical marijuana

Cherry Hill Courier Post
By TOM BALDWIN
Gannett State Bureau
TRENTON, NJ

TV personality Montel Williams, who says he daily breaks the law by medicating himself with marijuana, presaged emotionally charged testimony expected today when New Jersey, for the first time, considers allowing prescribed pot.

"I break the law every day. I will continue to break the law every day," a sometimes teary Williams told reporters at a State House news conference where the Drug Policy Alliance New Jersey, which supports medical marijuana, issued results of a poll it commissioned which showed support for their positions.

Today the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee will hear testimony, but not vote, on a proposal to allow seriously ill patients to possess one ounce of marijuana and six marijuana plants, if their doctor recommends it. The state would oversee the program and issue registration cards. In the poll, provided those specific descriptions of the rules, 71 percent of registered voters approved.

One sponsor is Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Linden, who is a former prosecutor. "These people are not a threat to society," he said of the ill who seek salves for their pain. "We owe it to them to adopt a policy that places a premium on compassion and relief."

Cannabis users with just 10 joints face 14 years' jail

Philip Johnston
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom
06/08/06

Drug users caught in possession of enough cannabis for just 10 joints could be classified as dealers and face up to 14 years in jail under proposals being considered in Whitehall.

The Home Office is looking at new thresholds on the amount of illegal substances classified as merely possession rather than intent to supply.

There was an outcry last year when the Home Office proposed that cannabis smokers should be allowed to have enough of the drug to make more than 500 joints and still claim it was for personal use. This appeared to reinforce the more "softly, softly" approach to cannabis possession that was behind the decision to re-categorise the drug from a Class B to a Class C drug.

But the Home Office has now performed what one MP yesterday called a "dramatic flip-flop" and is proposing far smaller thresholds which campaigners said could end up sending casual users to prison as dealers.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006


Riley and Bush

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Google Loretta Nall

Blogs: Loretta Nall

News: Loretta Nall

Web: Loretta Nall

Officers Find Drug House Worth Millions

WTVF, TN
06/06/06

[...]
The sheriff said it is hard to believe a drug operation of this scale was taking place in his county considering his department aggressively looks for drugs.

“These things can be in any location, a fine subdivision or a rural location like this. So you can almost expect them to be anywhere. With the technology we have to fly and do heat sensor on buildings that we didn’t have years ago, they’re a little easier to detect, but they’ve insulated this one pretty good to knock the heat down,” said Wilson County Sheriff, Terry Ashe.
[...]


US Supreme Court Rules High Tech Scanning Unconstitutional without Warrant
Kyllo v. US
June 11, 2001

Public deserves explanation of Newton raid

Eagle Tribune, MA
Editorial
06/06/06

The official black hole that's been erected around an apparent drug raid in Newton, N.H., on May 20 raises troubling questions about what was going on in the tiny town at the state line, and the way federal, state and local officials have handled inquiries about it.
[...]
While we can understand situations where authorities want to limit the information that becomes public so related investigations are not compromised, a situation that kept nearby residents in their homes for much of the day, their driveways blocked by unmarked vehicles, cannot be treated as if it didn't exist.
[...]

Drug Warriors Push Eye-Eating Fungus

Jeremy Bigwood
In These Times, IL
06/06/06

On April 16, the New York Times ran a full-page ad from contact lens producer Bausch and Lomb, announcing the recall of its “ReNu with MoistureLoc” rewetting solution, and warning the 30 million American wearers of soft contact lenses about Fusarium keratitis. This infection, first detected in Asia, has rapidly spread across the United States. It is caused by a mold-like fungus that can penetrate the cornea of soft contact lens wearers, causing redness and pain that can lead to blindness—requiring a corneal replacement.

That same week, the House of Representatives passed a provision to a bill requiring that the very same fungus be sprayed in “a major drug-producing country,” such as Colombia. The bill’s sponsor was Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) and its most vocal supporter was his colleague Dan Burton (R-Ind.), who has been promoting the fungus for almost a decade as key to winning the drug war.

The Colombian government has come out against it. And those entities of the U.S. government that have studied the use of Fusarium for more than 30 years don’t recommend it either: The Office of National Drug Control Policy, also known as the Drug Czar’s office, CIA, DEA, the State Department and the USDA have all concluded that the fungus is unsafe for humans and the environment.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Nall, "I'm Not Dropping Out!"

Montgomery Advertiser
By PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press Writer
June 05. 2006 4:07PM

The colorful Libertarian Party nominee for governor, Loretta Nall, said Monday she will run as a write-in candidate after failing to get enough signatures to get her name on the general election ballot.

"I'm not dropping out," Nall said.

Tuesday is the deadline for third-party candidates to turn in voters' signatures to the secretary of state to get ballot access for Nov. 7. Nall needed 41,300 signatures to get on the general election ballot. She said she and her supporters collected between 10,000 and 15,000 signatures, which she plans to turn in Tuesday to make a point about Alabama having one of the nation's toughest ballot access laws for third parties.

"In almost any other state, that would have been enough to get ballot access," she said.

Nall, who founded the U.S. Marijuana Party after her misdemeanor arrest for marijuana in 2002, has already proven to be a colorful addition to the gubernatorial contest even without ballot access. Her Web site discussions about why she doesn't wear panties and her animated fundraising gimmick, "Stripping for Cash," have attracted about as much attention on the Internet as the mainstream candidates.

Nall said she plans to keep attracting attention by developing campaign ads that are a parody of the MTV show "Celebrity Death Match." Candidates will try to knock off each other with over-the-top campaign promises, like trying to prove who hates homosexuals the most, she said.

"I have the best time with these idiots," she said.

Judicial overdose: 'Drug-free zones' take in too much territory

Salt Lake Tribune, United States
Editorial
06/04/06

Unable to stem the demand for illegal drugs, and unwilling to fully fund workable alternatives such as treatment and drug courts, lawmakers around the country have become addicted to applying criminal justice solutions to a public health problem.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Meanwhile at "To The People": Do Not Link to this Post

Legalize it? N.J. weighs medicinal marijuana

By JOHN MAJESKI
New Brunswick Home News Tribune, NJ
06/04/06

When the wave of pain brought on by her multiple sclerosis sets in, Patty Jurick said she only has one thing to turn to for relief.

Problem is, she has to break the law.

"God knows I'm not bragging, and I'm not proud," said the Middlesex County resident, who has been smoking marijuana to alleviate the symptoms of her disease for about a year. "But it comes to the point where I'm going to do what I have to do."

Jurick, 42, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis — a progressive illness that has sent her crashing to the floor in physical agony on countless occasions — as a young adult. She said she has tried all of the pain relievers traditional and non-traditional medicine have to offer. But the thing that makes things tolerable and assists with mobility the best, she said, is marijuana.

"You want to call me a drug addict, fine," said the blond-haired Jurick, who must use a wheelchair or walker to get around.

A bill that would legalize medical marijuana — and decriminalize the activities of people such as Jurick — is to be discussed by state legislators on Thursday. Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, head of the Senate health panel, called for the hearing at which experts will speak.

According to the Associated Press, the Assembly has not set any hearings, but Gov. Jon Corzine has previously expressed support for such a law.

‘They made a mistake’

Gregg M. Miliote
Fall River Herald News, MA
06/04/06

FALL RIVER -- Being incorrectly labeled a gang member is bad enough.

But spending six days in jail, having your home invaded by federal agents and facing potential eviction all because of an apparent case of mistaken gang identity is quite another story.

That’s just what happened to 34-year-old Fall River resident David Alvarez.

Alvarez was one of several alleged gang members arrested during a highly publicized April raid by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents and Fall River vice officers.

A heavily attended press conference was held at the Fall River Police Department hours after the raids, at which time federal and local authorities announced the arrests and distributed photos of those who had been nabbed during the gang sweep.

Alvarez was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an unregistered sawed-off shotgun. His photograph was also widely publicized by the media, resulting in an eviction notice being sent to his home.

An affidavit submitted to a federal court judge penned by ATF Agent Scott L. Heagney stated Alvarez sold a sawed-off shotgun to a cooperating witness last March.

Alvarez, however, insisted he has nothing to do with Fall River’s blossoming gang scene.

His assertions appear to be true, especially after a U.S. District Court judge last week swiftly dismissed all charges against Alvarez.

The dismissal, though, is not enough for Alvarez, who said he has been traumatized by the entire experience.

Alvarez said agents and officers raided the Sunset Hill apartment he shares with his spouse, Curtis Pouliot-Alvarez, around 5 a.m. with guns drawn.

"They stormed in here with shotguns pointed at all of us and told everyone to shut the [expletive] up," Alvarez said. "I was shocked and started crying. My mother was in the house, and they were being really violent and aggressive."

Alvarez and Pouliot-Alvarez also allege law enforcement officials mocked him and his spouse because they are homosexual.

"They called us faggots, and they laughed at us when we told them we sleep in the bedroom together," Pouliot-Alvarez said.

Alvarez was quickly shuttled to Boston for an initial appearance before a judge and was held in a Plymouth County jail for six days before finally being released.

Alvarez said his six days in prison were "pure hell."


"Why should I have to continue to be in fear of cops? They should be here to protect me, not to lock me up for things I had nothing to do with," he said.

"I’m constantly waiting for them to knock on my door again and treat me like an animal."

Fall River Police Lt. Wayne Furtado said he had no information about the Alvarez case, and could not comment on it. He also said the vice unit’s commander, Lt. Daniel Racine, was unavailable for comment this past week.

ATF spokesman James McNally said he is aware Alavarez’s case had been quickly dismissed, but said he could not comment on a pending investigation at this time.

Neither department admitted Alavrez’s arrest and detention was a mistake.

"I really can’t say anything about Mr. Alavrez’s case," McNally said. "He might still have been a player in this. His particular charges may have been dropped, but the investigation proceeds."

Several calls and e-mails to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting all the cases of those rounded up during the April "gang raid," were not returned this week.

Alvarez said he is going public with his torment in an effort to clear his name. He said he has never been a gang member, and says he doesn’t even know what a sawed-off shotgun looks like.

"I want them to find the person who really sold those guns, and do justice," Alvarez said. "But I need justice, too. The people in charge threw my name through the mud and made it very public. But when they realize they made a mistake, there is no press conference for that.

"I’m a good tenant, and have lived here for six years. I go to church. I like people and they like me. I am not a gang member!"

The entire ordeal has taken its toll on Alvarez, who was already dealing with clinical depression.

But his arrest, imprisonment and "ruined reputation" have all resulted in more medical issues for Alvarez.

He and his spouse explained Alvarez now suffers from regular panic attacks and is taking medications to control his anxiety.

Pouliot-Alvarez claimed law enforcement officials "did a horrible job in the investigation," and alleged they made the arrests in a hurried manner to show they were taking the city’s gang problems seriously.

"We are not ignorant. We know there are gang members and drug dealers living here (in Sunset Hill and across the city), but they never even traced phone numbers that the cooperating witness called, and they never found out who leased the apartment on Eagle Street where this gun sale supposedly happened," Pouliot-Alvarez said. "They’re just running around trying to make a lot of arrests to show they are doing something."

Due to his sudden arrest, the city’s Housing Authority has begun eviction proceedings and a Housing Court hearing has been scheduled to occur June 8.

Alvarez said he is hopeful the dismissal of his criminal charges will prove to the Housing Court he does not deserve to be evicted.

"They got the wrong guy and they know it," Alvarez said. "I want to clear my name. I want people to know I have been violated.

"They are destroying my life for something I did not do."



--------------------------------------------------------
Once these goons have invaded your home you will never feel safe again. I know I don't.