Supporting The Troops? I Think Not, Pastor Jones!

Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center (Gainesville, Florida, USA) is still determined to go ahead with "International Burn A Koran Day" this Saturday 11-Sept-2010. Here is the email I sent via his Dove World Outreach Center web site:

Please, Please, please do not go through with your "Burn A Koran Day". I am just an American up in Seattle, WA and I can't do anything to stop you, nor should I be able to stop you even if I could, you have every right to burn whatever books you want. This is, after all, America. But that is the point, isn't it? This IS America and we ought to be better than those that burn books which might contain 'threatening ideas' or forbid 'special knowledge' that is too dangerous for public distribution. This is what tyrannical society does to it's citizens, not what any American ought to be emulating.

I hope that you will not do this thing. It will, without question, be used as a 'marketing tool' to prove that this war is, indeed, not a "War On Terror" at all but a direct attack by the "Infidel West" on Islam itself. By burning Korans in a public demonstration, and publicly suggesting that others to do the same in an internationally coordinated protest WILL, not might, not probably but definitely will cost the lives of Americans in harm's way. The blood of those brave soldiers will be on your hands. This is as certain as the sun rising in the east, count on it.

Jesus, were he the god you claim him to be, would tell you to your faces that you are no representative of his or his fathers. Your holy book, the bible, says in Luke 6:27-36 that Jesus' teaching is to LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, look it up, really it is in there, I'm not kidding. So, you are clearly defying what you will say is the "unfailing and holy word of god, perfect in form and fact".

If you have a "Christlike Nature" you cannot justify an act that you already know will enrage your 'enemy'. Antagonism is not a "Christian" trait, is it?

You have been asked by many in America to stand down your demonstration. You have heard, I suppose, Gen. Petraeus basically pleading for you to not do this, you know that Sec. of State Clinton has asked that you not do this, and now you hear from an ordinary American who loves his country and what this nation is supposed to represent to the rest of the world. If you burn korans as you say you plan to, you will be doing more to help the radical Muslim factions around the world than anything they could every buy with all the money in the world. You are proving their case that this is a "Christianity v. Islam" fight. Please let reason reign in this instance and demonstrate the meaning of the phrase, "Grace Under Pressure".

Respectfully,

J. A. Burleigh

I don't think he'll change his plans, but that is up to him.

Hempfest 2010

As I was visiting with the Sensible Washington folks at their booth during HempFest this year I was slightly surprised and extremely disappointed in the apparent lack of interest in actually doing something tangible toward reformation of the marijuana laws in Washington State, or anywhere else for that matter. People just walked on by not bothering to signup for anything, even e-mails about the marijuana laws. What are these people thinking? I often hear people saying, “Somebody ought to do something…”, but rarely do I hear anyone saying “How can I help?” It seems like it’s always up to somebody else. How would it be if more people stopped waiting for someone else to do something and became determined to be that someone they have been waiting for?

It seems to me that if there is going to be a serious effort to make real change in the legality of medical marijuana and the distribution of medical marijuana through legal, safe and licensed dispensaries then we, the medical marijuana community, must be the ones who start to forge a new reality, closer to the heart (that is your gratuitous RUSH reference for the day). It will take the concentrated effort of dedicated volunteers to bring about the changes that we seek in the drug laws, and it will not be an easy sell to the general electorate by any stretch. This is going to take time and it’s going to take money and it’s going to be done is steps, not all in one go.

I think that part of the issue with the previous effort is that it went too far, too quickly, for many voters in Washington. Legal “medical” usage and distribution based upon state laws in Washington, along with the other medical marijuana states, will be the first steps toward the ultimate goal of making marijuana as legal as liquor and tobacco products are today.

It is my belief that there is a greater need at this time than trying to make marijuana completely legal, and also will be more likely to enjoy a broader range of support from those opposed to outright legalization. Our greatest need at this time is the establishment of a codified dispensary system in Washington State. There are dozens of “provider dispensaries” in operation within the Puget Sound area and many more in other parts of the state. The problem is that they all operate more or less autonomously and since there are no laws or guidelines for dispensary operation it is difficult for patients (and the dispensaries) to protect themselves and stay within the ‘spirit of the law’ as there is currently no ‘letter of the law’ with respect to dispensaries and safe methods of obtaining medical marijuana. A straight forward set of operational parameters that apply to every dispensary will make it easier to open a dispensary if one wished to do so and easier for patients to establish themselves with dispensaries.

While nobody really likes the idea of taxation and regulation, it is unreasonable to expect that any of this going to happen without the government getting their piece of the pie, so to speak. In reality government regulation is not entirely a bad thing. Yes, it will bring about taxation of marijuana and the dispensaries will be required to obtain licensing that will involve fees and regulations. This is what every single business in this state has to deal with so it is silly to expect that the marijuana business is going to get a free pass from the state. We need to have a seat at that table, folks! We need to have a voice in that discussion so that we, the marijuana community, can work within the establishment of government to create the laws, set the tax and fee rates, and determine where the revenue generated by our tax dollars gets used.

There is one major item that MUST get changed before any of this will be seen as legitimate by the general public. Marijuana must be moved off of the DEA’s Schedule 1. Aside from just being stupid, having marijuana classified in the same category as Heroine, it is necessary for marijuana to be re-scheduled in order to eliminate the threat from Federal authorities and allow medical professionals to prescribe/recommend marijuana without fear of losing their DEA license to write prescriptions. These is a measure in the US House of Representatives that will do exactly that, it was introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D MA-4th) and is currently sitting in committee. I have written a letter of support for this measure to Rep. Frank and also to every member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, I encourage everyone interested in the furtherance of the medical marijuana cause to do the same.