Pubdate: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 Source: Brandon Sun (CN MB) Copyright: 2006, Brandon Sun Contact: http://www.brandonsun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2437 Author: Chris Buors Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) WE'RE LIVING IN A POLICE STATE "Whenever legislators endeavour to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience," John Locke wrote. Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh's new law pretty well makes it clear Canadians now live in a police state and that our homes are no longer our castles. It was William Pitt who said "The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail; its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storm may enter; the rain may enter; but the King of England cannot enter -- all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement!" All that was sacrificed to stamp the "natural right to self-medicate" out of existence. The Safer Communities and Neighborhoods Act sound eerily similar to laws passed against the scapegoats of Nazi Germany under the same pretext; to protect the good people from evil elements in the community. These are omnipotent state values. The bad apples and Indian Posse are a direct result of drug prohibition laws. The Beatles were the turning point when cannabis became a mainstream ceremonial ritual for the anti-establishment '70s era. Parents were strongly encouraged to denounce their children to the authorities in the name of law and order then. Soon enough, the tables turned and children were strongly encouraged to denounce their parents by former American First Lady Nancy Reagan. Canada followed in the American drug war footsteps and a further 20 years later the denouncing of total strangers is encouraged by Crime Stoppers and like programs. These results can be expected in a regimented population in which all the external enemies were defeated. Plato observed the age-old requirement of tyrants always stirring up some war or another in order that the people require leadership. The war on drugs has served the purpose of delivering internal societal enemies admirably. The parable of the fall metes out all the advice Canadians need to make the right decision about authoritarian values. The supreme authority lies. The serpent is the truth teller and leaves the garden a whole lot more powerful than when he got there. The forbidden fruit is where all the powers of allurement in the universe can be found. Strong family values are the only proven tool that can instill the moral character needed to resist temptation. Lies from authorities just don't seem to work. Perhaps it's time to separate medicine and state with a restoration of our natural right to self medicate. That right is granted by the Creator in Genesis. It is not the state or medicine that the plants of Earth are ceded to, but to you. There needs to be a serious discussion in this country. Chris Buors, president Marijuana Party of Manitoba Winnipeg - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman