Pubdate: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 Source: Trentonian, The (NJ) Copyright: 2014 The Trentonian Contact: http://www.trentonian.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1006 Author: Edward Forchion, NJWeedman.com For The Trentonian Column: NJWeedman's Passing the Joint VENTING ABOUT APATHY AND ELECTION FRAUD This past weekend there was a marijuana legalization protest, "The Cannabis Conference," here in Trenton. Only a few Trenton residents showed up, which is sad considering this is a minority city and most of the arrests here are for marijuana possession. Usually I'd say if you don't stand up for yourself don't expect others to, but more than 200 suburbanite Caucasians did exactly that. They came out to protest a law that disproportionately affects you, my brothers. So now I say, keep your pants saggy and don't cry racism or unfairness from your porch bro's. Say nothing next time the man scoops you up and puts your blunt-smoking butt in the concrete plantation system for a while as chattel. You ever hear the expression "You get what you pay for?" Usually this refers to the quality of a product. Example: If you go to the dollar store to buy underwear, don't complain when they fall apart after a wear or two. Usually that expression wouldn't apply to "justice" or "fair elections," but that's exactly what it means here in Jersey - and nobody cares. According to NJ Superior Court Appellate Division's Judge Messano, if you can't pay for transcripts no justice will be rendered. Judge Messano, your logic goes against everything I've been led to believe about America. I've proudly called myself a peaceful, proud, patriotic pothead. Justice is supposed to be the American way, at least that's what was said in the intro of Superman - but then I'm just NJWeedman. On June 10, 2014, the Democratic side of the Demo-Publican Party in collusion with our state's Republican Lt. Gov. fraudulently removed the Legalize Marijuana Party candidate - me - from the November 4th General Ballot, claiming I didn't have enough valid signatures. I had more than the required 100 so I screamed bloody murder and appealed to the appellate court (docket number A-004783-13T2) for a recount. The court knows I'm indigent, the court knows I'm a bone cancer patient on Social Security Disability. I have two other cases before the appeals court in which transcripts and lawyers have been provided. But in this election fraud case the NJ appeals court's Judge Messano ordered me to pay nearly $4,000 for transcripts, effectively allowing this fraud to remain intact as a tactic to prevent a recount. (I should have just bounced a check.) Judge Messano should be ashamed of himself - but I'd bet my last Phat joint he could care less because he doesn't think marijuana should be legal either. The most well known candidate again, me - won't be on the ballot, there will be just three: Independent Frederick LaVernge is up against the two unknown big party candidates. (I refuse to even say their names and make them known) It happened right out in the open, a flat-out bipartisan election fraud scheme, and no one cares. I feel like Kitty Genovese. Which brings to mind another expression: "First they came ..." a line from a provocative poem about intellectual cowardice in Germany after the Nazis rose to power. The next time I hear anybody saying anything about election fraud or racist marijuana laws, I'm yelling, "hypocrite - why didn't you speak up before?" I understand nobody cares about patriotic tripe anymore; even Snowden is considered a hero to many instead of the traitor he is. None of the Snowden supporters say crap about election fraud. Why should I think elections are fair anymore anyway? Just look back at the 2000 presidential election: Al Gore got robbed, and he's a multi-millionaire. Or look at the Republican Supreme Court decision last year, which eviscerated the 1965 Voter Rights Act. And to highlight election injustice, just this past weekend the Supreme Court allowed Texas Republicans to enforce their biased voter-identification law. Texas law requires voters to present a photo ID at the polls before casting their ballot. Acceptable forms of ID include a Texas driver's license, a military ID, a passport, or a Texas gun license. All three female Justices, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, publicly dissented from the decision. Justice Ginsburg wrote that the Texas law requirements "may prevent more than 600,000 registered Texas voters [about 4.5 percent of all registered voters] from voting for lack of compliant identification." She adds that most of the voters who would be affected by the law are African-American or Hispanic and argues that "racial discrimination in elections in Texas is no mere historical artifact." I'm registered to vote and I don't have a New Jersey driver's license or ID myself, so I understand Justice Ginsberg's logic. I also watch FOXNEWS and listen to talk shows and observe how they ridicule this fact. So I wonder how many poor New Jerseyans also haven't taken their food money and bought a government ID. Personally I think "mandatory" government-issued identification cards should be assigned for free then, based on this SC decision. Happy election to those of you with money. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom