Dear Editor: In the New Testament, in Matthew 4:4, it states that "man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Further, it says in 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." In 2 Peter 1:3, "that we have been given all things that pertain unto life and Godliness." God did not intend for man to write his own laws that jeopardized his. He is the one taking care of our welfare, but we allow the elected officials of our government to dream up their big plans to get God out of society and do as they like to perfect his directions for life. [continues 279 words]
Editor: In the New Testament, in Matthew 4:4, it states that "man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Further, it says in 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." In 2 Peter 1:3, "that we have been given all things that pertain unto life and Godliness." God did not intend for man to write his own laws that jeopardized his. He is the one taking care of our welfare, but we allow the elected officials of our government to dream up their big plans to get God out of society and do as they like to perfect his directions for life. [continues 280 words]
As a middle-age white man of comfortable means and right-of-center views on many issues, Imay have been oblivious to certain things longer than others. Recent headlines make it impossible to ignore disparities, however. An armed man in open revolt against the law of the land is killed by law enforcement officials ["Bundy patriarch shows no regrets," Politics & The Nation, Feb. 1]. There is hand-wringing and second guessing, even though his death occurs only after a month of confrontation and not-very-veiled threats. Contrast this with the deaths of unarmed African American males whose fates are decided by police officers in a matter of seconds. [continues 120 words]
Can law enforcement take and keep your cash, car, home, or other property regardless of your guilt or innocence? The surprising answer is "yes" under the practice known as civil forfeiture. Every year, police and prosecutors around the country take more property from people without so much as charging them with a crime. According to the Institute for Justice's new national report card, Colorado is no exception, earning a C for its forfeiture laws. Though Colorado reformed its laws in 2002, it still has a long way to go to protect property rights. Currently, law enforcement need not obtain a conviction in criminal court as a prerequisite to forfeiting property in civil court. Rather, it can legally forfeit someone's property if it provides "clear and convincing evidence" - well short of the "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard for criminal convictions. [continues 430 words]
Marijuana Is Not God's Mistake for the Government to Fix, Says Rep. David Simpson of Longview As a Christian, I recognize the innate goodness of everything God made and humanity's charge to be stewards of the same. In fact, it's for this reason that I'm especially cautious when it comes to laws banning plants. I don't believe that when God made marijuana he made a mistake that government needs to fix. Regrettably, that's not the course we have pursued on more than one occasion. In the name of protecting the public, certain substances have been declared evil and contraband. So evil are these substances that state and federal agents are empowered to enforce laws with little to no regard for constitutional protections of individual rights, the sanctity of one's home or the right to travel freely. [continues 276 words]
Powerful Tool Has Become Another Government Idea Gone Awry, Says David Simpson "If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary." - - James Madison, 1788 Civil asset forfeiture, or forfeiture of contraband as it is referred to in Chapter 59 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, is the process by which the state may confiscate assets of an individual that are alleged to be proceeds or instruments of crime. Current law allows such property to be seized even if the property owner is never charged, much less convicted. If charges are brought, the seized property may be disposed of prior to conviction, or in the case of acquittal, does not have to be returned to the owner. [continues 524 words]
CITY HALL -- If City Council's recent debate over a state medical marijuana bill is any indication of the dispensary discourse to come, expect references to the Venice boardwalk and '60s cop shows. Council declined a request from Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks to back a bill that would impose greater regulations on medicinal marijuana in the state. City officials and Seabrooks recommended council throw its weight behind Senate Bill 1262, which would, among other things, reinforce local control of medical marijuana and impose tighter regulations on doctors who recommend its usage. [continues 511 words]
Drug abuse is a leading cause of death, officials said at a drug awareness forum at Roane State Community College last week. Officials in the medical and law profession, as well as community members who have seen the impact of drugs, made presentations during the forum held in conjunction with the Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition. Medical personnel Bill Bennett and Tom Boduch focused on the impact the abuse of prescription narcotics has had on the community. Bennett said the Roane County coroner has been at 28 scene investigations this year. Of those investigations, 12 were narcotic overdoses, six were suicides and three were homicides. [continues 459 words]
Gov't Chided for Failure to Act on Ganja Recommendations THE GOVERNMENT was on Wednesday chided for its delay in implementing recommendations from the Ganja Commission even as more persons called for decriminalisation of the drug as a means of boosting the country's flagging economy. "Rather than taking strong political action, politicians have been meandering, trying to please the local people and trying to please foreign masters," said attorney-at-law and rastafarian, Miguel Lorne during a Gleaner Editors' Forum on the 'Ganja Debate' Wednesday night at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston. [continues 353 words]
Dekalb's Tom Morgan Set to Exit Saturday As he ends a 21-year career as a prosecutor, DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan offers some blunt warnings: . People increasingly don't trust cops, leading to juries that won't convict. . Frustration of victims who don't see offenders held accountable could invite vigilante justice. . Many citizens regard the war on drugs as misguided and hypocritical. "I think our whole war on drugs needs to be looked at," Morgan said as he prepares to leave office Saturday. He said people see crack cocaine users being sent to prison "and on the other hand you've got Rush Limbaugh getting thousands of [prescription pills] and he's making millions of dollars and he's out on the street." [continues 944 words]
NEW ORLEANS - More criminal suspects will cooperate with the government if prosecutors drastically reduce the number of plea bargains and instead pursue the toughest possible sentences, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said Thursday. "I do believe that by charging tough crimes and (with) people facing tough sentences, they become more likely" to cooperate, Ashcroft said in a brief interview after addressing Louisiana local and federal law enforcement officers. "If they cooperate, it reduces not only the burden on courts, but it can help us prevent other crimes by breaking down ... the theft ring or the drug ring or the apparatus of more organized criminal activity." [continues 241 words]
DeKalb County Drug Court was a way out of jail for Tyrone Walker, but it wasn't a free pass. Facing a felony charge for repeated shoplifting, Walker agreed to an intensive schedule: group treatment six hours a day, four days a week; mandatory attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or a similar group on the other three days a week; job counseling once a week; random drug tests at least once a week; and a visit to Drug Court every Friday. [continues 1507 words]
Men Face Courts-Martial In 'Friendly Fire' Accident That Killed 4 Canadians BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. - Two U.S. pilots who mistakenly dropped a bomb that killed four Canadians in Afghanistan had been issued amphetamines before the mission to stay awake, a defense attorney argued Tuesday at the opening of a military hearing to determine whether they should be court-martialed. The Air Force-issued "go pills" may have impaired the pilots' judgment, said David Beck, lawyer for Maj. William Umbach. He also said the pilots were given antidepressants upon returning from their mission. Umbach and Maj. Harry Schmidt are charged with involuntary manslaughter for dropping the guided bomb near Kandahar, Afghanistan, on April 17. The Air Force has said they failed to make sure there were no allied troops in the area. [continues 333 words]
The Airmen Dropped A Bomb Over Afghanistan That Mistakenly Killed Four Canadians. NEW ORLEANS - A lawyer for one of two U.S. pilots who released a bomb over southern Afghanistan in April, accidentally killing four Canadian soldiers, says the Air Force had pressured the pilots to take amphetamines that may have impaired their judgment during the mission. Maj. Harry Schmidt and Maj. William Umbach face a possible court-martial for dropping the laser-guided bomb near Kandahar on April 17. An Air Force investigation determined the pilots "demonstrated poor airmanship" and ignored standard procedure by not making sure there were no allied troops in the area. [continues 264 words]
The argument in Francois-Michel Pellecuer's letter about Chris Laurin's situation is so asinine as to be comical. He states that Chris's father, Michel, "embodies a misplaced self-righteousness that is far too common in society." It is the school principal who displayed this two weeks ago by suspending Chris. Even if the teen did smoke marijuana, which cannot be established, he did not have drugs on school property. So it is not the school's responsibility to punish him. By doing so, the high school is substituting its judgment for that of Chris's parents and that of the legal system. [continues 68 words]
LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Two clinical research doctors are to volunteer to run the first government-sanctioned trials on the therapeutic value of cannabis, the governing body for British pharmacists announced on Monday. Two separate trials, examining the effects of cannabis and cannabinoids (its active ingredients) on spasms in multiple sclerosis patients and on post-operative pain sufferers, will follow new protocols to give the results scientific weight, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain said. "Although trials into the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids have taken place in the past, they have never been accepted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as proof of therapeutic benefit," the society's chief scientist Tony Moffat said. [continues 404 words]
