Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .
Please share with concerned friends . . .
Quote of the Day:
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.”
– C.S. Lewis
Subject: Congress to vote tomorrow on amendment to stop federal arrests in medical marijuana states
Everyone is different. Some people are helped by Vioxx, while others are endangered by it. Some medications work in some cases, but not in others. Medical marijuana does little for some patients, but it’s the difference between life and death for many individuals. Your mileage may vary. One size does not fit all.
Federal law doesn’t work this way. It takes no account of individual differences and needs. Federal law applies to everyone, equally, from the top down. It tries to nail square pegs into round holes.
The pegs are people. The hammering leads to suffering and death. Those who run the federal government seem not to care. One size must be made to fit all.
America’s Founders didn’t think this way. They were wise and had vision. They knew that one size could not be made to fit all. They wanted power to be decentralized, to allow different mixtures of laws in different places and at different levels. This is why they gave us the 10th Amendment, to limit the centralized power of the federal government.
The federal marijuana laws are a violation of the 10th Amendment. The federal government has no constitutional authority for such laws. This was a power left to the states. Many states have now decided, either in their legislatures, or by a popular vote of the people, to permit the use of marijuana for medical purposes, much as morphine and other mind altering drugs have long been allowed.
These states have placed the power where it belongs, in the hands of doctors and patients.
But the federal government has vetoed these decisions. Federal authorities have usurped the power to make everyone, everywhere, comply with their paranoid preferences about marijuana.
Never mind the Constitution. Never mind human rights.
Never mind popular will. Never mind science.
Never mind what doctors say. Never mind individual differences.
Never mind suffering and death.
Fortunately, there are an increasing number of people in Congress who takes their oaths of office seriously, at least with regard to this issue. They want the federal government to respect state laws with regard to medical marijuana.
Representatives Hinchey and Rohrbacher have been pushing an amendment (the Hinchey-Rohrbacher amendment) that would make the federal government respect state marijuana laws. Longtime Downsizers will probably remember our campaign on this from last year: “I’ve got a Hinchey in my Rohrbacher and I need medical marijuana to fix it.”
This amendment has done better and better each year. It won 163 votes last year. We’re hoping for even more this time. A vote on the amendment is expected tomorrow, so now is the time to urge Congress to pass it. You can do so here.
Follow-up phone calls would also be helpful.
Finally, we’re still working to make budget for July. If you can help us do that . . .
We’ll mail a “9/11: Press for Truth” DVD to your home. Here’s how to get one . . .
If you’re an existing monthly credit card pledger in good standing as of June 15, 2007, all you have to do is increase your monthly pledge by at least $1, and we’ll send one to you.
If you’re NOT an EXISTING monthly credit card pledger then you can start a monthly credit card pledge of at least $6, or make a one-time credit card donation of $35 or more, and we’ll send you the DVD. (Sorry, for technical reasons we cannot make this offer for PayPal pledges or donations).
You can make your contribution here.
Thank you for being a DC Downsizer.
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.