Drugs pot - GOVERNMENT Cannabis MEDICAL Dispensaries and NEW GANG BILL

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GOVERNMENT Cannabis MEDICAL Dispensaries and NEW GANG BILL

420MED.COM

2006-09-28, 4:23 pm

It is sneaky because these provisions have never been discussed and
are being voted on without hearings. It would seem that Grows have
been called "gang" related too, so, the legislation needs to be
reviewed not just quietly inserted without being even read or viewed.

http://capwiz. com/famm/ issues/alert/ ?alertid= 9058161&type= CU

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This is an alert from FAMM

Here's something you probably never learned in civics class: Congress
can, and routinely does, pass legislation with provisions that have
nothing to do with the main bill. Take for example this year's
spending bills for defense and homeland security. Knowing they are
vital pieces of legislation that Congress must pass, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), is threatening
to hold them and any other "must-pass" spending bills hostage unless
controversial gang and court security provisions are added to one of
them. He can do this because as the Speaker he has the power to
schedule votes on the House floor.

What do court security and gangs have to do with our national security
and defense?

Not much except to allow some politicians to say they are
tough-on-crime for the upcoming elections.

What's more, the provisions of the gang bill have been kept secret
without a public hearing in the Senate! Most members will not even
know what they are voting for if Speaker Hastert has his way.

We can't let him sneak these two controversial provisions into
"must-pass" spending legislation because they are simply bad policy.
Among other things, the court security provision contains many new
mandatory minimum penalties for harming judges or their family members.

We know of no complaints that judges are too lenient in sentencing
those who threaten or harm their colleagues. The gang provision is
also misguided. It increases existing sentences, adds many consecutive
penalties which turns them into mandatory minimums, creates numerous
new federal crimes even though gang deterrence is best handled by state
and local officials, and allows U.S. Attorneys to prosecute kids in
adult court when numerous studies show that this does not reduce crime.

For these reasons, we implore you now to call Speaker Hastert at his
Washington, D.C., office at (202) 225-2976. Tell the staff member who
answers the phone who you are and that you are a member of Families
Against Mandatory Minimums.

Then tell him/her that you want Speaker Hastert to drop the court
security and gang provisions because they are bad bills. That's all
you have to say. If you want you can also use the following talking
points below. But the main priority is for you to take action now!

Congress has three days to finish its business, and Rep. Hastert wants
the gang bill taken care of now. Please act now.

If you can make one more call, make it to Sen. John Warner of Virginia.
He is Chairman of the Armed Serves Committee and so far he has
resisted letting the gang bill become part of the defense authorization
bill. Let him know you appreciate his stand. He can be reached at
(202) 224-2023.

Please let us know if you called and any response you received. Thanks
for your help in preventing more bad sentencing policies!

Sincerely,

Julie Stewart

Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) is a national nonpartisan,
nonprofit organization founded in 1991 in response to inflexible and
excessive penalties required by mandatory sentencing laws. FAMM
promotes sentencing polices that give judges the discretion to
distinguish between defendants and sentence them according to their
role in the offense, seriousness of the offense and potential for
rehabilitation.

FAMM's 28,000 members include prisoners and their families, attorneys,
judges, criminal justice experts and concerned citizens.

For more information, contact us at:
FAMM
1612 K St. NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 822-6700
http://www.famm. org

Talking Points:

* Good policy is not made in haste, and these two provisions will
result in very bad policy.

* Research shows that mandatory sentences do not deter crime.

Nevertheless, the court security provision contains new mandatory
minimum penalties. Members of the federal judiciary know best how to
punish individuals who harm judges or their family members. We know of
no complaints that judges are too lenient in sentencing those who
threaten or harm their colleagues.

* The gang provision would also allow U.S. Attorneys to transfer
certain juveniles to adult court. Comprehensive national research on
the practice of prosecuting youth in the adult system has conclusively
shown that transferring youth to the adult criminal justice system does
nothing to reduce crime and actually has the oppose effect.

* Statistics from the Bureau of Justice Statistics reveal that the rate
of violent crime has fallen since 1973. Gang violence too has declined
since 1994.

That is because states are better equipped and already have sufficient
laws to fully address youthful offenses. We do not need to federalize
more crimes when states already have laws on the books and effective
programs in place to handle gang offenses.

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Will you call and ask your representatives that hearings be held...so
the light of day can shine on these provisions before being added to
mandatory spending?

Richard Muller

amanita

2006-09-28, 4:23 pm

It's not like 420MED.COM had something important to say when
they declared:

> It is sneaky because these provisions have never been
discussed and
> are being voted on without hearings. It would seem that
Grows have
> been called "gang" related too, so, the legislation needs to
be
> reviewed not just quietly inserted without being even read or
viewed.

I am so tired of hearing about all of this "gang" related crap.
Everywhere you go, you get stuff getting blamed on gang
activity. They have old people everywhere pissin in their
depends. Even the younger folks--my age, mid 30's-- are shakin
in their boots.

We live in Western NC. We don't have fukkin gangs here. We have
kids who get together at the mall. Occassionally you see them
standing together in a group. Kids do that. They always have;
they always will. 'cept now they are called gangs.

Kids can't wear bandanas to school, not even the girls. My
daughter has a hairband that has a bandana pattern to it, but
it's only 3/4 inch wide. Still, she can't wear it. They say
bandanas are a symbol of gang activity.

--
=====@@@@@=====@@@@@=====
Freedom is just another word
for nothing left to lose.
---------------------
http://www.myspace.com/amanitatokesalot

fanghorn

2006-09-30, 4:23 pm

amanita <blue.moon.goddess@gmail.com> wrote in
news:Xns984C98A3312EFnosuchthingasfreedom@204.153.244.170:

> It's not like 420MED.COM had something important to say when
> they declared:
>
> discussed and
> Grows have
> be
> viewed.
>
> I am so tired of hearing about all of this "gang" related crap.
> Everywhere you go, you get stuff getting blamed on gang
> activity. They have old people everywhere pissin in their
> depends. Even the younger folks--my age, mid 30's-- are shakin
> in their boots.
>
> We live in Western NC. We don't have fukkin gangs here. We have
> kids who get together at the mall. Occassionally you see them
> standing together in a group. Kids do that. They always have;
> they always will. 'cept now they are called gangs.
>
> Kids can't wear bandanas to school, not even the girls. My
> daughter has a hairband that has a bandana pattern to it, but
> it's only 3/4 inch wide. Still, she can't wear it. They say
> bandanas are a symbol of gang activity.
>
Riight. And there never was a costa nostra either... What I don't see is
how this has *anything* do do with the Canadian governments privatized
supply of medical Cannabis. To say nothing of the fact that the url is
currently non-existant. Also the company involved seems to be US *not*
Canadian at all.