War Breaks Out Within
the Marijuana Legalization Movement (Part 3)
[10/16/2009]
=======================================
A war is breaking out between the Cannabusiness Community, that hopes to
profit from draconian regulation of Marijuana, and the pillars of the
drug reform movement that insist that the self cultivation of Marijuana
become an untaxed, unregulated sacred right. The third part
of this series will illustrate how the Mainstream Media is colluding
with the Cannabusiness Community by adopting the specious conclusion
that Marijuana should be "taxed and regulated" and that only "Government
Marijuana Dispensaries" should be allowed to supply our Marijuana. =======================================
Introduction
In the first part of this series I
described a evolving "war" within the Marijuana Re-Legalization
movement. The battle lines have been drawn. On one side is
the Cannabusiness community that hopes to solidify policies that would
allow them to monopolize the market through the establishment of
"dispensaries" as the only means for American Citizens to obtain their
Marijuana. Under this model Americans would be forced to pay
"black market" prices, of between $300 to $500 dollars an ounce, as is
currently the case at California dispensaries. The
Cannabusiness Community is represented by pseudo drug reform
organizations (e.g., NORML, DPA and MPP) as well as by dispensaries
(e.g., Richard Lee, owner of Oaksterdam) that stand to profit from the
imposition of a this highly regulated and taxed model.
On the other side are the true
activists that believe we should be able to grow unlimited amounts of
"self cultivated" Marijuana without any taxation, regulation or other
forms of government interference. Under this model, represented by
the MERP Model, Americans would be able to grow their own Marijuana for
free in their gardens or at about $20 an ounce if they elected to grow
inside under new energy efficient LED light arrays. While
MERP does not preclude the issuance of commercial licensing or taxation
it insures a reasonable "price point" by guaranteeing self cultivation.
Under MERP American Adult Citizens will always have the right to self
cultivate without any form of taxation, regulation or other forms of
government interference.
The third part of this series will
illustrate how the Mainstream Media is colluding with the Cannabusiness
Community and the Federal Government by adopting the specious conclusion
that Marijuana should be "taxed and regulated" and that only "Government
Marijuana Dispensaries" should be allowed to supply our Marijuana.
Although the argument is not made explicitly it is clear that the
Mainstream Media has universally positioned itself against adult "self
cultivation."
As described in this series, and in
the numerous articles to be found at MERP Headquarters, there are three
inherent problems with any legalization model that does not allow
the unlimited, untaxed, unregulated self cultivation: This
is because only by destroying the "black
market" value of Marijuana -- by allowing untaxed, unregulated "self
cultivation" -- can we achieve 3 very important objectives:
* The Mexican Drug Cartels would go
out of business in a matter of weeks.
* The sick and the poor would instantly have access to free, or at least
cheap, medicine.
* The police would no longer have an excuse to invade you home in hopes
of discovering a few Marijuana plants.
Unfortunately the "Government
Marijuana Dispensary" solution cannot achieve any of the important goals
because their solutions do not take the artificial profits out of the
Marijuana market.
Mainstream Media and the "Big
Picture"
While I am focusing on Marijuana and
the media there is a bigger truth that badly needs to be understood by
the American People. The evolving Global Corporate Media is
working behind the scenes to treat the American People like a mushrooms:
kept in the dark while being fed a steady diet of Corporate
Media manure. You saw it with the TARP Bailout. And now your
are going to see the see it with Health Care, Cap and Trade and
Marijuana Re-Legalization. In all cases the media is
"Manufacturing Consent" on policy issues for the sole benefit of the
Global Elite. The American People be damned.
Many decades ago the American People
have been effectively prohibited from having input into the discussion
of issues ranging from "911" to Healthcare. One of the
brainchild's of this departure from true public discourse was Freud's
nephew Bernays who basically found methods to "engineer consent" for the
benefit of the elite. These methods began to find application as
early as the First World War and utilized "Public Relations Firms" to
"engineer consent" through the control of the Mass Media. This was
succinctly described in the BBC presentation, "The Century Of The Self:"
Bernays
inferred that democracy and capitalism went together. The 1939 Worlds
Fair was an extraordinary success and captured America's imagination.
The vision that it portrayed was about a new form of democracy in which
business responded to people's innermost desires in a way that
politicians could never do. But it was a form of democracy that depended
on treating citizens, not as active participants as Roosevelt did, but
as passive consumers. Because this, Bernays believed, was the key to
control in a mass democracy.
Its not that the people are in charge but that the people's desires are
in charge. The people are not in charge. The people exercise no decision
making power within this environment. So democracy is reduced, from
something that assumes an active citizenry, to the idea of the public as
passive consumers driven primarily by instinctual or unconscious
desires. And in fact if you can trigger those instincts and desires you
can get what you want from them.
The Century Of The Self - Part 1 of 4 (52:00)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8953172273825999151#
I highly recommend that everyone take
the time to watch this entire series which can be viewed at the
following link:
And for a more contemporary look at
how we are being manipulated I insist that you watch the following:
How The Corporate Elite Manufactures Consent Through Control Of The
Media http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid10043465001?bctid=14897424001
So in the 90 years since Bernays
began utilizing propaganda, as a tool for corporate control, these
techniques have been vastly refined. Making the problem far worse
has been the transnational consolidation and control of the media.
And here are some current examples of what Bernay's "engineering of
consent" has wrought for the American People.
* Today the globalists can blow up
the World Trade Center in order to justify the conquest of Middle
Eastern oil while concurrently censoring any public discourse into
how 3 skyscrapers could fall into their own footprint. After all,
in the entire history of sky scrapers, there has never been a single
instance where a skyscaper has fallen into it's own footprint. Yet
in one day it happens 3 times within 12 hours. And they can
maintain the fiction of this being done, solely by Islamic extremists,
even though it is obvious that the only way this could have happened was
through pre-planting explosives in all 3 buildings.
* Today Obama can give trillions of
tax payer money to the very same banksters that have destroyed the US
economy through offshoring our manufacturing base. And at the same
time he can ignore the fact that we are loosing over 500,000 jobs each
month while still allowing 138,000 Legal immigrants into the country
each month to take what few remaining jobs remain. And as tent
cities crop up around every major city the destruction of the American
Working Class is conveniently ignored.
* Today Congressman Wilson can be
castigated for accusing President Obama of lying about including Illegal
Aliens in the Health Insurance bill. And then days later Obama
would tell a group of Hispanics that he fully intends to grant 12 to 26
million Illegal Aliens Amnesty, making them eligible for Health Care,
Social Security and other entitlements. Yet for weeks the media
focused on Wilsons obligation to apologize for telling the truth while
concurrently ignoring the fact that Obama did, in fact, lie.
And, as I will now explain, such
propaganda techniques can also be used to "manufacture consent" for
allowing the government elite to now become our new Marijuana Drug
Dealer. And amazingly this could occur after 72 years of allowing
the very same government to bust 20 million Americans, since 1965, for
consuming what the elite believes will be their new "cash crop."
The Media Propaganda Machine
Gears Up To Make Marijuana Legal Under a "Government Marijuana
Dispensary" System
Almost immediately after Obama won
the Presidential Election, in November 2008, a series of media
propaganda began emerging on the subject of Marijuana. The new
propaganda was subtly suggesting that public opinion was changing on the
issue of Marijuana. All of these shows seemed to ask, "perhaps it was
finally time to consider Legalizing Marijuana." But without
exception each "news story" reached the same conclusion: Marijuana
should be taxed, regulated and implemented with draconian government
supervision and control. And while this was not explicitly stated
it was most certainly inferred.
The first of this new Marijuana
Propaganda was delivered through "Marijuana Nation," by Lisa Ling and
CNBC's "Marijuana Inc." "Marijuana Nation" took a two fold
approach by looking at the futility of enforcement and the burgeoning
Marijuana Grow Operations that has overtaken California since the
passage of Proposition 215 in 1996.
"Marijuana Inc" -- produced for CNBC
-- followed in the first months of 2009. It took a similar
approach. But then it spent a good portion of the show talking
with Bruce Perlowin, the President of "Medical Marijuana Inc."
Looking back "Marijuana Inc" was really a commercial to promote
Perlowin's "Marijuana Dispensary" kiosks that are design to act as POS
(Point of Service) systems for divvying up the federal, state and local
taxes from the legal sale of Marijuana. Ironically Perlowin was
once one of the biggest illegal importers of Marijuana in the United
States during the 1960's. Now he appears destined to become the
head of a company that could ultimately provide "taxation" systems for
divvying up Marijuana tax revenue once the Government paves the way to
Legalize Marijuana. To fully understand what a scum bag Perlowin
is I highly recommend that you read Craig Canada's article about
Perlowin and Medical Marijuana inc.
There are a number of additional
puzzle pieces that make clear the intent of the Obama Administration.
Puzzle Piece #1: Attorney
General Holder Promises to Leave Marijuana Dispensaries Alone
On May 18th, 2009, "U.S. Atty. Gen.
Eric H. Holder Jr. said that the Justice Department has no plans to
prosecute pot dispensaries that are operating legally under state laws
in California and a dozen other states -- a development that medical
marijuana advocates and civil libertarians hailed as a sweeping change
in federal drug policy." You can read the full story at the
following link:
Puzzle Piece #2: The Federal
Government Gets Ready for the Mass Distribution of Federally Grown
Marijuana
Next on August 5th, 2009 the National
Institute on Drug Abuse released a "request for proposal" which seemed
destined to make the Tobacco Industry the "heir inherent" for the mass
production and distribution of Marijuana Cigarettes:
The National Institute on Drug
Abuse is soliciting proposals from qualified organizations having the
capability to (1) grow, harvest, analyze, store and distribute GMP grade
cannabis (marijuana) on large and small scales; (2) extract cannabis to
obtain purified phytocannabinoids including delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
(delta-9-THC), analyze, and store; (3) prepare marijuana cigarettes and
related products; and (4) distribute marijuana, marijuana cigarettes and
cannabinoids, and other related products for research and other
Government programs upon NIDA authorization.
Production, Analysis, & Distribution of Cannabis &
Marijuana Cigarettes
Puzzle Piece #3: Local Law
Enforcement Continues to Bust Medical Marijuana Patients
Michigan was the 13th State to
Legalize Marijuana of Medical Purposes through a state wide initiative
that appeared on the November 2008 ballot. I am intimately
familiar with this initiative because I collected about 1 in 400
signatures in order to get this initiative on the ballot. And it
is worth mentioning that the Michigan Medical Marijuana Initiative
passed by at least 60 percent of the vote in every single Michigan
County. But almost immediately Michigan Law Enforcement began
busting Medical Marijuana Patients that had begun to "grow their own"
medicine. The very same thing has been going on in all 13
states that have passed similar initiatives. Of course the real
reason that law enforcement can't give up their addiction to Marijuana
Prohibition is because they are making so much money from it. It
is estimated that law enforcement brings in about 1.2 Billion dollars
each year from drug related property confiscation alone.
Puzzle Piece #4: California
Local Law Enforcement Announces Plans to Close Down Most Marijuana
Dispensaries
California became the first state to
Legalize Marijuana for Medical Patients with the passage of Proposition
215 in November 1996. It is also important to recognize that Prop
215 is the most comprehensive of all of the 13 State Medical Marijuana
Proposals. It does not limit the number of plants that can be
grown and is least restrictive as to what "ailments" can be treated with
Marijuana. In the 13 years since passage thousands of
Medical Marijuana Dispensaries have popped up across the state. In
addition thousands of patients and caregivers are also able to grow
"medicinal" Marijuana. And just about any adult can acquire a
"Medical Marijuana Card" by paying as little as $150 dollars to the
local "Medical Marijuana Doctor."
In
April 2009, the California Police Chiefs Association, released a
reefer madness-tinged "report" for the State of California.
The report claimed that cities allowing dispensaries have reported
increases in loitering, illegal drug activity, burglaries, robberies,
and "other criminal activity" for good measure. Notably missing from the
"report" were any actual figures.
(Most towns with operating dispensaries actually report no problems).
Then in October 2009 the LA
Police began to lay plans to close down 800 to 1,000 Medical Marijuana
Dispensaries that have become more common than "Star Bucks" Coffee shops
throughout LA. This is the most serious attack on Medical
Marijuana since the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996. And the
Anti-Marijuana "swine flu" now appears to be spreading North from San
Diego, which has been the most Marijuana unfriendly city in California.
According to the article --
"Darkness In San Diego -- Attack On Medical Marijuana Moving Northward"
-- the contagion is now spreading north to Los Angeles and Long Beach.
As someone that has covered drug policy for over 20 years I can assure
you that the Obama administration is most definitely in the loop with
local and state law enforcement efforts.
It is also worth noting that the
"swine" are not just going after the Marijuana Dispensaries. They
are also going after the patients. Medical Marijuana Patient Donna
Lambert was recently caught in the "swine" net despite the fact that she
is a cancer survivor who has endured 5 surgeries, a year of chemotherapy
and suffers from chronic pain. So she asks "Why was I
arrested for Marijuana?" Why indeed President Obama.
Puzzle Piece #5: The
Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) Structures the 14th Medical Marijuana
Initiative to Prohibited Marijuana "Self Cultivation"
Rob Kampia is the head of MPP
which is responsible for most of the Medical Marijuana Initiatives that
have passed in the 13 states so far. So in 2009 they announced the
14th initiative for Arizona. But unlike any of the previous
initiatives this one comes with a "poison pill" for Medical Marijuana
Patients. Because, unless you live more than 25 miles from a
"dispensary" you will be prohibited from any "self cultivation."
And if you ignore the warning you will probably not be going to a clinic
but rather to jail. Ironically Kampia got busted with nearly 100
Marijuana plants in the early 1990's but now doesn't want you to be able
to grow your own. What a hypocrite.
Putting the Marijuana Policy
Puzzle Together
Let's try to put these puzzle
pieces together like they used to do on that old TV Game Show know as
"Concentration." In this show you would get a part of the puzzle
for answering a question. And the first person to guess the
phrase, represented by the puzzle pieces, would win the game.
I believe that, once we put all the
puzzle pieces together, the hidden phrase would say:
"We are out to create
Federally controlled "Government Marijuana Dispensaries" so we can
continue to profit from Marijuana Prohibition, even after the public
demands that Marijuana be made legal."
And here is how I got there.
In the fall of 2009 I contacted
Casey Wian's who is one of Lou Dobb's main reporters. I explained
to him that I was an expert on drug policy issues and personally knew
just about every major player in the Marijuana Legalization Movement.
I wanted to be a guest on the "Lou Dobb's Show" in order to refute Lou's
"Anti-Marijuana" position. Specifically I wanted to argue that by
simply taking the profit out of Marijuana, by allowing adult Americans
to simply "grow their own," we could destroy the Mexican Drug Cartels in
a matter of weeks. It is estimated that as much as 70% of the
Mexican Drug Cartel Profits come from the sale and distribution of
Marijuana. So without expending a single dime of American "blood
or treasure" we could effectively destroy the Mexican Drug Cartel which
is now active in over 230 American cities. After a number of phone
conversations Casey stated flat out that Lou would never allow me on his
show.
I found this odd since it would
have helped Lou "self deport" some of the most dangerous Illegal Aliens
now residing in the United States. But it was clear that Lou meant
no. In a final attempt Casey simply told me to stop calling.
But it all beginning to make sense
to me now. So let me put the puzzle pieces together and explain
what I think is really going on.
Drug Prohibition is a big money
maker for the International Banking System. In fact a UN report
noted that is may be the only thing keeping the International Banking
System afloat: besides all of those "taxpayer donated" TARP Bailouts. It
is estimated that over 50 percent of the TARP bailouts are going to the
International Banks. It is also estimated that as much as 40
Billion dollars each year, required to support the "shadow government's"
"Black Operations Budget," comes largely from the government involvement
in the International Drug Trade. It is also quite likely that the
"lions share" of this revenue must come from Marijuana which is the most
used illegal substance throughout the globe.
Finally, over the last
century, the International Banking elite now controls the Media, our
Government, and our Corporations. But in order for them to
continue making money off of the drug trade there must be some
"artificial mechanism" in place to keep the price high and still allow
most of the busts and incarcerations to continue.
Since the Marijuana Tax Act was
passed in 1938 that mechanism was Marijuana Prohibition.
Prohibition artificially inflates the price of Marijuana because the
risks of death and imprisonment have to be factored into the price.
That is essentially why an ounce of Marijuana -- which you could grow in
your garden for free -- currently costs the user between $300 and $500
dollars.
In 2009 something occurred which
must have been quite unsettling for the beneficiaries of Marijuana
Prohibition: everyone from the International "Banksters," to the local
police departments. It was a Zogby Poll that showed, for the
first time, that 52 percent of the American People would vote to
completely Legalize Marijuana if they had the opportunity. On top
of that you now have 13 states where Medical Patients and their
caregivers can grow as many as 12 Marijuana plants in order to harvest
their own medicine. As you could well imagine the "Marijuana
Prohibitionists" must have been having a collective "hissy fit."
You can almost hear them saying something like this:
"If Marijuana becomes legal,
so that everyone can grow it for free, we are screwed."
That also goes for all of the
"moneyed" drug reform organizations such as NORML, DPA and MPP. Do
you really think there would be a need for the "National Organization
for the Reform of Marijuana Laws" once Marijuana is "reformed?"
And what possible excuse could there be for the "Marijuana Policy
Project" once the project (e.g., Legal Marijuana "Self Cultivation") is
completed?
The Zogby Poll was the writing on
the wall. And it is also interesting to note that NORML, DPA and
MPP never cite this poll. Instead they cite other polls that gauge
support at about 40 percent.
So what could the Marijuana
Prohibitionists do to keep the "gravy train" running?
Well one of the things that you
would want to do is stop those darn Medical Patients from growing their
Marijuana for free in their gardens or for about $20 an ounce if they
decide to grow indoors. That explains the ongoing harassment of
Marijuana Patients and caregivers who can currently grow their own.
Next you want to get rid of those
"mom and pop" Medical Marijuana Dispensaries that essentially allow drug
cartels and legitimate growers to sell their Marijuana at $300 to $500
an ounce. That explains MPP's Arizona Initiative as well as
the plans to shut down all of the dispensaries in LA and other
California cities.
Then you would want to restrict
the growing of Medical Marijuana to "Government Marijuana Dispensaries"
that would be strictly controlled by the federal government: much like
we currently control the production of "hard liquor" such as Vodka, Rum
and Whiskey. That explains the NIDA's recent grant for large
businesses (e.g., the Tobacco Industry) that can supply the
Federal Government with large numbers of Marijuana Cigarettes.
And of course the government will
be your new Marijuana Drug Dealer which will continue to charge you $300
to $500 an ounce for your "medicine." They will probably regulate
the THC levels as well which will assure that Marijuana consumers will
still look to drug dealers for higher quality Marijuana. This will
insure that both individuals and drug cartels will still be able to
compete and will assure that the police will continue to bust growers
and consumers alike. And of course those Attorneys will still be
needed to provide the defense for the 800,0000 Marijuana consumers that
will most assuredly still be getting busted.
Concluding Thoughts
What I have just described for you
is really only my best guess. On the other hand you might want to
consider that I am one of the most knowledgeable people on the planet
when it comes to Drug Policy Issues. I have a standing challenge
to NORML, MPP, DPA -- and all of the Marijuana Prohibitionists -- to
argue against the efficacy of my model for Marijuana
Re-Legalization: the MERP Model. So far no takers.
In the big picture I feel we are
at a cross road in human history. President Obama is merely a pawn
for the Global Elite that is out to reduce most of the world's
population to serfdom in order to secure their position as the ultimate
controller of our destiny. He is fulfilling their agenda through
Cap and Trade, Establishing a North American Union, and
restricting your access to Single Payer Health Care. And
establishing "Government Marijuana Dispensaries" (GMD's) is most
certainly part of the plan. As I have described these GMD's will
force you to pay prohibition prices even once it is legalized. And
if you insist on growing your own you will be going to prison.
President Lincoln spoke out
against Prohibition over 100 years ago.
"Prohibition
will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of
intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in
that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a
crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a
blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded."
-Abraham Lincoln (1809-65) U.S. President. Speech, 18
Dec. 1840, to Illinois House of Representatives
Fast forward 169 years and it is
hard to argue that he wasn't spot on with his analysis of prohibition.
20 Million Marijuana consumers have been busted in the United States,
alone, since 1965.
The "Corporate Mainstream Media"
is most definitely controlled by this Global Elite. That is
why they are so compelled to manufacture consent for a new form of
prohibition: "Government Marijuana Dispensaries. That is why they
refuse to get the learned opinions of myself and other elders of the
Legalization Movement such as Jack Herer or Dennis Peron. Why?
Because we are all diametrically opposed to allowing the government to
tax or control the "self cultivation" of Marijuana by adult citizens.
And if the Global Elite cannot "tax and regulate" your Marijuana their
"Golden Goose" will become just another relic in the dust bin of human
history. More importantly the billions that they extract from
prohibition will immediately evaporate before their eyes.
But I have to ask you, isn't it
time we stopped making crimes out of things that are not crimes?
Isn't it time we just allowed the people to "grow their own" in order to
provide free medicine to the sick and destroy the Mexican Drug Cartels?
Isn't it time the American People started to demand that their
government begins representing the American People and not the
"banksters" that truly comprise the Global Elite.
Well?
If this article has persuaded you
in the least please spread it far and wide. I want to convene a
special session of Congress within the next year to fully implement the
MERP Model for Marijuana Re-Legalization. Once completed all
adults will be able to grow all the Marijuana they wish without any
taxation, regulation or other forms of government control And they
will be able to do it immediately. Now that a majority of American
supports Re-Legalization should we really have to wait any longer?
I say let's get it done and move on to auditing and ending the Federal
Reserve. There is much more to be done. And if we can't
facilitate the immediate Re-Legalization of Adult "self cultivation" I
see little hope that we can resolve the long list of other challenges
that threaten to destroy this once great Republic.
What You Can Do to Help
Re-Legalize Marijuana for all Adult Americans
Regardless of whether you consume
Marijuana I encourage all that agree with this article to get on my
mailing list so that I can keep you up to date on the progress of the
MERP strategy to make "self cultivation" a right of all American
Citizens. You can sign up for the mailing list for free at the
following link:
In addition I encourage you to visit
MERP Headquarters in order to educate yourself about what is really
going on in the Marijuana Legalization movement. I can assure you
that what you will watch and read there is not being covered by the
Mainstream Media.
Lisa "Dinga" Ling provides the
typical corporate media propaganda. As with coverage by other
national "reporters" (Lou Dobbs, Anderson Cooper etc.) this film
refuses to address the fact that without prohibition we could all grow
our Marijuana for free and the "greater good" would immediately be
served. The only thing that makes an ounce of Marijuana worth $300
to $500 an ounce is the fact that is is still illegal. Once legal
we can all grow it for free outside or for about $25 and ounce under
lights indoors.
Leave it to NORML to hang themselves. This
contains links to a plethora of "tax and regulate" media propaganda.
I challenge you to find anything in any of these presentations that
talks about adult Americans being able to "grow their own."
Please send the link to
activists throughout the planet. The translation bar should allow
this to be read in any language. The 5-Point Strategy for
Marijuana Re-Legalization should be easy to implement in any country
throughout the planet. I encourage all groups celebrating the
Global Marijuana March to make the immediate implementation of the MERP
Model a primary focus of the event.
Call President Obama and your Representatives and demand:
(1) Immediate clemency for Marc Emery and
(2) Immediate implementation of the MERP Model through an Emergency
Session of Congress, similar to what was used to pass the TARP Bailout
on October 3rd, 2008
President:
U.S. Senate switchboard:
202-224-3121
U.S. House switchboard:
(202) 225-3121
The President:
Comments: 202-456-1111.
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
Share
your views on whether Lou Dobbs should support Marijuana Re-Legalization at our
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"Prohibition
will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of
intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in
that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a
crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a
blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded."
