Oaksterdam University, the War on Drugs and the silence of the Obamapologists

 

Richard Lee, Enemy of the State

 

This morning, the epicenter of the California’s medical cannabis and cannabis legalization movement, Oaksterdam University, was raided by Federal agents, with the aid of the Oakland Police Department, on order from the Department of Justice with the full endorsement of the Obama Administration. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Oaksterdam, it is the Oakland based university founded by Richard Lee, the chief proponent and financier of 2010’s Prop 19,  that teaches adults about cannabis and how to grow it successfully. On top of teaching students great horticulture skills, the university also taught their students about the medical cannabis laws, the history behind cannabis prohibition and how to acts as effective advocates for drug policy reform.  Real threats to public safety, right?  As flawed as Prop 19 was, Richard Lee and Oaksterdam University did set the stage for cannabis legalization and medical cannabis initiatives to blossom across the country. This coming fall election, the people of Washington and Colorado will be deciding whether or not to thumb their noses at the Federal government and legalize the use of cannabis for social use by adults.

And because of this movement towards repealing cannabis prohibition, the Obama Administration has now deemed Richard Lee and Oaksterdam University public enemy #1.    While your tax dollars were being used to take care of these public safety “threats”  at Oaksterdam today, a crazed person at a private Christian college in the same town had decided that fellow students were better suited for target practice with a firearm than as study buddies.  (http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_20308252/police-respond-shooting-east-oakland?source=rss).   As tragic as the murders at this small college are,  it illustrates the huge disconnect of lawmakers and law enforcement on who the bigger threats are to public safety. With the majority of public opinion trending towards legalization and calling the War on (some) Drugs a failure,  why do our a majority of elected officials from the Democratic and Republican parties keep funding billions of dollars into maintaining these Draconian laws?  Laws that have not curbed drug use among youths but instead has:

1) increased our adult and youth prison population, a good percentage of them non-violent “offenders”,  making the United States the #1 nation in incarcerating people (WE’RE #1…USA! USA!)

2) increased drug cartel violence in our inner cities and our southern border towns such as El Paso/Juarez

3) lead to a great number of overdose deaths because people aren’t empowered to act as “Good Samaritans” due to fear of prosecution from law enforcement

And the list can go on and on with “social justice” issues like  the ravaging of our environment, the erosion of our civil liberties, the curbing of safe access to medication, et al.

 

 

A scene from that "other" crime scene in Oakland. Which begs the question, who is the bigger threat to public safety?

In 2008, then Sen. Barack Obama had pledged, if elected President, not to use Federal resources to harass medical cannabis dispensaries in states where medical cannabis is legal, including California.   With this raid and umpteenth broken promise (I quit counting after his refusal to lead efforts to repeal the USA PATRIOT Act),  he has definitely been the WORST president when it came to drug policy.  Even Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) said this about Obama on his Facebook status today:

“Shame on the Obama Administration, the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney Haag for escalating this war on medical marijuana. Let’s be clear – Obama has been far worse than Clinton and George W. Bush ever were with their policies regarding marijuana. My disappointment in this Administration has shifted now to anger for this inexplicable crackdown.

Prop. 215 is the law in California and we need to defend it.”

Where were the rest of the Obamapologists and Democrats on this Federal encroachment on laws that were passed by the people of this state?   The crickets and Porky Pig like stuttering justifying their support for this “leader” were evident and in full force today.  The Republicans are worse?  Really?  I don’t know how worse it can get with another four years of Obama, a President that has exceeded the Bush Administration in their violation of medical cannabis patients’ rights, and listening to the endless justification of support as more civil liberties stripping legislation like NDAA is signed into law and the escalation of these raids in places where medical cannabis is legal.  At least some Republicans that I know have been honest in their support for the War on Drugs and I know where they stand.

Unfortunately,  I can’t say the same thing about other Democrats in this state and county (with the exception of Mark Leno) who speak with forked tongues on this issue or what the Ojibwa elders refer to as “Maaaaaa.”  Or worse, take credit for bringing this issue to the forefront discounting the work of hard working grassroots activists that were stumping for this issue for many years (in my case, 25 and counting) before it was “cool.”  Obama and his blind, intellectually deficient, lock step supporters/apologists embody the meaning of “Maaaaaa” to its fullest when it comes to this issue.  Use cannabis activists to pad their voter rolls and throw them under the bus, like they did with Cindy Sheehan,  when they achieve their ultimate goal of achieving power.   Keep in mind that it was a huge grassroots effort by Prop 19 supporters and activists that helped Attorney General Kamala Harris defeat Steve Cooley in 2010.   And where was Kamala Harris voice today?  Another example of what my Ojibwa brothers and sisters call  “Maaaaaa.”  (Got Google?  Look it up yourself, zhagnaash!)

And don’t get me started on the silence of the Orange County “progressive” Christian community who acts like this issue does not exist in the realm of “social justice” that they speak about from the pulpit with flowery, emotionally charged rhetoric.  They are worse than “Maaaaaa.”  The “Zhaagnaash” in the OC progressive Christian community speaks of “zaghidiwin” in their rhetoric but their obvious silence on this issue is aiding and abetting in “niboowin” of their own people and children.   As a person of faith who attends a noted “progressive” Christian church in Orange County,  I find this silence from the clergy and members of these “progressive” faith communities disturbing and troubling.  Especially since Pat Robertson,  a man who would never be mistaken for a progressive Christian, came out and endorsed the upcoming cannabis legalization initiatives in Washington and Colorado.  It is pretty sad when Pat Robertson is more forward thinking than certain local “progressive” clergy who claim the mantle of “open and affirming.”

Coming to CBN this summer: "The 420 Club with Pat Robertson"

So much for “Change You Can Believe In.”  Speaking of which, here’s an example of that “change” brought to you by Barack Obama and Joe Biden.  Is this now Bush’s fault?  Judge for yourself.

Change You Can Believe In

And a final image to put in your pipe and smoke if the War on Drugs doesn’t disturb you:

 

 

 


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