North County's congressional leaders should act to protect, not punish.

[question everything]

Sunday, June 12, 2005

North (San Diego) County's congressional leaders should act to protect, not punish.

By: JOHN WEBSTER

As documented by Atlantic Monthly correspondent Eric Schlosser, Randall Todd Cunningham was arrested in 1997 for helping transport 400 pounds of marijuana from coast to coast. A few months earlier, California passed Proposition 215 allowing medical use of marijuana.

Although he admitted that he was part of a commercial smuggling operation that distributed more than 30,000 pounds of nonmedical pot, Cunningham was able to avoid a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Instead he was sentenced to only 2 1/2 years in prison. His sentence might have been shorter, but he tested positive for cocaine three times while out on bail.

His father, U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Escondido, tearfully pleaded for mercy at his son's trial. "My son has a good heart," he said. Don't people like Angel Raich and Diane Monson also have good hearts? They are the two medical marijuana patients at the center of this week's Supreme Court ruling affirming the powers of Congress to regulate the drug.

Todd Cunningham is in good company. He is a child of privilege. Like the children of former Secretary of State James Baker and conservative Congressman Dan Burton, R-Ind. ---- both of whom were arrested for violating federal marijuana laws ---- they had an advocate in the federal government to shelter them from our nation's severe drug laws.

Medical marijuana users don't have such advocates ---- at least not here in North County. Last year both Reps. Cunningham and Issa voted against the Farr-Rohrabacher amendment that would have ended funding for federal prosecution of medical marijuana patients.

More..
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/06/12/opinion/commentary/17_21_036_11_05.txt

John Webster is a Vista-based graphic artist who regularly contributes political cartoons to this newspaper.

[firefox]

1. It shows people are not equal before the law.

The projected fantasy wants people to pretend that we are all equal before the law.

It is just not so. Reality will eventually kill the Drug War and its harmful prohibitions.