Liberty And Justice For All

While George W. continues to show America and the World his version of democracy in action, we on the islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai have our own opportunity. Interestingly, George W. and his gang,those ardent democracy advocates, will most likely be our biggest hurdle.

But that is jumping ahead.

Two initiatives are currently being circulated whose goal is to place ordinances on November's ballot concerning citizens' use of marijuana, both for personal and medicinal purposes. They are entitled Maui County Crime Reduction/Alcohol Marijuana Equalization Ordinance and Maui County Compassionate Choice/Family Farmer Regulation and Revenue Ordinance.

Although the following applies to both ordinances, it addresses specifically the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Ordinance which would make it lawful for adults to smoke and possess marijuana - the same basic freedom an adult has to drink alcohol and/or smoke cigarettes. It is about freedom of choice - "liberty and justice for all."

The fact is that this should not even be an issue of contention. Marijuana laws attempt to control people's behavior without legitimate justification. When placed side-to-side with the laws concerning alcohol and the real evidence concerning both alcohol and marijuana, they scream of hypocrisy.

We are all born free. That's where any discussion of this must begin. This is true of everyone on the planet. The various social/economic/political systems we are born into either support that reality or they do not. That does not change the basic, "born free" truth.

For those of us living in America, the Declaration of Independence, 1776, the basic contract between the People and the government of the United States, sets this "self evident" truth into American gospel: We are all "created equal, (we) are endowed by (our) Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." These Rights are intrinsic to our very being; they are a part of who we are. They cannot be transferred; they are inalienable. Governments purpose is"to secure these Rights." If it does not fulfill its purpose "it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it."

The "Big Brother," we know what's best for you mentality, has no legitimate place anywhere - certainly not in America. The government needs to know that we know they are abridging our Rights. There is more at stake here than smoking pot.

The marijuana alcohol/tobacco comparisons take the prohibition against marijuana beyond absurd to ludicrous to grossly hypocritical. The fact is that the government has worked overtime attempting to find negative physical and/or mental health risks resulting from marijuana use. Whatever their questionable findings might be, none of them show marijuana to be more harmful than alcohol.

It's no secret, alcohol is the number one killer on the road. Its use stimulates aggressive behavior. It far exceeds any other drug or intoxicant, legal or illegal, as a prime destroyer of lives and families; and it is said to wreak havoc on quail hunters. Compare this to marijuana and the verified multitude of uses it has and you have to wonder what is going on.

The Bill of Rights, the First Ten Amendments to the United States Constitution, created specifically to protect the People from the government, addresses this issue of freedom of choice: The First Amendment, Freedom of Religion, is about the freedom to be who you are - the freedom to explore this life from your own perspective, as long as you are not interfering with the Rights of others. It echoes the Declaration of Independence. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments protect our right to due process and equal protection of the laws. It's simple. Equal protection and due process mean that you have got to measure alcohol and marijuana by the same rules, the same standards. Beer and whiskey drinkers are not Created more equal than pot smokers.

Every morning kids all over America recite the pledge of allegiance. They stand up and put their hands over their hearts and pledge allegiance to a nation "with liberty and justice for all."

This is the American Religion; American gospel. Every individual has the freedom to be who they are. Every individual has the Right to be treated fairly. The people of this nation have become dulled; walking around like a bunch of zombies. There is more to freedom than the freedom to buy lots of stuff and watch a lot of TV.

America needs a wake-up call. We can do our part.

This is a genuine opportunity for everyone to stand up and let the government know that we want our freedom and we want it now. You don't have to be a marijuana smoker to support this issue. All you have to be is someone who believes in the America that could/should be; a place where people are truly free to be who they are as long as they are not interfering with the rights of others.

Let's make this happen!