Thanks Micah,

Yesterday, Giordano posted this in response to the Romney video:

Decriminalization and proven medical applications lessen society’s perceived evil of marijuana. This effect is believed to threaten the continued existence of about 80-percent of all drug war jobs.

Mitt Romney is batting for his own team’s job security when he cries foul on medical marijuana. Surveys indicate that only 1-in-10 Mormons approve of legalizing cannabis outright, compared to more than 4-in-10 Americans for society at large.

Mr. Romney and other Mormons are trained from childhood to pursue careers in civil service. Because of this, the Mormon Church furnishes many thousands of eager young candidates to the ranks of the judicial industrial complex. There they can be found in disproportionate numbers in the CIA, FBI, DEA and in state drug enforcement units across the Southwest. They also fill positions as prosecutors, probation, parole and prison staff.

The Mormon Church gets a flat, 10-percent rake-off in the form of tithes from the gross income of each of its members, With no war on marijuana, and with so many Mormon drug warriors, the church anticipates a risk of losing millions of reliably steady, redirected drug-war tax dollars each year.

Giordano

Following the money is always worth something, but it's difficult to quantify the profit motive explanation. In one sense, I'm just reluctant to accept that drug war supporters think that far ahead. If they do, they are vastly more evil than even I have been giving them credit for. Yikes.

The finer details of the origins of the Mormon or LDS Church and the subculture it created are even more bizarre than you’ve described. Jon Krakauer does an excellent job of exposing the sordid aspects of LDS history in his bestselling book Under the Banner of Heaven where he artfully weaves the true story of a gruesome double murder of a young wife and her baby daughter, committed by several Mormon extremists, into an historical narrative of Mormonism.

In a footnote, Krakauer reveals how Utah became the first state to prohibit marijuana. Prior to 1914, it seems a polygamist Mormon splinter group living in Mexico learned to enjoy the herb and brought it back to Utah when they fled Mexico due to some armed insurrections taking place there. The LDS Church subsequently banned marijuana use as part of the same church policy that discouraged tobacco. In 1914, the Utah state legislature incorporated all LDS church policies into the State of Utah’s legal code, placing marijuana on the books for the first time.

Krakauer also wrote Into Thin Air, which has just been released as a movie.

Giordano

In the example I made about the Mormons, thinking ahead is probably not how social catastrophes such as the drug war come about.

Much of the drug war’s evolution coincided with the 3,000 Mormons who migrated from Utah to Virginia to obtain government jobs there during the 1930s Great Depression. They’ve valued civil service ever since.

In a perfect storm scenario, Harry Anslinger’s prohibition empire evolved in a country that harbors a religion that expects its best Mormon members to meekly accept the dictum that caffeine (and THC) are “dangerous chemicals.” As far as Anslinger’s prohibition business was concerned, Mormonism was like a key that fit a lock.

Winning the hearts and minds of most Mormons regarding the drug war seems unlikely given the fact that so many members let the Mormon Church hierarchy do their thinking for them. The prohibition against “hot drinks” and smokables comes directly from founder Joseph Smith. Also, the Church is run by a president and a quorum of 12 elderly men in their 70s and 80s. Unless these old-timers get all excited over marijuana’s ability to reduce urinary incontinence, I don’t expect their support.

On the other hand, there are only a little over 5-million Mormons in the United States, compared to 100-million strong who’ve experienced or continue to smoke marijuana. Other than the influence of professional Mormon drug warriors, the Mormons' overall impact is minimal.

Giordano

Interesting. Brigham Young’s hemp paper mill is valuable information. Mormon history and much of its culture is still agriculturally based. A documentary or historical piece on Mormon hemp paper would allow Mormons to identify with a valuable renewable resource. Miniscule hemp THC percentages and hemp cross-pollination hazards to medical-grade pot could be explained at the same time. Excellent.

Mayor Rocky Anderson would probably admit his support for hemp production and medical marijuana if anyone asked him, and I think someone or some journalist has already.

The Mayor is actually an ex-Mormon who’s made some prickly statements calling Mormonism a “culture of obedience.” He gets re-elected mayor of Salt Lake City because there are more non-Mormon voters than Mormon voters who reside in SLC, and because Mayor Anderson promotes a secular city government in opposition to the theocratic city government sometimes preferred by Mormons. I’m not certain how he would help if he could. He appears besieged.

One approach to the Mormon pro-drug war stance recognizes that the Mormon or LDS Church, as well as its members, are hyper-sensitive about presenting a positive public image of themselves to the outside world. Past public relations mistakes have cost them dearly. Any more would be catastrophic.

For example, I would advise the LDS Church that it finally recognize the futility of the drug war and (for public relations reasons, if nothing else) immediately divest itself of any and all further involvement and support for said war. I would remind the Mormon hierarchy that the drug war is steadily losing its credibility and popularity; that the drug war’s destiny will soon frame it as an infamous crime against humanity; that anyone found enabling the drug war will be held legally and historically accountable for their conspiratorial role in aiding and abetting a monstrous, victim-strewn fraud.

Then, if they can’t take the hint, well…I tried.

Giordano

No R candidate is good on the Drug War.

Worse is Hillary. I think she might say (or hint at) one thing and do another. Just like her husband Bill.

DW pot arrests doubled under his regime. All that from a man who "didn't inhale".

Just one question. Where did you get the information that high quality cannibis has the best quality fiber? That is the first time I have seen it posted, anywhere! It seems to be an unsubtantiated claim. Where can I find that information? (other than from a blogger?)

I had high hopes for Bill Clinton, before that Bush's compassionate Conservatism got me interested - I thought it was code.

You are right. Without a broad based movement we are going no where.

You are also correct about candidates. Unless we can bring Fred Thompson aboard (States Rights) we are going to get no where. I don't think there is any hope with any of the other major candidates D or R.

Fred doesn't have a hard position yet.

Work him.

To win.

The sad thing is, it means that the citizens of the US, no longer, have any say into who will be nominated and who will win the presidency. It has all been predetermined, among the news media, who the "leading" candidates" are!!! That is not a republic or democracy, if you asked me! It is a popularity contest!! It works with name recognition and is not a sound approach to the issues we face, as a nation!!

Fred Thompson supporter admitted he was popular to him, because he saw him on TV, as an actor!!! (popular you tube video)

However, that argument has collected about as many people as it is going to get.

Even with Ron Paul in the race, Contitutionalism is a small percentage of the electorate.

We must find ways to appeal to the rest.

I think you hit the nail on the head! The two party system has been examined, and has been found to be wanting. Yet, when we have someone who would run as a third party candidate, they are seen as "spoilers". Ron Paul has claimed he will not run as a third party, as he well should not. It not only would waste a lot of resources (he has done that before), it would also take the votes away from the major candidates, leaving the people WITHOUT ANY choice into who the next president would be. (I think that is the definition of a spoiler)

The sad thing is that BOTH PARTIES are so badly out of touch with the populace, that the only people that seem to be offering a good alternative, are considered "black sheep" in, those same, political parties.
Maybe the ball will keep rolling and my candidate will be on the Republican ballot. I am not holding my breath. There are a lot of obstacles to over-come.

I am, also of the opinion, that if the Republican party does not recognize the fact that 70% of the people in this country, are said to opposed to being in Iraq, they will not be populating the oval office in the next presidential term. And we opposers are patriots! I wish for the harm to our young men and women in uniform to be reduced by bringing them home. We need to get them out of that country torn apart by centuries of religious fanatacism!

Ron Paul by working within our system has gotten the anti-drug war message out way better than he did when he was a Libertarian.

And when he was a Libertarian I voted for him.

What is a fool? The religious are, mostly, a sub-group of Christians (and maybe others), who want to be legalistic and force their way of life on others. The Constitution, so far, has prevented that! But anyone who has read the Bible and knows the tricks of "religions" soon can pick out the hypocrisy! The wine, used in the Bible was that that contained alcohol. Only a few Bible beating Baptists would argue that it is grape juice. But, in the Greek translation of the new testament, it is without a doubt, REAL WINE! In fact, it was supposed to have been the best! And, the people at the wedding, where the wine miracle was supposed to have taken place, asked why they saved the best for last! The thought was, use the good stuff first! Then, when the wedding goers were good and plastered, bring out the bad stuff!

There are plenty of warnings about the use of alcohol and its many dangers (Proverbs). But, nowhere in the Bible is wine or strong drink expressly prohibited! In fact , it says strong drink is for those who are in mourning! Drugs should be no different! If you want to take the chance of playing Russian roulette with drugs, it is a free country, and not prohibited in religious writings.

But, people should be educated better than just getting a bunch of propaganda, that includes dis-information, from the government! I know plenty of reformed coke users who would tell you never to get near the stuff! And I never will. But, putting anyone, sick enough to do it, in jail,makes no sense at all! Except it does supply a good many prison jobs!

Is the medical cartel.

Class War and Treatment vs Rcreation