A Thanksgiving tradition followed yet again this year.
My heart is as full as my stomach.
Even though I live 1000 miles to the east, my heart is always there along the banks of Lake Michigan. Tuned in to watch the Lions play whoever it is that they will be playing. And losing.
I love tradition.
Namaste.
I say that it is a conundrum, but it is really just a confusion. Why? Because since Michigan Proposal 1 passed, there has been little or no talk about it. We know that it will go into law as of December 4th. We know that the framework of how it will be regulated won’t be in place until sometime around April 2009.
But what else is going on? Are the citizens just to sit around and hope that everything is going the way that it should?
I am confused.
After a few days of letting it sink in that Proposal 1 did pass, I am ready to talk about it.
First, I am really happy that the voters in Michigan took this important step in aiding their neighbors by giving them an alternative to drugs to help combat pain and suffering. Use of a natural product rather than a man-made one is always preferrable.
Michigan now has 10 days to verify the results of the vote, and then 120 days to put it all into action. My advice to the residents of Michigan?
Don’t screw this up. Proposal 1 still has a group of folks who did not want it to pass, and that group of folks includes people in law enforcement. Do not screw this up.
We, in Pennsylvania are working for what you just voted for. We want to use your success to help our citizens who are suffering. Here is an article written by Derek Rosenzweig:
Smoke Blowing in the Winds of Change
By Derek Rosenzweig, PhillyNORML - 11/5/2008
With the astounding victory this 2008 Election of Barack Obama and Democrats in the House and Senate, the people of the United States have stood up to re-claim the American Dream. For decades the world has seen us as a beacon of hope and opportunity, but the last eight years have marred that image for many. Now the time has come for our country to prioritize and set a new course.
Massachusetts’ and Michigan’s voters had the chance to show where their priorities lie by voting on ballot initiatives which would liberalize marijuana policies. In Massachusetts, citizens voted over 65% to decriminalize possession of an ounce or under of cannabis, making it punishable only by a civil fine of $100. In Michigan, voters decided 60% - 40% to allow sick and dying patients to cultivate and use marijuana under their doctor’s care.
Over the last few months I’ve spoken with dozens of patients throughout Pennsylvania who suffer from ailments including chronic pain from a botched surgery, obsessive compulsive disorder, severe arthritis, HIV/AIDS, PTSD, and other conditions. Some of these patients are on disability and can’t work. All of them are on all sorts of medications, often times to the level that it incapacitates them or simply doesn’t give them the relief they need. Then they take one or two puffs on a joint and it brings them almost immediate relief.
Pennsylvanians have, for the most part, long taken a rational view of how to deal with the problems that we face collectively. Now that we as a nation start to walk in a new direction, we as a Commonwealth must do the same thing. Our citizens - our friends, loved ones, co-workers - deserve the chance to live their lives with dignity and self respect, but for many of the patients I spoke to that simply isn’t the case right now. The condition their medications put them in precludes a normal life. For these people the simple fact that medical marijuana actually helps their lives become bearable makes it an easy choice to use it. From a medical standpoint, marijuana has huge potential as a medicine, it’s safer to use than most pharmaceuticals, and its side effects (ie, the high) are well within tolerance limits.
The problem for them is how are they getting it, and what are the potential consequences of illegally obtaining and using this drug as a medicine. For some, it can mean getting fired from a job (and losing health benefits) for testing positive on a urine test, and for others it could mean they’re severely unlucky and get arrested. Depending what they get caught with they could be in jail for 30 days or 5 years. Some ailments require a large amount of cannabis to effectively treat, and under our current laws that amounts to a potential death sentence. We have to be better than this.
That’s why it’s so important that this Commonwealth takes the advice of the voters in Michigan and allows our friends, loved ones, and co-workers to use marijuana as medicine under the care of their doctor. Thirteen states - over 25% of our nations’ citizens - now have the right to use cannabis under state law, and President-elect Obama has publicly stated numerous times that those patients in medical-marijuana states will not have to fear Federal interference during his administration. Until the Federal government changes marijuana’s status as a Schedule 1 drug, Pennsylvania must create its own system of legal cultivation and distribution so that doctors can legally - and without worry of losing their license - prescribe or recommend cannabis to a patient. Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana, along with PhillyNORML and the Marijuana Policy Project, are working together to introduce a bill in the General Assembly which would do just that. It’s the least we can do to show where our priorities lie.
Comment at our online forum at http://www.phillynorml.org/forum/index.php?action=post;topic=548
- Derek Rosenzweig
Michigan voters, according to The Detroit Free Press, have voted yes on Michigans Medical Marijuana Proposal 1. This makes it legal for patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and other conditions can be authorized to cultivate, possess and use marijuana without fear of prosecution under state law.
This does not eliminate the fact that the Federal Government stills views marijuana as a dangerous drug, and people possessing it can be arrested and jailed under Federal law.
That all being said: Good job, Michigan. You took a huge step forward in helping people manage their pain and suffering without putting billions of dollars in the big pharma companies.
You did good this time.
namaste.
Ok folks, here is your chance. I just received a comment from someone who wants to know where the proof is?
Who has proof the medical marijuana works? Who of you has used it, or knows someone who uses it and gets relief from pain. I need you comments now. There are only 5 days left to change minds. Si let us get to it.
Leave your comments now.
namaste.
Since I have started writing, and posting info on Michigan’s proposal 1 this site has received a tremendous amount of attention. 3000 hits from people who want to know what the medical marijuana proposal is all about. I have had folks who suffer from one ailment or another post their thoughts. Surprisingly, I have only had a few negative posts. Some of them I deleted because of profanity, or just being stupid.
What does this mean? There are more than 3000 people who live in Michigan. There are more than 3000 people who could benefit from a prescription to medical marijuana. What I think is needed is that everyone who reads this blog needs to talk to 5 friends about voting next Tuesday. And everyone who reads this should talk to those friends about the benefits of medical marijuana.
It is not addictive. It does not rob the patient of their facilties. It works. It doesn’t do any damage to their bodies.
If you tell 5 friends about this, maybe the proposal will pass.
If you don’t, maybe the proposal fails, and those folks who are in pain, or who could benefit from medical marijuana keep going to the pharmacy and getting their pills.
The pills that rob them of their facilties. The pills that are addictive. The pills that can be doing damage to their bodies.
You choose.
namaste.
It is getting closer and closer to election day. Two ads for Proposal 1, to legalize the cultivation and use of marijuana for medical purposes, feature a West Michigan woman describing how marijuana gave her relief during cancer treatment, and a retired obstetrician who said marijuana was the only thing that helped his cancer-stricken and now deceased wife of 51 years.
Both, now airing statewide, are the first of the marijuana campaign by either side. They can be seen here: http://stoparrestingpatients.org/
Vote on Tuesday, November 4th!
namaste.
Hey, Michiganders! What the Hell? Michigan Proposal 4 to lift a ban on Sunday sales of beer and wine in Ottawa county? What?? Is this the dark ages? I thought that Pennsylvania was the only state with screwed up ideas concerning alcohol.
Get a clue folks, prohibition does not one bit of good for anyone. Those who are going to drink, are going to drink. Those who aren’t, aren’t. The only ones that are hurt by “blue laws” are the retailers. And the owners of business’ that sell alcohol can make their own decisions as to whether they want to be open that day.
Proposal 4 seems a no brainer. Vote yes, Michigan and get out of the dark ages.
Namaste.
There are only 14 days before the Novemeber election. That is 2 weeks until the residents of Michigan can vote on Proposal 1 that is an indirect initiated state statute that would allow the medical use of marijuana for seriously ill patients.
Taken from balletopedia:
Specifically, the measure, if approved, would:
* Allow terminally and seriously ill patients to use marijuana with their doctors’ approval.
* Permit qualifying patients or their caregivers to cultivate their own marijuana for their medical use, with limits on the amount they could possess.
* Create identification cards for registered patients and establish penalties for false statements and fraudulent ID cards.
* Allow patients and their caregivers who are arrested to discuss their medical use in court.
* Maintain prohibitions on public use of marijuana and driving under the influence of marijuana.
An October 2008 poll of likely Michigan voters condicted by Denno Noor Research, The Rossman Group, and Michigan Information and Research Service claimed “58 percent of Michigan’s voters favor the ballot initiative while 33 percent do not.”[10] The poll has a margin of ewrror of plus or minus four percentage points.[13]
A Detroit Free Press-Local 4 Michigan Poll shows 66% of respondents in favor of Proposal 2, with 25% opposed and 9% undecided. The poll, conducted Sept. 22-24, 2008, was based on telephone interviews with 602 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.[14]
A poll by Marketing Resource Group in March 2008 showed 67% of voters saying they supported medical marijuana and 62% voicing approval for this particular initiative. Voters between 34 and 54 showed 75% support for medical marijuana, with 63% of retirees voicing support. Younger voters (18 to 34) were the least supportive, with 61% backing the measure.
Michigan you have 2 weeks to get the support that you need for this initiative. To pass it will bring releif from pain and misery to thousands of your citizens. To let it not pass is a vote of approval for big pharmaceutical companies, and the scare tactics of the Federal Government.
Vote yes on Michigan Proposal 1.
Namaste.
This was posted on the Detroit Free Press blog today:
“Good judgment makes good presidents.
A chief executive’s ability to be steady yet decisive, and thoughtful when bravado might be enticing, can be the difference between success and disaster in the Oval Office. It’s more important than experience, which can be mistakenly equated with wisdom.
So the choice Americans face in the Nov. 4 presidential election is a clear one: between the relatively inexperienced Democratic senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, who has shown a knack for developing well-reasoned solutions to the nation’s many critical problems, and John McCain, the longtime Republican senator from Arizona, a genuine American war hero with a creditable streak of political independence, who has shown himself to be erratic, impulsive and bullheaded as a political leader.
At a time when America clearly needs some changes, Obama is not only proposing better ones but is also better suited to the job of getting them done. The Free Press endorses Democrat BARACK OBAMA for president.
Despite his relatively short time in public office, Obama, 47, has over the course of the general election campaign steadily articulated a progressive, pragmatic vision for this country, keyed to opportunities for the middle class, and demonstrated time and again that his approach to things is grounded in deliberation and reflection. He’s a man clearly open to ideas and willing to search for the right answer to a problem rather than pursuing the expedient one.
His mantra of “change” is rooted in a well-grounded perspective on governing and leadership.
These qualities will serve well a country that’s hungry for a unified, hopeful vision.
Issue No. 1: Economic recovery
On the economy, issue No. 1 for most Americans, Obama’s recovery plan more openly acknowledges the reality of the current situation: that it won’t be fixed easily, or without sacrifice. He proposes massive investment — in infrastructure, education and alternative energy development — to create jobs, but also to better position the American economy for global competition.
While promising a tax cut for most Americans, Obama also has been clear about the need to raise taxes on the richest Americans, and to reprioritize spending in Washington. He is a disciple of the pay-as-you-go approach to federal spending that helped produce a budget surplus in the ’90s, and he supports targeted spending cuts rather than the broad freeze proposed by McCain — a scalpel instead of hatchet, as the candidates put it in their final debate Wednesday.
As the current economic crisis burst on Washington and Wall Street last month, Obama’s response was measured, rather than panicky, and insightful where it needed to be. He has focused on correcting the massive deregulation of the financial markets that figured in the Wall Street meltdown, while also promising to provide relief to home owners threatened with foreclosure.
Notably, while McCain made a show of suspending his campaign and even asked to call off their first debate so he could rush to Washington for the Wall Street bailout debate, Obama stayed on the campaign trail, offering solutions and correctly pointing out that a president must be able to juggle multiple tasks.
On other key domestic issues with direct impacts on Michigan, Obama’s health care plan is also crafted around a cautious reality that Americans won’t accept a government-run system. He would augment private insurance with a government-funded plan for those who don’t have coverage. On trade, he promises to be a better, tougher negotiator for American products. Obama also has come around on federal assistance and encouragement for U.S. manufacturing, especially the auto industry, which has emerged as a key player in his big plans for a 10-year project to increase the country’s energy independence.
More reasoned on foreign policy
Foreign policy was supposed to be Obama’s weakness, given his newness to the Senate and lack of other service that would have given him first-hand exposure.
But he has emerged as the more sophisticated thinker on the subject and would set a course for the nation that balances humility and humanity with strength, leadership and collaboration.
Obama would pursue a more certain end with the war in Iraq so the American military can focus more on Afghanistan and other nations with more direct connections to terrorism.
He would abandon the hard-line stonewalling adopted by President George W. Bush toward America’s enemies, saying an open approach to negotiations will be more effective. Obama’s stance here strongly reflects his belief that dialogue and openness, even with those who are virulent or violently disagree, don’t equate with weakness. Failure to recognize that has been one of Bush’s most abject failures.
McCain takes disappointing turn
McCain, 72, a surprise victor in the Republican primaries, has been a disappointing contrast to Obama almost from the start of the general election campaign.
His run for the presidency was launched with not only his compelling personal story but McCain’s strong credentials as an independent Republican legislator. But since late summer, the campaign has been marked by stunts and gimmicks, gaffes and shifts that call into question McCain’s temperament and, most of all, his judgment.
One of his greatest miscalculations was the selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate, a pick McCain made after just two meetings and a phone call with the Alaska governor, not yet two years into her first term.
Palin was exciting initially, a potential voice for change, and someone who shared McCain’s “maverick” sensibilities.
But in the weeks since her selection, she has been revealed as not much more than a sideshow, someone with very limited range on issues and almost none of the depth expected in a cabinet secretary, let alone vice president, or president.
McCain has also shown his impulsiveness on policy matters.
Foreign affairs were supposed to be his strong suit, but he has embraced an icy Cold War mentality that could prove dangerous in a world rocked by a more modern political and cultural volatility. He famously joked about bombing Iran. He has resisted admitting that the Iraq war is a costly distraction from the real business of fighting terrorism, vowing to stay until “victory” is achieved. He irresponsibly reduced former Russian President Vladimir Putin to a caricature, saying he saw three letters, “K-G-B,” when he looked into his eyes.
And during the first debate, which was focused on foreign affairs, McCain was nearly bellicose in his saber-rattling, talking very tough but without much context or nuance about America’s place in the world, and its needs going forward.
The Free Press has twice endorsed McCain for the Republican presidential nomination, in 2000 and this year. The McCain running against Obama in this general election has not been the same candidate; he has been nastier, less consistent and, since his acceptance speech at the GOP National Convention, frankly uninspiring.
His campaign suggests McCain would be a president given to instinct, good or bad, and the shunning of advice and consensus.
Senate colleagues quietly agree, describing McCain as quick-tempered — although his outbursts rarely last long — and inclined to make instant decisions, then backfill to defend them.
Obama, by contrast, is said to hear out all points of view and deliberate, sometimes too long, before drawing a conclusion. Each style has its advantages in given situations, but in the White House, where executive decisions can have instant, global impact, Obama’s way will be less risky more often — and a welcome change after eight years of a president who proudly relies on gut instinct.
That Obama would be the first African American elected president is of no policy import, but would be a symbol of American progress, to people in this country and around the world. That he is relatively young and a gifted speaker is also of little substantive importance, though his soaring rhetoric and hopeful outlook could be beneficial in rallying Americans to face today’s challenges together.
But his judgment, across the board, is what makes BARACK OBAMA the stronger candidate to be America’s 44th president.”
Moderate Republicans are jumping off of the McCain ship at this point like rats off of a burning vessel.
Namaste.
