Washington State Cops Accused of Stealing Pro-Pot Legalization Petitions
From the "Toke of the Town" website:
Marijuana advocacy group Sensible Washington says it has learned that a dozen signed copies of the marijuana legalization initiative for Washington State of which it is the sponsor, were seized last week by the federally-funded WestNET drug task force.
Advocates say that the drug agents who seized the petitions are interfering with a constitutionally-protected legislative procedure.
"Our estimate is that 2009 signatures are sitting in WestNET's offices in Port Orchard, apparently seized as 'evidence' during a series of raids against the North End Club 420 in Tacoma," said Sensible Washington campaign director and initiative co-author Philip Dawdy.
Firedoglake is trying to gin up a petition to get back the petitions.
My May Reason magazine cover story on how de facto legal over-the-counter pot sales do not destroy civilization.
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These Washington cops are such dicklords.
Isn't this something that the local militia should handle? If there were one.
In my dreams scenario: Militia members round up agents and jail them. Private prosecutor files charges, etc.
As a Washington resident now, I am consistently amazed by the disconnect between how WA is sort of a goofy, hippie state (yet with excellently lax gun laws), but has seriously stoormtrooperish cops. The Seattle cops, who one would expect to be a bit relaxed in such a relaxed city, are fucking disproportionally brutal. They rival the NYPD (who I have extensive experience with) for nastiness in a city one tenth as wacky as New York. I don't get it.
I think WESTNET is worried that if this passes it will be much harder to pay the rent. They'll have to go after meth labs and crack houses. And that's dangerous stuff. Pot growers are so much easier to taze, handcuff and make watch their dogs take a bullet.
I too am a WA resident and recently signed one of these petitions. If the task force seized the petition, is it reasonable to suppose they are using it to create thier next target lists?
Protecting.
SERVING.
Not only did they take the petitions, they also stole $80 from a 9-year-old girl that she had gotten for a good report card. Not to mention handcuffing a 14-year-old.
The Police: To Protect and Serve (ourselves)
"To Protect and Serve...PEOPLE! IT'S A COOOOOKBOOOOK!!!"
Submitted for your approval...
A team of officers gather outside the darkened door to a medical marijuana dispensary. Little do they know that when they open that door, they will not only open the door to some premium koosh. They will also be entering a door to... the Twilight Zone.
Haha. Think you meant kush.
Also, if there's not a strain called The Twilight Zone yet, there should be.
I'm sorry....what did you say?
I was completely distracted by the "conservative t shirts" ad bikini chicks.
^^THIS^^
Seriously, where are the hot dudes in banana hammocks wearing Milton Friedman t-shirts? Female Reason readers demand bulge and mooseknuckle!
I was completely distracted by the "conservative t shirts" ad bikini chicks.
is this some sort of ruse to get me to turn "adblock" off?
No, it's real. There's even a clever one that says "I lived through Roe v. Wade"!
Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.
Congress shall make no law respecting... the right of the people ...to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Now this seems like a true violation of civil rights.
Somebody should, but I doubt they will, go to jail for this.
The 1st Amendment has been incorporated into a prohibition on the Several States. (I know, *Citation needed*, I'm working on it.
Edwards v. South Carolina
372 US 229 (1963)
Every pathetic act of Drug Warrior desperation gets us one step closer to consensus sanity. I'm just waiting for Herc to show up with Fuzzy Dunlop to take out a grow-op.
Whatever gets you through the night.
Next to the Kathryn Johnston and Isaac Singletary incidents, this is jaywalking. And neither of those has changed the somnambulent public's opinion of the DEA puppet theater one bit.
I wasn't talking about the severity of punishment, or how serious the ramifications are. I was pointing at the comically transparent, Sgt. Stedenko-like desperation.
The very triviality of it all is what makes it noteworthy.
I'm all for stuff like this!