Cannabis Freedom

We love you very much, and miss you.

Crunchymama, supermom and liberty activist quotes:

Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual. -Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson grew hemp at Monticello. He invented a machine that extracted fibers from the stalks. He also smoked hemp to relieve his migraine headaches. [source]

"Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country." -Thomas Jefferson

I choose to live free, because it is right to do so. I have the moral high ground. I'm non-violent. I'm honest. I give back, voluntarily to charity, by force through taxes to government, to my community. I love God.

I'm a big fan of Hip-Hop, specifically, southern rap. I'll try to post a couple of songs, one obscure, one not so obscure from the genre every Friday.

Topping the Hot 107.1 playlist this week is Three 6 Mafia's latest, featuring T. Pain and Project Pat, "Lollipop."




The next artist is hardly obscure to fans of the Memphis Rap scene, however his Wikipedia entry accuses him of not being "notable." I disagree. Playa Fly's Nobody Needs Nobody, featuring Gansta Blac and Bill Chill (RIP), has to be one of the defining anthems of Dirty South rap. Don't let his stony eyes fool you, he's a lyrical maestro.

Warning: Lyrics NSFW

Via Reason.tv

Shawn Mullins has released "The Ballad of Kathryn Johnston" on MP3 via Amazon.com. Kathryn Johnston is the 92 year old great grandmother who was gunned down by police in a botched drug raid. At fault were the police who knowingly used the fraudulent report of an anonymous informant to secure a search warrant against Ms. Johnston's Atlanta home. Read more here. I had a minute to transcribe the lyrics.

"The Ballad of Kathryn Johnston, Shawn Mullins"

Ole Miss Johnston,
Lived all alone,
On the sorry side of town.

Broke down cars and burglar bars,
On the windows and doors,
In case danger comes around.

Sitting in her yellow kitchen,
Listening to bad news
On the AM radio.

Used to be Louis Armstrong
And Martin Luther King.
Where did every body go?

Out the window
Where her garden was,
It's not safe to go outside.

Ole Miss Johnston
In the eye of the storm,
It was the safest place to hide.

[Unintelligible] Life's a gamble,
for the broken and the weak,
Dealing with the bangers and the drugs.

The winos weave and amble,
And wander on down the street,
Steering clear of all the thugs.

Now my city hangs her head in shame.
Can't tell the truth from all the lies.

Everything changed forever
And everything stayed the same
On the night Miss Johnston died.

When will things change for people like Miss Johnston, Cory Maye, Tarika Wilson, and Ryan Fredrick?

You can buy the MP3 for $1 on Amazon. (Hey tightwad! It's only a buck! Buy it already!)

Hat tip: The Agitator

Memphis Police are hard at work cracking down on non-violent crime. This time it's the johns they're after:

...[A]uthorities will attempt to seize 42 cars: 39 from those charged with soliciting prostitutes, as well as one from a suspect facing drug charges and two because the owners had revoked driver's licenses.

"They were used in the commission of a crime. Under state law, they are subject to seizure," Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons said, when asked if the seizures seemed excessive. "I think it's a good law. But if you think it's too stringent, talk to your legislators."
Added Memphis Police director Larry Godwin: "I'd say seize every dadgum vehicle and send a message."

These "crimes" are consensual and non-violent. Surely we have higher priorities in the most violent city in America. And they're seizing the cars because its impossible to pick up a prostitute in Memphis without one?

This operation comes on the heels of "Operation Sudden Impact" where dozens of terrorists were captured before unleashing their wrath on the city. Well not really.

Update: The Agitator picked this story up today 4/24/2008.

In honor of 4/20 week I offer you this simple reminder.