For over thirty years, activists have pursued every legal means to overturn cannabis prohibition and at every turn we have met lies, corruption and deception. For those of us who actually did manage to pass a law legalizing the medical use of cannabis, nearly all have been audited, arrested or otherwise harassed.
At this point, it is pretty clear that marijuana will NEVER be legalized under the present political system of the Police States of America. Furthermore, it is equally clear that freedom itself, will never be legal again, under the current system.
So how does one create a free life in a unfree world?
Gandhi taught that "non-cooperation with tyrannyis a duty." I've found that advice to be invaluable and, I've been so uncooperative that I even refused probation. Yes, they made my life difficult, but I survived and now the police avoid me like the plague.
The real key, however, is to pick a jurisdiction where your fellow citizens -- and potential jury pool -- support your core beliefs and contempt for the Police State.
Here in Mendocino, it is incredibly wet and rainy much of the year. Normally I would avoid such a climate, but I've gained a new appreciation for such weather, since I realized that Republicans and conservatives can't stand such a climate and demand warm climates, to go with their reptilian brains, no doubt.
Now when I see rain or fog, I imagine any remaining Republicans packing up and moving away to San Diego or Orange County. Except for the reptiles who live in Willits and Ukiah, the county's warm spots. They are still hard at work trying to overturn the election of 2000, when Measure G passed. That voter initiative is now the law here, County Code 9.36, making it a crime to investigate, arrest, or prosecute anyone flowering 25 plants or less.
If I am ever arrested, and it is here in Mendocino, my attorneys already have standing orders to demand a speedy trial. It's a constitutional right that virtually every defendant is told to waive by their attorney, but it is the cornerstone of my security. That's because I trust my fellow citizens in Mendocino. I know they have never convicted anyone for growing marijuana, ever.
Actually, I seriously doubt that any court in the US can put on a trial within the 60 days allowed, before a case MUST be dismissed. The courts are clogged and almost every court hearing I've ever attended resulted in a continuance. Even if a court could get something scheduled in that time, I also question the ability of most prosecutors to put together a case in two months.
My attorneys support this plan, but they have also insisted I install a locked gate and phone intercom at the gate, like Eddy Lepp has, nearby in Lake County. The lawyers tell me that the phone and gate combination legally moves my front door to the gate instead. It's a great feeling to live with a locked gate and legal chasm between me and Police State.
Not only do my neighbors share many of my beliefs, they are awesome people to know. Like my neighbor Jean, a self-made millionaire, who celebrates every July 4th by firing off real skyrockets. I recall my shock and delight when I first saw huge skyrockets exploding in the night sky, right from my living room. I couldn't effing believe it. Such an astonishing and brazen expression of freedom, right before my eyes!
I saw Jean the next day and told him how much I enjoyed his celebration of freedom. I asked him about the police. We live just a few blocks from Highway 1 and close to town, so I was really curious to find out what he does about the cops.
"Oh, they eventually show up and I tell them its over and they leave. This year they didn't even bother to show up."
2008 Steve Kubby, all rights reserved.