LPM OnlineSeptember 22, 1998 |
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Renee Emry, long-time LPM member and former LPM candidate for Ann Arbor City Council, has been arrested again in yet another act of defiance against the government's intrusive and oppressive drug laws. A press release, received from the Medical Marijuana Project, is reprinted below.
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 11:47:30 -0400 From: Marijuana
Policy Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 15, 1998
ANOTHER PATIENT ARRESTED Protesting U.S. House's
Anti-Medicinal Marijuana Resolution
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In response to the U.S. House of
Representatives' scheduled vote on House Joint Resolution
117, a woman with multiple sclerosis smoked marijuana today
in the office of U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum (R-FL), who
sponsored the measure. The resolution declares that the
House is "unequivocally opposed" to allowing seriously ill
people to use medicinal marijuana.
Renee Emry, 38, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, said, "I got
arrested today so that hopefully some day, other patients
will not have to." (More information on Emry is available
from the Marijuana Policy Project.)
By urging "the defeat of State initiatives that would
seek to legalize marijuana for medicinal use," the
resolution maintains that the existing marijuana laws should
continue to treat seriously ill people the same as
recreational users. The current federal penalty for
possessing even one joint is up to a year in prison. State
laws are similar in 49 states -- all except California,
which makes an exception for medicinal use.
Shortly after an earlier version of this resolution
passed the House Judiciary Committee, the Marijuana Policy
Project coordinated a demonstration in which multiple
sclerosis patient Cheryl Miller was arrested for using
marijuana in U.S. Rep. Jim Rogan's (R-CA) office on March
30. When charges were dropped on April 20, advocates put out
a nationwide call for more civil disobedience. (The arrest
and acquittal received nationwide media coverage -
http://www.mpp.org/millers.html.)
"This resolution shows that the House is completely out
of touch with the American people," said Robert Kampia,
executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana
Policy Project. "Eighty percent of the American people
support medicinal marijuana, so it is clear that the vast
majority also oppose this mean-spirited resolution."
"We will do whatever it takes to change these cruel
laws," said MPP's Robert Kampia. "There will be civil
disobedience like this government has not seen in 30 years."
"Patients are outraged," said Kampia. "They are tired
of being persecuted by the federal government. It is time to
pass state bills and initiatives to remove criminal
penalties for seriously ill medicinal marijuana users."
- END - *H.J.Res. 117 is identical to H.Res. 372, which
began moving in the House this past spring.
As the election campaigns move into their final two
months, I would like to offer my help to those candidates
who are using their campaigns to advance the libertarian
cause and the Libertarian Party.
As there are so many LP candidates this year (happily),
my help must necessarily be confined to the kinds of tasks
that allow me to assist as many candidates as possible — and
who want my help.
Towards the end of this message, I summarize what I
might be able to do and what I would like you to do to
enlist my help. But first let me offer some suggestions for
your campaign, based on my experience in 1996 and based on
the needs we have for the future.
Running on a Libertarian Platform
First, I don’t see any reason to be a candidate for
office unless you’re going to run on a distinctively
libertarian platform. (The one exception might be a
candidate who isn’t running an active campaign and is only
on the ballot to help retain ballot status.)
Your campaign literature should identify you as a
Libertarian. You should be making proposals that are
uniquely libertarian. You should use the word _Libertarian_
often in every speech and prominently in every piece of
campaign literature — even if you’re running for a
non-partisan office.
If you wonder whether this should be so, just ask
yourself what you hope to achieve by running if you _don’t_
do this.
Do you think you’re more likely to win if you don’t run
overtly as a Libertarian? Suppose you _do_ win that way.
What will you have gained? If you can’t win as a
Libertarian, what’s the point of winning? You’ll have to
restrain your libertarian urges in office, because they
would be just as likely to impair your reelection as they
were to prevent your election in the first place.
But if you run as a strong Libertarian, you advance the
cause even if you don’t win the office. Everyone you talk to
will know more about Libertarian ideas, proposals, and
solutions. One of our most important tasks for the next few
years is to build name recognition for the word
"libertarian" and for the Libertarian Party, and your
campaign will be adding to all the name-recognition work
others are doing.
Issues
As a candidate, find the libertarian issues you’re most
comfortable with, and that apply to the office for which
you’re running. Refer to them as "Libertarian" solutions to
pressing problems. Work out the best ways to present them in
terms of the voters’ self-interest. Work on them until
you’re completely comfortable in what you say. Then hammer
them home, over and over and over.
The campaign will let people know there’s something
much better than what they’ve been getting from the old
parties. The next Libertarian the voter hears from will have
a ready-made entree because of your work.
Your overtly Libertarian campaign will also attract the
attention of people who think like we do, and who might be
inspired to join the party.
The Campaign Message
Here is how I would approach any political campaign, no
matter what office I was seeking, partisan or non-partisan:
1. Pick three key proposals to focus on. They should be
uniquely Libertarian proposals that no Republican or
Democrat would feel comfortable advocating. The proposals
should be appropriate to the office you’re running for, but
they must be distinctively Libertarian ideas. For example,
the three proposals in my presidential campaign were to (1)
repeal the income tax, so you could keep every dollar you
earn; (2) get Social Security out of the hands of the
politicians, so you can arrange a much more secure
retirement for yourself; and (3) end the insane War on
Drugs, so your neighborhood can be safe from criminal gangs,
pushers, and addicts — all fostered by the War on Drugs.
2. Each proposal should offer an _improvement_ from the
status quo — not an attempt to stop something from
happening. Frame each proposal in positive terms — as a
personal benefit, something that will substantially improve
the life of everyone you address. Our side wants to improve
upon the status quo, not preserve it or try to repair bad
programs created by our opponents.
3. As you present the proposals, use the word "you" as
often as possible: "This how you will benefit . . ." "This
is what this will mean to you . . ." "This is how your life
will change for the better . . ." "You will be able to . .
."
4. Whenever you discuss one of your proposals, be sure
to emphasize that this is a _Libertarian_ proposal:
"Libertarians want . . ." "The Libertarian solution is to .
. ." Don’t let anyone believe that similar solutions come
from Republicans or Democrats. If there isn’t a uniquely
Libertarian approach to an issue you’ve selected, look for
another issue.
5. Develop the ability to answer briefly and
effectively each question you receive, and then try to tie
the question to one of your three proposals: "This is
another reason we need to . . ." Keep coming back to
proposals that will make a dramatic improvement in the
individual’s life.
It isn’t always easy to handle the last three tasks
when you’re speaking extemporaneously — in an interview or a
question period. But the more you try to achieve them, the
better you’ll get and the more you’ll be providing a lasting
contribution to the libertarian cause.
Using Your Limited Resources Wisely
You probably won’t have enough resources to reach every
voter in your electoral district — at least not enough times
to make a lasting impact. So begin by going after those that
are your best prospects. Speak to groups of likely
supporters, mail to those who should be voting for you and
helping you, reap the best potential support as quickly as
possible.
This doesn’t mean you should turn down other
invitations and opportunities. But always bear in mind that
you can’t act on every suggestion, you can’t carry out every
project that may sound good.
Early in the campaign you must ask yourself: what do
you think it’s possible to achieve in this election? Then
when you have to make specific strategic and tactical
decisions, you can weigh them against the goal you’ve set
for the campaign. If something doesn’t advance that goal,
don’t let it take time, money, or people away from projects
that would advance that goal.
My Help
If you’re running a strong Libertarian campaign, I
would like to provide whatever modest help I can.
For example, I might be able to write and sign an
endorsement you can include as an insert with a fund-raising
letter. I also can provide Q&A material and other resources
developed during my 1996 campaign.
Because my time is limited, I want to concentrate my
help on those campaigns that are helping our long-term drive
to build the LP and to build name-recognition for
Libertarians.
If you think I can help, please do the following:
1. Mail me a set of all the campaign literature you’ve
produced.
2. Include a brief summary (one typewritten page should
be sufficient) of what you hope to achieve in the campaign,
what you’ve done so far, how much money you’ve raised, and
how much money you think you need to raise to achieve your
objectives.
Thank you for helping the Libertarian Party by running.
And good luck to you!
The Tri-City Libertarian Party elected the following
new officers at its September meeting:
The TCLP also has a new location for their monthly
meetings at the Texan Restaurant, 4570 Bay Rd., Saginaw, MI.
They meet on the first Monday of every month. Anyone
interested is welcome to attend, contact Clint Foster
(FREELANDmi@aol.com or 517-671-TCLP) for more information.
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