If ignorance is no excuse for the law then we must conclude,
to avoid a double standard, that ignorance is no excuse for injustice!
I was arrested for my use of medical marijuana.
When I go before the judge and I am asked to enter
a plea of guilty or innocent my reply shall be:
"I am not a criminal, and I no longer trust this
court to see that. On the contrary
I am a free man, and with due respect, I refuse to
enter a plea! This is my act of
personal civil resistance to the indifference and
cruelty of the zero tolerance
policies that have been incorporated into due process.
As an American citizen, I must
proclaim my resistance to the civil war our justice
system has launched against its
own people under the misguided war on drugs. It
is my duty as a citizen to resist
this court and the injustice it chooses to dispense."
Your Honor, when you do battle with a monster, in this
case the problems of drugs in society, you must be very
careful not to become one yourself.
With that in mind, proceed as you feel you must.
"Don't expect to be transported from despotism
to freedom on a feather bed!" Thomas Jefferson
There is nothing cheap about freedom!
I am a 45-year-old disabled American citizen. I suffer from chronic pain syndrome as a result of a motorcycle accident in 1986. In that accident I lost my left leg above the knee, nearly severed my right arm, broke my neck and back, separated my pelvis 8 inches and caused a lot of nerve and soft tissue damaged that results in constant ongoing pain in my world. The injuries to my lower back make it impossible to stand on an artificial leg so I spend my life confined to a wheelchair, The constant repetitive motion of rolling around in the chair has led to server carpel tunnel in both wrists.
Pretty intense huh? But it's not as bad as the indifference I must face by my society.
The American Disabilities Act came along just in time to help me overcome some of the frustrating obstacles of access to my world, but like with the equal rights act it's taking time.. a lot of time to access the hearts of others in this culture so they fully understand the need to communicate and cooperate.
To manage my pain I have used all kinds of over-the-counter and prescription drugs that rendered limited relief and a circus of unacceptable side effects. Itching, rashes, dizziness and nausea are just a few of the side effects I experienced. The narcotic found in Tylenol/Codeine seemed, at first, to be the best in offering relief with fewer side effects. A three year love hate addiction with Codeine ended abruptly with in hateful cold-turkey when it's use began to rob me of my memories and knock me out cold without warning.
At this point in time Prop 215 had come to be law in California, so I approached my doctor and obtained his approval to use medical marijuana. The quality of my life was greatly enhanced. I didn't have to use but a few marijuana cigarettes a day. One in the afternoon before a short nap and one in the evening to get the rest I needed. Trying to sleep with the kind of pain I endure is often frustrating and hopeless. Without rest I quickly end up highly depressed and fatigued to the point of exhaustion.
This is just my story, one of a growing number of insane stories being woven in today's paranoid culture.
I have concluded that this battle, the battle of the medical use of marijuana (one of many social traumas that need to and will be fought) can not
be won in a court of law.. but must be fought in the court of public
opinion. There are just too many varied interests and motives involved that cloud
the issues when following the current trends of due process in our court system.
I will not enter a plea, I will not seek representation nor will I mount a
defense. I am not a criminal and I do not trust the legal system to
recognize that. So I stand firm in my decision to approach this with
civil resistence. I have no other choice if I am to be true to myself
and my pursuit of truth and freedom.
Time after time I have seen those that unquestionably qualify for the
use of medical marijuana arrested, taken before the court and then are convicted,
settle for a reduced charge or accept a dismissal and the issues are
once again swept under the carpet to avoid putting all the cards on the
table. If we stand firm and united and clearly proclaim we are not
criminals and will not be treated as such, we can turn this thing around.
This is NOT about ME.. it's about US! It's about the fear and lies
being more important than the truth to those we trust to administrate
over justice. They have failed us, and refuse to support the will of
the people. It's about moralizing special interest groups that harbor self-serving motives designed to force their ideals on us. Their motives do not promote justice. Their motives do not improve the human adventure. Their motive creates unnecessary pain, suffering and human misery.
I can only hope that my motives and actions will inspire courage in
others to bring the injustice to the forefront so we can finally force
the powers that be to stop the indifference and take a long
compassionate look at the victims created by this war on drugs, and
strive to over come the greed, fear and propaganda that fuels it.
"The function of a civil resistance is to provoke response. We will continue to provoke until they respond or change the law. They are not in control, WE ARE. That is the strength of civil resistance."
Long Live Mohandas K. Gandhi !!!!
I will not strike a blow, but I will not cooperate. I am a warrior of
truth willing to die to bring this injustice to light! I long to see a
time when no child must live without the love and nurturing of a mother
or father because of the unfounded fear and impure motives that creates
this kind of social civil war.
Saying something once is akin to saying it not at all. You will encounter redundancy on my pages, but don't stop reading. I say the same things in different ways to try and reach each of you on your own highly personal level of perspectives.
A letter I sent DrugSense entitled: Excellent Newsletter!
-------------------
In your current issue one line stood out from the rest:
"People of conscious need an opportunity to show their courage in a
variety of different ways and levels and we must be prepared to receive
and guide them."
You bet :)
I am a 45 year old disabled American confined to a wheelchair. I am a
qualified medical marijuana patient with a doctor's approval in Northern
California. I grew my own medicine and helped other medical marijuana patients by
giving information and plants, and worked with a local organization
actively promoting valid facts regarding the issue.
To cut to the meat of the matter, while in route to a new home and love
in Michigan I was stopped and arrested for possessing roughly 3 ounces
of marijuana. The charges were inflated to include intent to distribute and
cultivation/manufacturing as to allow the [CA] County Attorney in Dawson
County Nebraska to seize my van and everything I own in the world.
I have seen so many of my friends and others that clearly qualify for
the benefits of medical marijuana arrested, prosecuted and otherwise
turned into victims by a system of justice based on unacceptable motives
and fear that I have simply had enough. It's time to make a firm stand
and say NO to the due process that disrupts and outright destroys so
many lives.
I have sent a letter to the County Attorney clearly stating I will not
be processed as a criminal. I will not comply, I will not cooperate.. I
am not a criminal and this is NOT about me. It's about US.. and basic
human rights and freedom of choice. It's about propaganda being more
important than the truth in order to hide the lies that create the
victims.
I will not enter a plea, I will not seek representation, I will not
mount a defense, and I am willing to sit in jail under contempt of court
until hell freezes over to make this injustice very clear to as many
people as I can in an effort to increase public awareness to this
outrage.
I don't have anything as yet finished to offer. I am working on a web
site with my story, the story of so many others that are being punished
for taking a responsible course of action in the treatment of their pain
and symptoms. If you are interested in my story and my plans, that may
include my rolling in my manual wheelchair all the way to Lexington
Nebraska from Michigan come springtime, let me know and I will work with
you on this.
Media exposure is vital in this movement. I have been shunned as some
kind of loose cannon by those that attempt to work within the system to
effect change. Civil Resistance can help bring the injustice to light,
and I hope to inspire courage in others to make a firm unyielding stand
against the oppression of the weed wars! Working within the system is
the only way the laws will eventually change, but there has been little
pressure on the powers that be to actually make that change thus far.
So many accept plea bargains or dismissals to shed the woes of the
courts and the punishments thus sweeping the issues under the carpet.
It's time these issue were put to a real test and I'm willing to accept
whatever punishment may come to do just that.
Just say NO to due process :) I hope you can relate and understand!
Rusty Stuart a.k.a. NZane - [email protected]
Here's an entry from my Madman's notebook (journal), page 12
Wed - 8/11/99
I arrived here on Tues. the 3rd as planned. As I had hoped this wonderful
woman is the real deal. Nice to a fault!! It's very comforting
being able to trust the motive of my lover .. finally :) Now we have
to see if she can handle Zaner :)
The journey here had a nasty unplanned twist and turn. Everything
went smooth as glass until I hit Lexington Nebraska. Moving along
the highway I looked to my left to greet the disapproving glares
of two state troopers.
Next thing ya know they are behind me with the lights a flashing..
"You in a heap of trouble now boy" echoing in my ears from some
past TV commercial... This long haired boy with out of state license plates was sited for making an illegal lane change. The trooper explained this with a twisted smile on his face.. then the real reason began to unfold as my wheelchair was taken from the van so I could sit outside and watch as they dog sniffed and dismantled everything I own in the world!
The long and short of it is they found my "personal" clearly marked as such medical marijuana, roughly 3 ozs of it, give or take a half ounce. That would have lasted
me a good while seeing as I use very little. It had to last me
because there are no medical use or growth laws in Michigan.
Well.. that wasn't good enough, just possession, so the county
attorney slapped me with intent to sell and cultivation because
I grew my own.. Didn't matter that I had never sold any, or had
any intentions of selling.. and that what I grew was done under
legal guidelines in California.. By charging me with sales and
cultivation they were able to seize my van and everything I owned
in the world. I took a bus the rest of the way to Michigan.
Here's a letter I sent off to the county attorney:
Aug. 10, 1999
To: Elizabeth F. Waterman, County Attorney
700 N. Washington
Lexington, NE 68805
(308) 324-5644
From: James R. Stuart (a.k.a. NZane)
Case#:PA 307653-3 (the second three in this number is in question..
It was written over)
Dear Liz,
Today I was to appear in your court. I don't have the resources to
make the 1,200 mile journey, nor do I choose to allow a cruel
inhuman flawed system run by indifferent ego maniacs to treat me
as a criminal for being responsible in dealing with my chronic
pain. I am a human being and I deserve and demand more respect and
attention!
I will not comply, I will not cooperate. It is the duty of every
intelligent, compassionate being to resist unjust and oppressive
laws, and those that would render such. Everything I owned was in
my van when you seized my property: including, but not limited
to my wheelchairs and medical braces, my blood sugar meter, my
clothes, my food, my music my art and my melancholic attachments!
You may take my freedom, which I'm sure you will do; you can even
kill me; but you will never have my dignity, my self respect and
most certainly not my cooperation!!
I do not recognize you as a representative of a system of law, order
and or justice, but rather as a small spirited mean tyrant with
an impure motive to punish and control others to achieve a
power-junkie's adrenaline rush as a mock reward. You intentionally
invented charges against me so you could hurt me. What you have
done to me and others as a means to deal with your fear is
inexcusable and unacceptable. I will not tolerate it. You took me:
my means of mobility, my wheelchairs away from me. Your intention
was to leave me stranded and helpless in the rain in a strange town
with out basic mobility and/or transportation and expected me to get
by. I have to wonder how people like you manage to sleep at night?
It took my pleas and finally demands for assistance to retrieve
my manual wheelchair from my impounded van.
You do what you need to do. I am. And, in the process, I hope to
inspire courage in others to stand up for their basic human rights
and fight this kind of oppression and abuse by anyone especially
so-called �peace officers'!! I will fight you to my last breath!
I fight to heal, not to punish!!!
Even in the case of a minority of one, the truth is still
the truth!
I will be sending you bills as I have to spend money I do not have
to replace items you have stolen from me. I do not expect
payment, but just maybe this will make you stop and think about
how you have chosen to spend your life! Who knows, maybe you'll
stop your practice of lazy, bulk human-processing; maybe you'll
lose your fear and stop creating victims that need not be.
Stranger things have happened!
James R. (Rusty/NZane) Stuart
(you have my number *smile*) _end of letter_
*** Feel free to write or call Ms. Waterman with your comments
and opinions at the contact info given above.
Fight to Heal, Not to Punish!
On life's roller coaster of double standards and contridictions,
if I stay on my path and seek truth I am rewarded from time to
time with the gift of enhanced clarity of thought.
In that gift I realize I have no foes,
just friends trying to cope as they await the gift.
I will do my best to remember this.
I included this along with the letter to Ms. Waterman:
Here's Simon Wilder's message...
You shall no longer take things at second or third hand.
You will look through the eyes of the dead.
You'll feed on the specters and books.
You shall not look through my eyes either,
or take things from me.
You shall listen to all sides,
and filter them for yourself.
Sound clip from the movie 'With Honors"
NZane's message:
You shall take your observations and conclusions,
and use them to make better decisions and choices.
You shall not stop your observations or lock your conclusions,
yet learn and grow so you polish them with tolerance and wisdom.
You shall no longer process those around you.
based on the fears or opinions of others.
Your success in life will hinge on an honest motive.
You will achieve your happiness and freedom,
* NEVER * at the expense of another.
Your example will inspire courage.
You will change the world one heart,
one mind at a time.
Note: The following is a poem by Marianne Williamson. Nelson Mandela quoted this in
one of his most powerful speeches. I took the freedom and replaced the word God with
the word creation twice in the poem. I personally don't have any trouble with the concept of God .. for I know who and what God is, don't we all in our own way? :) I used the word creation so the population at large would not confuse the meaning with any preconceived ideas of God. Enjoy! :)
Our Deepest Fear
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most
frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of creation.
Your playing small does not serve the world. There is
nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people
won't feel insecure about you. We were born to manifest
the glory of creation that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in EVERYONE.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give
other people permission to do the same. As we are
liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically
liberates others.
Marianne Williamson - A Return to Love
A warrant for my arrest is pending. If they have not
picked me up by the comming of spring.. I intend to
organize a march of myself and other wheelchair bound
Americans, care givers and supporters to embark on a
1000 mile rolling/walking adventure from Lansing MI to
Lexington NE to protest the injustice of the drug war.
Upon arriving I will turn myself in to the authorities.
Email me if you want to be a part of this march/protest.
More info to follow.
Double standards and selective prosecution abounds!
According to the National Cancer Institute upwards of 75,000
Americans could develop thyroid cancer as a result of the
928 detonations (100 above ground) of nuclear devices at the
Nevada test site over a 47 year period.
Yet... authorities had no problem seizing everything I own
and completely disrupting my world because I elect to use the
safest substance to treat my pain. Go figure!
Sooner or later a person begins to notice that everything that happens
to him is perfect, relates directly to who he is, had to happen, was
meant to happen, plays its little role in fulfilling his destiny.
When he encounters difficulty, it no longer occurs to him to
complain - he has learned to expect nothing, has learned that loss and
frustration are a part of life, and come at their proper time - instead he
asks himself, why is this happening? . . . by which he means,
what can I learn from this, how will it strengthen me, make me more
aware? He lets himself be strengthened, lets himself grow, just as he
lets himself relax and enjoy (and grow) when life is gentle to him.
Strengthened by this simple notion, simple awareness, that
life is perfect, that all things come at the proper moment and that he is
always the perfect person for the situation he finds himself in, a
person begins to feel more and more in tune with his inner nature,
begins to find it easier and easier to do what he knows is right. All
chance events appear to him to be Intended; all intentional actions he
clearly perceives as part of the workings of Chance. Anxiety seldom
troubles him; he knows his death will come at its proper moment;
he knows his actions are right and therefore whatever comes to pass
as a result of them will be what is meant to happen. When he does
feel anxiety, he realizes it is because of that thing he's been meaning to
do but hasn't done, some unfulfilled relationship he's been aware of,
but... He perceives the anxiety as a message that he'll have to
stop hesitating if he wants to stay high. . . He knows that he is out
of tune because he's let himself get out of tune; and because he knows
he can, he begins to take action. He enjoys his high life; does not
enjoy anxiety; so he stops hesitating and does what he has to do.
He does not live in a state of bliss, though perhaps he feels
himself moving toward one - or toward something, he doesn't know
what it is but it is the way he has to go, the journey towards it
is the only life he enjoys. It is hard; it is exciting; it is satisfying, lonely,
joyous, frustrating, puzzling, enlightening, real; it is his life, that's all.
He accepts it.
Sooner or later a person begins to notice.
Das Energi by: Paul Williams - Pages 78, 79.
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