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Government’s
attitude toward drugs makes Constitution illegal The government has taken a bold step by declaring the illegality of hemp in all its forms, a queer byproduct of which is to make our very Constitution illegal. As per the ways of our respected founding fathers, hemp and its cousin cannabis were grown throughout the colonies enjoying many meaningful uses, such as textiles, parchment and relaxation. Hemp, being the strongest of natural fibers, was praised for its durability and was the natural choice for sails, clothing and papers destined for longevity. For this reason our very own Constitution was written upon hemp paper, making it literally the fabric of the Constitution. Attorney General John Ashcroft, who previously seemed satiated simply shredding the Constitution, has now criminalized its very existence. While exceeding the metaphorical level, this instance is indicative of the level of respect and lack of foresight that permeates this administration. This is all well and good and I too respect our civil liberties, like driving and voting, but the steps our government has taken as of late have not affected these liberties, instead focusing upon our civil rights. These rights are the very ones enumerated in the Bill of Rights, also drafted on hemp paper. Good-bye Fourth Amendment. Police can imprison you for fineable offenses and federal officers no longer have to even notify you that they have searched your residence, and all electronic communications can be monitored. Furthermore, Ashcroft has declared that one of the most prized parts of due process, attorney-client privilege, is no longer an absolute principle of fairness but another source of leads for intelligence agencies and a Justice Department without any real clue. Meanwhile, where are the anthrax mailers who most certainly were in America and more than likely still walk among us and into areas containing weaponized anthrax? Perhaps we’ll catch them by moving to security level “green” and waiting for him to mail his next performance. Or maybe if we shift to level “orange” we will scare him back into his governmental offices. By the way, quite a few people consider these attacks America’s first attack by biological weapons. However, white people and mainly Anglo-Saxon at that, have been using biological weapons since our arrival as guests in the “New World”. Sir Jeffrey Amherst first urged the use of biological weapons in 1647 by exposing recalcitrant Indian tribes to blankets from a small pox quarantined hospice. Sir Amherst wrote, “You will do well as to try to inoculate the Indians by means of blankets as well as to try every other method that can serve to extirpate (exterminate, up root) this exorable (pitiful) race.” But returning to the more immediate point, how does Ashcroft have time to fight doctor-prescribed marijuana consumption, prevent doctor-assisted suicide in Oregon and keep hundreds of darker-complected people imprisoned without communication. Perhaps our government should be more conservative on issues that victimize no one but the individuals doing the choosing. Pot-smoking and euthanasia are choices made by individuals that should be outside the purview of government officials. These are choices made by people to affect their lives and no one else’s. Having our government waste manpower and resources while people are sending biological weapons through our mail makes me question the intent of those officials. Public safety must come before the particular pet peeves of appointed officials. However, Ashcroft seems to belong to one of those religions where only they know God’s will and they must carry it out. All right I’ll say it, John Ashcroft is a radical Christian fundamentalist. He’s willing to prevent sick patients from, first administering natural medicines to prevent pain and encourage appetite, and then to tell them they can not die with dignity at their choice. Few things in life require more of a personal decision than choosing your time to pass, yet Ashcroft says doctors may not assist you, but he’ll still seek the death penalty for certain crimes. His contempt for the many people he detained incommunicado in “the land of free,” shows how he leads his flock to greener pastures. Of course he may still carry ill feelings toward the deceased, seeing as how he lost to one in Missouri’s senatorial race. Chris
Dobson is a senior history major from Arlington. |
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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002 |
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