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Freedom Action of the Week
Email List Archive
Free-Market.Net's F r e e d o m A c t i o n o f t h e W e e k
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Edited by Mary Lou Seymour. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this
and other lists, click to: http://www.free-market.net/features/lists/
December 11th, 2002
Christmas cheer for drug war POWs
Busy, busy, busy, this time of year! Trimming our Christmas trees,
stringing lights on our porches, getting our homes ready for the
holidays, wrapping presents for our loved ones, sending cards to
our friends, baking Christmas cookies, making eggnog, taking our
kids and grandkids to the mall to see Santa.
Imagine for a moment that you -- or one of your loved ones -- could
take no part in the holiday season, because you or they were a
prisoner of the unjust War on Drugs, spending this Christmas
behind bars. Not able to even see your families or talk to your loved
ones, perhaps for many, many years.
You think it couldn't happen to you or your family? Take a look at
some of the stories of the drug war prisoners collected by Families
Against Mandatory Minimums, Human Rights 95, The Committee
on Unjust Sentencing and the November Coalition. Harsh,
irrationally long sentences for very minor offenders is the rule, not
the exception.
And even if, for some reason, you think that prison is the best
place for drug users, many of these prisoners are not even drug
users or drug sellers. The draconian drug laws can reach out and
entrap even innocent bystanders. Read the story of Kay Tanner, a
56 year old who was indicted for "Conspiracy to Traffic Cocaine"
because of her former tenants' activities, or John Avery, age 58,
serving 20 years because he owned land on which marijuana was
grown.
For an idea of how many people are being arrested for drug
offenses, take a look the War on Drugs real time clock -- hard as it
is to comprehend, someone is arrested for a drug related offense
every twenty seconds.
This week, let's send some Christmas cheer to drug war POWs; a
Christmas card, or even just a warm note, to let them know that
they are not forgotten. Project 420 is compiling a list of drug war
prisoners' addresses, and also asks you to send in the names and
addresses of any drug POWs you know so that they can be added
to the list.
Another group that drug war POW addresses available is HR 95 --
see their "action" page. You may also want to contact the
November Coalition Regional Chapters to see if any Christmas
visits have been scheduled for POWs in your state, or for POW
addresses.
If you're interested in taking this a step further, check out "Adopt a
Green Prisoner," started by Will Foster, a medical marijuana
patient who was sentenced to 93 years for medical marijuana
cultivation (for plants he grew to treat his own rheumatoid arthritis).
Foster won parole in 2001 through the efforts of those who wrote
letters in his behalf, and now devotes his efforts to helping other
drug war prisoners with their cases. "Adopt a Green Prisoner" is a
non-profit organization whose mission is to assemble volunteers
who will "adopt" a marijuana prisoner currently serving time in
prison and write the prisoner, as well as politicians and numerous
newspapers throughout the state to bring out the facts of the
prisoner's incarceration and when the prisoner will be eligible for
parole.
Let's not forget our fallen comrades in the War on Drugs this
Christmas. Let's become more active in the fight against the War
on Drugs next year. Remember, next Christmas, it could be you
or your family member who won't be able to celebrate the holidays
with loved ones.
Til next week
For freedom
Mary lou
Links
o Families Against Mandatory Minimums
http://www.free-market.net/rd/908023863.html
o Faces from the Drug War Exhibit
http://www.free-market.net/rd/901425156.html
o Kay Tanner's story
http://www.free-market.net/rd/902465208.html
o John Avery's story
http://www.free-market.net/rd/902895225.html
o Drug War Prisoners (The Committee on Unjust Sentencing )
http://www.free-market.net/rd/521954571.html
o November Coalition Regional Chapters
http://www.free-market.net/rd/.html
o Prisoners of the Drug War
http://www.free-market.net/rd/903995276.html
o Send Cards to Drug War POWs
http://www.free-market.net/rd/906185554.html
o War on Drugs real time clock
http://www.free-market.net/rd/907345618.html
o HR 95 Action Items
http://www.free-market.net/rd/908195715.html
o Adopt a Green Prisoner
http://www.free-market.net/rd/899174941.html
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