Dear Mr. President,
I trust Aloha Spirit to imbue my request with brotherly love for a friend in which it is written. Mahalo nui loa, Mr. President, for your compassionate, essential consideration of a pre-trial post-Christmas pardon for THC Ministry founder, Reverend Roger Christie.
Reverend Roger has been extrajudicially imprisoned-without-trial in Honolulu since July 8th. Blatantly 'false witness' against an honorable man's character is all it has taken to dismiss our "First Freedom" without due process.
Previously honored by his community with the Ho' omaluhia “Peacemaker” Award, Roger has been denied bail five times, is not allowed visitors, and his trial was postponed until April 2011. Punishment-without-trial is the very thing the Constitution was written to prevent.
In reality, Roger is being imprisoned for his success in defeating Cannabis prohibition through his on-going Cannabis scholarship, community service and "ganjanomics" pioneering. A peaceful resident of the Big Island for a quarter Century, Roger has been effective in bringing legal actions that have made marijuana enforcement the lowest priority, grounded marijuana eradication helicopters, and effectively mitigated the hard drug epidemic knowingly caused by government-induced scarcity of pakalolo (NIDA1991).
In essence, common sense and due process are being dismissed in deference to a counter-productive "drug war" waged against a known "strategic resource" (Executive Orders 9280, 10161, 10480, 10998, 11490, 12919), identified by Thomas Jefferson as being "of first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country."
I am asking that you grant Reverend Christie release so that the integrity of our Constitution may be restored, and Cannabis inclusive solutions to problems, from drugs to climate change, may begin to be freely considered.
Blessings to you and your family for safe and meaningful Holidays,
#
Paul J. von Hartmann
Cannabis scholar
Former Hawaiian Islands resident
Oahu 1957-60
Maui 1988-1993
Big Island 1999
================
Paul J. von Hartmann
California Cannabis Ministry
"Our freedom to farm "every herb bearing seed" is the first test of religious freedom."
http://www.californiacannabisministry.blogspot.com
Between the Dreams Productions : projectpeace channel on You Tube
"Video documentation is the most time efficient and cost effective way of communicating a complex message."
http://www.youtube.com/user/projectpeace
Cannabis vs. climate change
"We have nothing to fear but the atmosphere itself."
July 4th, 2009 BlogTalkRadio Broadcast
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/projectpeace
"What Now" KOWS FM radio interview
Extended interviews with accomplished thinkers, writers, artists, farmers and scientists addressing the global crisis, 11-15-10 Paul von Hartmann // On Cannibis the plant
http://www.pantedmonkey.org/
"Shastashares"
a regional currency option for Northern California based in "Gaiatherapeutic" abundance
http://www.shastashares.com
http://www.shastashares.com/ShastasharesBrochure.pdf
"The Fundamental Challenge of Our Time"
Translated into Dutch and adopted as the manifesto for the Cannabis College Amsterdam in 1998
http://fundamentalcoot.blogspot.com/
Origins of the ministry: Project P.E.A.C.E. (Planet Ecology Advancing Conscious Economics)
"There is no money on a burned-out planet."
http://www.webspawner.com/users/projectpeace
Executive Orders Referenced:
December 5, 1942 Franklin D. Roosevelt Executive Order 9280 -
Delegating Authority Over the Food Program.
September 9, 1950 Harry S. Truman Executive Order 10161 -
Delegating Certain Functions of the President Under the Defense Production Act of 1950
August 14, 1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Order 10480--
Further providing for the administration of the defense mobilization program
February 16, 1962 John F. Kennedy Executive Order 10998
ASSIGNING EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FUNCTIONS TO THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE
October 28, 1969 Richard Nixon Executive Order 11490 - Assigning Emergency Preparedness Functions to Federal Departments and Agencies
June 3, 1994 William J. Clinton Executive Order 12919 -
National Defense Industrial Resources Preparedness
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
"Ice and Other Methamphetamine Use: An Exploratory Study, Final Report" -- National Institute on Drug Abuse
"Results from the study in Honolulu indicate that ice is finding uncomfortable but considerable position among other illicit drugs. The use of ice in Honolulu had led to particularly serious physical and psychological problems and significant social disruption in poor working communities where it replaced marijuana which had become scarce and expensive due to eradication policies. Ice continues to result in very serious individual problems contributing to the devastating impact on these communities.
"There are thought to be several influences on the tremendous growth of ice in Honolulu after 1987. Residents were both pushed away from pakalolo, their staple drug of choice, and pulled toward ice by a well organized marketing campaign by Asian distributors. Also, the overwhelming smokable drug of choice, marijuana or pakalolo, which has been grown and used throughout the islands for many years, became the target of a government eradication campaign. This drove up prices, drastically reduced availability and left locals without their their customary, and many would say relatively benign, smoke. Also very importantly,, many locals derived either part or all of their livelihood from marijuana production, robbed of this needed income many experienced considerable economic hardship. Thus when a new, easy to use, smokable product entered the drug market, one which at first felt non-threatening to youthful novitiates -- ice it was readily accepted as a product to be used and sold. Initial users were often likely to think of it as a substitute of sorts for pakalolo (Dayton, 1994)."
http://christie-et-al.s3.amazonaws.com/necessity/Ice-Methamphetamine-Exploratory-Study.pdf
christie-et-al.s3.amazonaws.com
"There are thought to be several influences on the tremendous growth of ice in Honolulu after 1987. Residents were both pushed away from pakalolo, their staple drug of choice, and pulled toward ice by a well organized marketing campaign by Asian distributors. Also, the overwhelming smokable drug of choice, marijuana or pakalolo, which has been grown and used throughout the islands for many years, became the target of a government eradication campaign. This drove up prices, drastically reduced availability and left locals without their their customary, and many would say relatively benign, smoke. Also very importantly,, many locals derived either part or all of their livelihood from marijuana production, robbed of this needed income many experienced considerable economic hardship. Thus when a new, easy to use, smokable product entered the drug market, one which at first felt non-threatening to youthful novitiates -- ice it was readily accepted as a product to be used and sold. Initial users were often likely to think of it as a substitute of sorts for pakalolo (Dayton, 1994)."
http://christie-et-al.s3.amazonaws.com/necessity/Ice-Methamphetamine-Exploratory-Study.pdf
christie-et-al.s3.amazonaws.com
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Comment on AlterNet article by to Tony Newman
Thanks to Tony Newman and AlterNet for pointing out several noteworthy, incremental shifts that happened in drug policy during 2010. There is one MAJOR victory that bears special mention because it is happening right NOW. The wrongful imprisonment-without-trial of Reverend Roger Christie, in Hawaii, is less than obvious and fundamentally relevant to much more than just the drug reform movement. Currently in process, the outcome of this crucially decisive contest depends on people's awareness of what's really happening, clearly visible in the truths that have already been revealed by it.
'Mahalo' to Sister Lauren for reminding people of the sacrifice being made by Reverend Christie, a True American Hero of 2010 who is spending this Christmas in federal prison. Imprisoned since July 8th, Roger Christie has been denied bail five times, is not allowed visitors and has had his trial postponed until April 2011 ! Does this not register as outrageous on every patriotic American's Constitutional Richter Scale?
Formally recognized for his work as a "peacemaker" by the Hawaiian community he has served for the past quarter of a Century, Roger is nevertheless being maliciously characterized as a "danger to his community" by the court, using mere slander to suspend the Constitution, cancel religious freedom, and over-ride due process of law. Several elected officials, community leaders, and many people on the Big Island and elsewhere have written letters of support for Roger, calling for his immediate release from prison.
That Roger is being extrajudicially punished proves how effective he has been in establishing a potent First Amendment religious transcendence of Cannabis prohibition statutes. In fact, most religions acknowledge the spiritual legitimacy of "every herb bearing seed" rendering prohibition of any herb beyond the rightful jurisdiction of any court. Considered objectively, it is obvious that the Cannabis plant is an herb, not a "drug." The legal and practical distinctions are significant.
Drugs don't make seeds. Herbs make seeds. Cannabis agriculture happens to be both unique and essential for three very specific reasons (nutritionally, ecologically, industrially). Cannabis is therefore logically and morally essential, valuable beyond the moral accountability of any court.
For the past ten years, Roger has applied for and received government licenses and permits in a sincere attempt to legally codify the THC Ministry, while openly making sacramental Cannabis available to church members on Main Street in Hilo. Roger has been effective as any single individual activist alive, in educating the public about the nutritional values of Cannabis seed; blocking the federal funds for helicopter eradication in Hawaii; making marijuana enforcement the lowest priority for Big Island police, and actively mitigating the hard drugs epidemic, exacerbated by the scarcity of marijuana in Hawaii (NIDA report,1991).
That the federal court system has suspended due process to keep Roger from being able to defend himself shows that his righteous, direct defense of our basic human rights is a threat to the incumbent outlaw political regime that has usurped control of the United States government. Not only are both the State and Federal Constitutions being shredded in Hawaii, everyone's fundamental human right of free religion is being shamelessly attacked in the name of a failed, counter-productive so-called "drug war" [sic]. In truth the war on Cannabis and spirituality is a war on free market organic agriculture and our freedom of choice.
Unfortunately, the enormous significance of what Roger has achieved seems to have been lost on the funded elements of the drug policy reform groups, who have yet to contribute meaningfully to Roger's defense. Unlike the charlatans and "drug dealers" he has been wrongfully compared to by some, Roger has no financial spoils with which to defend himself or his co-defendants.
The federal court system in the U.S. has been revealed as an unobjective lackey, fronting for the corporate corruption it protects. If you really want to make a difference in ending prohibition, then please help support Roger.
If you can, please send Roger a letter to let him know that he has your appreciation and support.
Send you letter to:
Roger Christie
Federal Bureau of Prisons
99279.022
Unit 5B
PO BOX 30080
Honolulu, HI 96820
The Cannabis Charity Education and Defense Fund is a non profit organization established to help people like Roger Christie and the Green 14. Please donate to them by using the form at
http://the-last-marijuana-trial.com/
You can also write a letter of appeal to the newly elected governor of Hawaii, Mr. Neil Abercrombie. He is the point-person in Hawaii whose responsibility it is to uphold the Constitution. A "pre-trial pardon" is certainly in order, and a fair consideration of what's happened here is required.
It remains for the drug policy reform community to maintain whatever momentum still remains from the widespread agreement on "legalization" congealed by Prop 19. I am calling on DPA, MPP, NORML, DPFA and others who can afford to, to act on this now. There is strength in truth, but it requires unity. As in any "tug-of-war" the side that pulls together at the same time, is undeafeatable.
for meaningful holidays, in peace,
PvH
This is my comment on "Top 8 Drug Stories of 2010: Momentum Is Building to End the Failed Drug War"
http://www.alternet.org/story/149296/top_8_drug_stories_of_2010%3A_momentum_is_building_to_end_the_failed_drug_war
'Mahalo' to Sister Lauren for reminding people of the sacrifice being made by Reverend Christie, a True American Hero of 2010 who is spending this Christmas in federal prison. Imprisoned since July 8th, Roger Christie has been denied bail five times, is not allowed visitors and has had his trial postponed until April 2011 ! Does this not register as outrageous on every patriotic American's Constitutional Richter Scale?
Formally recognized for his work as a "peacemaker" by the Hawaiian community he has served for the past quarter of a Century, Roger is nevertheless being maliciously characterized as a "danger to his community" by the court, using mere slander to suspend the Constitution, cancel religious freedom, and over-ride due process of law. Several elected officials, community leaders, and many people on the Big Island and elsewhere have written letters of support for Roger, calling for his immediate release from prison.
That Roger is being extrajudicially punished proves how effective he has been in establishing a potent First Amendment religious transcendence of Cannabis prohibition statutes. In fact, most religions acknowledge the spiritual legitimacy of "every herb bearing seed" rendering prohibition of any herb beyond the rightful jurisdiction of any court. Considered objectively, it is obvious that the Cannabis plant is an herb, not a "drug." The legal and practical distinctions are significant.
Drugs don't make seeds. Herbs make seeds. Cannabis agriculture happens to be both unique and essential for three very specific reasons (nutritionally, ecologically, industrially). Cannabis is therefore logically and morally essential, valuable beyond the moral accountability of any court.
For the past ten years, Roger has applied for and received government licenses and permits in a sincere attempt to legally codify the THC Ministry, while openly making sacramental Cannabis available to church members on Main Street in Hilo. Roger has been effective as any single individual activist alive, in educating the public about the nutritional values of Cannabis seed; blocking the federal funds for helicopter eradication in Hawaii; making marijuana enforcement the lowest priority for Big Island police, and actively mitigating the hard drugs epidemic, exacerbated by the scarcity of marijuana in Hawaii (NIDA report,1991).
That the federal court system has suspended due process to keep Roger from being able to defend himself shows that his righteous, direct defense of our basic human rights is a threat to the incumbent outlaw political regime that has usurped control of the United States government. Not only are both the State and Federal Constitutions being shredded in Hawaii, everyone's fundamental human right of free religion is being shamelessly attacked in the name of a failed, counter-productive so-called "drug war" [sic]. In truth the war on Cannabis and spirituality is a war on free market organic agriculture and our freedom of choice.
Unfortunately, the enormous significance of what Roger has achieved seems to have been lost on the funded elements of the drug policy reform groups, who have yet to contribute meaningfully to Roger's defense. Unlike the charlatans and "drug dealers" he has been wrongfully compared to by some, Roger has no financial spoils with which to defend himself or his co-defendants.
The federal court system in the U.S. has been revealed as an unobjective lackey, fronting for the corporate corruption it protects. If you really want to make a difference in ending prohibition, then please help support Roger.
If you can, please send Roger a letter to let him know that he has your appreciation and support.
Send you letter to:
Roger Christie
Federal Bureau of Prisons
99279.022
Unit 5B
PO BOX 30080
Honolulu, HI 96820
The Cannabis Charity Education and Defense Fund is a non profit organization established to help people like Roger Christie and the Green 14. Please donate to them by using the form at
http://the-last-marijuana-trial.com/
You can also write a letter of appeal to the newly elected governor of Hawaii, Mr. Neil Abercrombie. He is the point-person in Hawaii whose responsibility it is to uphold the Constitution. A "pre-trial pardon" is certainly in order, and a fair consideration of what's happened here is required.
It remains for the drug policy reform community to maintain whatever momentum still remains from the widespread agreement on "legalization" congealed by Prop 19. I am calling on DPA, MPP, NORML, DPFA and others who can afford to, to act on this now. There is strength in truth, but it requires unity. As in any "tug-of-war" the side that pulls together at the same time, is undeafeatable.
for meaningful holidays, in peace,
PvH
This is my comment on "Top 8 Drug Stories of 2010: Momentum Is Building to End the Failed Drug War"
http://www.alternet.org/story/149296/top_8_drug_stories_of_2010%3A_momentum_is_building_to_end_the_failed_drug_war
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Release Reverend Roger Christie Immediately : A Formal, Public, International Exercise of "Civilian Demand" for the Rule of Law to be Respected
This document is intended to serve the public interest through the formal, public, international exercise of "civilian demand" that the First Amendment of our Constitutions, both State and Federal, be obeyed, due process followed, and our "freedom of religion" respected in Hawaii. As the newly elected Governor of Hawaii, Mr. Abercrombie now has the responsibility of defending and enforcing the First Amendment of Constitutions, both State and Federal, which secure Roger Christie's "freedom of religion" as they secure all of our "god-given, inalienable, natural rights."
Reverend Roger Christie's imprisonment is, in essence, an attack on our national security by unobjective, chemically-addicted courts. A counter-productive "drug war" has been waged against Cannabis agriculture because hemp farming competes with the chemical industrial addiction imposed on our society for the past seventy-three years. The world's most useful agricultural resource has been outlawed because dominant economic interests cannot compete with Cannabis in a free market.
The contemporary crucifixion of Roger Christie in Hawaii is as blatant and obvious a proof of corporate corruption as the crimes of pollution being committed against the Natural Order. From Gulf war atrocities to "drug war" atrocities; from the Exxon Valdez to BP's Gulf of Mexico disaster; from hydraulic "fracking" to the production of radioactive waste, America's addictions to "Gaiacidal" chemicals and processes is precipitating evermore blatant extremes of self-destructive behavior.
Reverend Christie has been disingenuously accused as a "danger to his community" when it is common knowledge that he has been a loved and widely respected peacemaker in his Big Island community for more than a quarter of a Century. It is criminal that he is being denied bail simply because he has been maliciously characterized by an employee of an unobjective court.
Until Reverend Christie is released, a part of every American remains in prison. The magnitude of injustice in Roger Christie's being denied due process of law, is measured in the incalculable sacrifice of American patriots who fought to secure the legacy of freedom being violated and disrespected. In truth, there is no true freedom anywhere as long as a man of peace is wrongly imprisoned.
Please show consideration in the form of compassion, leniency, mercy, clemency and active, proportionate appreciation for the good work done by Roger Christie in mitigating the hard drug epidemic in Hawaii. It is well-known that a shortage of 'pakalolo' in Hawaii translates into increased hard drug and alcohol abuse, gang violence, crime...
I trust that Mr. Abercrombie's will recognize the opportunity for true leadership, presented by the polar shifts in medical science, public perceptions and political realities surrounding Cannabis ecology, agriculture, manufacture and trade. As Governor of a State that is being "broiled" by UV-B radiation, I would think that you of all people would recognize the critical "strategic" significance of Cannabis, recognized by seven American Presidents as being "of first necessity."
A timely response to this "Civilian Demand" is requested, as every day that Roger Christie is robbed of in prison is precious time that is gone forever.
Mahalo! for your vision of a "New Day" for Hawaii. I trust it is one where the bright sunshine of truth and clear rivers of freedom will begin to flow under your leadership and courage.
Paul von Hartmann
California Cannabis Ministry
former Hawaii resident,
Oahu 1958-1960
Maui, 1988-1992
Big Island 1998-1999
Reverend Roger Christie's imprisonment is, in essence, an attack on our national security by unobjective, chemically-addicted courts. A counter-productive "drug war" has been waged against Cannabis agriculture because hemp farming competes with the chemical industrial addiction imposed on our society for the past seventy-three years. The world's most useful agricultural resource has been outlawed because dominant economic interests cannot compete with Cannabis in a free market.
The contemporary crucifixion of Roger Christie in Hawaii is as blatant and obvious a proof of corporate corruption as the crimes of pollution being committed against the Natural Order. From Gulf war atrocities to "drug war" atrocities; from the Exxon Valdez to BP's Gulf of Mexico disaster; from hydraulic "fracking" to the production of radioactive waste, America's addictions to "Gaiacidal" chemicals and processes is precipitating evermore blatant extremes of self-destructive behavior.
Reverend Christie has been disingenuously accused as a "danger to his community" when it is common knowledge that he has been a loved and widely respected peacemaker in his Big Island community for more than a quarter of a Century. It is criminal that he is being denied bail simply because he has been maliciously characterized by an employee of an unobjective court.
Until Reverend Christie is released, a part of every American remains in prison. The magnitude of injustice in Roger Christie's being denied due process of law, is measured in the incalculable sacrifice of American patriots who fought to secure the legacy of freedom being violated and disrespected. In truth, there is no true freedom anywhere as long as a man of peace is wrongly imprisoned.
Please show consideration in the form of compassion, leniency, mercy, clemency and active, proportionate appreciation for the good work done by Roger Christie in mitigating the hard drug epidemic in Hawaii. It is well-known that a shortage of 'pakalolo' in Hawaii translates into increased hard drug and alcohol abuse, gang violence, crime...
I trust that Mr. Abercrombie's will recognize the opportunity for true leadership, presented by the polar shifts in medical science, public perceptions and political realities surrounding Cannabis ecology, agriculture, manufacture and trade. As Governor of a State that is being "broiled" by UV-B radiation, I would think that you of all people would recognize the critical "strategic" significance of Cannabis, recognized by seven American Presidents as being "of first necessity."
A timely response to this "Civilian Demand" is requested, as every day that Roger Christie is robbed of in prison is precious time that is gone forever.
Mahalo! for your vision of a "New Day" for Hawaii. I trust it is one where the bright sunshine of truth and clear rivers of freedom will begin to flow under your leadership and courage.
Paul von Hartmann
California Cannabis Ministry
former Hawaii resident,
Oahu 1958-1960
Maui, 1988-1992
Big Island 1998-1999
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