A Little Is Not Enough.

How often do you tell the President what you think?
Is one letter enough to make your point, two, three, or more?
For me, it's got to be whatever it takes.
John Richard Knock is still in prison. mostly because he didn't play the prosecutor's game. He didn't plead guilty. He didn't become a co-operating witness and inform on anyone. He went to trial and learned the hard way just how lopsided the scales of justice are hung.
There are thousands of people who got too much time, thousands of inmates who don't need to be locked up, who pose no danger to society. They had the book thrown at them and now they while  away their days behind bars. Wasting the money of tax payers, wasting the lives of people. They won't get released unless someone with the authority to release them acts on it.
It is encouraging that our President finally acted on this problem. Not much, but better than nothing. I thought I should thank him for it and remind him there is still much more he can do. Here is what I said.

July 23, 2015

Mr. Barack Obama

President

United States of America

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr President,

Your office continues to amaze me. Your skill and dedication to doing what is right is refreshing and inspiring to millions of Americans and possibly billions of people around the world. I am proud that you are the President of our country. It is also encouraging that you are not satisfied with the way things are and that you strive to make them better for us average people. 

Your efforts to reach out to those of us who are not politically involved is appreciated. I enjoyed listening to your appearance on the Marc Maron podcast. I can’t imagine any other politician at the top of his game in the final term, taking the time and trouble to reach out and connect with an audience of regular, not necessarily politically engaged people. It says a lot about you, that you recognize the struggle for a better world is never ending. 

I am also thanking you for your (and your office’s) action on commutations. I understand there are thousands of people in prison trying to deal with the injustice that has been put on to them. I appreciate the effort that your office has put into this matter. I hope that you also see this work on issuing clemency needs to be continued and offered to everyone who deserves  a second chance and poses no threat to society.

My mother’s youngest brother, John Richard Knock was sentenced to two Life in Prison terms as a first time NON-violent offender. We continue to hope that common sense and justice will eventually prevail. My Uncle has been behind bars in the federal system since 1999. His security level is on par with the most hardened criminals. 

I understand this is because of the wide ranging “conspiracy” he was charged and convicted on. It was essentially a “thought-crime” and a courtroom game of musical chairs where people were compelled to testify in exchange for lowering their own sentences. Each witness was asked the same rote questions and answered them carefully with the hope they didn’t displease the prosecutor or judge, the men with the power to lock them up for life. The last person standing in this game has no one to testify against and therefore no way to get any sentence reduction. The “minimum” sentence was built on “perceived” amounts of contraband built from hearsay and coerced testimony. Many people have been caught with large quantities of cannabis and received far less time in prison. None of the witnesses against my Uncle were sentenced to more than five years thanks to the plea agreements they made.

Explaining this to the average citizen has been nearly impossible. For the most part people don’t believe you can be sentenced to Life In Prison for importing pot. My Uncle was able to get Two Life in Prison terms for crimes which occurred in Canada many years before. There was no actual seizure of pot in our country. The “crime” that was used to establish venue in Gainsville, FL was the DEA threatening and badgering people who were associated with some money couriers. Those poor misguided people were hoping to get rich by contracting with under cover DEA agents to import loads of cannabis products into the country. 

The fact that nobody who actually had cannabis products made an agreement here didn’t matter. According to the government this was a massive conspiracy and it linked to Gainsville because they said so. It didn’t matter that nothing was smuggled. It didn’t matter that my Uncle walked away from those who had been active in that sort of business years before. People even testified that he had nothing to do with those plots and that he told people way back in 1988 that he was never going to smuggle in the United States. These facts are not disputed.

But just talking about smuggling is in fact a crime. It’s the crime of “conspiracy” and if you buy the government’s position on how that crime works, it is joined to every other conspiracy and criminal act done by anyone connected to it. Even after you’ve told everyone you quit. So you could basically charge anyone with anything that ever might have happened and if you get the right Judge and the right jury, well actually you just need the right judge, he can instruct the jury to find you guilty. 

Of course, you might be thinking that outrageous things like this would never happen in our system of justice. Even if wrong things are done in a trial, there are always appeals. Those things are addressed and corrected on appeal, right? Not really. Trial judges seldom reverse themselves on appeal. A cursory look at statistics for appeals would reveal that our courts are right nearly 93% of the time. According to the way they correct themselves. The vast majority of plain errors are more than likely “harmless”. New trials are extremely rare. 

That’s how you can be sentenced for Life in Prison without actually being caught doing anything wrong.  

Thankfully you are in a powerful position. I (and millions like me) are grateful that a man of your conscience and consideration has taken on the mantle of President and leader of the free world. The fact that our country holds so many people behind bars is an irony which I’m sure is not lost on you. 

I’m also sure you can see what little political fallout there has been for commutations. This is a bi-partisan issue where the majority of people agree. They only lack the leadership which you alone can provide. Only your office holds the hope to redress these wrongs. I am hopeful that you will continue to work on this important issue. 

Sincerely yours,

Tom Walters

My Review of the White House Correspondent's Dinner Comedy Routine

In case you haven't seen President Obama's speech at the White House Correspondent's dinner it's worth a look. I enjoyed most of his comedy routine. The man is an impressive speaker. His notorious laid back manner was augmented at one point by an "anger translator" which was pretty edgy so he get's extra credit for that. If you'd like to see it you can click on the following link.

Link to President Obama's White House Correspondent's Dinner

From the his introduction through the end he gets to lampoon all the stereotypes that have been used against him. And he takes shots at CNN, MSNBC and Senate Democrats just to prove he can be an equal opportunity offender. Overall the man can do comedy. He's got serious speaking skills and having a President that can speak in public is just great in my book.

But there was one little thing I have to point out. A fun reference to the "pot smoking" Bernie Sanders was enough for me to criticize. I know stoner jokes are fun, but when people are sent to prison for life because they might have know a few people who said they thought that person probably conspired to import pot to this country, well fuck that. How about some midget jokes? You know short people are so funny. Or why not some good old Chicago Polack jokes. Nah, there's too many people that would be hurt by that, I guess.

But how many people have been given prison sentences for associating with midgets or polaks? Google has not returned any meaningful results on the search terms I've tried.

So laugh it up all you Potheads. The Federal Government has your number. All you sick patients in California, you think your safe? Your not. Same with you Coloradans and Washingtonians. Until the Federal Laws are fixed, you can be named in a conspiracy and get your very own federal prison term. That's why I'm writing these letters. Because that shit just isn't very funny.
Here is my letter For April 26

April 26, 2015

Mr. Barack Obama

President

United States of America

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr President,

Congratulations on your performance at the White House Correspondents Dinner. I enjoyed your speech and the comedy routine. You dispatched quite a few sacred cows with your insightful writing and your skilled oration. Once again you have helped me to be proud of our country and also glad that you represent it. 

Of particular interest to me was the “Bucket List” routine. Nobody could have delivered it better. The way you satirized the Republicans was also enjoyable. I’m sure you won’t get any public recognition from Ted Cruse or Rick Santorum or Donald Trump (although he seemed to be laughing). My opinion is that exposing the claims which these “conservative” people make to your wider audience was long over due. 

The fact that you can use humor in confronting their ridiculous claims and still keep a sense of humor about yourself and your situation I believe gives the rest of us hope that we can make progress toward making the world better for our children. 

A legacy for the Koch brothers might not be much of a problem for them. If they can spare a billion dollars for the next Republican nominee. I’m sure their children will find their way in the world. But the anti-climate, anti-democracy agenda does continue to trouble me. I thank you for seeing the need to take it on. 

I’m slightly confused about solving our immigration problems. I understand that delaying the prosecution of people and families who lack the proper documentation is within your purview. But I don’t believe the debate has been framed correctly. A lasting, workable, fair, common sense solution should be proposed and I believe congress might be shamed into acting on it, just because the Hispanic demographic is a growing source of voters. 

I’m fairly certain at least half of the mail you get this week will be critical of one joke or another. Everybody’s got an opinion and a solid majority of people could use a better sense of humor. I’d like to believe there is nothing wrong with my sense of humor but I might be dwelling on this one issue just a little bit more than the average person. The bit about Bernie Sanders running for President. “Another pot smoking socialist”. And that he would represent a third term of your policies. Maybe some less informed people enjoyed it. Me? I just don’t know.

The government is continuing to prosecute and jail people who use marijuana. I understand this is not at the forefront of your concerns right now. I see there are other problems which you and your administration believe should take priority. Still, for those of us with family members serving excessive prison time, punch lines about pot smoking socialists kind of fail. 

Remember back when racist stereo types were funny?  Yeah, me either, but here’s the important thing, lazy Mexicans and crazed black jazz musicians are the stereotypes that your continued “War on Drugs” is predicated on. Scholarly works like the “The New Jim Crow” have effectively illustrated this. The fear and bigotry and hate that has sustained these laws is being exposed for what it truly is.

The failure of these laws to achieve a utopian “drug free” society is apparent. The (perhaps) un-intended consequences of the law enforcement approach is also just as apparent. If you believe we need to keep on this course I have greatly miss-understood who you are. 

“It is not the fact of liberty but the way in which liberty is exercised that ultimately determines whether liberty itself survives.” Dorothy Thompson’s quote was a fine way to end your talk. Theatrically it was a very strong way to restore seriousness to the office of the President and to you as the man who holds that office. 

But I hope you will reconsider the “War on Drugs”. Another quote from Dorothy Thompson is "Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict."

As you are a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize it would be silly for an average guy like me to lecture you, the leader of the free world, about peace. But you should know that you alone have the power to end this made up (Nixon created) “War on Drugs” and free the POW’s from that war. It would be an audacious move. But it is something you alone could do. I think you could add it to your “Bucket-list” without much trouble at all.

 And in the following weeks when everyone forgets about it. You will have the lasting gratitude of those people who were wronged by an oppressive government and rescued by you. 

  

Sincerely yours,

Tom Walters

President Obama and David Simon

I happened to watch a video posted by the White House featuring David Simon the creator of the HBO series "The Wire". Here is a link…

WHITEHOUSE VIDEO with David Simon

I decided to thank our President for talking about this important issue. 

Here is my latest letter.

April 2, 2015

Mr. Barack Obama

President

United States of America

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr President,

Thank you for sharing your extraordinary conversation with David Simon. I am continually impressed by the leadership and dedication you have demonstrated as President of the United States. It is inspiring to see you lead on issues which other politicians avoid. 

You are providing some hope for those of us who have been impacted by the excesses of the "Drug War". Until recently it seemed that there would be no meaningful review of government policy in this "war". The easy path for typical politicians has been to "get tough" on drugs. The phenomenal growth in the prison population is one obvious result. The fact that there are still people finding and using drugs is inconvenient for those who believe these are Law Enforcement problems. I also thank you for acknowledging the inter-relatedness of all the problems surrounding the prosecution of the "drug war" or as I like to call it, prohibition.  

As you and your staff continue the important work of governing, I hope you will see the reality of how far we have gone down this ill-conceived “war-path”, and why it should be discarded. People have created this problem by criminalizing a common behavior. A behavior which does cause problems for society. Compounding those problems by criminalizing what is fundamentally a health issue has only added to the problem. 

The main arguments for prohibition have always been moral absolutes against intoxication. Most people (including me) find it difficult to argue in support of intoxication. But the reality is that lasting sobriety only happens by the choice of each individual. Efforts to legislate morality always fall short of achieving their goals. These have historically failed because individuals tend to rebel against being told what they can or can’t do. I'm sure you understand this. 

Focusing on the reality that people are still finding ways to procure and ingest harmful substances is instructive. Illustrating how our current laws and policies have failed and will continue to fail is a valid and important point to stress. You have been quite masterful when you point out the failed polices and the results of failed policy. 

But the political environment and the established constituencies will continue to make false claims and scare the public away from anything which might dimmish their power. I doubt the DEA would agree to dissolve itself. It is far more likely they would lobby for and win more money for their budget. I believe they have strong allies in Congress. And the DEA is only one agency with a vested interest in the status quo of war. 

As you pointed out, this is one issue on which both conservatives and liberals can agree. People are frustrated by government that is unfair and arbitrary. Conservatives constantly complain about programs which fail to solve problems and cannot be ended because of politics. Prohibition is a fine example of this phenomenon. I wish you the best of luck in fixing this problem. I hope congress will somehow rise above petty politics and begin to work toward making our nation better. 

I confess that I know very little about the realities of your office. The established customs and procedures which go with your office are probably byzantine and complex beyond my understanding. I do continue to believe that you are a fine leader. With your reasoning and skill in framing arguments and policy I believe you will do what is right for our country. 

It would also make a fine statement to grant clemency to all those federal prisoners who are jailed because of marijuana crimes. We seem to be able to agree that non-violent marijuana offenders are not a threat to anyone (but possibly themselves). Keeping them locked up does nothing to make our nation better.  

Sincerely yours,

Tom Walters

On President Obama's Speech from the bridge in Selma Alabama

President Obama delivered a fine speech at the notorious bridge in Selma Alabama. He spoke at length of the need for ordinary citizens to work toward fulfilling the promise and spirit of America. I take him at his word. I'm proud that he is our President. And I'm baffled at how some people vilify and criticize every thing he does or even proposes doing. In his speech from the bridge he reminds us of where we were as a country and a society fifty years ago.

If you'd like to hear for yourself what he said you can find it here…

https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/civil-rights/selma?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=email443-text1&utm_campaign=selma

But I thought I'd remind the President of People who are working for justice and change today. I tried to make a case for all those political prisoners in the "war" on drugs. John Knock is one of many who are locked up for no good reason. They are being held because politicians think it makes them look good to be "Tough on Crime". They won't be released because almost no one has that authority. 

The Power to correct this sort of injustice is rested solely in the hands of the Chief Executive of our country. For whatever reasons this power is rarely used. But that doesn't mean never used. In the world of hope and change it means keep working on it.

This is my next letter to the President. I'm beginning to like this new hobby of mine…

March 14, 2015

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr President,

I watched your speech from the bridge in Selma. Thank you for making it available online.

Your delivery was inspirational. You made a number of excellent points concerning what it means to be American. Where we come from and the spirit that brought us here. The responsibly handed down to us and that we must continue to work toward fulfilling the aspirations of the founders. That there are still struggles to work on.

You spoke of the need for citizens to stand up for what is right. I agree with this completely. Even a casual observer can see there is still a need for work toward equal protection under the law.

I will tell my Congressman that I support STRENGTHENING the Voting Rights Act. As for participation in our Democracy, that's what the rest of this letter is about. 

As you pointed out in your speech, the marchers were confronted by the police who were backed up by the establishment. They were derided and denigrated and despised by the law and the customs of society. Through their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the greater purpose they eventually won the changes to law that we must all continue to defend and protect.

Where in our system of government is the branch for fairness? Who has the constitutional imperative to fix injustice? When citizens are imprisoned using unjust laws who can remedy that? I suppose you know that it is you Mr. President. The head of the executive branch is given that power and also that duty. 

In my last letter I told you about the horrific sentence handed down to my Uncle John for a first time non-violent marijuana only offense. (Two life terms plus twenty years in prison.) He (my Uncle) would be the first to point out that he is not alone in receiving an excessive prison sentence. You might know by now there are a number of others who have received Life For Pot. As per your speech, I wish to express my opinion that this is not justice. These sentences do not fit the crimes. 

The pretext that "mandatory minimums" is founded upon is wrong. In a misguided effort to curb the discretion of Judges who might be too "lenient" Congress prescribed specific penalties which Judges would have to impose. Prosecutors could then use the threat of harsh penalties to force plea bargains. The effort was misguided because Judges are tasked with deciding what an appropriate sentence/punishment would be for any given case. By taking Judges out of the sentencing equation Congress has created a serious problem with fairness in our Justice System. Prosecutors are not motivated to be fair, they are tasked with winning. 

I know there is no place for cynicism in politics. As you said, "We can afford neither complacency or despair." Citizens who are working toward changing unfair laws also know that this struggle can take decades. The Senate and the House have never been known as fast moving institutions. We know it takes years (maybe decades or centuries) to get laws corrected for the sake of justice and fairness. There are at least 20 people serving life for marijuana crimes. Hundreds more are serving de-facto life sentences for marijuana crimes. These are people who will die before they would be able to complete their sentences. More information has been collected and posted on the web site:

www.lifeforpot.com

This has been painstakingly researched and assembled by the sister of my uncle. Through her work and organizing many of these problems are being talked about now. I believe this is exactly the sort of commitment and citizenship you spoke about in your speech at Selma. Of course we need to organize and vote. We need to tell our representatives in government what we expect from our government. Slowly over time we hope they listen and we hope they act. 

The un-justness of our Judiciary is a special kind of problem. It has come about through ill-conceived laws. While they were well intentioned, the un-intended consequences are clearly injustice. 

Thankfully this is a problem well within your power to correct. You can fix this with a stroke of your pen. You can grant Clemency to people serving Life Sentences for cannabis offenses. It is an amazing power to have. I trust that you will do what is right. 

I thank you for being our President

Sincerely Yours,

Tom Walters

My New Letter Writing Hobby

If I simply judge the traffic this site is getting I can see that nobody is interested in this topic. That's OK. We all have our own interests. I will confess it's been quite sometime since I last attempted to post anything here. It's also OK. I'm not picking on myself either. But now I have returned with yet another big idea.
And so now... in spite of Popular Demand. I'm proud to reveal my New Initiative in political commentary and sophisticated rhetoric.

A Groundbreaking Exercise in Futility!

Soon To Be Ignored. 

The One, Of Many…

Letters to our President.

First, some background.
I 've gotten on the White House emailing list and every few days they email a new press release. In the most part they are informative and interesting. I don't mind getting them, if I did I'm sure I could opt out. On occasion they invite commentary and actually solicit my opinion. I'm sorry to say I haven't replied to any of these invitations yet. But sometimes you get an idea that won't go away. Like, I wonder what sort of letter to the President might get his attention. 
And
I wonder how many letters can I write before they ask me to stop? 
Do they have the right to tell me to stop? 
What about insulting or threatening?
I seem to remember hearing that threats to the President are against the law. I don't want to be accused of any wrong doing. I hope I'm writing well enough to be understood. But one never really knows.
And so in order to be more clear and transparent, I'm going to post these letters here in my google blog. I'll also send them via-USPS. And just to be sure somebody reads them I'll send them via email.
I think it's great to have all these delivery options and it also makes editing and "re-interpreting" my work a little more difficult.
I can imagine a person like Winston Smith toiling away in the Ministry of Truth, revising my words to fit some previously un-known thought crime, while my original writings vanish silently into the memory hole. I don't really believe anyone would care that much, but one never really knows…
I really don't want to find myself locked up in Cuba…. just because they "said so" (that's all the "due process" needed for your certain types of people).
Yes I'm slightly paranoid, I believe it's partly genetic. Some buried sequence in my DNA.  I just have to live with it.
So much for the paranoid reasons of multiple distribution. The practical concerns dictate that I get these words to as many people as possible. So potentially I could reach the entire online community of millions. The practical result is more like 4 possibly 5 people.
(You, dear reader, are just one of a very select few.)
And now with absolutely no more fanfare I'm proud to post my very first Letter to the President.

March 1, 2015

Mr. Barack Obama

President

United States of America

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr President,

I support you in your efforts to keep families together. I see what you are attempting with emigration reform and  the use of executive orders to bring fairness and reason to the problem of un-documented workers and their families. 

Your opposition is playing on fear and bigotry. It wraps itself in the cloak of “Law and Order” only to gain popular support. They don’t offer solutions. Their course of non-action results in status quo, non-workable, non-solutions to documenting the un-documented. And still they continue to portray you as giving largesse to un-deserving criminals.

I’m sure you know all this. But the marketing of the problem and it’s solutions seems to lose focus as the opposition in Congress focuses on “Law and Order” and punishing (or at least not rewarding) those people who have made their home here in spite of not having their papers in order. I think you might tell the public that you are not the sort of leader who will advocate putting millions of un-documented workers on busses and trains and shipping them to places where they don’t really want to go. Your mandate implied that you will work with the best minds and leaders to find common ground solutions to the problems everyday people face. If you can work with Congress, that would be a plus but for the sake of your party and our nation I think putting your opposition on the spot is an effective technique. 

After looking at the facts, I have found many miss-leading talking points by your opposition. It is a shame you don’t have the resources to spin their miss-characterizations into a public shaming of them. The media can and should be held accountable for what they say and HOW they say it. It didn’t take much time to see that you are not offering to give out federal benefits to the un-documented but this is a major fear your opposition plays on. They seem to take every opportunity to make outlandish claims just to energize the “conservative” base. I think your office needs to counter those claims but also call out people for opinions being reported as facts. It is not enough to assume the majority will see through the bigotry. 

Typically headlines from the Washington Post and Fox News claimed that you were offering federal benefits to “illegal immigrants” reading the stories, revealed that you were not actually doing that. I realize the sensational need to get attention and thus the miss-leading headlines. But people jump to conclusions based on those headlines and then use those conclusions to continue polemic commentary and opinion pieces in a reactionary feedback loop which only serves their interests, and makes people more fearful and ignorant. 

The same tactics which got my Uncle sentenced to 2 life terms in prison + twenty years. (Just in case he was able to die in prison and be re-incarnated and raised from a baby through his entire second life in prison, I suppose. But it still doesn’t make sense).  It might be law, but then again it might be the way a law is used. 

I understand you have some experience with interpreting Constitutional Law. Wouldn’t two life in prison terms seem excessive, even unusual to you? It is difficult to find anyone else who has received this sort of sentence for a similar crime. But once someone is characterized as a “drug smuggler” people stop listening. The prejudice of “criminals doing the time for doing a crime” is activated. Nothing to look at there, move along. I suppose there are Supreme Court rulings declaring that no amount of prison time can be judged as cruel. Even if one is convicted based only on hearsay testimony and testimony bought and paid for or coerced from “witnesses” who are trying to avoid punishment for their own crimes. Nothing unusual about that any more? 

I do understand you have no shortage of problems to address. Immigration is certainly a serious problem. I commend you for taking an executive action aimed at helping those people who are here with less than proper legal status. I see your struggle with the opposition who have vowed to oppose every initiative you take. I also see a prison sentence so extreme that normal every day people don’t believe it. 

I hope you heard Bill Maher ask you to free the federal Marijuana prisoners. I also support that executive order. I’m sure a silent majority would support it as well. As you might already know, it is the right thing to do. Keeping these people locked up for possessing, using, distributing or (in my Uncles case) just knowing people, does nothing to make our country or our people safer. It just wastes money on prisons. And it also makes people see a system which is demonstrably un-fair. 

I could go on about why I support your Presidential Commutation powers. You are the last resort when things are beyond fixing through the established judicial procedures. I don’t see Congress as capable of fixing anything in this political environment. The power vested in the Executive branch and your office in particular is vital for our country to function as a fair and just democracy. 

To sum up my comments to you, I congratulate you on your decisions to use your Executive Authority. I hope you will exercise that authority to correct as many wrongs as you see fit to address. Your detractors are never going to accept any action which you propose. They are determined to oppose you in principle on anything and everything. I will assume it is because of your affiliation to the Democratic party. They have entrenched constituencies and media outlets determined to miss-characterize you and your initiatives. But when you do things to help real people and work to solve the problems of our nation you earn the good will and gratitude of all Americans. 

Sincerely yours,

Tom Walters

Nobody is for drugs.

This blog isn't about drugs

The fact is people take drugs and laws don't seem to have much affect on drug use, one way or another.   I believe you can be against drug use and understand drugs are sold and used by others.

Believing that Drugs should be against the law is what started the "War on Drugs". It's where we are.

It is important to see things as they are.

Drug use is in many ways it's own punishment. If you have known or witnessed drug abuse in person you might understand what I mean. People who are into drugs continue to make bad choices in part because of the effect drugs have. It's a sad downward spiral that bears more resemblance to a complicated health problem than a criminal problem. But in desperation to get drugs people will engage in all sorts of criminal activity. This is because drugs can be expensive and substance abusers (drug users) don't have lucrative career options. More downward spiraling seems to be the rule.

Personally I don't have any use for marijuana. I don't believe I have any health problems that would be solved by cannibus but if I did I hope, that it would be available. It is nothing to be afraid of.

As it stands, the main use of marijuana seems to be putting people in jail. Think about that, stoners make excellent inmates. If you were running a jail would you want to deal with hardened criminals or easy going pot heads? Not a difficult choice to make really.

As a media consumer you may have seen people using pot in popular movies. They are almost always comedies. In news reports, smoking pot is seen as a joke as well.

Being targeted by law enforcement is not a joke.
Having a drug arrest can seriously mess up your life. Imagine a swat team descending on your home. They break down your door, ($1000. repair) shouting obscenities. They have an order from a Judge saying they can break whatever they need to, and you will not be able to stop them. ($1000. to replace the furniture they break) They might have to shoot your dog. (replacement cost at least $100) They will threaten your children. Because they can. We have given them the right to do this all in the name of winning the "war on drugs". It's been going on for over 40 years. It seems to be getting worse. Worse for ordinary people caught in the crossfire.

So that SWAT raid is going to cost you at least $2000. Let's just suppose they brought some pot with them or, of course they found "contraband" in your domicile. You my friend, are heading into the "justice" system.

You should make a deal, as soon as possible, get on with your life, put this shit behind you, because you can't win at this casino. The game is fixed. If you go to trial you are doing time. The technicalities you hear about on T.V. are mostly bullshit. The only way you get out of this mess is by agreeing with the organizations that have violated you. Make a deal, get over it. that's your only option.

I consider myself very lucky to have escaped my High School and Jr. College years without being caught with the wrong people, in the wrong place, at the wrong time. I hope I can avoid being named by desperate people trying to save themselves from long jail sentences. I do this by not associating with anyone.

My conscience is clean. I was never involved in the "business" but that wouldn't really matter if I was targeted by a Grand Jury in a conspiracy trial. The way that deck is stacked, you will be convicted. The burden of proof can hinge on outright lies paid for with promises of "sentence reduction".

So what is the statute of limitations? How long should I be looking over my shoulder, wondering about possible punishment for being at the wrong party, for having the wrong friends?

That seems to depend on the amount of money the Prosecutors believe you have. If you have some property they can size, it will be taken. The US Attorneys office reports over 1. 7 billion seized in the fiscal year of 2010. If you care enough to keep score that's One Billion, seven hundred million for the "good guys" and who knows how many millions left in profits for the "bad guys".

I don't know, but if the "drug" business can throw off $1.7 billion just in losses to the "justice department" and stay in business, it must be a pretty big business. There is always the chance that this isn't all drug related. But forget about the "conspiracy" law deck stacking.
This is your government making money from drugs.

Why "tax" it if you can just take whatever you want. Who's going to complain? What, you're going to listen to a bunch of Drug Dealers? Did I mention they pled guilty or were convicted?

Are you still for the "War on Drugs"?

That's fine, you can believe whatever you choose. 

Tell me about it. 

I don't mind if anyone disagrees. But let me know if you think there should be an endgame to this "War".

What would "victory" mean, what would it look like?

Policing with a profit motive is a bad idea. If you have ever been caught in a speed trap I think you can understand this.

But I'm not advocating for "medical marijuana" and I don't believe anyone should move to Colorado or Washington state just because they want to get high. I don't care if they do or don't. It isn't about state rights, it's about civil rights and justice.

What's been going on for 40 years now, is wrong. It hasn't worked, that's how we know it's wrong. You can still make a connection with a local dealer in any place in the USA (perhaps the world) and buy pot. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

But if you've collected any money or property, and you get noticed by some ambitious politicians, judges or DEA agents you could loose everything you care about.
It doesn't matter if it's legal in your state or not, the Federal Government can fall on you and you will be left with without recourse.
Maybe you'll have some names to give, maybe that will keep you from getting a LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE federal prison sentence.

I'm not willing to bet on that.
Drugs aren't worth the price we have paid in lost liberty and respect for the rule of law.

Why does it matter?

Glad you asked.
There are so many things wrong, so many things that might never be fixed.
We know they are wrong.
A majority can agree they are wrong.
News reports confirming the well known wrongness are everywhere. Wrongness is deeply entrenched. Making it right is going to take a huge amount of effort.
It's that way for every cause.
It all comes down to People. Get enough people to move in the same direction and the "movement" will bring action to the "cause".

But some things can be fixed with the stroke of a pen.
It won't take anything more than that to fix this problem.
Sure, it would help to have as many voices as possible asking for action.
But the problem of John Richard Knock being jailed is fixable. It just takes a small action by one person with the authority to correct the excesses of our justice system.
In the United States, that person is the President.

So for me the answer is;
It matters because this is a wrong that can be made right. It wouldn't take an act of congress, or a committee, or a parole board, maybe it will, but it doesn't have to. All John needs is for the sole person with power to say OK.

But why should this matter to anyone else?
Maybe because it IS fixable, maybe because it's just the right thing.

It has mattered a lot to his family. Think about that.
If it were your Uncle or Brother or Son or Daughter. How would you feel if they were trapped in a prison system for something they didn't do?

It definitely matters to John's sister Beth. She has spent countless hours gathering information and organizing for sentencing reform, searching the World Wide Web for resources, and others in John's situation. Looking for someway to get recognition for this cause. Not just for her Brother but for all the other people caught in this perversion of justice. People who have been given excessive sentences just because some politicians want to claim they are "tough on crime".

Why should it matter to you?
You don't need to have the weight of the Department of "Justice" fall on you. People in prison got there by doing something wrong. For the few innocent people in jail it's just not worth the time and trouble to be bothered by it. Where do you even start? You've got enough to do just leading a regular life, holding down a job, making a living. That is how responsible people lead their lives.

But the average person isn't safe from this arbitrary assault on everyones civil rights. If you are caught traveling with cash money, and you are suspected of being in the drug business, your money may be seized along with your car or truck. It will be up to you to start the process of re-claiming it through suing in a civil action. Your property will be presumed guilty and if you want to get it back you will need to spend more time and money fighting for it in court. Perhaps you've got time and money to spend, regular people usually don't.

Most people are shocked and offended by this situation. They refuse to believe it could happen in this country. But it happens all the time. It happens to people who don't have the power to fight back. It happens to average people. People who can't afford to fight back, people who end up being labeled as drug dealers. Nobody is going to care what happens to you if you are a "drug dealer" you're going to get what's coming to you.

My Uncle John wasn't actually a "Drug Dealer" but he was convicted as a "King Pin". You can read a statement from him here:
http://www.johnknock.com/johnsstatement.html
You can also get more facts and background about his trial and the plight of others in similar situations here:
http://www.lifeforpot.com/

But wait there's more,
It should matter to you because you are lucky enough to not be targeted yet. If you are free, you are believing in an illusion that is one police action away from being shattered. The more you look for it, the more you will see drug raids destroying the wrong house. People being brutalized "accidentally". Family pets killed because they threatened police who were at the wrong address. This whole mindset is Un-American. Our inheritance is Government By the People and For the People.
We are now the People. Police are hired to serve society, they should not be given the power to steal from travelers on the highway or summarily execute family pets.
We have allowed a system of "Justice" to evolve which doesn't serve us. The system is built around expedience and convenience for Prosecutors.

Our "Justice" system has been incentivized with a profit motive. Law enforcement is looking for things to take, not to get criminals, just stuff, power and money. "Due Process" is for wimps.

You remain unconvinced, this issue doesn't matter and it's not your problem. Fine, that must mean it hasn't hit your family, yet. I'm fairly certain, given the trends and market forces involved, it's only a matter of time. Unless pressure is put on the people we hire to work in our interest they will simply work in their own interest.
Once you have "contraband" seized from you on a vacation or business trip. Or have your front door kicked in by a SWAT team who got the address mixed up. Or are labeled a "drug dealer" or "King Pin" because you used to know someone, once your seized property goes to auction and you realize there is nothing you can do about it. I think you will begin to understand that this issue matters but nobody is going to listen to you, not if you're a convict. Why should they?