Hemp woes down under

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/16/01

Sounds all too familiar to our own situation in Australia. The issue has nothing to do with drugs, and it never has. Big business has billions of dollars tied up in the cotton industry and the chemical and irrigation industries associated with it. As long as these industries can buy political favor, hemp will never be a legally grown crop.

Steve Golding

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/16/01

The Pine Ridge hemp affair is another excellent example of where zero tolerance can be synonymous with zero understanding.

Dale Ross

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/16/01

It is our right to raise any crops we want on Indian land as long as we comply with the laws of our Tribal Government. The United States should have no say in what we do.

Mary Lynn

RE: “Latin Music’s Dirty Little Secret”

02/16/01

Obviously, the record labels are responsible. If Latin mega-stars like Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin were confronted with the issue, I think they’d have no choice but to come out on the side of the session musicians who work to make them sound their best and sell their albums.

Michele Howerton-Vargas

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/15/01

I support the sovereignty of the native people living on Pine Ridge, and believe the action of the DEA — as per usual — is despicable. I believe the Lakota people should continue their efforts, and should be getting support from the US government for their initiatives as well.

Danny Hoback

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/15/01

I applaud the members of the Pine Ridge reservation for sticking to their guns. I feel this kind of civil disobedience may be one of the more effective ways to go about changing ridiculous drug laws. The confiscation of the plants makes news, sheds light on yet another nonsensical drug law, and hopefully adds fuel to the fire of indignation against the cruel and ludicrous war on drugs.

Clay Davis

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/14/01

Sounds like the white man (Clinton) speaks with a forked tongue again. US policy hasn’t changed much since they sent in the army after the Civil War to “pacify” Native Americans.

Bill P. Ondrovich

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/14/01

If people are allowed to grow tobacco, why are they not allowed to grow industrial hemp? This long-argued issue should have been put to rest long ago. How many family farms could have been saved if the farmers had been allowed to grow this environmentally friendly and hardy crop?

Teague Haven

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/14/01

Not only is the federal government clearly violating its own treaty (“absolute and undisturbed use and occupation”), it did so in a highly aggressive and questionable manner. However, not all is bad — acts like this cause the Feds to lose public support.

Benjamin England
St. Louis, Mo.

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/12/01

The issues concerning hemp have nothing to do with the content of THC. The real issue is economics. People who have been reading anything about this useful plant know that it has big potential for industrial usage.

For example, what would happen to the paper industry if we would decide to use hemp instead? Fabrics could be woven as fine as silk and clothing could be recycled into paper products. Particle boards, plastics, and building materials can all be manufactured out of hemp. The losses to the larger manufacturing corporations would be huge. Hemp is one of the most versatile plants on the planet.

Like everything else regarding economics in the US, the corporate agenda is the prevailing agenda. Pine Ridge is just another chapter in the saga of the draconian history of the US government. It should be of no surprise to anybody that this particular hemp field was burned down without considering the community. It will not be the last time. As long as the general public chooses to be unaware about any important issues affecting their lives, nothing will change.

Thank you for being a light in the darkness of popular media, which is only concerned with the corporate agenda.

Alfred Obersteine

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/12/01

I support indigenous rights and struggles, but not because of native sovereignty or a history of persecution. Rather, I agree that hemp is a much more durable, cheaply grown, and environmentally friendly alternative to other fibers.

Micheal Norling

RE: “The Teflon Kingmaker”

02/11/01

I am so sick and tired of supposed “left-wing” zines and books going after the Democrats.

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Publishing an article from a reporter with the [conservative] Washington Times says to me that you don’t want to dig up the dirt on old “W” and his crooked cronies. Where are the stories about Bush’s and Cheney’s debacles?

Terry McAuliffe’s fundraising is nothing compared with all the fundraising that Bush did with Enron and Exxon. How about pointing out how Cheney left the Bush Sr. administration and went to work with Halliburton? I think you’ve lost your mission.

Francene Blanchard
San Diego, Calif.

RE: “I Want My ZEV”

02/10/01

It’s typical of the industry to either try to create a demand for a vehicle or ignore demand for a vehicle just to further its own agenda. I will never buy a new car until we can by a suatainable, clean car that uses either batteries or fuel cells.

Michel Wingard

RE: “The Bush Files”

02/10/01

The talk shows, TV and radio made a huge thing over the passionate kiss that Al Gore planted on Tipper after a speech on national TV.

George Bush also demonstrated his attitude toward women in general on national TV. After Dubya introduced Laura at a podium, he patted her on the butt several times before he sat down.

How many men would do that to their wives in public? I believe he was demonstrating his chauvinistic attitude toward women. Where has the media been on this one?

D.H. Matrisciano