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(THE SIMPLE ACT OF MAKING A POLITICAL INQUIRE)
THE SIMPLE ACT OF ASKING CAN HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT:
It’s a simple enough thing to do; --- You ask your local candidates running for office for their viewpoint on the issue of Medical Cannabis? In other words, you’re simply asking them a question. Yet this simple act (especially here in Oklahoma) can have a major impact on the race as a whole.
HOW? There are many answers to this question and also many reasons why this is so. But in order to grasp the answers, one has to be able to grasp a series of various concepts. Many of which (especially for the politically unsavvy) might be new to some of the readers.
THE CONCEPT OF, OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND:
Mahatma Gandhi was supposed to have said:
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”Here in Oklahoma, at present, we seem to be somewhere between the first and second parts of that expression. With the politicians (for many, many years) having chosen to simply ignore us; As well as the plight of numerous Okla., medical patients in need of proper medication. In fact they have chosen to ignore us for so many years that a sort of “Group Think Mode” mentality has now sprung into place. Even candidates (who are running for the first time) seem to have been caught up in it. This in turn creates a GROUP atmosphere were everyone within political circles thinks that everyone in the whole state is against the use of Medical Cannabis and thus in turn creates a “Just Say’s No” mentality with regards to the right of medical patients to seek out medical care etc.
HOWEVER, by the simple act of asking a question, which in turn also means that you are bringing up the issue --- MAYBE for some of them for the first time. In effect your question
[1]- Shows that there is another side to the issue of Medical Cannabis.
[2]- It suggests that at least some of the voters, are in favor of re-legalizing and will VOTE accordingly.
THE CONCEPT THAT
--- ONE LONE VOICE CAN HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT
"Power Yells Nothing Without Demand" --- Frederick Douglas
A.K.A. --- You have to standup and demand your rights
In the words of the abolitionist Frederick Douglas, “Power Yells Nothing Without Demand”. Or in its more modern day version, “SILENCE IS DEATH”.
And the above statements CANNOT be said strongly enough. Quite literally; ---your silent support means NOTHING. In order to make changes, you will have to speak up and be heard. NO this does not mean going around doing stupid, illegal or harmful things to get attention. It can (and in America it must) be done in a peaceful manner. But it must be done.
Let us go over just one example of how powerful and effective just one person’s lone voice can be:
ONE LONE VOICE IN THE CAFETERIA ROOM:Looking back at this however, I now realized exactly what had really happened. First without knowing it, I had broken the “GROUP THINK” mode prevalent within that lunchroom. It was now clear that not everyone thought the same – thus throwing the natural desire to be part of the group into a spin. --- Think of it this way, ‘Group Think Mode’ is like a bunch of pigeons. Someone throws some breadcrumbs and the pigeons all start to gather on that one spot. But having a peer speak out in opposition is the equivalent of throwing a brick into the whole thing; -- Now the pigeons start squawking and flying around in every-which direction. And that is exactly what happens when ‘Group Think Mode’ is acted upon as well as broken.
Sometime back I was working in a factory, where for the most part, most of us eat in the lunchroom. Like all work environments, some of us were very vocal, some quiet and some reminded me of Dilbert's Loud-Howard (who couldn’t keep quiet about anything and always had to scream out everything said).
Anyway, it seems that one of their favorite subjects was insulting the (ah, what they termed) ‘the funny people’, and there seemed to be no end to it. It was I who finally got up and (very politely) asked them to please stop. I explained to them that I was working with a political group and had met many of them, and that there was really no difference between them and us. God made us, and God made them and this was America so let’s just get along, ok etc.
I myself was amazed by the results of this two or three sentence request in a lunchroom. Everything stopped from there on in, I mean all negative references to the subject ceased period.
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But in any case, the point being made here is that just the act of opening up your mouth might be equivalent to painting a large bulls-eye on your back. (more on the subject later) |
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THE MECHANICS BEHIND
--- A POLITICAL INQUIRE:
Sometime back, a radio talk host brought out a very interesting issue and asked a very simple question:
“You know, during every election, I get lots and lots of leaflets and flyers from the various candidates in the mail. Almost all of them saying VOTE FOR ME, I'm the one who will help you out, etc, . . yet it seems that none of their material actually said anything about where they stood on the issues. And especially those judges; Yes they list their qualification, but where do they stand on the issues? We don’t know. . . ”Never got through to her and thus never got on the air, but had I done so I would have addressed her question as follows:
[1]- First what I (we actually) do is to look up each local candidate via the Internet. If they don’t have an Internet site, this automatically tells you that they are (what is termed) 'a frivolous candidate'; e.g. A bartender that’s running for Mayor, etc., and can thus safely be ignored.however, before you bunch them up into any groupings or category; Look over each and every reply very carefully. Read between the lines and look for hidden meanings. E.g., a Judge once wrote back saying that she couldn’t answer my question because it would violate of some ethics ruling of some form or another. However, she also quoted a well-known trial indicating that she was well aware about the issue and thus was favorable to our cause.
[2]- Via their Internet site, obtain their email address. If they don’t have one, this should tell you a lot about the candidates (past, present and future) communication skills. --- Like no way I’ll ever vote for that person.
[3]- Next, send them a quick one, two, or three sentence email - Examples:“I am with a pro-Medical Marihuana group and would like to know your position on the subject.”The idea is to keep it short. The shorter the better as it increases the chances that it will be fully read instead of just skimmed.
“I am with a pro-Medical Cannabis organization and would like to inquire about your position? Do you or do you not support the right of Medical Patients to its use? “
[4]- Give them a week or so to reply. If they do not do so, resend the email at least once to insure that the email was not lost. But you can safely assume that a no-reply means a negative answer.
[5]- Of those who do reply, they can be bunched up into three basic categories:[5A]- Positive
[5B]- Negative replies:
[5C]- Bland replies that can mean just about anything.
That would have answered the radio talk host’s question. By doing the above (a very simple thing to do actually), we can find out a lot about that candidate.
THE CONCEPT THAT
----- POLITICIANS WANT TO KEEP IT BLAND:
Ever wonder why political pamphlets all look alike? Vote for me, . . I went to school at . . and look at a picture of me, don’t I look great in a coat and tie . . . yet say so little about a candidate's position on the issues.
Ask anyone who has run for office and they will tell you why. And the answer is simple, it has been shown (over and over again) that candidates who run on the issues L-O-O-S-E, end of story. Why? It seems that people (acting on human nature) have a tendency to go over these sort of pamphlets , go over the candidates position on the issues and do one of these routines.
On issue number one, I agree,And the funny thing is that they might agree with 85% of the viewpoints of a candidate but because they have found out about (just one) issue they disagree with, they’ll go out and vote for someone who they disagree with on almost every issue. Thus the reason why politicians only run on one or two major issues; – A new water project, etc., and conveniently don’t want to talk about all the others. It also explains why candidates spend so much money on billboards, which show their pictures, blare out their names and say absolutely nothing.
On issue number two, I agree,
On issue number three, I agree
OH, on issue number four I disagree – therefore I will NOT VOTE for her. Therefore I will move on to the other candidates, etc. . .
Point being made, asking a question about Medical Cannabis (in Oklahoma) to a politician is like holding up a cross in front of a Vampire. Don’t expect them to volunteer anything.
THE CONCEPT OF THE LYING POLITICIAN:
"Just ‘cause I said it, it don’t mean I meant it, people say crazy things. Just ‘cause I said it, don’t that mean I meant it, just ‘cause you heard it…but rumor has it" ---Adele - Rumor Has It
One of my favorite all time comic book super-villains didn’t even have super powers, instead he was a ‘Flim-Flam Man,’ a real character who helped organize the Secret Society of Super Villains.” Anyway his greatest quotations ran something like:
“Why my dear Sir, if I kept all my promises;
Just how on earth could I possibly make so many of them?”
Humm! Again, my favorite Super Villain (I believe his name for some reason or another was Funky Flashman) and had he simply turned to politics, he would have made a good politician at that. But getting back to Oklahoma politics, we should not think ill of our politicians. Just remember, that old adage, “ The only honest politician is the one at the unemployment office.“ And just recent history has shown that one to be all so true. Example:
A Conservative Republican (Steve Katz, N.Y. State Assembly) who had voted AGAINST legalizing Medical Cannabis etc., would at a later time be caught with it in his car. Once arrested, he made no pretence that he was using it and from there on in decided to change the way he was voting. Now he thinks that decriminalizing (small amounts) "Rather than requiring excessive time and effort by our police force ...") would be a good idea.
Then there is the now infamous political quotation that comes to us from El Paso County Commissioner, Guillermo “Willie” Gandara:
“Legalizing drugs is the coward practice of combating cartels, it is an insult to our men and women in law enforcement, and the laziest form of parenting our children and youth about the effects of drugs,”
The only problem with that is that later on he would be caught trafficking. As per the Daily Chronic; [1] “A critical opponent of drug law reform in Texas has been indicted on charges of trafficking 50 kilograms of marijuana and money laundering.”
Humm! Nice people, makes one really think fondly of the Funky Flashman. Point being made; ---- Just remember that when you get your answers back, things aren’t always what they seem. Think of the answer as a starting point for further things to come.
THE CONCEPT THAT IGNORANCE IS STUPID:
This poster might or might not have been put together as a joke by someone but (scouts honor), it actually popped up on a candidate's website . . . . and without doubt S/He actually believes.
OK, politicians lie, however the whole idea of lying is to get away with it, not to make yourself look stupid. But then, one might ask, how can anyone be so stupid? The answer is simple; We are all the product of those experiences, those things that we have been taught and observe around us. If all that you have heard around you all the time are lies, then there will be a tendency to believe in those lies.
Here in Oklahoma, it is very easy to see how this could easily be the case. Anyone who has had any dealings with Oklahoma (now infamous) 'Bureau of Narcotics' can testify to the truth of that. They don’t have science on their side, so they lie. But because they are police officers (having the badge of authority) people think that they are telling the truth and thus repeat what they say as such. Etc.
For a good example:
http://reefermadnessmuseum.org/chap04/Oklahoma/Wolf_MythStart.htm
Don’t believe that? Just look at some of the replies we have received (note all names, ID have been stricken out, but believe us, these replies did come to us from elected officials):
http://reefermadnessmuseum.org/chap04/Oklahoma/OK_MainAnswer.htm
Thus the inquires themselves also serve the purpose of exposing (actually bring out the truth) ; in some cases, elected officials have indeed changed their minds once they understood what the truth was.
I don’t care what others say, there are a lot of people out there that need to be educated. For example, I once got back a letter from a candidate which contained so much mis-information that it quickly became obvious that this guy didn’t really know the subject matter too much. I mean this guy was really mis-informed, (sighting studies that had long ago been disproven, using false figures and misquoting the facts), and in general showed a total lack of knowledge about Medical Cannabis and its uses. --- Needless to say I did send a reply letter with all the correct information and documentation.
WARNING ABOUT
--- THE PASSION AND THE FEAR:
“Just because you’re not paranoid,
Doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you”
The actual act of typing up and sending a short email question to your local candidates is a simple one. And if we lived in an ideal world of nice people who believed in the American ideals all around us, such inquires would probably be quite common; -- BUT WE DON’T. ----- Need proof; Just ask that woman who was invited over to the capital building to discuss the issues of Medical Cannabis. Well, Hi, hi, hi and Ho, Ho, ho; -- Naively thinking she was actually going to talk intelligently about the subject, she came prepared with some charts and various papers, but instead of meeting with him, was instead pounced upon by our very own beloved Bureau of Narcotics. ----- By all accounts it appears as if it was NOT a very pleasant experience. And while one wishes that this was just a joke of some kind, here in Oklahoma, that's just the way things are.
Which is another way of saying that yes, while we live in the good old U.S. of A., still, even here; -- BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING. Which is another way of pointing out the obvious. If you send that email, you MIGHT JUST be putting yourself at risk.
THE SOLUTION: -- Simply, have your emails forwarded through the Oklahoma Voters League or some other group or general mailbox. And if needed add something akin to the following statement at the end of your email:
I am a voter in your district, but DUE TO FEAR of police harassment, I am forwarding this email via a general mailbox. Your reply will be forwarded to me.Yes, with the proper search warrants they might be able to obtain your actual name. But the amount of work required as well as the embarrassment that can be caused should be enough to prevent such activities.
OKLAHOMA VOTERS LEAGUE
-- A FUTURE PROJECT:
As stated earlier, just the very act of asking (even from just one person) can have a profound impact on a political campaign. However, it would be better still to have a major impact on a whole slate of Statewide Candidates running for office; -- all at the same time. Thus it will be our hopes to one day have a special web-page, specifically devoted to the subject. Our hopes will be to post up the name of ALL State and Federal Candidates, plus their position on the subject.
Specifically:
- How they have voted on the issue of Medical Cannabis.
- Public statements made by their offices on the subject.
- Speeches, newspaper statements made by the candidate's office.
- Official statements, press releases, etc.
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FOOTNOTES:
[1]- http://www.thedailychronic.net/2012/9324/texas-anti-drug-politician-arrested-by-dea-for-marijuana-trafficking/
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