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Marc Emery Rally Today at 2pm
By admin | May 22, 2010
Marc Emery needs our support. There is a rally today at 2 on the front lawns of the legislature today in Victoria to coincide with rallies across the world.
http://freemarc.ca/group/freemarcca/free-marc-emery-world-wide-rally
The following peice was writtten by David Eby and I think is the most consice summary of the issue yet.
Mark Emery deported
Friday, May 21, 2010 by David Eby
Marc Emery was deported today to a maximum security prison in the
United States. He sold pot seeds to willing American buyers. Not
secretly mind you, but openly, paying his taxes to the feds and the
province.
They took the taxes. They didn’t arrest or prosecute him.
But when the DEA came knocking in Canada, our police and government
were all too willing to turn a blind eye to our defacto Canadian law
and send a citizen to jail in the States for what hasn’t been a crime
in Vancouver for a long time.
While surely we can all acknowledge that Marc’s arrest and
deportation are part of his very shrewd and ongoing political
advocacy campaign against Canada’s absurd drug policies, we should
also acknowledge that maximum security prison in the States is no
joke and no small sacrifice. Hell, it’s no joke here.
As I crash out in my comfortable bed in my comfortable home, and know
that Marc is in some terrifying U.S. private prison, courtesy of
prosecutors funded by his own tax dollars, and surely entirely as a
result of his very public political advocacy on pot (can’t think of
anyone else in Canada deported for selling seeds to the US of A), I
am certain that a grave and very political injustice has taken place.
My thoughts are with you Marc. I lived up the road in Kitchener from
London, Ontario, where your bookstore City Lights was located. I
remember your bookstore selling 2 Live Crew and Body Count tapes when
nobody else would. I remember reading about the cops seizing High
Times magazine and bongs from your store in the K.W. Record.
Especially when you sold them on Sunday. Because you thought those
rules were bullshit too.
Just like the suggestion seems absurd that the government could
properly stop us from listening to 2 Live Crew (“Let’s get butt naked
and fuck”) or banging our heads to Ice T’s somewhat sad metal band
(“Cop Killer”) or reading about some bud festival in Amsterdam hosted
by bikini clad models, I’m certain the idea that we have sent you to
maximum security prison in the United States for selling pot seeds
will be widely understood to be a travesty of justice ten years from
now.
Hopefully you won’t have to wait that long.
Those of us who value self determination, autonomy, free speech, and
human rights are thinking about you and your work tonight. While we
know in many ways you chose this, we also know that it is our work to
reform Canada’s drug laws to ensure they are humane, health focused,
and rights based, and to ensure that you come home recognized for
your unapologetic actions. Be strong. Be safe.
David Eby is the Executive Director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association.
http://davideby.blogspot.com/2010/05/mark-emery-deported.html
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