Worry! - Worry! - Worry!
Our local's on the 8s!
--Joe
Everything Is About Something Different. If you don't see the difference, that's your problem.
Everyone has to wait until the new rules are laid out. I don't see that as a roadblock, just the settling in of a new reality. Keep in mind, marijuana has thrived in Humboldt County for decades. The culture it's created is woven into the very fabric of our communities. [Emphasis added]What allowed for decades of this corruption?
There's no place in the United States with a longer, more complex relationship between the public, marijuana growers, law enforcement and merchants. Legalizing pot is the final destination on a road that has had many detours since those first “back-to-the-landers” planted seeds in our fertile soil.This writer says finally:
“As it stands, independent spirits are common behind the Redwood Curtain, and their marketing ability will come through when Californians are legally allowed to partake of pot.”The minor technicality called “legality” was only a small bump in the road for these “common” farmers manifesting their “independent spirits” alright. That independence led to HOW MANY DEAD BODIES buried in hills “behind the Redwood Curtain”? No one knows how many countless people were given an ignominious burial after a bullet in the brain. That's one of the dirty little secrets Dave Stancliff or any other ingratiating panhandler wants to confront, let alone talk about.
I believe Humboldt County will adapt to legalization because its economy needs pot revenue, and has for decades. There has always been an unspoken alliance between growers and business owners. It's an economic factor in keeping the local economy afloat. Jobs have been scarce, and few pay better than trimmers, since the decline of the lumber mills and fishing. [Emphasis added]An "econmic factor" that has inundated businesses with tax free cash. That's why those of us that pay HIGH taxes as a consequence are justified in making sure these complicit enablers make up the difference. Once it's legal they can, for the next 40 or 50 years, repay all they owe by paying all their profits back in taxes.
“Custer (Charley Custer of the Humboldt Medical Marijuana Advisory Panel) said he hopes this conversation will help the local industry develop a plan for regulation, so that when policymakers are ready to address the issue, there will already be a plan in place.”“LOCAL INDUSTRY”? Makes it sound like legal industries like the “Timber Industry” or the “Fishing Industry.” “Big Money – Sounds like something you'd hear in a casino. When the criminals suddenly get respectable, guess who the losers are?
“In addition, he said other officials in California have already begun looking at how the marijuana industry can be transformed into a big money industry. And Humboldt needs to catch up, Custer said.”
Whether you're a newly minted blogger or a relative old-timer, you've been seeing more and more stories pop up every day about getting in trouble for what they post.Why join the fight? Because the Thought Police never sleep.
Like all journalists and publishers, sometimes publish information that other people don't want published. You might, for example, publish something that someone considers defamatory, republish an AP news story that's under copyright, or write a lengthy piece detailing the alleged crimes of a candidate for public office.
The difference between you and the reporter at your local newspaper is that in many cases, you may not have the benefit of training or resources to help you determine whether what you're doing is legal. And on top of that, sometimes knowing the law doesn't help - in many cases it was written for traditional journalists, and the courts haven't yet decided how it applies to.
But here's the important part: None of this should stop you from blogging. Freedom of speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Internet bullies shouldn't use the law to stifle legitimate free expression. That's why EFF created this guide, compiling a number of FAQs designed to help you understand your rights and, if necessary, defend your freedom.
To be clear, this guide isn't a substitute for, nor does it constitute, legal advice. Only an attorney who knows the details of your particular situation can provide the kind of advice you need if you're being threatened with a lawsuit. The goal here is to give you a basic to the legal issues you may confront as a blogger, to let you know you have rights, and to encourage you to blog freely with the knowledge that your legitimate speech is protected.
Please note that this guide applies to people living in the US. We don't have the expertise or resources to speak to other countries' legal traditions, but we'd like to work with those who do. If you know of a similar guide for your own jurisdiction or feel inspired to research and write one, please let us know. We can link to it here.
Judge Shields Identity of Online Critic Facing Baseless Lawsuit -- makes you wonder how this fits in with this local lawsuit and settlement reported in the newspaper here and here.