At a Saturday meeting in the Bolivian capital of La Paz, former US President Jimmy Carter accepted an invitation from Bolivian President Evo Morales to go pick coca on Morales' coca farm in the Chapare, Agence France-Presse reported. The stop was part of a nine-day trip to Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru by the Nobel Peace Prize winning former president.
"Since President Morales has come to my property and evidently picked some peanuts, I hope that in my next visit I can go to the Chapare, where he has invited me to go harvest coca leaves," Carter replied.
Carter is scheduled to be back in Bolivia in December. At that time, Bolivia will be undergoing general elections in which Morales is seeking reelection until 2015.
Bolivia is the world's third largest coca producer, behind Colombia and Peru. Under Morales, the country has embarked on a policy of "zero cocaine, not zero coca," which has brought it into conflict with the US and with the United Nations' international drug control apparatus. Bolivia expelled the US ambassador and the DEA last fall.
The US fascists could learn from Evo.
Hopefully, Carter will go and pleasantly chew on a few of the leaves.
Jimmy was also an advocate of marijuana legalization...
Jimmy was also an advocate of marijuana legalization during his presidency as I recall. He may not have been the greatest prez, because of things out of his control like the failure of the iran hostage rescue, but he had the peanuts to state the obvious... that the punishment was worse than the plant... and that the laws were an injustice.
Wouldn't it be great if Gov. Arnold invited Pres. Jimmy to the marijuana debates he feels should be held?
Carter Offered Very Little
Carter espoused a minor form of MJ decriminalization repealing the Federal laws against possession of up to one ounce- which he abandoned after the Struop-Bourne-Anderson controversy.
Also, IIRC he signed that letter in 1996 or 1997 AGAINST legalizing medical MJ together with the other ex-U.S. Presidents, so I expect very little hear.
It is all about criminal mercantilsim for market protection of big pharm, alcohol and cigarettes. All of these politicians deserve prosecution on civil rights and racketeering laws...
Ok, I was wrong... Carter was just another political putz?
Ok, I was wrong... Carter was just another political putz?
But at least he did sound the alarm and called for reform... at great political risk... wasn't his fault there was no political will... inside the 2 party propaganda machine... esp. when it is gorging itself at a brand new multi-billion dollar pork trough.
Now, as then, the only political party screaming for reform were the libertarians, and perhaps a small group of William F. Buckley conservatives.
The democrats preferred to follow the despicable actions of their party leaders... like Joe, the Wanker, Biden!
Yes, all civil rights violating political prohibitionists deserve very long prison sentences and to have their assets seized.
I think 5 years in prison for each perjury, while under the oath of their office, should keep them locked up for the rest of their lives!
re Carter
See also Ed I. Koch.
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