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Tuesday, August 09, 2005
International Menace: Marc Emery
"Drug czars are the most ill-informed people in government ... They are still living in an era of 'Reefer Madness,' "
Bland and rural and dotted with shopping malls, you wouldn't expect a place like London, Ontario to harbour and nuture such a collection of freaks: musicians, artists, scientologists, geneticists and numerous ham actors ... London has an active cultural community.
When I was in high school in London in the late 80s, we took frequent lunchtime expeditions downtown to Richmond Street where there was an arcade with some good games, a groovy vintage clothing store and Marc Emery's City Lights bookstore. Emery was a well-known rabble-rousing freak; his vocal support of porn and pot and other freedom of expression issues stood out in quiet London. He even ran and lost (finishing in last place) against Sean's dad in a provincial election. For someone so notorious, I don't recall him making much of an impression in person when we dropped in to his shop.
So it was no surprise seeing him in the news again recently, arrested by the RCMP and facing extradition to the US on the request of the DEA for various charges related to selling pot seeds over the internet and for advocating the legalization of marijuana. Since his London days, Emery moved his crusade to Vancouver where he'd become a marijuana activist and operated a mail order seed business.
James has a post reflecting on the sovereignty issue with links to various views on the matter. Politics in BC also covers the topic.
Big picture: I think the courts should carefully consider Emery's history of being an agitator (as opposed to a plain ol' criminal) when deciding whether or not to extradite him. You may not agree with people like Emery, but our society needs agitators to generate creative options we can consider and accept or reject. Some of the controversial positions Emery took in the past, such as shopping on Sundays, are now accepted. Too much "don't rock the boat" thinking diminishes us and extraditing Emery puts a chill on being outspoken.
10:18 AM
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