Freedom For All Citizens

This Is My Body – Take and Smoke

Some people really push the envelope and in a way they are to be commended for it. Roger Christie, founder of the Hawaii Cannabis Ministry (THC Ministry) has been doing just that for years. The self-styled "church" is famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) for passing out weed instead of wafers at their holy (unholy?) communion. He had been doing this for years and on July 8, as was to be expected, he and 13 current or former employees and growers were arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

They've been charged with trafficking offenses mostly, but I bet the prosecution will throw the book at him. As we all know, churches are tax exempt, so they'll probably attempt to do him for tax evasion as well. Using this, they could put him away for a very long time, as we all know that tax evasion and weed offenses are often 25-life in jail while murder and rape can get you a few years of summer camp.

So "evil" were Christie's crimes that now he is being held without bail in a maximum security facility, with the law regarding him "a danger to the community... no conditions/combination of conditions could assure the safety of the community". Does it strike anyone else that this is a bit overboard for a smiling, happy-go-lucky hippie surfer living in Hawaii? I mean, with that kind of description he may as well change his name to "Adolf" or "Joseph". I can just see this guy saying "Heidi-ho, neighborino!" He really does look like Ned Flanders without the mustache.

So let's get right to the point.. how many constitutional rights have the Feds violated here? Freedom of religion, freedom of association, freedom of lifestyle choice, right to trial and just about every other freedom that George Washington (a hemp grower!) and the other founding fathers of this great country fought and died for.