I rest my case.

I know it sounds paranoid, but if we look at what happened with the Maryland State Police ( anti-war/anti-death sentence reform spying ) and to the protesters at the RNC convention ( SWAT teams hitting them ), spying to gather intel and work against reformers is a tactic that warrants concern for reformers.

Thanks Russ regardless of whether you were right on or not. MANY of us are very frustrated at the perceived pace of reform.

We must take a lesson from MoveOn.org. In co-operation we are strong. In mutual action we move mountains. In speaking together our voices are heard.

Whatever our reasons for using cannabis or supporting the end of cannabis prohibition, or ending the senseless war on drugs with its corrupt political agenda, we have to stand up for each other. We have to serve, and in that service find our measure of greatness.

So, yes, let us organize booths in shopping malls and state fairs. Let’s start collecting signatures on petitions. Let’s deluge the congress and the media with our point of view. Let each of us do something, anything, whatever that may be, just one thing everyday to move our cause forward. It is up to nobody but us.

When you say marijuana was much more visible at this DNC than any previous, that may be true, but since it has been invisible in the past, “barely visible” would be “much more visible”. And kudos for arranging a “no marijuana arrests” policy.

But what did the average conventioneer in from out of town see or hear about marijuana this week? Did I miss the Drug War panel at the Kos/Google/Digg Big Tent? Did I miss the caucus of anti-drug war delegates? Where was the informational booth about the harms of the drug war all along that multi-block demo-fest of the 16th Street Mall?

Was there more positive news about marijuana and the convention than “we agree not to arrest pot smokers”? Because that’s a good thing, but it doesn’t really address the prohibition of marijuana as a political campaign issue. It’s actually a win for the other side, because at least a marijuana arrest would’ve brought up the subject. The “no arrests” move is just another plank in the “SHHHH! We agree with you, but don’t make a fuss!” stance the Democrats have always given us. It doesn’t point out how progressives are betraying their values if they don’t strongly stand up for ending prohibition.

We’ve got a Democratic presidential candidate who admits to smoking marijuana in his youth. I guess I’m just surprised that nobody thought to press the issue at the Democratic Convention: If Barack Obama was one of the 20,000,000 arrested for marijuana since 1965, he most likely would not be the Democratic nominee today. Maybe it’s that we fear a McCain election so much that we don’t want to make waves for Obama.

(Sheesh, I just looked up on MSNBC and there was a guy with a with a pot leaf sign reading “re-legalize” behind Chris Matthews. Better, I suppose…)

So forgive me if I missed it. Maybe I just expect too much. Maybe after four days of blogging for the LGBT community, where they have three or four panels, a luncheon, a caucus, being addressed by Mayor Newsom, Rep. Frank, Rep. Baldwin, and Michelle Obama, I just got jealous. I want us to be taken that seriously. I want the drug war issue to be embraced by the party. I want Barack Obama in his speech tonight to call for an end to adult marijuana prohibition (I know it won’t happen and I doubt the drug war will even get a sideways mention.)