Original Sin and the US Constitution?

Nothing rankles me more than the Original Sin argument about the United States and the Constitution. That we were founded upon Slavery. Quite the opposite is true. We were founded as a nation based on the stated notion that protection for slavery would only last until 1807, and further, that there could be no Amendment to change that date or goal. Read it. Article 1 Section 9.

So, in the very first Article of the US Constitution there is not only an acknowledgment of the evils of slavery, which was part of the system handed down to us by Britain, there is also a stated date for the cessation of importation of more slaves. This was the only way to get the 13 colonies to agree on the Constitution. And, yes, after 1807 we did have the misguided Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. I say misguided because attempting to compromise with something like slavery is just that; at the very least.

But by 1861 it all came to a head, as it was bound to, and 685,000 Americans, North and South, died to finally end slavery. Was it instantaneously successful? Of course not. But, the point is that we kept hammering it until it took proper shape and today we live in a world which has more slaves than we, as a nation, ever held in bondage.

Is there still work to do? "In order to form a more perfect Union" there always will be. But Original Sin? Sorry, you'll have to peddle that line elsewhere.....

Juneteenth - A Brief History

Today is Juneteenth. This is the day when slaves in Galveston, Texas were first informed of their freedom from slavery; over 2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation and the subsequent passage of the 13^th Amendment. It’s sad that this was not part of the curriculum in school when I was a kid. The way things were taught back then held that the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves. Period. That was the correct answer to the question.

It even comes up that way on the Andy Griffith Show, in the episode “Andy Discovers America.” And that was a show which took place in the South! The story of Juneteenth is such a joyful one that I am surprised at how it escaped the attention of most folks until the late 1960’s and the rise of African-Americanism as a recognized field of study. Remember that the next time someone says that we don’t need a Black History Month.

Basically the story of Juneteenth is that it is the day in 1865 when the slaves in Galveston, Texas; and the western states in general; found out that they were no longer slaves. Imagine that. You wake up one day and find out you’re not a slave any longer. Where do you go? What do you do? So, mixed up with all the joy there had to be a certain sense of apprehension about the immediate future. It’s the exact reversal of you and I waking up tomorrow and being told that we are now slaves.  Either scenario is almost unimaginable; though the former is preferable to the latter!

Also known as Freedom Day, or Emancipation Day, it is celebrated to commemorate the Emancipation of the last remaining slaves in America.  General Order #3 which was the legal instrument by which the Federal Government informed not only the newly freed slaves; but also the government of Texas in general, that slavery was at an end. Texas was the last of the former Confederate States to comply with the Emancipation Proclamation, even after hostilities had ended.

This was largely due to the fact that the Confederate States of America had never formally agreed to an end to the war; either by treaty or proclamation. The Confederate States were left without any leadership after their government in Richmond fell and the leaders fled. The effect of that is still felt today. President Johnson would proclaim the War Between the States to be at an end the following year; in May 1866.

On June 18, 1865, General Gordon Granger, along with about 2,000 troops came to Galveston and took control of the state, Primarily the reason for this was the reluctance of the state to end slavery within its jurisdiction. The following day the General issued the Order while standing on the balcony of Ashton Villa.

This is the text of “General Order No. 3” which was read on June 19, 1865;

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”

By the late 1920’s and early 1930’s many African- Americans had begun the Great Migration from the Southern and Western states to the big cities. The decline in Juneteenth celebrations occurred during this period. Just as slavery had robbed them of their African customs in the past; industry in the free world would now rob them of some of their new customs as freed persons.

It was actually the Poor People’s March in 1968 which put this colorful and lively holiday back on the cultural map. Although not an actual Federal Holiday, the date is observed in almost all of the states in some fashion. 

The photo at the top was taken in Galveston on Juneteenth circa 1900.

The Declaration of Independence - Under Siege

                                               

Today is my wedding anniversary. I usually post a loving tribute to my wife, Sue, and our ability to make it through the minefield which all marriages are at some point or another. It was 27 years ago today when Sue and I took the vows, and though it hasn't always been easy, we are still together, relying on one another more and more with each passing year.

So, it was with great regret that I asked her if it would be okay for me to skip doing a post about our anniversary in order to  address a more pressing issue; our rights as citizens in our own land. Those rights include the freedom to speak our minds; assemble peacefully without penalty; and to enjoy the freedom from unwarranted intrusion into our personal lives. It is with sorrow that I have to state these things are all under assault at the present time.

I was a bit uncomfortable with the NSA news; that they have been reading our e-mails and listening to our phone calls; but since I have nothing really important to hide, I was almost willing to chalk it up to “national security”; trusting that our government “by the people and for the people” would be capable of making the distinction between terrorists and ordinary individuals.

I was also comfortable with the “leaks” generated by Messrs.’ Assange and Snowden; it gave me the feeling that this kind of information should be available for the public. Just as the government tells us that if we “have nothing to hide, then we have nothing to fear”, I make the same claim against them.

What are they afraid of? “Leaking” the truth? If I had “leaked” the truth to my Dad, rather than answer his questions on the first shot, I got punished. It was a great lesson to me, and one that reverberates this July 4^th, on the heels of the latest revelation about Obama’s 2 year old “secret” (until this week) program dubbed the “Insider Threat Program.” 

The IRS scandal, along with the NSA nonsense, still don’t worry me as much as this latest infringement of the rights which we all seem to take for granted, even as they are being slowly whittled away by both political parties.

This “Insider Threat Program” is the most disturbing to me because it goes against the very grain of the Whistle Blower Protection program. Just the very name says it all; “Insider Threat Program.” Think of what the term really means. It’s not a program designed to stop national security “leaks” and keep us safe from foreign enemies; it’s a program specifically designed for government employees to identify; and punish; the people who work in government agencies and may see something wrong going on.

All this brings us to the vaunted document displayed above; the Declaration of Independence. It was 237 years ago today when the last of the signers affixed their signatures to the document which gave birth to a nation founded upon the principles later codified in the United States Constitution. I wonder how many of our politicians have read; or even understand; the document. In light of all recent events, I would venture that, even if they have read it, they think of it in terms of antiquity; almost as if it were no longer relative. For those who share that view I am printing the text of the Declaration below, in the hopes that you will read it.

When you do, substitute all of the recent scandals for the things which the Declaration accuses King George the Third of. You may be surprised to discover that we have as much to complain about now, as we did 237 years ago.

So, here is the text, and after that a bit of music, which; although calling for change; does not require anyone to kill anyone else in the endeavor. Happy 4^th, and don’t forget to make those phone calls to your Representatives and Senators in Washington when the holiday is over. Let them know how angry you are at their attempt to rob of your birthright. 

And, whatever you do, wave that flag proudly today – it belongs to us, the people. And that’s something we can never afford to let them forget.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. 

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

 He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an

Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. 

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Happy Anniversary Sue. 

I love you more than ever - as if that were even possible...

Carole King - "The Legendary Demos (2012)

When I walk into the library I never know what treasure I will find. Sometimes it’s a book; other times a video; and on some occasions it’s a bit of music which I may have missed out on. The latter is the case with this remarkable collection of “demos” made by Carole King in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s; most of which went on to become monster hit records for other artists and even Ms. King herself.

Some of Ms. King’s best work was done in her earliest years while working New York’s famed “tin pan alley” in its final heyday. The basis for much of her first album was written during this time as well. The album contains not only the demos of Ms. King’s hits from “Tapestry”, but also such hits as “Crying In the Rain” which was big hit for the Everly Brothers.

That song was the only written with Howard Greenfield; who did the lyrics; and Ms. King; who wrote the music. They were both contracted to Aldon Music and decided to switch writing partners for the day. Ms. King usually wrote with Gerry Goffin. As a lark the two songwriting teams decided to switch partners for the afternnoon, with Gerry Goffin working with Greenfield's writing partner Jack Keller; and King and Greenfield pairing up to write this timeless classic.

A full full rock band demo of “Pleasant Valley Sunday”, which was such a smash for the Monkees, opens this remarkable album of hits in their nascent stages.  “Natural Woman” is featured in its original form with just Ms. King on vocals accompanying herself on piano.

Rounding out the album are several of the songs which she made famous herself with the release of her signature album “Tapestry”, and those songs are represented here in their striped down versions. Kind of what we now refer to as “unplugged.” The effect is magical and almost akin to having Ms. King playing in your living room. My favorite on the whole album is the original version of “Take Good Care of My Baby”, the iconic hit for Bobby Vee in 1961 and also was covered, but rejected, by the Beatles in their audition for Decca in 1962. A delightful treat for fans of Ms. King.

__________________________________

Richie Havens - Freedom

No one who remembers Woodstock can ever forget this dynamic performance by Richie Havens doing "Freedom". The song is really composed of 3 songs, "Freedom", a traditional folk song; "Motherless Child", a blues standard; and featuring  "Handsome Johnny," which was co-written with actor Louis Gossett Jr. The Woodstock Era didn't last long - but for those who were there - or even at home - the spirit of those times will always be alive thanks to videos like this. RIP Richie.

"The Slaves' Gamble" by Gene Allen Smith (2013)

When the War of 1812 broke out, the slaves being held by the American colonists were faced with a very serious choice. Should they stand by their owners (which was/is a horrible way to describe another human being) or, rather, should they align themselves with the British, forming a devastating rearguard action which surely would have altered the course, and fate, of the war in favor of the British. They were promised their freedom in return. And who could blame them if they chose that course of action? Freedom is a very seductive incentive.

It is really very hard to draw any firm conclusion as to the intentions of the slaves during the war. While some of the stories recounted in this fascinating book about a long overlooked chapter of American history would indicate that the slaves were looking to the British for salvation; as with the slaves who fled Washington, unwittingly forming a “rear guard” for the British soldiers; other stories show that many African-Americans; both slave and freedmen; stayed the course with their fellow countrymen.

As a matter of fact, the largest obstacle which faced the British Army as they converged on Washington was the presence of an artillery battery manned by both black and white sailors, who had scuttled their ship and then hauled the guns overland to Washington in defense of the capitol. If the white militias had not run from their posts, Washington may not have been burned.

Filled with the flavor of the era in which the events took place, the author has done a magnificent job in telling the story of historical figures, who, until now, may have ended up lost in the dust heap of history. My favorite character in this whole ensemble has got to be George Roberts, an African-American who worked aboard the privateers who were running the British blockade. Aboard the Sarah Ann, cruising off the Bahamian coast, he was taken prisoner with 5 other men; all chosen at random; by the British, who accused them of being from English citizens. The ships owners in Charleston vouched for him and he was released, and in 1814 became a crew member on the privateer Chausseur until April of 1815, after the war had ended the previous December.

The story of the Chausser would make an excellent book all upon its own merit. For 8 months that ship lurked off the coast of the British Isles, raiding, sinking and capturing a total of 17 ships, impacting the British where it hurt most; in the pocket. At one point Captain Boyle of the Chausseur had a notice posted upon the door of Lloyds of London, which drove up shipping rates. He also declared the British Isles to be under blockade; which indeed they were! Its stories like this which bring history to life, giving it the human dimension which helps to keep it from being lost. While it’s easy to forget the dates of any particular exploit; authors such as Mr. Smith, make certain that the events themselves will live on forever.

Another aspect of this book which was educational, as well as entertaining; was that the burning of Washington by the British was not done out of sheer cussedness; which is how we all learned about it in school; but was, rather, done in retaliation for the Americans having previously burned down part of Quebec.

 

In the final analysis, the slaves were pawns in the struggle between the Americans and the British. The choices which they were forced to make placed them on both sides of the conflict, whether they wanted to be, or not. It would be another 4 decades before African-Americans would get another chance to prove themselves in battle for a country which treated them as chattel. And even that war would not free them from the bondage of their color. That would come later, as men and women began to see one another in terms other than the shade of their skins, and instead by the things they did. These men and women all contributed something of value to a struggle which still continues today.

"Moscow On the Hudson" with Robin Williams (1984)

It’s hard to believe that this film is almost 30 years old already. And it’s not dated at all. The absence of cell phones and laptops is hardly noticeable in this carefully directed comedy/drama by Paul Mazursky; in which Robin Williams plays a Russian saxophone player, Vladimir Ivanoff, on tour with the Moscow Circus, and his sudden decision to defect.

The film is extraordinary in that it shows the lines in Moscow for consumer goods in the last days of the Socialist Soviet Republic. When walking down the street and seeing a line, you simply joined it; no matter if was a line for toilet paper, or food; both were in short demand. So, when Vladimir is slated to go to New York as part of a cultural exchange, he has no basis with which to compare the abundance of the west with his homeland in Russia.

Ironically, Vladimir is not even interested in defecting, as is a friend of his who is a fellow circus performer. The choice to make this character a “sad clown” was brilliant, and his face, as he leaves for the airport without having defected, is hard to forget. Vladimir; on the other hand; is quite believable as a jazz enthused musician whose soul cannot possibly endure a return to Moscow.

The real “meat” of this movie occurs when the circus troupe stops by Bloomingdale’s; a symbol of western decadence; for a shopping trip on their way to the airport on the way home to Russia, Vladimir is seized by all that he has seen and heard in New York City. After he has been to Harlem, and played in a jazz club, how could he ever go home again? The artistic freedom is the magnet which lures him to his most bold and daring act; he defects in Bloomingdale’s, leaving his Russian KGB handlers baffled as to what; if anything; they can do about it. And as Vladimir watches his friends departing for the airport, he is standing outside of Bloomingdale’s, screaming “Freedom!” in English and Russian to his friends.

This film came out when I was still working aboard ships, and so I missed it at the time it was released. For one reason or another, I have never seen it until now. And what a pleasure to find that it still rings true. With all of our differences; and in spite of our seeming disengagement from one another; both politically and socially; we are; as shown in the final moments of the film; a nation of immigrants. And I find a strange sort of comfort in that.

"Marching Home" by Kevin Coyne (2003)

When the United States began its first peacetime draft in the spring of 1940, all eyes were focused on the European conflict between the British and the Germans. Along with their Il Duce, the Germans were seen as the big threat to the United States. The rumblings by Japan, in the East, had been mainly confined to aggression against China. Acting on that premise the United States had begun the “Lend-Lease” program in order to get the necessary war materials to Britain, as well as to buy the United States more time to prepare itself for the coming conflict, which many people felt was inevitable. Freehold, New Jersey, sitting about 50 miles west of New York City, took all this talk of war with Germany very seriously. They began training for their local defense shortly after the draft began, about a year before Pearl Harbor.

The town of Freehold in 1940 was pretty much like most small towns in America at the time. Just emerging from the Great Depression, the most coveted jobs in town were at the rug mill. Some folks went on to college, or into family businesses, but for the most part Freehold was an agricultural town as well as a factory based one. Life was bucolic.

Author Kevin Coyne has written a book which follows 6 men from Freehold, tracking their journey from the end of high school and through the war, and then following them into their civilian post-war occupations. It is the story of America, told through the experiences of these men, and their town, covering 60 years, which make this book so gripping. Here is a brief accounting of the 6 men;

Freehold was a town with separate schools for the “colored”. Though they had lived in Freehold since it was settled in 1690, it was not until the early 1800’s when free persons of color outnumbered slaves. And, though well over a hundred years had passed, the schools were still segregated and the town’s African-Americans still lived in separate quarters. Bigerton “Buddy” Lewis was a part of that world. He enlisted as a Private with an engineering company, serving in Northern Europe. There he was caught in two wars; one with his own fellow countrymen, some of whom would not accept a “colored” man on equal terms, even while fighting for the same cause.

Stu Bunton served as a radioman aboard the USS Santa Fe in the Mediterranean, and later in the Pacific. Walter Denise served as a rifleman in the 324^th Infantry, fighting in France and Germany. Jake Errickson was a radio intercept operator working out of Australia and New Guinea. Jim Higgins was with the 391^st Bombardment Group, serving as an Intelligence Sergeant in England, France and Belgium. And, last, but not least, was Bill Lopatin, who served as a waist gunner in the 322^nd and 394^th Bomber Groups, flying out of England. All of these men saw extensive combat, either in the air, on land, or at sea.

The book is neatly divided into 2 sections; with the first half devoted to the history and social composition of the town, along with brief biographies of the six men. This section also covers their wartime experiences in their respective Theaters of Operations. As interesting as this section is, the second section is even better, as the men return home from war to face a new kind of struggle, both social and economic, as the world about them changes rapidly from the small town America they left behind, into a world power, even as “Buddy” Lewis finds himself in the midst of racial unrest in the land of the free.

As the economy changes, so do the lives and fortunes of these 6 men who fought for a better world. Bill Lopatin went on to obtain his Master’s Degree as an Engineer, spending his life building the same things he had been called upon to destroy in the war. Freehold itself, a town which gave up over 400 men in defense of freedom, would find itself embroiled in the racial unrest of 1969-70. Stu Bunton, who served aboard the Santa Fe, would go on to become a police officer back in his home town during this period, trying to keep the peace for which he and the others had fought so hard to preserve in the war overseas.

Written with great charm, the author has done a superb job of chronicling the stories of these 6 men, as well as drawing a vivid picture of the irony of their wartime experiences once they returned home. In addition, it is also a description of a nation which won the biggest war in the history of man, and how that victory began a backslide; economically as well as socially; and which affects us even today.

A Long Time Coming

The Government of Myanmar has released Aung San Suu Kyi from house detention, where she has spent the better part of the last 20 years. Welcome back Aung San, and remember Myanmar, The Whole World Is Watching.

"A/K/A Tommy Chong" A Documentary by Josh Gilbert

In 2003, as the George Bush Administration was invading Iraq, an even more sinister scenario was taking place, largely unnoticed, here at home.

Thomas B. Kin Chong, aka Tommy Chong, half of the legendary comedy duo Cheech and Chong, was arrested and charged with selling "bongs" through the mail. On September 12th, 2003 Mr. Chong was sentenced to 9 months in Federal Prison and forfeited over $103,000 in cash and all of the merchandise that had been taken during the February 24th, 2003 raid.

The United States government had targeted him with an operation named "Pipe Dreams" which was aimed at Mr. Chongs mail order business Nice Dreams. US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan prosecuted the case against the actor-director-comedian. Part of her argument against Mr. Chong was based on his "career of glamorizing pot smoking." When asked if Community Service would be an option for sentencing, Mr. Chong, who had no prior convictions, and his defense team were met with a perfunctory "No." The same answer applied to detention at a halfway house. Dangerous criminals such as Mr. Chong clearly need to be incarcerated.

Josh Gilbert, an associate of Mr. Chong, has made a documentary about the arrest,trial and sentencing in this case. It is about 80 minutes long and features many luminary personalities such as Lou Adler, Jay Leno, Bill Maher and Cheech Marin.

The movie is not shown in too many theaters. If you are wondering why, then you do not know, as I did not, that as late as May 13th, 2008 in Newport, Kentucky the FBI was raiding a warehouse and confiscating 10,000 copies of the completed film "A/K/A Tommy Chong." The movie that the Government didn't want you to see has become the movie that the government doesn't want you to buy. I have just watched the trailer and I have to agree with Roger Ebert who said of the film, "You don't have to approve of drug use to be offended."

Tommy Chong was placed under a Federal "gag" order to keep silent about the arrest. Too many complicated First Amendment and Ninth Amendment issues to deal with. Too much light on this subject might expose the "man behind the curtain." At a time when we are supposedly fighting for freedom in 2 wars, do we really want too much examination of our own policies here at home?

John Ashcroft and Mary Beth Buchanan spent over $12 million of YOUR tax dollars to keep you from seeing this film. For a look at this film and more information about it go to the following link;

http://akatommychong.com/

The site will introduce you to the facts of the case and filmmaker Josh Gilbert. You can also order a copy for your private viewing. I wish to thank Mr. Gilbert for his "heads up" on this film. It is important to remember that this country was founded on certain principles. Artistic and political freedom are paramount to our continued existance as a free society. At a time when we are battling the enemies outside of our borders, we should not have to be concerned with fighting "the enemies within."