Be a SNITCH or Go to Jail! Sez the government

"There's a war goin on outside, no man is safe from / You could run but you can't hide forever."

Prodigy's lines will ring in your ear when you read about the new Bill proposed in Congress called "H.R.1528" or "Defending America's Most Vulnerable: Safe Access to Drug Treatment and Child Protection Act of 2005" (read it here or go to thomas.loc.gov and search for "HR1528").

"Child Protection Act..."? Wow, the republicans came up with another cute name (like "Patriot Act" and "Clear Skie's Initiative") for a bill that actually focuses on something totally different: our privacy and personal rights!


Courtesy of DrugPolicy.org here are some of the worse features of HR1528:

--Creates a new offense for persons who witness or learn about certain drug offenses that fail to report the drug offender to the police within 24 hours or fail to provide full assistance to the police in tracking and prosecuting the offender. Offenses that would get someone a 2-year minimum sentence, including failing to report a neighbor that is storing or selling drugs when that neighbor has kids, failing to report anyone that gives a joint to someone under the age of 21, and failing to report a college student that is selling marijuana on a college campus.

--Mandates a 10-year minimum sentence for anyone 21 or older that gives marijuana or others drugs to someone under 18 (i.e. a 21 year old college students gives a joint to his 17-year old brother). A second offense would be life in prison.

--Expands what is considered to be a "drug-free" school zone to include almost any place in an urban area, and increases penalties for selling or distributing drugs in that area. (The result will be enhanced penalties for people in inner cities, while people in rural and suburban areas get less time for the same offense).

--Mandates a 5-year minimum sentence for any person that commits a drug trafficking offense near the presence of a person under 18 or in a place where such person resides for any period of time. The sentence is 10 years if they are parent. (I.e. a mother that sells her neighbor a joint will get a 10-year minimum sentence, even if her kids were at school at the time).

--Makes it a federal crime to provide "drug paraphernalia" to anyone. While the goal is to make it a crime - punishable by up to three years in prison - to give someone a bong as a birthday present, it would also make it a federal crime to provide someone with sterile syringes (except where it is explicitly authorized by local or state law). If enacted, it would essentially criminalize many needle exchange programs.

Okay, so they're saying that IF WE DON'T SNITCH on a friend who puffs a lil' weed then we can get 2 years in prison? If we give a bong to a friend we get jail time too? Does a Cypress Hill CD count as drug paraphernalia too? More jail, more prison, more arrests, more felonies, more, more, more.

When are the bitch ass Republicans (or the weak ass Democrats) in congress going to actually propose initiatives for more rehab, more education, more medical assistance to drug users, and a helping hand instead of more and more punishments for drug-related cases? Why more jail? Why do we have to become snitches? Why do we have to violate our family and friend's trust just to please the government?

Are you mad yet? Take action now and oppose this bill before it gets snuck through just like the National ID act did. Time to fight for our rights (click here)!!