EXTOLLERS OF HEMP IN SECOND MONTH ON UKIAH CORNER

Over two months ago, East Coast poet Will Anderson, pen name "Patrick
Henry," walked into Ukiah to pause for a moment and rest before he
continued his North American quest to visit as many national forests as
possible and lobby everyday people to wake up and smell the possibilities
inherent in the hemp plant.

At the time, Anderson planned to continue on up the coast and head up the
Pacific Crest Trail to Oregon, accompanied only by his dog, "Tao." He did
mention, however, that he figured he "might have a tough time leaving
Mendocino County."

Wouldn't you know it, Patrick Henry has been standing on a Ukiah corner
somewhere or another pretty much every day since then, and, whether it be
anger or jubilation or laughter evoked, he's gotten the town's attention.

It's not your typical homeless-person-holding-a-sign situation. Instead of
"Will Work For Food" or other classic implorations, Henry's signs are more
for the people reading them. Instead of asking for change (the silver kind)
he asks that people change their minds.

"Hemp is the mother of all herbs," said Henry in a recent interview. "It's
the best universal medicine, it's the most nutritious food. Buddha lived
off of one hemp seed a day."

Not only did Henry remain in town, he found a co-patriot with as much
chutzpa as himself. Believe it or not, the guy's name is Ukiah - yes, Ukiah.

"My original name was Ronald, but that didn't quite suit me," said Ukiah.

You've heard of the old election promise "a chicken in every pot." Well
these fellows want pot on every porch.

"We have to go to hemp right away," said Henry. "We all need to be hemp
growers."

Henry is no dunce, having been voted "Poet of the Year" by the
International Society of Poets in Owen's Mills, Maryland, for his poem
"Nature's Mirror." His theories about hemp are not just pipe dreams. Though
many would disagree or frown, much of what he cites is factually based.

Henry's message is founded on the adoration of nature and the reality that
hemp is an extremely fast-growing resource that can be used as a substitute
for many wood products (in forms such as "hemp fiber board") and also for a
variety of other uses, including oils, cleaner-burning fuels, textiles and
foods, to name a few. All of these uses - and this from a plant that grows
into a fully mature crop in three months, as contrasted with the growth
rate of trees which is, verifiably, not rapid.

"George Washington had written in his diaries about growing sensimilla,"
said Henry. "I'm trying to bring to light the truth. Henry Ford built a car
that ran on hemp. Hemp is as American as apple pie."

It's not too surprising that Henry and Ukiah would want to linger in a
county that voted by 58 percent to decriminalize personal use of marijuana
in the recent Measure G ballot initiative.

Some people give them the evil eye, but Henry and Ukiah hold up their signs
to get people to think.

"Some people find our messages shocking," said Ukiah, "but it brings
attention to the issue."

"For the most part, everybody's pretty happy," said Henry. "You only get a
couple people who are programmed, insecure. There's a few people out there
who are disconnected for love."

The worst reactions occurred with signs that included the name of Jesus,
which many religious citizens found offensive.

"We kind of had to get away from that," said Henry.

Nevertheless, the dynamic duo's morale seems to be quite healthy.

"I'm so glad the war on hemp is over," Henry added.