FREE WILLIE!

Still Smokin'.

Good ol' Willie Nelson and his band got nabbed last week with a pound
and a half of ganja and some hallucinogenic mushrooms after being
pulled over for a "routine" traffic stop by a Louisiana state
trooper. While we'd expect nothing less from our Rasta-man Willie
(not to mention a Bloody Mary Mornin'), it does serve as a nice
reminder never to tour in Louisiana or other Southern states.

Country crooner Nelson, of course, has long been an advocate for the
legalization of marijuana (along with organic farming and the ability
to grow a long-ass double ponytail without being called a geriatric
silly-goat). Sure, at the age of 73, he could have claimed the sack
of weed was for glaucoma or a host of other ailments, but he took it
like a Ramblin' Man, got his ticket for possession, and was On the Road Again.

Thing is, Willie really has made some amazingly positive gestures for
the planet.

And we're not talking about signing autographs free of charge,
helping a little lady across the street, or playin' his fine gee-tar,
Trigger-we're talking major philanthropy here. The singer started
Farm Aid in 1985 (which has raised over $25 million for struggling
small farmers); he founded BioWillie, a company that makes fuel from
vegetable oils; and, most recently, he organized the Tsunami Relief:
Austin to South Asia concert and CD to the tune of $150,000 in aid.
Not to mention the tunes! Hello! "Crazy," "Mamas, Don't Let Your
Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," "Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain"? Thank you!

But forget all that-forget the civic duty, the patriotism, the farm
relief, the environmental entrepreneurialism, and the fact that the
feds keep pickin' on our elderly outlaw troubadour-and let's just
think for a moment about all the things that weren't on Willie's
bio-bus and praise the Lord: