BEING JAILED FOR HIS BELIEFS

To the Editor:

Currently, the US is attempting to extradite a Canadian, Marc Emery,
for the so-called crime of selling marijuana seeds in Canada. Emery's
only crime is acting on his beliefs as a pacifist willing to put his
life on the line for betterment of fellow humans.

Many do not agree with Emery's beliefs. Although most of us know
that less people are harmed by marijuana than by water (drownings),
pharmaceutical medicine (overdoses and drug recalls) and junk food
(heart attacks and obesity), there are those who cling to the
outmoded belief marijuana is illegal.

However, to imprison and destroy a man's life because he sought to
challenge superstition is a mockery of all the founders of our
nations held sacred.

In fact, like Emery, our nations' founders were willing to put their
lives on the line for what they believed in, to fight against
injustice, to challenge outmoded ways of thinking, or we wouldn't
have a US or a Canada today, nor would we have constitutions.

How can anyone see Emery's imprisonment as anything less than
politically motivated? He sold seeds in Canada, and yet he is being
extradited to the US for prison despite Canada's unwillingness to
jail him. He is being targeted, out of a plethora of seed sellers,
for charges because he spoke out against injustice.

You can see Emery by attending his farewell Canada speaking tour at
the Capitol Theatre on Monday, Aug. 10 from 6:30 - 9 p.m.

Dan Loehndorf, Nelson