'WEEDING' OUT HYPOCRISY

Dude. I don't know about you, but I'm, like, constantly hearing from
these seriously uncool reporters from out of state who ask me, like,
you know, "Man, what is UP with the politicians in Arizona? Are they
smoking some seriously killer weed or what?"

To which I usually play along with the lame impersonation of a
pothead and then respond:

Well, ask yourself this, what else could account for their behavior?

As a plausible explanation, it worked.

At least until last week, when Gov. Jan Brewer and Attorney General
Tom Horne announced their intention to launch a legal challenge that,
unfortunately, will demonstrate to the rest of the world that Arizona
politicians do not indulge in any other form of hemp, reefer or ganja
when conducting state business. (No matter how much it LOOKS that way.)

Brewer and Horne, who each opposed the medical marijuana proposition
approved by voters, said they will file lawsuit that could put
implementation of the law into jeopardy.

They say they're doing it because they're concerned that the
marijuana law will put state employees at risk of being arrested.

U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke said that won't happen.

"We have no intention of targeting or going after people who are
implementing or who are in compliance with state law," Burke said.

Brewer and Horne said that the courts need to sort out the issue
based on their confusion over a letter Burke sent to the governor
pointing out that the Arizona law, like those in other states, is in
conflict with federal law.

Horne said, "We are not taking a position against the will of the
voters. We are simply bringing it to court and asking the court to decide."

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery chimed in, "I think this is
the end of the medical-marijuana movement. You can't do a wink and a
nod toward unlawful conduct and not have a consequence."

The attorney who wrote the medical-marijuana law disagrees. She told
the Republic, "They can say what they want, but it does appear
intended to thwart the will of the voters. They don't want to take a
position because they don't want to upset the voters."

Burke said that Brewer and Horne are overreacting.

He told a reporter, "You would think that a letter back from Attorney
General Horne, as opposed to 'I'm going to file a lawsuit and have a
press conference,' might have been a better course of action."

That would only be true of the governor and the attorney general
actually wanted the medical-marijuana law to go into effect.

They don't. And Burke's letter gave them an excuse to delay or
prevent that from happening while pretending that they are not trying
to circumvent the will of the people.

That would be a bad, since every time Brewer talks about SB1070 she
calls it a matter of states' rights. When it comes to medical
marijuana, however, all that fiery bluster goes up in smoke.

Apparently, Brewer and Horne are only willing to trumpet the will of
the people when the people support laws they agree with.

Many politicians are like that.

The comedian and talk show host Bill Maher described it this way,
"Whenever the people are for gay marriage or medical marijuana or
assisted suicide, suddenly the 'will of the people' goes out the window."

Horne said that he believes the lawsuit that he and Brewer cooked up
could wind up before the U.S. Supreme court, putting Arizona in the
national spotlight again and reinforcing the idea that politicians in
our lovely state actually do the wacky things they do while grounded
in reality, and without any assistance from controlled substances.
Which reminds me of joke I heard once from a glaucoma sufferer who
regularly smoked marijuana to ease the condition:

Q: What is reality?

A: An illusion caused by a lack of good pot.