A PITCH FOR LESS GOVERNMENT

Marina: Libertarian Senate Candidate Addresses Rotary

An Orange County judge advocating the legalization of marijuana brought his
long-shot U.S. Senate candidacy to Marina on Wednesday, drawing a
respectful reception from 30 Marina Rotary Club members.

Jim Gray, a 59-year-old former federal prosecutor and Republican until two
years ago, is running on the Libertarian Party ticket against incumbent
Democrat Barbara Boxer and veteran Republican challenger Bill Jones.

Sandwiched between a Rotarian rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"
and a club auction of a caricature of Sesame Street's Big Bird, Gray spoke
for 45 minutes around favorite Libertarian themes of less government and
personal liberty.

"I definitely believe we are the party of the future," said Gray, who was
appointed to the Superior Court in 1983 by former Republican Gov. George
Deukmejian. "Our country is in trouble...and most of the problem is the
federal government."

Gray said the size of the federal government keeps growing, under both
Democrats and Republicans, along with government intrusion into Americans'
privacy.

He excoriated the Patriot Act, which expanded secret police powers in
suspected terrorism cases, as a "direct frontal assault on civil liberties."

"The soul of our great country is under attack by our very government,"
Gray said.

Gray had particularly harsh words for the government's "war on drugs," in
which he once served on the front lines prosecuting drug traffickers before
deciding by 1992 the drug war is a losing battle.

The only winners are major drug dealers, government anti-drug agencies,
tough-talking politicians, prison-industry profiteers and terrorists who
make money off the drug trade, Gray said.

Gray favors de-federalizing and legalizing marijuana in California, while
regulating the drug like alcohol. That would save California $1 billion a
year on anti-marijuana police actions and provide another $1.5 million "by
simply taxing the stupid stuff," he said.

Regulated marijuana would be harder for youngsters to obtain because
"dealers don't ask for ID," he said.

Dressed in a conservative, dark-gray suit with a white shirt and red-print
tie, Gray said the only mind-altering substance he uses is a daily glass of
wine. Alcohol, by far, is more dangerous than marijuana, he said.

"The secret is to hold people responsible for their actions, not what they
put into their bodies," he said.

On Iraq, Gray said Congress failed miserably by allowing the Bush
administration to go to war without full public debate and a congressional
war declaration.

"We did it on the sly and gave the administration a blank check," he said.
"The same thing as Vietnam, with the same results."

Rotary Club members applauded politely as Gray wrapped up his speech.

Richard Holm, a dentist and registered Republican, said it "was kind of
refreshing to hear" Gray's views.

"I thought it was totally different. It's pretty hard to disagree with
anything he said," said Marina insurance agent Mike Mast, who doesn't plan
to vote for Boxer or Jones. "I definitely think government is the problem."

Gary Wilmot, a Marina planning commissioner running for City Council and a
Republican, said Gray has some worthwhile ideas. He particularly liked
Gray's emphasis on private enterprise rather than government.

As for Gray's criticism of the war on drugs, Wilmot said, "That's a tougher
one. I don't know where to go."

But, Wilmot agreed, "We're throwing many people in jail and not
accomplishing a lot."

While acknowledging victory is unlikely, Gray has a more immediate goal of
swinging an invite to the Oct. 22 candidates' debate at the Monterey Bay
Aquarium. He needs at least a 10 percent showing in a neutral voters' poll
to share the podium with Boxer and Jones.

"I'm polling at about 8 percent, but I expect to be up to 10 percent," he
said before his speech.