HEY DUDE, LET'S VOTE

My first reaction when I heard of something called the Marijuana Reform
Party was, You've got to be kidding me.

My second reaction was, Hey, that's one of the great things about living in
America, a right to political freedom and expression guaranteed by our
Constitution, one of those rights that men and women have died protecting
for us over the last 200 years.

And my third reaction was, Now that's a political party that could really
turn into a "political party." Nudge, nudge.

I would really like to take the party as seriously as any other political
party, but I just have a hard time taking seriously any thing or group that
would be championed by, oh, I don't know, Cheech and Chong.

I also figured the party would make a strong push for the legalized use of
marijuana for medical purposes, and so I was prepared to think about that
issue and to maybe consider the party a bit more seriously. Indeed, the
argument is made that people who need marijuana for medical reasons should
be able to use it, but I'm just hoping that one of those "medical reasons"
isn't: Whoa, man, I just need to zone out for awhile.

I also was a little shocked - is it possible to be a little shocked or is
that like being a little stoned? - when I looked on their Web site, yup they
have one, right there at http://marijuanareform.org , and saw this was the
first bulleted item under "The Marijuana Reform Party believes that:"

* Adults who choose to use marijuana in the privacy of their own homes
should not be subject to civil or criminal sanctions.

I half expected the next item to read:

* And yo, dude, pass the chips, I've got the munchies.

There are, in fact, 12 bulleted items listing exactly what the party
believes in, and only one mentions medical reasons. One.

But hey, you can order a T-shirt, complete, I assume, with the party's logo
- - an outline of New York state with a marijuana leaf about where Utica would
be.

The site also offers up this bit of advice when it's time to hit the voting
booth: "Look for the Leaf and Pull the Lever."

I don't know if that's up there with the great political slogans like
"Tippecanoe and Tyler Too," "I Like Ike" and "I did not have sexual
relations with that girl," but I guess it'll do in a pinch.

The thing about having a party that is backed by a belief in pot smoking,
though, is that there is a built-in excuse if some of the party's platform
or policies seem a little, oh, off the wall. I mean, how many times have you
heard or said this about a politician: What, was he high when he came up
with that idea?

With these guys, the answer could be, "Yeah, dude, he was."

Plus with a party like that out there, it gives hope to others who might
want to form their own. I'm at the grassroots level of developing the Vino
For Life party. Our slogan: "A glass of red wine is good for the heart; now
get out and vote, do your part."

Oh, back to the Marijuana Reformers, they have candidates for governor and
lieutenant governor. And from what I understand, they're more than just
tokin' candidates (sorry); Reformers can actually vote for them on Nov. 5.

If they can just remember who they are when they get in the booth.