CONGRESSMAN BOB BARR - THE FARMER'S ENEMY

Being an idiot is no bar to being a member of Congress, and as exhibit
number one to prove this point, I offer the fatuous Bob Barr.

What a doofus. This right-wing Georgia Republican's latest flight into
extremist fantasyland comes in the form of a press release from his office
declaring excitedly that Barr "is taking a strong, proactive stance against
the spread and marketing of..." - of what? Something awful, right, like
crack cocaine or land mines or child pornography? But, nooooo.

What has Bob's undies in a wad is the spread and marketing of hemp products.

Yes, such products as strong rope, fine writing paper, graceful clothing,
nutritious foods, non-polluting fuels, and even earth- friendly plastics
are made from the humble hemp plant - and Bob Barr doesn't like it one tiny
bit!

Never mind that hemp has been used to make maritime, farm, industrial and
household products for thousands of years. Never mind that such American
icons as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson cultivated hemp as a major
cash crop. Never mind that the Declaration of Independence itself was
drafted on hemp paper. Never mind that hemp would be a profitable,
environmentally sound crop for family farmers today. Never mind all this,
says His Bobness, because "Hemp and marijuana both come from the same plant."

Hello...Bob. Bread and beer both come from the same plant, and I don't hear
you ranting about taking wheat products off the nation's shelves.

Yet that's exactly what he and our thuggish Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA),
are calling for in regard to cosmetics and foods made of hemp - banning
them from sale here in the Land of the Free. Hey, knuckleheads, get a clue.

While hemp is a biological cousin of marijuana, it is NOT a drug or
hallucinogen. You couldn't get high on it if you ate an entire extra- large
hemp sweatshirt or smoked a 30-foot hemp rope.

Barr and the DEA are examples of "drug war" idiocy in action.