I want to start off by saying that I’m sad to hear that John Kroger is not seeking re-election due to health reasons. He said it’s not life threatening, but debilitating to the point that he cannot continue after his term runs up in 2012. I never want to wish illness on anyone, and I hope that he recovers ASAP.
With that said, I want to first look at the 2008 election, and then to the future and to the 2012 race for a new Oregon Attorney General. In the 2008 election, I actually submitted a question that was asked to then Oregon AG candidates John Kroger and Greg Macpherson. It was an odd race because they were both Democrats; the Oregon GOP didn’t field a single candidate (Oregon is considered liberal I hear, from those of you that call it ‘Oregone). My question was ‘as an Oregon medical marijuana patient, I want to know how both candidates would handle federal intervention. Would they let the federal government treat us like a police state, or would they respect the will of the Oregon voters and stand up to the feds.’
The answers were quite different. Greg Macpherson answered first and basically said that he admittedly didn’t know much about the OMMP, and pointed out that the federal government has the right to step in and override Oregon. John Kroger then said basically that the OMMP was approved by voters, and clearly Oregon wants it to be protected, and he would step up. Needless to say, Mr. Kroger received my vote in 2008.
Everything was good until recently. The Obama administration pulled what now is the biggest scam in medical marijuana history, by first declaring that the US DOJ would not prosecute people that are in compliance with State law, then doing the exact opposite and go on a Western State tirade raiding people like crazy. Based upon a conversation I had with Ninjasmoker over the weekend, the raids are going to continue. Where has John Kroger been in all of this mayhem? Where was he when a co-op in Southern Oregon was raided? Other Oregon politicians have gone to MMJ farms in Southern Oregon to tell the feds to back off, why isn’t he? Or at least send someone from his office, or a letter, or at the very least a damn tweet!
I don’t know who is going to emerge as the winning candidate in 2012, only time will tell. However, I hope he or she has the stones to step up to the feds and say that we can police our own program, and that they can go and do their real job trying to find Americans jobs. Hundreds of patients are affected by every needless raid that they do. I could understand if it was an illegal grow, or if there was blatant illegal activity going on at the state level. Then I could understand taking a seat and letting the chips fall where they fall. But to make a promise in your campaign, and then do the exact opposite by letting the feds trample the very law that you’re supposed to fight for, that’s ridiculous. 2012 Oregon Attorney General Candidates, beware the Oregon muckracker. In 2008 I didn’t have this blog to get the questions on record. Now I do, and believe I will be asking many of them!
Go to NotDwightHolton.Com to find out why you should not vote for Dwight Holton for Oregon Attorney General, and ‘like’ the Not Dwight Holton Facebook Page!
