IWouldLikeToBeAnonymous Posted March 7, 2014 Posted March 7, 2014 The European Union has citizen initiatives which, if 1 000 000 signatures are collected, will be passed through to the commission for discussion. There is currently one initiative called "Weed like to talk" up and running (terrible name I know). Any thoughts on this? Are there any Europeans here on this board who are interested in this matter? I for one believe that it will have little to no direct impact because even if the EU would go through with it, the countries themselves would refuse the EU to poke around in their laws regarding narcotics. However, if enough votes are collected an international debate will occur, and politicians around the union will in turn notice the growing number of potential votes to be gained from a campaign related to the legalization of cannabis. Reason has already written an article on the subject: http://reason.com/blog/2014/02/24/citizens-initiative-seeks-to-legalize-ma Current number of votes: https://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/REQ-ECI-2013-000023/public/map.do Collection of signatures: https://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/REQ-ECI-2013-000023/public/Does anyone know where I could recommend this delightful radio channel to maybe talk about this initiative? It would be great if as many people as possible could become aware of it as basically not one of the newspapers or TV news channels in Europe have reported on it. I'm a bit new on this board, have mercy.
dsayers Posted March 7, 2014 Posted March 7, 2014 Any thoughts on this? I rather like the old adage: If they can get you to ask the wrong questions, they don't care what your answers are. I think there's FAR MORE VALUE in questioning the validity of a bully telling you what you can and cannot do when you're not initiating the use of force than trying to get the bully to agree to something. I use the word bully because this is like begging the bully who's stolen your lunch money for a little of it back. It's pathetic when you think about the fact that they cannot steal your dignity, but you can give it to them. When you do, then they know they own you. It reinforces their theft, legitimizes their claim. I'm not saying that if I had the choice between living amid a cannabis ban and living without one that I would choose to live with the ban. I just think that if these people put the same amount of effort into spreading awareness on what the definitions of child abuse are, how it is tantamount to tyranny, and that violence is what has failed us as a species, we'd get cannabis... and so much more, that much sooner. I mean, it's a demonstration of a fundamental lack of understanding how the ban came to be in the first place. You can cut the head off a dandelion 100 times. It's not until you pull the root out that you've made any appreciable difference.
IWouldLikeToBeAnonymous Posted March 7, 2014 Author Posted March 7, 2014 I rather like the old adage: If they can get you to ask the wrong questions, they don't care what your answers are. I think there's FAR MORE VALUE in questioning the validity of a bully telling you what you can and cannot do when you're not initiating the use of force than trying to get the bully to agree to something. I use the word bully because this is like begging the bully who's stolen your lunch money for a little of it back. It's pathetic when you think about the fact that they cannot steal your dignity, but you can give it to them. When you do, then they know they own you. It reinforces their theft, legitimizes their claim. I'm not saying that if I had the choice between living amid a cannabis ban and living without one that I would choose to live with the ban. I just think that if these people put the same amount of effort into spreading awareness on what the definitions of child abuse are, how it is tantamount to tyranny, and that violence is what has failed us as a species, we'd get cannabis... and so much more, that much sooner. I mean, it's a demonstration of a fundamental lack of understanding how the ban came to be in the first place. You can cut the head off a dandelion 100 times. It's not until you pull the root out that you've made any appreciable difference. If you're saying that you would like there to only be negative rights, then yeah I agree with you. When it comes to the part where you say that there is no point in giving the current system any credit, I do not agree with you. It sucks, yes, but in my country there are, for example, socialist parties which together amount to at least 50% of the total votes. If all people who are now voting for an increase in individual freedom suddenly stopped doing so, these groups of parties would get into power more often than they are already. It's the same thing with this initiative. It's about creating a debate around the issue and steering things in the right direction.
Carl Green Posted March 7, 2014 Posted March 7, 2014 It's the same thing with this initiative. It's about creating a debate around the issue and steering things in the right direction. Don't steer the car. Just get out.
dsayers Posted March 7, 2014 Posted March 7, 2014 Don't steer the car. Just get out. It's funny you say that because when I saw the word steer, I was picturing somebody steering a car that was on one of those trailers that carries a bunch of cars at once. "I don't appear to be altering my course, but at least I can deal with my anxiety in the moment by doing SOMETHING."
IWouldLikeToBeAnonymous Posted March 8, 2014 Author Posted March 8, 2014 Don't steer the car. Just get out. I like the idea you're presenting, but I don't see how to apply it in practice. How can I get out of the car at the same time as not moving out into the woods or something? How can I do that and still use my own native language in my daily life? Trying to make a change and to have a foolish belief in the steering wheel's capabilities are the only options in such a case as mine.
ZetaMan Posted March 10, 2014 Posted March 10, 2014 When it comes to individual countries not wanting the EU to go poking around in their narcotics laws, I don't see that being an issue as the member states in the EU are completely ineffectual and have no voice in any matter of law. The only reason for prohibition, as far as I can tell, is the United States - and the United States is becoming rapidly inconsequential. The EU may want to redefine itself in distinction to the US.
Carl Green Posted March 10, 2014 Posted March 10, 2014 If anything that steering wheel is like the little toy one that's in the little play car of a grocery store shopping cart. It's only there to keep ya sitting in the car instead roaming the aisles for candy.
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