Marc Emery: This is the man the US wants to jail for life

A few days ago I posted a documentary about Marc's case and said that from that day forward I would make one post a day about the last almost six years that Marc has been a major part of my personal and public life. Naturally, things came up that prevented me from getting started writing until today. Please forgive.

I want to just share one story today that speaks to the character and compassion of Marc Emery. Back in 2003 after all my legal trouble with Tallapoosa County law enforcement and Horseshoe Bend school began I found myself in a very bad situation. My daughter Bell used to have chronic ear infections. When she was one she had tubes put in. They eventually came out on their own. For the first surgery we had health care coverage and were able to get the surgery without any problems. When her tubes came out she immediately began having chronic ear infections again. We did not have health care coverage due to job changes and not being able to afford it. We paid for doctor visits and prescriptions when those needs arose. But, paying for surgery was a whole other ballgame. Her pediatrician had not said she needed surgery again, had not said that he was worried about permanent damage, but had said that she would grow out of it. That is what happened to me as a child.

Since the school and DHR were after me for any and every little thing, they seized on my daughter's ear infections as a possible way to legally kidnap her. One day she brought a letter home from the school nurse that was very threatening in tone. Apparently, if you are poor and refuse government services your children can be taken. That is pretty much what was in the letter.

I needn't tell you I was terrified. I was friends with Marc Emery, but had only known him a few months. I did some freelance writing for Cannabis Culture magazine and filled in as Pot-TV news anchor on occasion...but was not formally working for Marc at that time. I called him and told him what was happening.

"Marc, I don't know what to do", I hysterically sobbed. I don't have the money for this surgery. It costs over $6,000.00 without insurance and we don't have health insurance. They are going to take my daughter." And Marc said, "Yes you do have health insurance...you have Canadian health insurance."

That very day he sent me $6,000.00 so my daughter could get tubes in her ears again and I could get out from under the threat of the government kidnapping her because her family is poor.

The US DEA has named my friend and mentor public enemy #1 and they want to extradite him from his home country for selling pot seeds to willing American consumers. They say he is a 'kingpin', who laundered millions of dollars over the years. They say 'laundered' because they can't locate it to seize. But it wasn't laundered. It was sent to people like me all over Canada and North America. For things like surgery for a child in need.

Does sending $6,000.00 to a terrified mother to get surgery for one of her children sound like money laundering to you? Does someone who would send that amount of money to a terrified mother for surgery for one of her children sound like a criminal who deserves to spend the rest of his life in a government cage to you?

If Marc Emery deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail then so do I. I would be safer imprisoned with like-minded people who are kind than free in a world of monsters who think our kind should be locked up!

I love you Marc!!

by Loretta Nall