Emails from a Canadian in Singapore

You'll all remember last week when it came to light that Georgia Rep. Tommy Benton (R-Jefferson) told a constituent that he would like to see marijuana users caned (like they do in Singapore) and marijuana businesspeople executed. Rep. Benton then forwarded his email conversation with his constituent to the local sheriff's office in an attempt to intimidate and frighten his constituent.

Yesterday I received two emails from a Canadain living in Singapore and teaching at an International School. I thought I'd share them with you. I have removed the name for privacy reasons.

Hi,

I currently teach at an international school in Singapore, the place your wacko politico Tommy Benton wants to emulate, and I can say that in the international high schools weed is certainly available, albeit not cheap (US$40/gram).

Singapore is hardly a model to borrow from, a society of docile, brainwashed drones who live in constant fear of speaking out against their government.

Tommy Benton is a war criminal, or at the very least he aspires to be
one, so on that note perhaps we should cane him first to set an example
to others who would chain the herb and hurt the people.

And here is the email our friend in Singapore sent to Rep. Tommy Benton.


As an international school teacher currently living in Singapore I can
say with certainty that at the high school level cannabis IS freely
available to students here, and while there is no significant "drug problem" per se,
that is a function of local culture, not of gov't policy, since cannabis
would not be in widespread use even were it legal here (the problems
here are general, widespread fear of speaking out on political
issues, and a living in a society of docile, brainwashed drones who are
amongst the most selfish, inconsiderate, unhappy people I have ever encountered in
my 11 years of overseas living)

Furthermore, their use of caning is a punishment that requires no justification from the gov't here since it is a fairly intolerant and cruel dictatorship, giving uncritical military and political support to the Burmese generals who educate their children here as well as deposit their billions in stolen $$$ into Singapore banks.

That said, criminal prohibition is a clear risk factor for youth, and leads to increased harm, as you will realize if you are intellectually capable of following the argument made in the attached document.

As a committed member of his local church it is clear that he has not actually read the bible much, as Genesis 1:23 unambiguously asserts that all plants
are given to us from our maker.

Death penalty and caning? Perhaps the rep. would consider being amongst
the first test cases...

As for passing along the names to police of any who oppose him, I would
suggest he refer to the final pages of the attached paper, which clearly
indicate that he is associated with and highly supportive of some very
deep and systemic professional teaching ethics violations, but reason
and ethics don't appear to matter much to a man who has already ignored
the very first book of the bible he claims to worship, do they...?

Tommy Benton is perhaps best at illustrating the bigotry and
intellectual sloppiness inherent in American society today, and if he
were to get a passport and see Singapore for himself he would see that
it ranks about 140th of 160 countries in terms of press freedom, a place
where, similar to his own values, the wet cane and the truncheon take
the place of reason and wisdom...

What a frightening farce you people are.


I am still working to get an action going in Georgia. Will post here when things are confirmed.

Georgia Lawmaker Wants to KILL Your Children

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From the NORML Blog

Georgia Lawmaker Calls for Caning, Executing Marijuana Offenders

State Republican lawmaker Tommy Benton (31st House District) favors caning minor marijuana offenders and executing those who sell the drug, according to a recent correspondence sent by the representative to a constituent.

In a July 29, 2009 e-mail (which was voluntarily forwarded to the NORML
office), Rep. Benton wrote: Thanks for the email. We will have to agree to
disagree on this and whether or not money is wasted (by mandating the state
to prosecute minor marijuana offenders). I am opposed to the legalization of
marijuana. I think we should go to caning for people caught using and maybe
execute dealers. [emphasis NORML's] That would solve the problem as well.
That is what they do in Singapore and they don¹t have a drug problem.²

Caning is a form of corporal punishment consisting of up to 24 violent
lashes with a long rattan cane that has been soaked in water. The procedure
inflicts intense pain and deep, bloody lacerations that can take several
months to heal.

Rep. Benton followed up his remarks in a separate e-mail on August 11 (also
forwarded to NORML) in which he threatened to turn over the names of
citizens who disagreed with his political viewpoints to local law
enforcement.

He wrote: You and your cronies want it (marijuana) legalized so you can get
a hit anytime without having to worry about getting arrested. I have
forwarded your email to the Lowndes County sheriffs [sic] office so that
they can be on the lookout for you. [emphasis NORML's] Consider this my last
correspondence on the the [sic] subject to you or anyone else who shares
your similar conservative views.

Benton was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2005.

If you are reading from Georgia and you are PISSED about this jack-booted thug running his pie hole to advocate for violence and death for cannabis consumers then you need to email me TODAY! lorettanall@gmail.com

Those of you in Georgia cannot simply sit by and let him advocate violence, torture and murder of peaceful citizens for their association with or political views on a PLANT. He needs to be jerked down a notch or ten by the people who elected him to office. If I lived in GA I would be camped outside his office with pictures of kids who have been busted for marijuana, including the children of his fellow lawmakers in the Georgia House and Senate. Along with pictures of our founding fathers and many of our former Presidents and the current one. I would tell anyone and everyone within earshot that Rep. Tommy Benton wants those people tortured and scarred for life or he wants them executed. I'd also tell them that Rep. Tommy Benton also wants any of their children, family members and friends who have smoked or sold marijuana tortured or killed.

We do not live in a third world dictatorship ruled by crazy despots. I know living in the South can sometimes seem that way....but only if you let assholes like this get away with advocating excruciating beatings with a cane that leaves lifelong scarring and execution of you and your fellow citizens for your association with a benign and very beneficial plant that grows naturally on this earth.

When did our elected officials become so almighty powerful that they can outlaw NATURE? In doing so they have elevated themselves above the very God that most of them claim very loudly every time they open their mouths, to believe in?

This is what is wrong with America. Used to be that we American's didn't much like authority figures. We didn't like to be told what to do. We didn't care much for moral crusades and complete government control over every aspect of our daily lives. That is why we fought a war to claim our Independence. That's why we drank more during alcohol prohibition than we do today and eventually got that horrible law repealed. Because we are born free Americans, by God, and we will live like free Americans and die like free Americans.

But something has happened to us as a country. If a person like Tommy Benton can get elected, spout hatred and advocate using the force of government to scar and execute people and use his position to NARC on a constituent for that constituents political views of a PLANT then we have lost a really big part of what it means to be an American. And we need to get it back. Yesterday! This isn't the first time I've come across elected officials who seem to think Singapore and China have better laws than we do. One drug court judge in Alabama advocated chopping off drug users heads like Chairman Mao did in China. I say if they like the Communist Dictator form of government more than they like Democracy, with its pesky due process laws and all, then they are free to haul their sorry, communist loving asses over there and live right away. I'll even help them pack.

In earlier American years Mr. Benton would have been run out of town for such views....or worse. Today this kind of UNAMERICAN ideology is everywhere. It's tolerated and I dare say even encouraged.

Rep. Benton needs to hear from the marijuana community from all across America. His contact information is below. I plan to call him and see if he will answer a few questions about his comments. I'll blog them if he does.

If you are in Georgia and interested in organizing a demonstration outside Tommy Benton's office then please contact me. lorettanall@gmail.com
I can give you ideas on what to do and might even be able to attend. The media needs to get wind of this. If you have any media contacts in Georgia then please alert them to what Benton said. You should be calling, emailing, visiting his office in person, writing letters to the editors and really pushing this issue into the spotlight. He does not need to be re-elected and the campaign to kick his Communist loving ass out of office begins today. Seriously if you are in GA then I need to hear from you.

Tommy Benton's contact information

404.656.0177 (State House)
tommy.benton@house.ga.gov

177 Martin Street
Jefferson, Georgia 30549

706.335.5519 - Office
706.367.5891 - Home
tommy.benton@house.ga.gov