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I want to post this here, as I also posted it elsewhere and want to share my thoughts. It's about the "Never Get Busted Again" DVD and ex-cop, anti-prohibition activist Barry Cooper. Be sure to watch this video of his appearance on CTV, because it's the first time I heard Barry Cooper speak and I was totally blown away, absolutely impressed -- and grateful for his wonderful closing statement, which he has been mentioning in US media as often as possible.

Ex-cop bashes the drug war and makes a plea for Marc Emery



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WPhkkPkEM

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Part of this "review" is from an email I sent to Barry Cooper about my own experiences driving with pot. I wanted to share it here, because I feel very strongly that Barry is a good man and he really wants to help protect innocent people.

The second part was written after reading the lame old criticisms of Barry and his campaign. Loretta Nall is a friend/contributor of ours and we work civilly with NORML, MPP, LEAP and other groups, but for whatever reason they have decided to shun Barry, opting to slander him and dismiss his efforts before they even see his DVD or watch his TV appearances or listen to his speeches -- many of which are out there, for free, and with a powerful message that echoes my husband Marc Emery's own style.

When you hear someone speak about something they truly believe in, you FEEL it. You can pick up on the raw fundamental faith they have in their beliefs, their mission -- be it teachers, preachers, even politicians (Vote Ron Paul!). And that's what creates change -- that's what causes reform and moves the people. Thank you, Barry, for speaking out.




As the saying goes, "If only I knew then what I know now" ...

I've made so many mistakes that your DVD could have saved me from. I lost my driving license for a year because of having cannabis in my car. One time, I was pulled over by an unmarked car for "speeding" at a transition point between highway (100km/h) and city (80km/h) and the car smelled, as my friends and I had been smoking inside. Lost the license for 24 hours on the spot.

The next time, after receiving my license again, I was completely stopped/parked in a forested park and my friends pulled out the bong and lit up... but a cop car appeared from nowhere. Long story short, my vehicle was towed and license suspended for 24 hours again.

Thankfully, I've never been arrested *knock on wood* but both times I received "DUI" or "DWI" for having an intoxicant in the vehicle, the reason for the two separate 24-hour suspensions, which ended up as a 1-year suspension because I had an "N" license, I was a "New Driver" (under 19 years or so).

I also had an "I (heart) COPS" bumper sticker because I thought it was funny (and ironic, as my grandfather was a life-long RCMP officer and my uncle and his wife are both RCMP and MADD cops) but I got pulled over for speeding (again) and was handed a huge ticket. She, the cop, asked about the sticker and I gave the truth about my family.... but removed it the next day!

And that time I was in the park with my friends and the cop car appeared from nowhere, I didn't want the cops to come towards my car (bong hit smell - and I never even got my turn!) so I got out and walked towards them -- bad idea, as they ordered me right back into my vehicle, and made me sit there with my friends for what seemed like eternity, all of us freaking out waiting while the cops took their sweet time to take care of business.

Oddly enough, as they were patting us down and finding pipes and weed in the car and on our bodies, the police radio crackled about a stabbing at a hotel -- this is a smallish, quiet town, Victoria BC -- which elicited a muttered response from one cop, "There's a stabbing somewhere, and here we are dealing with potheads..." leading me to believe that perhaps even they understand the ridiculousness of prohibition. One can hope! Reform is possible!

Oh, and I've also been very casual about rolling joints while driving whenever we travel and rent a car, which I realize now is absolutely stupid and will never ever do again. So many times I rolled joints in the car; people feel invisible, protected from onlookers, whenever they're in their vehicles. It was shocking to watch the DVD when they were filming while driving on the highway, and pulled up beside a car that a cop would deem suspicious through profiling, only to see that the passenger inside was openly rolling joints! They escaped being busted because Barry was just filming the DVD and was not a cop, and their faces and license plates were obscured, but it just goes to show how easy it is to spot someone casually using cannabis in their car... as I did so many times!

Boy, the number of wrong things I've done while driving, and been caught or managed to be lucky and NOT get caught... I certainly feel blessed, but I could have avoided losing my license and getting DUI's on my record had I watched this DVD first. I can't wait to see what the other volumes of Never Get Busted will share.

Your information, Barry, is truly valuable and clearly aimed at helping people stay out of trouble with the law and jail. It offers an insider look at police mentality so we understand how cops twist the law, and incite fear to violate our rights. There are precautions that every smart smoker should take to stay out of jail, and this DVD explains them well.

Other "don't get busted" type websites and sources explain consenting to searches, and citizens' rights against unjust search and seizure, in a lofty "The Law Shall Protect You" way. But most people know that police don't care about the Constitution, rights, freedoms, and protections of citizens. That's the whole reason Barry put this information out there –- it's not to teach people the basics of dealing with police in a utopian world of fairness and justice, because that's not what we're dealing with. Sure, if cops did everything legitimately then knowing and declaring your rights is great.... but with the way police are today, different advice is needed. Cops aren't playing by the rules (as we all know), so why would they obey the rules when their target/victim incited them for protection?

Barry's advice is helpful because he's BEEN there, he's aware of how the other side works. Some people may be skeptical and say "Why would he stop being a cop? I don't trust him, he's a narc, he's with the DEA," etc. and they question the motivation behind Barry "switching sides". But what does that have to do with anything? We ALL "switched sides" when we began to learn about the horrors of prohibition. I used to be anti-drugs when they force-fed us lies in school. LEAP representatives used to be anti-drugs until their policing experiences weighed heavily on their consciousnesses. Even the great "Emperor Wears No Clothes" author and hemp revolutionary Jack Herer was a prohibitionist until he tried cannabis and had his own revelation. Isn't that how it happens to everyone? So why would people bring that up as some sort of attack on Barry? In my opinion, Barry has more credibility than many of his anti-prohibition counterparts/critics, because like the Vietnam vets who came home and opposed the war, and the soldiers reassigned in Iraq who are angry at being betrayed, and the prison guards who became sickened by their expanding slave system and quit -- Barry has been there, he saw everything firsthand, he worked with the evil doers and he saw how bad it was. His heart and mind changed as he observed and learned from his work. Isn't that exactly what motivated every LEAP cop, judge, guard, officer to "switch sides"?

And then there's the money-making criticism.... heck, by that reasoning, our magazine Cannabis Culture, plus every other marijuana-centric information source, is "exploiting" the culture by charging money for the information contained within. It would be great if our information could be shared for free -- which it is, on the internet, when owners release their own work or the info is public property -- but even drug law reformers need to survive and make an income. For any drug policy organization to expand the reach of their message in any way, money is needed. The "non-profit" organizations make money through donations and fundraisers -- should they be accused of profiteering, too? And why not?

Anyway, a lot of this post belongs on other websites in response to the many awful criticisms of Barry, but I'll put it all here as a big review. Everything I say can be used to back up Barry's efforts and promote his campaign. His integrity shines, and his mission is fuelled by love -- which, by the way, was a great way to end the DVD! Thank you for persevering with the Never Get Busted project, Barry, even when others in our movement try to drag you down. Honesty and love prevail.

Regards,
Jodie Joanna Emery
Cannabis Culture Magazine

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He has also stated that we need to break laws to change laws.
Point is where does Barry get off on saying we need to break laws to change laws?

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Where does he get off? The same place Marc, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and many other activists of every stripe do! And me, too: BREAK THE LAW WHEN IT IS UNJUST! I endorse that! WHOLEHEARTEDLY and UNSHAMED for it!

Many activists practice civil disobedience by attending a pot rally, smoking at a federal building, selling bongs in Canada (they ARE illegal here), and engaging in other non-violent acts. GREAT!

And many other activists don't practice civil disobedience, because for whatever reason -- kids, jobs, parents, reputation -- they can't break the law in public. So they write regular letters to newspapers far and wide instead. GREAT!

So it's lame, Rich, really lame. You're a great activist yourself -- as is Loretta, and all the other activists who may or may not like Barry -- but you've fallen into the same trap as everyone else. Did you even finish reading my whole post? I covered the "making money" thing. Did you go watch any of his speeches and videos? Please do, and with an uncritical eye.

Point is, where do YOU get off on impugning his motives? And do you get his bank statements? How do you know how much money he makes? Do you think it's free to print and ship DVDs? Hell no -- just like our magazine, it's a struggle to produce anything. Money is required upfront in order to make any money at all, and that comes down the road. What's so bad about making a few dollars to survive? Why is Barry Cooper not supposed to take part in the free market like everyone else? People think Marc and I are flush with money too, but we're ass broke -- with half Marc's pitiful wages being garnished by the government now! But does everyone know that? No. They make assumptions. I've heard it all: I wear diamonds and furs, and Marc has five cars, and we have a penthouse, and a summer house, and pounds of marijuana always on hand. ... NOT. Who are they to say? What do they know about us besides what they hear through the grapevine?

So don't be so quick to judge. That's stooping to the level of Drug Warriors.

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Doesn't his DVD tell people to let a cop search their car, if the cop asks? That's a huge NO-NO.

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Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968), was a decision by the United States Supreme Court which held that the Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures was not violated when a police officer stopped a suspect on the street and searched him without probable cause to arrest.

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All is cool, I just don't believe he should be selling a video on how not to get busted, then tell others they need to break the laws to change the laws! What the fuck is that?

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People think Marc and I are flush with money too, but we're ass broke -- with half Marc's pitiful wages being garnished by the government now!

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A third party demand is really only good when there is a payroll to demand it from. Get a better accountant!

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A third party demand is really only good when there is a payroll to demand it from. Get a better accountant!

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