10 years in prison for selling light bulbs

[le vallette]

They send you to war in the name of freedom .YET the only free choice you have is voting to elect a government.after that. the twats make their own laws to suit them.

[jimmy8778]

they tell us we're innocent until proven guilty. But what it really is that we are guilty until proven innocent when it comes to investigations. If the US government decideds to look into anything you do your guilty unless they find no evidence in thier search, in which case most people are harrassed but let go, and their every move is watched from that point on. And if you dont believe what is said, or want more examples of this kind of dictatorial bullshit then get the newest Rolling Stone(radiohead cover) and read the article about the Terrorism Task Forces in America, its just another article about the same kind of stuff, but with a more current theme. I think its ridiculous how the government treats its people. And i know where the problem is, its in the electoral system. We have reached a time in our country where the individual votes can be counted down to the last hundred if need be, yet we still rely on averaging out numbers and having votes swayed by politicians rather than the actual popular vote, which is what a "DEMOCRATIC" society is.
I think its rather ironic that in one day i can read an article about the government overreaching its boundries in the US against its own people for "suspected" terrorism(read the article) then later get into a discussion with my boss about how we've both had experiences where there have been a routine traffic stop that resulted in several police cars showing up at the scene before the initial interaction between the cop and driver, which proceeds into a search of the car due to a signal from a "trained" dog that hinted at the scent of MJ in a new car for my boss. The driving around town and seeing atleast 30 police cars in a 3 hour window, possibly the most ive seen throughout the town all year, and that is really not even an exaggeration, then coming to this site because and reading another article about how the government meant to serve the people is instead of providing services using our tax money to serve us papers to go to court which we pay for with our taxes to send us to jail, for nothing, never to be able to vote again, but still having to pay our "taxes" and be reminded everyday how when the government wants you, they take you.
Im done ranting, but today has made me livid.
Also, a friend was late getting home, so in an excuse to her mom she told her that a cop had pulled the car over and it was a perfectly believable excuse even though there wasnt even mention of a ticket between the two, which has become an expected thing that isnt surprising that cops can pull you over, to check to see if there is anything illegal, then let you go with nothing because they didnt find anything.
Now im really done.

[gregnashville]

I read the entire thing and it scares me...not because I think I'll get busted for possession or growing, but because it if the government was that corrupt back in the 90s I hate to think the momentum the bully machine has gained by now. One more thing to add to my list of reasons to move to another country. Canada is looking pretty damn good right now.

[HerbalConfusion]

Similar article just as frustrating.

Narc! Beware!!!

(24 Apr, 2007)

The Laughing Buddha Nursey in the New Orleans suburb of Metarie, Louisiana assists the DEA in entrapping its customers.

The Laughing Buddha Nursery owner Grant Estrada wasn't laughing when Marc Emery called him up and said " Grant Estrada, I'm doing an article on how you are co-operating with DEA and informing on your clients and assisting in the prosecution of your clients. Are you co-operating with DEA, setting up your clients and accepting blood money to do this? "

Grant Estrada replied, " I can't talk about that now " and very nervously hung up the phone.

Grant Estrada is most definitely a narc of the worst sort and has set up one, and probably is in the process of setting up many more, growers of the herb.

Google The Laughing Buddha Nursery in Metarie, Louisiana, and you don't get any clue Estrada and his DEA-front store are in the day to day business of narking out customers to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The store owner and snitch
Laughing Buddha Nursery
4516 Clearview Pkwy
Metarie, LA
Phone: (504) 887-4336 (ask for Grant)

You see he sells orchids, helped out after Hurricane Katrina, but mysteriously, there is no Google reference to the fact, established in a Baton Rouge, Louisiana court earlier this year, that GRANT ESTRADA accepted $6,000 from DEA in order to inform on his hydroponic store clients, specifically one JUAN LOPEZ, who bought thousands of dollars of equipment at Estrada's store, with Estrada's urging. In fact, Estrada told his customer Lopez at Laughing Buddha (whew, those DEA guys and their sense of humor) , that he would even sell the marijuana if Lopez would grow it.

After spending $15,000 on building a marijuana grow room with Estrada's enthusiastic encouragement and assistance, DEA raided Lopez in February of 2005. At his trial, DEA did not disclose that it was paying Estrada to do exactly what he did, encourage and entrap growers or would be growers.

Now, a new judge may order a new trial for Juan Lopez, who was sentenced to five to twenty years in jail and has been incarcerated since July 2005. The DEA-FRONT Laughing Buddha hydroponics store owner Grant Estrada actually convinced Lopez to get into the business, and provided the actual marijuana plant cuttings to Lopez, and promised to find a buyer for those plants.

While Lopez languishes in jail for being gullible, Estrada is doing fine selling out growers as of the time Marc called him for his comments on April 24, 2007.

Prosecutors fought to hide the blood money informant payments to Estrada. During the trial, Judge James Brady refused to let Lopez' attorney put Grant Estrada - informant - on the stand, claiming it would be "irrelevent."

To confirm this story, research articles by Penny Brown Roberts for the Metarie Advocate.

My advice is for Louisiana activists to put this store out of business immediately by picketing the LAUGHING BUDDHA NURSERY at 4516 Clearview Parkway in Metarie, just outside of New Orleans. Signs with " LAUGHING BUDDHA IS A DEA FRONT" or "GRANT ESTRADA - DEA SNITCH" .

Put this bastard out of business. Remember Juan Lopez could spend most of his life in jail. Make sure GRANT ESTRADA can never harm another gardener ever again.

If you want to help Juan Lopez win a retrial for entrapment, you can contact his lawyer, John Di Giulio, at 225-383-0078 or by email at [email protected]

[zlessley]

Man... we're essentially the nazi germany that worked.

[THClord]

I read the whole thing. The more I find out about how things really work here in the US, the more I seriously consider to moving to the EU later. Dual citizenship is a blessing.

[smok3y]

Surprised this thread is still going.. It was made back in 2006.. haha..:jointsmile:

[hydrocannabis]

if i knew someone was spying on me id spy on them and expose those bastards for the fascist totalitarian tactics they use to arrest non violent citizens. freedom is an illusion in this country. a man is only free as long as he doesnt express dissent against the powerful and the wealthy. that is the true nature of the power machine and the core of all the problems facing the world today. greed, closed minds, intolerance, and ignorance will always be at war with freedom. wake up freedom loving people of America. we must take back our freedoms before there are none left. never roll over, never give up the fight for freedom, and never snitch on your fellow man. fight back. stand up for what is yours. never give in, never give up.

this is so true.

and I wanna put some hip hop beats to that. cuz it kind of rymed.

[DAY-DREAMER-MAN]

holy shit too long lol:stoned::S5:

[zlessley]

Haha lazy stoners, it's a good read dude, ya should read the whole thing! Course I'm too damn lazy to clean my nasty ass car for months... sooo...