Top Stories

The Michigan Messenger going forward

By Staff Report | 11.16.11

I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]

Colorado-based abstinence program provided false and misleading information to Michigan students

HIV-AIDS-small
By Todd A. Heywood | 11.16.11

An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.

Class action lawsuit filed against MERS over unpaid taxes

foreclosure
By Todd A. Heywood | 11.15.11

Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.

Schuette fights important mercury regulations

epa_logo
By Eartha Jane Melzer | 11.14.11

Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.

Mich. Senate Judiciary committee will consider laws to restrict medical marijuana

By Eartha Jane Melzer | 01.14.10 | 11:35 am

In a move that critics say is an attempt to further his congressional campaign, Republican State Sen. Wayne Kuipers of Holland, has scheduled a hearing on a package of bills that would change the public health code to reclassify medical marijuana as a schedule 2 controlled substance and require that it be dispensed exclusively by pharmacists.

The bills appear to conflict with the medical marijuana statute passed by voters in 2008.

Under this law the state Department of Community Health issues registration cards to patients with qualified medical conditions and registered medical marijuana users are allowed to grow and possess limited amounts of marijuana for personal use. They may also designate a caregiver to grow the marijuana for them.

According to MDCH 13,370 applications have been received since April 6, 2009.

“These bills are in fact “dead men walking,” Michigan Medical Marijuana Association Director Greg Francisco wrote in a blog post about the planned hearing, “This is about scoring points w/ the conservative base, the opening salvo of the 2010 election season. Medical marijuana is simply an all too convenient pawn in their political machinations.”

Kuipers is running for the congressional seat that will open up when Pete Hoekstra retires from Congress this year. This has been called the safest Republican district in the state.

Comments

  • mznomer

    Subject to Article II, Section 9, of the Michigan Constitution requires any amendment or repeal of an initiated law to be approved by three-fourths of the members elected to and serving in each house.

    However, it's never too soon to protect our rights & to recognize Mr. Kuiper's posturing for favor a minority slice of Michigan' voting population.

    Also, to receive notifications of sessions of Judiciary Committee, go to: http://www.house.mi.gov/committee_subscribe.asp

  • mznomer

    Subject to Article II, Section 9, of the Michigan Constitution requires any amendment or repeal of an initiated law to be approved by three-fourths of the members elected to and serving in each house.

    However, it's never too soon to protect our rights & to recognize Mr. Kuiper's posturing for favor a minority slice of Michigan' voting population.

    Also, to receive notifications of sessions of Judiciary Committee, go to: http://www.house.mi.gov/committee_subscribe.asp

  • Anonymous

    you don’t want to hear my comments I don’t smoke pot I spend too much time fighting for my fundamental rights to live and breath.

    Pot is a trivial issue in comparison to the ultra vires acts acts that have been committed against the People of this State under color of law. Consider the language in MCLA Const.Art. 1 sec 24 This section composes the so called “Crime Victims Bill of Rights” Look closely at the words. What do you see? I know what I see. I see terms of legal art that render every provision in the section, non-self executing. Oh my God. It would be hiliarous if it weren’t so serious. This goes way beyond crime victims dude. The language of the section requires that the provisions be effectuated by statutes. ALL of them. What a concept. This language empowers YOU and your cohorts to AMEND a section of the state constitution without bothering to call for a referendum. This violation the fundamental law occurs when you enact the statutes that effectuate the rights enumerated under the section. Think about this. Are you a lawyer? ha ha ha I bet you are. That’s good, I won’t have to waste words explaining the ramifications to you. The effectuating statutes that you enact and insert into the CVRA are not really statutes mate. They are constitutional provisions that define constitutional rights. The People mandated that victims have these rights but the fact is, the legislature can give and take then away by simply enacting or amending the effectuating statutes. Do get the idea? ha ha ha I bet you do. The US District Court understood exactly what I was saying when it granted me a hearing in a criminal habeas proceeding. The first evidentary hearing ever granted to a non party in a federal habeas proceeding. It took me 10 years to read the 80 thousand cases that compose my home made legal education. I don’t have a law degree but I don’t really need one to run the web sites that I’m putting up to educate the electorate . and I’m kinda crude with words so I will be able to state the facts in a manner which every redneck in the state will understand. And I did learn some things about the law. I guarantee that you no chance of defeating me in a legal debate on this issue. You can crush me with procedure I’m sure but i challenge you and anyone else to challenge my arguments on a purely legal battlefield. Don’t take this personally man. I don’t hate anybody . I’m not a fruitcake. I’m angry because I am forced to live in a state of fear. The person that killed my niece received a mandatory life sentence for the crime. His mother was wealthy. He had the benefit of very good attorneys. he had a very clever plan for appeal which would have succeeded in getting him a new trial if i had failed to see what he was up to. We stopped him. The State refused to help us we had to do it in pro per. This put us out in plain view so when he finally realizes the the fact that he is never going to get out and looks for someone to blame for his own stupidity guess who he is going to find. That’s right. he is going to remember the members of my family who was there with a brief in hand every time his plan failed. His mother left him a great deal of cash. He is wealthy. He was a drug dealer and therefore has connections with street gangs and he is going know that he has nothing to lose by spending his money on drive by’s and 14 year old’s with G locks are easy to find. The State can’t punish him any more than it already is. He’s a lifer.

    He’s going to kill my family and we all know it. My sister is not a young woman even if he finds god and repents she will never shake the fear that is killing her. Do you have any idea what it’s like to walk by a window and know that there might be someone waiting there to blow you away? I bet you don’t and I know that you don’t care. I can’t kill another person so I have to live the rest of his life in mortal fear. Do your job and straighten out the courts. There’s a few good judges out there Lido Bucci (deceased) was awsome. dedicated to his profession and so good at it. I respected this man and there are very few people that have earned my respect. and Take care Law maker stay safe and stay tuned. Your’re gonna hear the whole the whole story in the press and on the web Its quite a story actually and every word I say is supported by at least clear and convincing evidence. if your curious start here. http://www.micva.org I actually got a us attorney to twist some arms on my behalf for this site so i must be doing something right satya mmiaa

  • Anonymous

    Pamela B Hackert ;)