Harassing disabled, sick and dying citizens is an Un-American activity! It is overkill and morally bankrupt to punish nonviolent adults for making a safer health choice, cannabis or marijuana, compared to other legal medicinal/social drugs. The people believe in self-government and self-medication.

Save the American Dream, self-government; freedom from big government corruption and oppression. We have the potent tool of nonviolent civil disobedience to effect positive change. True patriots are rebels with just cause.

The injustice is plain as the nose on your face in the case of our friend in Liberty, Richard Lee, owner of Oakland, California cannabis businesses raided by federal agents recently. It could be key in causing the shift to saner policy to hit the fan. "We are getting very close to a tipping point on this issue," Richard said.

Listen to Dean Becker's (Drug Truth Network) radio interview with Richard Lee.

Lee pledged he would remain an outspoken marijuana advocate. “I believe that cannabis prohibition is unjust and counterproductive,” he said. “What I’ve done is ethical, and I tried to use the resources that I had to do everything I could to change the laws.” He plans to work on a book and a television series about his career. Commenting, "I think the nationwide coverage of the raid shows that there is a story here that a lot of people would like to see and like to hear about."

Oakland's city officials have expressed continued support for well-regulated dispensaries and the tax dollars they generate. Just last month city officials issued preliminary approvals for four new medical marijuana dispensaries, which would bring the total to eight.

It is down right sinister, a crime against humanity, for the medicinal uses of cannabis to be suppressed. Some scientific researchers speculate that cannabinoids play a protective role in the brain, slowing the rate of disease. Ooooops! Who spilled the beans? Scientists and patients all over the world, that's who!

Federal prosecutors have been exerting increasing pressure to close dispensaries believing federal law trumps the state's 1996 voter-approved law legalizing medical cannabis. These raids on state sanctioned dispensaries are about intimidation and silencing proponents of change to better, safer policy for society and the individual.

The raid points glaringly to the obvious, senseless waste of our precious resources being used to harass disabled, sick and dying citizens for their choice of medicine; while just blocks away, another violent school shooting results in seven dead, three wounded and many terrorized citizens wondering, "where is our protection against violence?" As .Maia Szalavitz succinctly put it, "The feds couldn’t have predicted the rampage, but it’s hard to imagine a starker illustration of misplaced law enforcement priorities."

Drug warriors, at best are misguided, at worst they must be lying wooden heads. Really, W.C. FIELDS and ME, want to ask each of them,"is it true your father was a gate-leg table?" They are as dense as "woodpecker's pinup boys" or "termite's flophouses!"

Current drug policy is desperately trying to keep nonviolent patients from a safe, effective, often-essential medicine in order to "protect" teens by supporting policy that triggers despicable people to sell drugs to minors, recruit them to sell to their peers and arm them to kill the competition. Such tyrannical hypocrites must use copious amounts of alcohol or pharmaceuticals (maybe both?) to sleep at night and just get through their days.

The 49 year-old wheelchair-bound paraplegic, Lee, is one of the highest-profile, conscientious and most sympathy drawing activists on this planet. He became a famous spokesman for ending cannabis prohibition after he spent more than $1.5 million, the bulk of his personal funds, trying to pass Proposition 19 in 2010.

Although “Prop 19” failed 46% to 54%, it garnered support from labor unions, tech company executives, civil rights leaders and law enforcement organizations. The debate was closely watched and analyzed by decision makers throughout the world, especially in Mexico.

He based the proposed regulation to change California law to legalize cannabis/marijuana and allow it to be regulated and taxed on the Texas local option liquor laws.

Richard Lee’s efforts were trailblazing, independent and made in spite of great adversity, creating a watershed moment in drug policy reform. Suzanne Wills. Director and Treasurer of Drug Policy Forum of Texas nominated him for the Dallas Morning News 2010 Texan of the Year.

Richard hails from Houston. The former rock-band roadie fell off a scaffold and broke his back, while working as a lighting technician, leaving him paralyzed below the waist. Richard at one point admitted to his parents he was considering suicide because of suffering from sleeplessness, spasms and other complications.

Eventually, he found that cannabis relieved his pain and quieted his spasms but since cannabis was illegal in his home state, Richard moved to Oakland after passage of Proposition 215, which legalized cannabis as a medicinal herb in California. At first, he found work at the Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative growing plants.

Soon afterwards, he opened two dispensaries plus his most famous venture, Oaksterdam University, the first marijuana trade school in the nation. The institution of higher education and his dispensary remain open. He plans to transfer these businesses to new operators but said he will shut down his cannabis nursery because his mother plants, which he had nurtured for years, were confiscated.

"This may free me up to be able to go campaign," Richard mused, considering helping legalization efforts in other states. He did not brag but stated the fact his Oaksterdam University has trained about 15,000 experts and activists who now work in reform around the country.

Normally I would not name 2013 portrait award winners until the end of 2012 but I am going to name Richard Lee one of the 2013 Rebels with Just Cause right now.

Use resources to catch more violent and sexual predators, to process DNA and the back log of rape kits or to incarcerate those morally bankrupt, selling drugs to children or driving intoxicated. Less than 1% of the US are actually addicted to anything illegal. Incarceration costs seven times treatment.

Restore public and law enforcement safety! Change to ethical policy and show fiscal responsibility! Save lives instead of ruining them. Restore Justice, the guardian of liberty! End ALL federal drug laws. You can use Downsize DC's super-quick system to send one letter that will go to all three of your elected representatives.

It is worth repeating, the Spirit of 1776 was the Holy Spirit and is our true North. The real visionaries, who gave birth to this Nation, those who defined what an American patriot would be, were rebels with just cause!

"An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law."- MLK.

My first born baby girl, when told to clean her room, would grab her pint sized chair and ask, "Can't I just sit down and bewax for a minute?" Hmmm, now who did she pick that up from?! I apologize, dear readers, for lagging behind on finishing my Rebel with Just Cause portraits.in the year of their naming. Turning 65 years-young in 2011 made me want to kick back and "bewax!" (sic relax) I promise I will git-r-done.

One of the 2011 Rebel with Just Cause portraits will be shared by Bradley Manning and Julian Assange: for posting the Afghanistan war diaries on wikileaks. It is not a crime to expose war crimes. Marc Emery is our hero and wins the other 2011 portrait for taking a stand for justice against a morally bankrupt, violence triggering, nightmare policy.

One 2012 Rebel is journalist and poet Javier Sicilia, whose son was killed in drug prohibition-related violence inspiring him to galvanize Mexican society and awaken international debate. In the summer of 2011, tens of thousands marched across Mexico to protest the drug war and the 50,000 drug prohibition related deaths in the previous five years.

Americans are not the only rebels with just cause but it is our patriotic duty to rebel against big government corruption and oppression.

Kevin Zeese is the other 2012 Rebel for his tireless efforts for peace. He is the Executive Director and cofounder of VotersForPeace. He is an attorney, and a long time peace advocate. "Strike the root!" Be brave, that's how we end terror. All we have to do is stop being afraid, and stop acting out of fear. True patriots never forget America is the home of the free and the brave.

Outlaw Stings! April Pitzer was arrested for DUI. Local drug warriors spin her to testify in cases that imprison over 30 meth distributors. She does not get witness protection. She is later diagnosed as bipolar and the in-laws end up with custody of her two girls. She drifts out to the Mojave Desert and disappears after a call to her Mother in Texas saying she is coming home because she has run into some of the old meth gang and is frightened for her life. Watching this episode of Disappeared (season 2) I wonder if April Pitzer is on any lists of drug war causalities and how many similar cases are not counted?

How can we consider ourselves in good mental health if we can accept living in such a profoundly sick society?

I read that Marc Emery and Roger Christie are being kept in solitary. Does anyone know how many enter the system on a nonviolent drug charge (and history) but end up in solitary confinement, "tantamount to torture"?

Hands off the Internet! "The NSA has become the largest, most covert, and potentially most intrusive intelligence agency ever." Perhaps the greatest threat to Internet freedom is warrantless federal spying on our online and telephone activities. Tell your Congress people to repeal the FISA Amendments Act and restore the original FISA law to protect citizens from warrantless surveillance. Shut down and de-fund the NSA's Stellar Wind program.

The Summit of the Americas (April 14-15 ) might just be another step in a growing shift away from prohibition policy. The shift is about to hit the fan! President Obama would probably gladly avoid such a controversial issue in an election year but the US won’t be able to avoid the change to a better, safer drug policy arguments at the Summit because Colombian president Santos has promised to keep the drug war at the top of the agenda.

The Love revolution is one of the greatest cultural shifts in the history of mankind. Soon we will reach the tipping point! As more of us refuse to remain neutral in these times of great moral conflict and work for positive change.

Morally bankrupt financiers, empire builders and leaders in their pockets make capitalism abhorrent with their predatory capitalism. Predatory capitalism due to big government interference and protection destroys people. Benign or ethical capitalism, America's founders' vision of the free market, creates a world of abundance for all.

Revolution is Easy! Exercising your political might is just a click away. Thanks for all you do for reform!

Save lives instead of ruining them. Join LEAP! It is a LEAP year!! Join COP and DownSizeDC!

Get tough on violent crime! Restore Justice, the guardian of liberty!

Track your Senators' and Representative's votes by e-mail.

Changing who's in charge will not affect much. The real cause of this huge quagmire of failed policy is the beast, big government, that money hungry beast, Uncle Sam! Ma Freedom tells it like it is! The beauty of it is when we focus on down-sizing our government we regain our roots of self-government and secure the blessings of liberty for future generations and ourselves.

Compiled and written by Colleen McCool