Freedom's just another word for nothing left to smoke

Freedom.

Is it the freedom to run your business any way you want, or is it the freedom to get every government goodie you can?

The Goddess of Garey linked to a recent Chuck Baldwin post. But before looking at the post, let's look at who Chuck Baldwin is. In addition to being a pastor, former head of the Florida Moral Majority, and talk show host, Baldwin is probably most famous for his vice presidential and presidential campaigns.

VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE 2004: On May 2, 2004, Constitution Party Presidential Candidate Michael Peroutka asked Dr. Baldwin to join him as his Vice Presidential running mate for the 2004 general election. The Constitution Party officially selected Michael Peroutka as its Presidential candidate and Dr. Chuck Baldwin as its Vice Presidential candidate at its national convention in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on June 25th and 26th, 2004.

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE 2008: On April 26, 2008, state delegates of the Constitution Party elected Chuck Baldwin to be their Presidential candidate during their national nominating convention in Kansas City, Missouri. Chuck won the nomination with a percentage vote of 74% to 24% over Ambassador Alan Keyes. Chuck chose Memphis, Tennessee attorney Darrell Castle, a former Marine Corps officer and Vietnam veteran, to be his Vice Presidential running mate. During the campaign, Mr. Baldwin travelled more than 30,000 miles and visited more than 30 states to promote his message of liberty and constitutional government. On Election Day, November 4, Chuck Baldwin and Darrell Castle received more than 200,000 votes, which is a record for any Constitution Party Presidential/Vice Presidential ticket.

Now the Constitution Party isn't exactly the Libertarian Party, but they're certainly a long way from the neo-conservatives who run the Republican Party today. The party platform opposes conscription, deployment of troops without a declaration of war, the granting of Federal money to states for unconstitutional purposes, the existence of the U.S. Department of Education, and a number of other things dear to the hearts of Bush, Cheney, et al.

So you can guess how Chuck Baldwin feels about "freedom." And guess what? Florida isn't free enough for him:

[T]he only thing that could move me from the pulpit of Crossroad Church was a clear and definite call and leading from God. 35 years ago, that call led my wife and me to Pensacola, Florida. Today that call has led us to the Flathead Valley of Montana, some 2,500 miles away....

God has led us to the conviction that Montana (along with other Mountain states) is going to be the tip of the spear in the freedom fight; and we believe God wants us to be part of that fight....

Back in the 1880s, Montana experienced a gold rush. I believe that in the 2010s, Montana is going to experience a FREEDOM RUSH. And for us, the rush is on!

But on the same day that I read this, I saw another story from Montana. It's an AP story, so I'll limit my quoting:

...text message...pot...Sheriff...

However, I found the full story in the Helena Independent-Record:

A Helena teen sent out a text message last week looking to buy marijuana, only instead of texting the drug dealer, he hit a wrong number.

Who received it?

The Lewis and Clark County sheriff.

The text message said: “Hey Dawg, do you have a $20 I can buy right now?”

Sheriff Leo Dutton initially thought someone was playing a joke on him, but quickly realized it was a real request for a drug exchange.

In the end, the detective didn't press charges - instead, he had the two teens who showed up for the fake "drug deal" face their parents.

So is Baldwin heading for a repressive place where a citizen can't smoke a joint in peace? Well, the Constitution Party has a stand on that:

The Constitution Party will uphold the right of states and localities to restrict access to drugs and to enforce such restrictions.

I wonder if the State of Montana classifies Red Bull, coffee, and sugar as drugs.