05-09-2013, 11:18 AM
quote:
Originally posted by pahoated
The complication with Roger Christie is that he is claiming it is a religion. That is why the case is being treated the way it is and why it is a federal case. Also, contrary to street talk, he has several charges against him. He is not being held with no charges. The reason he isn't being allowed bail is the court sees him as a flight risk.
Even if marijuana were made legal, distribution for profit would stay illegal. The prime example of this is alcohol. It is legal but manufacturing and distribution of moonshine is illegal.
This is the "belief" of the THC Ministry:
"According to the THC Ministry, identification of cannabis specifically as an ingredient of the holy anointing oil, can be found in the Torah (Five Books of Moses), Exodus 30:23; contrary to the translation of the Septuagint and supported by both Aramaic translations (the Targum and the Pe****ta)."
Roger was not giving away pot from the downtown Hilo "church", he was selling it for a profit. He was also not aware that the religious angle wasn't bullet-proof immunity from prosecution. This angle was used in the 80's with the blending of the Ethiopian Coptic Church with the Rastafarians, also claiming marijuana was a holy sacrament and even claiming cannabis was the Tree of Life in Genesis. Long story short, the feds ruled this was bogus and busted the whole Black Tuna gang for illegal trafficking. Many of those members went to federal prison for over 30 years and a few are just now being released. This case set the precedent that claiming marijuana was a religious sacrament would not be recognized as a defense in the American courts.
Also, it's pretty evident that Roger is not cooperating with the court. If he was saying "I'm sorry, I will never do it again, I won't run", he would probably get bail. But he is apparently sticking to his defense that it is a religion and what is being done is a violation of the first amendment. A lot of cases take forever to get to court, look at Jodie Arias, that is from 2008. A lot of people ignore that Roger was busted along with about 13 co-conspirators. One ran, but the rest are out on bail because they either said "I'm sorry, I will never do it again, I won't run" and 6 turned states evidence against him. These people are now witnesses that are saying they knew what they were doing was against the law and pointing the finger at Roger as the mastermind.
"All of Christie’s co-defendants were granted bail, but one, 62-year-old Richard Bruce Turpen, had his bail revoked after he violated terms of his release by being arrested for domestic abuse on March 25, 2011. He’s also in custody in the Honolulu federal lockup.
Another co-defendant, Wesley Mark Sudbury, “is a fugitive,” Kawahara said. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Sept. 17, 2010.
The remaining co-defendants are: Sherryanne “Share” Christie, Roger Christie’s wife; Roland Gregory Ignacio; Perry Emilio Polichcchio; John Debaptist Bouey III; and Aaron George Zeeman.
Six co-defendants have made plea deals with the prosecution to cooperate with authorities. They are: Timothy M. Mann, Susanne Lenore Friend, Donald James Gibson, Michael B. “Dewey” Shapiro, Victoria C. Fiore, and Jessica R. Walsh, aka Jessica Hackman."
"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"
Totally irrelevant.
Christie has been charged and denied bail.
A sick perverted twisted kidnapping rapist has been charged and granted bail.
That's all that matters.