Previous Next Index Thread

ZINE - ree speech and 'zines

Sent from: magdalen@well.com (Tiffany Lee Brown)

[ posted to the WELL by jerod, allegedly writ by Seth, whom i assume 
  refers to F5's seth friedman... ]

As previously reported, Jim Hogshire, editor of Pills-a-go-go and author
of Opium for the Masses, was arrested on March 6th in his home in Seattle,
Washington.

The case took a turn for the worse at Monday's arraignment. The State
handed down the charge of possessing poppies with unlawful intent. This,
combined with the obligatory firearms charge, Jim Hogshire now faces a
possible 12-year sentence behind bars.

Dried and fresh poppies are quite legal to posess and sell -- they are
easily obtainable at most florists and crafts supply stores. What The
State is trying to do is to create a whole new class of laws that can make
an uncountable number of substances illegal to posess. These can range
>from rare toads and mushroom spores to the Chinese herb Ma Hung and the
aforementioned poppies.

Hogshire is being targeted for this landmark test case because of his book
Opium for the Masses. In his book he details how to prepare a simple poppy
tea that can produce a euphoric effect. Because The State is using his
book for persecutory evidence, this case has advanced itself to a free
speech issue.

According to Hogshire, the bust was a direct result of a false affidavit
voluntarily submitted by long-time zine agitator Bob Black. This component
of the story is must surprising since Black is a self-proclaimed anarchist
and has written extensively about the evils and purposeless of government
institutions like the police. Hogshire says "Bob Black is a government
informant and not to be trusted."

Hogshire has obtained the counsel of a competent attorney but needs
funding to pay for his defense. A certified legal defense fund has been
set up.

Forward donation to:
	Hogshire Legal Defense Fund
	1202 East Pike St., Box 916
	Seattle WA, 98122

Jim Hogshire can be reached at: pagg@speakeasy.org

[ mod's note: based on FringeWare's run-ins, Bob Black is not
  the anarchist saint one would gather from his writings; we have
  no direct knowledge about these allegations, but they seem quite
  believable in light of our experiences. ]