Pubdate: Sat, 04 Aug 2012 Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) Copyright: 2012 The Arizona Republic Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html Website: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24 Author: Peter Allen Jones VOTERS BACK MEDICAL MARIJUANA Why does The Arizona Republic refer to a medical program enacted by a vote of the people as a "pot program"? The foundation of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution rest upon the people's entitlement to the "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God." The Bill of Rights incorporated John Locke's idea that individuals' economic and personal rights should be protected from the government and are free and equal in the state of nature. According to the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, the first Law of Nature is that every man ought to endeavor peace, as far as he has hope of obtaining it. If a federal government agency wishes to go against the vote, the hope, the will, the happiness, the health and the peace of the people, then they better re-read the Tenth Amendment of the Bill of Rights and understand that "powers" not delegated to the Constitution nor prohibited by the states are reserved to the people. Oh, yeah, and they better Google the second part of the first law of nature, too. Peter Allen Jones, Apache Junction - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom