Peace Caravan

Poet and activist Javier Sicilia's Peace Caravan crossed the Mexican/U.S. border this month.  They are traveling the U.S. to promote a U.S.-Mexico alliance to fight the drug war and calling upon the U.S. to legalize drugs.

In November, Washington State votes on Initiative 502 to legalize and regulate the recreational use of marijuana.  Washington State is one of 16 states and the District of Columbia with legalized medical use.  If the initiative passes, Washington could become the first state in the country to legalize recreational use, reportedly putting it at odds, however, with federal laws.  

June 2012 polling shows voters favoring the initiative by a 50-37 percent margin.  The legislation could provide over 1.5 billion dollars in revenue over the next 5 years, including money for jobs and the state health care program that had over 100,000 people on a waiting list.

Oregon and Colorado are considering similar measures in November.

Poetry

There is nothing else to say

The world is not worthy of the word
They drowned it, deep inside of us
As they asphyxiated you
As they ripped your lungs apart
And the pain does not leave me
All we have is a world
For the silence of the just
Only for your silence and my silence, Juanelo.

- Javier Sicilia, from his last poem before joining the national protest against the drug war. His son was a victim of the related violence sweeping Mexico.


photo credit:  courtesy of wikipedia, photographer/Zapata, "Javier Sicilia dando su discurso después de la marcha por la paz de Cuernavaca a la Ciudad de México el 8 de mayo de 2011." (Javier Sicilia giving his speech after the peace march from Cuernavaca to Mexico City on May 8, 2011.)