WE WERE RIGHT: Michigan Marijuana Bribery Probe Justifies Caregivers’ Concerns of Lobbyist Collusion

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Apr 072023
 

It is another blessed day for medical marijuana patients and their caregivers in Michigan, as the enemy of righteousness are exposed and face justice for their actions against liberty.

Former GOP state House Speaker Rick Johnson, lobbyists Brian Pierce and Vincent Brown, and prospective medical cannabis entrepreneur John Dalaly have been hit with federal charges over a bribery scandal relating to the Michigan medical marijuana industry. These lawmakers and lobbyists have pleaded guilty of exchanging money for favors that gave them illicit power over the medical cannabis, hurting the patients and the caregivers for their own profits.

Rick Johnson admitted he acted “corruptly” when he agreed to take $110,000 to influence the process on behalf of the interests giving him the payouts. I have been on the forefront of exposing this corruption, going back to 2014-15 when the medical marijuana industry was being looted by these gangster special interests and their political whores in Lansing.

“Public corruption is a poison to any democracy. … That poison is especially toxic here,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten. “The marijuana industry has been likened to a modern-day gold rush, a new frontier where participants can stake their claim and just maybe return big rewards.”

“Unfortunately, a small percentage (of public officials) abuse the public trust,” Totten added. “Public corruption is a top criminal priority for the FBI. Public corruption erodes confidence and undermines the strength of our democracy.”

Check out my Oct. 2015 press release exposing the “big money takeover of the medical marijuana industry” that was underway.

In that article, I wrote that “proposed rules would allow special interests to bleed the industry dry – threatening the safety of Michigan cancer sufferers and other sick patients benefiting from the proven medical properties of the substance.”

Who was behind these proposed rules? None other than former state representative Klint Kesto. Kesto was ultimately humiliated and run from office, another dingleberry that dangled for awhile but eventually was removed from the ass cheek of our dirty system and flushed out of politics for good. Who was Kesto’s chief of staff? None other than Brian Pierce, the disgraced lawyer who is one of the major players at the center of this cannabis pay-to-play probe.

Pierce left Kesto’s office to form the Michigan Responsibility Council. Who was the spokesman for that organization? None other than the Dark Money Daddy Steve Linder, who was immortalized as Dr. Evil on the side of mobile billboards parked in front of the Lansing state capitol. Linder has since been exposed as arguably the seediest and most unethical lobbyist in Lansing history. The Michigan Caregivers Association, EverGreen Management, and other affiliated organizations have been undeniably proven to be on the right side of history.

We have been in the trenches fighting to connect these dots and expose the bad actors for many years. We have been shining sunlight on these bastards who thought they could strut into the marijuana industry and take over. These lowlifes promoted prohibition for decades, throwing cannabis users and growers into cages, and then came running when they realized they could make a buck. These sons of bitches thought they could make a fool of those of us in the industry who faced risk and cost to grow cannabis into a powerhouse. They thought wrong.

Our tactics have repeatedly been vindicated in the cannabis community of Michigan. Our reputation and credibility are second to none. Yes, we have ruffled feathers. Yes, we have been combative. But it has all been very necessary. Because the fight has never been about the plant. It has never been about cannabis. It’s always been about money. It’s been about control. It’s been about using government power to cannibalize and devastate another industry. We made it about these players, we made their asses famous, and now several of them are looking at major jail sentences.

The names of the groups have changed but the battle has remained the same. Back then, we were fighting front groups like the Michigan Cannabis Development Association and the Michigan Responsibility Council. They were enacted to monopolize the cannabis industry. They failed during their efforts in 2015. When these same interests reformed under the name “Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association,” they failed and we beat them once again as that entity is now completely defunct.

Now, it appears that the entire system is coming crashing down.

It is great to see the FBI doing their jobs, as we always support law enforcement when they are defending the rights of the people. But they must go the extra mile. It is more than these handful of cretins that deserve to go down in a ball of flames. There are many other individuals who deserve to meet the same fate. Check out our press releases to see exactly who these people are.

There are credible allegations against Terrence Mansour, who is the bitch of Platinum Vapes, engaging in bribery to help his cannabis operations and hurt his competitors in the city of Detroit. There is hooch pimp, Tom “King of Sodom” Celani who is also connected to Pierce and his illicit front to control the cannabis industry. There is former Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof who appointed Rick Johnson as chairman of the Michigan medical marijuana licensing board before three of Meekhof’s medical marijuana concerns received licenses from Johnson in an apparent quid pro quo.

You can’t forget the gangsterism in Inkster where former mayor Byron Nolen and his cohorts were involved in an extortion plot against yours truly that was caught on audio recording. The FBI should also consider going to the top of the food chain, looking at Ron Boji, who has greased over this system of corruption and attempted to enact a monopoly over the medical marijuana system for many years. Scumbag attorney Chris Aiello is another who deserves to do a perp walk for his contributions to these scandals. And when will Linder end up behind bars? That would send a message that our lawmakers in Lansing are no longer for sale. Attorney General Dana Nessel has known about these actions for quite sometime. Why hesitate? There should be no more protecting this system of institutional corruption.

There are many who deserve to be brought to justice. But what is needed more than anything is legislation that opens up caregivers product to the broader marketplace. If only there was competition and the small growers were allowed to compete, there is no way the gangsters could come in an enact their monopoly. The only way they can beat the caregivers is when the government restricts the caregivers. That is because the caregivers provide the best product. Open the marketplace to the caregivers, and the marijuana industry is immediately fixed in this state. It will be great for the consumers, the patients, the small growers, the economy, and the people. This is what our lawmakers need to do while prosecutors and federal agents crack down on public corruption.

Dark Money Daddy Steve Linder GETS FIRED By ‘Big Weed’ Lobbying Firm

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Apr 212022
 


Friends,

I have some great news that should give hope to every activist in the state who cares about freedom, liberty, democracy and accountability in government.

The Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association (MCMA), the “Big Weed” lobbying firm that is working to destroy the medical marijuana caregivers system in order to seize a monopoly, has fired Steve Linder, the dark money kingpin who had been working behind the scenes to coerce lawmakers into passing HB 5300-02.

The Michigan Caregivers Association (MCA), a group which I founded to protect the rights of the caregivers, put Linder at the forefront of the policy debate – considered a controversial move at the time. We plastered his greasy mug all over ads, billboards, and made him the focus of the debate, comparing him to Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers flicks. Our heavy-handed tactics changed the debate from being centered around Linder’s phony talking points on “patient safety” to the Big Weed takeover that was actually taking place. We made a lot of noise, and it paid off.

Rats like Linder do not like when the light is shined directly upon them. They prefer to work in the shadows and make their dirty dealings without scrutiny. It’s called “dark money” for a reason. These lowlifes want their money and influence hidden from the public. We took the battle to the public. Linder cracked under the pressure. He made a fool of himself repeatedly. Lawmakers no longer wanted to be associated with him. His legacy is permanently tarnished as a result of our due diligence. The age of gangsters like Linder controlling the legislature are coming to an end.

The Michigan Caregivers Association claims the proverbial scalp of Linder. This is just the beginning. This is not an aberration. We are growing rapidly and building the infrastructure to expose the bad guys like never before. We put all other Linder wannabes on notice: You will be next. You will be pissed out of Lansing in disgrace just like Linder. You will be exposed, you will be righteously vilified, the public will view you as the pariah that you are, and then your Big Money backers will toss you out unceremoniously like a used condom from a strip club backroom session with Matt Hall, Lee Chatfield and taxpayer-funded escorts. 

We know that the MCMA and the wannabe cannabis monopolists are not throwing in the towel just because Linder is history. They will continue to agitate against small home growers, medicine providers, cancer patients, small business owners, and others who stand in the way of swelling their bottom line. MCMA board chair Shelly Edgerton is expected to take a more substantial role in the organization after Linder’s ouster. Edgerton, while certainly a less odious and grotesque figure than Linder, has the same establishment Republican and Lansing bureaucratic ties as Linder and is pushing for the same agenda. She wants to crush the little guy and pave the way for a monopoly. She will be thwarted as well.

It has been proven that the current testing regime is a joke and potentially-contaminated weed will always make its way on the shelves when the big players want to make profits. State regulators have focused on restricting caregiver product, and this has caused tremendous damage to the cannabis industry in Michigan already. Now, tons of inferior product are being flooded onto the streets, including contaminated flower, and the industry is in shambles. If this continues, the compassionate caregiver system that produces life-saving medicine for thousands of patients across the state will be crushed forever. This is economic terrorism by the corporate machine. It will not be tolerated. 

The Michigan Caregivers Association will enjoy this victory and this momentum we have built, but we will not take our success for granted. We know this is a never-ending fight to sustain our freedoms. If we take our eyes off the ball, that will allow the MCMA and their new henchwoman, Edgerton, to come closer to achieving their marijuana monopoly. Cannabis cannot become corporatized and corrupt like every other industry. This is the final frontier where the little guy can thrive in a free and fair market based on their ability to grow the best product. We demand a broad and shared prosperity. Nothing else is acceptable.

Be on the lookout for legislation that is in the works in Lansing that will prevent municipalities from adopting ready-made ordinances created by the MCMA and their cronies to destroy the caregivers at the local level, now that their monopoly bills have stalled in Lansing. We are going on the offense and beginning to roll out our Caregivers’ Bill of Rights that will give additional opportunities for superior caregiver product to be enjoyed by Michigan residents. Cannabis is now an unstoppable powerhouse, the nation’s #1 cash crop, and the individuals who put their lives on the line to create this essential industry ought to reap the full rewards of their blood, sweat and tears.

Keep fighting!

Your friend,

George Brikho

Please consider donating to the cause here.

SURPRISE: Crooked Scumbag Steve Linder is at Center of Dark Money Whistleblower Probe

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Feb 032022
 

This week, a whistleblower has come out and revealed a wicked pay-to-play bribery scheme that has turned Lansing into the most corrupt state Capitol in the nation.

Matt Marsden, a long-time GOP operative in Lansing, blew the whistle on the insanely corrupt practices that are being perpetrated in the state Capitol. Turns out the den of vipers is just as dirty as we thought.

Marsden pointed to Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and former House Speaker Lee Chatfield, who now stands accused of committing incestual pedophilia over the course of many years, as two particularly guilty and shameful figures who abuse dark money rules and have made a complete mockery of the law.

“Over my time in Lansing, I began to watch the 501(c)(4)s begin to morph into something that was a little less above board,” Marsden told 7 Action News.

“If you’re a 33-year-old or 34-year-old person elected to office and you hire a consultant that tells you ‘Don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it. It’s fine. Everybody has done it before you. This is just the way it works,’” Marsden said. “That’s not the way Lansing works. That’s not the way Lansing used to work.”

Marsden pointed to one particularly crooked non-profit group, the Michigan Jobs and Labor Foundation, as leading the way toward extreme corruption taking root in Lansing. They raked in $2.8 million in dark money contributions between 2011 and 2015, money that was likely used as a slush fund for corrupt lawmakers who serve Satan.

Who was the President of the Michigan Jobs and Labor Foundation while all this dark money was being thrown around? None other than Dr. Evil himself, Steve Linder.

“What I think began to happen with the (non-profits) is they began to be used for more personal use than they were for messaging use,” Marsden said. “Trips, rental cars, drivers, bar tabs. You name it.”

“You can’t show a $700 dinner out bar tab on your campaign finance report,” Marsden said, “because someone like me who does opposition research would love to see that.”

As someone who runs a legitimate nonprofit, it is disgusting how vultures like Linder exploit the rules in order to operate political slush funds. Nonprofits are meant to stand for social justice causes, for the common good, for the betterment of society. This is exactly what the Michigan Caregivers Association is all about. We stand for the caregivers, the patients, the medical marijuana patients, against the corporate monopolists out to destroy the compassionate industry we have built with blood, sweat and tears. Every lawmaker must run from Linder in order to avoid association with this filth or have their reputation ruined in their communities permanently.

Linder continues to create new shadow fronts in order to hide his money. His latest is the Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association, which creates deceitful propaganda in order to dupe the masses into supporting his Big Money agenda. He was a fierce opponent of legalization for years, but now he and his corporate monopolist buddies are coming to swallow the whole industry up. This is what Linder and his Republican cronies do: They gangrape the American Dream each day with their despicable efforts.

Alleged womanizer and bloated alcoholic Matt Hall has pimped himself out to these same interests. Hall is considered by some to be the front-runner to be the next House Speaker. He is certainly cut from the same cloth as his predecessors. This pig is lining up at the trough. That is why he does the bidding for dark money kingpin Steve Linder to screw the caregivers. He would sell his dirty momma down the river for the brass ring so he can get access to Chatfield’s vaunted blow and hookers supply (Note: I would not surprised if the weaselly shitbag Jim Lilly was involved in these sort of perverted schemes as well).

This fight is so much bigger than just weed. This is about upending this entire crooked system and restoring power to the people. After we protect the caregivers and stop the government-granted monopoly over the cannabis industry, we will use that as a springboard to accomplish so much more. Our enemies will figure out that we are freedom fighters. We are valiant warriors for liberty. We are the heirs to our heroic revolutionary ancestors. What is coming has been long overdue to restore our nation, and this movement will be successful one way or another.

Linder is only one demonic face of this vast machine. We have forced out this weasel into the light. He likes to hide in the darkness, with his dark money, with his lies and his blackmail, and his rolodex of scum whore lobbyists. We put his ugly bald head on a billboard so the world could see who is really running the show in Lansing. This is how we defeat their system — by organizing viciously and ferociously against these villains. The powerful shall be brought to their knees, and the meek shall inherit the Earth. This is the essence of our righteous battle against Satan and his unholy minions.

Look at the truckers’ convoy in Canada. The people are ready to rise up. They are ready to throw off the shackles of this tyranny. They hate their public officials. They know they are all trash, with only very very few exceptions. Do not be discouraged. Do not surrender. We will win in the end and make examples of all these sorry bastards who have looted us. They may think they are off limits with all their rules, and their lack of accountability and transparency. But we will bring accountability and transparency, Founding Fathers’ style, with pitchforks and torches, if necessary. We are coming. Expect us. And if you are corrupt, you shall pay dearly in this life and the next.