Cannabis and Castonias

[XLFD]

Back in 2012, the Ludington City Council made a medical marijuana ordinance (MMO) after the initiated law passed easily in 2008 had given those who required medical marijuana (MM) a way to get their 'medicine'.  This occurred after many long years of high-paid city officials (the LPD chief, the city manager, various city attorneys, etc.) working out the details of the MMO after many moratoriums were placed on such transactions. 

Since that time, the courts have ruled that local ordinances setting their own rules for MM are effectively meaningless and unenforceable.  The Ludington MMO itself (read the five reasons in the link) was exceptionally Draconian and in violation of state law.  Nevertheless, six of the seven city councilors passed the MMO, the only one voting against was Gary Castonia, who explained his deviation by unclearly stating that the Federal laws should supercede the state laws.  Federal rules do not allow for MM, but declare all marijuana possession as unlawful. 

Since then he has exclusively advocated for 'local control' in his votes and signed a petition to repeal Federal civil rights law, so his Federalism seems to be only on the topic of Marijuana laws.

Shortly after his 2012 vote, Castonia's grandson, Devin Castonia, was arrested by the Michigan State Police for marijuana possession as pointed out in Karma Castonia.  At the time I considered it ironic that despite his strong position on marijuana, a frequent guest to his house, was caught with non-medicinal marijuana.  I was also concerned that the house was used as a daycare facility for school-age children, and that its clients should be aware of the potential for exposure to illegal drugs.

Councilor Castonia at the next council meeting after this article appeared said: 

"When I first ran for office I knew I would be scrutinized and I'd be held accountable for any statements I made.  But the only way I can say this now is by quoting Mr. Rotta, I'm absolutely disgusted that you dragged my family, my grandson (breaks down), and my wife, and her business into this.  And I want the whole city to know how you treat people.  And the last comment I want to make is:  People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks."

Despite saying he was quoting me, which he never did, all I reported was what the other local media did, with the familial connection made to him and a caveat emptor for his daycare business.  He was disgusted and mortified not for his grandson being held accountable for his illegal acts, but for him and his business being held accountable, along with his own apparent hypocrisy being exposed and highlighted.  Councilor Castonia, if you don't know, used to be a former LPD officer who had his fair share of drug busts before his retirement; having an arrest in his immediate family is not good for his image.

Early this year, Gary Castonia's old house on Sixth Street burned down under mysterious circumstances.  His son, Tim Castonia, had an evolving story of the early morning fire's genesis and his fortune in being able to escape from what turned into a raging inferno.  Fire officials claim it was the old house's balloon construction that led to the fire spread, but they never had the fire investigated because of the structure being effectively decimated. 

But Tim Castonia had put out several suspicious Facebook posts preceding the fire by a couple of days dealing with legalizing marijuana and memes showing an acceptance of marijuana.  The quick spread of the fire and the early story out of Tim's mouth, could easily lead to some suspicions as to whether he was involved with indoor marijuana growing, which would stress the old electrical system of the house, or maybe even into processing something more potent than marijuana, a process which causes fires behaving remarkably similar to this one.    

This, of course, can only be speculative being that the officials mysteriously called off any fire investigation of this fire with a mysterious cause and effect and Tim Castonia has not been forthcoming with his habits and operations. 

But recently over this last weekend, the COLDNews and Mason County Press has reported that another of Gary Castonia's grandkids, Tre, has been caught in possession of marijuana at the tender age of 17, just like Devin was.  Unlike in Devin's case, the address he lives at is Gary Castonia's residence at 809 E Danaher which just happens to be the home to K K's Licensed Day Care.   

http://www.masoncountypress.com/2016/07/01/79th-district-court-arra...

Which also happened to be the same address at where Tre threw his open house after his graduation earlier in the month before he was caught 'in the tall grass':

While the three incidences are all tragedies in their own right, they all have a common element that should lead one to wonder what is going on in Gary "Ganja" Castonia's family, and to be rightly concerned about what their child may be exposed to if they use this homestead as a daycare.

[jfc123]

TBH almost all of us are able to be figured out who we are. No one here speaks on things that are not actual concerned citizens! I mean why not be investigated if there is nothing to be covered up? We all love transparency and the right things to be done! Don't want a DUI, don't drink and drive. Don't want to be in trouble with drugs, stay away from them! Don't want your parent/parents friend looking dumb on the internet keep you self clean, study hard and go to college!

When we decided to have children we did that with a commitment to raise them in our religion and to never give up on them and their progress in becoming productive young adults! This is what we need to concentrate on in this country gone array! Get back to family and the basics! How many dinners do you eat with your family? We do 7 days a week!

Tom Rotta needs to be on council and all of the moaners need to get out and VOTE! This is the year of the non establishment and Ludington lives matter! Go vote and disrupt the elite status quo!

[AQUAMAN]

Well said jfc, very realistic and plain common sense. Glad you guys eat together too, that is important and very good. The question seems to be in Lud. is: do you really care? Do you study the current events? Or do you believe what the Shay says? And the Media? Are locals really involved, or just distant observers? Do we want to accept the status-quo and continue to suffer? Are Tourist oriented projects MORE important than infrastructure? Are elected and appointed officials more important than the voters and taxpayers? I think Real Ludingtonians should and do care, but feel, unwanted in the local process, because, as many have said, we don't count anymore, after someone is elected/appointed to their posts. They and they ALONE now make ALL decisions, and we must ALL have to LIVE WITH IT!

[Anon]

jfc, I think it might be somewhat hypocritical of you to suggest on this forum that concerned citizens should probably not be against being investigated if there is nothing to be covered up.  Especially on a site where many here adamantly complained that 2 very outspoken long-time members of this forum were investigated for allegedly making online threats (which subsequently nothing became of.)

[AQUAMAN]

Anon, I was one of the 2 very outspoken, per se, and I am not a public nor appointed official of the city of Lud.. People in that position take on a very differing life, and are expected to be accountable as such. Btw, the investigation of Torch members was a witch hunt from the start, and to the finish. Fact of matter, at the finish, after the MC Prosecutor said there was simply no intent of real threats, the Chief of Police Barnett, and his cohort CM Shyster, took it up to the next level of an unethical and possibly slanderous public media event. Not to stop the possible threats and make a legal stand, but simply to go overboard in their narcissist attitude of insulting locals and making a mountain of news, out of a small molehill. Plus, the Shyster and Krauch, both public officials, came totally unglued and very threatening in their own behaviors, in person, and on the record for serious attacks. But, nothing was said or done about that, at least not yet so far. Legal Eagles are still waiting for future results of possible legal action into the future, into the hundreds of thousands in financial damages.

[Anon]

Sometimes the police are obligated to investigate something based the complaint. 

Thankfully, they found nothing criminal to the complaint!  That suggests to me that the police did a good job.  Don't you think?

[XLFD]

The LPD investigation suggested that there had been something criminal in those two posts when they passed the complaint onto the prosecutor office to "request charges for Edward Thompson and John Chippi for making threats on the internet and using a computer to commit a crime" -- LPD Aaron Sailor's police report p. 7 of 7.  There were no discernible threats, there was no crime.

This was a terrible job by the police, wanting five minutes alone in a room with a public official or offering a medical cure for another official's mouth on social media should never have gotten more than a simple police report to note the complaint, and the recognition by the police that it was protected speech, and only threatening if the reader interpreted it much differently than the authors intended. 

Warn those who spoke of potential civil consequences and move on.  But it turned into a political stunt, that effectively slandered two marina owners.  Have you ever seen the police call in the media to release inconsequential resolutions to inconsequential 'threats' with such fanfare? 

They called in all the local media as if it was a major release, gave them everything about it (including my interview with the police, even though I was charged with nothing) without them making a FOIA request prior to that press conference/witch-burning. 

Sadly the only media who had some concerns about the ramifications of such official-hysteria-bred witch-hunts was the radio station, WMOM.  The other two represented (the MCP and the COLDNews) let the city officials exclusively define the issue as something which it wasn't, and tacitly backed the persecution.

[Anon]

btw: I believe that all people are "expected to be accountable".

[AQUAMAN]

X, you recommended both of us tone it down that same nite too. You could probably also republish the exact later statements made by the two "expected to be accountable". There were rebuttals and retractions of the same so-called threats the same nite, and next day, on that very thread. It was there plain as day for both Shay and Barnett to read, along with Krauch. (You too Anonymous). Instead of comprehending those statements, and knowing full well the intention of any violence was totally missing, they went ahead and filed a complaint with the MC Prosecutor. Then, they were told a few days later that there was no intent and no criminal acts. Again, the LPD went overboard and abused their authority to continue to make a circus out of nothing. The LPD is wrong, and so was the publicity stunt. The public outcry also is missing and denounced by many that read the LDN/MCP articles. This all has nothing to do with the Castonia's either btw.