“I am not political,” says Tyree, whose “Helmet Catch” was the defining moment of Super Bowl XLII. “I believe there is right and wrong. I think many things are subjective, but truth is not. Marriage [between a man and woman] is the backbone of our society.”

In response to the avalanche of negative comments published about Tyree, Grandich felt compelled to come out in his defense. Grandich blogged on his internationally-followed social and economic blog Grandich.com that he supports Tyree and agrees with his conservative stance. What’s more, Grandich says, he applauds Tyree for saying what many believe and don’t have the courage to openly state.

“I stand firmly beside Trinity Financial advisory board member David Tyree in the belief that marriage is between a man and woman,” says Grandich. “He is a courageous man to say what so many others will not for fear of retribution, yet David is strong in his conviction and that comes first. I admire his passion and faith.”

Grandich went on to explain that, “What David has really said was he chooses not to go against the will of his God and that his Lord’s words must come before man’s. This is not Tyree vs. gays but a God-fearing man’s willingness to stand firm in his beliefs,” says Grandich. “I wholeheartedly agree with him.”

Grandich feels many in the media are taking cheap shots at Tyree because they don’t share the same opinion.

“This is America, where freedom of speech is not just guaranteed, but is one of the foundations upon which our country was established,” Grandich says. “Though the media is certainly free to report David’s opinions, I say shame on them for chastising him for standing up for his beliefs.”

About Trinity Financial:
Trinity Financial, Sports & Entertainment Management Company offers a variety of services for individuals and small to mid-sized businesses. Additionally, through the assistance of former New York Giants running back and two-time Super Bowl Champion Lee Rouson, Trinity co-founder, the firm offers specialized services for professional athletes and entertainers. Grandich’s daily blog, The Grandich Letter, is read online by thousands of investors at www.grandich.com . For information go to www.TrinityFSEM.com .

News Source: Peter Grandich :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

That is right: Rubin, after playing the owner of a medical marijuana club on the show Weeds, decided with his wife to open a real-life cannabis dispensary along with hundreds of other people in the City of Angels. However, Rubin continues to be arrested for it while others don’t and it could be religious discrimination, Rubin says.

“Religion is just another way dope dealers try to get around the law to make a profit. I think they are frauds and are corrupt and should be pursued by those in positions of authority,” District Attorney of Los Angeles, Steve Cooley, has been quoted as saying.

The District Attorney is actually pursuing Rubin aggressively, it seems. So much so that the family is now homeless as the City of Los Angeles seized the money Rubin’s wife had earned from her job at a law firm in the San Fernando Valley. Rubin was enjoying his day off at his wife’s store when the place was raided without a search warrant and the Rubin family once again had their life savings seized prior to a conviction.

Rubin was originally arrested for child abuse, but the judge dropped those charges. In Rubin’s Demur he provided the court with documents showing that LAPD falsified evidence against the pastor. LAPD officers claimed a young boy the pastor was caring for that day was in the cannabis shop when in actuality both the pastor and the young boy never entered the cannabis shop that day, but were arrested in Rubin’s wife’s store. Rubin is now being charged with allegedly selling one gram of marijuana to an undercover officer, Cecil Mallard, who came into his church dispensary as a qualified cannabis patient and assigned Temple 420 as his primary caregiver.

The City is once again claiming the money Rubin’s wife earned is “drug money” and therefore they have the right to take the family’s money. This is the same excuse the City used four years ago. Ever since the money was seized, within the first weeks of the seizure, the City has offered to refund a percentage of the money without a hearing, but the Rubin family has refused as the money had come from the refinancing of their house and not from drugs.

The City would prefer to settle the matter rather than take it to court, says Rubin. However the Rubin family is demanding a day in court; and right as the matter was finally about to be adjudicated, Rubin is arrested again and his life savings seized again. Rubin was initially told by City officials that his money could be held for ten to fifteen years without a trial, as the money was arrested, according the City and the money has no habeas corpus rights, “I guess money is just Federal Reserve script that can be seized at any time. The Los Angeles City and County Attorneys have decided to overrule the U.S. Constitution and are deciding which religious establishments are legal and which are not,” claims Rubin. “I think they should be thrown in jail for not respecting the U.S. Constitution and stealing people’s money like thieves.”

When Rubin says regarding the first trial, “The judge even said I could not quote from the Bible.” Rubin first opened Temple 420 in 2006 and was convicted in what can be described as a Third World “kangaroo court” where Judge Strobell prohibited Rubin from mentioning medical marijuana as well as the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. “It was shocking to me that the Constitution and Bill of Rights could be banned from a U.S. Court of Law, but the judge said mentioning them would confuse the jury as to the law,” and Rubin’s claim is supported by the record.

Rubin was convicted in that case, but says if he were allowed to show the evidence of the Officer Tracey Fields-Black allegedly perjuring herself in court, then he would have won the case. Rubin was not allowed to show the jury photos that the officer could look at while she was on the stand. She then testified to as to what she saw or didn’t see in the photo, but the photos weren’t allowed to be shown to the jury. Rubin claims if the jury saw the photos they would know she lied, but the judge prohibited it.

America has no idea how the court system works, “I just pray for a fair trial this time.” Rubin thinks he may actually get a fair trial this time because, “The world is different than it was in 2006 when I was one of the first cannabis clubs in the city. I think this is purely politically retaliation on behalf of the City Attorney’s office.” Rubin has been a vocal advocate on behalf of ending cannabis prohibition and is a regular at local meetings where he challenges the officials who work for the City Attorney’s Office and their interpretation of the law.

Rubin’s video evidence taken from his surveillance cameras was kept out of court in his first trial because Rubin didn’t qualify as a video expert according to the court. Rubin’s videos were seen for the first time on KABC who is covering the former candidate for mayor’s trial.

Video Link: (KABC-TV Los Angeles)
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7137520 .

In the video, officers can be seen in full riot gear kicking down the door of Rubin’s sanctuary and arresting the pastor at his house of worship. Rubin went to marijuana legal groups for help who refused to get involved because it was a church and to religious defense organizations like the American Center for Law and Justice that would normally defend religious people, but they refused on the grounds they didn’t want to help a “drug cult.”

Rubin teachings focus on the Ten Commandments and the testimony of Jesus Christ saying, “If it is not in the Bible I don’t teach it.” His ministry is reaching out to people who use cannabis for medical reasons. “I know people may not like what we do, but they don’t realize if they don’t stand up for us and for our right to be a religious organization than everyone’s rights are diminished.”

At the time of Rubin’s arrest Temple 420 was a California registered Religious Corporation and yet the organization was afforded none of the rights or protections of a religious establishment. In the first case it was an LAPD officer who decided they were not a “real religion.” In this instance, Rubin’s arrest of October 22, 2009; it is the City and District Attorneys who are deciding that a religious establishment is not protected under the U.S. Constitution. You may or may not agree that medical marijuana is a good thing, but in both cases Rubin was running a permitted and licensed church facility and is being singled out for prosecution because of his religious convictions.

More information: http://profiles.send2press.com/Craig_X_Rubin.shtml .

News Source: Temple 420 :: This press release was issued by Send2Press® and is Copyright © 2009 Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved.

Rubin was seen on KABC’s eyewitness news speaking out for his friend Patrick Duff leader of the Royal Temple of Zion. http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6975949 .

Rubin who founded Temple 420 nearly four years ago accuses law enforcement of capricious and selective prosecution against vocal people running these medical marijuana clubs. “Patrick Duff spoke out for me on August 6, 2009 at the PLUM (Planning and Land Use Meeting) at City Hall and now he is being punished for it.” Rubin went on, “Patrick is sincere about his faith and won’t be deterred by these illegal actions.”

After appearing on Showtime’s hit show “Weeds” as the owner of a medical marijuana club, and because of their religious conviction and being the first to portray medical marijuana on TV, Rubin and his wife felt compelled to reach out to users with the Word of God. For their efforts of helping people to know Christ they lost their life’s savings, their home and their cars, but Rubin is positive about the whole thing, “The Bible says,” the pastor is constantly quoting the Bible, “We know for certain, those that love God and are called to His purpose, that all things work for His glory.”

Law enforcement has recently taken a harsh turn and begun to enforce code violations. Last week Organica, owned by Jeff Josephs, was raided and his dog was shot. There was air support as well as 7 different law enforcement agencies acting as a joint taskforce all because Organica had not filed their taxes properly. This evening LAPD spokesmen on the scene of the arrest stated that, “The Royal Zion Temple was licensed to operate as church and they were healing people. The church should not be a place of healing.”

Three of the temple’s volunteers were arrested. One volunteer in a wheel chair was asked to leave by the police as they did not want to arrest a man in a wheel chair while four media stations were covering the event. The police said, “There was less than two pounds of marijuana at the facility.”

Duff, who ran a medical marijuana collective at his church because he believes the church is place where healing should occur, verified all patients’ doctor’s notes prior to allowing them access to medical cannabis. Rubin ran Temple 420 in a similar way, but was not allowed to mention medical marijuana at trial. Eventually, after being convicted, the probation and judge granted Rubin the right to reopen his church as the Beverly Hills Green Cross (2370 Robertson Blvd., 90034).

Rubin said, “When I applied for my permits I asked the business licensing department if I needed a hardship and they said, ‘there is no such thing as a hardship church,’ so I didn’t apply for one initially.”

Rubin went on, “After my neighbors – who run a dispensary down the street – complained about me, the building department said I had to shut down my church collective if I didn’t file for the hardship, so I filed. Then two weeks ago City Hall voted to deny my application.”

Rubin and Duff believe their rights are being violating since the RLUIPA (Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act) was created to protect just such people. The police had no search warrant when they detained people at the church, but Judge Leslie Dunn issued one at the last minute allowing the raid. Rubin jokes about L.A. being a small town, “I’ve known Jeff, whose dog was shot at the Organica raid, for nearly twenty years and I used to work for Judge Dunn’s husband at Korn/Ferry International in high school. I wish we could do what Rodney King said years ago and just get along.”

News Source: Beverly Hills Green Cross :: This press release was issued by Send2Press® and is Copyright © 2009 Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved.

The Prophet, who shares a remarkable likeness to “the King,” can be viewed in all his finery at www.velvetprophet.com – or soon, in the offices of several major Islamic organizations. The Velvet Prophet team is giving original, hand-painted Velvet Prophets to several of the groups inciting rage in Muslim communities. Gift recipients include Jamaía Islamiya, Arab European League, Muslim Council of Britain, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, Islamic Defenders Front, Islamic Circle of North America and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. These organizations, which were appalled by a few cartoons, will see for themselves that the Prophet looks much more dignified on black velvet.

*(Photo Caption: This Velvet Prophet was given to the Arab European League.)

The Velvet Prophet is also available to mere infidels. Global citizens who support freedom of expression and oppose the spread of culturally oppressive forms of Islam are hanging their very own Velvet Prophets in homes and businesses. If some true believers wish to murder us all for the sin of being human, we’ll exercise our freedom to laugh about it.

All profits from the sale of Velvet Muhammad paintings, shirts and prints go to non-profit organizations that either support free speech or work against the growth of radical Islam.

ABOUT VELVET PROPHET:

And what of the team behind Velvet Prophet? We like our heads attached to our bodies, thank you very much. Art and social commentary should not meet with threats of violence. We’ll keep painting the Velvet Prophet until this insanity ends. As Matthew Parris wrote in The Times of London, “Structures of oppression that may not be susceptible to rational debate may in the end yield to derision.” Please use media contact to receive publication-quality images.

Website: www.velvetprophet.com

NOTICE: The opinions expressed in this news release by the above organization do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this Website or its editorial staff.

News Source: Velvet Prophet People :: This press release was issued by Send2Press® and is Copyright © 2006 Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved.