A Mormon seminary teacher and anti-cannabis crusader David Lewis says he just wants to live in a place where he can be free of your freedoms.  He’s the Republican candidate for Rep. Margie MacDonald’s (D) house seat in Billings, HD 54.

His philosophy is simple, if not constitutional.  Lewis shared his views with the independent news magazine In These Times:

“while others are entitled to their freedoms, those who do not wish to be exposed to the freedoms of others are entitled to be free of those freedoms.”

To explain his vision, Lewis told a story about his seminary class:

Lewis asked his students at the Mormon seminary what laws they would pass if they were starting a city. One young lady said that she would outlaw cursing, says Lewis. “And a young man kind of immediately jumped on that one with both feet and said, ‘Ah, that’s against the right of free speech.’ “

But the champion of Lewis’ tale is the student who disregards the constitution in favor of Mormon doctrine:

“The point is, at the end of the class, one young lady piped up … ‘I don’t know if it’s legal or not to outlaw cursing,’ she said. ‘But I’d want to live there.’ “

So would Lewis it seems.   While voters are focused on jobs and the economy, Lewis’ sole focus is a single issue: the evils of medical marijuana.  It’s the only issue he’s spoken about at the Billings City Council, where he was the most vocal proponent of a ban on medical marijuana storefronts.

Lewis best known as the treasurer of “Safe Communities Safe Kids,” the recently-formed Billings group that decided the only aspect of safety it need focus on was medical marijuana, which Lewis describes as a “rope-a-dope” conspiracy to hook kids on drugs.

Speaking before the Billings City Council, Lewis said Montana is turning into “Gomorrah.” He claimed that:

“at least three medical marijuana facilities sprouting up around ‘nearly every single institution of elementary learning’ in Billings.”

Lewis says this was “intentional.”

Creating a society where he can be free from your freedoms is theme Lewis has drawn on before.  He was a vociferous participant in the comments section of a KULR-8 story on the failed signature gathering effort Lewis lead to overturn the voter-passed medical marijuana ballot initiative.  Late into the night, Lewis typed that he doesn’t want to keep ”those who want ‘Pot’ in their lives from having it.” He just wants to live “someplace where they don’t want to live because of the Laws against it,” which makes perfect sense.  Here’s the screenshot.  

In another comment on the same story, he calls on others to join his crusade and “take your place as the Creators of a Nation.”  Screenshot here.  I hope he’s not talking about seceding already.  Typically, GOP-ers find it wise to wait until they are elected to start waving that flag.