As documented by Atlantic Monthly correspondent Eric Schlosser, Randall Todd Cunningham was arrested in 1997 for helping transport 400 pounds of marijuana from coast to coast. A few months earlier, California passed Proposition 215 allowing medical use of marijuana.

Although he admitted that he was part of a commercial smuggling operation that distributed more than 30,000 pounds of nonmedical pot, Cunningham was able to avoid a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Instead he was sentenced to only 2 1/2 years in prison. His sentence might have been shorter, but he tested positive for cocaine three times while out on bail.

His father, U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Escondido, tearfully pleaded for mercy at his son's trial. "My son has a good heart," he said.

Don't people like Angel Raich and Diane Monson also have good hearts? They are the two medical marijuana patients at the center of this week's Supreme Court ruling affirming the powers of Congress to regulate the drug.

Todd Cunningham is in good company. He is a child of privilege. Like the children of former Secretary of State James Baker and conservative Congressman Dan Burton, R-Ind. —— both of whom were arrested for violating federal marijuana laws —— they had an advocate in the federal government to shelter them from our nation's severe drug laws.

Medical marijuana users don't have such advocates —— at least not here in North County. Last year both Reps. Cunningham and Issa voted against the Farr-Rohrabacher amendment that would have ended funding for federal prosecution of medical marijuana patients.

In 2004, the North County Times reported that among Congressman Issa's numerous taxpayer-funded trips was a jaunt to Ukraine to observe the upcoming elections. The article notes that Issa defended such trips as important learning opportunities.

Issa was accompanied on that trip by other members of Congress, including Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y. One can only hope that while he was expanding his knowledge of Ukrainian voting, Issa was also learning something about compassion from Rep. Hinchey.

Hinchey is now co-sponsoring an amendment along with a true compassionate conservative, Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. Like Rohrabacher's previous attempts to amend the law, the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment would eliminate funding for federal prosecution of medical marijuana patients.

It is likely that this amendment will be debated next week, and now that the Supreme Court has put the ball squarely in Congress' court, it is more critical than ever that our representatives act to protect their sick and dying constituents who have chosen to seek relief through a nontoxic, medicinal herb as sanctioned by state laws.

While they obsessed wildly over Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, there seems to be little interest in this Congress to follow their hearts when it comes to helping medical marijuana users. Strange indeed, considering that polls indicate an overwhelming majority of Americans support allowing the use of medicinal marijuana.

If Issa and Cunningham vote against their most vulnerable constituents again, we will all be left wondering exactly who are they protecting?

John Webster is a Vista-based graphic artist who regularly contributes political cartoons to this newspaper.