State by State

One by one states will legalize marijuana, and one day the Feds will have to address this one way or another. I hope it's for full legalization, but you never know. Trust no Republicans.

Armored up

One of the more pernicious impacts of the Drug War is the militarization of police forces across the US, and now the world. Andy and Barney are gone, replace by an armored goon with a tazer and mace, to start. More Army than Local Constable.

 Dorner hunt.

Most people did not get shot during the manhunt, thankfully.

But don't worry! Our native, freedom loving militias are keeping pace!

Keep abreast of the latest in mass killing tools, techniques, and strategies! For freedom, of course.

To Serve and Protect

I must confess to being conflicted regarding the end game of the Boston Marathon bombing. First, let me make clear I harbor no confusion regarding the bombers themselves - evil deeds done for whatever reason are evil, and must be stopped/prevented. There's no gray area here. However, what has given me some pause is the police response.

First! I think the BPD and all involved agencies did a fantastic job in a difficult situation, and the same can be said for the local elected officials. That said, I've long bemoaned the militarization of the police, and you could see this militarization to clear affect during this past week:

This militarization comes from two "Wars": The so called "Drug War" and "The War on Terror". Each of which is in essence a tool for the powerful to control the powerless. The Drug War is especially pernicious, and was the genesis for the militarization of police forces across America. The WoT greatly added to this trend. And now we have both big and little cities with what are essentially armies, as police forces. In this particular example, it was beneficial, given the bombs.

And again, I've got no issue with the police actions of the past week. But this highlights the inherent contradiction.

Indeed, the police protect us from crazed individuals like these bombers, from psychopaths, from wacked out killers, from rapists, etc. It's necessary for a functioning society. On the other hand, the police also enforce the will of The Powers That Be. And so OWS protests will get smashed. Political protestors will get penned in and arrested. Random innocent folks will get their doors smashed in because the police think there's a drug dealer living there.

In a formula: "To Serve" - the Authorities. "To Protect" - the people. I'm for the latter, against the former. I'm anti-authoritarian, in all forms. Thus, my conflict.

And to end on a downer, as I'm wont, I ALWAYS find flag waving to be disconcerting. It's too tribal, and the only Tribe I belong to is "Matter in this Universe". Represent! However, it's hard to get upset with images like this:

Asian college students with an American flag posing with joyous (non-militarized) cops. Incredible. However, let us not mistake this:

As little more than college students finding a good reason to go party on the streets. It's justified in this case, no doubt, but oh-so closely related to the parties that happen after sports championships.

All that said, here's one image that fuses everything I was just trying to lay out:

A militarized police officer delivering milk to a family with kids trapped in their house during lockdown. Amazing.

I'll confess further, all this has left me confused.

Opiate of the masses

"To the master of hemp growing". Hemp of course being a very useful plant. If you were wicked good at growing it in the USSR, you got this sweet pin. Congrats, Comrade!

But alas! There is also marijuana, which is from the same plant as hemp (cannabis), but with elevated THC concentrations. Drugs, m'kay? One that's been used for thousands of years, just not widely in the "West". And so it was treated as a dangerous radical foreign(er) drug that had to be prohibited. In so attempting, the Drug War has consumed the lives of millions and made billions for industry and created deadly and wealthy gangs while also placing a large percentage of African-Americans behind bars. It's been a resounding failure unless you work for Big Prison and enjoy high incarceration rates - USA is number 1, by the way, in imprisonment as a percent of the population. Fuck yeah!

But even more alas! It appears to be breaking. Many states have legalized medical marijuana, and now Washington and Colorado have legalized recreational use - in direct conflict to Federal law. So there's gonna be some legal stuff, but the tide has turned, it matters not. Soon enough a large part of the insanity of the Drug War will be done with, and marijuana will be legal across the USA, and maybe, just maybe, this country will be a cooler place.

Also, note for future oppressors: Always better to have your subjects intoxicated, yet still able to function at labor. A sober population causes trouble.

A Right Turn in Yorba Linda

Briefly, the decline of America began under Nixon, and accelerated because of Nixon's descendents. From here on till today, each new iteration of the Republican Party gets worse. More evil. Nixon was the beginning, for who didn't like Ike?

Nixon had to resign! He was terrible, and yet his martyrdom at the hands of LIBERAL MEDIA has been the rallying cause for generations of "Conservatives" since, with many of the key players involved in all the acts to come. Dick Cheney, for instance. Roger Ailes, for another. However, America of the 1970's still had some sense left in her, and so rejected Ronnie for Jimmie Carter and sweaters and solar panels on the White House.

Yay Jimmy Carter! But alas, for Jimmy, and us all, the monster had been woken, and took power in part because of a total rat bastard deal with the Iranian Mullahs. Hail Saint Ronnie!

Thanks to relentless right wing propaganda, you may remember Ronnie as a kind hearted, awesome President who saved the world from evil. However, the truth was, and is, he was a puppet for far darker forces which effectively ruled in his stead once he began suffering from severe dementia circa 1985. It was this so called Reagan Revolution that loosed the Wing Nut Id on America and the world, and think of the damage this has caused - and will cause in the years to come. Millions of dead Middle Easterners, just for starters. Millions of Americans in prison. Plenty of straight up treason too in the Reagan Administration, ably covered up by:

Bush Senior, and for that he'll be remembered poorly. But alas, in retrospect, compared to the utter loons now dominating the Republican landscape, Bush the Elder was a moderate, sane man who I do believe genuinely wanted to do good by the country and the world. For example, I think he handled the fall of the USSR smoothly - a situation that was extremely dangerous. But being a moderate elite technocrat was also now dangerous in the Republican Party, so Bush Sr lost to Bill Clinton

A fine President in many respects, yet because of his human failings, and the explosion of the First Wingularity, he played defense for most of his two terms, which translated to enacting highly pro-corporate policies, which led directly to the economic collapse of 2008, and now have placed America firmly in the grip of ruthless tycoons who will bleed this country dry for their own betterment. So, mixed bag really with Slick Willie. He was perhaps the funnest President though, by far.

And you know all about W., I hope, by now. And so here we are in 2013, with the fires of mass insanity burning brightly in about 27 - 40% of the population, and we have the best President of my lifetime trying to control them. Good luck Barack, you'll need it!

The coolest President.

Bonus Nixon pic:

What is it good for (except for billions of dollars)?

Amen, man. And truly, for sooth! Because of the "Drug War", America has the highest prison population percentage wise in the world. On par with the heights of Stalinist USSR - no joke. It's insane what has happened to our country because of the "Drug War" and it's fucking HIGH TIME it ended. And ending it is - thank you Washington and Colorado! You've broken the damn that will break this foolish war. Until then, bravo to all the medical marijuana states - 16 or so since last count, gaining numbers every year. It's time to stop fighting a war on something that grows in the ground.

Like carrots, man. Like jasmine and thyme and little anaheim peppers. If only carrots were bullets, and bombs broccoli. This green earth would be that much greener.

A gift of war

One of St. Ronnie's gifts to the world was the War on Drugs, which has taken hundreds of thousands lives and ruined so many more, all in the name of attempting to quash human nature. And build up a police state.

That so many rot in jail right now over plants, and the selling and consumption of plants, is madness. And yet, it's the law of the land. For now - times seem to be changing, with medical marijuana laws all over the place and outright possession or consumption quasi-legal in a few others.  A bit of sanity creeps slowly back into the public sphere.

For prohibitions do not work, and never have, and never will. Human nature will not allow it. And any law that goes against human nature will reap untold pain and suffering for everyone.

Legalize it, man, and focus instead on rehabilitation of addicts, and enforcing laws regarding drug/alcohol influenced behavior. Let people police themselves and only when they cannot should the State get involved.

Coca Cola is OK (Drugs are bad)

Do you REALIZE the street value of this mountain?!

No, but seriously, drugs are bad, m'kay?

Marijuanadeen

Since it's time to end all America's "Wars" on ideas, let's say we declare victory in the War on Drugs and bring our boys home. How many more doors need to be kicked in before we, as a country (land of the free, home of the brave dontchya know?!) say, enough?

The War on Drugs has caused fare more perversions of our country, and hence the world, than the War on Terror - but give it time! Like with any prohibitions, otherwise "good" people get locked up (and twisted), and criminals grow ever bolder competing over all that Black Market money. The police get more extreme in response and the cycle goes on and on and on, until, that is, we as a people say "Enough".

Won't you? Not yet?

Every Cigar Has Its Season

For freedom, man.

I think this is Meta enough.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Policeman

Does this look like a guy there to help you? Or, is he there because our entire society is under attack - we're at WAR! - and you should be very afraid? Do you think he feels friendly and helpful, or paranoid and defensive? What do you think dressing up in black Stormtrooper gear does for your mindset?

I'll tell you what it does: It makes it easy to taser ANYONE who does not immediately comply with whatever it is you're demanding they do.

If you'd like to get some chills about the state of our society, read up on police use of tazers in America - just cover the last couple of years. You'll get the full flavor of what it means to live "in the home of the free, land of the brave".

Ha!

Caught in the gears

In Tijuana recently there was a massive pot bust that netted around 140 tons of marijuana, some of it shown above. They burned it all, in order to "prove" to the drug cartels how serious they are about stopping this evil scourge:

The local cartel said their response would be swift. Indeed - a few days later, 11 people were killed in a drug rehab clinic (ironically tragic, eh?), and then 15 more at a local car wash. I linked to a site in the previous post with some images from this drug war. Here's one of the tamer ones:

 Those are the body parts of 4 people. And at least in Mexico, this is what really takes this drug war to another level - the sheer depravity of the violence. There are beheadings, indiscriminate mass murders, shootings at schools and hospitals... it's completely out of control. And for what?

1. Because the profits to be made in America are so great, these cartels are willing to go to great lengths to protect their business interests. When a commodity is illegal and you cannot rely on contracts or legal remedies, violence becomes the language of business. This in fact is what society is supposed to do - substitute orderly proceedings to remedy conflicts that would result in violence. Hence my assertion that the Drug War is actually ripping at the foundations of our societies.
2. To stop these people:

 Hippies and fellow travelers. This pic is from a 420 celebration in Colorado this past April. That's all pot smoke.

When one of the main political parties in America deals in fear, then you can see how beneficial the Drug War can be to them - another avenue in which to scare people. And to make a profit.

You have rich people on both sides profiting, and as always, it's the little people in the middle who pay all the costs. In many cases, this cost is their lives.

And there's no winning in sight. The only way to win is not to fight. And perhaps we're almost there...

A monkey on all our backs

We all have a monkey on our back that has served to seriously degrade the entire world over the last 30 years. And that is the so called "War on Drugs". The very concept is ludicrous, and there's mountains of data to show that prohibition does not work, but in fact only serves to enrich criminal organizations, and, as a consequence, police forces.

I have been following politics very closely, as always, but it's too depressing to talk about (TEABAGGIN' INSANITY!), but there is one issue that is of vital importance, and that's Proposition 19 in California, which is a full marijuana legalization bill. If passed, it would be legal to grow your own marijuana, and/or buy it from licensed stores. In California, of course, for now.

You may smoke, you may not, but this is not really about smoking. It's about logic, and personal responsibility, and addressing the insanity that is our current criminal system.

30-40% of all people in jail right now are there because of drug crimes, and that's just the overall prison population. Incarceration rates for minorities are off the charts. Once convicted of a felony in the US, your productive life is basically over, as there are whole swathes of jobs, and rights, that are no longer open to you. In essence, your life can be destroyed because you sold a plant to a willing customer.

Is that worthwhile? Should America - The Land of The Free - have the highest stated percent of people in prison in the Western world, all in the name of a "War" that cannot possibly be won, and in fact is highly corrosive to the foundations of our society? Look at what's become of police forces in the last 30 years - they've become militarized. They can seize all of your assets if you are convicted of a drug crime, leading to the heavy incentive of proactively busting people for no reason other than you need revenue. Think of the foolish young people who's entire lives are ruined because of one indiscretion. On and on.

And it's not just the USA. Because of our 800lb gorilla status, what happens in the US greatly influences other countries. Mexico is being ripped apart right now because of OUR drug war. Columbia is completely militarized, with our assistance. All in the name of stopping willing people from consuming an easily grown plant. Here's a link to a site with pictures from the Drug War in Mexico - beware, though, as some of the photos are very graphic.

The clear solution to any drug problem is to treat it as a medical issue - like with alcohol. And of course to hold people responsible for their actions while under the influence, like with alcohol. 

But we're almost free. IF California votes to legalize, they will have broken the dam in the Drug War. Other states will surely follow, eventually forcing the Feds to address their policies. And while it's just for marijuana, which alone would have a huge impact in reducing the nihilistic destruction of the Drug War, it would no doubt also usher in a change in mindset which would allow for discussions to begin about legalizing other drugs.

If you value freedom, and personal responsibility, it should be incumbent upon you to support this initiative, regardless of your own use or non-use of marijuana. And once it passes, and the doomsayers are proven wrong (again), we can begin addressing real drug abuse issue the only way they can be addressed: As a medical issue handled between a patient and a doctor, not a prisoner and warden. Take it from this monkey if you don't believe me:

All better! Go CA!

Cool Dog Low Ridin'

Fret not: Cool Dog will find your missing Dave, man.

Yo, where the nuns at?

One wonders - I wonder - where the nuns are during this terrible child rape scandal within the Catholic Church that I would assume has gone on for generations if not for centuries (shudder to think of all the lives twisted within this foul network of perversion and denial). I would hope they are horrified, but have they tried to stop it? Report offending priests? Protect the children in any way? Probably, but given the towering patriarchy of the Church, it is likely any isolated resistance was easily dismissed or crushed. For a glimmer into the patriarchal, Catholic mind, consider this quote from Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak, member of the DC based "The Family":

"When I’m drafting right-to-life language, I don’t call up the nuns," Stupak told Fox News. Instead he said he consulted "leading bishops, Focus on the Family, and the National Right to Life Committee." 

 Got it? Rightwing political Catholic groups set the policy, nuns can go take a leap.


Anyways, I could never support any major religion, but! If one were to emerge from a nun rebellion, I might be able to lend it tacit support. At the most.

Also:

In other seismic news

D

Despite a recent bout of pessimism, it's hard to deny that in fact, the ground is shifting beneath our feet, and these seismic shifts might be part of the underlying Teabagger pathology - their closed worlds are getting all shook up, and it scares them, thus they lash out. It's understandable. Not good, but still.

Anyways, right under our noses, so to speak, it seems like the Drug War is being ramped down, piece by piece. This is an actual advertisement from a CA newspaper, for a completely legitimate service. There are many more ads like this. It's no big deal, of course, except it's a huge deal if it undermines the drug war.

Because make no mistake, like most everything else in our world, the Drug War is not about drugs, or about people getting messed up on them. Rather, it's about control, and control is always about power, and as far as I can tell, everything is about power.

The Drug War has allowed the US government unprecedented abilities to roll back many personal freedoms we as citizens once had. It also gives the US government another wedge to control other governments - for instance, do you have any idea how deeply intertwined the US and Columbian governments are? Did you know the US military has been in Columbia for a long time, on a near war-footing? Essentially, after the end of the Cold War, the Powers that Be needed another "hook" in order to control people and money. Thankfully! They found the Drug War and later, the so called "War on Terror"  nicely fit the bill.

Well, like with so much else, Obama is here, and things are changing. For the best, I think, though there's gonna be a lot of growing pains in the meanwhile.

Drug Free!

Odds are, your Xmas will be more comfortable than theirs.

Only a matter of time

Maine got a lot of grief this last week, due to voting down Gay Marriage. But don't blame Maine -- what other civil rights question would you like to put to voters and see if they reject it? Women voting? African American civil rights? Legal Immigration? Point is, civil rights shouldn't be up for a vote. They should be Rights.

Anyways! Two great things did come out of the election in Maine last week: A voting down of anti-tax program which is a darling to the Sophisticated Teabagging set (read: Grover Norquist), and, best of all, legalization of state approved marijuana dispensaries. Maine now has the most liberal marijuana laws in the land, bypassing California with this latest act. It's a huge deal - it allows folks to sell medical marijuana from stores, all licensed by the state. It also expands the list of conditions covered, and protects against discrimination due to the activity. It's not complete legalization of course, but it's getting closer.

And this is the point: The War on Drugs has been as damaging and destructive - more so probably - than any other "war" in America's history. I don't say that lightly. It's put countless hundreds of thousands (millions?) of people in jail, around the world, spread violence and death wherever enforcement goes, enslaved millions more to suffer the pains of addiction with little legal option, but most of all, it has corrupted our laws, our police, our governments, and in turn much of the rest of the world. Have you seen your typical cop these days? He's closer to a Stormtrooper than Andy Griffith. 

We've lost our freedoms and part of the very idea of what it is to be American, all to deny someone else the freedom to get high, or whatever. It's the worst strain of Puritan meddling, and it has no place in what is supposed to be the land of the free. And to be clear: It's not about the drugs. It's about the principle of whether you should be free to do what you want as long as it harms no one else.

Are you?