Friday, January 21, 2005

a message from the comments I've been getting some great comments from readers, so I thought I'd let some of them serve as a post tonight... Terry Nall responded to How do they come up with this stuff where I talked about the message sent to children by our politicians. Message to our children: It is normal for U.S. citizens to be under the direct control and supervision of police officers, at school, in public, and in their homes. It is normal for the government to have complete authority over your body and over every aspect of your private life. It is normal for the government to have policies that are in direct contradiction to the will of the people. It is normal for the government to enforce its policies through direct physical violence and brutality. It is normal for the government to silence dissent. It is normal to be afraid. As a follow-up to An important event in Champaign, Illinois on February 18-20, which included a strongly worded statement by civil rights leaders against the drug war, Kaptinemo (a regular visitor) said... I've long held that the minority leadership of this country were acting like the pledges in "Animal House" ("Thank you sir! May I have another?") when it came to the War on Drugs. It's demonstrable from historical documents that the War on Drugs was never concerned with public health, only public order...as defined by those in power at the time of its' inception. And maintaining public order to them required a more politically correct means of oppressing minorities than outright KKK lynchings. Drugs proved a very handy tool in that regard. The success of this tool can be gauged, not by the effects of failed drug interdiction on society (which, I reiterate, was not the original concern but the window dressing used to 'sell' it) but by the size and racial composition of the prisoners in our penitentiaries who were put there because of the laws. Contrary to what most drug law reformer's statements indicate, the DrugWar has performed exactly as it was expected to, and is a resounding succcess. The question is whether those who are most affected by this 'success' continue to allow the predations inherent in it to continue against them. disgusted vet pointed out why this piece is satire, with some insightful points that don't get brought up enough: This is part of a LTE I sent some time ago and is, I believe, what the "Santa Barbara Satirist" wanted to arouse in the reader: An estimated 90 million Americans have at least tried marijuana over the last 35 years or so, and many of them continue to enjoy pot on a regular, irregular, or casual basis. WHERE ARE THE CASUALTIES? Where are the birth defects? Where are the male breasts? Where are the fried-egg brains? Where are the amputated limbs from "circulation problems"? Where are the shuffling legions of demotivated pot-slaves? Where are the pitiful addicts, searching for roaches in the gutter, or slumped in doorways? Where is the spike in lung, and other, cancers? Where are the armies of the memoryless, the unemployable, the lost? Maybe we should be asking more questions like these. Thanks, readers! 7:15:37 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Really stupid legislator tricks How do they come up with this stuff? Columbia, Missouri: Republican State Sen.  Chuck Gross proposed legislation Wednesday that would prohibit public schools from holding athletic tournaments in Columbia. Gross' proposal comes in response to two measures the city's voters approved in November.  One makes marijuana arrests the lowest priority of city law enforcement, and the other allows marijuana to be used in the city for medical reasons. The legislation proposed by Gross would bar schools that receive state money from participating in "sporting events or athletic tournaments" in cities with marijuana laws similar to Columbia's. I keep hearing talk about what "message we're sending to the children." Well, if the children have half a brain, the message is loud and clear: It's politicians who need to be locked up! Of course, every legislature gets a ton of these silly season bills every year. Hopefully, this one won't be given any serious consideration. 1:45:19 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []