Quick question for those who are saying how great teachers pay is and how little they actually have to do any work....What's holding you back from being a teacher? It sounds like a dream job, so why aren't your pursuing it? There has to be some sort of drawback that keeps ya'll out of the classroom. Would ya'll mind sharing the cons of the profession that keeps you away?
 

05/02/06

My first & only interaction with Tony Snow occurred in the early/mid-90's. The GOP had just taken the House, and dittoheads everywhere were partying like never before.

Tony Snow was sitting in for Rush Limbaugh. He had given a challenge out over the airwaves. Mr. Snow wanted to hear from people who were unhappy with the GOP. He said many people labeled Republicans as "hypocrites", but no one could actually defend that charge. He said that while he was always happy to hear praise & support, on this particular day he wanted to hear from those who had issue with the GOP and he, Tony Snow, was gonna set 'em straight. He asked all the supporters to clear the lines, so there would room for any one who wanted to voice a complaint.

Needless to say, I picked up his gauntlet. I dialed and quickly got through. I told Mr. Snerdley that I am unhappy with some of the hypocrisy I saw in their party. He chuckled and asked me to hold. While on hold, I heard Mr. Snow state that he had someone waiting on the line, and that all the listeners should stay tuned so they can learn how to deal with those who dare to label the GOP as hypocrites & liars!

I was put on the air - we exchanged greetings. He then asked me what about the GOP I thought was hypocritical. I stated that I understand that the GOP is supposed to be about smaller gov't and less waste. He agreed with me on that. I said that the GOP was supposed to be in favor of State Rights, with less power to the Federal Gov't. I then went on to say how the GOP is supposed to be against throwing more money at big gov't programs that have never been proven to work. He asked me of that was a bad thing..."Should we continue to throw $$$ at something if it's never been shown to actually work?" he asked me.

"Of course not", I replied...and I then went on to ask Why does the GOP continue to support this War on Drugs when it's never actually been shown to be effective? We keep spending more&more $$$ on this failed program, and drug usage continues to rise. I then stated that the GOP are wrong for supporting this War on Drugs, and are hypocrites for not allowing the States to decide on the issue of medical-marijuana.

He stammered for a lil' bit, said something about "No one wants to see drugs legalized" and hung up on me in order to take a call from a fellow-dittohead. No explainations. No discussion. He pulled a quick cut&run.

Tony Snow issued a challenge for people to debate/discuss the issues of the day with him, and when that challenge was actually taken up he punked out. He's a perfect fit for this White House.

04/20/06

We have had 5 different Presidents since the energy crisis of the 1970s. If only one of them had the wisdom that the leadership of Brazil showed, then we wouldn't be in this mess right now...

Sugar cane won't grow here, but hemp sure will. In fact, it'll grow like a weed. A couple crops a year can be had right here in Wisconsin.

I wish we had a leader that was brave enough to stand up to the Religious Right and re-legalize this plant. We could bring our troops home from the MidEast while the farmers of the MidWest grew the fuel we needed.

We keep being told that we lack the technology to do this, yet Brazil is making it happen. We're already 30 years behind....how much longer do we have to wait before we get started?
 

04/08/06

Mr. Troberman sums it up with this statement: "It sounds like Nazi Germany when they were removing the gold teeth from the bodies, but at least then they waited until they were dead."

It should be pointed out that these two men have not been convicted of a crime yet, but rather were merely being held on charges when the marshals, under orders from a secret/sealed warrant, were taking them to the dentist to have the gold removed from their teeth.

Reading this story gave me a really creepy feeling...I got an extra shiver when I realized that there will be many who will just shrug it off as no big deal

03/28/06

As long as there is a War against Drugs, I'm gonna be against putting troops on the borders.

Call me selfish if ya wanna, but I pay too much for the herb already....and this immigration issue seems to be a lot of fluff to me anyways. I can't see what the big deal is all about....I think it's just something O'Reilly can beat his bassdrum over until the next blond girl goes missing in Aruba.

03/23/06

Libertarians ain't Republicans anymore than Greens are Democrats.

Too many people are so caught-up in the idea of a 2-party system, they just can't think outside that box. They just can't wrap their mind around the idea that some people are looking for answers elsewhere. In their viewpoint, the world is an "either/or" type of place....everything is black or white....heads or tails...this or that....with no other options to be considered. They simply can't grok the concept that there may be something else out there. So they resort to slapping labels on other people that don't quite fit, and the discussions become nothing more than just another shout-fest between Hannity and whats-his-name.....

03/17/06

While Homeland Security is spending their time hassling people over bumperstickers & teeshirts, ya know what they aren't doing?

Protecting our airports.

If all this crap was happening in a movie, I would walk out of the theatre...'cause it's too far from reality to be able to beleive...

03/10/06

Here is a political party with a platform I could mostly agree with. And I think I could compromise on the one part I do disagree with.

God supports this party. So should you

03/12/06

Watching this video, it seems that the US troops could be quite busy for years to come.

The video also says a lot about how we view the rest of the world, and how little most people actually know about it.

03/03/06

What is a "special event of national significance"?

Sen. Arlen Specter is introducing a bill called "Secret Service Authorization and Technical Modification Act of 2005" which basically says that during a "special even if national significance" it's illegal to protest. You can even be locked up if they think you might protest. The bill also creates a new federal police force called the "United States Secret Service Uniformed Division" to help ensure enforcement of this new law. Click here for more details and thoughts...

02/25/06

Did you know that if you enter any federal property, it's illegal for you to have any sort of bumperstickers, signs, pamphlets, handbills or flyers attached to your own personal vehicle? At least that is what Homeland Security is saying to one War Veteran...

02/22/06

From the middle of Oct until just last week I worked with two different companies (through a Temp agency...one an inbound call center for CMS, and another doing data entry for a local insurance company) on this Medicare Part D program, and its obvious that a lot of people have been hurt.

There was a good reason why "suicide prevention" was included in our Call Center training, 'cause the hoops these elderly people have to jump through is enough to make anyone want to slit their wrists. We were supposed to be informative and helpful, but important parts of the program (like the "doughnut hole") we were forbidden from even mentioning, let alone explaining. At least once a day I would have a caller say "Screw it! I just won't take my meds anymore!" before hanging up. After telling a caller that she should talk to her doctor (who she hadn't seen for over two years) before taking anymore of her Vioxx, I was warned that I could be terminated for saying that. It was all a joke, but without the laughs.

The insurance company was better organized, but they were totally overwhelmed by the response. We were still processing applications in Feb that were received in Dec.

This program is a huge mistake and a big rip-off.

02/20/06

If healthcare gets anymore socialized, people will start calling out to ban Big Macs, bubblegum, and ballet dancing...and many-many other things.

While I don't personally agree with all of those activities/substances, I sure don't want to see them made illegal...which is why I'm against a national healthcare plan.

02/20/06

Asking if the 2nd amendment applies to machine guns & handguns is like asking if the 1st amendment applies to the Internet & Cable TV.

Just 'cause something wasn't around when the Founding Fathers wrote the Bill o' Rights doesn't automatically make it exempt

02/17/06

Every day that goes by without the WMDs being found is another day closer to an attack on American soil. The BushAdmin has now had several years to accompish their mission of finding those dangerous WMD, but they still keep up empty handed. Even tho we have controlled the region for quite a while now, we have yet to find anything.

Is it just gross incompentance on the part of TeamBush or were the earlier intelligence reports incorrect? It's got to be one or the other...so which is it?

02/02/06

Why do so many people think that when our Founding Fathers were putting together the rights of the citizens they decided they needed to make sure that the Army had the right to bear arms, and thus added the 2cd Ammendment? *shakes head*

01/28/06

I'm tired of hearing people complain that they don't have a "choice" when it comes to educating their children. That's hogwash! They can move into a district that has the public school they desire, they can send their child to a private school, they can homeschool. Plenty of choices, and anyone who says otherwise is just trying to divert public funding into the private sector.

Public School is a form of welfare. It's a safety net for those who can not afford private schooling and/or lack the personal motivation to homeschool. I am glad we have public schools available for those who need 'em and will support them, but I hope I never have to rely on a public school for my children's education.

01/06/06

I never smoke weed. Anyone who has ever worked on a lawn crew for at least one summer is aware that a weed is nothing more than an undesirible plant. Trust me on this one: anything I'm smoking is because it is desired.

01/07/06

If we really want to "protect marriage", then people would go to jail if they got a divorce. At the very least, divorced people should not be allowed to re-marry.

From what I understand, the ProDivorce crowd wouldn't allow that sort of language in the "Marriage Amendment". That tells me that this has little to do with protecting marriage

01/03/06

Stop charging for a State ID, and I might be talked into supporting VoterID. And none of this "Only the poor get the ID for free" either. Just because I can afford to pay a PollTax doesn't mean I should have to.

If people are charged for anything related to the process of getting an ID that is required to vote, then it's a poll tax and shouldn't be allowed

12/31/05

Is there a War against Christmas?

A "war" requires an organized & on-going effort. I have a hard time beleiving that there are people communicating and meeting in order to plot different ways to convince retailers to not say "Merry Christmas".

It seems to me that what's actually going on is that Jesus isn't nearly as popular as Santa is. O'Reilly&crew can't admit to themselves that their personal religious beleifs are losing popularity in our country, and have instead convinced themselves that this is the result of an organized siege.

It's not a war. It's a natural progession. As more&more people turn away from Christianity, it stands to reason that more&more people would focus on the secular aspects of the holiday rather than the religious.

Try and think of it as "the free market at work" :)

12/30/05

The White House knew over a year ago that there was a leak regarding their domestic spying program, yet the investagation is just now being opened. With the security of our nation in danger, why did they drag their feet?

People are assuming that these warrentless-wiretaps involved terrorists.

Since there was no oversight (by a court), we really don't know if they were listening to terrorists plot plans or if they were listening to business rivals discuss corporate information. We just have to take Bush's word, and only Bush's word, that it was all on the up&up.

Seeing how the court is pretty much a rubberstamp for the admin, one has to wonder why they didn't seek court approval for these particuler wiretaps.

What is the WhiteHouse trying to hide?
 

12/29/05

When Jesus told us we should turn the other cheek, I don't think he meant for you tell them to kiss your ass.

Think about it for a second....What Would Jesus Do if someone told him "Happy Holidays"? Do you really think he'd get as angry and bitter as you are about it? Or do you think he'd smile back and return a kind greeting?

12/28/05

I used to say "Merry Christmas" all the time but some non-christians didn't care for that. Then I started saying "Happy Holidays", but some (so-called) Christians take offense at that greeting. So now I don't say anything at all and try to avoid eye contact with everyone else while out in public.

It's kinda sad that the nutcases on both sides of this issue has made our world a slightly worse place to live in.

12/22/05

An old Bradley Fish tune came to mind when I read this article.

If someone had told me 15 years ago that the police would be using cameras&computers, both private and public, to record and store this sort of information, I would have said "Maybe in Russia, but that can't happen here".

Any bets on how soon the US follows Britain's lead?
 

12/10/05

I can solve our health care problems.

First, recruit more doctors/nurses to gov't hospitals/clinics. Make a new requirement....Prior to receiving a license to practice, all medical staff has to serve a hitch (2-4 years) with Uncle Sam. They get paid a scale rate and their performance is graded. Like an extended internship, but with more sleep. Afterwards, they are free to go into private practice or remain with the gov't.

Then you open up the VA hospitals/clinics to anyone who wants their services. Charge on a sliding scale, based on income.

I'd also like to see it required that the only place an elected official is allowed to seek medical treatment is one of these faculties. That's the best way I can think to provide accountability to the system.

12/08/05

I don't think a religious text should be the law of the land, but for those who do turn to the Bible for guidance and insight there should be little doubt as to when life begins.

Genesis 2:7 makes it clear that we are not a living being until we take our first breath.

Prior to that time, the fetus may have all the parts of human 'cept one. The soul.

That's the difference between a human and a human being. And the Bible clearly states when we become a "being".

12/07/05

The only problem I currently have with the Death Penalty is the question of Who dies if a mistake is made?

I feel that there should be accountability in our system, and that if someone is wrongfully executed then someone needs to take full responsibility for that mistake. The only question in my mind is who would be put to death if the state makes a mistake. Should it be the judge? The DA? The entire jury?

I think that if people have that weight hanging over their head, not only will they use the Death Penalty only in cases that truly warrent it they are also gonna make sure they are 100% correct in their choice

11/16/05

There's a lot of talk about permanent punishments for sex offenders.....punishments that continue on even after the offender serves their time. Ideas being considered and used include being kept on a public-list, special curfews, having a special license plate and forced to wear a tracking device for the rest of their lives.

This article should remind everyone why those are bad ideas. Just the fact that a DA is threatening to charge these protesters as sex offenders is enough cause for alarm.

Threatening to charge protestors as sex offenders only reinforces my belief that DA's and Police will abuse these "Permanent Punishment" laws to suit their purposes. Instead we should do away with the "sex offenders" tag, and lock up the actual rapists and molesters for the rest of their life.

On this topic...Mark Pocan made a very courageous vote lately. I'm sure he's going to get a lot of flack for it, but he did the right thing and I'm proud that he represents me.

10/07/05

I used to work in fast food. I'll never forget my first day at one place. I walked in and saw that the Coke machine had a small drip. Not too much, but just a little. Underneath that drip, the stainless steel had been eaten away.

I haven't drank Coke or Pepsi since....but I do use 'em to clean the battery cables on my car

10/06/05

If some of the bad laws were to be changed and thus bad agencies/departments were to be eliminated (Offhand I'm thinking DEA, ATF & IRS) I wouldn't be as worried about allowing our military to conduct operations within our own borders.

But as long as Uncle Sam is waging war against his own people, I don't want the professionals doing it. They'd be too good at it.

09/30/05

I don't like Mr. Bennett. Not one lil' bit. He's a NannyStater and a hypocrite. I also was disgusted when I first heard this statement, but when you read the whole thing in context I can see what he was trying to say. He was directly answering a question regarding a book called "Freakanomics" and a similiar situation was being addressed. He has flat-out stated that he made that statement as a way to illustrate how the ends don't always justify the means.

Once again, this guy is a jerk. But this isn't something to get jerky over. Take things in context people...

08/23/05

A person that is caught smoking marijuana in their own basement more than twice is punished more harshly than someone caught driving drunk on public streets a halfdozen times.

If we would re-legalize the herb, then perhaps we could redirect those billions of $$$ spent chasing illegal gardeners towards drunk drivers. In the meantime, lets start treating drunkdrivers like an illegal drug user (After all, they are using a drug illegally)

If you're caught drunkdriving, your car should be seized. No trial needed...the police just take it. Any cash you have on you should also be seized. If you have children, they are taken into Protective Services. You automatically lose any licenses you may have....drivers license, plumbers license, hairdresser license, whatever license it is, it's gone.....and you are banned for life from receiving any sort of Student Aid. If you own a home, it also may be seized...if you are renting the landlord is forced by law to evict you.

Those are all punishments that a dopesmoker faces....why shouldn't a drunk driver be punished in the same manner?

07/01/05

Many reasons to dislike an artist, but just 'cause they are labeled as "Christian" or "Gangsta" or "Folk" or "Country" or "Rock" or "Bluegrass" or "Punk" or "Opera" or "CartoonCovers" isn't one of 'em...true, one can say that they don't particuleily like >BLANK< style of music, but can one honestly say they don't like an artist based only on the label and without hearing them?

06/26/05

Most of the people in favor of the smoking ban are against a ban on smoking around children. The reason given is that there is a difference between a ban in a business and a ban at home. If smoking is really as dangerous as they are claiming, then they are basically saying it's ok for an adult to murder a child as long as it happens on private property.

Maybe because 2nd hand smoke isn't really as dangerous as they are claiming and that was just a ruse to ban something that simply annoys them? Either that, or they just hate kids....or possibly they are one of those extreme Pro-Abortion types that doesn't think life begins until the fetus has been out of the womb for 18 years....

06/25/05

Should farting be banned? It IS a health risk....no?

Not farting only endangers the health/comfort of one
Farting endangers the health/comfort of many

It's a workers safety issue. There is no doubt that the gasses contained within are posionous gasses, and those gasses have resulted in many deaths. Besides, who the heck wants to have to work all day around people farting?

And it's not just about workers. Given their height, it's far more dangerous to children. And children must be protected.

It's also bad for the enviroment. One of the leading causes of the Greenhouse Effect.

If one beleives that the good of the many outweighs the needs of one, then it stands to reason that a fart ban should be enacted.

It's an issue of worker saftey, child protection and saving the planet. Only a cold heartless bastard would put their own desires ahead of those issues. After all, with a simple change in diet and/or the proper medication we can be a fart-free nation within a year!

Say it with me: Fart Ban Now!!
 
 

12/08/04

Next summer, there will be a smoking ban in all businesses in Madison WI, including bars. Some people have claimed that this is "no big deal"....I say it all depends on how you look at it...

If you wanna say "Well, hey...the gov't already tells you that you can't smoke a certain plant anywhere-at-all, so it's really no big deal if they tell you that you can't smoke some other plant in a bar." then you're right, it's no big deal...it's just yet another chip at what little freedoms we have left, so what's the big deal? With everything else that's happening, it's hard to get too worked up over it.

But it is a big deal, 'cause it is yet another chip at what little freedoms we have left. Going into an adult business and telling adults that they can not consume an adult substance is wrong. I can understand a theocracy making laws like that, but in the land of the free it shouldn't be tolerated.

If the gov't wants to ban all smoking/drinking/eating in all parks/sidewalks/public spaces, that wouldn't be as much of an intrusion into personal freedom that this smoking ban is. We all have the same right to walk down the sidewalk...hence the gov't has the right to regulate that area heavily, in order to make sure that all can access&enjoy it. But despite what many seem to think, no-one has a right to walk into a ginmill.

Personally I think banning smoking in a taphouse makes as much sense as banning smoking in homes. Actually, given the fact that there are far more children in homes than there are children in taverns, I think a stronger case could be made for banning smoking in your own house.

That one I might be able to be talked into...after all, we do have children to protect....but prohibiting an adult from indulging in an adult substance while in an adult club doesn't make sense at all to me.
 

12/07/04

If you think the election was on the up&up, then feel free to move along. I don't wish to get into the in&outs of how/why I feel this election was rigged....but rather I wanna explore Mr. Kerry and the Dems response to it.

A few people are saying the Kerry is doing the "proper" thing by not contesting this election. I don't understand what is proper about doing nothing when something important is stolen from you. And it wasn't just stolen from him, but rather every American was ripped off.

If the Leadership of the Dems aren't willing to take a stand here&now, why should I ever trust them again? If they are incapable of standing up to the GOP, how in the heck can they be trusted to stand up to foreign leaders?

A lot of people urged me to support the Dems this last presidential election, and I was cussed&spit on when I said I wouldn't. Yet I hear very little, if any, outcry from those very same folks about Kerry not even willing to support himself. Many of ya'll told me that this was THE most important election ever...and yet when it's stolen from you you just sit back and let your man do nothing at all. Why is that?

I know it hurts to hear this, but it looks like ya'll were conned from the get-go. I don't think Kerry ever intended to win this election but rather got into the race in order to throw it to the GOP. (Yeah...you can say "tin foil hat" all you want, but if you really think that their Skull&Bones membership means nothing-at-all I'm gonna call you "naive")

Let's look at a few facts:

Kerry had over $45 million in his warchest when the election was over. Granted, I don't expect him to spend every last penny....but it's kinda weird that he didn't at least narrow it down to under a million...isn't it?

Despite wide-spread evidence of election fraud, nothing was challenged by the Kerry camp. We kept hearing how there were armies of lawyers ready to swoop in and kick legal-butt...yet nothing happened. Why? Did they really find nothing at all to contest?

Many experts have commented on how poorly Kerry ran the election, and the mistakes he made in not responding to the attacks. During the primary's I kept hearing what a great fighter Kerry is and how well he does in a scrap.....if that's true, then why did he pull his punches this time around?
 

Once again I ask....Why should anyone trust the current leadership of the Dem's? At the very least they aren't willing to fight for what is right, and in the worst case they are in cahoots with the GOP.

11/10/04

It's been said by some that a president's picks for judges&advisors shouldn't be challenged by Congress. I personally agree with 1/2 of that.

I think a president should be allowed to choose his/her cabinet without anyone elses approval, but Congress shouldn't just "rubber stamp" the judges the president wants to see on the bench.

11/01/04

Is telling people that Kerry is gonna legalize gay marriage any different than telling people that Bush wants to bring back the draft?

10/10/04

It's been said many times over that even tho a person is against the War in Iraq, one should still support the troops over there. And I agree with that. Not only do I have several friends over there, but as a former service member myself (2 branches for those who are keeping score) I understand a bit o' what they are going through.

However, I heard about an old pal who is going over there and it made be kinda upset. He's not going over there as a member of the military, but rather as a private contractor. I heard it 2cd-hand, but it seems that he was making comments about how much $$$ he gonna be making and how great of a place they will have him staying in.

The question is....Should we treat/view the private contractors and mercenaries the same as we do the gov't grunts and troops? Personally, my knee-jerk reaction is that I dislike these carpetbaggers and opportunists, but I'm not sure if I'm being a tad too harsh. After all, our military can't do their job without the civilian support.

10/09/04

I find it pretty interesting that most of the lawmakers who support keeping gay marriage illegal are on their 3rd or 4th marriage themselves.

If you really wanna "protect marriages", then lets make divorce illegal....or at the very least not allow divorced people to re-marry.

8/6/04

A story was recently written up in the Waukesha Freeman that shows us once again how evil and immoral the War on Marijuana really is. In case they don't have it online anymore, I'll sum it up for you.

This dude goes over to a teenager girls house for a party. Somehow he heard that her parents grew a lil' pot, so the very next day he comes back at 3 in the morning, pries open a basement door and steals about 4-5 (out of 10) of the plants that are drying out in a closet door. He then takes it to a buddy's house where they start pulling the buds off the plants. (For those who insist on putting a dollar value on everything, that's about $5,000 he ran off with.)

The next day the family figures out who did this dastardly deed, and starts looking for the scumbag who took half of their crop. One of them goes to a few mutual friends, and the other family members start making phone calls trying to figure out where this little-prick is.

A day or two after that, this dude (who the police and the DA refuse to actually name) decides to become an informant for Waukesha County Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Unit. Needless to say, he tells the cops that this family has an illegal garden.
A search warrant is issued and a small amount of marijuana (less than an ounce) is found at the house, along with a couple pipes/bongs and some books on indoor gardening.

Now here is the really interesting part...the family is being charged with various drug crimes AND for intimidating the asshole who broke into their house and stole their property. At this time, the dirtbag who stole their stash and then ran to the police when he got scared isn't being charged with anything at all.

Talk about hypocrisy.
Talk about immorality.
Talk about evil.

Shame on you Waukesha County. Frankly, I think that a sneak-thief is more of a problem to society than an illegal gardener is, but it's obvious that ya'll have different priorities than I do.
 

8/1/04

A good pal of mine recently returned from serving in Operation Iraqi Liberation. Needless to say, he had much to say about what happened over there and how things went down. A few happy tales, some not-so-happy and other things he shared was down-right horrifying. One lil' comment he made kinda stuck with me, and it seems to sum up how screwed-up this country of ours has become.

He was telling me how the American Troops aren't allowed to have any booze over there. Not whiskey, not wine, not even a beer. However, the Italian Troops are allowed liquor, so he and some of his buddies would sneak over to their camps and drink with them.

The "official reason" for the ban is because it would upset the locals. However, if this was true then why are the Italians not worried about upsetting the locals?

It seems to be that it's not about upsetting the local people, but it's rather the blue-noses in the Bush Admin that frowns on a solider having a beer after a hard days work.

To some this may sound like a petty thing, but to me it says a lot.
 

5/5/04

A snippet from the Houston Chronicle ( http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2549484 )

Habitual marijuana use increased among U.S. adults over the past decade, particularly among young minorities and baby boomers, government figures show. Among all adults ages 45 to 64, the rate increased by 355 percent, to about 0.4 percent of that population. The report, published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, was led by Dr. Wilson Compton of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
 

How can this be true?

We spend more tax $$$ on the war on drugs than we spend on homeland security.

We jail more people that any other country in the world, and most of the federal prisoners are there for non-violent drug crimes.

We send policemen into our public schools, and have them tell kids that they can get a reward for turning in their parent's bong.

We send federal troops into states that allow medical marijuana in order to arrest lil' ol' ladies in wheelchairs for having their medicine.

If someone is caught with even as little as a cannabis seed, they can lose their house, their car, their kids, their bank accounts. All of that without even going to trial!

If convicted, a marijuana smoker can lose his licenses (every license, from drivers to plumbers to doctors) and are forever barred from receiving Student Loans.

Our gov't does ALL of this, and more....and yet we STILL have more people who smoke marijuana than before.

How much more tax $$$ are we going to waste on this Big Gov't Program? When are these treasonous zealots going to realize that Prohibition does not work. It never has...it never will.

For further reading, check out this book:

http://www.mcwilliams.com/books/books/aint/
 

4th of July 2003

There are rumors coming in from the west coast that marijuana gardeners are being labeled as "enemy combatants" by the Federal Gov't. From what I've heard, the last couple summers a lot of growers have disappeared, with their camps in disarray and their crops ripped out. Friends and families assume they have been busted, but any calls to the Federal Agencies receive a reply of "We're not allowed to comment upon that".  Of course, under the (so-called) Patriot Act, the gov't doesn't have to release their names nor allow them access to a lawyer. Seeing how hard it is to get a conviction for having an illegal garden in some counties, it makes perfect sense for Uncle Sam to just lock 'em up and not bother with a trial.

Happy Independence Day everyone.
 
 

4/16/03

When Bush was running for Pres, he repeatedly stated that he would respect the Rights of the States to decide if they wanted Medical Marijuana or not.

However, once he got into office, he seemed to change his mind and had the FBI spend more energy going after lil' ol' ladies in wheelchairs rather than chasing terrorists.

One would think that after 9/11, things would have changed. But we still spend more money on the War on Drugs every year than we do on Homeland Defense. (I've also heard it said that we spend more on the War on Drugs each year than we spent invading Afghanistan, but I haven't confirmed that yet)

If Bush had kept his word, perhaps one of the 400 FBI agents that was investigating the Cannabis Clubs in CA would have instead been able to focus his/her attention on the real threats and would have "connected the dots" in order to prevent the 9/11 attack
 
 

11/28/02

Correcting my own words.

For a while now, I've been telling people "We spend more chasing illegal gardeners than we spend on Homeland Defense". The reason I said this is because we spend more on the War on Drugs then we do on Homeland Defense, and I've heard that 80% of all the drug war funding is directed towards marijuana. I have now seen that is a faulty statement, for three reasons.

1) We spend over $51 billion on the War on Drugs. (for "justice" only, does not include abuse treatment & prevention, education, etc.) If we use that 80% figure, that comes to $41.5 billion for marijuana, which is less than $44 billion we spent on Homeland Defense.

2) It's wrong of me to use the "80%" figure, because I can no longer find a source for it.

3) Since most marijuana arrests (almost 88%) are NOT growers nor dealers but rather just possession, it's VERY wrong for me to say that the majority of marijuana users arrested are illegal gardeners.
 
 

I still feel it's disgusting that we spend $7 billion a year more on the War on Drugs than we spend on Homeland Defense. I'll just be sure to phrase it correctly from here on out....

And if anyone can find a figure for the % of drug war funding directed towards marijuana, I'd appreciate it. I have seen numbers that show marijuana arrests account for 46.5% of all drug arrests, but I don't know how that translates into funding...(ie, many eradication programs don't result in any arrests)...unless that number is 88% or higher, I am sorry for mis-speaking all this time...and even then, I'd have to say "for marijuana" rather than "for illegal gardeners" to be totally correct...
 

---
backing up my numbers:

1) War on Drugs Spending -- States spend $30.7 billion, with the fed's spending over $12.68 billion
( http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/dcb.htm )
and add the $8.6 billion a year to keep drug law violators behind bars
( http://www.drugwarfacts.org/economi.htm #27 on their list)
to get a total of $51.98 billion.

Homeland Defense Spending -- States spend 6 billion
( http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/16_22/state/17844-2.html)
and the Federal Gov't spends $38 billion
( http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0121/web-spend-01-25-02.asp)
for a total of $44 billion

2) This space intentionally left blank

3) 734,497 people were arrested on marijuana charges in the year 2000, with 646,042 people for possession alone.
( http://www.drugwarfacts.org/marijuan.htm)
 
 
 

BTW, as a result of spending over $43 billion arresting people and trying to stop drugs (not including what it costs to jail 'em), we managed to make over 1.57 million drug arrests. Is it just me, or does that seem kinda inefficient?
 
 

4th of July 2000.

It's been 224 years since the Declaration of Independence was written. I wonder if people still believe in the basic principles spelled out in that document. Heck, I wonder if people even know what it really says .

A lots changed since then...quite a bit. But then again, after re-reading this historical document, it seems that not too much has changed after all. People are still being denied life & liberty because of the manner in which they pursue happiness.Our cities' police forces behave more like a military force than a servant of the people. (How does killing a person for the crime of Having An Illegal Garden fall under "protecting & serving"?) Depriving a person the benefits of trial by jury was a  problem then, and is still a problem now. In fact, not only are you denied a jury trail for civil forfeiture cases; you are considered "guilty until proven innocent", and burden of proof relies not on the state, but rather you. The list of abuses goes on and on...

I think the question that should be asked is "Would our forefather be proud of America?"

Would they be proud of a country where a peddler of illegal herbs is punished more harshly than a molester of young childern...where a illegal gardener is often jailed longer than a murderer....a country that has it's police go into the grade schools, and encourage children to turn in their parents for political crimes. I have a hard time believing that they would be proud of our country 'tis of thee....actully, I think George, Tom, Ben and the rest of those fellows would probably be pretty damn disgusted with this big ol' mess the DrugWar has gotten us into...and that's putting it mildly.

Tokers Against Gore

Other Penquin's Rants

I don't always agree with her, but Rogue sure knows how to express things.

Blunt (both his name and his nature)

ShanMonster has a page of Rant & Rage also.

Peter McWilliam has a lot to say about his encounter with the DEA.

Most of BaddGrrl's rants are about relationships. (Gee! Relationships can get people upset?!)
 
 
 

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