MEDICAL MARIJUANA - the HYPOCRISY of SELECTIVE CANNABIS REFORM!

During my long commute I listen to NPR (National Public Radio) usually in NH. That's where I got news about the park sit-ins for cannabis reform. Recently, however, I heard a news-cast on Marketplace, about the difficulties posed with legalization, and the dispensaries in CA. One of those problems is distribution and who gets prescriptions. To highlight the article they ended it with an interview of an apparent 18 yo, sounding stoned, proclaiming he had "used marijuana for stress, and had done so for most of his life", and now had a "prescription", so he was legal.

Generally I find NPR  playing both sides... in this case they're playing center. It'd be easy for me to create a post to illustrate the stereotype of a drunk, describing his ills, and how during alcohol prohibition, he had a prescription, to use whiskey... something that today is available with no limit...  The controls come into play, in theory not only with the age of the person buying it, but also who is sharing with who? All drugs used for recreation need sound regulation... to the degree coffee is simply enjoyed with it's caffeine buzz, to Psilocybin or LSD... a war on these things is futile.

This prescription for whiskey was issued in 1925 , to a Mr. McNoble (sp?) He apparently was one of the good guys - got his prescription, to make his use of a recreational drug legal.

So I have to question authority, when I ask: why does cannabis decriminalization, ie reform, pose such a serious dilemma? With alcohol and tobacco causing thousands of deaths every day, and cannabis causing next to none, despite it's popularity, why the billions of tax-payer dollars spent annually on cannabis erradication and arrests?

And why bring up children almost every time decriminalization is debated?

It's always about the effect on the children, it seems. Yet, adults easily consume alcohol around children with utter abandon about the message it sends. And many smoke tobacco around kids, even today, with all the warnings of second-hand smoke. Cannabis smoke likewise should not be used around children, but effects of second hand smoke for cannabis are not the same as with tobacco. There is research indicating the opposite, that it dilates airways, and helps relieve the symptoms of asthma. Yet further research indicates cannabis may actually provide anti-cancer benefits to the body. All this is documented.

A good book to start with is a recent release, "Marijuana is Safer - So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?" Chelsea Green Publishing, copyright 2009 - Steve Fox and Paul Armentano.

There seems to be little logic to the laws, in my opinion, regarding recreational drug use... the most dangerous the government makes a bundle on, with taxes; yet one of the most appreciated, and least harmful to society - cannabis, it's treated like a plague, or a serious crime. Makes no sense to me.

We've Been there... Done that people... time to get real... deal with real issues ...

The point is... the stereotype of the "pothead" is a myth. It's easy to act the part of a stoner, the fact is people who use cannabis, use it for many reasons... and very few of those users are harming society by doing so, except by doing something in private that is illegal.

Currently, the FDA regulates tobacco products, as well as all pharmacuticals. It doesn't regulate cannabis. Recently the FDA sent letters out to companies still selling caffeinated alcoholic beverages... demanding them to prove such beverages were safe.  Essentially they can't, it would cost the companies a lot to prove the combination is safe, so it's a tough position to be in.

Yet tobacco, now regulated by the FDA, is known not to be safe, yet it's sold virtually unregulated, except by age, with no limit to the amount purchased. The same with alcohol. No Limit. Except by age.

Cannabis on the other hand, with considerable studies showing it to be among the safest drugs known to man, remains in limbo... it is legally prescribed/sold in, at last count, 14 states, and the states benefit from the sales being taxed...  to my knowledge, prescription meds aren't normally taxed, making this, DeFacto Legalization!!!

Meanwhile, the federal government sits on regulations making use of marijuana a schedule one crime. That's a serious complication. It means doctors cannot prescribe cannabis for any reason, and yet, the federal government has chosen, at least for now to look the other way. I guess President Obama is planning to let his successor decide on what to do about the 'Omar and Kumar's of this country'.  

"CIRC the Turk": Our Family's Special Guest: for Dinner...

In memory of our dinner this Thanksgiving, I'd like to thank Circ the Turk.... yeah, it's one thing to go to a supermarket and buy a turkey, it's another to raise your own.

I got attached to Circ the Turk- our domestic turkey. It's our first year on the farm with our own livestock. I've already mentioned Henry the Feral Rooster, and we have laying Hens, lots of eggs...  and plan to do more. But as much as I imagined having livestock would be "simple to raise", it's a lot of work. I can't take credit for most of it, as I work all week and commute 3 and 1/2 hours a day. I'm not home much, but when I am it's the natural environment that rejuvenates me.

I got to know Circ... pretty well... and he was a good turkey. He'd had a rough time of it, in fact.

We have two turkey's, and there is a pen outside next to our chicken house where the two turkeys live(d).It was late May we got them settled into their home. Everything was going as expected. One morning one of us went to feed the livestock, and found Circ had somehow broken his wing - a compound fracture, with the wing-bone extruding through the skin. Fortunately we have a registered nurse living here, who reset, and bandaged/ applied a splint, to Circ's wound. We had our doubt's he would survive, moved him into the garage where we set up a pen with comfy hay and a warm light... and that's where Circ has lived for the past several months, doing fine, with a radio and "Home Prairie Companion" a constant, soothing voice for the lone turkey. He recovered completely... but today was his last day. Some photo's of Circ...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL...

"PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS" - Facts and Educated Opinion

"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness". Idyllic and so powerful in so few words. But, so few people really understand what it means to us, we, the American Citizens of this country.

A great place to start your research is this website:http://www.usconstitution.net/declar.html ...if you look, you'll find this link: http://www.usconstitution.net/declar.html and the following excerpt:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed..."

It's not a Constitutional Right... as many believe. It's part of the American Declaration of Independence. Our heritage are the colonist who braved coming here, and surviving. We survived... and are continuing in or efforts to continue doing that.

My interpretation of that part of the Declaration of Independence, is that We fought for that; as we fight today. America is a place where "being Fair/playing fair", is respected, and sought after. Doesn't always happen or become that, but I believe we do try.

So although our right to the "pursuit of Happiness" is not a part of the Constitution, and rights under the Constitution, it is an essential part of who we are, what we can become, all about our beginnings and who we are as Americans, about our heritage, about how we treat others, and  truly, "We hold these truths to be self-evident". 

Without government there would be anarchy. But a government, "By the People, for the People," now that's something different. It affirms we can Question Authority, as it is WE who provide that authority to our government, for the public and national good. Our government is "We the People"... not the other way around... the government is NOT it's own self-entity. Our elected politicians are not autonomous and independent in their decision making abilities. Laws are not valid if not approved by US. Some laws are essential - laws prohibiting, rape, murder, kidnapping, chid abuse... other laws, civil laws which often have criminal attachments, can change... it would be an endless list, so let's just say spitting on the side-walk is disgusting, and used to be against the law, but seriously, this is a social issue, not a criminal issue.

Spitting on the sidewalk may make the spitter happy, but the spitter should have the social consciousness to understand it doesn't make others happy.

Pursuit of Happiness all comes down to common sense. We as a nation have fought wars for rights to freedom... we have held rallies, gone on marches, suffered pain at deaths as a result of our efforts. The Declaration of Independence affirms why... the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights provides the HOW.

I hope I don't need to explain what this really means... the history of the United States would have to be explained. Everything from the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement, to Women's Rights and Prohibition.

Future posts will focus on such issues... for now... have a Happy Thanksgiving. You earned it!

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS - Part Two

Todays topic - GIRL 10, TASERED and CONFINED to JUVENILE DETENTION for NOT WANTING TO TAKE A BATH!

I'll get to the legal/Constitutional stuff soon, but for now, this recent news article caught my attention: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34037284/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/


This story boggles my mind... much like other things that I advocate for reform do. 


I don't know much of the details, but I've read two articles updating me on this story... the state is Arkansas. 


Now I'm sure based on what I have read that the mother was NOT HAPPY that her daughter didn't want to bathe. It's like when they don't want to brush their teeth, or do their homework. Parents get stressed. Pursuit of Happiness, you know. Mother unhappy... calls police because as i read it the girl wouldn't take a shower...  


An officer arrives at the house and the mother apparently explains the situation. 


I have to assume there is a law in Arkansas where children MUST BATHE when a parent says so, as the girl was tasered when, after the mother gave permission to the officer that he could, and because the girl was "kicking and screaming", a hit to his gonads didn't help, so in order to "control" the situation , the officer did taser her. 


Well excuse me... thinking back to when i was ten, I might have, not saying I would have, but I might just have a tantrum. Hmmm...


Well, for those who believe such a law exists, you'll be happy to hear the girl is now safely confined to a juvenile detention center, where I'm sure she'll get her lawfully required bath. I might hope her mother is happy, but
I'm not.


So much for "saying NO!"

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS - Part One

OKAY... perhaps my goal here is a bit much too much, being I'm new to blogging. More like an invitation to write a doctoral thesis, but, I'm going to give it a try - 'no risk, no gain'. Correct?  No "gain", nothing accomplished.

First Question: "Who is BobKat?"

Answer: Me, of course. An anonymous "Me". A me that through that anonymity may be able to accomplish a something important, at least that's what I'm hoping.

The alternative is do nothing, and that accomplishes nothing - or so we've been told. Doing nothing can however accomplish something... if done correctly.

One of the skills I learned during the 1970's while at college, during a time when Carlos Castaneda books - ie, The Teachings of Don Juan were popular, is that, when one can not accomplish something by action and/or action is only making life more difficult or impeding accomplishment, that doing nothing can actually be the best decision one can make. In other words, when you're spinning your wheels, trying too hard perhaps, the best solution is to Stop: Do Nothing.

Seems to me, not enough people know how to be productive doing "nothing". Our educations, our society frowns on such a choice - we're pushed by such superstition that "an idle mind is the devil's playground". Good people are always doing something productive!

Bad people, or those with too much idle time are generally those persons who drift to the fringes of society, use drugs, commit crimes, cause trouble.

There is an art to it... Doing Nothing - the art being, during times of doing nothing we can give our minds the opportunity to what they're often not doing, that being, reflection, organizing, processing experiences, thinking - creatively,  and creating.

My Avatar is my Maine Coon-cat - Kramer. To me he looks something like a bobcat, much as my aka is similar to BobCat... the company, which I have zero association with... I'm simply BobKat because I like cats, and my name is Bob.

Translation:

It's my opinion our society has evolved to a new level. We went from cavemen, to agricultural, to industrial, to special interests/capitalistic, to technological... and the technology we're experiencing is moving at a highly accelerated speed... one most can't keep pace with.

This is a bubble.

Since we're so "work oriented" as a culture, as a Country, doing nothing is nearly a crime, or at least a psychological disorder. The problem with that, unless you're a worker bee, on a mechanical/industrial assembly line, you're having to think. You cannot be idle. You cannot do nothing.

Doing "nothing" however, doesn't mean being lazy... though even that is essential at times, as is exercise, of which I do none. By doing "nothing" in my mind it means sitting at your computer, or reading a book, or sitting on the porch. I'm doing "nothing" now.

It's Saturday, and I'm not at work. I'm not doing dishes, cleaning house, which is my job. I do have a pot-roast in the Crockpot though. And I'm blogging... back to "nothing"...

By doing nothing, I've decided to continue the "Pursuit of happiness" topic, investigate our Constitutional Right to our Pursuit of Happiness... what it means, what the law says, where in the Constitution it is listed and clarify what it really means... an ambitious,  noble endeavor, I think.

About myself, I will tell you I have a BA in English, I've had many interesting blue collar jobs, and I'm unconventional. I started college in mid 1970's, worked in several schools and colleges between 1975 and 1998, I've been writing since the mid-70's, and life has been difficult, but with a wealth of good experiences thrown in. If I have an issue it's that the good stuff happens but the routine crap is simply here all the time. I'm an artist... at heart, meaning I have a tendency to see the world and the society I live in as a art-form. That I believe is the source of most of my problems, as I do believe our society sees art outside of our society, and the real world I live in is corporate, commercial, and capitalistic.

@ my two friends with opinions about George, my cat:

George is an ACE mouse-catcher, outdoors he's phenomenal! .. this past summer alone he essentially got a wild mouse everyday... there's hundreds around. I adopted George 2-3 years ago from the Humane Society... he's a great cat. H is well fed, and he loves cat treats... so yes, he's not so much "alert" as he is hoping his pose will earn him some treats.

By the way... our "guest" for this upcoming Thanksgiving feast... "Circ the Turk": More about Circ later... I feel bad he will be slaughtered for Thanksgiving, but I feel honored to have been his friend... and will try to accept that the dinner I eat at Thanksgiving was not without a sacrifice.

Wondering What to Write About...

Nothing yet.... George is alert though...