INTRODUCTION:

Welcome to BobKat's Lair

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A lair is a home. A castle. A burrow. A haven. It's a place one should feel safe. Although, that's IF we were a truly civilized society. Which we're not. Still, a lair is the place where one is "safest".

2012 already... my how time flies. Time to elect the new President of the United States. New or reelected.

And politics is important, but who of you reading this keeps up with all of it? All the politics?

I know I don't... nearly impossible. But the internet is making it easier, as well as challenging.

My blog, I believe covers many unusual topics, unusual in the sense that they are mainstream topics, but ones that challenge the status quo, and so are often hard to find.

A few years ago my girlfriend and I were traveling for the week in Vermont. We liked to do a week camping, exploring, and discovery, and this day we were at a church. A four corners of sorts made up the town with the church at the center. Old houses were in the neighborhood that spread out from the church, to the west a graveyard, exquisitely maintained. Beyond that were the farms.to the east a field, a road in the field to climbed up through the field-grass to a tower. At the tower we met a young couple, early twenties. We talked, shared a beer and toked some.

I came away from that event, after hearing how the 20-something guy felt about things, knowing, once I had this blog that the subject of "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" was key to a US citizen having a life - HAVING A LIFE.

A lot has been said recently about the 1% of Americans, but that is a far-cry from what Americans really want. One needs to understand the diversity in this country when considering personal freedom.

I deal with some tough topics... like marijuana.

My perspective: Problem, what problem?

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Welcome to my blog...

I am interested in much more than just marijuana, which isn't even a proper name for the cannabis plant in the US. Until the 1930's we called it cannabis or ganja. It was a common plant used indiscriminately, nowhere near as common as alcohol was used, but very successful in medicine, and listed in the US Pharmacopedia until 1940. During WW2 the 4H Club - kids that grow plants - were asked to grow hemp for the War Effort. The irony is this "hemp" is what our government in the US calls marijuana. Whether it's cannabis the plant and medicine, or ganja the meditative, recreational plant, or hemp - the (near zero THC) industrial species, our government has chosen to call it marijuana for over 75 years, and legally, they use the spelling marihuana on most legal decrees.

It's a total farce... and hundreds of thousands, into the millions of individuals are harmed more by the laws prohibiting cannabis, than any "clear and present" danger using it in the privacy of one's home. Yet people all across the country are incarcerated for up to 12 years for only one cannabis cigarette that they might sell.

Meanwhile, many murderers get off with 10 years... if that!

Even casual users of cannabis often get hit harder with penalties than those committing assaults, theft, abuse, criminal threatening, violation of court restrictions, etc.

Before we can begin to tackle the bigger problems in society, we need to remedy the obviously broken policies that drive us. That is what I hope to encourage here.

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My blog is dedicated to my family, friends, mentors, and all others whom I am grateful to, and love(d).

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The links I post here, sites like the ASPCA, NORML and LEAP, do not sponsor me. I am personally supporting these sites by posting their links. The links are genuine, and will bring you to the real place. I'd recommend that if you like a site that you've linked to from here, or from another blog or website, please verify the site is legitimate prior to providing personal information or money.

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Please view my Blog using the latest version of your browser. Some features may not be active if Java or Flash is disabled or not installed, or your browser is not compatible with Google Blog.

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NOTE: Nothing included in my Blog is intended to advocate behavior illicit in nature, or in violation of man-made laws where harm to a living person, animal or the environment is involved. Person's under 17 probably shouldn't be here, though there is far worse out there. Just saying.

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Bobkat's Lair: ©2009-2012

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Adsense Member since Nov. 24, 2010 - I Do Not Personally Endorse Any Ads Posted.

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LINK TO ASPCA* The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals* Use as Reference Only

LINK TO ASPCA* The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals* Use as Reference Only
"The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was the first humane society to be established in North America and is, today, one of the largest in the world. The organization was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866 on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans, and must be protected under the law."

LINK TO NORML - Washington, D.C. - Use as Reference Only

LINK TO NORML - Washington, D.C. - Use as Reference Only
NORML has been a cannabis/marijuana advocate since the 1970's. NORML is a nonprofit, public-interest lobby based in Washington, DC… For more than 30 years it has provided a voice for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition… "marijuana being the third most popular recreational drug in America behind only tobacco and alcohol".

LINK TO LEAP - Medford, MA - Use as Reference Only

LINK TO LEAP - Medford, MA - Use as Reference Only
“Founded on March 16, 2002, LEAP is made up of current and former members of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities who are speaking out about the failures of our existing drug policies." LEAP is an interesting group; First Amendment LE.. but any further and you wouldn't get it. The "War on Drugs is an abysmal failure, subjected millions of American Citizens with less healthy choices, and extreme punishment for doing the correct thing. Using their brain!

LINK TO SAFER - Denver, CO.

LINK TO SAFER - Denver, CO.
"SAFER’s mission is to educate the public about the fact that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol to both the user and to society. The SAFER Voter Education Fund's mission is to advocate for laws and policies that reflect that fact."

DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE

DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE
"The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is the nation's leading organization promoting alternatives to the drug war that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights."

LINK TO ACLU - New York, NY - Use as Reference Only

LINK TO ACLU - New York, NY - Use as Reference Only
"So long as we have enough people in this country willing to fight for their rights, we'll be called a democracy." -- ACLU Founder Roger Baldwin

CATO INSTITUTE - Washington, DC - Use as Reference only

CATO INSTITUTE - Washington, DC - Use as Reference only
“The Cato Institute was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane.” “The mission of the Cato Institute is to increase the understanding of public policies based on the principles of limited government, free markets, individual liberty, and peace. The Institute will use the most effective means to originate, advocate, promote, and disseminate applicable policy proposals that create free, open, and civil societies in the United States and throughout the world.”

NH COMMONSENSE.ORG

NH COMMONSENSE.ORG
"The New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, or “NH Common Sense,” is dedicated to bringing New Hampshire's archaic marijuana laws out of the 1970's and into the 21st Century."

THE POKER PLAYERS ALLIANCE

THE POKER PLAYERS ALLIANCE
"The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is a non-profit membership organization comprised of online and offline poker players. Our membership consists of enthusiasts from around the United States who have joined together to speak with one voice to promote the game and protect the right to play poker in all its forms. The PPA’s mission is to establish favorable laws that provide poker players with a secure, safe and regulated place to play. Through education and awareness the PPA will keep this game of skill, one of America’s oldest recreational activities, free from egregious government intervention and misguided laws."

OKLAHOMA_WATCH.ORG

OKLAHOMA_WATCH.ORG
Oklahoma Watch is a non-profit, investigative and in-depth reporting team that collaborates with other news organizations and higher education to produce journalism that makes a difference in the lives of Oklahomans. Our mission is to provide an accurate, clear and insightful analysis of the facts on issues of public importance.

AVAAZ.ORG

AVAAZ.ORG
Avaaz—meaning "voice" in several European, Middle Eastern and Asian languages—launched in 2007 with a simple democratic mission: organize citizens of all nations to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want.

A21.ORG

A<i>21</i>.ORG
"When confronted with the horrific statistics surrounding human trafficking, it is easy to agree on the fact that "someone should do something." The A21 Campaign was born when the decision was made to put our hand up and be that "someone". It was a decision of ordinary people who decided to take responsibility regarding the issue of human trafficking."

SAVE THE FISH!!!!!!

January 29, 2012

"LIFE SUCKS, THEN YOU DIE"... IS THAT WHAT YOU BELIEVE? - PART TWO

The phrase above (source: WordPress) is from Dante's Inferno, part one of a 14th century, epic poem titled, "Divine Comedy". It's about Dante's walk through Hell's 9 circle's of suffering guided by the Roman poet, Virgil.
"The poem begins on the day before Good Friday in the year 1300. The narrator, Dante himself, is thirty-five years old, and thus "halfway along our life's path" (Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita)—half of the Biblical life expectancy of seventy (Psalm 90:10). The poet finds himself lost in a dark wood in front of a mountain, assailed by three beasts (a lion, a lonza [rendered as "leopard" or "leopon"], and a she-wolf) he cannot evade, and unable to find the "straight way" (diritta via)—also translatable as "right way"—to salvation. Conscious that he is ruining himself and that he is falling into a "deep place" (basso loco) where the sun is silent (l sol tace), Dante is at last rescued by the Roman poet Virgil, who claims to have been sent by Beatrice, and the two of them begin their journey to the underworld. Each sin's punishment in Inferno is a contrapasso, a symbolic instance of poetic justice; for example, fortune-tellers have to walk forwards with their heads on backwards, unable to see what is ahead, because they tried, through forbidden means, to look ahead to the future in life. Such a contrapasso "functions not merely as a form of divine revenge, but rather as the fulfilment of a destiny freely chosen by each soul during his or her life.""
I would say my goal in life is to prove that life can suck, only to die, anonymous for eternity, but that it doesn't have to be that way.
It is an ironic time for me to say that, as the truth is, presently, life sucks big-time, and I expect to die any day now. BUT, I know what I know... and once a feeling of success is experienced fully, it never goes away.
Never.
Nor do experiences with guilt attached, or failure; letting someone down or failing them; making a stupid decision and possibly causing harm, death or damage. Ahhh... growing up.
Worse yet, is being an innocent victim... getting raped by someone you trust, taking the fall for something you didn't do; being misunderstood; being bullied.
There's a lot in the news lately about brutal, senseless crimes. I'm not going to name any explicitly, but either it's the media tends to cover and report these crimes more that ever, or I'm simply more sensitive to their existence.
There's no question that given the economic trauma of the last ten years that quality of life has gone south. More people are finding themselves desperate and depressed. It's sad; a sad state of affairs.
But the worst thing a person can do is what this post warned: "Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here".
The time may come to do that... but the real battle in life is with death. One can never lose hope. One always has more than two choices in life. The answer always lies in what the question is that's asked.
During the 1970's I can honestly say I lived my life to the fullest. I can never forget those years, though it pains me how the memories from those days fade. That to me was life in all it's different shades and colors. Heaven and Hell.
Yeah, not all memories fade so quickly. The really painful ones, they never go away.
Next Post, Why Suicide, Why is Non-Conformity as Bad Thing, Why Take Others Down With Yourself?
Posted by at 10:28:00 AM
Reactions: 

1 comments:

Slamdunk said...

Dante's Inferno was one of those works that I had never read so last year or maybe the year before, I read it with an online group. The moderator gave us weekly quizes which despite being multiple guess were challenging--I had to do my homework.

Anyway, it was an interesting book to think about; especially to learn how many political implications were woven into the book.

I find your goal worthy. Seeing the "suck" as challenges and part of our growing process is something that I strive to do as well.

January 30, 2012 9:41 PM

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