|
|
| High Holy Day for Potheads |
|
Posted by FoM on April 20, 2002 at 08:02:22 PT By Farhad Manjoo Source: Wired Magazine 
April has two days when many Americans, en masse, engage in something that's plainly illegal but is, they swear, OK to do anyway because everyone does it and it doesn't hurt a soul and it makes you feel just so very happy. The first of these days has already passed: April 15, tax day, when millions of Americans, according to the latest research, fail to pay billions in taxes. The other day is April 20 -- Saturday -- a day when thousands, if not millions, will "mow the grass." That's a polite way of saying that these folks get baked, blitzed, paggered, blazed, obliterated, perved, shmacked ... in other words, they get high, as 4/20 is recognized by many as "national smokers day." The term "420" and its attendant traditions date back to the 1970s, but at least some evidence exists -- enough to convince any stoner, at least -- that the term has experienced something of a resurgence in our electronic times. On message boards and community sites across the Web, it's possible to find people who are "420 friendly," meaning that they'd love to meet you and smoke your dope. And for such people, 4/20 is the recognized day to get your smoke on. And especially at 4:20 a.m. or p.m. on 4/20, and especially while listening to Phish. This year, dozens of celebrations are planned across the globe. In San Francisco, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, NORML, will finish up its two-day conference "celebrating personal freedom." "Once again we have scheduled the conference to coincide with '4/20,' that date that has become associated in the popular culture as a special day for marijuana smokers -- sort of what 'It's Miller time' has become to beer drinkers," the group said on its site. "We hope to build on that tradition and encourage supporters from across the country to join us in San Francisco as a way to celebrate 4/20." The event comes after a week of attention focused on NORML, which spent half a million dollars to run ads (PDF) in New York City asking Mayor Michael Bloomberg to fine and ticket -- rather than arrest -- people caught smoking marijuana in the street. The ads feature Bloomberg's response to a New York magazine reporter's query about whether he'd ever used marijuana. The mayor said, "You bet I did. And I enjoyed it." Given the nature of the celebration, of course, not all of the scheduled events are so political. Most, it seems, are music festivals that might have been going on anyway, but which promise to have some added pep in honor of the day. The Web is rife with speculation regarding the origin of the term "420." An old yarn has it that 420 was a California police code cops used when they'd spotted someone getting high, and that drug users co-opted the word. Some think it has to do with Hitler's birthday, April 20th -- which is, not entirely coincidentally, also the day in 1999 that Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 13 people, and themselves, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. But the consensus opinion has come to rest on a theory put forth by Steven Hager, the editor of High Times, in the magazine in 1998. Hager told the story of the Waldos, a group of San Rafael High School kids who gave Hager evidence -- letters, and so on -- to show they had created the term 420. This is how the term began, according to Hager's article: "One day, while (the Waldos) were sitting on the wall, a friend gave them a treasure map to a pot patch on nearby Point Reyes Peninsula. 'His brother grew the patch,' said Steve (one of the Waldos). "The Waldos decided to meet after school and pick the patch. Since school got out at 3:10, and since some of the Waldos had after-school activities that lasted approximately one hour, someone decided they should meet at exactly 4:20 p.m., at the statue of Louis Pasteur, which was located near the entrance to the school parking lot." After that, the Waldos -- who have their own site at Waldo420.com -- naturally began using 420 as shorthand for cannabis. The Waldos were big fans of the Grateful Dead, and, as Hager explains in his article, "the 420 expression leaked into the Deadhead community and spread from there." In an e-mail message, Hager said that the Internet further aided the spread of the term, as "Deadheads were the first big group of Internet users." Asked what he would be doing to celebrate this year's 4/20, Hager wrote that he will be "in Magic Meadow, near the top of Overlook Mountain, which is just above Woodstock, New York." And what will people do after 4/20, when pot day is over? They'll smoke more, according to one post on the Bay Area Community site, Craigslist. "A bunch of 420 worshipers who didn't get enough on 4/20 are meeting at Raleigh's in Berkeley on Telegraph (Avenue at) 5:30 on Sunday," it said. "Come burn in summer with us." Source: Wired Magazine (CA) Related Articles & Web Sites: NORML Ad - Pictures & Articles Pot-Friendly Inn Marks Two Years The Inside Dope on '420' Buzz Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
 |
| Comment #30 posted by dddd on April 21, 2002 at 21:43:41 PT |
| ,,,,,so,,,,after goofing around with all the 4 and 20 blackbird nonsense,,,I finally shut down my computer late Saturday afternoon.....this morning,,there was a message on my answering machine....It was from my old girlfriend,,,who does not own a computer,,and had no way of knowing about the 4 and 20 blacklbirds,,or even 420......She was obviously sort of drunk......anyway,,,she sang 'Sing a Song of Sixpence',,,all the way into the second verse,,with the king counting his money,,and the queen eating bread and honey!....... I found this to be quite curiously astonishing,,,so I called her back and asked about why she decided to leave the message.., ,She was embarassed,,and sorta hung-over,, but she had no explanation or reason for why she left the silly message !!! ....Absolutely astounding!!!!!....dddd [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #29 posted by E_Johnson on April 21, 2002 at 00:35:05 PT |
| Maybe make it a 420 tradition to light a candle for someone in prison for marijuana. We could call it the 420 Candle of Memory. A good song to play would be that Sara Mc Lachlan song that goes "I will remember you" She played it at a benefit for Afghan women two years ago (before 9/11 made it a cause celebre) and it made me cry a lot. Just thinking of it makes me cry! Well, for the benefit, they had specially smuggled radios into Afghanistan and women there in the resistance were listening to the benefit on the other end, with that annoying satellite delay of course. Here go my tears... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #28 posted by E_Johnson on April 21, 2002 at 00:26:41 PT |
| What's next? "Martin Luther King Day: Black-tacular Holy Day for N****rs?". I'm sure the naive folks at Wired wouldn't appreciate it if people called members of their community nerdy computer dorks so what makes it acceptable to call us potheads? Was it Dick Gregory who said, "If there were no n*****s, white people would have to invent them"? Well in a sense, that happened with marijuana. I mean the purported mythologized attributes of blackness that worried white people were transferred into marijuana by the press. Just look at the IQ debate. What two groups in America have had every last bit of their cognitive function tested to within a hundredth of a standard deviation and debated and publicly questioned with intensity? Black people, and marijuana users. And as it becomes less and less socially acceptable to be openly racist, that negative energy has to flow somewhere. It doesn't just up and disappear. It flows to a new target. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #27 posted by DdC on April 20, 2002 at 23:33:41 PT |
| I think it was the pocketful of rye. ¶8) The rye ergot are hallucinagenic. I think it was also responsible for many religious Godly trances if it was a Priest or Witchcraft if you weren't, Saint or Sauteed or Merry Prankstered... 4 and 20 sounds Old English or biblical for 24 Here's a toke to where ever its 420 now. I wondered why Peace, Love and Liberty or D.E.A.th! What is ergot? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #26 posted by Bounce to the Ounce on April 20, 2002 at 23:06:36 PT |
| What's next? "Martin Luther King Day: Black-tacular Holy Day for N****rs?". I'm sure the naive folks at Wired wouldn't appreciate it if people called members of their community nerdy computer dorks so what makes it acceptable to call us potheads? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #25 posted by FoM on April 20, 2002 at 15:37:28 PT |
| But luckily it was also in the Baltimore Sun! We can't post the complete St. Petersburg Times either but I put the link in a comment off of this one. http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12584.shtml#1 [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #24 posted by potpal on April 20, 2002 at 15:37:00 PT |
| Speaking of 420... As a hobby I dabble in arts & crafts. One of my big sellers are butterflies made out of 'gallery glass'. These are paints that once dry simulate stained glass. Anyway, I've been selling them through a consignment shop and have them prices for $4 a piece. With the 5% sales tax here in Maryland that comes to...now visualize the nice elderly woman who works the register saying to each customer... 420, please... Cheers! [ Post Comment ] |
|
Comment #23 posted by Sandino on April 20, 2002 at 15:32:53 PT:
|
| On this most beautiful day of ours, I would like to say thanks to Martha and all the wonderful people here who have made this site such a meaningful community of hope. And I would also like to share a few lines from this old "Incredible String Band" tune and dedicate it to all of you: May the long time sun shine upon you-all love surround you-and the pure light within you guide your way on On the much lighter side of this post you will find some interesting places to check out: PISSONBUSH somewhat rearanged http://www.pieman.org/pissonbush.html Secure the Home Land http://www.securethehomeland.com Enron Owns the GOP http://www.enronownsthegop.com The Whitehouse http://www.whitehouse.org Once again thanks for everything and Martha can I go for a ride in your new car? S.A. Homes [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #22 posted by E_Johnson on April 20, 2002 at 15:03:24 PT |
| http://www.latimes.com/ It's another cutesy poo piece that manages to avoid mentioning prisoners serving time. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #21 posted by mayan on April 20, 2002 at 14:32:05 PT |
| Right on overtoke! Like someone here says at the end of their posts,"What have you done for freedom today?" Every day I try to write a LTE, or write my congressmen,or newshawk an article, or post a link somewhere...or just do something for the cause! If I dont I feel guilty & the next day I will write two LTE's or such like. If we don't change things who will? Anyway, Happy 4/20 everyone!!! Oh yeah,your bag's hangin' outta' your pocket!(Don't feel bad if you looked - I usually get everyone on that one! [ Post Comment ] |
|
Comment #20 posted by overtoke on April 20, 2002 at 14:18:25 PT:
|
| How many of you signed a petition, mailed your congressmen, or educated someone about all that we know? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #19 posted by FoM on April 20, 2002 at 13:15:44 PT |
| I just visualized blackbirds being baked in pie in the microwave! Oh yuck! They'd explode! LOL! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #18 posted by E_Johnson on April 20, 2002 at 12:07:14 PT |
| When we break bread tonight, let's say a prayer for the prisoners behind the wall. And for those who didn't even make it that far. http://www.vasilisa.com/420Tribute.mp3 [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #17 posted by E_Johnson on April 20, 2002 at 11:59:10 PT |
| I want a 420 card! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #16 posted by qqqq on April 20, 2002 at 11:50:54 PT |
| ...something was kinda strange to begin with ,when we think of this "blackbird pie",,,,,then,,I guess these poor birds were cooked at low heat,,,and starved for air,,because after this pie is "baked",,it gets "opened",,and the birds begin to sing!,,,,,,,,,,,,I wonder if you could properly bake a blackbird pie in a microwave? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #15 posted by dddd on April 20, 2002 at 11:40:02 PT |
| ..I used to be a merry old soul,,that is ,,,until I caught the Fiddlers Three tweedling about with my girlfriend,,, ,and then I got really pissed when I had the pipe,,,But it didnt have the freekin BOWL!....I got happier when I made a new law that made it a felony to have a pipe without a bowl!,,,anyway,,I fired the fiddlers three,,and sent them back to Austria,,and then,,I went to visit my cousin in Utah,,and I got busted for having the Pipe and Bowl,,, ,and after I got out of jail in Utah,,,I tried to go home,,but some asshole in Texas claimed that I was an Al-Quieda Talaban Palestinian,,and Isreali,US Apache helicopters chased me almost to Palm Springs,,, ...Then I sold the whole country to some guy who said he was with Verizon and AOL....... "Merry old Soul",,,,,,,,merry old soul,,Indeed!......... ... ....,,you know I love you Hope,,,and I kinda decided that being a clown,,is very important,and I'm glad and proud to be called a "merry old soul"...I'd rather die Laughing,,than die as an old bitter,obsessive bag of nerves. ... ..There's nuthin funny about alot of things in Life nowdays,,,but if a person can have a good Laugh,,,it's almost as good as sex!,,perhaps even better!...... ..Laughter is kind of like this free super buzz drug from God!...It makes ya feel good!,,it releases pleasant and benificial chemicals into the body.,,,,,,,,,...think about this;,,Would it be possible to "abuse" laughter?,, ..Could I market an "instalaugh",inhaler unit?,,or perhaps a snortable "ChuckleStat",,from Merth!.... Nope,, there is no way to make a "laugh" pill,,,just like there's no way to make a "cry" pill..?.."Bummadril HCL" ....?...................................................................................................dddd [ Post Comment ] |
|
Comment #14 posted by lookinside on April 20, 2002 at 11:24:50 PT:
|
| Our daughter is a student at UCBerkeley. We've eaten at Raleigh's several times. The burgers are killer. My favorite is the big Bleu Cheese Burger. Great munchies. Fun place to eat. I love walking down Telegraph Ave. on a weekend. Lotsa stuff to look at. Several "smoke shops", street vendors everywhere, Two GREAT music stores, two excellent book stores(several floors each). Alot of pretty girls(for dddd) and just fun to watch the people. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #13 posted by FoM on April 20, 2002 at 11:15:08 PT |
| Sing a song of sixpence A pocket full of rye, Four and twenty blackbirds Baked in a pie. When the pie was opened The birds began to sing. Wasnít that a dainty dish To set before the king? I wondered what kind of drugs they were taking. How can baked birds sing? LoL! Happy 4:20! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #12 posted by BGreen on April 20, 2002 at 11:09:55 PT |
| Eighty birds would be one huge pie. I'd guess 24. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #11 posted by BGreen on April 20, 2002 at 11:06:27 PT |
| You're right, and I think it means 80, but I guess it could mean 24. Sing a song of sixpence A pocket full of rye, Four and twenty blackbirds Baked in a pie. When the pie was opened The birds began to sing. Wasnít that a dainty dish To set before the king? The King was in his counting house Counting out his money. The queen was in the parlor Eating bread and honey. The maid was in the garden Hanging out the clothes When along came a blackbird And snipped off her nose! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #10 posted by FoM on April 20, 2002 at 11:00:07 PT |
| Old King Cole Was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe,
And every fiddler, he had a fine fiddle,
Oh, there’s none so rare http://www.mothergoose.com/azrhyme/orhymes.htm [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #9 posted by Hope on April 20, 2002 at 10:30:30 PT |
| Was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers, three. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by qqqq on April 20, 2002 at 09:58:18 PT |
| ...seriously,,,was it 4 & 20 blackbirds?,,or are you just having fun at my expense?.. ..I think it was something like; .."4 & 20 blackbirds ,baked in a pie ..When the pie was opened,the birds began to sing wasnt that a crazy thing to put before the king"??? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #7 posted by qqqq on April 20, 2002 at 09:49:13 PT |
| ...not many people know,,,except real catholic "insiders",,that 4/20 is celebrated in Paraguay,and Uraguay,as a very special holiday!...All the villagers gather about the town square to celebrate Saint Buds Day,,and the Saint Buds Festival,..They all stop and cross themselves,and bow at the shrines of "Our Mother of the Holy Ganja",,I'm not quite sure if these are the same shrines that are used by Mother Mary,,I went there last year,,,but I will probably never go back!..I smoked so much weed that I did one of them "gateway",trips,,and I had to take a train up to Texas to score some coke and meth!!,,I was so crazed out by this Marijuana Binge I was on,,,,,that I O'D'd on 99 cent special burgers at a Jackinthe box near Brownsville!,,,and then found myself at Taco Bell,,where I had to purge out my window,as these young,,good looking girls looked on! ..Whoa,, was I ever embarassed!.......later on,,I started thinkng about those nice looking girls that I barfed in front of,,,and I thought about going back to the^Taco Bell,,,back to where *I barfed in front of them ,,and you know,,If they would have still been there,,maybe they might of wanted to mess around!!!,,,BUT,,,then,,,all of a sudden,,,,,IT hit me!,,,Any girl who would want to mess around with me!,,has way too low of standards!,,,,,..I started thinkin' about if I was a girl,,lookin' for a date.,in a Taco Bell parking lot.,,,,and then I looked in the mirror,,and I decided that any chick who would want,or need to go out with me,,is too hard up for me to accept!!......In Fact!,,I pity da chick who could reel me in!,,I'm like some sort of Marlin Porpoise Swordfish unit from France,,,,you can bet,,that if I was married,,I wouldn't be here right now,,,,,I wouldnt be showcasing abstractions of heretical outlandishness,,,nope,,the only 4 "Q"s I would have would be Quincy,,Quenton,,Quinn,,and Quimby!,,,the Q Qradruplets.....!.... ...I would still be happy,,,but in a different way. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by FoM on April 20, 2002 at 09:17:53 PT |
| They were showing the protests when I had the news on at FOX News but not CNN or MSNBC that I saw. I turned on music and turned off the news so maybe they are showing more now.
[ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by FoM on April 20, 2002 at 09:16:04 PT |
| You never go off the Edge dear! LOL! 4 & 20 blackbirds baked in a pie! Oh My! Oh My! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by potpal on April 20, 2002 at 09:14:56 PT |
| This year, dozens of celebrations are planned across the globe. ...and nary a mention of any of them by the mainstream media... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by qqqq on April 20, 2002 at 08:56:08 PT |
| ...that Mother Goose kinda thing?..weren't there "..4 and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie.".?????..or am I going off the Edge?....,.........maybe it was "Old King Cole"..? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 20, 2002 at 08:33:08 PT |
| Anyone Remember? If you don't here it is! We've been fighting for liberty for a long time haven't we? http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9439.shtml [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by aocp on April 20, 2002 at 08:25:56 PT |
| Some think it has to do with Hitler's birthday, April 20th -- which is, not entirely coincidentally, also the day in 1999 that Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 13 people, and themselves, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Actually, i'd say these things are entirely coincidental. Anyone who sez differently is an anti or stoopid. Did i just stutter? [ Post Comment ] |
| Post Comment |  |
 |  |