You are speaking softly. They are using weapons, brutality, and incarceration to convince us.

Nah. Speaking from my own experience with non-cannabis things, and having "converted," it was a very difficult transition. Cannabis was not kind to me at first. I had extreme paranoia. Dry mouth. Distrust. Discomfort. I just did not like it.

I made a deliberate attempt to get comfortable with cannabis. I felt it was important to be able to understand this plant, to have a relationship with it. Starting as I did with Salvia divinorum, I called this learning experience, "When Mary met Sally."

Of all the things I've experienced, and I've tried a lot of things, nothing was more potent, more powerful, more life transforming, than cannabis, but lest this seem a warning, the change it brought was for the better.

I was a paranoid, scared, hurting person. Sometimes I was angry, and sometimes I lashed out. I was not violent, but I was capable of being deliberately hurtful when I felt injured. I know how the prohibs think, because once upon a time I even shared their mindset. Cannabis is very uncomfortable for such people.

Alcohol, however, it dulls what cannabis emphasizes. It's very comforting for the paranoids.

Somebody needs to be printed in answer to that ridiculous bunch of statements.

You did what you could. That's all any of us can do.

No human being is illegal.

No plant is illegal.

It can happen again, now that we have a new model, and you are right, we have to have a huge turnout the NEXT time, or this war will last our lives.

It's no coincidence that it was a FULL MOON in Aquarius/Leo, the sign of humanitarianism, as in the 'AGE of AQUarius' that prompted so many to march, but since many political activists, including Cannabis activists, dismiss the influence of the stars, we all miss out.

Divine timing is the key, and that event was divinly timed, in 2002, and again, yesterday, when the Moon, Venus and Neptune transited the sign of AQuarius, and up to 1 1/2 million people marched in L.A.

Last time I marched in L.A. was in 90 at the start of the Iraq war, and 300,000 marched, it was awesome.

so the deal with the success of the march was due to: good timing, the Catholic church and spanish media were huge supporters, AND these people are on the right side of the issue, as we are hyprocrites it seems, as noone but the native Americans, were 'the first' to be here, and we ALL are immigrants aren't we.

The U.S. has been exposed for it's hypocrisy, and it looks like a done deal!

AUSTIN - A civil rights lawsuit announced Wednesday blames the private corrections system for the 2004 suicide of a South Texas woman found hanging in her cell after reporting that a male inmate raped her. LeTisha Tapia, who died at the Val Verde County Jail in July 2004, was housed in the same cell block as male inmates and reported that guards allowed male and female inmates to have sex with each other, according to the lawsuit filed by the Texas Civil Rights Project on behalf of the woman's family. ……….

Hee-Hee!

Karol Delmar. Prime example of how, "The mind can be a terrible thing." Big Time!!!

Our, misguided Karol Delmar here, seems to be confused on the subject of rape. Well maybe a read here will help her clarify things.

Stop Prison Rape

Is it not hatred and/or greed and/or ignorance?

Hatred, Greed, and Ignorance.

They have been thinking about it for a long time, without the distractions of our lives. I really like that stuff, I have been reading it for about a decade, really heavy at first. I must have taken most of the books on buddhism out of the library and read them when I first got interested.

Start with the four noble truths, then try and grasp depenedent co-arising, and then its a matter of cutting the roots of mental patterns that cause you (or others) to suffer. All actions proceed from an intent. To do this one supposedly must lose all their attachments to the material (the reason for just robes, homelessness, and a bowl) to attain concentration. This is where one is supposed to fully grasp the cause-effect nature of dependent co-arising.

------------------------------ (clipped from text)

Unlike the Jains, the Buddha taught that this bondage was mental rather than physical. It was caused not by sticky substances created by the physical violence of an act, but by the fact that, when there is ignorance of the four noble truths [III/H/i] (a subtle form of delusion, the most basic root of unskillfulness), the feeling that results from kamma gives rise to craving (a subtle form of greed and aversion), clinging, and becoming; and these, in turn, form the conditions for further kamma. Thus the results of action, in the presence of ignorance, breed the conditions for more action, creating feedback loops that keep the kammic processes in motion. For this reason, the Buddha defined the effluents as clinging — expressed in some lists as sensuality, in others as sensuality and views — together with becoming and the ignorance that underlies them all. If ignorance of the four truths can be ended, however, feeling does not form a condition for craving or clinging, and thus there is no becoming to provide a realm for further kamma.

------------

""May I keep myself free from hostility and trouble and live happily""

An excellent prayer, hope, mantra....whatever you use it for...it's good.

I also sometimes pray at that point that he who I hope in will go before me and after me and to either side of me and above and below me and see that as much "hostility" and "trouble" are cleared away or eliminated before I arrive and after I leave as he can manage in his power.

I "Amen" myself!

"May I be happy? Will someone tell me why I may not? As soon as someone sees I'm happy or simply may be headed in that direction, they often appear to be hell bent to destroy it...or the possibility of it. "May I be happy? What's the problem? May I be happy?"

"Hmmm?"

May I be happy?.

Yes, I may.

Is adversity easier to accept with the belief that it is instructive? To view all events, positive or negative as learning experiences, does this lessen the sting?

There is a forest monestary not 300 miles from here ;), I have been getting more and more tempted to load up on some supplies for them and just go there for a month to study with some real monks .. . I just read the stuff and try and figure it out myself but perhaps there is more that is not in writing.

Last night I had an encounter with someone who was really psychotic. This person made some racial oriented comment, something about some colored lady in line at the cafe. He claimed this woman disrespected him so I asked how. This led to this person saying 'do you want to fight me' after about 30 seconds. All I did was disagree a little and ask why he was offended..

"you must be a pinko commy" - he actually said that. " I must be" - unphased "Do you wanna fight me?" "Did I say that?" - at this point my other friend started to intervene. it took 15 seconds to reach the point of possible violence.

Now I am a person who values peace but sometimes peace is not being passive. So I said a few things and the third party present tried to intervene and stop it. Now I would not have fought this person, I would have had him arrested. Various scenarios passed thru my mind for a few minutes, none of them nice.

All the while this person listed their severe psychiatric problems, he had his hand on the primary cause, a case of beer. He was and is a danger to society, two words can inspire him to violence. I found out later that he has a tattoo of a swastika and fancies himself a white supremist.

Now I could understand at least what he was about and WHY he was psychotic.

My initial response was anger and adrenaline. Survival, I would defend myself with whatever strength I could muster. I just shut up and let the guy babble and at some point he must have realized that he had already committed several criminal acts and had I wished, I could have really screwd his day up..

As I sat in silence, thinking, 'if you attack me, I will try and kill you and feel as though I have done the world a service' and struggled very hard to go back to that place of compassion... but this person is no victim of anything but their own ignorance and delusions.. It is in those moments that you know yourself. I will not attack but niether will I yield.

I wrestled with my anger rather than just expressing it (with my fist), being mindful, what did it arise from? From the fact that some other stranger must have felt pretty threatened by this person who by rights should be caged. I was offended to the core of my self. At least let someone damn themselves first, the color of their skin is not a basis to discriminate.. winners and losers come in all colors.

As I sit here now I wonder why does that person have their 'drug' out in the open (although not opened), acting like an ass, talking about harsh crimes against people of color, and *I* have to slink in the shadows because I like cannabis !!!

What is wrong with that picture?

We have to argue, cajole, educate, and be held to crazy standards while the really dangerous psychotics are wandering around loose... with easy access to alcohol. I bet the guy is far more lucid when he smokes pot without the alcohol. The pharmas probably help too.. without the alcohol.

On darker days I sometimes think that the golden rule needs to be reworked.

"Do unto others as they would do unto others..." which would shift the emphasis away from self control and more towards 'if thy right hand offends thee cut it off, better to lose the hand than let the whole body die'. If you believe that you have the right to kill, then that is what should be done to you... but that is on the darker days ...;)

I sat in silence for about five minutes wrestling with my feelings, being disappointed somewhat that I was angered. The guy sat and talked to my other friend for awhile and must have thought better of it and apologised.

---

Empty spaces - what are we living for

Abandoned places - I guess we know the score

On and on, does anybody know what we are looking for...

Another hero, another mindless crime

Behind the curtain, in the pantomime

Hold the line, does anybody want to take it anymore

The show must go on,

The show must go on

Inside my heart is breaking

My make-up may be flaking

But my smile still stays on.

Whatever happens, I’ll leave it all to chance

Another heartache, another failed romance

On and on, does anybody know what we are living for?

I guess I’m learning, I must be warmer now

I’ll soon be turning, round the corner now

Outside the dawn is breaking

But inside in the dark I’m aching to be free

The show must go on

The show must go on

Inside my heart is breaking

My make-up may be flaking

But my smile still stays on

My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies

Fairytales of yesterday will grow but never die

I can fly - my friends

The show must go on

The show must go on

I’ll face it with a grin

I’m never giving in

On - with the show -

I’ll top the bill, I’ll overkill

I have to find the will to carry on

On with the -

On with the show -

The show must go on...

(Queen - The Show Must Go On) ------------------------

The 'war on drugs' has been pushed on the world by the USA but its the world that has to 'push back' by changing our own laws and forcing the US to follow suit. Like slavery. Would the conservatives argued in favor of slavery because if we were to outlaw it, that would anger washington?

Now me 'pushing' my values upon others is just as bad as them doing it to us...

The underlying craving may arise from having a boring unfulfilled existence, some psychic wound or attempt to escape reality. Stimulants and opiates act directly upon the pleasure centers of the brain, replacing key neurotransmitters for a time in the case of herion.

Which reminds me of the first 'Noble truth', there is suffering in life, it is 'unsatisfactory'. This 'unsatisfactoriness' is inherent in material existence and cannot be escaped by material means, ie drugs, wealth, philadelphia cream cheese and donuts. This suffering is caused by craving.

Drugs are not the only things that give rise to craving, nor the only things people become obsessed with. The standards which cannabis is being held to is ridiculous given the sheer numbers of other more pressing problems.

Generally speaking, I have noticed that people who prefer alcohol do not smoke the herb.

Herb users imbibe to 'enhance' their lives.

Drinkers drown their sorrows... or get stupidly happy.. used as a emotional release mechanism, disinhibitor.

Hard drug users attempt to escape dukkha by escaping temporarily in drug induced pleasure.

I was just going to point out that I have only 1 close friend who's been through detox & rehab for cocaine & alcohol addiction. He went almost daily to NA and AA meetings for years, he met several celebrities in the process.

About 18 months into it, he said he had met only 1 person who came to a group meeting & said they were an MJ addict. He said everyone else laughed & ridiculed the person (at first, I'm sure they took him seriously after that), because to a bunch of cocaine, alcohol, and opiate addicts, someone claiming to be addicted to cannabis is a laughable joke.

I used to have a report somewhere on my computer about the percentage of people seeking addiction help in my state broken down by drug. I just searched my hard drive & couldn't find it, but I believe the percent of people who VOLUNTARILY sought addiction help was like 3 or 4% for MJ, the rest for alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.

btw, my friend, who is still completely recovered, although he has to be on lithium for the rest of his life, said that he hated smoking cannabis. I finally convinced him to try a small puff once, and he gagged and actually vomited a little bit.

In my circles of friends over the years, I've found that people who like to "party" fall into 2 categories: alcohol/cocaine, and cannabis. It's easy to peg the ones in the first group, they always turn down cannabis until the very end of the evening - because it interferes with their drinking. These people are usually the ones who eagerly do cocaine as well.

The people in the cannabis group usually like to take the herb before other activites, such as outdoor sports, games, boating, work, etc. They will usually enjoy the herb as soon as we get together, and they will usually turn down the blow and drink moderately.

So I guess I'm saying that in my experience, the people really looked to get wasted usually end up developing a preference for alcohol & cocaine. Sure, they've used cannabis many times, but it definitely is not the drug that got them into trouble.

Ask the families of the victims of the Federal Government how they feel about losing their child because they have been imprisioned for burning some flowers. Ask the sufferers of cancer who beleive the tripe from the federal government and refrain from using cannabis because they think its the same as cocaine or herion.

Ask the people around here who have much better things to do with their lives but cannot abide the injustice and idiocy of the war on some drugs. I am sure I would rather be doing something else ...

What this author fails to mention that is even IF people become drug addicts, how does PRISON help? IT is one thing to discourage people from abusing substances it is quite another to cage them for years because they ignore the first.

"The claimed benefit would be to free up police to fight real crimes, violent and serious crimes. "

This is unrefuted. She switches to scare tactics but offers no refutation because it is IMPOSSIBLE for the 'crime' rate to do anything but fall if the USA did not arrest 700+k people per year for cannabis.

so rather than offer a reason why prohibition should be maintained she scares us with people who make POOR CHOICES or victims of the law.

"Ask someone who has lost a family member to a drug-impaired driver if the police should fight more violent and serious crimes than this?"

- poor choice to drive impaired on anything

"Ask a kid who has lost her mom to drugs and who is living in a foster home what a violent and serious crime is."

- what about all the orphans caused by harsh mandatory minimums? Families broken up by the state because one of them likes a bit of cannabis?

"Ask serious and violent addicts what drug they started out on."

It must be mothers milk. They all started with mothers milk. What 'high horse' are drug warriors on and what started their desire to be oppressive? What is the gateway to their addiction to VIOLENCE?(deprivaion of liberty, health, and lives)

"Ask the teacher who is trying to teach when there is a kid in class who is sitting there stoned. "

- nobody advocates pot for kids. At least if it was not illegal, the 'kid' does not have to admit being a criminal as well as a drug addict.

"Ask the family members who go to Narc-Anon if pot is all that nonserious and nonviolent in its effects."

I seriously question the sanity of anyone who attends narc-anon. Is'nt that the one paid for by the scientologists? It's a recruiting ground for the so-called religion...maybe I am confusing it with some other program.

" Ask the people who have suffered home invasions by desperate addicts looking for pot, if they did not endure a serious and violent crime. "

What about the cannabis using people who suffer armed incursions into their home by police. Ask them if they did not endure a serious and violent crime? Trying to make cannabis look like meth.

"Ask the hikers who have inadvertently stumbled on a pot farm way up in the woods if their lives were not in danger"

End Prohibition, and these questions need not be asked.

I find it interesting that Ms. Delmar uses the term rape. Seems that’s what current laws do. Rape your property and bank account if you have one. Lose your job. Not to mention what can happen while being held in a correctional facility.

***********************

For Runruff.

Grand Funk Railroad Lyrics - Inside Looking Out Lyrics

.....

I'm sitting here lonely like a broken man.

I serve my time doin' the best I can.

Walls and bars they surround me.

But, I don't want no sympathy.

***

No baby, no baby,

All I need is some tender lovin'.

To keep me sane in this burning oven.

And, when my time is up, you'll be my reefer.

***

Life gets worse on God's green earth.

Be my reefer, got to keep smokin' that thing.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

***

I said now baby ... baby ..., let me smoke it ... smoke it ...

Makes me feel good ... feel good, yes, I feel good ... ahhhhh ...

Yes, I feel alright ... feel alright ..., yes, I feel alright ... feel alright ...

Yes, I feel alright ... Ahhhhh ... Ohhhhh ...

***

Ice cold water is runnin' through my veins.

They try and drag me back to work again.

Pain and blisters on my mind and hands.

I work all day making up burlap bags.

***

The oats they're feeding me are driving me wild.

I feel unhappy like a new born child.

Now, when my time is up, you wait and see.

These walls and bars won't keep that stuff from me.

***

No, no, baby,

Won't keep that stuff from me.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

***

I need you right now mama.

I need you right now baby.

Right by my side, honey.

All night long.

***

Make me feel alright ...

Yes, all ..., yes, all ..., yes, all ... alright.

***

You better come on up and get down with me.

I'll make you feel real good, just you wait and see. ***

Make me feel alright ..., yes, I feel alright ...

Yes, all ..., yes, all ..., yes, alright.

Not according to several studies over 20 years: http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4131.html

"Ask someone who has lost a family member to a drug-impaired driver if the police should fight more violent and serious crimes than this?"

I thought we were talking about cannabis. Now it's "Drug-impaired". Quit changing the subject.

"Ask a kid who has lost her mom to drugs and who is living in a foster home what a violent and serious crime is."

Has anyone ever lost a mom to cannabis? Aside from the state taking the child away, that is. But that's the fault of insane prohibition, not cannabis.

"Ask serious and violent addicts what drug they started out on."

I hope you meant what ILLEGAL drug did they first use? Because most often, people are starting out on alcohol, cigarettes and pharms, all demonstrably more harmful than cannabis.

"Ask the teacher who is trying to teach when there is a kid in class who is sitting there stoned."

If the kid suffers impaired learning as a result of being stoned, he is only hurting himself. And the decrim issue is about ADULT cannabis use, stop changing the subject.

http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/Stories/0,1413,91~3089~3274484,00.html

"Ask the family members who go to Narc-Anon if pot is all that nonserious and nonviolent in its effects."

Actually, if you ask Narc-Anon about ANY drug, they will preach about the evils of it, since they are a Scientologist organization driven by a religious agenda.

"Ask the people who have suffered home invasions by desperate addicts looking for pot, if they did not endure a serious and violent crime."

WTF? This lady is nuts. Cannabis does not form physical dependency leading to the "desperation" she so wishes existed.

"Ask the hikers who have inadvertently stumbled on a pot farm way up in the woods if their lives were not in danger."

Only because of prohibition, what other plant is worth more than its weight in gold? But you're claiming an even stricter prohibition will de-associate cannabis from criminal types and organized crime in general?

"Still another thought. Since there will always be rapes, shouldn't we just decriminalize rape? Same logic."

Rape is a violent crime that infringes the rights of another individual. Pot is a crime only because it has been declared a crime, there is no moral basis whatsoever for pot prohibition. By equating pot with rape, you are TRIVIALIZING rape, you nimrod. And by making the penalties for pot greater than or equal to those for rape, you are undermining people's respect for the law.

"Let's declare war on decriminalizing dope."

:0)

Well....they knew that North and South could meet, somehow, and East and West couldn't.

Maybe I put some "here" or "there". They clean closets and drawers. Shake out clothing. Search their own pockets! Shake all their shoes and boots. They wonder and wonder and wonder.

That's why most cannabis fans can pretty much be sure they havn't got any laying about the house they've forgotten.

Am I right?

Just remembering that kind of gives me a fit of Jonesing.

It's been ages....but....I wonder....

Did I look there? Might I have overlooked it?

"...suffered home invasions by desperate addicts looking for pot."

:0)

Perhaps Orange County would be a better choice?

Ok.

A person under the influence of pot is an impaired driver.

Even if they aren't driving?

What is a person under the influence of alcohol? Okay, if they aren't behind the wheel, or if they aren't over the legal limit, they aren't presumed to be impaired, even though alcohol is inherently more impairing than cannabis.

But surely you aren't saying alcohol prohibition should be reinstated and prosecuted as the highest priority?

Ask someone who has lost a family member to a drug-impaired driver if the police should fight more violent and serious crimes than this?

Again, if we're just talking about driving under the influence, then alcohol remains the larger problem.

Ask a kid who has lost her mom to drugs and who is living in a foster home what a violent and serious crime is.

Alcohol can kill, and it makes some people violent. Prohibition causes violent crime, as well. But cannabis?

Ask serious and violent addicts what drug they started out on.