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  This Bud's for You

Posted by CN Staff on September 09, 2006 at 21:04:45 PT
By A. Barton Hinkle Times-Dispatch Columnist  
Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch 

Virginia -- The fight for freedom is one in which titanic triumphs can be followed by trench warfare over trivialities. Naziism is no more -- but the Norfolk city council cannot decide whether to permit tattoo parlors. The communist empire has been consigned to the dustbin of history -- but the commissars of the drug war are still hung up on rope. And that is a pity for the nation's farmers, particularly here in Virginia.
The rope in question is made from industrial hemp, a plant with most of the characteristics of marijuana, except for the crucial one: delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, more briefly known as THC -- the actual drug in the drug of choice for the nation's potheads.The THC concentration in high-potency "blue sky blond," "Hawaiian," and other varieties can reach 20 percent. In industrial hemp, the THC concentration cannot exceed 0.3 percent. The plants look alike, but to get high off the industrial stuff, says Roger Johnson, "would take a joint the size of a telephone pole."Johnson is the state agricultural commissioner for North Dakota, and he thinks farmers should be allowed to grow industrial hemp. So does the California state legislature, which recently passed a bill to that effect. Seven other states have passed similar measures -- including Virginia, which approved a 1999 resolution calling on the federal government to allow cultivation of industrial hemp.Hemp has a proud tradition here in the Old Dominion, which once -- in a 1623 statute -- actually required farmers to grow it. In those days hangings were called "hemp pullings" (guess why), and the Dismal Swamp Company planned to drain the swamp to grow hemp there. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp, and the Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp-fiber paper.For centuries hemp flourished in the U.S. ranking as the third-largest agricultural commodity in the 1800s. In 1850, the Census counted almost 9,000 hemp plantations. Then along came the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. It effectively killed off the crop, except for a brief period during WWII when the Japanese seized the Philippines and interrupted the supply of Manila hemp. The "Hemp for Victory" campaign was on, at least for a while.With such a patriotic pedigree, one would think hemp would be as impervious to criticism as Mom, apple pie, and the first American flag sewn by Betsy Ross -- which also contained hemp fiber. Not so. The Drug Enforcement Administration objects to legalizing hemp cultivation because it fears drug dealers could let the snoppies grow in farmers' fields, between the hemp stalks row on row.Yet those who are, ah, more than theoretically conversant in marijuana cultivation contend that mixing ganga and hemp is a prescription for disaster. Not only must the plants be spaced differently (tightly for hemp, to maximize stalks; loosely for pot, to maximize leafage), but cross-pollination would dilute the pot's potency and ruin the yield.For that reason, hard-core drug warriors ought to embrace hemp cultivation. "Not only is it a good idea, it's a major headache for marijuana [growers]," a lobbyist for the North American Industrial Hemp Council has said. The lobbyist, who has been called a "dirtbag" in High Times magazine for encouraging hemp's use as a biological weapon against drug dealers, has said one would have to "be stark-raving mad to try to hide marijuana in the middle of a hemp crop because of cross-pollination." The lobbyist is James Woolsey, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency.Sadly, rational discussion of hemp is scant. When he was head of the DEA, former congressman Asa Hutchinson asserted: "Many Americans do not know that hemp and marijuana are both parts of the same plant and that hemp cannot be produced without producing marijuana." As a writer for the Los Angeles Times riposted: "One reason many Americans do not know this is because it's not true. That's like saying beagles and collies are both parts of the same dog and that beagles cannot be produced without producing collies."Asked a couple of years ago why the U.S. can't distinguish between marijuana and hemp when more than 30 other countries with legal hemp farming -- from China to Canada to most of the European Union -- are capable of doing so, the DEA's chief of chemical evaluation replied, "I'm not going to comment on what other countries do." Oh.The benefits of hemp ought to be obvious to anyone contemplating the future of Virginia agriculture in the twilight of tobacco. Hemp grows rapidly with little need for pesticides; it is good for the soil; and it can be used to make a vast cornucopia of products, from paper to garments to cosmetics to salad dressings (hemp is high in protein, Vitamin E, and essential fatty oils). Virginia, this bud's for you.In short: Hemp could put clothes on people's backs, put money in farmers' pockets, and keep pot out of children's hands. But according to the federal government, if you think that's enough reason to let farmers grow the stuff, you must be smoking something.Complete Title: This Bud's for You: Federal Ban on Hemp Cultivation Amounts To Reefer MadnessNewshawk: John Tyler Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA)Author: A. Barton Hinkle Times-Dispatch Columnist  Published: September 4, 2006Copyright: 2006 Richmond Newspapers Inc.Contact: letters timesdispatch.comWebsite: http://www.timesdispatch.com/CannabisNews Hemp Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/hemp.shtml

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Comment #99 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 14:58:38 PT
museman
What a wonderful tribute to Tongo.
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Comment #98 posted by museman on September 13, 2006 at 14:48:32 PT
FoM
My little write up about Tongo
Tongo
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Comment #97 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 14:26:49 PT
 whig 
I understand. I didn't know that you were looking for a job. 
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Comment #96 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 14:17:24 PT
FoM
It's not that I have to pay to host it, the Wordpress.com service is free, but if I'm writing then I'm not doing something else that could be bringing in money. I don't make enough to pay my bills and eat, a lot of my support comes from my wife and a few clients back in Pittsburgh that I might not be able to keep forever from out here.
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Comment #95 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 14:12:47 PT
Whig
I can understand the need for money. If I had to pay a bill for doing CNews I wouldn't be able to do it.
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Comment #94 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 14:06:32 PT
museman
I gotta go eat something in a bit, so I just wanted to say briefly that I dislike most cities, too. Berkeley and the San Francisco area are different from any other city I have ever been in.
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Comment #93 posted by museman on September 13, 2006 at 13:40:41 PT
whig
I don't live off the grid anymore. I have despaired because of it. I am disabled from a degenerative spine - related I believe to military experimentation, of which I was an unwitting contributor- and I am on a 'fixed' disabilty income from the VA. Part of my recent experience- not an insignificant part is this forum- I have managed to climb out of the hole that losing my home, my studio, and my health- all at the same time- was provided for me to fall in, and I am slowly crawling back to health, home, and 'getting off the grid.'Farbeit from me to judge any person for their choices in life. Only when that person stands up in false claim and authority - like George Bush for prime example- do I feel I can 'let go' on their ass - fire all guns at once. Systems and concepts are fair game however, and I believe that discussion is healthy, and part of a real discussion is considering all sides, all perspectives that can be realized- and that quite often includes uncomfortable subject matter and points of view.I have often stated how I 'render to Caesar' reluctantly, and without any allegiance of any kind- but rendered none the less. Raising a family changes your options quite dynamicly as you are well aware, and society demands a kind of tribute that one must pay if one is to have any kind of comfort in life, yet the heart and soul of my faith and belief has always resided elsewhere, and I can find no purchase for it in that world -even as I am forced to live in it.I had the fortune to experience an alternative, and I would still be living it but for the same kind of circumstances that overcome us all. Thus I have brought this experience back into the mainstream matrix - deliberately intended before the hole appeared in front of my feet.Part of our 'abrasion' or something here friend whig, I think maybe is the difference between 'metropolitan consciousness' and 'rural consciousness' city-boy - country-boy. Living in the scarcer populatd areas as I have since I escaped Bakersfield in the '70's I have become comfortable with the illusion that there are not teeming billions of people just over the next mountain. I was born and raised in the city, from Kansas City to Bakersfield - my final straw, when I finally emerged into and onto the less constricted environment of nature.I went through L.A. last winter on the way to Arizona, and all I can say is I can't understand how that thing could come to be. I can't reason how so many would agree to such poisonous environment so eagerly.Now I know there are areas and neighborhoods -communities within most metro-areas that have some real good folks doing what they're supposed to be doing, and I support that. My fundamental disagreement is on some more philosphical levels. I cannot go against my convictions- and they are alas very unpopular- for now, and while I can be tolerant of ways that I don't agree with-if there is no harm, I am not going to agree that this system of things -mans system-has any hope of being fixed - because it was broken to begin with.Who can say absolutely what part of the design any of us fit into? If we fit in anywhere that in itself is a kind of major success considering those teeming masses I so conveniently forget about even as I see the images every day.You have a lot of energy whig, and drive. That is good. That's very good, specially where you are putting it. You might not think that I support your part in the 'fitting in' but I do. I consider you a friend even though we haven't met - yet. I really don't think I can match that energy and drive on the same levels you are manifesting it, and in about 10 years you'll probably relate a lot better to what I'm saying.I like metaphor, prose, and poetry. I use it constantly and consistently. I often communicate ideas in a broad, general sense because I do not like limitations- I like to believe that the intelligence of the receiver can fathom the meaning as it might -in general- relate. I do not presume to teach- as I do not like those who presume to teach me, I merely assume such authority of knowledge and experience as is necessary for the needs of the moment.And I love the English language.
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Comment #92 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 13:11:34 PT
FoM
I have to find a way to get donations or something to let me keep doing this blog full time. I don't want to have any constraints on what I say but I think what I've written speaks pretty well for what I will continue to be writing.
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Comment #91 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 13:08:44 PT
FoM
I'm going to start backing it up. I should point out that everyone can make a copy of something you see, and if you think my site is important and want to keep a copy, you have my permission and you may give copies to whomever you want whenever you want.
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Comment #90 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 12:34:18 PT
Whig
You are doing a very good job on your blog. Everything you are doing is archived isn't it? I hope so because that is important for research.
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Comment #89 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 12:22:25 PT
Cannabis is medicine
Opinions on this are invited. I might have it published.http://cannablog.wordpress.com/2006/09/13/cannabis-is-medicine/
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Comment #88 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 12:05:36 PT
museman
I know, and I'm sorry. I want to be able to give everyone what they need, but I don't have the resources either. All I can do is what I do, and help those who are helping others, sometimes that involves money and sometimes that doesn't come easy.Unlike you I don't live off the grid, this is Berkeley and I can get to anywhere pretty easily by bus or other public transportation, within the metropolitan area. A lot is going on here, and it's exciting to see, but it's not my own thing to make decisions about even if I could.
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Comment #87 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 12:03:21 PT

museman 
You just confirmed exactly what I have been thinking about. I also wouldn't be surprised if after the four of them get rested up if they would do a late winter or early spring limited tour. Neil did that after the summer tour in 03 of Greendale. He did a shortened early spring inside tour. There is something happening now. I can feel it in the air. Two more things. Someone commented on Neil being a good sport. When the person threw the beer on stage at Neil in Columbus they said Neil leaned over and picked up the cup and used it to play his guitar. Also at the Pittsburgh show when David Crosby wasn't going to sing Carry Me because his voice was shot at Neil's urging he did it. They said Neil put his clenched fists on his chest and cheered David on and they did it. It was all so wonderful.
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Comment #86 posted by museman on September 13, 2006 at 11:55:49 PT

whig
I understand the situation- I have opinons but no matter- I wish you and them the best- 'break a leg' - but I simply don't have the resources. My van just died a few weeks ago, so my transportation is also limited.I met Ed on the back of his famous book cover back in the seventies, he helped me learn horticulture of the finest kind, and wish I was able to help, but since money seems to be the help required, I guess all I got is good wishes.
So good luck with it.
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Comment #85 posted by museman on September 13, 2006 at 11:44:09 PT

FoM
"But the perfect world doesn't exist," he says. "This is part of our gig, it always has been. We're descended from troubadours and town criers, and part of our gig is to simply make you feel good and make you boogie and sing your love songs. But part of our job is to tell you it's 12:30 and things are not so good." - David CrosbyI guess I feel like that clock finally caught up to me. I've always had my musical priorities at that resolve. Except I stopped writiing and singing 'love songs' over 30 years ago. It is somewhat of a relief to have those guys doing what drew me to them in the first place, oh I learned Suite Judy Blue Eyes, and Our House, along with most of the rest- because as David stated that is what the bards do. Their material provided me with the foundations for my own musical path (along with a few other greats who inspired me). I can remember being turned down for a gig in the '80s because a lot of our material was acoustic oriented and "CSN&Y were passe'" according to 'those in the know.' I hope they are still around and remember that.They inspire me as a musician and songwriter, they lift up my old feeling, and give back some of the youth I misplaced some years back. Man if they can do it so damn well at their time in life, that gives me hope for a few more productive years of my own - not to mention the global vibe they are resonating.I'd like to make a mention of some other greats who also sang about '12:30' whom I recognize and miss; George Harrison, who always sang about faith and belief. Johnny Cash, who always sang about reality. Phil Ochs, who showed young Mr. Zimmerman the open door to the beat movement and sang some of the first dynamic protest songs of the '60s. There are many. On top of them all - in memorum- is John Lennon, who was an honest man who sang the truth, and had a big hand in opening the door for our generation, and subsequently the next.But now, amongst those still living, of which there are still some few left who have maintained their integrity- like Willie Nelson for one, there is one who has risen to the apex in my mind and experience, and that is Neil Young. He has just amazed me this past year. And Crosby, Nash, and Stills rising to the challenge is outstanding as well.

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Comment #84 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 10:22:11 PT

Museman and Whig
I really enjoyed reading your comments. Museman when I went to the over 400 song's on LWW Today and saw your song was 79 I was so happy. This last concert of the CSNY tour has really solidified my belief system. Here is an article featuring David Crosby. It is well worth a look.CSN&Y Finds Renewed Energy in Familiar Territoryhttp://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/living/music/s_469295.htmlDon't Forget War - Terry Hubbard: http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/songslinks/songlink_411.htmlLWW Today: Songs of the Times: 
http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/lwwsongspage.html
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Comment #83 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 10:14:00 PT

museman
I wanted to tell you I asked about how they were choosing people to play at the festival, and it does need to draw people and sell tickets to raise money for Ed Rosenthal and Green Aid. He's under threat of being reindicted any time, and there is still a lot of fighting that the government is doing against us. So specifically they want bands who can bring crowds.Kottonmouth Kings are playing, I think I'm able to confirm that one.Anyhow I don't want you to think that I didn't follow up and I just didn't understand what the priorities were until I had the chance to get it explained to me. I hope you can still come down however and bring as many people as you can because I do think that the Wonders of Cannabis festival is going to be a lot of fun.One other thing though is it's a venue with limited capacity too so people really do need tickets.For tickets: http://www.cannabisactionnetwork.org/More information (which I should be updating soon): http://cannablog.wordpress.com/2006/08/14/upcoming-event/
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Comment #82 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 10:06:04 PT

FoM, BGreen, Afterburner, Stick
I'm glad you all are having such a good time. I think it's important we enjoy ourselves sometimes, or as much as possible if we can be productive at the same time. It's like watching the whole network become connected.It gives me a pause sometimes to realize that every time we are meeting and becoming friends, we are not in a private setting and there are people who are unquestionably reading everything who are on the other side. As a writer I have very little inside information about anything because I don't like to have too many secrets that I cannot write about. I just mention that because I see so much going on in the Bay Area to knit our community together and I love being part of it without knowing more than I need to be helpful.
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Comment #81 posted by museman on September 13, 2006 at 10:03:35 PT

the tour
I am so sad I missed it. I followed it's progress, and even though I wasn't there physically, I truly felt real good about CSN&Y doing the Freedom Tour, felt like those guys were reaching out to the spirit of generations - not just ours - like they did in 'the good 'ol days'. I am looking forward to whatever video/CD they come up with. I feel so good about it, we decided to pick a tune from LWW and perform it at our next gig - a barter fair within gas-money distance. We spent a day learning the song, and it felt and sounded pretty good. So we are going to attempt to carry a piece of that spirit just a little further this year.I got so excited yesterday when I went to LWW to look at where the listing was for Don't Forget War and it had moved from #420 -which was cosmic -to #79! Which blew my mind. I just know you guys had a lot to do with it. Thanks FoM for challenging me to write it.Anyway, if my presence seems scarce around here in the near future, I'm just busy with music, and related stuff.I'm afraid we are not going to make the Hempfest in San Fran that whig invited us to - just too much of an expense for us, but things are slowly picking up some momentum for us musically. I got my bus, and will be spending quite a bit of time preparing it for our own kind of tour in the next year or so. Gonna get R.A.W. on the road with my mobile studio.I have an impressive group of young musicians who are looking for some support, so I will be putting out a lot of energy towards helping them combine their talents into a music cooperative - kind of like the old Motown did in the '60s. It's a struggle 'cause all of us have one thing ( a lot actually, but..) in common; all of them and I are without adequate funding, so they have to make up in talent and skill what they don't have in inherited resource. That kind of talent can find some powerful motivation -I'll keep you posted.I haven't made much comment on the show 'weeds' because I usually don't give that much impetus to TV, but I have to say I've watched every episode (I have to go to mininova -got no cable). I have to say this (and I mentioned it before); watch out for the twitch in the left eye - it's a dead give away to what's going to happen. Everyone is going to get some insight into the nature and character of our 'drug warriors.'If anyone wants to monitor my progress in listing, and linking our music, I am working on consolidating all the links on one page so that all the music that is online is available from one location:http://terryhubbard.com/Songlist/Eventually I hope to have them all actually on the same server, and linked to the lyrics. I've got a son at the University studying video and graphic arts -who is also an incredible musician, poet, and songwriter. We will make video at some point.Peace
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Comment #80 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 07:19:13 PT

Afterburner and BGreen
Afterburner I'm glad you are home and resting up and BGreen have a great time and it sounds like you and Mrs. Green are doing just that. I am still very tired but I slept really long last night and that helps. What a great time we all had. 
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Comment #79 posted by BGreen on September 13, 2006 at 04:56:27 PT

Day 2 - after a long sleep
Good morning!Everything is absolutely wonderful. The weather is perfect ( and that doesn't happen a lot in the Netherlands,) and I've already done a large amount of "research" in some of the fine establishments here that smell like Willie Nelson's bus. LOLWe ate Indian food last night and it was awesome. Even the food from the grocery stores tastes better here.I'm glad you made it home OK, Afterburner.More later.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #78 posted by afterburner on September 12, 2006 at 22:53:36 PT

Thanks for the Love, Guys and Gals in Cnews Family
FoM and Stick and I had a wonderful visit and a magical concert. More later after I get some more sleep.
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Comment #77 posted by FoM on September 12, 2006 at 20:04:02 PT

Truth
You never know they all might do that. This whole concert tour has been more then I ever thought it could be.
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Comment #76 posted by Truth on September 12, 2006 at 19:52:34 PT

Too bad..
Too bad that Neil and Co. arn't taking their concert world wide. They should. It would be a great way to show other folks around the world what we actually think of bush's policies.
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Comment #75 posted by FoM on September 12, 2006 at 17:27:16 PT

Dankhank
Now I remember who he is. Thanks.
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Comment #74 posted by Dankhank on September 12, 2006 at 17:22:35 PT

Beaners ...
It's a "nickname" for those of Latin decent, not very nice historically-speaking, that is getting a remake, care of Carlos Mencia, a really funny guy ...http://www.carlosmencia.com/content/"The Show" is the nickname for the Major Leagues, baseball, that is ... mostly among the participants or wannabees ...The guy that "pennied" Nancy's ride ...
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Comment #73 posted by FoM on September 12, 2006 at 14:21:41 PT

greenmed 
Thank you. I am really doing a lot of thinking about the power of this tour. I said that I didn't feel division like I did at the Columbus show with the Bush supporter throwing beer at Neil on stage and then a bad fight in the parking lot. I think everyone that traveled to the last show wouldn't have noticed if there was a problem because it was a celebration of being awakened to the truth that always has been but has been lost for so many years. I felt so un-alone in this huge crowd. I felt like we all were one. I don't know what they can do since Crosby is 65 and Neil will be 61. 2008 is a little time away but if there is a chance for more it will happen. I really believe that.
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Comment #72 posted by greenmed on September 12, 2006 at 13:55:42 PT

FoM
So glad to hear the concert was a memorable one and that the weather held out. Do you know whether CSNY have plans to tour again leading up to 2008? We'll need their message to get out especially as the upcoming election approaches.The Pittsburgh set list is up now:http://www.csny.com/setlists/09102006

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Comment #71 posted by FoM on September 12, 2006 at 12:15:13 PT

Dankhank
I have time to reflect today since it is raining and my satellite isn't working a lot of the time during this weather. I listened to Deja Vu again this morning and the flood of memories was something to experience. I could jump back to when I first heard them sing these songs and jump forward to now and connect the whole picture. What amazing things happen when something like this tour happens and you get a chance to experience it. It will never be forgotten. We need for this to just be the beginning not the end. Let that spirit grow. My husband and I can't figure out who the Beaner is.
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Comment #70 posted by Dankhank on September 12, 2006 at 12:02:05 PT

Niel n Weeds ...
i'm so glad to hear ya'll had a fantastic time at the concert. We all knew you would ...I hope the groundswell that must emanate from these gatherings continues to grow so we can have a major change of direction in this country, soon.Weeds is the craziest thing ... I'm betting it will change minds, too, since it is so easy to watch. Silas is off on his own tangent, hope he straightens up soon.I miss the Beaner, he went to the "Show." Hope he comes back ...

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Comment #69 posted by FoM on September 12, 2006 at 09:20:59 PT

Sinsemilla Jones 
I didn't vote except two times. When cocaine entered the picture and President Carter didn't change the laws on marijuana I thought my hippie dream wasn't going to work if that was the direction we were heading. I didn't want to be a part of the crazyiness I saw happening with the new generation back then. I didn't want to become like I knew our world would become if a powerful stimulant was going to make people become work oriented at the expensive of really important things in life so I quit everything and voted for Reagan. I had hoped Reagan would help stop the cocaine problem but he didn't. Hind sight is always 20-20. I voted for John Kerry because he had class and he knew how to speak and if you don't know how to speak to other world leaders you can make them very angry as we see now. Being a diplomat is a high priority for me and not angry like some politicians are. Anger doesn't make the world better but righteous indignation will help direct change that is good for us I believe.
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Comment #68 posted by FoM on September 12, 2006 at 08:08:53 PT

BGreen
That's great. I hope you have a wonderful time. We got AB to the airport at about 4 this morning. He should be back in Canada now and on his way home. This weekend will never be forgotten. Meeting Afterburner and realizing that we already knew so much about each other from CNews is an amazing experience. The concert was a concert that I doubt will ever be duplicated in it's impact for me. A concert with a message to wake up people the world is in trouble. Teach Your Children Well and Almost Cut My Hair ( short hair or long hair that song made everyone fly their freak flag high with arms stretched into the air ) and Our House got oohs and ahhhhs from 18,000 people or more. Our House was my husband and my dream for our future back in the 70s and now it will be a part of our young friends dreams and hopes too. If there is a generation gap I sure didn't see it there that night. I want the whole world to believe like that multitude did that special night. Today it is raining and we need the rain but if this rain had happened during the concert it would have been a cold rain but the night was blessed once more with cool weather and a clear sky.
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Comment #67 posted by Hope on September 12, 2006 at 03:14:26 PT

Great to hear you arrived safely, BGreen!
Hope you have a wonderful time.
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Comment #66 posted by BGreen on September 12, 2006 at 02:00:56 PT

Glad you had a great time, FoM
We just arrived in Amsterdam a couple of hours ago. We're at our apartment and I got my laptop hooked up so I can share my week with my CNews family.I'll check in later, but right now I have to go ... well, you know. LOLI heard that they sell something besides coffee at those coffeeshops. LOLThe Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #65 posted by whig on September 12, 2006 at 00:46:59 PT

Sinsemilla Jones
I never actually voted for Bush, I don't think. And I was much too young to ever have voted for Reagan. But I detested Clinton, who I also never voted for. I didn't vote in 2000 and I wrote an article on why I did not do so at the time, it was election night and I said, whoever wins this thing is going to start a war. Might be a different war against different enemies depending on who wins. But I saw them both as war mongers.I still can't authorize anyone to conduct war in my name.
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Comment #64 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on September 12, 2006 at 00:37:14 PT

FoM and whig -
I can imagine thinking voting Democratic might be the answer.I can imagine thinking not voting might be the answer.But I really can't imagine how anyone could ever have thought voting for Reagan or a Bush could have been the answer.Unless how to fuck things up beyond all recognition was the question?
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Comment #63 posted by whig on September 11, 2006 at 23:03:44 PT

Sinsemilla Jones
Here is what I have to say about voting.http://cannablog.wordpress.com/2006/09/10/on-voting/You can disagree with me, but I'm not against you. I just don't believe that the Libertarian Party is the solution.
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Comment #62 posted by FoM on September 11, 2006 at 22:18:18 PT

A Review from Last Nights Concert
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06254/720940-42.stm
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Comment #61 posted by FoM on September 11, 2006 at 22:08:17 PT

BGreen
One thing I really thought was cool is we were in line to go into the concert and I was talking about how Neil went from California to Florida with no stops on the way. The young couple asked me why and I said they don't like his music much in the south so my opinion is why bother. The lady and her husband in front of me turned around and grinned and nodded like that's right. I said to her do you know a lady named Joann? She said Joann from New Jersey? I said yes. I only post on one other web site and it is a Neil Young web site. I have talked with her on the forum. She only lives about 15 miles from me. What a small world. 
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Comment #60 posted by FoM on September 11, 2006 at 21:56:16 PT

Dankhank
I wanted to mentioned we all watched Weeds and what we thought would happen did. What an entertaining series. 
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Comment #59 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on September 11, 2006 at 21:00:09 PT

Why I voted for Michael Badnarik in 2004 -
Medical Marijuana and the Federal War on Drugs  In the 2000 campaign for president, George W. Bush said that the federal government should not interfere with the medical marijuana policies of the several states. Like so many other promises, he went back on his word and has closed down medical marijuana facilities permitted by state governments.  This is an outrage. The federal government has no constitutional authority to interfere with state drug policies. When the federal government outlawed alcohol, it required a constitutional amendment to do so. Nonetheless it has assumed the legal authority to wage its "War on Drugs."  According to nearly every scientific study on the subject, including ones conducted by the government, medical marijuana provides unique relief to patients suffering from cancer, AIDS, glaucoma and other illnesses, and the drug does not have the same addictive properties as alcohol.  The federally approved Marinol contains the psychoactive THC but lacks other cannabinoids crucial to marijuana as an effective medicine. This is one of the many insanities of federal drug policy, which categorizes a plant that has never been shown to kill anyone as more illegal than cocaine, and certainly more illegal than alcohol.  Though smoking marijuana—just as smoking tobacco—can cause harm to the lungs and respiratory system, the drug can also be ingested and vaporized so as to prevent such unwanted side effects.  On a fundamental level, Libertarians believe that it is the unalienable and constitutional right of individuals to medicate themselves and choose for themselves what to put into their bodies, as long as they live up to the consequences of their actions. The federal government has no proper say in the matter, and state governments violate the rights of the people in their own attempts to enforce morality. The decision to ingest, smoke or consume any drug should be up to the individual, under the advice of his or her physician, when appropriate. Locking people up for trying to relieve their pain is cruel and unusual punishment for an act that hurts no one.  The Drug War has led to some of the worst violations of the constitutional liberties of Americans, as well as to the worst wave of violent crime in American history since Alcohol Prohibition. It has been used to rationalize unlawful searches and seizures, corruption of the court system, no-knock raids, racial profiling, and "civil asset forfeiture"—a policy whereby government officials can confiscate private property without even charging anyone with a crime. The War on Drugs, more than anything else, has served as a means of destroying the Bill of Rights. It has also led to excessive taxes and spending, costing more than 40 billion dollars a year to arrest, prosecute and imprison non-violent drug offenders.  Drug Prohibition has caused gang warfare and other violent crime by raising the prices of drugs so much that vicious criminals enter the market to make astronomical profits, and addicts rob and steal to get money to pay the inflated prices for their drugs. On average, drug prisoners spend more time in federal prison than rapists, who often get out on early release because of the over-crowding in prison caused by the Drug War. While violent criminals can usually have their sentences reduced, drug offenders are subject to "mandatory minimums," which strip away judicial discretion and force judges to put users and dealers in prison for decades. This has to stop.  The Drug War also has funded terrorists; providing them with opportunities for enormous profits, and even by giving foreign aid to such regimes as the Taliban as long as they promised to have "tough drug" policies.  The Drug War does not curb demand, it barely reduces supply, however it makes America much more dangerous and much less free.  A Libertarian president would order federal officials to cease and desist in harassing medical marijuana patients and would block federal spending on the War on Drugs. Nonviolent drug offenders would be released from federal prison, and each state would choose its own drug policy, just as each chose its own alcohol policy when alcohol Prohibition was repealed. Libertarians would hope and expect most states to come around and severely reform their policies to make them more humane and less at odds with the Constitution and the American way of life.Industrial Hemp  Government often prepares the way for oppressive legislation by exaggerating a current danger, or by rhetorically turning harmless people and things into bogeymen.  Certainly this has been the case with industrial hemp. Although it includes a technical exemption for hemp, The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 generally treats hemp like marijuana, its psychotropic cousin. Smoking industrial hemp to "get high" yields about the same result as smoking the evening newspaper; and while the government contends that hemp can be useful as camouflage for marijuana growth, even laymen can easily distinguish between the two.  What makes current federal policy so tragic is that industrial hemp is estimated to have 25,000 constructive uses. Indeed, until recently the qualities of perhaps the world's most useful plant were widely understood and utilized. Ironically, in early 17th Century America, laws existed REQUIRING farmers to grow hemp. Later, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both left glowing references to the plant in their writings.  Hemp even has a record of heroism: During WWII, the U.S. war effort needed hemp-based supplies so badly that it instituted the "Hemp for Victory" program. The beginnings of today's repressive policies were already in place by the late 30s, as a result of propaganda efforts waged against hemp by the petro-chemical and timber industries. However, when America's very survival was threatened, the government exempted farmers and their sons from military service if they'd agree to grow it.  The ahistorical perception that those interested in legalizing hemp cultivation are all drug users has far-reaching economic, ecological and humanitarian effects. Consider just a few of the benefits we're missing out on:    * According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, "Hemp Hurds as a Paper-Making Material" (Bulletin No. 404), the core of the hemp stalk produces more than four times more paper than trees in proportion to land area cultivated.    * Raw hempseed oil can be used, without any modification, to power diesel engines.    * Thousands of natural food products, including staples like cheese and milk, are made from hempseed. Its protein content is higher than any plant source except soy -- and is more usable than soy as well.    * Although anyone can manufacture and sell hemp products in the U.S., it is illegal to cultivate the plant. An untold number of income opportunities, which would easily be supported by the growing demand for ecologically friendly alternatives, are denied the American work force. Availability of overseas hemp is insufficient to meet demand. Jobs -- not just in cultivation, but manufacture of goods -- are lost.   If the War on Drugs is senseless and unfathomable in light of reality -- and it is -- the prohibition on cultivating industrial hemp is even more so. Canada and the European Union have more enlightened -- and economically sound -- hemp policies than the United States.  The Bush Administration has attempted to ban hempseed food products which were formerly exempt from the definition of marijuana; foods that have no harmful effect whatsoever, and which aren't even remotely associated with recreational drug use.  As your President, I would open the way for free-market exploration and exploitation of industrial hemp. I'd veto legislation funding enforcement of laws against it, and I'd lobby Congress to repeal those laws.  Isn't it time we had a leader who defended the economic freedom which so well serves the interests of the American people?Military Policy and the War in Iraq  The War in Iraq is a failure, and the U.S. government should never have waged it. As your president, one of my first tasks will be to begin the orderly process of bringing our troops home as quickly as can safely be accomplished.  More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.  But this is not enough. We need to learn how this disaster happened, so we can prevent future disasters from happening.  First, allow me to dispel a myth. People in the Middle East do not hate us for our freedom. They do not hate us for our lifestyle. They hate us because we have spent many years attempting to force them to emulate our lifestyle.  The U.S. government has meddled in the affairs of the Middle East far too long, always with horrendous results. It overthrew the democratically elected leader of Iran and replaced him with the Shah. After making Iranians the enemies of Americans, the U.S. government gave weapons, intelligence and money to Iran's mortal adversary, Saddam Hussein. The U.S. government also helped Libyan Col. Qaddafi come to power, propped up the Saudi monarchy and the Egyptian regime, and gave assistance to Osama bin Laden.  Most Americans have forgotten these events. But the people of the Middle East will always remember.  It was because of American troops in Saudi Arabia, lethal sanctions on Iraq, support for states in serious violation of International Law, and siding with Israel in its dispute with the Palestinians to the tune of more than $3 billion per year in taxpayers' funds that terrorist leaders were able to recruit those individuals who caused 3,000 Americans to pay the ultimate price on September 11, 2001.  The proper response would have been to present the evidence as to who committed the heinous act both to Congress and to the people, and have Congress authorize the president to track down the individuals actually responsible, doing everything possible to avoid inflicting harm on innocents.  A Libertarian president would not have sent the military trampling about the world, racking up a death count in the thousands, wasting tax money on destroying and re-building infrastructure, creating more enemies, and doing the kinds of things that led to 9/11 in the first place.  We cannot undo history, unfortunately.  The U.S. government has never succeeded in establishing freedom and democracy in any of its foreign adventures in the last fifty years. Freedom and democracy are blessings any people must establish for themselves.  Here at home, war leads to a decline in civil liberties, higher taxes, and wartime economic measures that blur the line between business and state, allowing politically favored corporations to profit at the expense of taxpayers.  Libertarians understand the importance of adhering to the Constitution, because it is designed to limit the power of the state here and abroad. And we especially understand the danger of war, which expands the power of the government far beyond its constitutional limits.  The founders of this country knew that war should not be initiated at the president's whim, and so the constitutional authority to wage war rests with Congress.  James Madison, father of the Constitution, said, "If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." He also said, "No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare. . ."  In short, a libertarian foreign policy is one of national defense, and not international offense. It would protect our country, not police the world.-Michael Badnarik, Libertarian for President
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Comment #58 posted by FoM on September 11, 2006 at 20:49:03 PT

Ekim
Thank you. I felt like last night I was in a world that I wanted to live in all the time. I had a young person next to me that was dancing and she was in her own world. It's amazing where music can take a person. Everyone was singing along to Let's Impeach The President and yelling flip flop. There were very young people and one guy when the lawn was filling with people held his fist up and yelled Old People Rock! I said Amen! Everyone was smiling. They were having parties at the cars and frisbee was being played with this huge frisbee. Polite was how this concert was. When we were waiting in the parking lot until they opened a nice lady offered us some of her cherries she had brought along. Just walked up to our car window. People were in a very happy mood. The young couple that also went with us loved the concert. I looked at them and their eyes couldn't get any wider. I even saw them kiss and that was so cute. This was the first time they were away from their new baby and it will be an event they will never forget. They heard a lot of excellent value songs and that's a good thing.
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Comment #57 posted by ekim on September 11, 2006 at 20:33:24 PT

bless you FoM and all the fam damily
please enjoy you deserve it 
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Comment #56 posted by FoM on September 11, 2006 at 20:16:33 PT

Hope and Everyone
We will be taking AB to the airport after a perfect visit and what an event the concert was. We got there early but we couldn't find booths because the crowd was so large. We got right in the middle up near the front on the lawn. Every song was mind boggling. Every song's message jumped out with passion. Crosbys voice was failing him and he had to pass on one song but I guess Neil encouraged him to try just one more time and David Crosby sang Carry Me. The beauty was the heart of these 4 men. The heart of love and compassion and respect for each other that made it so special. I don't think it could have possibly been any better. I'll be back tomorrow in the late morning and will start seriously looking for news. Thank you all for this remarkable and necessary time off. God Bless Neil and the Boys.
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Comment #55 posted by FoM on September 11, 2006 at 19:56:07 PT

Sinsemilla Jones and Whig
We are still having a very nice visit with Afterburner and I am not checking in quite as often. I don't believe in the value structure of the Libertarian Party but I don't know how Whig feels but I don't hate them. For me the Democrats meet more of my concerns then any other political party so that's why I will register as a Democrat after the Fall elections. I believe in the social concerns of the Democratic Party. I have had people say that they are Republicans and they aren't a one issue voter. That's how I feel about how the Democrats. I am not a one issue voter either. 
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Comment #54 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on September 11, 2006 at 16:56:47 PT

Whig
"Libertarians want to abolish society, and replace it with a marketplace.....they would destroy the social aspects of government and create a police state to defend their property claims....there is a strong desire on the part of most libertarians, even stronger than their opposition to war, to end social supports for the disadvantaged."I think those are distortions and exagerations that I can only imagine are due to some sort of traumatic event involving some bad person that claimed to be a libertarian.Why do you seem to have special hatred for a political party that has the guts to be officially on the side of cannabis?Is welfare worth the war on drugs? Is welfare worth the war in Iraq? Is a little individual welfare worth a lot of corporate welfare to big oil, chemical, defense, tobacco, etc.?Is my welfare check worth your job? Are a few welfare checks worth your civil rights? Al Capone helped the poor some. Did that make up for everything else he did?Do you really think that your extreme idea of the most extreme positions of the most extreme people in such an extremely small party are anything to be extremely worried about becoming reality? Enough to feel the need to equate libertarians with neocons and racists?If you lived in Alabama, would you really not vote for Loretta Nall?
Vote Nall, Y'all!
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Comment #53 posted by whig on September 11, 2006 at 15:17:12 PT

Sinsemilla Jones
I don't think the libertarians are bad people, just confused about the existence of society. I think they would be very bad to have a majority in office, because they would destroy the social aspects of government and create a police state to defend their property claims.
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Comment #52 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on September 11, 2006 at 14:50:00 PT

Whig
It's just that you talk about libertarians the way Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage talk about liberals, the way the KKK talks about non-whites, the way ONDCP talks about marijuana.If the monster Frankenstein came face to face with the Libertarian Party, would it really die of fright?
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Comment #51 posted by whig on September 11, 2006 at 14:42:23 PT

Dankhank
I've thought about that, or the Friends for that matter. I just haven't really felt comfortable going in with all my own sort of religious perspective and wanting to say things to them but not wanting to be unwelcome.For me cannabis is sacrament and it's that simple. I don't know how I could accept any church that wouldn't be willing to admit this, or at least respect it as a valid practice. I have been too disillusioned by religious "leaders" and I don't like to play games about who speaks for God. We all do.So the Friends are probably more compatible with my thinking on the organizational side, but I have other outlets to discuss my beliefs and it is more to my own style to talk to people where they are than to go to some meeting which isn't about something constructive, like ending cannabis prohibition.I really like the Cannabis Action Network folks and even if I don't know how I'm going to be able to help them since I'm not really a good worker for running a booth (uncomfortable in crowds when they aren't our own, at least). I tried that this past weekend because that is where they were asking for help at the moment.
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Comment #50 posted by Dankhank on September 11, 2006 at 14:12:01 PT

ecumenical church ...
Whig ...heard of the Unitarians?http://www.uua.org/I went to a meeting of their's, locally, right after the nat'l office endorsed Medical Cannabis. Locally, they had no idea and I provided them with some stuff I got on the net.They lean heavily toward Christianity, but allow members to believe what they will. I remarked that it seemed to be a pecularlily American kind of religion, any may believe anything. In theory, all is tolerated. It was started in Germany in the 1800's.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarianhttp://www.famousuus.com/
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Comment #49 posted by Richard Zuckerman on September 11, 2006 at 12:52:20 PT:

LETTER TO GOV. SCHWARZENEGGER
I MAILED A LETTER TO CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, AT THE BEGINING OF THIS MONTH. I COUPLE OF SOCIAL FRIENDS OF MINE HERE IN NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., TOLD ME IF I TYPE A LETTER FOR THEM THEY WOULD SIGN IT. I TYPED A LETTER WITH THEIR RETURN ADDRESS AND NAME. EACH FRIEND SIGNED IT. I MAILED THE LETTERS OUT TO GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER FOR THE INDUSTRIAL HEMP BILL, ONE FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION AGAINST NUCLEAR REACTORS, AND ONE TO THE NEW JERSEY BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES TO OPPOSE THE TAKEOVER OF MOST OF NEW JERSEY'S GAS AND ELECTRIC BY CHICAGO BASED EXELON.Richard Paul Zuckerman, Post Office Box 159, Metuchen, N.J., 08840-0159, (Cell phone number)(848) 250-8879 (after 9 P.M.)
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on September 11, 2006 at 10:04:26 PT

Whig and Hope
We are having a great time talking and talking about life and the concert. The first of the archives are being released towards the end of October. Here's a new video from the first of the archives called a Long Walk Home.http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/lwwvideos/longwalkhome_wm.htmlhttp://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/index.html
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Comment #47 posted by whig on September 11, 2006 at 10:02:30 PT

Sinsemilla Jones and all
I think out loud, which is good for having writing material, and maybe helps others to know how I come to understand things. But it's also a raw process, the thoughts are not refined and presented as final conclusions. Really, no conclusions for me are ever final, because new information or perspective could change my mind again.So if I say something that seems outrageous or wrong, tell me so and let me think about your objections, and I'll do the same so we can be understanding one another. Basically I'm just hoping nobody was offended by what I said about libertarians and ecumenical churches.It's still a thought process in the working. I don't really have a good plan and I don't really know if I'm supposed to have a better idea than to see what other people are doing and help if it seems good. And write about it so others will know and share what they find. The conversation is the whole thing, because none of us are smart enough to solve all problems. We have to learn about the solutions that are out there.
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Comment #46 posted by whig on September 11, 2006 at 09:52:36 PT

FoM
Did the concert help to restore your faith?
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Comment #45 posted by whig on September 11, 2006 at 09:50:57 PT

Had Enough
Thanks. I posted that.http://cannablog.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/gas-prices/
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Comment #44 posted by whig on September 11, 2006 at 09:35:54 PT

Sinsemilla Jones
"Just how exactly do libertarians fit in with the above group? What makes them scary?"Libertarians want to abolish society, and replace it with a marketplace. They believe this is a good thing, it is not out of malice that they want to do this. But there is a strong desire on the part of most libertarians, even stronger than their opposition to war, to end social supports for the disadvantaged.I share a perspective with them in the following way: I believe that nobody should be compelled to support a church or a government against their will. But libertarians believe government should not help people, and join no alternative that could provide needed assistance to people, indeed they say nothing about how to do so except that it is somebody else's problem.Let us redefine government as a secular church of society, and give to all people the right to choose whether to belong, without coercion. And if the church is violating the precepts by which it was established, invading other lands and killing people in the name of its members, then people of good conscience would start a new church.That's what I believe I am calling for. An ecumenical church that will again replace the state, for those who prefer it, and no one ever to be converted by sword or forced to support what they don't understand.
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Comment #43 posted by Hope on September 11, 2006 at 08:48:42 PT

Wonderful!
I'm glad you had a great time and are home safe and sound.
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Comment #42 posted by FoM on September 11, 2006 at 08:22:08 PT

BGreen
It was amazing. I wish I could put the experience into words but I can't right now. It was beautiful and right on and everyone seemed involved with the whole show. I didn't see any problems this time just a lot of happy people.
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Comment #41 posted by Had Enough on September 11, 2006 at 06:54:03 PT

Gas prices 'hover,' we say, 'Whatever'
Gas prices 'hover,' we say, 'Whatever'By JAN GLIDEWELL, Times ColumnistPublished September 11, 2006***** 
In May, shortly before I departed on a trip that would cover nearly 10,000 miles and take me through 23 states, I wrote this:"Gas prices will remain ridiculously high - maybe even increase - during the summer and will begin to decline in late August or so and decline throughout the fall until early November."The price for a gallon of regular gasoline that week, according to other published accounts, was "hovering" around $3 per gallon.You might have noticed that gas prices always "hover," and one would wish that meant that they were about to plummet or swoop downward, when what it usually means is that they are just catching their breath like a recently launched Polaris missile does right after it is expelled from a submarine and right before its rocket engines kick in and it goes up until it is out of sight.Anyway, the prices were hovering around $3, and I, cynic that I always am, was implying - okay, stating - that they were, as usual, being artificially manipulated by oil companies wanting to squeeze a few more drops of blood out of us before beginning a pre-election downturn.That downturn, I said, was aimed at taking advantage of our short national attention span (known as the "Look ... something shiny" syndrome) and placating us so that the members of the oil companies' wholly owned subsidiary, the U.S. Congress, could keep their phony-baloney jobs, get re-elected and then stick it to us for another two years.On Sept. 3 , I bought gas for $2.64 and nine-tenths of a cent. They just love that nine-tenths thing.and the rest of the story….http://www.sptimes.com/2006/09/11/Pasco/Gas_prices__hover____.shtml

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Comment #40 posted by OverwhelmSam on September 11, 2006 at 05:31:48 PT

Protect Our Children By Brainwashing Them?
Have our schools become an extension and tool of the federal government? Young people now are much more saavy than they were three decades ago. It's time for humanity to evolve past and shed the old mantras. Time to put the greedy people haters out to pasture. Let's evolve, vote a representative out of office this election.We don't need no (propaganda) education,
We don't need no (marijuana) thought control,
No dark sarcasm in the (government's) class rooms,
Hey! Teachers! Leave those kids alone!Another Brick In The Wall ~ Pink Floyd
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Comment #39 posted by mayan on September 11, 2006 at 05:12:59 PT

False Flag Alert
What a day to start terror drills! They're at it again at Fort Monroe...Simulated terror attacks Sept. 11-14 at Ft. Monroe, VA:
http://www.falseflagnews.com/terrordrills/simulated_terror_attacks_sept._11-14_at_ft._monroe_vaNews from Fort Monroe last August...Four Star General Fired For Organizing Coup Against Neo-Cons?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/august2005/100805fourstargeneral.htmLet's hope and pray everyone is safe on this day.We will never forget. 
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Comment #38 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on September 11, 2006 at 05:09:23 PT

Gee, thanks Whig.
"They aren't hippies. They are libertarians, neocons, racists, or just plain hostile individuals."Just how exactly do libertarians fit in with the above group? What makes them scary?Favoring decriminalization of marijuana?Wanting our troops out of Iraq?Opposing NAFTA?Investigating 911?Favoring homosexuals' right to marry?Favoring a woman's right to choose abortion?Oooooooooooo, scarrrrrrry!
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Comment #37 posted by mayan on September 11, 2006 at 03:36:12 PT

Misc.
County enters medical pot challenge:
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/local/story/12701091p-13398665c.htmlCWA wants marijuana trials (AUS):
http://www.ntnews.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,20388016%255E421,00.htmlCWA joins fight to legalise cannabis (AUS):
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=68612THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...9/11 Conspiracy Theorists Gather in N.Y.:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-conspiracy10sep10,0,5347883.story?coll=la-home-headlinesYoung filmmakers dedicated to exposing a 9/11 conspiracy: 
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/
news-6/115779271761230.xml&coll=1Republican Congressional Hopeful Looks For Judicial Help Concerning 9/11 Wrongdoings:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/9/prweb432737.htmCBC Sunday Covers Alternative 9/11 Theories in Detail (video):
http://911blogger.com/node/2719Is American Democracy Too Feeble To Deal With 9/11?
http://vdare.com/roberts/060910_911.htmThe Truth behind 9/11: Who Is Osama Bin Laden?
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20060910&articleId=3198When Time Doesn't Heal: 
http://gaelicstarover.blogspot.com/2006/09/when-time-doesnt
-heal.html
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Comment #36 posted by museman on September 11, 2006 at 02:21:51 PT

whig
As much as I'd like to share your optimism, I cannot deny my experience any more than you can your own. I do have faith that no matter what choices man does or does not make, there is a line -the threshold of which we have already crossed- drawn in the sand of time that calls an end to all of the things that so many find themselves so attached to. The only choices we have in the actual inevitabilty are degrees of salvage-what 'things' of this contrived, mechanical, and technological nature will survive with the collective that will emerge in a very near future from the results of that inevitablity? Is there even any reason to want to salvage anything of this culture and age? I think so, but I also know that the core of this realm must change, and all superficial band aids applied will only aid in the illusion of denial, no healing of this system is in the cards.Could it happen? Could a ten to the tenth power of people wake up one morning and change their minds, actions, and habits, engrained for thousands of years? Maybe.It is within us to heal all of the terrible history that has been inflicted, and that we have inflicted upon ourselves, yet the truth is that those powers of healing and magic don't exist in their full potential and availabilty in a mind set bound by the fear root of propriety and posession. They still exist anyway, despite the programmed resistence of the value system instilled in us from the time of Sumeria, and when some witness they call it 'miraculous.'But why settle for butchers, drug-dealers, and charlatans who are only out for a piece of your propriety and posession, when you can have a healer who heals because 'that is what they do.'?It makes no sense to me. I thank the Most High that I was not burdened with the many tiresome 'traditional' prespectives, and habitual, ritualistic lifestyles dependent on paternal perpetuation that seem to be so dominating in cowed servant-based societies, and that I could come to know the true substantial value and essence of being as the real artifact and property to be valued, the only real pearl of great price.The field is sown in tares, it is not for me to pull them up and cast them into the compost fire, but it is for me to see and know the difference. With the aspect of 'free will' and choice, it is not for me to choose for you or others, but it is my will to expound upon my choice, in the same hope as you that a change will come about in the consciousness.Optimism is fine, when all the facts are in, and all variants properly considered -at least on the front lines of consciousness- but the wolves are not at bay, the dogs of war rage on, and the momentary appearance of a 'significant number' of people getting into the obvious global conversations historicly is meaningless.Brother I would so much to see one side of the possibilities over the other, and if it actually happens before I die maybe we could share a nice big spliff, and have a laugh about it. 
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Comment #35 posted by whig on September 11, 2006 at 01:30:36 PT

museman
I can definitely say I make better choices for myself and my family and the world due to cannabis. I understand better the consequences of my actions and have a more holistic view of how everything affects everything else.When considering a change in approach the question to me is whether it is healthier for me to make it and would it be healthy if everybody made similar choices.It's an easy choice to eat only organic food if it is readily available and affordable, but it is a harder choice if it would mean going broke or eating less than we should. It is easy to choose a hybrid car if it were not at a cost unreachable. There are a lot of things we could do better if it didn't come at a cost we could not afford.What do I think the chances are of getting through this and coming out the other end in a more ecologically conscious and peaceful society? As good as the chances that cannabis will become legal and available in every part of the world that we would want to live.
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Comment #34 posted by museman on September 11, 2006 at 01:06:49 PT

whig
"I think the solution is not to inconvenience yourself and make yourself sick and hungry and miserable for the sake of the rest."An easy observation. The actual cause and effects that come into play in anyone's life are certainly not so easily categorized and concluded.Even as I strive for impecability on many levels, there comes a point where the sheer energy of maintaining such constant vigil on the outgoing thoughts and concepts spanning my lifetime, and keeping those within 'acceptable' parameters of common understanding, while maintaining the integrity of what to me represents my own particular observation of the truth, there are limits to that energy.Many many times in my life have I heard, and seen certain phrasing...I am at a loss to give it a distinct label, but that phrasing contains within it various seeds of thought.
There's something not-quite-accusational-but nearly so, there's popular (socially acceptable) judgement - which can be applied on many subjects of human behavior, choices, and beliefs, sometimes there's a kind of condescending delivery.I have suffered not wholly by my 'choices of (actually healthier than a very high percentage of Americans) lifestyles, but directly as a reciever of the fallout from the greed, selfishness, and asinine religious/political power struggles that rage all around me. Just for the record, neither I nor my children ever went 'sick and hungry' any more than any other american family with any integrity at all. My labors to survive...here's a link http://www.mixposure.com/song.php?songid=2482are comparable to those hardy folks often referred to as 'our founding fathers', and quite frankly incomparable to the general experience of most of the middle class (and certainly the upper class) in this country. My 'sacrifice' was the choice of not poisoning over poisoning. There are degrees. What contemporary society might term as 'great sacrifice' actually in reality might be the healthier and saner choice, but one that won't be made because of the 'great world vision' seen in reverse, that keeps trying to justify it's sorry existence, and finds support even from those who know it. I too must give Caesar his evil coin-but that's all. "If you believe (as I do not) that we must all sacrifice for the good of humanity, then we are lost as a species, because if a minority may be willing to make that sacrifice, most will not. But if you can see through the current bullshit to realize that there is no necessity for anyone to sacrifice, only that we need to deprive those who are exploiting the resources of the world and the lives of the people for the sake of their own insatiable greed, and it will be done. Without violence, just a change of culture."There is no "sacrifice" but there are habits, and lifestyles, and value systems, belief systems, and community and social structures, as well the various arts and skills known as science, that must change. As long as the snake can speak wisdom and be believed, even the snakes can speak the truth convincingly- I think we've all seen a few examples of that- as long as a word can be believed primarily because of the IMAGE that presents it, the charisma and artful rendering of the re-arranged pretty sounding truths (with a few minor omissions) can be spouted by anyone with a good set of teeth, a bachelors degree in psychology, and assertiveness training.And how will we 'deprive' those powers that be from their position and resource? Only by providence of some sensible common-ground all-inclusive agreement with a significant number of people as a working example and applied solution.
Yet, if you look you will see that those powers have controlling interest in the economic and political systems all current economic/social/political 'reforms' and movements are dependent on, even in how they measure their 'success.'If realizing that propriety and posession, and all the attending explosion of negative connotative corruptions directly linked to those concepts and 'value beliefs', and determining to deny them is considered a 'sacrifice', and an 'unthinkable' act, insinuating some kind of violence just because of the general human (but acceptable) fear of the unknown requires (at least a momentary) lapse of reason and full faculty - then as you say we are truly 'lost as a species' because that is exactly what must be done to save anything of this world we have made. As long as the prevailing concept is "yours and mine," the leading admired attribute is "competetive," and the prominently admired images are selective, constructed, choreographed hollywoodtypical "beautiful-barbie-and-ken-perfect," then we are all in for a doozy of a ride.What are the odds do ya think?
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Comment #33 posted by whig on September 11, 2006 at 00:12:21 PT

And it's 9/11...
Let this anniversary be the one we turn around, and remind the world that the administration never cared about Osama bin Laden except as a prop. Whether he did or he didn't have anything to do with the events of that day, the Bush administration let him escape and gave him safe passage to Pakistan, where he is now protected and the United States has no interest in pursuing him further.Let it be recognized that the administration is therefore either criminally negligent in pursuing the alleged criminal mastermind, or is complicit and protecting an ally.There is no other alternative that I can perceive.More on Cannablog throughout the day....http://cannablog.wordpress.com/
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Comment #32 posted by BGreen on September 10, 2006 at 21:59:55 PT

FoM, Stick and Afterburner
I'm sure the concert is over by now, but I can just imagine the emotional high you're still experiencing.I was thinking about you tonight while going about my business. I just knew you were having a great time.Let us know the details as soon as you feel like it. I can't wait to hear your stories.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #31 posted by whig on September 10, 2006 at 16:25:08 PT

Had Enough
I'm a little leery of fire shows, myself.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Station_nightclub_fire
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Comment #30 posted by Had Enough on September 10, 2006 at 15:51:15 PT

Whig #28
Yes WhigIt was a fine night afterwards, I was pondering my close call. That girl kept me out of jail. If it wasn’t for her, I would have might been left behind until bail money could be secured. We didn’t have any money left at all to speak of, after the Norfolk gig. We would have had to call the agent to see if he could help. Meanwhile I would still have been locked up, many, many miles from home.

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Comment #29 posted by Had Enough on September 10, 2006 at 15:01:28 PT

The Next Stop after Norfolk
The Next Stop after NorfolkThat club in Norfolk was a dirty nasty, smelly hole in the wall, a “dive”. When we got to the next place, we unloaded all the equipment outside and had to clean all the slime off our stuff that was on the stage at the Jolly Roger. It smelled just like that club did. We got some rags, and cleaner and wiped a ton of this brownish goo off the equipment, we didn’t even want to put it in this new club we were at with that smell all over it.We were at our next stop and the last, in Johnson City, TN. A place called “The Slide Downstairs” We were the first band to play after remodeling of the building. It had a twin fiberglass side that two people could slide down together when you entered the door about 25 feet long. It also had stairs in case you didn’t want to use the slide, that’s how you got in to the place. The club owner was super cool. He knew we had just left Norfolk, and he knew what kind of stuff happens there, and our booking agent apparently filled him in on our adventures in Norfolk.He said to us when we arrived that he had heard we had a not so good times in Norfolk and offered to let us stay at his personal cabin in the mountains, boy was that ever welcome and cool. We stayed a couple of extra days there after our gig was up.Now the good part. This club had caught on fire about 6 months prior, and it was all newly remodeled and looked good. He had a nice stage built with all the proper power outlets and a place for the Mixing Board away from the crowd. Nice Club.Well our singer did a fire show too. The first night of the show this guy is running around the stage with a sword with a rag around the end of it drenched in lighter fluid, and having a flame about 2 to 3 ft tall coming off it. He ran around the crowd, climbed up the stairs and went down the slide holding that flaming sword out in front of him. The crowd loved it. It was part of the show. After that set, the club owner freaked. He was worried about having this guy running around with a ball of fire in his new building. He said, “hey guy’s I just got place open, spent a fortune, and don’t want it to be burned down again, dont do the fire show". We compromised and agreed not to run around the customers on the floor with the fire, but we still used the slide, and the Flash Pots.  He was still a little nervous, but every thing turned out fine. We didn’t burn the place down, and the crowd went wild.That was the last stop then we came back home.And it was one of the best shows we had, the last. Just like the Neil Young show tonight, it will be one of his best.Let's Roll, Rock on.

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Comment #28 posted by whig on September 10, 2006 at 14:00:01 PT

Had Enough #26
and it probably turned out to be a pretty nice night after that too, I'm sure. :)
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Comment #27 posted by whig on September 10, 2006 at 13:57:47 PT

museman
I think the solution is not to inconvenience yourself and make yourself sick and hungry and miserable for the sake of the rest. I do not subscribe to self-sacrifice. In order to make the world a happier place, I have to make myself happy too. I cannot be a sad clown.So to pursue happiness but to do so with some concern for the unfortunate choices we are given, and hopes always to find a better, healthier way to live which does not require me to starve myself or my family.I focus on cannabis because it is the single most essential element in helping to end suffering, to give people some relief from their pain and stress, to mellow out and think about what we are all doing.If you believe (as I do not) that we must all sacrifice for the good of humanity, then we are lost as a species, because if a minority may be willing to make that sacrifice, most will not. But if you can see through the current bullshit to realize that there is no necessity for anyone to sacrifice, only that we need to deprive those who are exploiting the resources of the world and the lives of the people for the sake of their own insatiable greed, and it will be done. Without violence, just a change of culture.I am not asking for a sacrifice. I am asking that we not be persecuted for our religion. I am asking that we not be driven into submission by untreated pain. I am asking that we not be jailed for our food.It's not that much to ask. Is it?
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Comment #26 posted by Had Enough on September 10, 2006 at 12:52:59 PT

and…
I didn’t have to help tear down and load the equipment that night :)

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Comment #25 posted by Had Enough on September 10, 2006 at 12:39:09 PT

That Bouncer
The last night in NorfolkThis bouncer came at me a few times while we were there. I never did punch him out, out of respect for the other guys. Our designated bandleader asked us to do all we could to ignore this guy, and blow off his insults and anything he had to say. So we did for the most part. The very last night we were there it was “No-Tell Hotel Time”. He was yelling at the customers to leave using the phrase “Get the f*ck out”. He screamed right in to my ear. I looked at the guy and asked him to not yell in my ear like that, well he leaned over about a foot from my ear and screamed “I told you to get the f*ck out”. Well, I balled up my fist had it cocked ready to send this guy in to orbit, right about that time a cop was standing in my blind spot reached up and grabbed my arm and said you are going to jail. That bouncer knew I didn’t see the cop, and also knew I would punch him if he agitated enough, and the cop would take me away. That bouncer had a smirk on his face I will never forget. He told that cop I needed to go to jail. About that time one of our female fans grabbed my other arm and said he is coming with me. The cop said he is going to jail. She said, “No, he is coming home with me”. There I had a cop pulling on me one way, and this girl pulling on my arm the other way, she pulled me loose from him and told the cop, “I’ll take care of him”. The cop said if you can get him home, and I never see him again it’s okay. On the way out the door that bouncer said with that smirk on his face, “Your Lucky”. I told him the luck was on his side, and you had better thank your lucky stars that cop grabbed my arm. It was escalating again, the cop, now standing outside, yelled in the door and told the girl to get me out of there NOW, and she did.Whew!!! Close call. If any one of us went to jail, we wouldn’t have had enough money for bail.

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Comment #24 posted by museman on September 10, 2006 at 12:02:59 PT

had_enough
Sounds like the younger siblings of the same assholes present during my time there.
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Comment #23 posted by museman on September 10, 2006 at 11:59:04 PT

whig
"The violence won't end unless the culture that promotes it is ended."Aye, that is the crux of it. Unfortunately, that 'culture' is entwined in the hearts and minds of nearly all of us to some degree, like a cancer that has invaded vital organs and cannot be cut out without killing the patient. The kind of personal sacrifices that are called for are going to be rejected by the masses until nature and accumulative human destruction and pollution give them no choice. It's not enough that a few people do it- I know, I 'did it' for over 20 years- grew food, lived off the grid with solar power, and kept my gas-burning to a minimum. My participation in the eco-destruction of Earth was very minimal. What kind of support did I get? I lost my land, my wonderful bus, my solar power, and my health- all in a pretty much wasted attempt to 'make a difference.'For nearly half my life I went without the normal comforts because I didn't want to contribute to the very thing which has just about overcome us in it's imminent potential of global system failures.So now, without my old abilities to create a life out of what most everyody threw away in their gluttony, I am forced to plug-in, burn gas, and get by day to day until the last of my children has finished their federal programming (school) and I and my wife are free to cut loose and gypsy the rest of our lives away.Meanwhile the mainstream media will showcase the rich and famous who now drive hybrids. They will probably hand out 'eco-awards' to the rich and famous people who offer token 'solar powered' homes as testimony to their 'concern.' And they will be lauded as the true 'heroes' in the 'War against Eco-pollution' WOE.Fortunately, there is another plan which the media, and the institutions cannot seem to promote or get behind-because of the profit-motive, and that is Gods plan. That plan not only will work, it is working, but it doesn't include yuppiedom or 'middle-class values'. That plan is pretty drastic, but our opportunities to do anything to prevent it have just about gone.
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Comment #22 posted by global_warming on September 10, 2006 at 11:41:19 PT

re: I will never come back to this Hell Hole,
You have my Amen
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Comment #21 posted by Had Enough on September 10, 2006 at 11:36:58 PT

museman #16
NorfolkWe played at a club there called The Jolly Rodger. What a dump. Bad experience but very educational.We were there for 3 weeks.We showed up and there was a bunch of punks already playing. They had makeup on sprinkled with glitter all over the place, with a groupie on each arm. The club owner said these guys made him a lot of money that week and wanted them to play another week, and to split that week’s venue with them. We agreed.So we checked out the PA system and it had weak horns for the top end. We suggested that we set up our system. But No. These kids were brats and wanted everything their way. Now the singer we had roared into the mike, and our PA system was set up to accommodate him, and the singer these guys had just tweeted in to the mike. We told them that their horns wouldn’t handle our singer. Well guess what? First night, horns blew. Those kids had a fit and wanted the club owner to make us pay for new ones. You can just imagine our response.So we took the rest of the week off, waited for them to leave, and played for 2 weeks. A brawl every night. Sailors, Bikers, & Blacks. (There were other terms used to discribe them there at that time, but I will refrain from using them). The bouncer couldn’t wait to rumble, and instigated fights. And yes we had trouble with him too. He thought he ran the business. When we were setting up he kept trying to tell us how to set up our equipment, where the speakers and lights have to go so on and so forth. Within 10 minutes of meeting this guy we started hearing, bands are a “Dime a Dozen, and if you don’t do what I say I will get on the phone and call in another band”. We just ignored him after that, told the club owner to keep this guy out of our face. And he did.Now the motel owner found out that we weren’t playing in the first week and threw us out of the motel, thinking we wouldn’t have the money to pay the bill. We had previously made an agreement for the cost of two weeks. On the 2nd or 3rd day the manger came to our rooms with the police, and told us to leave and charged us close to 1000 dollars for three rooms for about 3 days. We all pooled whatever money we had and came up with enough to pay the bill, but now we were broke.The club owner did give us a draw on our pay but it wasn’t enough to feed everybody, more or less motel rooms. We relied on some of our fans to help us out, and that they did, Thank God.As we were loading the trucks to leave the motel we were kicked out of, mine seemed to have a flat tire. I changed it, took it to a tire store a few days later to have it repaired. No puncture holes. The tire guy just filled it with air and that was it. Imagine that.When we were finally leaving that town I thought, I will never come back to this Hell Hole, unless absolutely necessary. So far I haven’t been back to Norfolk.That was a long time ago, late 70’s, but I remember it like it was yesterday.
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Comment #20 posted by museman on September 10, 2006 at 11:30:02 PT

whig
Yes,..but it wasn't so much 'the south' as the east coast, though I only experienced it in Norfolk, and Portsmouth-which are both big navy towns, or were.People were a lot more militant in the VietNam era protests than what we have now. The idea of an 'approved protest area' would have made us all laugh very hard.The whole idea of "support the troops" comes from the fact that the vietnam vets were treated about the same indifference as the returning body bags these days- and such public demonstrations as I expereienced - active persecution of military by the anti-war groups.I am not surprised that you haven't heard much about these things - unfortunately writing about the truth has never been a profitable endeavor, specially since the right wing gained control during reagan, thus all the facts get 'prettied up' for the ignorant consumer.Ever hear of 'The Battle of Denny?' There might be a few folks around the SF area who remember. It was an all out pitched battle between the miners of Denny Ca. and the BLM. Bloody and violent, and never a word ever got into the press.If you want real information seek out people, not media institutions. Go to a 'rest home' and ask your elders, not only will you be amazed at the information, but they'll love you for the fact that you did.

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Comment #19 posted by whig on September 10, 2006 at 11:20:32 PT

This is awful
Museman, I was trying to figure out what could possibly have been going on in VA, and anyhow found this awful thing.http://www.devo.com/tft/hippie/tactics.htmlI want to say, though, that I have known people who smoke pot that scare me. They aren't hippies. They are libertarians, neocons, racists, or just plain hostile individuals. If you smoke with them they say awful things that sound perfectly fine to themselves. I knew a guy in Pittsburgh who would talk about turning the middle east (except Israel) into a sheet of glass.It's the individual, not the herb, and the culture which encourages a certain kind of antisocial personality to develop. We need to be addressing that with our words and our own actions while we promote the use of cannabis to bring about peace on earth. Because if we do the one but not the other it won't work. The violence won't end unless the culture that promotes it is ended. There is no place for racist traditions. There is no more accepting them.That's why I come down so hard on people in our own camp who are anti-immigrant. It's true we need a better economy that nobody has to compete for a job. But that doesn't mean your enemy is everyone else who is just trying to survive like you are.The KKK plus pot is still one messed up organization. All we can say for cannabis is that it opens up the possibility of communication. It's still up to us to do the communicating.
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Comment #18 posted by whig on September 10, 2006 at 11:07:00 PT

museman
I had no idea that was ever going on. Violent hippies in the south? Has this been written about much?
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Comment #17 posted by global_warming on September 10, 2006 at 11:06:52 PT

hey Fomme
Have a great eveningHope that "all" can witness the True American Peace,
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Comment #16 posted by museman on September 10, 2006 at 10:48:36 PT

how times have changed
In 1970 a an unfortunate victim of military conscription - I found myself at the mercy of the 'dominating culture' of Norfolk Va. That culture was not only into the herb, but everything else as well-including violent actions against any and all military personnel they could catch alone on the street, -during the day they just threw cans and bottles at us. The 'hippies' did- the long haired, rock 'n roll playing youth of my own age and generation. It's no wonder some people who went through a thing like that turned against us, if I hadn't already tuned my head to spiritual things before the Navy, I would probably have made that slight adjustment in attitude which separates me from the gun-totin', cud-(tobacco)chewin', right-wing elements that are wrecking our planet for the sake of brutal entertainment, and self righteous piety.I actually participated in a 'bust 'em up raid' that involved about 30 sailors that went in search of one group of people who were using a van to do their assaults. When they entered the first bar and started 'busting' things up, I left. They found the van that night, and about 6 guys who were doing it.War perpetuates war. Revenge perpetuates vengeance. Violence begats violence. And attitude has historical roots that run deep. I wonder if any of those anti-pot warriors in Norfolk threw a can at me?
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Comment #15 posted by Had Enough on September 10, 2006 at 10:46:01 PT

#14
Drive careful, be safe, have fun.Stick is a professional driver, I think you are in good hands.

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Comment #14 posted by FoM on September 10, 2006 at 10:39:42 PT

Had Enough
We are getting ready to leave soon. The weather is beautiful. I also believe the last show could be the best in that this is it. Go for it. I'll shoot Neil a peace sign too. This concert isn't a concert that makes a person come home up but come home thinking. We need to think.
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Comment #13 posted by whig on September 10, 2006 at 10:27:23 PT

gw #8
Some of them are here in San Francisco and Berkeley.
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Comment #12 posted by Had Enough on September 10, 2006 at 10:19:18 PT

About the Show again…
Afterburner, FoM.Shoot Neil Young & Co. a peace sign for me. :)

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Comment #11 posted by Had Enough on September 10, 2006 at 10:02:45 PT

FoM, Afterburner:
About the show.Since it is the last show of the tour, it will probably be the best one. They are at the end of the tour and that relives a lot of pressure to hurry and tear down the equipment and get it set up at the next one. They will enjoy tonight’s show as much as the people there to watch it. You can bet you will hear and see things that didn’t show up at the other concerts.Have fun.

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Comment #10 posted by John Tyler on September 10, 2006 at 09:46:59 PT

on hemp
I think over all regular hemp cultivation would be a good thing for the economy, the growers, and the environment. It would show the general public what a complete hoax the prohibitionists have perpetrated on them over these past decades. (Not to mention the billions of tax dollars wasted and the millions of live ruined in this total fiasco. That will have to be dealt with later.) I would not like to see the crops controlled by the likes of Monsanto and their Frankenseeds though. There are a lot of people who love and care about this wonderful plant. They have been and are nurturing it through these dark days of prohibition. Now that we might be emerging from this dark period their voices should be listened to because they have the best interest of the plant and the people foremost in their hearts and minds. They are not in it for the money, but for the love of the plant. (Well, maybe a little bit for the money, (They have to make a living too.) but not like total corporate greed.) 
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Comment #9 posted by Had Enough on September 10, 2006 at 09:46:00 PT

g_w #8
I concur to the max. Every line.*****FoM, Afterburner: Enjoy the show. It will be good.

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Comment #8 posted by global_warming on September 10, 2006 at 09:33:19 PT

re: comment 2
"Why more people aren't seeing through this like a screen door, I'll never know... The American public must really be asleep at the wheel, or dumb, or both."Its not sleep or stupidity that has gripped the American Public, it is indenture, whether a paycheck, job, retirement pension, food on the table, this war on drugs has managed to invade every aspect of our society.What I am saying is, most Americans privately are opposed to this disgrace of the war on drugs, but publicly they are more concerned in keeping their jobs, if they ever spoke out publicly against this disease, they would be stripped of their livelihood.Those who speak most loudly for this war on people who abuse drugs, are very same who profit from this insanity.I await the day, when a person who is ill or sick, may receive help, not a cage, not a prison sentence, but real help. Where are the real christians, where are the real good people on this planet.
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Comment #7 posted by whig on September 10, 2006 at 09:24:13 PT

mayan
I believe it was rescheduled from a Class B to Class C. I don't know how closely those categories match the US Categories II and III, but it is still prosecutable, just less serious of an offense. I don't know anything about changing the penalties for dealers which went in an opposite direction, and it shouldn't make sense if it did. Though I believe cannabis resin is still Class B, and that (including hash soap) is allegedly more popular in the UK than herb.
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Comment #6 posted by mayan on September 10, 2006 at 09:16:40 PT

whig
But didn't the Brits increase penalties for dealers? I'm not too familiar with their laws.
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Comment #5 posted by whig on September 10, 2006 at 09:12:08 PT

mayan
I would hope cannabis prices could fall to a fraction of their current level, even if demand remained constant, were it not for prohibition. As I understand it Britain has at least reduced the penalty for cannabis to a much lower level than the United States, so falling prices probably connote decreased risk.
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Comment #4 posted by mayan on September 10, 2006 at 08:54:46 PT

Failed "Wars"
It looks like Britain's drug war is going just as good as Uncle Sam's...Street prices of cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine at an all-time low (UK):
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article1433395.eceIsn't it strange how the "war on drugs" has created more drugs just as the "war on terror" has created more terrorists? THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...'Terror Timeline' author raises questions about 9-11:
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/091006/TRI_BATS31T1.020.shtmlDr. David Ray Griffin and David Shayler Presentation in London - Review, Pics, and Video:
http://jultra.blogspot.com/2006/09/911-david-ray-griffin-david-shayler.htmlKevin Barrett Responds to Washington Post, New York Sun, BYU & Deseret News:
http://mujca.com/stevenjones.htmDr. Barrett Rebutts Professor Orwellian:
http://mujca.com/fruitcake.htm9/11 Patsies Make Bin Laden Video Cameo Appearance:
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/September2006/090906Patsies.htm9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB - OUR NATION IS IN PERIL: 
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/
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Comment #3 posted by Sam adams on September 10, 2006 at 07:54:09 PT

the irony of it all
How fitting it is that the ruler of America's potheads is a cokehead!
 
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Comment #2 posted by Wayne on September 10, 2006 at 07:42:41 PT

because...
"Asked a couple of years ago why the U.S. can't distinguish between marijuana and hemp when more than 30 other countries with legal hemp farming -- from China to Canada to most of the European Union -- are capable of doing so, the DEA's chief of chemical evaluation replied, 'I'm not going to comment on what other countries do.' Oh.""Because we're special! We don't answer to other countries, we do what we want!"Apparently they don't answer to us, either, or their own government. The DEA is its own entity, with its own set of rules. This whole hemp debate is completely assinine. Why more people aren't seeing through this like a screen door, I'll never know... The American public must really be asleep at the wheel, or dumb, or both.
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Comment #1 posted by mayan on September 09, 2006 at 23:10:47 PT

No Moral Argument
There is absolutely no moral argument to maintain the ban on industrial hemp. The only folks who are against legal hemp cultivation are those whose livelihoods depend upon it's prohibition. They just happen to work for the greediest,most powerful industries in America.  Sorry, but I always try to post the following link on hemp related threads for those who aren't frequent visitors to this site...SHADOW OF THE SWASTIKA: The Real Reason the Government Won't Debate Medical Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Re-legalization:
http://www.hempfarm.org/Papers/Shadow_of_the_Swastika.html
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