The Week In Review - Sunday Comics

The Week in Review is a chance to toss up some stuff we didn't get to, or could be summed up in a cartoon...

The oil spill is all done. Gone. Over. Quit asking about it. Hey, is Lady Gaga talking - go over there!
Another bail out is coming - and it's for the bankers, and the rest of those mortgages - which, one would suspect that the economy isn't quite over the 'adjustment' period, despite the cheer leading?
Here's what a double dip recession actually means....
The trouble with Iran... seems that anyone who still stones another for not following the mob rule ought not to have nukes. Or maybe they should just have a judge overturn the decision?Enforcing Federal Law... I the odd chance you can't read it, one dude says, "I'm glad the feds sued Arizona." Other one says, "yeah, you can't have people enforcing federal law."
Speaking of the Feds...
It's hot. It's summer...
Have a good week. See you next week? Stay cool - and out of the peat moss fires.

The Flower

Black Mustache’s anti-pot-prohibition PSA gets straight to the point by comparing the sticky icky to nondescript flowers that turn anthropomorphized polygons a psychedelic shade of purple.

Ah, how much better the world would be with legal dope. The video is very, nay, extremely simplistic approach to the war on drugs and legal marijuana.

But with Proposition 19 on the November ballot in California, we may soon know whether legal recreational reefer actually turns people a happy shade of purple and increases tax revenue exponentially -

"The Flower," award winning artist Haik Hoisington contrasts a legal marijuana economy with an illegal one, to show how everyone stands to benefit from ending the war on weed. [note that no one is irresponsible, and even take public transportation?]

"The Flower" contrasts a utopian society that freely farms and consumes a pleasure giving flower with a society where the same flower is illegal and its consumption is prohibited. The animation is a meditation on the social and economic costs of marijuana prohibition.

Hour 95

It's hour 95 in the World Champion SmokeHouse Classic. Willie and Snoop are still standing and are both all in. Looks like they're both going to win, folks.

Heheh heh

Public Support For Marijuana Legalization Reaches All Time High

A new Gallup Poll shows that public support for legalizing marijuana is at a higher level than ever before:

Interesting trend. At this rate, maybe it'll be legal by 2012?

Rocky Mountain High

File under libertarian:

Get caught possessing marijuana in the City of Denver and you could one day get less than a slap on the wrist:

DENVER - A city panel in charge of overseeing marijuana possession crimes in Denver recommended on Wednesday that the fine for possession be set at $1.

If Denver’s presiding judge accepts the recommendation from the Denver Marijuana Policy Review Panel, the fine would be the lowest in the entire nation for marijuana possession.

(…)

“By setting the fine at just $1, we are sending a message to Denver officials that the era of citing adults for using a less harmful drug than alcohol is over. It’s simply not worth the city’s time or resources,” said panel member and SAFER Executive Director Mason Tvert, who coordinated the successful Denver marijuana initiatives.

More

The Washington Post: Legalize It

The Washington Post ran an article today which read: Time to Legalize Drugs .

On the face, it almost seems like they're going out on a limb there, eh? The article opens by re-creating a drug deal straight out of Hill Street Blues or The Wire - and then say that drug dealers are disproportionately arrested on the South Side street corners, but not in college dormitories.

The article goes on to offer that States should decide their drug policy.

But hold on, it's not the actual opinion of the Washington Post, it's in fact an Op-Ed which means it's opposite of the editorial page. Bigger and better than a letter to the editor, but not a whole hellofalot more.

Anyway, we've all known for a long - long time that Prohibition does not work. Chris Rock said it best, "even if you got rid of all the drugs in the world - someone would still be trying to find a way to get high... check this out..."

But this is Blasphemes, so I feel that I should offer a new or unusual perspective to the debate. Let me offer a simple question. Do you own your own body and what goes into it? Or is the government in charge of your body and what goes into it?

Why do we allow our governments to regulate what substances can and cannot go into your body? Fluoride is great, but cocaine isn't. Twinkes are okay too, but not dope, according to our government. Our government subsidizes High Fructose Corn Syrup and nicotine production, but throws a teenager in jail for carrying too much weed. Seems kind of silly how it's all over the board like that.

But seeing as there are public health and public safety holes all over that Ad Hoc argument I just tossed up there -- let's look to history.

The temperance and abolition movement cultivated in the adding of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. The movements realized that in order to curtail your freedoms, a change in the Constitution would be necessary. The government had to limit the freedom of the citizens. Note, up until then, the Constitution was meant to limit the reach and power of the government. Kind of a switch up there.

When it failed, and failed in such spectacular crimson blood spilled streets, the Constitution had to be fixed. Here comes the 21st amendment which repealed the 18th. Experiment failed.

What did we learn? Nothing. Not one thing. Nixon declared war on drugs, and for four decades his prohibition also been a complete failure. If the goal was to reduce overall illicit drug use, that's a fail. But if the goal of the war on drugs was to erode key civil liberties, well, that's a win for the government. Oh, and raising the prices. The government does a good job with that too.

Building prisons instead of schools, a militarization of the police and the streets, killing innocents... destroying neighborhoods, families, incarceration of generations of young men because of insane zero tolerance laws... the perpetual drug war that inevitably fuels the violent, underground market? Why would anyone embrace a philosophy of cruelty and insanity? There's just too much money to be made.

And, pound for pound, nicotine and alcohol are by far more hazardous to human tissue than most underground pharmaceuticals.

Betting the Pot

I hope you have all already seen this. If not you are in for a treat. In my life I have been intoxicated and I have gambled and, most shockingly, I have done both at once. This takes the bag, though.

This dude was playing blackjack and apparently is not very good at it. It seems like he had run out of chips. So he grabbed a few ounces of marijuana and bet it. Realizing how dumb this move was he took back his bet (which I would not have allowed as the "dealer") and placed a few buds on the table as a bet.

If I read this I would have been skeptical but here we go:



A fun thing to do is to come up with names for this post. "Pot-sized Bet," "Nuggets of Wisdom," "Stoned Cold Gambler," and "High Stakes" were all considered.

Operation Student FAIL

From AP ALLISON HOFFMAN - San Diego State University has suspended six fraternities after a sweeping drug investigation that landed members of three fraternities in jail on suspicion of openly dealing drugs on campus.

The probe — prompted by the cocaine overdose death last year of a freshman sorority member — led to the arrests of 96 people, 75 of them San Diego State students. A second drug death occurred during the investigation.

Twenty-nine people were arrested early Tuesday in raids at nine locations including the Theta Chi fraternity, where agents found cocaine, Ecstasy and three guns. Eighteen of those arrested were wanted on warrants for selling to undercover agents.

Theta Chi and five other fraternities have been suspended pending a hearing on evidence gathered during the investigation, dubbed Operation Sudden Fall.

Authorities said some fraternity members openly dealt drugs, and that one sent a mass text message advertising special prices on cocaine. Two kilograms of cocaine were seized in all, along with 350 Ecstasy pills, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, hash oil, methamphetamine, illicit prescription drugs, several guns and at least $60,000 in cash, authorities said.

Profits may have been used to finance fraternity operations, according to an affidavit.

A member of Theta Chi sent out a mass text message to his "faithful customers" stating that he and his "associates" would be unable to sell cocaine while they were in Las Vegas for a fraternity formal, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The text promoted a cocaine "sale" and listed the reduced prices on bulk quantities.

"Attn faithful customers both myself and my associates will be in Vegas this coming weekend," the 19-year-old student wrote in the text message. "So stock up, we will be back Sunday night."

Those arrested included a student who was about to receive a criminal justice degree and another who was to receive a master's degree in homeland security.

The Greek system at San Diego State has about 3,000 students, but Fraternity Row plays an outsized role in campus life. It sits a block from Cox Arena, home to many college sporting events.

Dale Taylor, national executive director of Theta Chi, said he was "obviously shocked and saddened" by the allegations. Theta Chi prohibited the San Diego chapter from group activities such as parties or sports activities and will investigate additional disciplinary measures, up to expulsion of members or the entire chapter.

The San Diego chapter, founded 61 years ago, was the first national fraternity on campus and has 65 members.

The chapter declined comment. It occupies two low-slung homes a block off Fraternity Row, with large red and white Greek symbols propped on the roof.

Theta Chi has 131 chapters in the U.S. and Canada and more than 161,000 initiates. It was founded in 1856.

Besides Theta Chi, the other suspended fraternities are Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Kappa Theta, Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Alpha Mu.

University police launched their investigation into drug sales on campus after Shirley Poliakoff, 19, died from a cocaine overdose in May 2007. Investigators discovered many students in fraternities were aware of organized drug dealing within their houses.

As the investigation continued, another student, from Mesa College, died of a cocaine overdose at an SDSU fraternity house on Feb. 26, the DEA said.

Some drugs bought and sold by students were traced to gangs linked to Mexican cartels, according to the DEA. Agents collected about $100,000 worth of drugs that were being advertised in "resale quantities" between members of the fraternity and other students.

More like Operation Student Fail. Maybe they can make it up as an MBA elective for the credit hours on how they ran a tight shipping and incentive program from the house?

420

How cool can a "secret counter culture" of 420 be when the AP does a story on it, there's 3 documentaries named after it, 100K Google hits, and a Hollywood movie marketing campaign (a sequel) "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay," are all tied into the day?

You could say it cheapens the "grass roots" of the whole thing by capitalizing on it?






...and here's a dumbass on the Price is Right bidding 420 a bunch. Enjoy.

High on Festivals

Last weekend I attended Lollapalooza. I will have a recap of the event later this week as well as enter a nomination for the Blapshemes House Band of 2007. But first I need to speak to all of you briefly on a very serious issue I have with a great many of you that have gone to the street and music festivals this year in the Midwest.

I am among the many that believe that music and street festivals are one of life's great pleasures. I love dancing in the middle of a street in a city with my friends and drunks (often the same people). The Midwest has a great vibe for live concerts and get-togethers. The people of the corn and the people of the cheese gather at Summerfest or Lollapalooza and dance, cajole, and enjoy the few months of acceptable weather we have here. But there is always one . . .

I, like many of you, enjoy to get a little "loose" at these events. I rarely have a beer too far from my hand nor am I too far from a stage. I am a party-goer so please understand I do this to help not to nag.

Recently, I have notice a trend at outdoor events. More and more people seems to be enjoying a little weed with their festival experience. In many ways this is wise. It is hot outside and water and weed will treat you better than beer in the long run of a festival. But I do have an issue of where to do it.

In one out of every three porta-potty or restroom I have been in is like some Cheech and Chong movie. I actually saw one at Lolla that looked like it was on fire. Why? Why smoke in the porta-potty? Are you hiding something? We all know. Every one of us in line knows. The damn grasshoppers have figured it out. And now we gotta go in the cannibis steam room which is already unpleasant enough.

Look, I have news. No one (but your employer and maybe your wife) cares if you smoke weed. Keep in mind, you are at a festival. Enjoy it outside. Find a spot and spend sometime with yourself. Mellow out and continue on. I recommend smoking in the crowd at the show. I was at Summerfest this year and a poor father was changing the diapers of a young child in a bathroom that smelled like someone had just taken a shit in Snoop Doggy Dogg's unventilated basement. I am pretty sure that no one at the Roger Waters show would have minded a little extra smoke. Especially not Smoky and Coughy, my very relaxed neighbors.

I am in favor of bringing children to festivals. The more, the merrier. And have you ever seen a kid rock out to music he or she likes? Really rock out? There is nothing cooler in life than a child that is kicking it. Let 'em be. Just smoke outside. I'll tell the kids that the tobacco your smoking is bad for them. You are in charge of lyinig to the adults.