I Wonder?

wkmac

Well-Known Member
I wonder how many other leaders on the local, state and even National level this same letter could be sent to and have application?

http://www.alternet.org/story/55830/

What really makes me think is really well beyond this issue and how many leaders just say, do and go with the masses at the time only to flip flop at a later date when the need arises. I could berate Mr. Coleman for sure but on the flipside, what about Hillary Clinton who when the flames of war were right, she was right there with the masses but now the masses have flipped and she too has followed suit.

I may not agree with Bush on his foreign policy with Iraq but it's hard to call him a flip flop like a lot of others. I might not think he's wise to continue course but I admire his conviction no matter how misguided I might think it is.
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
Yes it would be nice if people could admit their vice with pot, instead of trying to criminalaize it to the point they do, where our jails are filled with pot users....

I observed in my lifetime people using pot, and I never saw them...
Drag racing
beat up their girlfriends, kids, wives or animals
total their cars and kill people
Get loud and obnoxious and removed from establishments.
Get into a fight with someone in a bar.
Alienate family and friends,
or wake up with a hangover.
Say things they regret when no longer high, heck they dont remember
But their face hurts from laughing too much.
I cant imagine its any worse than cigarettes, but I do not think you should drive after smoking, although people smoking pot instead of drinking and driving are much more cautious. And go reeeaaaallll sloooooww.
 

satellitedriver

Moderator
This paragraph from your link sums it up well.

"You never said then that pot was dangerous. What was scary then, and is as frightening now, is when national leaders become voices of hypocrisy, harbingers of the status quo, and protect their own position instead of the public good. Welcome to the crowd of those who have become a likeness of which they despised. Welcome to the mindless myriad of legislators who gather in cocktail lounges to manhandle their martinis while passing laws against drunk driving."

Power does corrupt.
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
I know the letter concerned the issue of drugs but as I read the letter I couldn't help but think of the politicians who in 2002' for example were right there beating the war drums for the Iraq invasion. Now here we are 5 years later and they try and publically paint themselves as having been anti-war all along.

In 2002' it was very easy to follow the crowd as the intel seemed to paint a picture justifying an invasion and there was a chance some kind of massive WMD could have been found based on what was being fed to the public. And a lot of that intel was not so much new stuff but was either older intel or just regergutated to shiney it up to make it look new and original. These politicians won't make a stand and stick to it or at least publically step up and point blank admit they were wrong but instead either spin the story to shift the blame or pretend those original votes just never happened.

And this isn't new, we saw the same thing with immigration, social security, welfare reform and if you sat down and researched the congressional record you'd find tons of examples to go around bigtime. It's ironic that the issue of "No Iraq War" has gotten so big but the voters on both sides are almost being steered away from the very candidates who had the foresight and courage to vote no from the get go and that is in Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich. You may not agree with one or both but they at least showed the courage when clearly in a very small minority to make a public stand and voted no on war authorization. That takes guts and conviction. Mike Gravel on the democrat side is another who has publically outcried and he was very vocal and couragous when he stepped up and read the Pentagon Papers into the Congressional record.

None of these guys may make a good President and I'm not endorsing any of the 3 but I can say this that I highly admire that spirit to say it like it is when it clearly puts your butt on the line because in my book it shows principle deserving of some trust at some level and when it comes to politicians, I'm not quick to give any a single ounce of mine in any short order. What made America great was not it's wealth or it's might but rather it's spirit from the beginning to stand up when all the cards on the table clearly suggest you won't win but do the right thing anyway. We just celebrated a moment in time when a group of 56 men faced those same odds and more by telling a tyrannt king that we would no longer serve at his pleasure no matter what the cost. I'm sure at the time the masses looked at these 56 men about the same way we would at the Pauls, Gravels and Kucinichs of our day. Would anyone dare suggest now that the Vietnam war was the right and correct policy in light of what we now know historically? Sure, we're Monday morning quarterbacking but do we have a responsibility to our kids and grandkids to look hard at history in order to get the present right so as to set the stage for a better chance and future for our kids and grandkids?

I guess the question we will all face in the days ahead leading to the election is to whether to maintain the status quo or do we send a message and shake up the system so to speak? Which path is the correct one? Hellva decision isn't it?

Don't just listen to the 30 sec. spin cycles but look hard and deep as you can and consider all that you can. The point of posting the letter was to give you a picture into how most of these folks operate and not the goods or the bads of drug legalization.
 
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