Where's the Weed? I Thought Democrats Wanted Cannabis to be Legal

Two-thirds of American voter's support legalization — including half of Republican voters and 83 percent of Democrats. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images

I'm still waiting Chuck Schumer...

Remember when you gained control of Washington in 2020 and promised to end the federal prohibition on marijuana?

It's been 14 long months. I can be a patient guy, but I still have my limits. 

This is the 21st century and states, cities, and big corporations are making billions off of high-grade Skunk, but it's still considered illegal. Can someone explain that to me?

Every time I hear a rumor that marijuana is going to be legal and that politicians are ready to pull their heads out of their asses - nothing happens.

With utter disgust I read that the new government spending package released today continues to prohibit Washington, D.C. from establishing a cannabis marketplace.

Despite the fact that District voters overwhelmingly backed legalization more than seven years ago the provision was left on the cutting room floor.

The new spending bill also fails to protect state-regulated recreational cannabis markets, nor did it expand medical marijuana research or protect veterans who use cannabis.

I just don't get it. Those are issues that have widespread bipartisan backing. Why were they unceremoniously dropped?

I have another bone to pick with Mr. Schumer.

What the hell happened earlier this year when you led Democrats in removing language from the National Defense Authorization Act that would have made it easier for the industry to access banking services?

It doesn't make sense. That legislation twice cleared the House with huge majorities, including more than 100 Republicans. 

So. Where's the legal weed?

Rumors of legalization are still circulating in the halls of Congress. Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Ron Wyden released draft legislation to decriminalize and regulate marijuana, but no formal bill has surfaced.

Schumer is whispering about introducing a legalization bill in April, but that ship has almost sailed with time running out before the end of the year.

If the Republicans seize Congress in November, any chance for legalization will wither and die a quiet death.

The Ides of March: On This Day in 1970

I was 19 years-old and in Vietnam on March 15th, 1970. (Photo right)

To sum up my experiences I used the music from back then while writing the following poem

 -1970 Diary - to capture what was going on in my young skull.

1970

“Let it be” – words of wisdom from The Beatles that spoke to me

I lusted for an “American Woman”

Crossed the Song Bay Bridge under fire listening to

“Bridge over Troubled Waters”

wishing young men back home

would “Walk a Mile in My Shoes”

and know about a grunt’s blues

too many villages on fire

“Somethings Burning” by a ghostly choir

Smoky Saigon opium dens wistfully playing

“House of the Rising Sun”

     Helicopters in the sky playing "That'll be the Day I Die."

1970

long range patrols in the night

“Travelin’ Band” playing in the USA

going into hostile territory every day

wondering what’s “Up around the Bend”

living in a hot humid climate

“In the Summertime” that seemed like it would never end

Taking “The Long and Winding Road,” in country

dreaming of “Lookin Out My Back Door” at home

trying not to “Spill the Wine” because I’ve seen

“Fire and Rain” and will never be the same again

Searching for Reason in a Savage Society

Definition of reason:

a) a statement offered in explanation or justification

b) a rational ground or motive

c) the thing that makes some facts intelligible

d) a sufficient ground of explanation or a logical defense

As a wit once said, "There's nothing common about common sense." The same holds true for reason. It comes in small quantities in our combative society.

A lot of people today have the attitude that reason is a form of weakness. Much like compromise.

"Ours not the reason why, ours but to do and die!" - Alfred Lord Tennyson

The best example of this attitude is Trump's cult followers. Like sheep they are content to follow their master by re-bleating everything he has to say.

In TrumpWorld, reason is a ruinous runaway to reality. Something loyal subjects would prefer to avoid. 

People are often driven by passion, but it's only those that use reason as a rein that become successful in life.

The line between reason and madness grows thinner during these days of internal chaos in America. 

It's reasonable to say our democracy has never faced a bigger threat than Trump's ongoing assault against it.

Marya Mannes once said, "The sign of an intelligent people is their ability to control their emotions by the application of reason."

Reason can come in one form or another. As the Dalai Lama preached, "The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis."

As Lord Byron argued, "Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves."

In our savage society it's hard to stay grounded and happy. I leave you with a quote from Wilkie Collins, "Peace rules the day where reason rules the mind."

Daylight Savings Time Started out As a Joke - It's Time for It to End

Historians will tell you that Benjamin Franklin had a sense of humor. 

Proof lies with the joke essay he wrote in 1784 that appeared in a letter to the editor of The Journal of Paris as "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light."

In the essay he concluded that Parisians could save more money on candles by getting out of bed earlier in the morning and utilizing more natural light for longer.

It was meant more as a joke than a serious proposal, so nothing was done about it at the time.

The modern Daylight Savings Time was first officially enacted in Germany by Kaiser Wilhelm during the first world war as a fuel-saving measure.

It didn't take long before Europe and eventually the United States got on the bandwagon. Americans can thank President Woodrow Wilson for making it a reality in 1918.

Daylight Savings Time withered away after the war. The average American rejected it and it was officially dumped.

That wasn't the end of it, however.

The energy-saving measure was resurrected again in WW II by President Roosevelt who dubbed it "War Time" and that was that. On February 9, 1942, Daylight Savings Times was once again deemed the official standard.

It was a messy process that required each state to accept the new time standard. The American working class has groaned ever since.

It's time to move on. We're in the 21st century and have long since lost the need to artificially mess with our days. It's just a habit now that needs to be put to rest.

Guess what? Science is backing up the idea of getting rid of Daylight Savings Time. Scientists say our natural circadian rhythm moves in sync with the flow of the earth and thus the universe. The artificial standard messes with that.

By correcting our clocks we'll be back in sync with the flow of the day, which is a good thing according to the experts.

It's been proven the chaos of the small-time change - springing forward - causes a higher jump in heart attacks and workplace accidents due to the lack of sleep during this period.

I'm told some people are grateful for the "extra" hour of sleep in the fall. I've yet to meet one. 

I'd suggest bringing up the subject in Congress but that's akin to taking the subject to the round file to be latter hauled out to the trash heap.  

Unfortunately, it's still the law of the land so if you grudgingly forgot to push your clock forward last night it needs adjusting today... after taking a long nap!

What Qualifications Should a Presidential Candidate Have?

To kickstart this conversation, I want to make one thing perfectly clear, electing a president is a crap shoot.

No existing science produces perfect presidents.

No number of years spent in politics can guarantee a great leader. 

That narrows the options down to charisma and luck.

We've seen the results these combined assets can have with Donald Trump and Volodimir Zelenskyy. Both were entertainers on TV before the gods of chance plucked them out and made them leaders.

The two presidencies have been dramatically opposite and world-shaking.

In Trump's case his luck, partly as a result of Putin's help, gave him the electoral college majority while still losing the popular vote by five million.

That's right. Luck. Neither Trump nor his gaggle of cronies knew what they were doing during the chaotic 2016 campaign.

But there was that charisma thing with Trump. He'd built up a base of loyal followers that tuned into his quasi-reality show The Apprentice for five years.

The character he created on the show, the ultimate deal-making businessman, was a fictional foundation for his campaign. 

By taking advantage of people's fears (immigration for example) he forged a home for conspiracy theorists and right-wing zealots who turned out in record numbers to vote.

No need to point out all the corruption that tainted the Trump regime. Or the ongoing coup attempt by Trump and his acolytes currently under investigation in Congress. 

It's safe to say the results of electing Trump was, and is still, disastrous.

On the other hand, we have Ukraine's president Zelenskyy, a comedian, who was another TV personality portraying the president of Ukraine.

His defiance and courage in the face of Putin's invasion has inspired the Ukranian people and people throughout the world. His story is ongoing. His legacy being written in real time.

Miami Herald writer Manuel Aguilera wrote a great op ed about Zelenskyy titled - The 'Zelenskyy Method' Will Affect Elections Around the World. Macron already gets it.

"We are in the era of storytelling. Ideas are overvalued, and the thin line that separates right from left is often thin and imperceptible. We need people whom we would trust in our daily lives, to whom we would leave the keys to our house without thinking twice about it," Aquilera wrote.

In both cases, Trump and Zelenskyy's electability was underestimated. Political pundits in both elections felt they lacked any substance.

That leaves us with the question, "What qualifications should a presidential candidate have?"

How can we protect ourselves from electing another Trump? What would it take to get a devoted leader like Zelenskyy? A man of the people.

Should we have a neutral vetting process for presidential wannabees? Should there be certain requirements like believing in science? Or knowledge of the Constitution? Perhaps proof of a moral compass?

Sure, wish I had the answer. What do you think?

GOP 'Crazy' Olympics Ongoing Prior to Midterms

Fair Warning!

This year's midterms will feature more crazy candidates than has been seen in modern times.

As history shows, there's always been a fair share of loons running for elective offices in this country.

But the GOP contenders in this year's primaries leading up to the midterms, are sporting a bumper crop of crazies. 

Last count was 76 MAGA morons running for county, state, and federal offices.

That's saying something.

Hyperbole you say. Well, let's consider what these right-wing candidate's goals are. That can best be assessed by the GOP Crazy Olympic Games that started right after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Here's a few quick events featured in the nationwide contest to see who's the craziest of them all:

1. The 5-minute Lie Dash - Contenders have five minutes to spew the most lies. The winner gets to kiss Trump's portly ass and bask in his endorsement of their campaign.

2. Putin Pole Vault Competition - Contenders have to prove how high they've praised Russia's murderous leader since Trump came into office. Along with Trump's endorsement the winner gets a color photo of Trump sitting on Putin's lap wearing a dog collar.

3. The Big Lie Marathon - The judges have a large database of election deniers and it's taking time to categorize their creds. The winner will get to be Trump's new official Ass Wipe (with uniform) and of course will get his backing in November.

All of this is very entertaining. But there's a dark undercurrent to my satire. A place where Democracy will be dragged down into a cesspool of fascism if these crazies take back the House and/or the Senate.

Should the worst happen, President Biden's attempts to deal with the nation's needs will be seriously hampered.

All of these crazies infecting the Republican party have no agenda, other than pleasing their master Trump.

They, and the crazies currently in Congress, plan on a revenge tour against the Democrats while setting aside the needs of the American people.

Our freedoms would disappear daily, as the cult of Trump secured it's hold over our republic. The new mottos: "Fiction over facts. Lies over truth."

Scary shit huh? 

Perhaps it's best not to try and predict the future. A lot can happen between now and the midterms.

I'll close with a request, please vote to keep these crazies out this November.

If Democrats don't turn out in big numbers and lose to the Trump/Republicans your life will take a turn for the worst. Think about it.

Memo to All Americans: We Are What We Watch

After seven decades of watching TV and going to movie theatres I consider myself an expert on visual entertainment in America.

A person doesn't need a degree to have an opinion. Experience is the best teacher. Self-examination is a good practice to have.

It's been a wild ride. I enjoy American-made movies and TV programs that are as plentiful as poppy flowers in Afghanistan.

I never really considered the overall effect on my psyche. I was vaguely aware that my tastes grew more extreme as the decades slipped by, spurred on by the authenticity offered regardless of how bloody.

To be clear. I'm not having a sudden epiphany here. I'm not trying to sell you on anything. Just sharing some thoughts.

One. We are the most violent country in the world. All you have to do is look at our entertainment industry.  When you factor in that Americans own more guns than any nation on the earth - it's a sure tell.

Two. I strongly recommend that you watch foreign movies (even if they have to have close captioning translations).

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"Everything I learned, I learned from movies."  -Audrey Hepburn

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In recent years I've been broadening my horizons by watching foreign-made films. They've opened doors to other cultures that don't thrive on blood-thirsty sensational movies.

In particular Scandinavian and European movies have deeper plots, thought-provoking characters, and generally rely less on gratuitous violence. It's still almost jolting when I see cops not carrying guns in those countries. 

It's not to say those countries don't make dramas with guns or disturbing horror movies. It's a genre that clinks to the darkest corners of nearly every country worldwide.

Lately I've been watching movies made in Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Saudi Arabia. Most of the plots have been thin, but they all have this emotive quality. Joy. Grief. Anger. Larger than life heroes. They're all magnified by complex underdogs you can't help rooting for.

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"People go to the movies instead of moving."

-Tennessee Williams

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By watching foreign movies, I've found out a lot about how people live and act in diverse societies. For the sake of transparency, I admit there was a time when you couldn't pay me to see a foreign movie.

Nothing could compare to good old American moviemaking in my mind years ago. The product always looked slicker, and I was sure our actors were the best in the world.

I guess you could say I've matured over the years (I have detractors that would debate that!). Call it what you will. By allowing myself to explore foreign movies I'm gaining a better perspective of the world I live in.

For years my attitude of American superiority was cultivated by my limited news and entertainment intake. I wasn't interested in the world outside of America's boundaries.

That I've reached a place in my life where my awareness of others is expanding, comes as a late blessing.

In summary, we are what we watch.

Accepting Reality: It's a Racist World

(Displaced Yemenis flee clashes, and face imminent risk of hunger)

Quick! Name one country in the world that doesn't have to deal with the reality of racism?

That didn't take long did it?

There is no fairytale nation that totally accepts people of all skin tones. For that matter, there's never been a perfect society since people gathered in groups to protect themselves against wild beasts.

We see constant examples of racism here in America and across the world. Just look at the worldwide response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Most of the Ukrainian evacuees are white and the majority of countries in the world are supporting them in any way possible. From military help to humanitarian aid, the world's democracies have rallied behind the besieged nation.

Now look at what's happening in Yemen. Internal divisions and a Saudi-led military intervention have spawned an intractable political, military, and humanitarian crisis.

The tiny country on the Arabian Peninsula has been the scene of grievous civilian suffering amid a terrible war.

Yemeni's have been trying to survive constant cholera outbreaks, medicine shortages, and threats of famine for seven years, with no end in sight.

With a poverty rate of around 75 percent, Yemen has long been the Arab world's poorest country. War crimes are committed daily.

Torture, arbitrary arrests, and forced disappearances are among the many war crimes perpetrated by both sides.

Name some (any) countries that are pouring massive aid in to help the Yemeni people whose suffering is easily equal to that of the Ukrainian people's?

Didn't think so. I couldn't think of anyone responding on the same scale as in the Ukraine war.

Call it what you want. I'm calling the two very different responses to humanitarian aid a perfect example of racism.

In America we have people that try to deny they're racist while busily banning books about our racist history with slavery.

By accepting the reality that we all live in a racist world it gives us the opportunity to make changes across the globe towards a better future for all.

Special thanks to my dear friend Glenn for bringing up the subject of the Yemeni's humanitarian plight, and comparing the response to the crisis in Ukraine.  

Americans Have Forgotten What the Price of Freedom Is

The camera closes in as two Ukrainians exchange vows amidst a war.

They both affirm their love for each other and make commitments to always cherish one other until they die.

The camera slowly pans out as the newlywed's kiss. You can see other soldiers in full battle gear clapping. 

The newlyweds silently grab their gear and join the rest in the fight to preserve freedom in their land.

By doing so, they also affirmed their commitment to fight for freedom, regardless of the cost.   

America. Are you watching?

Have you forgotten there's a price for the freedoms we enjoy? Millions of Americans have sacrificed their lives to preserve the republic you live in.

War comes in two guises. There's a physical war where troops, tanks, and planes are employed in open combat.

Then there's propaganda wars over people's hearts and minds. Both can result in overturning governments. Both are currently threats in Ukraine and the United States of America.

Our democracy is currently facing its biggest threat since the republic was formed. Our freedoms are looking more fragile every day because of the enemy within...

Trump, and his supporters.

Americans are watching a slow-moving coup attempt by right-wing social media platforms locked into alternate realities where Trump is still president, and the Big Lie is the perfect excuse to overthrow our government and to install an authoritarian regime.

Since the Jan. 6 insurrection very little justice has been served. Courts are easily tied into knots by Trump's lawyers.

The organizers of the assault on our Capitol are walking freely in the halls of Congress despite their participation in trying to steal the 2020 election.

The mastermind of the coup attempt, Trump, is holding fundraisers at Mar-a-Lago and is still the head of the Republican party.

Trump and his loyal minions are currently supporting Putin's invasion into a democratic country. Tucker Carlson's traitorous broadcasts are playing on endless loops on Russian state TV.

Why aren't Americans pushing back harder against the Party of Trump? Why aren't there national protests against the open coup attempt unfolding every day?

What are Americans waiting for?

The courts, you say. Keep in mind that time is the enemy in getting accountability. If the party of Trump takes back Congress in November, our freedoms are at stake.

Democracy will take a devasting blow that America may never recover from.

It's been encouraging seeing Ukrainian-Americans turn out in the streets to support their besieged democracy.

Hopefully, their example will inspire us all to fight for freedom right now by speaking truth to the lies and misinformation poisoning our nation, and by holding massive protest marches against the enemy within.

'10-4! What We Have Here is a Convoy' Comparing the Movie 'Convoy' to the Freedom Convoy

Are you old enough to remember this line from a popular song called Convoy that came out in 1975?

"10-4! What we have here is a convoy!" by C.W. McCall.

Perhaps you've seen the movie version of Convoy that came out in 1978. It starred Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine, Burt Young, Madge Sinclair and Franklyn Ajaye.

I'm bringing up this blast out of the past today because I want to compare another Convoy that is circling Washington DC to the original convoy protest movement.

The so-called Freedom Convoy we're witnessing today is nothing more than an opportunity for right-wing nuts to create chaos and support a treasonous past president's agenda.

Their pathetic attempt at getting attention has been partially watered down by the fact that mask mandates are disappearing across the country thanks to President Biden's handling of the pandemic.

It's almost not fair comparing the 1970's version where democracy wasn't at stake. To begin with the movie was a comedy. The current convoy fiasco is basically a comedy of errors by treasonous Trump followers.

The song and movie were about truckers avoiding police speed traps set by crooked cops. At least it was based upon a real gripe. Speed traps were as common as flies back in the 1970s.

Speed traps back then were illegal (they still are) and Americans who drove trucks or passenger cars were often snared by waiting officers looking to pad city coffers and to get bonuses.

That's why the song Convoy was an instant hit holding the #1 spot for six weeks. It was based upon a real problem, unlike the current Freedom Convoy that relies upon lies about masking and getting vaccines.

To my utter disgust the Freedom Convoy starting using the Convoy song as a rallying cry in Ottawa, Canada, and now here in the states.

In the original convoy the truckers were portrayed as patriotic heroes seeking justice against illegal speed traps and corrupt officers.

They were flying American flags and it seemed like the right thing to do when standing up for people's freedoms.

The current corrupt convoy circling Washington DC is also flying flags... with Donald Trump on them. The comparison is stark, and very real. No true patriots are involved with the Freedom Convoy.

It's more accurate to call it the Chaos Convoy seeking to undermine democracy and everything those true patriots portrayed in the movie stood for.

A Season for Traitors: Apps and Traps for Treasonous Trumpies

What we know about the enemy within.

Trump acolytes operate in an alternate universe.

Facts fall like frozen iguanas in the Florida winter where Trump is still the president.

Alt-right media platform apps fester like boils, always ready to deliver pus-infused propaganda to eager sheep in MAGA hats.

Trump and his supporters are driven by an authoritarian ideology that preys on fearful people. These malleable minions want a leader who defies democracy and who will put the Republican party in power for perpetuity.

Except that it's not really the Republican party. It's the party of Trump. They're not conservatives.

They're traitors who are openly trying to transform our society into a slimy sect that worships an overweight ex-TV host, and twice impeached former president.

Here's something to think about, however.

Trump and his cronies across the country are facing legal traps that may end up being their tickets to permanent residences in federal prisons.

The Jan. 6 Committee will be publicly presenting all the extensive evidence they've gathered about the insurrection in a couple of months.

Then they will turn over their findings and recommendations to the Department of Justice.

Meanwhile Trump's supporters are openly working on their next coup attempt with absolute distain by suppressing minority voters with new draconian laws designed to disenfranchise them.

Orange Kool aide drinking Trumpies are so steeped in lies that the truth blinds them, scalding them like boiling water whenever it splashes in their face.

Americans once considered Benedict Arnold the biggest traitor in our history. Trump (aka Beenadick Donald) has made him look like an errant schoolboy with the depredations he's already inflicted on our democracy.

Americans should look to the Ukrainians war with Russia. They're sacrificing their lives to preserve their democracy. They realize that it's necessary to fight against totalitarian governments seeking to seize their freedoms.

The Ukrainians fight should inspire us all in the United States of America to fight Trump and his zombie army to preserve a more perfect union.