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  Marijuana's New High Life

Posted by CN Staff on August 29, 2009 at 07:52:43 PT
By Adam Tschorn  
Source: Los Angeles Times 

USA -- In June, an estimated 25,000 people attended the inaugural THC Expo hemp and art show in downtown Los Angeles, an event that pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy -- including a $22,400 payment directly to the city of Los Angeles for use of its convention center.Barneys New York in Beverly Hills is celebrating the Woodstock spirit by selling $78 "Hashish" candles in Jonathan Adler pots with bas-relief marijuana leaves; Hickey offers $75 linen pocket squares or $120 custom polo shirts bearing the five-part leaf; and French designer Lucien Pellat-Finet is serving up white-gold and diamond custom pot-leaf-emblazoned wristwatches for $49,000 and belt buckles for $56,000.
Earlier this year, Season 5 of Showtime's "Weeds" kicked off with promotional materials plastered on bus shelters, buses and billboards throughout the city. Last year, just across from the tourist-packed Farmers Market at 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue, a "Pineapple Express" billboard belched faux pot smoke into the air. Even the '70s slacker-stoner comedy duo Cheech and Chong are back. After recently concluding an international tour, they say they are working on another movie, voicing an animated version of themselves and even batting around the idea of staging a Cheech and Chong Broadway musical.After decades of bubbling up around the edges of so-called civilized society, marijuana seems to be marching mainstream at a fairly rapid pace. At least in urban areas such as Los Angeles, cannabis culture is coming out of the closet.At fashion-insider parties, joints are passed nearly as freely as hors d'oeuvres. Traces of the acrid smoke waft from restaurant patios, car windows and passing pedestrians on the city streets -- in broad daylight. Even the art of name-dropping in casual conversation -- once limited to celebrity sightings and designer shoe purchases -- now includes the occasional boast of recently discovered weed strains such as "Strawberry Cough" and "Purple Kush."Public sentiment is more than anecdotal; earlier this year, a California Field Poll found that 56% of California voters supported legalizing and taxing marijuana. Last month, voters in Oakland overwhelmingly approved a tax increase on medical marijuana sales, the first of its kind in the country, and Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn has proposed something similar for the City of Angels. "In this current economic crisis, we need to get creative about how we raise funds," Hahn said in a statement.Smoking pot used to be the kind of personal conduct that could sink a U.S. Supreme Court nomination (Douglas H. Ginsburg in 1987) and embarrass a presidential candidate (Bill Clinton in 1992). Today, it seems to be a non-issue for the current inhabitant of the Oval Office; Barack Obama issued his marijuana mea culpa in a 1995 memoir.Drug references in popular music have multiplied like, well, weeds in the last three decades. Marijuana's presence on TV and in the movies has moved from the harbinger of bad things including murderous rage ("Reefer Madness" in 1936) to full-scale hauntings ("Poltergeist" in 1982) and burger runs gone awry ("Harold & Kumar go to White Castle" in 2001) to being just another fixture in the pop-culture firmament. Cannabis crops up on shows such as "Entourage," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "True Blood" and "Desperate Housewives," and even on animated shows such as "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy."To date, none is as pot-centric as Showtime's "Weeds," which follows the adventures of widowed soccer mom turned pot dealer Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker), though the show's creator, Jenji Kohan, says there are TV shows in development that are set against the backdrop of medical marijuana clinics.Richard Laermer, a media and pop culture trend watcher and author of several books, including "2011: Trendspotting for the Next Decade," points to Bill Maher as a bellwether of change. "Ten years ago, he would have been taken off the air." ("Real Time With Bill Maher" airs on HBO.) Now, he's "a totally mainstream comic who consistently talks about how much pot he smokes."Marijuana's role on TV and in the movies is no surprise, says Robert Thompson, a professor of television and pop culture at the University of Syracuse S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. "The people who are making movies and television shows, from the scriptwriters to the director and the producers -- a very large chunk of those are probably people who grew up not only much more comfortable with marijuana's presence in society, but probably as consumers themselves of it."As a result," Thompson said, "it's almost switched with alcohol. Think back to Dean Martin and Foster Brooks -- their whole comedy act was the fact that they were in the bag -- that now is seen a lot less often. The stoner is the new drunk." There's One Hitch   General marijuana use is, of course, illegal. Under federal law, marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance (in the same category as LSD, heroin and peyote) and possession of it is punishable by up to one year in jail and a minimum fine of $1,000 for a first conviction. According to the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Report, in 2007 there were 872,721 arrests in the U.S. for marijuana violations. For Californians who are not otherwise covered under the state's medical marijuana law (which continues to engender controversy among those who believe it's abused by recreational users), possession of 28.5 grams or less is a misdemeanor punishable by a $100 fine. What's more, passing a drug-free urine test is still a prerequisite for many jobs across the country.Nonetheless, some indulge. Marijuana reform groups say it's a $35.8-billion domestic cash crop. And today's cannabis consumers -- the state chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws estimates the number of Californians who have smoked at least once in the last year is 3 million -- open their wallets for pot-themed movies, handbooks, calendars, fancy glass storage jars, energy drinks, hemp clothing and ganja-themed bus tours, all part of the ever-widening marijuana-adjacent economy.How much do we spend?"It's hard to say," says Brian Roberts, co-founder of the THC Expo. "Do you count 'Pineapple Express' that did $100 million at the box office? Do you add in Dr. Dre's '[The] Chronic' and '2001' albums that [together] sold over 10 million copies? What I can tell you is that [the expo] pumped over $400,000 into the local economy," he added, citing expenditures for security guards and other temporary staffers, banners, decorations, printing and advertising, and renting the South Hall of the L.A. Convention Center.Roberts, who launched and later sold a now-dormant, pot-themed apparel line called THC Clothing before getting into the expo business, has seen pot culture consumers' buying power firsthand. "I used to own a smoke shop [2000 BC] over on Melrose and people would spend up to $400 for a piece of glass to use as a water pipe -- you're talking about an adult with extra money. That's like buying a power tool."Did something happen between 2003, when Tommy Chong started a nine-month stint in federal prison for selling a mail-order water pipe, and the June THC Expo, when he stood signing autographs and shaking hands, barely a roach clip's throw from row upon row of swirling glass pipes, smoking devices with octopus-like tentacles, whirring motors and price tags as high as $800?Some people point to the Obama administration as the biggest game-changer. "It was when [former President George W. Bush] and his boys were run out of office, that made the biggest difference," Chong said by phone near the end of the "Light Up America and Canada Tour" that reunited him with Cheech Marin.Roberts cited the election as the tipping point as well. "The whole show teetered on who won the election," he said. "If McCain had won, I'd have never have put up my money. But Americans are no longer living in fear."In addition, trend watcher Laermer points to a more subtle shift: aging baby boomers -- a generation famous for tuning in, turning on and dropping out -- who are keeping their party habits going into their golden years."It's hard to fathom that the fifty- and sixtysomethings would be against pot after all the pot they smoked," Laermer said, "Their kids would laugh them out of the room if they started telling them not to smoke pot."The so-called marijuana movement has attracted some surprising names. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has spoken out about decreasing penalties for possession and protecting medical marijuana users. Earlier this year, Glenn Beck of Fox News announced on the air: "Look, I'm a libertarian. You want to legalize marijuana; you want to legalize drugs -- that's fine."David Bienenstock, senior editor of New York-based marijuana magazine High Times and author of "The Official High Times Pot Smoker's Handbook," said: "Whether you're with the press or a politician, it's no longer a third rail. In the past it could have cost you your job. Now people are at least able to have those conversations."Roberts, for one, is ready. He's already booked 50,000 square feet at the Los Angeles Convention Center for next year's THC Expo. It's going to happen April 23-25 -- right after the April 20 date that's become a kind of pot smokers' national holiday."They're happy to have us back," Roberts said. "They told me the food concessions sold $38,000 worth of food on the first day alone -- and that's more than they do in a whole week at the California Gift Show."Note: Cannabis is moving into the mainstream, with fashion, films, TV and politicians acknowledging it's here to stay.Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author:  Adam Tschorn Published: August 30, 2009Copyright: 2009 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/y9ovDahoCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #63 posted by John Tyler on September 01, 2009 at 23:00:09 PT
Re #42
Firedog. A friend of mine from work went to Germany on a vacation in the summer of 1989 and brought me back a piece of the Berlin Wall. I still have it.
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Comment #62 posted by FoM on August 31, 2009 at 17:21:48 PT
BGreen
I remember that you are a cat person. I am glad your cat is close and has lived a long and happy life. God gave us animals and they are good for us. When your big, strong and independent dog looks you in the eyes and he is saying please help me it was so hard. I knew a week before we had him put down we only had a little more time left so I catered to his every need and he appreciated it. Darn it's hard to lose an animal. When the animal is very big and weighed more then me it was very dramatic. He was nothing but bones and weighed 125 pound on that day. He had to have hit 150 in his young and healthy days. Here is a picture of him at 6 years old when he was healthy. In most ways he had a great personality. Only we could handle him though.http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/kaptin.jpg
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Comment #61 posted by BGreen on August 31, 2009 at 16:57:41 PT
I'm a cat person
I have and have always had a cat. My cat is 14-years-old in September and she is a joy. She plays like a kitten and always wants to be wherever I am. She follows me around like a dog but she also cleans herself. What more could I want? LOLI was lurking around at the time when you had to put Kaptin to sleep and it broke my heart. I didn't post anything but my heart was breaking along side yours.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #60 posted by FoM on August 31, 2009 at 16:44:23 PT
BGreen
Thank you. He is really a fun dog. My old husky type spayed female we got as a campanion for Kaptin has been a good dog. Since she met Mufasa she has been polite and Mufasa has been polite but the last two days they are starting to really play together. I love the Dog Whisperer. Caesar is really good. When Kaptin showed aggression it took a lot for me to figure out how to handle him but we had him for 9 years and we got along fine. When we had him put to sleep I held his head and he trusted me but he bite the Vet. He didn't break his skin but that is how he was. Mufasa was raised with a big family and many children running around. We watched him interact with the family and knew he would be a good dog. After having an aggressive Rott that we loved totally we wanted a good disposition to begin with and we didn't want to raise a puppy since dispositons in Rottweilers sometimes develop slowly and can only show themselves when they hit around 6 months old. Mufasa is 16 months old so we were sure we could work with him. He moves quietly and loves to be loved.You should get a dog. They are wonderful companions even when they make life hard we learn something from them.
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Comment #59 posted by BGreen on August 31, 2009 at 16:04:26 PT
Great Dog, FoM
I don't know if you watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel but we LOVE Caesar Milan. We don't even have a dog but we think he is amazing.It's so important to have a healthy and stable dog regardless of their size, but especially when a dog is large enough to hurt you.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #58 posted by FoM on August 31, 2009 at 14:07:20 PT
Hope
This is such a slow time of year. Nothing is going on in Washington. September is usually slow too but then it begins to pick up. We are still way up from last year this time but sometimes it's best not to do news when it isn't really anything we don't know already. We aren't getting news from the MSM right now but so much is happening it is understandable. Health Care Reform is going to take up a lot of Fall to try to get it done somehow I think.
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Comment #57 posted by Hope on August 31, 2009 at 13:37:19 PT
Kongs
They're great.Thank you for your news gathering operation here.Hope you find some good news.
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Comment #56 posted by FoM on August 31, 2009 at 13:10:03 PT
Hope
One more off topic comment. We took him to the Vet and he weighed 102 pounds. He is very narrow through his back. He will only be fully filled out when he hits 3. He might be bigger then Kaptin was. I guess I like dogs that are the size of ponies. LOL! Now back to looking for some news.
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Comment #55 posted by FoM on August 31, 2009 at 13:01:52 PT
Hope
I am always amazed when it comes to animals. They all interest me. You are right about Mufasa. He is gentle and smart. I read on that forum about Rotts about a toy called Kong. It's great. I stuff it with a meaty bone and then jam bread into it until it wedges the bone in the Kong. He spent hours the first time trying to get to the bone. He then figured out if he bounced the toy the bone crumbled and started to fall out. Now it takes him about a half and hour and he has it done. I think that the Kong toy is like a Rubix's Cube was for teenagers. LOL!
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Comment #54 posted by Hope on August 31, 2009 at 12:41:35 PT
Picture of Mufasa
He looks gentle and smart.
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Comment #53 posted by Hope on August 31, 2009 at 12:39:34 PT
That is amazing.
It seems like maybe the dog had some kind of awareness of her, even though she wasn't near.Very interesting.
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Comment #52 posted by FoM on August 31, 2009 at 11:42:16 PT
Hope
Yes I am. I keep looking for news but I really can't find anything to post. During this late summer slow time I have joined a private Rottweiler web site. I want to learn as much as I can right now since Mufasa is such a sweet dog. He gets fired up and runs and acts really silly and then he is done. He walked over near the sofa this morning and I told him to lay down. He didn't respond quickly so I gave him a light push and he fell to the ground and basically was saying ok you win. We both laughed. We took this picture a little while ago. I read a comment on that forum that blew me away. A 14 year old girl has bad seizures so she is working with a Rott and trainer making him a service dog for her. He alerts about 30 minutes before a seizure which I have heard about before with service dogs but this I never heard. The Rott went back to the trainer's home to further his education and late in the day he started going crazy. The trainer couldn't get him to settle down so he called the girl's mother and said he won't settle down you better check your daughter. She had a terrible seizure right after the call but the mother was there because of the dog alerting. That's amazing to me.http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/Thinking.jpg
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Comment #51 posted by Hope on August 31, 2009 at 11:13:45 PT
Thanks, FoM
I hope you're having a good day.
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Comment #50 posted by FoM on August 31, 2009 at 10:46:45 PT
Hope
That's ok. The only time it is a problem is when it is so long that sometimes it uncenters the comment section. I post long urls too.
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Comment #49 posted by Hope on August 31, 2009 at 10:21:55 PT
and 
Dang it again.Didn't shrink the url.My apologies. Again.
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Comment #48 posted by Hope on August 31, 2009 at 10:20:04 PT
Oops...
Posted comment 7 on the wrong thread.
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Comment #47 posted by Hope on August 31, 2009 at 07:36:30 PT
Another trip
down the Festivals memory lane.2 weeks after Woodstock, hippies flocked to Lewisvillehttp://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/083009dnmetlewisvillepop.40bd1bb.htmlOne thing in looking at some of the recollections I've been reminded of one thing that really irked me about the hatred of that time. Several references in those days were made to kids having "fleas"... because they were such nasty, dirty people.Aaaargh. That used to make me so mad. That and the "Dirty" thing.It was reported in many venues, I recall, that some of the student victims murdered at Kent State had fleas. How disgusting that the haters and fear mongers would stoop so low. They stooped really low. In this flea and dirtiness thing and other efforts they made to stir up hatred and disgust for a generation. The haters stooped really low. But they do that, don't they?
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Comment #46 posted by Hope on August 31, 2009 at 07:24:00 PT
Sam, Mason, and Paul's book.
Here's a newspaper write up/interview about it.http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n821/a06.html?397
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Comment #45 posted by Hope on August 31, 2009 at 06:16:48 PT
Firedog
The game. I don't like looking at that dang DEA badge that much either!My criticism or support for the game would be pretty much worthless. I'm not a game person at all. Never have been.Good luck with it, Firedog.
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Comment #44 posted by Hope on August 31, 2009 at 05:43:19 PT
Firedog
Of note. Something I hadn't realized until I finished typing that last comment.... I have been listening to the music since I brought the page up. Which is a while ago. What nice morning music! Thank you.
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Comment #43 posted by Hope on August 31, 2009 at 05:40:44 PT
Firedog
Your game is interesting. I'll check it out more later and I would be interested to hear how it all goes for you. Approval and all.That many cannabis symbols all out on one page makes me nervous.It's kind of funny.It was the bold and perhaps foolish soul that dared display the leaf for many years. Even one. Even at home.When all the hemp hair products and lotions started becoming popular. Even sold at Walmart! It was kind of hard to get used to and I found I was made a bit anxious by the so everywhere sight of the beautiful leaf. It was a bit unnerving. I found myself wanting to put them out of sight or turn the pictures and labels out of sight.Lol!Checking out your game, I thought, "Too many lovely leaves on one page for me to look at too long!"The pretty leaf shape and color is special for lots of reasons and a "secret" at one time. I'd find myself thinking, sometimes, "Why in the world are there pot leaves EVERYWHERE?" ... in a concerned way. I thought, "Oh no! It's beginning to look like "Probable Cause" around here!":0)I'm still not used to it.
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Comment #42 posted by firedog on August 30, 2009 at 23:18:33 PT
John...
Your comment #38 reminds me very much of something...Back in 1989, I went to the USSR as part of a high school exchange program. This was three months before the Berlin Wall was demolished. But in reality, it had already fallen in every meaningful way. In Summer 1989, the wall was just an eggshell that just needed one more tap to bring it down.Like so many other walls.
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Comment #41 posted by Hope on August 30, 2009 at 21:16:23 PT
Improvement is happening.
There's no doubt of that.
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on August 30, 2009 at 20:35:24 PT
John Tyler 
I think about the same way you do. 
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on August 30, 2009 at 20:33:24 PT
firedog 
I hope you get what you want. Good luck to you!
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Comment #38 posted by John Tyler on August 30, 2009 at 20:08:19 PT
Re #31
I didn’t really expect sweeping cannabis legalization. It would have been nice, but I have noticed a lot of subtle changes. They are letting a lot of things happen and not making a fuss about it. Federal officials are not rushing off to states that are reforming their laws and mouthing off stupid worst-case scenarios and making threats. Mexico went decrim and the White House was mum about it. The Bushies would have been in a tizzy spouting all kinds of nonsense. There is change.
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Comment #37 posted by firedog on August 30, 2009 at 19:59:01 PT:
Oh...
I should mention that it will have a 17+ rating if approved... and there is a strong anti-hard-drug message on the upper levels.
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Comment #36 posted by firedog on August 30, 2009 at 19:49:29 PT:
We'll see...
...I'm about to find out just how "mainstream" and "acceptable" Apple is going to find my new iPhone game (submitted for review a couple of days ago):http://skyhighgames.net/happyweed.htmlThe game itself is not new. I wrote it 16 years ago, but I haven't done anything with it since. But the iPhone coming on strong, it seemed like the perfect time to bring it back to life.Pretty much all the media described in the article and comments are available on iTunes. Will Happyweed! be? I'll keep you posted...
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on August 30, 2009 at 14:13:38 PT
Hope
I haven't lost hope but I also keep my eyes wide open. I think we should. I think many people have their eyes wide open these days. 
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Comment #34 posted by Hope on August 30, 2009 at 13:54:45 PT

Of course.
I see you expressed your hope, now.
 
You hope you're wrong."I really hope I am wrong."Hopefully, you are wrong. Hang on. Looks like we have a ways to go.I know. You didn't say you'd lost all faith. Try not to worry someone is going to mess it up bad and make the journey to sensible reform, even that much longer. I can imagine that it can happen... but I hope it won't. 'What's next?' is in many people's hearts... and on their minds.
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Comment #33 posted by Hope on August 30, 2009 at 13:43:05 PT

Have faith, Martha.
What else can you do?Plod on, doing all you can and more... and have faith and hope in those efforts... at least. Maybe hope in mankind. Hope in justice. Hope in widespread sanity of some sort. Hope in Sanity, settling calmly across the land. Respect and understanding and caring for one another in a respectful way becoming the tone of more people's days. What a concept. Hope even in your God, if you are inclined that way. But without hope... why plod on? 
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Comment #32 posted by Hope on August 30, 2009 at 13:30:41 PT

Museman Comment 30
That's so sweet!
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on August 30, 2009 at 11:52:54 PT

One More Thought
Since Obama became our President I have seen anger towards him from people in drug reform circles. After 8 years of a living hell with the past administration I don't get it. Hopefully this isn't about politics and just being anti Democrat but it seems it is. I really hope I am wrong. I have waited a life time for one more chance to see change and I hope it doesn't get wrecked for us again. That's all for now.
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Comment #30 posted by museman on August 30, 2009 at 11:37:31 PT

Hope
I have a new bumper sticker to put on my car, a birthday present from my youngest;"Not fooled by the government"I've been holding off, but its almost time...
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Comment #29 posted by museman on August 30, 2009 at 11:34:03 PT

FoM
in the human game, and life in general, its not so much the hand you are dealt with, but how you use it, that makes all the literal difference in the world.We can see the effects of selfishness, arrogant egoisms, power, and greed, just as well as the effects of generosity, humbleness, faith, and love. It is also evident that likes attract. Corruption begats corruption, and Truth begats truth. People choose their paths accordingly.LEGALIZE FREEDOM
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Comment #28 posted by Hope on August 30, 2009 at 11:31:30 PT

Museman
"It is striking to note the similarities between the rumors, wild speculations, and fears of the W.A.S.P.s towards the Kennedy's, and their current fear/rumor mongering against Obama."Yes, it is. Only, I think this current round, I'm seeing more people apparently, more willing to be physically threatening and menacing to others over politics than at that time. Maybe it justs me. I feel it though, even in the people I'm around. Of course, it may not be as bad as I think. The anger of some may be no worse than the anger of some has always been. I'm perhpas too sensitive to others anger.Don't get me wrong. Certainly, there has always been hateful, mean, murderous, want to hurt people, crazy, threatening, menacing people. They were around then, too. Some criminally so. No doubt. Assasinations. Bombs. Kidnappings. Murders. Assorted foiled and unfoiled plots and lunacies. Snarkiness and tackiness, racism, classism, sexism, mockery, ignorance, hatred and all sorts of disrespect humans could have for one another, abounded then, as it does now. But I guess I'm seeing more of it because of instant news from everywhere and seeing some of the huge, active, global conversation on the Internet. It's disappointing to see that people are so driven and hate filled, still... after all these years.In the early Kennedy era, and always, among the people who seemed to make it a hobby to dislike the Kennedy's... any and all of them just because they were Kennedys.. some people also seemed to think that the Kennedys were a bunch of rich, criminal, "Hooligans", too, because of how Joseph Kennedy supposedly accrued his wealth. I know I was surprised, and appalled, that just a day or two ago, I saw that old hatred stick it's head up again after so long. It was in a debate going on at Cato. It was a Drug War debate... pros and cons or antis and prohibs. James Roberts, the prohib, said in an obvious jibe to the Kennedy family, and obviously, right in the middle of the mourning and burying, "No one has rebutted my assertion that these drug cartels will not simply go away if legalization proceeds — and that the assortment of bad guys they support (e.g. Hugo Chavez) will continue their efforts to take down the U.S. capitalist system. (Hint: for a glimpse of that future, look at what the criminal gangs that ran Chicago did after Prohibition ended — they went into politics!)"http://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/08/25/james-roberts/to-the-barricades-for-freedom/
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on August 30, 2009 at 11:23:05 PT

museman
I think I will never understand what motivates people in our country as far as power, money and fame seeming so darn important. The funeral yesterday must have cost a fortune and it was wonderful to see but none of it gets to go along with him when he was put into the ground. The catholic church has been very bad in the past but what I learned by having good and thoughtful teachers has stayed with me to this day. We must be responsible for others. 
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Comment #26 posted by museman on August 30, 2009 at 10:12:13 PT

FoM
I sleep pretty good. Always have. BTW, cannabis as a tincture -a tablespoon about an hour before bedtime works very well as an anti insomnia medicine. My wife will testify to that.I think thats one of the reasons so many of our 'leaders' are raving alcoholics is; without the mind-numbing, and brain cell destroying effects to put them into their nightly stupor, their consciousness would surely betray them. But thats why alcohol prohibition was repealed relatively easily compared to cannabis- the power elite need it to sleep at night.Any American who is old enough to remember that day in Dallas in 1963, and wasn't part of the power elite conspiracy, I think will always have a deep respect and love for the Kennedy brothers.FREE CANNABIS FOR EVERYONE
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on August 30, 2009 at 09:56:43 PT

museman
I will always love the Kennedy family. They achieved wealth but didn't lose sight of the poor. Greed has ruled for many years now and social justice isn't important to many people and I will never understand that. How do some people sleep at night? I sleep fine.
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on August 30, 2009 at 09:53:12 PT

Hope
I knew you understood. It is amazing how this has all happened.
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Comment #23 posted by Hope on August 30, 2009 at 09:47:15 PT

Comment 21 :0)
I know.That's why I said, "Then".
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Comment #22 posted by museman on August 30, 2009 at 09:42:42 PT

Hope#19
It is striking to note the similarities between the rumors, wild speculations, and fears of the W.A.S.P.s towards the Kennedy's, and their current fear/rumor mongering against Obama.It is also worthy to note, that none of the Kennedy's ever pushed any 'religious' agendas, or specifically a 'catholic' one, and that our last imposter republican depended heavily on religiosity, and actually claimed at one point to be 'gods chosen.'The beauty and attraction of America -to ordinary people- is simple, basic liberty. The attraction to men and women of wealth and power, is more wealth and power. Do away with the wealth and power, and liberty comes to the forefront.Some few have used their wealth and power, like the Kennedys, for improving life for others, unfortunately they are far too few to balance the wholesale corruption that has been put in place over the WOD, anti-'terrorism' and the many usury scams of the economic minions, like insurance, interest, and the other multitudes of middlemen who do nothing but skim off the top.To hope for a decent balance of humanity in an otherwise demonic system of government, without constant and consistent action to bring it into existence, is the kind of 'hope' Clinton was always spewing forth, but not the real hope we hold dear in our hearts. We are at the crossroads of American History. Either the people rise now, or fall to the inevitability of the continued destruction of our planet. We either continue consuming like vampires, and force the universe to put a stake through our collective corruption, or we stand up and say no to the false authorities that claim so much of our lives and time.Buying into the system is believing in invisible emperors clothing, and that system will continue to wreak its havok until we stop it, or it is stopped for us by bigger things than us.LEGALIZE FREEDOM
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on August 30, 2009 at 09:18:22 PT

Hope
It's interesting that they worried about Catholics taking over but look what Fundamentalist have done to the Republican Party. We were taught to render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods. That didn't mean taxes but to put God and Politics as a separate issue. We were taught to follow God's law if Caesar's law contradicted God's law. That is separation of church and state. Other then that we were taught to always obey Caesar's law.
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on August 30, 2009 at 08:58:46 PT

Hope
Very interesting. When I was a teen and going to parochial school and JFK ran for President we were taught only to feel proud that we might have our first Catholic president.We were never encouraged to get into politics since social service was world wide but not political. The Irish came to the USA because of the potato famine. People that were able to come to the states left family members and knew they might die of starvation but to keep the family line going someone had to leave and try to stay alive. The passion for the poor came with those who came here.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Irish_Famine
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on August 30, 2009 at 08:34:06 PT

Catholicism and the Kennedys
I remember the malcontents who were afraid of the Kennedy's Catholic faith. They said that the Catholic church would be controlling the government through them and that it would be the downfall of our church and state separation.Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists didn't want to control the government... then... but some people were sure that the Catholic church would... because the Catholic church had in the past, historically, been involved in some overbearing and ugly government stuff. Protestants got their moniker from "Protesting" against the all powerful, at one time, Catholic church. They assumed that since Kennedy was Catholic he would have to obey the Church and that the Church would be all up in everybody's face and the government's business. It just had to be that way, they thought, because that was the way the Catholic church was and had always been.I didn't believe it.Then look what we got eventually. All kinds of faith stuff being yanked all over the place. If people hadn't got all scared over the Catholic church and church and state seperation business when the Kennedy's became important, nation wide, and church and state hadn't gotten so much attention and limelight... Madelyn Murray-O'Hare likely wouldn't have thought to get so fired up about school prayer and all. But, as I recall it, that's what the problem some people, people that I didn't know, but heard about, and questioned their stance, had at that time with the Kennedy's Catholicism. 
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on August 30, 2009 at 08:03:31 PT

John Tyler 
I think your idea is really good.
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Comment #17 posted by John Tyler on August 30, 2009 at 07:54:41 PT

elements
I like the movie plot line with a legal ending. That is good. I think the “stoner movie” genera should contain certain elements such as some drama, some challenge to overcome through individual or group effort, lots of heart, the value of love, both romantic and spiritual, or combinations of both, memorable characters, good soundtrack of course, the ideals of hipster philosophy (peace, love, green, ecology, innovation, sharing, etc) and an over all uplift, or good vibe that stays with the viewer.
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Comment #16 posted by GeoChemist on August 30, 2009 at 06:39:51 PT

Sam...............
I turned it (PE) off within 10 minutes......I would like to aquire the coffee-table with all of its contents though.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on August 30, 2009 at 05:01:44 PT

Paint with light 
Thank you so much. I didn't even think it was a religious difference but you very well could be right. I believe the one thing that the Catholic church teaches is love of family, love of God and our life should be dedicated to social justice. Social justice for all people just doesn't seem to matter to some people only money and business or something like that. Money is necessary to live but it shouldn't be what drives us. I watched as a young person in the dark at Arlington put his head on Senator Kennedy's coffin and this young person just stayed there obviously with a broken heart and then the news stopped and that was that. If you are loved by your family young and old then you lived a good life.PS: Catholic teachings of caring aren't bad things. 
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Comment #14 posted by Paint with light on August 30, 2009 at 00:33:09 PT

FoM
I am sending you a hug and much comfort in your time of sorrow.I remember as an early teen wondering why, in my area of the country, there was such an animosity towards the Kennedys. The objections usually followed the Catholic/protestant/Yankee/Southerner logic(or lack of it).I was a fan of the Kennedys from early on.I think community Health Centers and his work on Title IX were two of the most important things Ted accomplished.Thousands of lives were saved and made better.Now, generations of women have a chance to grow up more empowered by their almost-equality in the Athletic departments.For years I have used the phrase, "I am to the left of Teddy Kennedy", to set the tone anytime anybody wants to have a political discussion.His work will live on in the actions and memories of those who were touched by his life.
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Comment #13 posted by Paint with light on August 30, 2009 at 00:08:52 PT

Mainstream
I received a direct mail piece last week that was a fold out advertisement for two shows.On one side was a picture and promo for "True Blood" on HBO.On the other side was a picture and promo for........."Weeds".It was sent by Dish Network.Legal like alcohol.
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Comment #12 posted by knowhemp on August 29, 2009 at 21:00:49 PT

When the silver screen turns green
I'm still waiting for a stoner comedy where the herb is legal at the end. That's what I would call a happy ending! I can only imagine the applause at the end of a movie like that :D
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on August 29, 2009 at 19:16:32 PT

John Tyler
"I think a stoner movie has an obligation to make positive statement."I mean, if you mean like in dramas and comedies and all portrayals of use... I think we will very likely see movies like that someday. It can be funny without making someone look stupid. Maybe.
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Comment #10 posted by John Tyler on August 29, 2009 at 18:54:17 PT

Off Topic
Arnold of California asked the public for some ideas to raise money for the state. The number one suggestion of thousands submitted was “legalize cannabis”.

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Comment #9 posted by John Tyler on August 29, 2009 at 18:38:34 PT

Re #1 and #2
I didn’t care for Pineapple Express at all either. It was a badly made “buddy movie” were cannabis was used as a gimmick. I wouldn’t consider it a stoner movie at all. It was stupid. I think a stoner movie has an obligation to make positive statement.

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Comment #8 posted by FoM on August 29, 2009 at 11:41:40 PT

charmed quark
I cried but what else is new these last few days when I heard Ave Maria. It was a beautiful service. I will watch the burial at Arlington. What a magnificent 
 Cathedral too.
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Comment #7 posted by charmed quark on August 29, 2009 at 11:06:05 PT

OT: FOM - Kennedy funeral service
I hope you got to watch the Ted Kennedy service. Beautiful Yo Yo Ma cello solo and the soprano did the best Schubert Ave Maria I've ever heard. Very moving eulogies by his two sons.
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on August 29, 2009 at 08:59:21 PT

De-electrifying The Third Rail...
Our movement is responsible for that. How many of us literally (pun definitely intended) threw ourselves, en masse nearly, on that crackling third rail for hope of shutting it down? Lots... I'd say.C-Newsers, Normlers, MPPers, Drug Sensers, Safe Access people, medical people... millions of us just stepped out and touched the damned thing. It took courage the first time. I remember. (No body wanted to hold your hand if you were going to do it, either.)There is power in the judicious use of words... literally.
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on August 29, 2009 at 08:47:18 PT

This article...
"Whether you're with the press or a politician, it's no longer a third rail. In the past it could have cost you your job. Now people are at least able to have those conversations."That's true. The infamous "Third Rail" of even discussing reform has had the electricity cut off to it, permanently. It can be safely touched by anyone. That's good news any way you look at it.
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on August 29, 2009 at 08:42:31 PT

Pineapple Express
The first time I watched it was with a group of people. People weren't laughing. It seemed about as funny as Full Metal Jacket or Apocalypse Now. I laughed a little more the second time, in the company of fewer people and having already seen it... but not much more. The laughing, I think, was just because, in spite of it all... comedically so, they pretty much survived.
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Comment #3 posted by Hope on August 29, 2009 at 08:37:25 PT

"make guys seem like silly idiots"
That's what most comedy does, Sam. That's why it's funny. If Lucy hadn't made herself look like a "silly idiot"... she wouldn't have been funny.Cheech didn't look silly in his famous tutu scene? I think he would be disappointed to think he didn't.I didn't care for Pineapple Express, although I like Seth Rogan, and Adam Sandler, too. Some of Pineapple Express was funny, but the violence, especially the wild shooting and exploding stuff, to me, was just overwhelming. Sadly, to me, the truth is, lot's of people, especially, it seems, men, consider fiery car chases, fighting, bullets flying, explosions, fire and destruction, exciting entertainment these days. But comedy would be devastated if we had to leave out the parts about someone looking like a silly idiot.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on August 29, 2009 at 08:30:27 PT

Sam
We only watched a few minutes of Pineapple Express. We stopped watching Weeds when it got violent. That's not what we are about.
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on August 29, 2009 at 08:00:43 PT

one comment
Am I the only one who thinks Pineapple Express was a terrible movie?Seth Rogen seems like Adam Sandler to me. He does emasculating chick-flick movies that make guys seem like silly idiots."PE" features a couple of stoners laughing at a guy as he's shot and murdered. That tips you off right away that's it's not a real stoner movie. they don't glorify violence, that's what you throw in when you don't have the talent to come up with funny jokes

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