Damn.. haven't blogged since August..

Don't worry, I wasn't arrested or anything... as if that would happen to me!! I'm so careful, I'm reckless with it. Does that make sense? Eh.. whatever.. quote me on it.

The reason I haven't posted since August is because I lost faith in this movement. Although, a lot of progress was made, I look on it with a pessimistic eye; I'm just waiting for the hammer to drop. The reason is because of these politicians. Marijuana laws should never be this complex. It shouldn't take countless moratoriums and years to implement medical marijuana programs. It proves to me that there are simply too many people in the way of progress.

The problem is that the goals of medical marijuana are not difficult to implement. However, the politicians have made the laws so complex that they've become difficult to implement. In doing so, the little county politicians can play this little game of "wait til you die". On top of that, you've got the feds breathing down the necks of everyone, legal and illegal. Obama is worthless to the movement as he is worthless to a lot of other movements as well. Conservatives paying heavy lip service and Democrats not doing much different.

BLAH BLAH BLAH

The point is, this shit stinks! I don't like shit so I stay away from it. So, all I am going to say is that I, as a grower, will continue to keep things quiet on the home front. When I want marijuana, I call the dealer. Fortunately, I don't live in a medical marijuana state so I don't have to be bothered with that confusion. Beyond that, I am quite healthy so chances are I'd be stuck in the same boat anyway. In any case, don't waste time going to the doctor, entering your information into some govt database in the form of a card, and then going to some dispensary where Holder and Leonhart are sitting in an unmarked car snapping pictures of you.

Go back to the days when you could call up the dealer, get it delivered or just go meet up. I know some folks have trouble finding quality dealers too. That's when you put seeds in the ground. Go learn how to grow your own. It ain't hard to do. Remember, I've had a number of successful grows (so I say) and I'm the same guy who watched a bamboo plant wither at his hand. If I can do it, so can you!!!

But, I'm back... if only for a little while.... keep smoking folks!! I know I will!!

And, I'll be looking forward to either updating or moving this site. I don't know just yet!

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Marijuana Growers, Don't Fear Legalization

Hey folks, here I am back with another post. I know I am usually far and in between with my posts but you must know I don't blog just anything. I blog when the passion hits me. That means, it has to be important enough for me to address.

19.0 wet grams of Princess Diesel

Well, here we are in the United States, not quite on the advent of legalization but the movement is steady in that direction. We'll truly be on the advent of legalization when the US Congress starts having the guts to challenge the status quo. But, I doubt that will happen until this treaty business with the UN is addressed. But, I will address that at another time when all my information is gathered.

Anyway, there seems to be a major problem within the marijuana growing community in regards to legalization.

What?

Some folks simply don't want it legalized. We're not talking about the maniacs who've drinking that DEA juice. We're talking about the growers who are persecuted AND prosecuted by the very laws they want to protect.

Why?

Well, what really happens if marijuana is legalized? It means that the local and illegal market will have to contend with the world market as well as large money interests who can eye a new major industry.

In other words, COMPETITION.

It's easy when there isn't much marijuana to go around and millions of users. You can pretty much charge what you like. If you're a student of business, as I was (BBA in Marketing), you understand that price can dictate demand if there isn't enough product to go around. However, demand will dictate price if there is too much product on the market. When marijuana is legalized in the US, you're going to have entire nations clamoring to supply this hungry market. The situation reverses.

The idea of paying $50 to $65 for an 1/8th (3.5 grams) of marijuana is out of the window.

But, is it?

Absolutely not. I want to let my marijuana growing friends know that it isn't out of the window at all. The game just changes. And, you will have to learn to adapt with those changes. Let's look at the tobacco market which, I believe, is identical to what a marijuana market will look like if and when legalized.

Sure, you have companies like Marlboro who sell cigarettes by the ton. But, what do they do to that tobacco? That's right. We all know that story. The tobacco industry tuns tobacco into smokable bullets. Take enough hits and you will die. It's as simple as that. However, who says you have to buy tobacco from Marlboro?

I always remember going to Nat Sherman in NYC on 42nd Street. It's an amazing tobacco shop. They don't sell crap either. I don't smoke tobacco at all. However, if I did, Nat Sherman would be the only place I would visit. You go inside and you see jars of loose tobacco on the counter. It looks like a dispensary would look like today. As old as Nat Sherman is, I'd bet they were the model for many of these marijuana dispensaries today. But, they sell tobacco.

Simply put, there are pockets of tobacco aficionados out there. And, I know this doesn't alleviate your fears but let me show you why you shouldn't be fearful of a legal marijuana market. Keep reading...

Ounce of Mexibrick schwag.

At the same time, you have Mexican drug cartels who sell marijuana by the ton. We all should be familiar with Mexican grown marijuana (see pic). It's basically the same as corporate tobacco - mistreated and trashed. And, who exists among those large corporations to bring customer high quality marijuana??

YOU EXIST!!!

Just as folks at spots like Nat Sherman don't care for the low-cost poison that companies like Marlboro deliver to communities around the US, we don't care for the low-cost poison that Mexican drug cartels deliver around the US. Just like Nat Sherman, you will and have always targeted folks who could afford, and would pay for, a high quality product.

Will things change? Absolutely. But, the change simply means you'll be able to come out from hiding. You will find it easier to attract better clientele. It's like the wine industry, the cheese industry, the beef industry and so on. They all have low quality producers and high quality producers. Someone looking forward to a nice wine isn't going to the corner liquor store for some Yellow Tail.

If you want to stay competitive in the future, worry about the quality of your own product. Don't worry about the large corporations, the Mexican drug cartels, or nations in Asia, Africa, and so on. They'll all be thinking about high profits by increasing production and cutting costs. That means, just as they do with tobacco now, they'll gladly shred up seeds and stems in your future marijuana cigarettes as well as poison them.

They won't be able to produce a high quality product like you and therefore won't be able to compete at your level nor for the same customer base. It'll be the right of the people to choose their poison. And the same market that goes after high quality marijuana right now will be looking for you tomorrow. This is why I say worry about the quality of your product.

Do you think the likes of Marlboro can compete with this when marijuana is legalized?
They can't even compete with other quality tobacco today!!

Also, differentiation and specialization will become important. Since we may be a few years away from legalization, it's not a bad idea to shed the European breeders and start some breeding programs of your own right here in the US if you haven't already. For example, I grew out some Princess Diesel. But, who can't get Princess Diesel through a quick visit to the Reservoir Seeds or some other seed site. Imagine if I had a strain of my own. Sure I could grow out other stuff. But, this strain would be mine and no one would be able to grow it but me.

So, stand out even more by creating your own strain and stabilize the phenotype (grower talk). We have a few years before marijuana is legalized. It won't hurt to start now. Just make sure that when you're finished, you keep seeds in a safe location for the future.

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Haaa, can't tax my marijuana!

Legalization/Taxation

The fight to legalize marijuana seems to be making major inroads as politicians, greedy for funds of any kind, find ways to get those tax revenues without a direct increase to the taxpayer. While there are some politicians have a more honorable reason for promoting the legalization of marijuana, there are many others who have no interest in the welfare of their own friends, family, and community; they're in it for the money.

At any rate, I could care less about their reasons for legalization. All I care about is that it get legalized.

However, what I do care about is how legalization takes place, particularly in the way of taxation, for now. I assume that quality control will be an issue in the future as I am sure companies like Altria, makers of smokable poison like Marlboro cigarettes, would find ways to weaponize marijuana as they did with tobacco.

But, I have a solution for all of that.

The problem with taxation are the high expectations for tax revenues. These politicians believe that the current pricing for marijuana will be stable. For them, that high cost equals high tax revenues. But, they don't recognize that these high costs are in part due to prohibition. Once prohibition is repealed, marijuana prices will drop considerably and those major tax revenues will drop with it.

This is why legalization is not a particularly great solution for the economy. And, here I am making that prospect even worse.

The reason I intend to make it worse is because there's a segment within the marijuana community that believe in absolutely no taxes for marijuana use. This is because they consider marijuana a medicine and you simply don't tax medicine. However, it stands in the way of legalization because it if we're to get it legalized for everybody, taxation has to be a reality.

Besides, medicinal users are already being taxed by having to pay upfront fees for licenses, doctors prescriptions, and the ability to grow if they are providers.

Side Note
I call that the Republican way to tax. See, Democrats tax you from the front so you see it coming - income tax, sales tax, etc. Republicans reduce face-front taxes. They just wait for you to turn around and bend over so they "tax" you up the behind with increased fees for anything you want to do. Democrats will rather tax your income to pay for roads. Republicans rather put tolls at every street intersection they can find. For example, in NYC, Mayor Bloomberg has sought to lower "face-front" taxes, yet proposed fees for entering the Manhattan below a certain street. Hey, you'll pay either way so just laugh about this now, think about it later.

The real issue is that medicinal marijuana users don't like the idea of being taxed at the rates proposed under complete legalization. It truly is their medicine and they shouldn't be taxed for it. And, let's be honest, those rates are incredibly ridiculous no matter who's paying. Not even alcohol or tobacco are taxed as heavily as what's proposed for marijuana. So, I don't blame people for getting upset.

Proposal

As a consumer, I propose that, under legalized and severely overtaxed marijuana, users, for whatever purpose, do not buy any marijuana until competition increases supply causing prices to come down and the tax rates are reasonable, at least within comparable levels with alcohol and tobacco.

The question at this point is how can this be done.

First of all, the politicians will do most of the work for this effort to be a success. By promoting prohibition level pricing, even after the repeal of prohibition, it wouldn't make sense for a marijuana grower to sell his product at wholesale prices when he can still operate and compete as though prohibition still exists. In fact, it can be considered as prohibition-plus since taxes are going to be a major factor. As a consumer, it would make sense to simply go directly to the grower and avoid any taxation whatsoever.

Side Note
While this may not be desirable, the politicians will have to learn a hard lesson here. It's not a lesson that wasn't already anticipated in history. During the repeal of alcohol prohibition, politicians, then, knew that the legal market would have to price-compete with the illegal market. Otherwise, it would be impossible to regulate and collect taxes. If today's politicians are too stupid to anticipate such competition and too arrogant to listen to the people, then they deserve to look like fools when their ridiculous taxation scheme doesn't produce the kind of tax revenues expected.

The second and most favorable method is self-reliance - grow your own marijuana. I am always promoting growing your own marijuana for personal use, so nothing new here. If marijuana is legal, who's going to come looking for you if you're growing a few ounces. Even though that marijuana is illegal, it's still safer because you completely remove yourself from law enforcement radar. You're not a Mexican drug cartel. You're not out trafficking bricks of marijuana. And, you're not out dealing on the streets. The only problems you may have is if smell gives you away or someone you tell decides to snitch on you. So, limit your exposure by investing in heavy odor control and not telling anyone.

Final Side Note
Personally, the only reason I would ever get caught is because of this blog or perhaps the few people that know about me. And, I know what I am doing by exposing myself. But, if I can motivate more people to grow their own, I can help limit the violence injected into the lives of peaceful people by careless drug dealers and aggressive law enforcement as well as reduce the profits of violent drug cartels that most law enforcement protect with their support of prohibition. It's worth it if I can save another life.

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Obama's Medical Marijuana Memo Means Nothing

Background

Today, President Obama released a memo in regards to states with medical marijuana laws. Basically, this memo is telling federal prosecutors along with the DEA and FBI not to waste their time and energy on [destroying the lives of] medical marijuana patients and their suppliers IF they conform to the state's laws.

Feds Can't Touch This
Justice shifts course on medical marijuana prosecutions
Feds: Medical marijuana prosecutions not a priority

Reality

This memo is nothing more than a piece of paper. It doesn't change anything. Think of this policy change as a mother asking her child to do his chores five minutes earlier at 5:55 PM instead of 6 PM. Although, it would be nice if you did it five minutes earlier, it's not anything you have to take into consideration. It just would be nice.

Think about it.

What laws were changed with this memo? Did marijuana, all of a sudden, become legal? Was marijuana removed from the Controlled Substances Act? Will the federal government begin recognizing marijuana's medicinal utility?

NO!

This memo hasn't changed anything. As long as prohibition remains the denominator in the nation's marijuana equation, this memo is nothing more than words on paper. Without the protections and consequences that come with actual changes to the law, nothing has changed.

Problem

President Obama has failed to alleviate or even address the problems that millions of marijuana users, medicinal and recreational, face against violent law enforcement. Well over 800,000 people are arrested and incarcerated yearly. Billions of dollars are burned by law enforcement officials that are only interested in playing 'Judge Dredd' with the lives of nonviolent people. When President Obama has the courage to face these gun toting animals, that's when the memos and speeches will stop. That's when laws begin to change.

Until then, I'd rather President Obama just shut up and leave it alone if he doesn't plan on truly changing anything or helping us. I'm used to the status quo and it's how I operate. It's how thousands of us operate on a daily basis. I won't change how I do things because of some useless memo. I would hope that my grower friends, especially those in medical marijuana states, keep their heads low as well. I don't want them falling for this nonsense.

Just know one thing. Marijuana is not going anywhere. No matter how hard the prohibitionists push against us, we'll still be here - growing, smoking, and teaching!

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Did US Tobacco Industry Hire FDA to Kill Competition

I want to show how much influence and power the US tobacco industry has over the government and the people of the United States and how it affects marijuana legalization efforts.

Candy and Fruit Flavored Cigarettes Now Illegal in United States

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today a ban on cigarettes with flavors characterizing fruit, candy, or clove. The ban, authorized by the new Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, is part of a national effort by the FDA to reduce smoking in America. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in America."

According the FDA, flavored tobacco is being used by teens more and more, even though tobacco use among teens has fallen. Well, the "protect the children" concept doesn't pan out. On top of that, the FDA is not banning menthol cigarettes, America's #1 flavored cigarette.

With that info, I thought perhaps it's protectionism at work. The FDA specifically mentions clove cigarettes which are mainly imported by Djarum, an Indonesian company. It would make sense since they specifically left out menthol cigarettes. That would protect the American tobacco industry. I think I hit the nail on the head.

Kretek Sues FDA Over Flavor Ban

"Kretek International Inc., importer and distributor of Djarum clove cigars, filed Wednesday a request for declaratory judgment against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), following what it claimed was the FDA's intention to exceed its legislative authority to regulate flavored cigarettes by banning other tobacco products as well"

Tobacco Cos. Reassure Retailers Ahead of FDA Flavor Ban

The nation's largest tobacco manufacturer, Altria Group, issued a statement saying that the ban "does not affect any of Philip Morris USA's cigarettes, cigarette tobacco and smokeless tobacco products; U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co.'s smokeless tobacco products; or John Middleton's cigars and pipe tobacco products," and all of the company's products would remain for sale after the Sept. 22 deadline.

The second-largest tobacco company in the U.S., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., also issued a statement that the ban does not apply to any of its current portfolio of cigarette products, all of which "are in compliance … and will remain available."

That is incredible. How is it that the FDA could issue a ban on flavored cigarettes that totally excepts American flavored cigarettes? Perhaps, I missed a few of the smaller American cigarette manufacturers that will get hurt. Also, why not include flavored cigars as well? Or, have they just not gotten around to it yet? Also, how can they specifically cite clove cigarettes when it's not

Unfortunately, there's not enough proof to connect the US tobacco industry with this severely one-sided legislation besides the fact that they benefit from it. It's like blaming the husband for the wife's death because he is named as the beneficiary on her insurance policy. It doesn't prove who did it. But, he sure is the #1 suspect in the case, so far.

Money is a hell of a drug.

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Why wait until you're suffering to care?

I just read a story over at 420 Magazine via Wacotrib News and it pissed me off so much that I had to say something. Enough with the formalities, let's go.

Waco Man Teams With NORML in Push for Medical Marijuana

Alan Caruthers, of Waco, says he was 18 years old the first and last time he tried marijuana. It didn't do much for him. Until this year, he saw no reason to try it again, and he dismissed arguments for decriminalizing it as pothead talk.

It took a four-year struggle with myelofibrosis to change his mind. His leukemialike bone marrow disease gives him constant bone pain. The chemotherapy gives him nausea that makes him vomit daily. The Vicodin, Ativan and other drugs he's taking to relieve those symptoms are losing their effectiveness, and he's afraid of getting addicted to them.

So now, at age 44, this Christian family man and lifelong Republican is considering medicating himself with marijuana. And he has become an unlikely advocate for the right to do so legally.
(click title for the rest of the article)

Here's my response to the article:

This pisses me off.

"It took a four-year struggle with myelofibrosis to change his mind."

Why in the hell do you wait until it's YOUR problem before you actually give a damn about people suffering?? That, to me, is the most selfish reason for advocating for medical marijuana. You don't need to be in the "crap" to give a damn about those already living in it. What's next? His healthcare costs are going to bankrupt him so he'll be advocating for the public option or even universal?

Or, worse. What's going to happen when his issue is resolved? Will he go back to not giving a damn because he's out of troubled waters, so to speak?

The most that medical marijuana advocates and legalization advocates would ask of people is that they listen and get all of the facts. But, he was not that kind of man. Many people in this nation aren't willing to listen. I have absolutely NO respect for people like that.

I hope he gets his marijuana. I just want to see how he acts after he gets the treatment he requires.

That's all I am going to say at this point. I am just severely disgusted.

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Racial Profiling, Statistically Speaking.

Racial Profiling

First of all, what's racial profiling.

Racial profiling basically states that certain races are prone to committing certain crimes.

However, the problem with racial profiling is that it is based on statistics or past history. Statistics is just a representation of data collection.

Therein lies the problem with racial profiling.

See, African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to be arrested and end up incarcerated, statistically. This is because, statistically, African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to commit crimes. Therefore, statistically, it makes sense that African Americans and Hispanics are targeted by police more often.

Wait.

Where are these statistics coming from? Who's collecting and compiling this data?

Well, statistically, White people are the data collectors. Statistically, White people are the data compilers. Statistically, White people are the ones doing the arresting and incarcerating. And, statistically, White people are the ones who report this data.

Hmmm.

Am I wrong? Statistically, no. Statistically, I am right. Whites do collect, compile, and report these statistics - statistically, of course.

So, what? Does it matter that Whites collect, compile and report statistics?

Hell yeah!

Statistically, this nation, of mostly Whites, has been anti-non-white! From the very day the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, Whites have been the scourge of non-whites in North America from sea to shining sea. Statistically, that's true.

If you can deny that reality, please try to do so, statistically.

At any rate, since before the inception of this nation, African Americans and Hispanics have been targeted by Whites the most, statistically.

Targeted for what? Eh, let's not get into that.

And sure, many other people have been targeted, statistically. Ask the Japanese, Native Americans, Arabs. Or, check the statistics.

Statistics would show that the statistics for the criminal behavior based on race or ethnicity is severely skewed. By what? Racism.

Hey. You can't take one statistic and not the other. That's not how statistics work. Ah, but that is how racial profiling is being used by a mostly White majority, statistically.

Racial Profiling Misused

Have a look at this chart...
Hey, statistically, Whites make up over three-quarters of the marijuana users in the United States. However, statistically, African Americans and Hispanics make up more than 70% of those arrested and incarcerated for marijuana use. Check the statistics.

Hmmm.

Statistically, it would seem that local, state, and federal authorities don't do any racial profiling. If they did do any racial profiling at all, then wouldn't it make sense, statistically, that more Whites would be targeted, arrested, and incarcerated for marijuana offenses.

Also, if racial profiling is based on statistics, which set of statistics is being used. Think about it. If we're going by marijuana usage, then Whites should be targeted more. However, if we're going by crime statistics, the targeting, arrests, and incarceration of Blacks and Hispanics would make sense.
But, do current crime statistics - based on racism, statistically - justify the current state of racial profiling? Absolutely not!

Are you tired of statistics, yet?

I support racial profiling - REAL racial profiling - based on statistics that are not inherently skewed by the racist attitudes of those in power.

Does this mean that I want to see more White people arrested for marijuana offenses?

HELL NO! I want marijuana to be as legal as tobacco and alcohol for all of us.

However, if local, state, and federal authorities are going to racial profile people in general, wouldn't it make sense they follow statistics that aren't created through racism? Then again, that assumes they are actually racial profiling based on statistics and not just blatant racism.

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Marijuana still criminal! Fuck it!!

Is that all for marijuana legalization?

At this point in time in the marijuana legalization movement, I have to wonder: what's the problem, now? What's the hold up? Everything is pretty much in place - votes, politicians, sentiment is changing. Various politicians at local, state and federal levels are money hungry for marijuana taxes (sorry to say, you won't get as much as you think). Law enforcement, at the least the ones who give a damn about human life, are calling for marijuana legalization (some even calling for legalization of all "drugs"). And, the people are speaking up. Obama has asked for our input and on every occasion we've spoken up. They're voting for medical marijuana and decriminalization all over the nation.

So, what's the hold up? Is this really "it" for the movement? No big serious discussion in Congress outside of making the same mistakes since 1913 (yes, I am counting alcohol prohibition as well)? Just a bunch of small victories here and there while this ridiculous war on innocent human beings rages on?

YES! I've realized this is IT. This is the status quo and it isn't going to change. Let's settle for what we can get - a laughing dismissal from our President and small battles won here and there.

NO! Fuck that!

It's time to kick this shit into high gear. If these idiots in the government think they will win this war, they are sadly mistaken. I want my fuckin marijuana and I'm gonna get it whether you fuckin like it or not. Let NORML and MPP and ASA and all these nonprofits do what they must. They've done so much already but even they've hit a roadblock in my opinion. It's time to do more.

I have new aim or a renewed aim in this struggle. It's time for a fuckin shit load of civil disobedience. How is this to be done?

Before I became a grower and more politically aware of marijuana, I was buying that same Mexican ditchweed. At the time, it was good enough to do what it was supposed to do. After I'd finished my first grow, got to meet other growers, and introduced to quality marijuana, I put that nickle and dime seeded shit behind me.

Part I: Fresh support for Mexican drug cartels

Buy their cheap seeded marijuana. The purpose in doing this is because these animals in our government want a fight. The DEA wants a fight. The police want a fight. SO LET THEM HAVE IT. Give the Mexican Drug Cartels all the money they need to continue killing off the animals that want to continue fighting. Let them kill each other.

Goal: If the violence isn't enough now, I would only hope it could get to levels that make people really think about the problem at hand (since they clearly aren't thinking at all) and legalize marijuana.

Part II: Keep and plant those seeds

The good thing about Mexican marijuana is that it comes with plenty of seeds. Most people just throw away those seeds. Keep them and plant them. But, it's not going to help to plant them just anywhere. Plant them in your local park. They've got to go somewhere that will be healthy and visible. You only need to push the seed into the dirt up to your fingertip, about a 1/4 of an inch deep, so it shouldn't take more than a few seconds. Cover it up, throw a little water on it to get it started.

Goal: With feral marijuana growing in every part of the nation, it will surely cause a sort of local anarchy. Each pothead should let their government know that we're here and we're not going anywhere.

Part III: Grow your own

The future of marijuana is small, indepedent and co-op grow operations - around 5 to 10 plants per person, reaching no more than 4 feet tall. With a decent sized wardrobe, you can have your own grow op, easily. In fact, I, as well as others I know, can put your own grow closet together for under $300. In 4-6 months time, you could have a few ounces of high quality marijuana to call your own. When you get really good, you can be harvesting ounces of high quality marijuana every 2 months (perpetual harvesting). If anything should happen, throw some wheels on your "growbox" and move it to another location.

Check out ICMAG for Micro Growing.

Here are some direct links to what you can do with a small closet.
Super Silver Haze | Unidentified Strain | Critical Mass
Make sure you check out the entire thread for start to finish growing.

Here's another post on that forum that will help you build and maintain your own small grow: Micro Grow Library

Goal: Big grow ops attract too much attention. But, small grow ops are harder to find. The heat signatures are smaller, the smell is minimal to nonexistent if done right, and the risk is lower to you as an individual. With no big grow ops for local police to tout as "victory" in the War on Drugs, the failure becomes more evident.

Part IV: Each one, teach one

The one problem that marijuana suffers from is this misinformation campaign that's been waged against it since Harry J. Anslinger spoke to Congress in 1936. Our government continues to lie about marijuana usage. But, it's only through honest education about marijuana have we been able to progress since 1936. There's a medical marijuana is real. There's a reason why decriminalization occurs. It's because the people are smarter today than they were yesterday. That's why the laws are changing.

Goal: One more person that knows the truth about marijuana is another vote we have on our side.

Part V: Donate

Donate your time and your money to these non profits. At the end of the day, they do help.

Goal: Every movement needs a voice!!

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Reality Check: Marijuana won't boost economy

Intro

First and foremost, let me say that I would love to see marijuana legalized in the United States. As a user, with some growing experience, I believe it will be the best thing in the long run for this nation. Let's continue...

Now that I am down from the high - that is, the high I got from hearing that California may legalize marijuana outright and NJ's attempt at medical marijuana - I realize or at least believe that marijuana will not be that great of a boost to the economy. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that it's the worst idea yet regardless of what side your on - for the economy or for legalization. In fact, I believe, if anything, it may be a boost to anti-marijuana groups in the long term when it does NOT work to boost the economy as many expect.

Problem One: Fallacy of Worth

Today, marijuana is the number one cash crop valued at about $40 Billion in the United States alone. No one argues that figure. California alone expects to reap in $1 Billion of that in tax revenues if they are successful at legalizing it. But, anyone with any business acumen, if they think about it carefully, knows that is not true. When gauging the worth of a product, we take in all factors - costs, supply vs demand, taxes, profit margin, etc.

Cost
If we discuss the costs, all one needs to remember is the very reason marijuana is such a high value cash crop is due to prohibition. The fact that it's illegal drives up the price considerably. Take away the prohibition and the prices plummet from cultivation to trafficking to the final point of sale. No prohibition = no risk = lower operational costs.

Supply vs Demand
Also, it's a given that growers will not only grow more marijuana but will be less likely to lose crops to DEA/police raids and theft. Factor in the long term potential that marijuana may have foreign suppliers from all over the world. All of this leads to a greater supply and much lower costs of cultivation along with the competition from many different suppliers from around world. Any kid, after a high school economics class, will tell you all about that supply vs demand chart. Granted, once prohibition is lifted, demand will increase but it will be wrong to imagine that competition alone won't drive down the prices especially if US growers are competing with South Africa or Zimbabwe where you can get damn good landrace sativas for around $20 USD per pound.

Taxes
Califorina Assemblyman Tom Ammiano proposed a fixed tax of $50 per ounce of marijuana. How feasible is this when marijuana prices hit rock bottom? You get more than an ounce of tobacco in a carton of cigarettes which you can buy online for $10-$20. Imagine paying another $50 for marijuana that not only costs considerably less but probably isn't even rolled for you.

When NY started to increase the taxes on a pack of cigarettes, it opened up a black market. I recently gassed my car at a Hess station off the University Heights bridge and there was a sign stating $7.56 for a pack of cigarettes, "lowest price allowed by law." You can get the same pack on the street for $4. While I believe in taxation, we need to be equitable and reasonable in taxing policy, something the United States has not done very well intelligently.

All one needs to do is look up information on the 1920 and 1930's era of alcohol prohibition to understand the TRUE value of marijuana as a cash crop [Wiki].

When [the] repeal of Prohibition occurred in 1933, organized crime lost nearly all of its black market alcohol profits in most states (states still had the right to enforce their own laws concerning alcohol consumption), because of competition with low-priced alcohol sales at legal liquor stores.

We've been here before. Let's not act "new to the game".

Problem Two: Smoker Beware

As a person with growing experience, I know what it takes to plant, care for, and process marijuana properly. One thing we don't do as growers is use chemicals in the drying and curing process of marijuana. While I expect that to continue in the short term, in the long term, we WILL have companies like Altria (Phililp Morris/Marlboro) who infest their tobacco products with all kinds of manmade chemicals. This is to be expected if marijuana is actually legalized.

Also, let's mention the idea that when the regulations hit, the potency will be controlled. As a user and grower, I will NOT be purchasing marijuana when they begin this practice especially when I can grow my own more potent marjuana and it should be legal for me to do so if they're legalizing marijuana. Or, maybe I'd just get my product direct from the grower. That's how everyone does it now, technically.

Problem Three: What about hemp?

We're talking about legalizing marijuana but where's the conversation about hemp and all of its benefits. It seems as though these politicians are counting on the potheads to rescue the economy without making any mention of the use of hemp as a cash crop. I'd like to assume that if the consumption of marijuana is made legal then also hemp itself, a very low-thc version of marijuana which can be used to produce food, clothing, and a million other things. I just hope my assumption isn't far from reality.

Problem Four: Greed is always a bad idea

Legalizing marijuana because you think it will be a boost to the economy isn't a smart reason; it's a greedy reason. People who are greedy don't think carefully about the actions they take. While I do believe it will be a boost in the short term as demand will increase faster than supply, in the long term, legalized marijuana will be a huge disappointment.

Legalize marijuana because it's the right thing to do to repair the backward drug policy that does more harm to the United States than good. Even if people believe marijuana is dangerous, prohibition is a great deal more harmful to society than the substance itself. And I think with the fact that no one has ever died from marijuana use, we can safely assume that it just might be safer than drinking too much water [Water Poisoning].

Anti-marijuana ammo
In forgetting about the safety and benefits of marijuana and ignoring anti-marijuana groups' concern for the love of money, we may give these fringe groups all the ammo they need to recriminalize marijuana in the future. Why should it be legal if it doesn't boost the economy? It's a pitiful backdoor attempt at legalizing marijuana, much like the people who have the audacity to piggy back onto medical marijuana efforts. I am NOT for it. NOT THIS WAY!

One Benefit: Lower Law Enforcement Costs

The greatest benefit of legalizing marijuana is the cost savings associated with the paring down of law enforcement expenditures. I've written about this recently [Budget cuts? Police first!]. I'd rather the United States, or California, make the smart decision to legalize marijuana instead of thinking it will be a major boon to the economy.

Perhaps, the short term boost is all this economy requires. But, then what?

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Aha! Oakland Cops Getting Canned for Lying

Oakland to fire 11 cops in search warrant case [SF Gate via Drug Law Blog]

Let's keep this one short and sweet. Simply put, these dirty cops were caught falsifying evidence to judges to get search warrants so they could play SWAT on innocent people. Because these idiots were caught lying the city of Oakland has to suck up not one but TWO class-action lawsuits. For the record, when you see "class-action", it means a lot of people's lives have been negatively affected by these 11 dirty bastards.

Police are their own problem

What's really sad about this case is that although these police were caught red handed, the other officers and attorneys are bringing out every excuse in the book to support these animals. First there's some crap about not training the officers by the attorneys for the lying cops. I have to wonder, what kind of training is required to teach ADULTS to not lie? Is that not something you learn as a child from your parents? Did these animals grow up without any morals? With the way these police officers act around the nations, it's totally possible they did grow up without morals or home training. I wouldn't be surprised if they lift their hind legs to use the bathroom.

And don't think this is just Oakland. Remember Michael Mineo? He's the guy that was sodomized by an NYPD officer in the daytime in a train stration. Even two other police officers corroborate the story told by Michael Mineo. Let me rephrase, other police officers supported the victim's story. So, how do other NYPD officers react to this dirty cop sodomizing another man? They come to the court to taunt Mineo and call him a faggot!
And here's that article: Police taunt subway accuser

Seriously, how in the hell am I to have respect for police officers when they do things like taunt a victim who was raped. And, the very few that do actually have the balls to be REAL cops and tell the truth end up being drummed out of the force in some way shape or form. So, even when REAL cops do exist, they don't last long in the department.

The Real Reason They're Being Fired

Let's be honest people. How often do we ever get a chance to see police officers actually be reprimanded for the willful abuse of their authority. The NYPD still consists of cold blooded murderers among the typical liars, thieves, pimps, addicts, and so on. This is because the NYPD protects themselves along with the judges and attorneys that also help protect the crooked cops. So, upon reading...

"These terminations are difficult for the city, but they show that honesty and integrity are non-negotiable for officers in the Oakland Police Department," Russo said. "The terminations demonstrate that the Oakland Police Department's internal review systems and reform measures are operating soundly and in the interests of justice."

...I called BULLSHIT! Police departments do not FIRE police officers. It simply doesn't happen. They will do their best to protect their members. Paid leave is the WORST thing a police officer will ever face even after cold blooded murder.

So, you want to know why the city of Oakland is really firing these dirty liars? Hey, even I don't know but, I can take an educated guess. How about the economy? Cities and states are looking for any way to cut down on their expenditures. The worst expenditure any city or state can have is a class-action lawuit which can, and most likely will, amount to multi-million dollar pay outs. And Oakland has TWO of them right now.

And you know what, they just had another case in which the city had to pay out $10.5 million. Another bad expenditure is to keep proven dirty cops on the force. Beyond that, it's costly to send the message to other police officers that their risky behavior will be protected by the city in the future. That's 11 paychecks the city of Oakland won't have to cut to these mongrel dogs which is money that can be used for more important things around the city.

Last Call

And, that's hopefully a message to other police officers around the US to actually do their jobs PROPERLY for once! I hope that other cities in the US follow suit, especially here in NYC where a good portion of police officers need to be pink slipped starting with the 48th precinct in the Bronx. The memory of that 18yo beaten by five officers while already handcuffed on the ground as other officers stand around and watch will NEVER escape my memory simply because they arrested me for being a witness to their crime.

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National Geographic Explorer: Heroin vs Meth vs Marijuana

Intro

Last night, I watched three back to back Explorer episodes on National Geographic. Heroin Crisis looked at heroin around the world, the second episode was The World's Most Dangerous Drug (methamphetamine), and the final episode was titled Marijuana Nation.

Heroin Crisis

I knew a lot about heroin already. One thing that stood out to me was when the program got into the manufacturing side of heroin. Afghanistan was producing 30% more heroin than the actual demand. While I didn't know that, I did know that Afghanistan was indeed responsible for producing 90% of the world's heroin. In fact, I wrote about: Wakeup: Back to Reagan's Drug War.

You see the Taliban had crushed the drug trade in Afghanistan in 2001. They tortured and murdered farmers to get their point across (much worse than the DEA's torturing and murdering of American citizens over marijuana). Then, the first coming of the idiot-Christ, President mis-Elect Bush, came around, guns-a-blazing, to shut down the Taliban. That's when poppy production went BACK into overdrive.

Question: Why did we decide to go into Afghanistan? Al Qaeda? Osama Bin Laden? Does it even matter?

World's Most Dangerous Drug

Methamphetamine (crystal meth or meth) scares me! Simply put, it's a frightening drug. I'd heard a lot about it. But, being that my one and only interest is and will always be marijuana, it didn't make sense for me to gather more information about this drug. But this Explorer program gave me that view of meth that set me straight about it once and for all. One thing that stood out to me more and more were the before and after images of meth users. Strong healthy people now looking thin, emaciated, and gaunt within a matter of a few months to two years. Not even cocaine or heroin is that bad on the body. Don't get me wrong. I grew up in the Bronx, New York City. I've seen first hand the destruction cocaine and heroin can do to a community. But, meth is a beast unto itself.

Anyway here's a Youtube video of meth users, before and after. As much as I hate to use these people because they demonize a harmless plant along with other man-made chemicals, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Marijuana Nation

Finally, we get to Marijuana Nation and I am happy, yet pensive due to the twisting and spinning of information by police and DEA agents. I have a problem stomaching the ignorant and arrogant ranting of bold-faced habitual liars.

Let's think about it critically for a minute.

Who do you believe, or side with, in the War on Marijuana? Would you side with marijuana growers and traffickers over the DEA and police when it comes to legalizing marijuana? I'd side with the criminals because it's a question of who will lose if marijuana is legal.

First and foremost, criminals - growers and dealers. They lose because if marijuana is legalized, prices drop. That's not good for a would-be former criminal's pocket. If you're in the business of selling marijuana, you'd want to keep the prices high so that you can profit as much as possible. However, that will be difficult to do when you can buy a pound of decent marijuana in Zimbabwe for $20. You see where I am going on the criminal side of things. Yet, it's the criminals, like Marc Emery, that want it legalized. People don't sacrifice themselves unless it's important to them, morally important.

Secondly, the police and DEA. As I watched this program, comparing it to the other two, I realized there was an incredible bump in the amount of money and resources used for marijuana eradication. But, they lose if marijuana is legal because marijuana accounts for a high percentage of their work. If marijuana is made legal, it would be difficult for the DEA to account for the expenditures they currently use $70 billion annually. In other words, they'd be losing jobs.It's in their best interest to keep the pressure high on marijuana demonization in an effort to paint themselves as saviors and worth the cost. On top of that, if they're not concentrating on petty marijuana crime, they'd have to actually do real police work like solving murders or catching rapists.

Who wins? Scientists and Researchers. Doctors and medicinal users. Casual Users. US citizens in general who don't like the criminal element (the DEA) nor the wayward and errant dealers on the corner. And yes, even police. Remember Al Capone, Eliot Ness and the Untouchables? Alcohol Prohibition in the 1920's? There's a lesson the authorities of the United States should study extremely carefully because they're already repeating the past. If that's the case, we know the inevitable result.

Anyway, Marijuana Nation was good even if it rehashed a lot of the old stuff (old to me, at least) - Marc Emery (BC3 and Cannabis Culture), indoor and outdoor grow operations, and of course the obligatory save-my-DEA-job lies.

Last Puff

It's a wonder why people continue to lump marijuana in with heroin or methamphetamine. The substances are so drastically different on so many levels. It's like comparing water to nuclear runoff - one's safe and naturally occurring and the other is fatal and man-made. If you "enjoy" a cup of nuclear runoff, you're going to need lots of help. And, the people of this world, all nations, fail at the job of helping one another. We can't continue to murder, torture, and imprison our way out of our problems. It's the very reason they keep coming back. These people - friends, family, and others - need help in the form of common sense policy through education (which has worked for decreasing tobacco use). We can also put some of that DEA largesse into healthcare and addiction treatment. And, at $70 billion a year, we could probably provide free healthcare for all Americans as well.

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Gay Marriage: The Sickness

Where I Stand

First of all, let me explain where I stand on a few things and you'll probably guess where this post is going. You'll definitely understand my attitude and rational.

I don't like homosexuality. More specifically, I don't like male homosexuality. The idea of two hairy men coming together to "smash" each other disgusts me. And, that's why I don't do it. There are a lot of things I can't, don't, and won't do - crack, heroin, fellatio, door-to-door sales, necrophilia, etc etc etc. At the same time, there are a lot of things I do that others won't do - eat meat, watch girl-on-girl pornography, cunnilingus, smoke marijuana, etc etc etc.

The point is that we all do things that others may or may not do. But, what does it matter? As long as what I am doing doesn't hurt you and what you're doing doesn't hurt me, why should either one of try to prevent or prohibit the other from doing it. Homosexuality doesn't affect me. It doesn't affect anyone but the people who engage in it. So, I don't see myself supporting any measure that treats homosexuals as second-class citizens.

We are all human beings first. Any categorization after that is arbitrary as it pertains to society as a whole.

Arguments Against "Gay Marriage"

I recognize there are two arguments against gay marriage. These are not separate arguments but different arguments in their intent to shape gay marriage. The first stems from outright hate of homosexuality altogether. This argument is against anything that would promote or even accept the concept of homosexuality. The second fights over the definition of the word itself: "Marriage is the union between man and woman." Supposedly, they don't mind civil unions but they don't want to "share" their definition of marriage. Neither argument is of any real relevance as both are based on ignorance and stupidity.

America's HIV: Blending of Church and State

The very reason there is a separation of church and state is because our forefathers were sick and tired of the twisted ways people, specifically the royalty of England, use religion to limit and/or pervert an ever changing and growing society. Examples of this perversion include justifications for slavery, rape, incest, murder, torture and more. President mis-elect George W. Bush said that God told him to do certain things. Those things lead up to well over 4000 American military troops dying along with the senseless slaughter of near 1,000,000 Iraqi and Afghan people. Bush is a prime example of someone who is religiously perverse and wielding the power of the presidency of the United States.

It's this same limitation and perversion of religion coupled with an unconstitutional blending of church and state that gives life to the "sickness" this nations suffers. It's like the AIDS virus, corrupting and distorting the cells one by one until eventually the body turns on itself in a vicious civil war shutting down organ by organ until the entire body falls. One ramification of this nation's "sickness" is the persecution of gays through the denial of marriage. While I will not assume our forefathers anticipated this specific issue, they did anticipate these types of issues. By separating church and state, they give the future the freedom from this "sickness" to decide their respective present.

Marriage vs Civil Union: The Solution

The United States government should recognize civil unions in general and disassociate itself with any religious concept of marriage altogether. That is, all marriages, heterosexual and homosexual, are civil unions and will be respected as such. Civil union should be, and are, considered legal agreements between two people to share a life together. Marriage, as it is defined by any church, will not have any respect with the US government.

Allow me to introduce a possibly new concept. All civil unions should be agreements that are decided upon before the marriage takes place. In other words, just as two people sit down to settle terms for a divorce, they should sit down to settle terms for a civil union much like a prenuptial agreement but for ALL civil unions. There would be an absolute default civil union option. While Congress should define it, I am thinking something along the lines of a 50/50 split is said civil union fails in divorce.

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Only "Mexicans or Puerto Ricans" allowed

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Wakeup: Back to Reagan's Drug War

In this war on drugs, there is one question that every poor Black and Hispanic person in the inner city - the dealers, the users, and the innocent bystanders - wants answered, "How do these substances get into our neighborhood?"

This question comes about because there is a disconnect in the flow of drugs. For example, if you wanted to track how a car got into your neighborhood, you can track it from the manufacturer through the distribution system - trucks, trains, planes, and car salesmen - into the hands of the owner. However, when it comes to drugs we don't know the distribution system. The one question that always comes up is, "if the US government wants to stop the flow of drugs, why don't they go after the manufacturers instead of the low-level dealers?"

The answer: The US government IS the distribution system that facilitates the flow of crack, cocaine, and heroin into the nation and the inner city.

I know it all sounds like a conspiracy theory - "Oh, the big dangerous government is out to get us!" Sure, it sounds crazy. Unfortunately, it's so crazy that it's true. Listen to former DEA agent Celerino Castillo tell you about his experiences in Central and South America. It's a two part video, about an hour long total.

Folks, it's important to understand that this is NOT coming from the mouth of some paranoid crackhead. This is from the mouth of a man who was IN it all. Here are the video interview of former DEA agent Celerino Castillo:

The one thing that stood out to me before the end of the second video is that Mr. Castillo confirmed the fears that I had about heroin production in Afghanistan. I watched news reports that the US military wouldn't destroy poppy fields as they showed clips of US soldiers walking through. The one thing I knew about the Taliban in Afghanistan, they are staunch Muslims. They fought drug dealers in Afghanistan and punished them harshly with death. All of a sudden, the US comes starts the War on Terror and Afghanistan is now producing 90% of the world's heroin.

Folks, this is NOT Usher and Tameka getting a divorce. This is NOT some celebrity sex tape. This is NOT the latest Hip Hop beef. This is the Reagan era revisited. This is the crack/cocaine/heroin epidemic. This is high levels of unemployment and depressed individuals looking for an escape. This is blood-stained sidewalks and kids dying over cheap gold chains and nice sneakers. This is what I remember from the 80s under two terms of Ronald Reagan and one term of George HW Bush. We're going back to these times thanks to two terms of George W. Bush.

The only thing that's truly going to save our communities is the will to resist. We've got to be reminded of the harm done to us by this fake war on drugs. We have to be stronger than our parents were during the 80s. We have to make sure to NOT succumb to the ease of drug money and NOT look for escape in substances. This shit is coming to our doorsteps. The best thing we can do is be prepared.

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Get used to saying, "President Obama!"

Yeah. That's what I am thinking after this second presidential debate. Just to get it out of the way, if you can't already tell, Obama did a much better job than McCain ever could. What's sad, for McCain, is that the "town hall" format was supposed to be his big thing. It was the same as the first debate where foreign policy was supposed to be his big thing. How is it that in two debates where McCain was supposed to come out on top, he could perform so badly?

I think we have to realize two things here:

1. McCain is NOT the maverick that he's made himself out to be
2. Obama has proven himself to be the right man for the job

McCain is no maverick

I find it interesting how McCain tries to position himself as some sort of individual who goes against the Republican party. But, if you understand Republican ideology, you can fully understand why he's voted with Bush over 90% of the time. This is a number that not even McCain can argue. While there may be differences between individual Republicans, those differences are few are far in between. This is why McCain can't get away from the Bush tagging. He is Bush. Bush is his Daddy bush and Daddy Bush is Ronald Reagan. And, contrary to popular belief, Ronald Reagan, in my mind, is a royal disaster in every way shape and form. [Why?]

We have the real history of John McCain. While his father and grandfather have proven themselves to be great men in history, this McCain we have today is an absolute far cry from that greatness. Even in his own book he admits his misdeeds as a young man growing up - a failure, a loser, and someone who relied heavily on favoritism and nepotism because he couldn't hack it on his own. And even to this day, he exhibits the same qualities of entitlement, arrogance, and rash behavior. [more]

Finally, we've seen the real McCain. Even if we take him at face value today, he's simply not cut out for the job. His policies exacerbate the current problems of today. His constant lying is discredits his own ability to secure the trust of the people. His constant mistakes prove his own inability to judge correctly. The people around him aren't trustworthy in the least bit. In the Art of War, I learned that a leader must have three things to win a "war": the wisdom to make the right decisions, the will of the military that fight for him, and the trust of the people to support him. Once again, McCain fails another test.

Barack Obama has proven himself

While I found it interesting that McCain claims to be different from Republicans, I also found it interesting that Obama's voting with Democrats is supposed to be a problem. The problem here is that McCain tried to paint Obama as a follower while lying about his own voting record as if he wasn't a Republican. See, if you're a Republican, you should be voting Republican. If you're a Democrat, you should be voting Democratic. It's not about party lines, it's about ideology. If you didn't believe in Republican ideology, then how could you call yourself Republican? The truth is, McCain is a typical Republican and Obama is a typical Democrat. There's nothing wrong with believing either way unless you don't understand what it means to be a Republican or to be a Democrat. Do you truly understand the intricacies of each?

We also have a real history of Barack Obama. He's come from truly humble background which many of us can identify with - single parent home, no father, raised by his grandparents. He understands struggle. He wasn't given anything in life. He had to earn it. He wasn't given second and third and fourth and fifth chances. He had ONE. He made the best of the one chance he got. He played hard and he played smart. There's no other way to play the game.

Politically, Barack Obama was an unknown in the world of politics when this race began. I didn't know anything about it. I was for Hillary Clinton, all the way. But, this guy comes out of nowhere and gives my favorite first lady a run for her money. And, he beat her. He beat her fair and square. He out-maneuvered her, out-thought her, out-positioned her in every way shape and form. Hillary Clinton "kitchen-sinked" Barack Obama and he still beat her. Recently, a CNN commetator compared Barack Obama to an aircraft carrier, moving steady and staying the course. And, that is what he's been doing. So far, Obama has the wisdom, the will of the people that work for him, and it seems the voters are behind him. He is in the position to win the war.

I don't think at this point there's anything Obama needs to do outside of what he's been doing. John McCain is failing, yet again. He's resorting to a the "kitchen-sink" strategy that didn't work for Hillary Clinton. The nation's been hit too hard by too many Republican-borne diseases - two wars, high prices, deregulation, tax breaks for the wealthy, and the list goes on.

It's my opinion the days of the Republicans need to end. It's their policies and ideology that do not work in this 21st century world economy. There is no way that we can continue on this path without turning the United States into a third world nation - high unemployment, high prices, and extreme crime. Sure, we'll get through it again. But, it took a New Deal to do it. This time, we can't let Republicans shut down this nations progress.

Let's get used to saying President Obama for the next 4 years. Even if he doesn't serve two terms, let's get used to a Democratic president. Even if that is not so, let's simply NOT go back to the Republican ideologies that have brought us full circle to the brink of 21st century Great Depression.

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Big Brother Works Both Ways

The minute we're born, the doctor slaps our little bottoms and the nurse enters our information into a computer database. This is something that we have to accept in this digital world. Let's call it the Matrix. Yes, I like that, too. At any point in time, our entire lives can be opened like a book or a computer folder. Everything that we were, are, and will become exists in this folder and its subfolders on computers around the world. All it takes is for someone to compile this information to get a detailed view of who and what we are.

This is the "Big Brother" that we've all talked about - someone is always watching and always listening. This is the very purpose of Bush's unwarranted wiretapping on American citizens. Every step we take is tracked - cellphone, email, computer, internet, credit cards, etc etc etc. Every letter I type in this very blog post is dynamically screened to weed out for specific words - bomb, kill, anthrax, suicide, allah, islam, bush, and so on. In fact, I may have just set off some red flags in Dick Cheney's basement.

But, today, I read something that gives me some comfort.

Sarah Palin had her email accounts hacked. Politically, this didn't reveal much so far. It seems these were just personal email accounts that she may have used for government business. Of course, this leads to other potential implications of wrongdoing. Pastebin, Wikileaks and Gawker all have something related to Sarah Palin's email being hacked which you can see for yourself - screenshots, pictures, emails. But, that's not what this post is about although it's a strong example.

See, a group, or pseudo-group, of hackers known as Anonymous did the dirty work of breaking into Sarah Palin's email. It gives me comfort because it lets me realize that there is someone out there, a group of someones, with the ability to fight fire with fire. It's similar to the slaughter of the Native Americans as they tried to fight gunpowder and spheres made of metal with bows and arrows made from wood.

We live in a true Matrix and we've got to be able to fight back digitally. We, the people, need hackers as the government has hackers and as corporations have hackers that can be, will be, and have been used against us. This hacking lets me know that not even government officials are safe from the system they've developed. There is always someone out there watching and listening. And, those kinds of individuals exist on both teams.

However, I do fear, as an ordinary individual, that this loose group of digitally savvy individuals has no set conscience, rules, ethics, or laws. But, that is the nature of those that live in secrecy. We have to trust that there is some good and hope that there is more good than bad.

Update: Please be sure to check out the comments to this post by "Anonymous". The name doesn't imply that it is a representative of the group Anonymous. The name only shows up because the person didn't identify themselves. But, it's important to get a better understanding of the positive value of hackers from a true hacker's perspective.

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Why Bush’s $150B stimulus package won’t work!

I am sure we all hear about this huge tax refund that's supposed to be given back to the American people. It won't help the economy and it's easy to understand why. The question that simply needs to be answered is: Where will that money end up?

First, we have to look at why Bush thinks a stimulus package will work. Obviously, we all know Bush is an idiot when it comes to just about everything. That should be your first clue. But, if it isn't, here's the first reason. 90% of the nations wealth is in the hands of 10% of the nation. That means most of that stimulus package is going straight to the rich. The one thing rich people do well is hoard their money. In other words, it's going to end up in a bank account somewhere collecting interest. Most of that money will not end up stimulating the economy.

Now, we've at least got $15B left which is the 10% that the poor people of the US will get to spend. Let's imagine that all of it is going to be spent. Truth be told, most of it will probably end up going towards the future of some kids college tuition which isn't going to stimulate the economy NOW. But, let's just imagine $15B will be spent in the US. We've got to ask ourselves, how much of that will go to American companies?

Now think! How much actual stuff is produced in the US? Automobiles are mainly manufactured overseas. Ask Detroit about that! Clothing is manufactured overseas. Furniture, computers, and everything is manufactured overseas. I saw a documentary on cartooning and one of the artists explained that after they come up with concepts and art, the actual cartooning is sent to Taiwan. So even the cartoons we watch in the mornings are being manufactured overseas. Don't get me wrong, not everything is manufactured overseas. I think the United States is number one at manufacturing lies and deceit!

So, when we all go out to spend that $15B stimulus package, it's not even going to companies in the US. It's going to manufacturing companies overseas. The greater reality of that situation is that the money isn't even going to the people in those nations but instead it's getting kicked up to their local politicians for bribes and right back to the company heads who are already rich, the CEO's and shareholders who have probably received a fat chunk of that stimulus package.

The idea of the stimulus package is based on the health of the economy. The nation has to be producing for the people to buy. If you guys are old enough, you'll remember that "Made in America" campaign so many years ago. They were saying look for the "Made in America" tag or ask your car dealer if your car was made in America. We can't even do that anymore because barely anything is made in America!

Let's do some more factoring in. How many foreign companies as well as property owners exist in the US? A lot! The US is the only nation that sells out to other nations while other nations have strong restrictions against foreign investments. In other words, we're selling out our most valuable asset, land! Ask yourself how many buildings in downtown Manhattan are owned by the Germans, Japanese, and Chinese. The Chinese are basically taking over. Anyway, when foreign companies move in, they bring in their own labor force a lot of the times. I don't mean they bring in thousands of people in one shot. But, if you go into any of these buildings, you'll find the lower tier workers are from the surrounding area but management at most levels - lower, middle, and upper - are from the homeland.

This nation's economy is suffering from a multitude of problems - increased rich/poor gap, imported labor, exported jobs (especially in manufacturing), and a major Republican spending spree which goes to fatten up the pockets of Bush/Cheney's friends. There's absolutely no way for this stimulus package to work in favor of US, at leastt NOT at this point in our economy.

This nation has to get its jobs back! This is the most important thing. When Bush got into office, the nation lost MILLIONS of jobs and we haven't recovered that yet! In fact, we're not even close to recovering it. The nation has to balance it's imports and exports. If we continue to import more than we export, we will continue to run in the negative. We have to reindustrialize the nation meaning we have to bring back manufacturing facilities as well as jobs. We can't increase exports if we can't produce anything to export. We have to be tough on immigration. I don't mean just getting rid of Mexicans. I am talking about getting rid of Russians, Germans, British, Japanese, Chinese, and others so that Americans can fill those positions.

Let's be honest, do we really want the minimum wage jobs that many SURVIVE on or do we want those high paying jobs that we can LIVE with?! I know what I want! I don't intend to use my degree to become a janitor! So, I am not worried about the guy flipping burgers at McDonalds and can't speak English. I am worried about the Russian guy at Morgan Stanley that makes 80k a year and can't speak English. But, I digress.

This nation has to get back into a cyclical economy meaning when we spend our money, it's spent within the nation and goes to people within the nation so they can spend more in the nation! When money goes out of the nation, it somehow find its way back to the nation. This is the only way a stimulus package will help the economy! It will not help the economy if the money going to the people barely gets spent and what is spent is funneled to other nations anyway.

That's why the stimulus package won't work. So my advice to anyone reading this is if you get a nice chunk of change, PUT IT IN THE BANK! Don't spend it! If you have to spend it, try to buy American! If you've got enough money to spend, INVEST IT! Learn that stock market. It's the only thing that will help you!

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