Ferguson, MO

That's absolutely not accurate, from what the folks out here say.

 

I'm, actually, perfectly fine with calling out "my" party for not having the balls to repeal the law on marijuana as they decide not to enforce it in Colorado and elsewhere, alhough the reality of trying to get rid of the law is a fair bit more complicated than simply do or do not. It reminds me of the Defense of Marriage Act nonsense that Obama supported, then didn't.

The illegality of marijuana is completely ridiculous and, if one studies the history of why it's illegal, based on a river of lies, stupidity and bad science. So, in a practical sense, not enforcing the laws doesn't bother me, even if, ideally, they should have been gone a long time ago.

 

And that, Un, is my beef.

If you don't like the law, or you don't want the law, it has unintended consequences, or it's just a shitty law to begin with - then amend, repeal or pass better laws to aide, prevent or remove it. If you don't like the methods by which we pass or can amend laws, then change that shit, too. And if the people whom we elect won't get shit like that done, then vote them the F out.

I honestly think that most Americans have completely forgotten that Congress actually has shit that they must do, or can be voted out. This is the primary, and I believe absolutely intentional, reason why the whole political machine want us - compels us - to be so slavishly for / against a Party, or a particular ideology...because it insulates both Parties from the scrutiny, and accountability which would naturally result from a populace who regularly and singularly focused on and supported or opposed the merits of any given issue or idea. Because God forbid, we'd actually have to worry about what voters actually wanted, or needed to be done. It's just easier this way, where no one is really to blame, and we continue to decry "Congress", but exempt and re-elect the same rich hypocrites on both sides of the aisle who don't care what people want or requires doing, but who wish to continue to practice their partisan form of quid pro quo, and where The Party is taken care of, even at the expense of The People.

But on the subject of the law - it's all that there is, and necessarily binds us all together. It is to that which we must, and as citizens already have, agreed to accept and adhere to. And it's a damnably dangerous game to ever set that aside, for anything, however well-intended or high-minded.

And that's not only my problem with the Dem's (although, admitredly, I believe that they are far ahead in the ability to demand slavish adherence to one law, but are ok and all-too-quick with setting another aside, when it's convenient or politically advantageous) but Rep's, and there many, many flaws, failings and hypocrisies of their own.

The law must be the law. It's open to interpretation, and challenge, but once decided - you follow it. I'd you don't like it, then work to repeal it, but I cannot condone simply setting it aside, believing that only the most selfish, stupid and foolish would do so.

 

I'm not claiming to have the secret to a utopia, but I dont think you could make drugs anymore available if you tried. The true evil from drugs comes from the black market aspects since it's illegal.

 

I don't agree. I'm not for anarchy but a lot of advancements in freedom has been by going against the grain. Hell our country was founded on that spirit of just not accepting the rule of law.

If it's an immoral law, than the true evil is backing it.

 

It's pretty fascinating to put yourself in the shoes and mindset of one of the Fathers of the Revolution.

They were extreme radicals.

 

Basically turned all of human history upside down with their views of individualism and rights. I wish they'd have went more including women and included blacks, but you still can't short change what they did.

 

I would urge you to volunteer to stay the night in the neonatal ward of any local hospital, and hold one of the abandoned babies, born 3 weeks too early, addicted to heroin and suffering withdrawals.

Or to visit any number of foster or group homes, and ask how many of those kids landed there as a result of drugs and alcohol.

Or homeless shelters.

Or battered women's shelters.

Or go sit in an NA group meeting and hear any number of meth addicts talk about getting into such a fix - no money, no one left to borrow it from, no more plasma to give, no longer attactive enough to sell your body, nothing left to pawn or steal - that they walk the interstate, looking for full bottles of urine which truckers have throw onto the medians, in hopes that the trucker also does meth, and that they can get some residual high from drinking their urine. And that's if they've already peeled and eaten all of the scabs on their bodies, and that of anyone else who would let them gather and eat their own.

Or, sit and listen to a 9-year old girl mimic the "sexy sounds" that her momma taught her to make, after having pimped her own daughter out to any number of pedophiles, so as to support her own drug habit. And hear how proud she is in recounting the time that she really got it juuuust right, got a little extra cash, and mom rewarded her and her three siblings with a box of cereal. No milk. Just cereal.

Or talk to the 70+ year old woman who was walking out of the pharmacy with the pain medicine for her terminally ill husband of 50+ years old, and who was robbed at gun point in broad daylight.

Or meet some honest parents of genuinely good kids who were unlucky enough to have killed themselves, and others, while driving drunk and hopped up on drugs. And then go talk to the other parents of the innocent victim, and find out how things are going with them.

And then reassess your stance.

Look, I'm not a moralist. This isn't a PSA. I really don't give a shit one some level - drink, toke up, shoot up, whatever. I'm fat and I smoke, so I'm no one to be throwing stones.

But to think that there isn't a cost, and a desperately high and real one, to drug use, is just crazy. I'm not dogging you VT53, and I get what you're saying, I really do. But this isn't a purely theoretical construct, but real shit and it's happening every single day, and with alarming frequency. And it's only going to get worse.

And this isn't even the really bad stuff. I'm sure that the cops, lawyers and likey teachers have experienced much worse than this.

P.S. - I have personally witnessed or had first-hand experience with every scenario described above.

 

Ponder on the notion that they laid the framework and poured the very foundation which our system of government, notably its laws, rest and relies upon today.

 

Luckily, the same system that produced the bad law, is the same that can repeal or amend it.

But, as you must know, eroding the foundation upon which it all rests will bring the whole thing down, and everyone and their viewpoints with it.

 

Respectfully, I don't think this reply matches with what you quoted. If anything, it supports his notion that you couldn't make this stuff any more available if you tried.

 

No, I was speaking to his "the greatest ill is the black market / illegality" statement, at his conclusion.

 

I think he, and I, believe taking that stuff up from being underground will help mitigate and minimize many of the very real problems you listed. We can point to nations like Portugal as evidence for this.

 

Is a substance capable of being "evil?" I'm thinking no, because it can't make choices. Is being addicted evil, or a mental illness? I think the whole approach to drugs and addiction is so outdated and divorced from reality, it permeates all policy discussions. You said early you wanted to be labeled as in the group that does what works and quits doing what doesn't. Well, not on this issue it seems. You want to double down on what doesn't. How can one enforce bans on things that can be made out of medicine cabinets and garages? Let's start treating it like the disease it is and not a moral shortcoming.

 

If a parent can't fulfill the duty of being a parent and a court agrees, than the child should be removed from that home. My wife has been to felony court and been robbed over prescription medication due to her work. If an individual hits another person, they should be charged for assault.

I'm not smart enough to construct theoretical theories, but I have a strong grasp of drug use and abuse. I think it's extremely sad and frustrating, but making it illegal isn't the cure

If anything it drives people to harder and more questionable drugs. I can't change human nature, but I purposely work in a community that needs help getting out of these cycles.

 

More drugs, more readily accessible, and without even the faintest protection of the flimsily discarded rules we now have in place.

Tell me more about this plan to better address the societal ills of drug use, by allowing more drug use.

 

Do you think it'd be a better world with less kids being taken away from their parents, or worse?

Do you think legalizing drugs and making them more readily accessible will aide in keeping more kids with their parents, or less?

See the problem?

 

How can there be more drugs and more readily accessible than there are now? Do you think there are people who can't find any drugs right now? You're going to need to support this assertion.

 

i can't find any drugs right now. i looked

 

Your first question is based on a completely unsupported opinion. You're statement that legalizing drugs would make them more readily accessible is also unsupported. You can't expect anyone to be convinced by your arguments when you're not making any.