I have yet to hear a compelling and logical argument to refute the assertion that our current Marijuana laws are deeply flawed. In absence of an opponent I’m going to continue to belabor the point. Here in a sweet short is an example of what a world with legal weed could look like and contrasts this with our status quo. Let’s get the movement moving Texas.
h/t: Andrew Sullivan
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and Biden already told you we major you cockroaches!
Excuse me, but I’m glad that President Obama has finally explained to the American people, and more importantly his opponents on the left, what it is that he is striving for. If you haven’t been following the trajectory of Obama’s presidency allow me to recap. Obama came into office with supporters and opponents alike looking for him to to be a Progressive Bush. Sweeping away the Republicans while enacting legislation that proved anathema to the American Right, which is roughly 50% of the American electorate, and delivering punishing yet eloquent bromides about why his way was best. Needless to say this has yet to happen. Obama is a pragmatist, he appointed conservatives to the Harvard Law School Review and left off some of his black peers. He chose Biden after he made that racial gaffe in talking about how eloquent he is. Apparently people on the left thought that his clear-eyed pragmatism only applied to his handling of racial issues and isn’t a sign for how he fundamentally sees himself. They were wrong.
Now there will be a whole chorus of people opining one way or another about what this means for Obama and the nation. I’m not shocked by Obama having to explicitly spell out who he is. Not shocked by his character nor am I shocked that others refused to see it. What this means going forward? I haven’t the foggiest but I imagine Obama will continue to rack up wins, ugly wins sure, but wins all the same.
“Pride cometh before the fall”, it is a common biblical quotation but how many of us truly understand and heed these wise words? I see on a regular basis people losing because they allow their pride to steer them and hubris is a horrible co-pilot. I’m glad that I have a President who will not let his ego get in the way of helping the American people as best he can. Even if I don’t always agree with him.
"A young man is born of poor circumstances, albeit in a privileged nation. He does well in school but decides that instead of applying himself in the classroom his time is better spent participating in illicit activities. While beginning a criminal lifestyle at a young age he matures enough to realize that the illegal lifestyle isn’t the one for him and he begins to nurture what is seemingly his most marketable skill for a man in his position. He works hard but is denied entry into his chosen field by the established powers thus without options for an institutional approval he starts his own. Through hard work and business savvy over a several years he finds himself not only thriving in his chosen profession but is an institution within the field himself.
This should sound like the Horatio Alger story with some poverty voyeurism thrown in for good measure. While not ideal it is pretty much a boilerplate story of how hard work and an entrepreneurial spirit can pay off in large dividends with the right breaks. However when confronted with this straight forward story of success in the personage of one Shawn Carter there is a sizable portion of people who despite all evidence of his success being the fruits of hard work, and a little luck instead subscribe all accomplishments to a shadowy organization that instead “gave” him all he has.
What does it say about our collective cynicism, and inferiority complex that when confronted with a vision of success we refuse to believe that it is a result of real work? Our actual accomplishments are dismissed by our own as mere gifts from shadowy white benefactors. The election of Barack Obama isn’t the result of the man himself but his luck in being “chosen” by the omnipresent Illuminati to function as the President this time around. Beyoncé doesn’t sell a million plus albums because she’s a great singer and performer no, people are brainwashed into liking and buying her music. I’ve been told by the same person that Kanye West not only owes his success solely to the influence of the Illuminati but is also one of the top five rappers dead or alive. How does that make sense?!
This affinity for discounting the success of black people did not begin with this newly flourishing Illuminati fascination. It has been a common refrain that most if not all successful Black people are sellouts. This theory has been persistent even among black people who are themselves successful. What is unique to this recent phenomenon is the concerted effort by others to exploit it in a misguided attempt to sway others into “truly following God“. A large source of these Illuminati rumors are Conservative Christians who rankle at the elevated status rappers and pop stars have in our community. This is why when viewing these videos there is a strained emphasis on Devil worship and homosexuality. However in all my time in church I never read a passage in the Bible that touts that the way to promote Christianity is to attack others. the greatness of the Lord isn’t competing with that of any rapper no matter how nice on the mic. So how is it in keeping with Christianity to spread falsehoods and ferment loathing?
This is a concerted effort by those who feel they rightfully belong in the position of those that they disparage. They use Jesus as an excuse to cover their envy. It is petty jealousy that is enabled by black folks all too willing disposition to discount their own success. If hard work leading to success is a hallmark of those who are considered to be members of the Illuminati then sign me up.
"Things that ramble through my mind.
Why is it when someone wants to make a moral point they use the Black American experience as a rhetorical tool? They don’t give two squirts about black people during their day-to-day. They may even actively dislike black people but when they want to claim moral supremacy they use our experience as the maximum rhetorical device? Gays are the new Black People, Christians are the new black people, Stoners are the new black people, Women are the new black people, Conservatives are the new black people. No black people are the new black people and the old ones too! Let us live and stop using our legacy as a moral prop and don’t think I don’t notice that in all the comparison making people seemingly automatically exclude actual black people in their construction of these groups. There are black gay people too.
Why are the Republicans so shook by Sarah Palin? Apparently the party doesn’t want her to run but no one of consequence will say anything. That’s not cool Republicans that’s like your friend having Oreo in their teeth and you just let them roll on. In the words of Ghostface Killah “That’s not a nice thing to do”
What ever happened to kids playing outside? Are we so afraid of our children experiencing life that they can’t ride bikes anymore? People do know that they’re child is more likely to get molested by someone they know then a stranger right? That’s a fact. Let your kids go play football ESPN will be terrible by the time I’m 50 they’ll show nothing but kids playing Madden and Squidditch.
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