Legislating Morality

Right on, Franklin!


Far out, man, canyadiggit?

A recent article by Katie Hess for the Associated Press states that as of the end of last year, 7 million of our fellow citizens, (an amazing 1 in 32!), were either imprisoned or on parole or probation! 2, 200,000 were behind bars!


The article also states that 49% of all Federal prisoners are incarcerated due to drug-related activities!

49%! And that's just the Federal Prison Population! That doesn't account for State, County and Municipal Jails!

This is insane!

Now I will admit that I am biased. I love the Noble Weed and partake regularly and I'm not ashamed to say so. In fact, being a "Child Of The Sixties", there aren't too many drugs that I haven't at least tried. I smoked my first joint in the Summer of '64, the same night that I lost my virginity to an older sister of a friend of mine. The combination of sex and weed and the Beatles was overwhelming! Darlene was so beautiful! Long, black hair and blue eyes. Breasts just the right size with perfect nipples. And a dark sensuality that drew me into an abyss of pleasure and swallowed me whole. Since then I have rarely made love without the noble weed. The orgasms go on forever and unlike Viagra, there are no detrimental side effects.

Except one.

My partner and I could be arrested and imprisoned for enjoying our drug of choice.

Which brings me to the point. How can you legislate morality?

I know that we do, but I don't believe it is right. What is moral behavior for one is immoral and distasteful to another.

Homosexuality, for instance. If you believe homosexuality is an abomination, great! Don't be a homosexual.

If you believe that Gay marriage is a sin, terrific! Don't marry a Gay person!

And if you believe that abortion is a sin, fine! Don't have one!

But please don't tell me that your morals are superior to mine and that I must adhere to yours!

There are many good reasons to legalize certain drugs. Not the least being the fact that millions of otherwise law-abiding American citizens enjoy a toke or two of "Happy Air" and are currently at risk of going to prison for nothing more than a personal preference.

I have tried to do some research on the percentage of people arrested and/or incarcerated for either marijuana or cocaine possession and/or trafficking. It is very hard to do since many people who have been arrested for other crimes have also been in the possession of a "controlled substance" at the time of their arrest. Many of these crimes have been very serious, such as rape and murder. Many of these crimes have been committed because of the drugs themselves, such as "drive-bys" and "turf wars" for control of an a/o (area of operations).

On the surface this seems to be the perfect argument against legalization, but, those individuals would have committed the offense anyway! The fact that they were in possession of an illegal drug is incidental to the primary offense, ie: rape, murder. Many more crimes are committed as a result of alcohol intoxication, should we outlaw alcohol? Ofcourse not, since the majority of us use alcohol responsibly. Denying the responsible majority because of a foolish few is nonsense.

As for "drive-by shootings" and "turf wars", they simply wouldn't exist if the gangs had nothing to fight over! There will always be gangsters as long as there is something people want that they cannot get anywhere-else. We can eliminate a whole lot of them by legalizing the very product that sustains them! Believe me, it's a whole lot easier to sell a bag of weed or coke than it is to set up a sports book, money-loaning operation or pimp stable. I''m talking from experience here folks.

Now the latest in our Insane Government's attempt to appeal to the conscience of the more affluent "substance abusers" informs us that using illegal drugs finances terrorism! If that were true, I'd be performing an Unpatriotic act right now!

The fact is that the most harmful drug, opium, from which we get morphine and heroin, is flourishing in Afghanistan! In fact, since we "liberated" Afghanistan, the poppy production has grown to the point where Afghanistan now produces 95% of the world's heroin! (Yeah, we're in control there! Right!)

How much of that do you think is financing terrorism? Bou-fucking-coup!

Bottom line is folks, as we used to say in the Fabulous '60's, "You do your thing and I'll do mine".

"Do your own thing as long as you don't hurt anybody."

Okay, gotta go, my joint went out and I gotta find a light!

Peace.


I'll Never Smoke Weed With Willie Again - video powered by Metacafe

d.

7M in U.S. Jails, on Probation or Parole - NEWS - US NATIONAL - Comcast.net

Reality Check

Looks like Flakey's not the only one wonderin', eh, Mr Natural?

Marines Get the News From an Iraqi Host: Rumsfeld’s Out. ‘Who’s Rumsfeld?’

What does it all mean? In the microcosm of the battlefield all concerns boil down to one thing, staying alive and keeping your buddies healthy and whole.

But then, the Chickenhawks who have sent our young men and women into battle for a Lie wouldn't know anything about that, now would they?

35 years ago or 35 minutes ago, it makes no difference to a dead man. But like the saying goes, "To Err Is Human. To Forgive, Devine. Neither of Which Is Marine Corps Policy.

We will not forget. We will not forgive.

d.

Michael Richards Is Not Alone...

Michael Richards isn't alone. I, too, am guilty. So are most of my friends. It seems at one time or another, almost everyone I know has said it.
Almost. Still, that's far too many.

I'm speaking of the "N" word, "nigger".

The word was born in hate. It is demeaning, hurtful, disrespectful and hateful.

When a white person uses it, it conveys a feeling of racial superority to the user and nothing but disrespectful hatred toward all black people. When a black person uses it, he or she undermines the glorious achievements of black people as a whole.

The picture above is of the 369th Infantry Regiment, New York, "Harlem's Hellfighters". It was taken in 1919 during World War I. The Hellfighters were the first Americans to ever be awarded France's Croix de Guerre. They were one of the most decorated American Units in the War and fought alongside the Marines at the Battle of Belleau Wood.

So, what does this have to do with the "N" word?

Everything.

Black Americans have fought and shed blood for this country since the Revolutionary War. The South and a good part of the North was built on their backs. They have earned and deserve the respect and fellowship of their fellow Americans. The use of the "N" word undermines this and separates us as Americans at a time in our history when we need to draw together, live together and work together to restore our nation to it's full potential. Divisive tactics have long been employed by those seeking to maintain power. After all, if we're watching them and they're watching us, whose watching those at the top?

So, to all my black Brothers and Sisters, I am sorry. I have contributed to the hate and divisiveness of the races. I pledge to never use the word again, to strive for racial harmony and mutual respect. I will not support those, black or white, who use the word. I will not contribute to the hate.

Enough.

Please accept my most sincere apology.

Harlem's Hellfighters

d.

New Links

Found some new sites that I would like to link to.

The first is Round Circle, by Spadoman. Spadoman is a voice of sanity in an otherwise insane world. Complete with beautiful photography and peace-inspiring musings, it's sure to please, check him out.

The second site is One Pissed Off Veteran, by Farnsworth. This site is more along the lines of what you will ususally find here, pissed off Veterans. As such, he belongs with his fellow Pissed off Brothers. A great resource site for numbers, stats and facts and a good read. I recommend visiting.

The third site is one that should have been here from jump. Operation Yellow Elephant. The subject it deals with absolutely turns my stomach, yet it is one that must be pursued. Operation Yellow Elephant exposes the lie behind the War because it exposes the young Republicon elites who follow in the tradition of Vice President Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and others, who so eloquently advocate War while never having served themselves! As soon as I can figure out how, I'll have one of their logos posted in my sidebar. A great site, but bring a barf bag if you, like me, are disgusted by the very thought of Chickenhawks.

Now, please give me a little time to get the links up. MeBrudder, scroff, recently redisgned the place for me and I'm not sure I know how to do this without crashing the whole dam thing! In the meantime, you can visit from the links above.

Semper Fidelis!

d.

Understanding The Opposite Sex

A lot has been made about the "War Between The Sexes". Books have been written, "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Hell", and yet we seem no closer to understanding each other. Although both men and women use the same language, the meanings behind the words remain as elusive and hard to grasp as an 18 year old jello wrestler.

In an effort to bring the sexes together and bridge the communications gap, I offer the following:





(Thanks to Cartoonstock.com for the image!)



DICTIONARY FOR DECODING WOMEN'S PERSONAL ADS:

* 40-ish..................................49.

* Adventurous..........................Slept with everyone.

* Athletic................................No breasts.

* Average looking.....................Moooo.

* Beautiful..............................Pathological liar.

* Emotionally Secure..................On medication.

* Feminist...............................Fat.

* Free Spirit.............................Junkie.

* Friendship first.......................Former Slut.

* New-Age..............................Body hair in the wrong places.

* Old-fashioned........................No B.J.'s

* Open-minded.........................Desperate.

* Outgoing..............................Loud and
embarrassing.

* Professional...........................Bitch.

* Voluptuous...........................Very fat.

* Large frame...........................Hugely fat.

* Wants soul mate.....................Stalker.



DICTIONARY FOR DECODING WOMEN'S ENGLISH:

* Yes.....................................No

* No......................................Yes

* Maybe.................................No

* We need...............................I want

* I am sorry.............................You'll be sorry

* We need to talk......................You're in trouble

* Sure, go ahead........................You better not

* Do what you want...................You will pay for this
later

* I am not upset........................Of course, I am
upset, you moron!

* Fine!............................................Dead Man Walking

* You're attentive tonight............Is sex all you ever
think about?



DICTIONARY FOR DECODING MEN'S ENGLISH:

* I am hungry...........................I am hungry

* I am sleepy............................I am sleepy

* I am tired..............................I am tired

* Nice dress..............................Nice cleavage!

* I love you..............................Let's have sex
now

* I am bored.............................Do you want to
have sex?

* May I have this dance?..................I'd like to have
sex with you.

* Can I call you sometime?..............I'd like to have
sex with you.

* Do you want to go to a movie?......I'd like to have sex
with you.

* Can I take you out to dinner?........I'd like to have sex
with you.

* I don't think those shoes go with that
outfit..............I'm gay.

Thanks to Cindi Albeser for the above clarifications!

d.

One For The Ladies...

This one's for the Gals...

Click the link above, then click open, then click on the numbers!

Note: You need to have Power Point Viewer installed in order to view this! Free Download here.

(5 minutes on 56k dial up, 1 minute on broadband)

Enjoy!




(What I woulda looked like if I had listened to me Mudda and ate my veggies!)

d. (not Christopher)

Annuder Saturday Night...

So, like it's Saturday night and I'm hangin' out, chillin. Enjoying a lil "Happy Air" and surfin' the net. Got the Wiseguy Show on Sirius playin in the background 'till the Flyers come on at 7. After that, boxing on HBO. After that...well, I guess that's up to the Magster, heh...heh...heh... All in all, a pretty good night for an old fart.

So I got to thinkin'...

A while ago I got all over The Moderate Man onnaconna he wanted to hang up blogging - at least for awhile, and here I was...not bloggin' nuttin'! What the fuck? What kind of an asshole does that make me? Yet I find myself faced wid a dilemma, see, I just haven't felt like blogging, especially about the more serious subjects I usually rant & rave & whine & cajol about.

So I figgered I'd start out by just shootin' the shit about whatever comes to mind, (my mind that is, you worry about what comes to yours).

First thing is, Thanksgiving was fuckin' great! Wish I'da taken pictures, but, I didn't, lol! Had it at the beautiful home of Magster's niece, 'Mare and her terrific family, Husband Mike, and their beautiful children, Melissa and Shaun. We were joined by Mag's sister, Rosemary and her husband Big Jim, (also a Marine), and also 'Mare's Mom & Dad. On top of this I was looking forward to an exciting football game on television between the Tampa Bay Bucanneers and the hated Dallas Cowboys.

The only problem here is that, (for those of youse who haven't noticed), we live in Philadelphia. And 'Mare's husband Mike! Mike!

Mike...

...is a fucking Dallas Fan.

It was all Mag's could do to keep me from wearing my "Fuck Dallas" Tee-shirt. Insisting that it might somehow damage the young minds of her niece's children, and ignoring my protests that their innocent, little minds were already fucked up by having to live with a Father who worships the Dallas Fucking Cowboys, she dam near ripped it off my back!








That's me in my beloved "Fuck Dallas" Tee-shirt! Due to the fact that the Magster's brain-housing-group seemed to be reeling from an assault of microwave mind control beams emanating from the secret lair of the Kristian Coalition, (and birthplace of the Flying Monkeys in the Wizard of OZ), Crawford, Texas, I was reluctantly forced to leave it home, in it's place of honor on a hanger in my closet, until Dallas plays Philly again, (when all concerns about being "rude", "obnoxious" and "profane" mysteriously disappear from the Philadephia city limits...provided they are directed against the Hated Dallas Fiends!).

(By the way, betcha didn't know Elvis is actually alive and well, living in my basement and an Eagles fan!)


So I ended up wearing the hat I have on in the picture. As I mentioned, Dallas was playing Tampa Bay on TV Thanksgiving Day and, needless to say, when I showed up in my Eagles hat the fun began immediately.

Now Mike's a great guy 8 months out of the year, but the four months dedicated to pro-football are like a full moon to a werewolf when it comes to Mike and the Dallas Cowboys. Boy can't help himself. "Normal Mike" goes away and the beast that shows up in his place is adorned with a sneer, a drawl and a Dallas Cowboy Jersey with the number "81" and the name "Owens" emblazoned across the back.

Our opening conversation went something like this:

d.: Hiya Mike, Happy Thanksgiving!

Mike: Christmas came early for me when McNabb went down for the year! AAAAAAAAAH! HA! HA! HA! HA!!!!

Get the picture?

Anyway, dinner was great, even though Dallas won, Mike gloated, (as if I like the Tampa- fucking-Bay Bucanneers) and I came away educated to the facts that:

the Eagles are stupid for not giving in to TO,

the Eagles are stupid for keeping Andy Reid as Head Coach,

the Eagles are stupid for making bad draft picks,

the Eagles are stupid for being so cheap,

and the Eagles are doomed so I might as well get rid of my stupid Eagles Hat.

Now all of the above may be true, but ya don't have to rub it in my face whilst I'm tryin ta stuff said face witcher wife's turkey dinner!!

Oh, just one more thing.

The Eagles play the Dallas Fucking Cowboys on Christmas Day.

I'll have my tee-shirt on.

Mags will be wearing a tinfoil hat!

I can't wait.

d.

Rosie The Riveter

This is a re-post from earlier days,but I can't say it any better now, so...

Memorial Day would be incomplete without a proper tribute to the unselfish contributions and sacrifices made by American women. While today's Armed Forces afford women with the opportunity to serve in combat theatres, it wasn't always so. Yet the contributions made by American women, our women, enabled us to win World War II. She may have been your Mother or Grandmother, your Aunt or Sister or Wife. She picked up the slack and went to work, fueling the War Machine that saved the World from Nazi Tyranny and Japanese Impearialism, and nobody embodies her efforts better than Rosie The Riveter.

So, today, Memorial Day, let's remember all the Rosies. I would like to encourage everyone to visit the Rosie The Riveter Website and see who the real Rosies are.

Thank you ladies. Thank you very much.

deuddersun


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, May 29, 2004

Real Rosie the Riveter remembers

By Kevin Cullen
Gannett News Service


Rosemary Comer didn't lead a charge, drop a bomb or sink a ship, but she and 6 million other women helped win World
War II.

They were defense workers, or "Rosies." They assembled machine guns, built tanks, fabricated airplanes, and helped change the role of women in American society.

The new Rosie the Riveter-World War II Home Front National Historical Park in California honors them, and Comer recently compiled her story for its archives.

"We were all there for the same reason: to get production out so our boys could do a good job, with good equipment," says Comer, 78, of Lafayette, Ind., who riveted war plane parts from 1943 to 1945. "We were dedicated workers and proud to be on the job."

With millions of men in uniform, women worked in steel mills, shipyards, foundries, machine shops and automotive plants converted to wartime production. In some industries, 80 percent of the labor force was female.

They provided "critical, crucial service" to the war effort, says Purdue history professor Nancy Gabin, an expert on the subject. By taking jobs traditionally held by men, they cracked old stereotypes.

"Rosie" Comer made parts for fighters and bombers at the Hudson Motor Car defense plant in Detroit.

In 2000, the new national park opened at a World War II shipyard in Richmond, Calif.

It recently launched a nationwide effort to collect stories, artifacts and personal histories from surviving "Rosies" for museum exhibits and archives.

"Almost everyone had someone in the service. We all banded together, all nationalities," Comer says. "It boggled your mind to think about what you were making, and doing such important work."

Drives were held in the plant to collect blood for the wounded. Comer weighed less than the 110-pound minimum for donors, but she gave, anyway.


The "Rosies" cleared a paycheck of about $40 a week ... good money in 1943. But the greatest satisfaction came from "seeing the finished product you made," she says. "It was fabulous."

After the war, plants returned to peacetime production, defense workers lost their jobs. Most "Rosies" were replaced by returning veterans.

The war helped Comer grow from a "bashful, backward girl into a confident married woman," she says.

A memorial at the new national park bears these words: "You must tell your children, putting modesty aside, that without us, without women, there would have been no spring in 1945."

"I was a part of it," Comer says with a smile. "I can't believe it."




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

God Bless The Marine Corps...

Where Every Day Is A Holiday...

And Every Meal Is A Feast!!!

Happy Birthday Marines!

Semper Fidelis!

The Marine Corps Hymn

(Click on the little green arrow, not the link!

Thanks to R. Lee Ermey for the clip!)

UPDATE!!!

MARINES!!!! You are abso-fucking-lutely

ORDERED

to visit

R. Lee Ermey!

DO IT!

NOW!

d.

Finally...

America Wins!