The “War on drugs”
Law enforcement loves to tout the “War on drugs” as a banner theme, a shining example to point to as proof of their diligence and commitment to fighting crime. The media falls in line with this supposed “WAR” by creating headlines out of every little local drug bust where an “Ounce of this” or a “100 grams of that” was confiscated along with a few hundred dollars. If a gun or two are found in with the stash, law enforcement and the media will have a field day with exploiting this angle and use it to attack the second amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
John Q. Public will sit back in an easy chair and review the evening news or read the local rag delivered to their doorstep every morning and believe that all is well and great progress is being made on in this “WAR”. How so many people are duped into being content with these nickel and dime, small potatoes drug bust operations by law enforcement that do absolutely nothing to put a dent in the drug trade is puzzling to me. These little nothing operations are costing the taxpayers a fortune in Salaries to Judges, Police, Correction staff, equipment and cost of operating Jails all for small time players in the drug market while little or nothing is being done to reel in the “Big Fish.”
The small fry’s that are being busted are insignificant side players and actions against them do nothing to curb drug use or the drug trade in the United States. Even if every one of these small time operators were to drive into town with a tractor- trailer loaded to the hilt with Cocaine, Crack or Heroin, this would still only be a drop in a bucket that has a million holes in it.
A flood, a Tsunami of drugs of all kinds is literally pouring into this country from every imaginable source and every imaginable mode of transport. It’s coming up from Mexico, down from Canada, in from the Pacific Ocean, The Atlantic Ocean through the Gulf of Mexico. Drugs are being flown in at a rate that makes the Berlin air lift after World War II look like a “Mom and Pop” operation. From fishing boats to freighters to entire flotillas of boats, drugs are moving like a prairie-fire into and across this country virtually unimpeded. By land, sea and air it is measured in TONNAGE, not Kilograms, Grams or “Bags”[those are the measurements of the little street dealers].
It’s time for the people to wake up to this reality and demand that law enforcement wage a real war and go after the “Big Boys.” Stop wasting the taxpayer’s dollars and clogging up the justice system and jails with people charged with little “Bullshit” drug busts that do nothing to alleviate the real problems. Law enforcements so-called “WAR” on drugs is more like a war on the weak, the poor, the minorities and bit players who are looking for an escape of one kind or another from the stifling racism, bigotry and poverty of an ingrained White Supremist Society.
None of these little fish are bringing these drugs into the country. None of these “Big” busts that are splashed across the T.V. screens and front pages of newspapers are big bust at all. None of these street dealers have low flying D.C. 9’s or Panamanian registered freighters moving drugs into or across this country. Demand more from your representatives in government and hold our illustrious leaders accountable to the people at every level of government. Demand that if they fight a drug war or any other war, fight it on the front lines and quit pussyfooting around. There are huge profits to be made in the drug trade so if they’re serious about this war (Which I don’t believe they are) they should be following the money. The money will lead back to the source and if that source turns out to be the very Congressmen, Senators and Judges that claim to be fighting against drugs, then justice must be blind and doled out to them with the same aggressive attitude that is used on the poor minority defendant caught with a few bags of dope in the inner city. Let’s get real.
Food for Thought
When Fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.
Sinclair Lewis
Sinclair Lewis
Love in the time of Hedonism.
Recently over at Roissy's there was a stoush between the Errant Wife and Himself. The Errant Wife objected to Roissy's vitriol and replied in vicious kind. I really did not see what the fight was about, since both parties have essentially the same philosophy of life; Hedonism. Roissy has often said that he loves Love and the Errant Wife seems to be in search of it. The question in my mind through this exchange is how does a how does a Hedonist "love"? Or more importantly, what is the nature of Hedonistic love?
Hedonism, being a teleology which aims toward satisfaction of the self, is inwardly focused towards the individual. The goods of life have their value insofar as they provide pleasurable satisfaction to the individual. In other words, the goodness or badness of a thing is really a measure of how it pleases the individual apprehending the thing. Now clearly according to this philosophy, things of little pleasure will have little value, while things of great pleasure will have great value. Now clearly, being loved-both physically and emotionally--is perhaps the greatest pleasure possible and a hedonist the will value the lover as long as the lover pleasures them: The love of a hedonist is conditional.
But the nature of Hedonistic "love" is not the same as the nature of unconditional love, although they may appear the same they in fact polar opposites. Hedonistic love is the love of the utility of the loved individual. Its a love that exists as long as it is satisfied, it is innately selfish. The lover of a Hedonist must continually "provide" in order to be loved. Once the provision stops so does the "love". The hedonist lover is continually "taking" from his "beloved" and what he or she gives to their beloved is purely incidental to their being as the object of hedonistic love is the self.
The "marriage" of two hedonists will have all the appearance of a marriage. The partners will take delight in each other and will appear in love. However after the novelty of each other wears off and the pleasure that each receives from each other lessens, they will "fall out of love". Now it is true that the Hedonist lover can feel pain at the loss of his source of pleasure, but it is the pain of loss of loosing the pleasure not the pain of the loss of the thing itself. Since what is valued is the pleasure and not its source. A man may love the beauty of a woman but when that beauty fades so does the "love".
Unconditional love on the other hand, has as it's object the other; it is extrinsic to one's self. The love of the unconditional lover delights in the other regardless of the pleasures or grief that the lover receives from the loved. Indeed the perfect unconditional lover loves when there is no pleasure there at all except for the existence of the loved. To quote Percy Sledge:
Today I had a patient whose wife of 55 years died recently. He was clearly distressed as he missed her terribly. They were not the most glamorous couple and walking down the street, one would not notice them for any particular reason. They argued and fought, she bossed him and he annoyed her but he was always there for her and she for him. When she died he was cleaved in two, he and his partner had become one.
Hedonism, being a teleology which aims toward satisfaction of the self, is inwardly focused towards the individual. The goods of life have their value insofar as they provide pleasurable satisfaction to the individual. In other words, the goodness or badness of a thing is really a measure of how it pleases the individual apprehending the thing. Now clearly according to this philosophy, things of little pleasure will have little value, while things of great pleasure will have great value. Now clearly, being loved-both physically and emotionally--is perhaps the greatest pleasure possible and a hedonist the will value the lover as long as the lover pleasures them: The love of a hedonist is conditional.
But the nature of Hedonistic "love" is not the same as the nature of unconditional love, although they may appear the same they in fact polar opposites. Hedonistic love is the love of the utility of the loved individual. Its a love that exists as long as it is satisfied, it is innately selfish. The lover of a Hedonist must continually "provide" in order to be loved. Once the provision stops so does the "love". The hedonist lover is continually "taking" from his "beloved" and what he or she gives to their beloved is purely incidental to their being as the object of hedonistic love is the self.
The "marriage" of two hedonists will have all the appearance of a marriage. The partners will take delight in each other and will appear in love. However after the novelty of each other wears off and the pleasure that each receives from each other lessens, they will "fall out of love". Now it is true that the Hedonist lover can feel pain at the loss of his source of pleasure, but it is the pain of loss of loosing the pleasure not the pain of the loss of the thing itself. Since what is valued is the pleasure and not its source. A man may love the beauty of a woman but when that beauty fades so does the "love".
Unconditional love on the other hand, has as it's object the other; it is extrinsic to one's self. The love of the unconditional lover delights in the other regardless of the pleasures or grief that the lover receives from the loved. Indeed the perfect unconditional lover loves when there is no pleasure there at all except for the existence of the loved. To quote Percy Sledge:
When a man loves a womanThis is perhaps where the vow stands as the perfect symbol of unconditional love. Made of our own free choosing, at the moment when we have glimpsed the beloved in their perfection, it is our desired promise, publicly proclaimed that the love we offer the beloved is unconditional. That thick or thin, our love is always there. It is a promise, not a fleeting feeling of the moment. When we keep our promises we love unconditionally. Love is sometimes a pleasure and other times a duty. In fact duty to our beloved can be a form of love.
Can't keep his mind on nothing else
He'll trade the world
For the good thing he's found
If she's bad he can't see it
She can do no wrong
Turn his back on his best friend
If he put her down
Today I had a patient whose wife of 55 years died recently. He was clearly distressed as he missed her terribly. They were not the most glamorous couple and walking down the street, one would not notice them for any particular reason. They argued and fought, she bossed him and he annoyed her but he was always there for her and she for him. When she died he was cleaved in two, he and his partner had become one.
Police Brutality in Northampton MA!!!!
I went to the rally yesterday and I wanted to update you all.
People have been VERY hostile to this information getting out, many listserves that I am on have been home to heated debate with area residents making exclamations like "Come on this is Not L.A." Or " There Is no story. It was made up" to "if its true why is in not in the police blotter"--Come one since when have the police kept record of their own brutality??!!?? These things do happen--even in th happy valley!
The following is information of what allegedly took place in Downtown Northampton this past weekend.
Here is the information as it was told by Al's best friend Aaron @ yesterday's rally:
Al is a Black Disabled Veteran. He was arrested at Urban Outfitters for alleged shoplifting. Aaron believes that when the police brought him out of the store and around the corner there were reports of Al yelling "You are really hurting me!" It is at that point that Aaron believes (based on eye witness accounts) that the beating ensued. It is believed that Al received many blows to his face (and probably body as well). Aaron reported that he was notified of the arrest and proceeded to gather bail money. Aaron arrived at the Police station sometime after the arrest (I'm not sure how much later--it might have even been the next morning?) Aaron said that he was here to bail Al out. The officers began processing bail. It was at that point that an officer went to go retrieve Al and found him unconscious (later to be deemed in a coma) in his cell. Al was NOT breathing at this point in time and the officer returned to report to Aaron that he "had come bad news," It appeared his friend had suffered a Massive Heart Attack. Aaron said that it was was clear at that point in time that Al had NOT been monitored while locked up. The police were ONLY aware of Al's condition because they had gone to retrieve him for bail. Once at the Hospital Aaron was disturbed to see the extent of Al's injuries.
Al's bottom jaw was injured so badly and that it was knocked so far to the right that "Al can look down to the side and see his own jaw!" His upper lip was completely split open horizontally and his eyes were swollen shut. Al's family came to Cooley Dickinson and they, as well as Aaron and members of Poverty is Not a Crime, have reported that all doctors and nurses at Cooley Dickinson Hospital who have cared for Al have said "There is Nothing wrong with this man's heart. He did not have a heart attack" Aaron reported that Al has no spleen and due to this feels pain much more intensely than most. Aaron said that the medical professionals believe that Al's body went into a coma as a way of coping with the intense pain he was experiencing. It is not known for how long Al laid on the cell floor, not breathing, nor the extent of brain damage due to an extended period of time with no oxygen going to his brain. Al is currently at Cooley Dickinson, in and out of consciousness.
Action MUST be taken!!! Please make the following phone calls:
Mayor Higgins should have an earful--413.587.1249
WE MUST PUSH FOR AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION!
Police Chief Russell Sienkiewicz---413.587.1100 The arresting officers AND the officers that left Al bleeding and unconscious in a cell should be suspended without pay effective immediately
Even if you are NOT a resident of Northampton I urge you to make these phone calls--because we ALL do business in that town, purchase items in that town, are patrons at its stores and restaurants, or work in Northampton! We ALL have a stake in protecting our Disabled Veterans! We ALL deserve to feel safe.
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