Just because we don't agree doesn't mean either one of us is right or wrong.
If we try your method first and it fails, then it's time to try a different method.
Education the natural process of life.
Always strive to get an education and never rely on what others consider to be an acceptable education for any aspect of your life.
A herb is a plant that is valued for flavor, scent, or other qualities.
Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Bailouts and Tax Credits for Corporations

(This is a work in progress)
Our government gave bailout money to some corporations this past year, in my opinion that money would have done more good if went to the people who are in danger of losing everything they are trying to own. It would give the people a chance to pay off some of their debts, give those who would like a house a chance to have it foreclosed on. This would help everyone for the simple fact that the corporations would have ended up getting their money they needed to continue to do business.
Our government gives tax credits to the big oil companies that report billions of dollars of profits every quarter. In order for them to continue getting those credits they should use a percentage of their profits in finding a more environmentally friendly solution for a fuel source as an alternative to petroleum. Doing this would create more jobs for the American people and revenue for our leaders to tax us on.
They also give tax credits to the big companies who are sending a lot of our manufacturing jobs overseas for cheap labor and companies that buy their products overseas (Wal-Mart) and sell to the American public. These companies should be required to have 75% of the products they sell to the American public MADE IN THE U.S.A. in order to keep getting tax credits. Just think about it if no one is working or can afford to buy from them where are they going to get their profits from then?
There should be some limit to how big corporations can get, so that they don't shutdown existing small businesses. More should be done to promote local businesses who manufacture or grow the products they sell in the communities they live in. The small mom and pop businesses should get more tax credits than corporations.  
I don't have a problem with companies making a profit and I understand the concept of profits. But there is also the difference between respectable profits and profiteering.
After all and I may be wrong, but I firmly beleive that both the corporations and our government in their greed are responsible for the financial crisis this country is burdened with.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Congressman Marion Berry won't seek re-election.

Congressman Marion Berry won't seek re-election, cites health concern - todaysthv.com | KTHV | Little Rock, AR


To me this is good news, reason being he was asked about his stand on decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana. He stated that he was firmly against it.

What a shame, that Mr. Berry is a licensed pharmacist, a farmer and as much as I hate to say it an American citizen. He has chosen to ignore the history of America and pharmaceuticals.

Our founding fathers of this great land saw the importance of hemp and encouraged the farmers to raise as much as possible. It was seen as a sustainable resource to this country. It was used to manufacture paper, canvas, clothing, medicine, and rope. All essential to a new country wishing to become independent nation of itself.

As I have stated before our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution are wrote on hemp paper, it is suspected that our fore fathers were even smoking hemp when these were written. Our nations first flags were made of recycled sails made of hemp canvas(derived from the word cannabis). Our first soldiers clothing were of hemp cloth. 

It's uses include clothing, food, fuel, medicine, paper, and in some cases even spiritual(my personnel favorite, a number of times my spiritual use has saved someone from being smashed in the face and sat on their butt).

Mr. Berry being a pharmacist should also remember that for thousands of years mankind has used marijuana as medication until the early 1900's. All the major pharmaceutical companies of that time distributed it in some form. In my opinion marijuana as a medicine would probably be able to replace 80% of the over the counter medications we have come to accept as traditional medicine and for less money.

As a farmer he should also see the benefit that industrial hemp will serve, not just being a renewable source used to produce every day items, but the benefit in soil conservation and erosion. This plant can remove the toxins that we have place in the soil the same way our kidneys remove toxins in our bodies. The products it can produce are biodegradable and recyclable. Meaning a more environmentally friendly product and less trash in the landfills.

As a source of fuel for the vehicles we drive, it makes a cleaner burning fuel which extends the life of your car and less pollution. Meaning a better quality of air for us to breathe. This also would help us so that we are not dependent on foreign countries for oil.

1 acre of hemp produces as much paper as 4 acres of timber, saving the remaining forest for future generations to enjoy. Hemp paper can be produced with less chemicals than wood pulp paper.

The seeds themselves are an excellent natural source of vitamins and minerals we need in our daily diet.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Marijuana and the Gateway Theory

We have all heard the theory that marijuana is the gateway drug to harsher more dangerous drugs, so I have a desire to question that theory.
1) Do you or have you ever used alcohol?
2) Do you or have you ever used any over the counter medications?
3) Have you or are you presently taking any drugs that were prescribed to you by a doctor practicing medicine? (Doctors are licensed to practice medicine, I on the other hand am not required to have a license to live, it is my right.)
If you answer yes to 1 or more of these questions I recommend you thank God,  nature or whatever deity (depending on your belief) for providing us with marijuana.
It has been on this planet we call home since the beginning of time, as a species it's as old as the dirt we walk upon, and according the Genesis on this world before man ever walked the earth.
Alcohol was developed or discovered somewhere between 5,000 - 6,000 years ago.
Modern compound medicines as we know them are less than 300 years old.

These are 2006 statistics of substance deaths.

Tobacco                                                                                 435,000
Alcohol                                                                                     85,000
Microbial Agents                                                                     75,000
Toxic Agents                                                                            55,000
Adverse Reactions to Prescription Drugs                             32,000
All Illicit Drug Use, Direct and Indirect                                  17,000
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such As Aspirin       7,600
Marijuana                                                                                          0

So yes, I not only can but do consider marijuana to be the gateway drug to every manufactured product that we the superior intelligent species have developed or discovered to consume for medicinal or recreational purposes.
We as individuals are our own quality control, we should have the final say as to what extent we will tolerate the so called advances of modern times.

So who is the real criminal?
1)Those who chose to possess and use a product of nature they can grow for free in their own backyard knowing no one has ever died from consuming it.
2)Those who continue to impose and intimidate people to accept and consume manufactured products knowing that those products have been proven to result in death.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Moral Responsiblility

Our tax dollars pay the salaries of elected officials who claim that the marijuana laws were passed as their moral responsibility to protect the people from themselves. I don't know about anyone else, but I believe before someone can claim moral responsibility they have to have the morals to be able to accept responsibility for their actions and decisions. Our elected officials have documentation proving that marijuana is a safer and less dangerous affordable natural option to alcohol and the so called approved medications. So I ask this:  Knowing marijuana is safer and less dangerous than alcohol and ignoring that knowledge, isn't that the same as intentional or negligent endangerment?
I find it degrading and humiliating that our tax dollars pay the salaries of officials who have passed and enforce a law that defines my ability to be recognized as a respectable and responsible citizen by whether or not I accept their opinion of what I can possess to consume as the right choice and only choice for me.
Our leaders keep implying they want a more educated and responsible citizens, yet at the same time people are continually being treated as criminals  for using the knowledge and information we have available, mostly in part to the advances of science and technology. We also can't forget history and how educational it is.
Personally, I having a difficult time understanding how the possession of marijuana should have any bearing on our ability to be recognized as respectable and responsible citizens. I mean if you take in consideration the amount of damage and number of deaths associated with the products our government has approved as the only legal options. Surely you can't be expected to accept them as the right options for everyone.
Statistically speaking it is proven that even those items are abused and more addictive than marijuana. Just because more people use marijuana doesn't mean it's being abused. It just means more people are wanting better choices or options. People are starting to return to the grass root (no put intended) ideas that this country was based on.

Rolling Over Our Founding Fathers

The founding fathers are probably rolling over in their graves after the criminalization of hemp for industrial uses. Both the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution is printed on paper made of hemp, our countries first flags were made of hemp, the sails and ropes used on ships were also made of hemp. It is also suspected that our founding fathers were under the influence of hemp to some degree when they wrote the above  articles of our history. Taking in consideration of what hemp has done to help us establish our nation, it is in my opinion more patriotic then some of our lawmakers. If anything it should be recognized as our nation plant.

These pictures and quotes can be found at  http://hemptopia.org/ 





 

 

 

My suggestion on how to stop wasting my tax dollars.

  In 2008 it was estimated that our government spent $17 billion dollars on the failed war on drugs. It is time to re-evaluate our thinking on this. As a citizen, a consumer, and a taxpayer we should be entitled the right to question how our money is spent and why it's spent in the way it is.
  First, they will continue to collect this money even if the focus is redirected to another concept. Our drug problem in itself should not be considered a crime, it is a health and safety issue, I on the other hand disagree with classifying alcoholism as a disease, it's an addiction. In 1970 it was estimated that 1.3% the adult population had a drug problem, and that has remained the same for over 40 years. Drugs are here as they always have been so instead of continuing to fight it start using it to our advantage.
  Second, the money should be used on an accurate education of the people not the propaganda that we are being imposed upon to accept, open more rehab facilities if needed. The people of the DEA can then be re-employed as additional border patrol, councilors, customs agents, police officers, and as inspectors of the marijuana dispensaries for both medicinal and recreational uses. In doing this it will create a variety of opportunities to gain additional revenue, plus stop a lot of drug related violence. If the drug cartels want to continue doing business they should pay a tariff, any drugs coming in that hasn't had the tariff is confiscated and offered in an auction to legitimate and approved dispensaries for resale as long as it is unadulterated marijuana.This also frees up the police to pursue the violent criminals and the sex offenders   
   Third, quit incarcerating the citizens for simple marijuana possession or intent to distribute marijuana. It is estimated that it cost tax payers $20,000+ a year to house non-violent offenders and as they age that cost goes up. We spend more on those incarcerations, than most people working for minimum wage makes in a year. This is money that would be better used in education and health programs for the children and senior citizens in our communities.
   Fourth, it's time to stop acting like idiots, and start using the basic common sense and intelligence that I am confident every one has. Legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana.  By doing this it cuts into the drug cartels profits, marijuana makes up an estimated 50-65% of the drug cartels income. It will also stop them from destroying our national forest with their grow operations. And then considering the billions of dollars spent on marijuana going to the drug cartels, it will be spent here in the United States which will enrich our national economy.
   Fifth, by regulating it we won't have the drug cartels selling their marijuana to our children on the streets and making it harder for them to get. By taxing it the other taxes we already pay should never be raised. The taxes collected from the sale would then benefit everyone even if they don't approve marijuana legalization. It would also clear the courts of precious time giving everyone a fair and speedy trial.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Prohibition Historically Proven To Fail

As some of you may have heard the movement to legalize marijuana is an ongoing debate. So first we must go back in time and remember the prohibition of alcohol during the 1920's and 1930's.
Our government banned the manufacture, possession and sale of alcohol for about 13 years. This country had an explosion of violence due to the demand for alcoholic beverages, organized crime was responsible for a majority of it, they killed their competition, and any law enforcement agent who stood in their way of making money. Innocent lives were lost in this attempt to mold people into what some considered to be an ideal respectable and responsible citizen. This did not deter the peoples demand for it. Until finally alcohol prohibition was abolished.
Now, just because it was abolished doesn't mean our government approves or disapproves the consumption of alcohol. We now have laws that basically hold you responsible for the the damages or deaths that you caused while under the influence of alcohol. With that in mind let's consider the amount and cost of property damages, the number of deaths by drunk drivers, the number of people abuse by some one under the influence of alcohol.
After thinking that over, I have come to the conclusion that even though I didn't spend any money on pursuing a higher education at some college or university, it shouldn't take too much common sense or intelligence to see that alcohol is not the right choice for a whole lot of people, yet it's the only legal choice for all the people. Prohibition is still failing in the war on drugs.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Jimmy Prince Dedication

I decided to dedicate this episode to a true friend and Christian that I have had the pleasure of knowing. His name is Jimmy Guy Prince and this world would be a better place with more people like him.
First, I am not a very religious person, as Jimmy once told me it's not that I don't believe in god, it's that some of the people in religion have given me reason to be disillusioned about it. Through Jimmy I was able to make the acquaintance of 2 pastors, both of whom deserve to be treated with respect.
Second, Jimmy rarely met anyone he didn't like or they didn't like him. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it worse than he did. All you had to do was ask. He donated his time to those he knew needed it and would appreciate it.
I was a contract employee with him for well over a year, and was able to learn a lot about home repair and remodeling. He informed me after I went back to cabling and wiring that I had the know how and I could build houses, they may not be square but he knew I could do it if needed. When I started working for him it was a couple months before X-mas, when December rolled around and I saw I couldn't give my daughter a good X-mas, he invested his money and tools, and we built my daughter a hope chest and a shelf for her books, my wife got a shelf for the living room and the bedroom, that experience also got me my first and last lacquer paint high and I truly don't want to experience that type of high again.
Jimmy 5'4" tall, 300+ pounds with the heart of gold, most people called him Stumpy which was fitting since he was as round as he was tall. A great sense of humor, I saw him as a loving father who would give his all to his family and friends.
I'm told everyone has an addiction, Jimmy's was food, especially spicy Mexican food and BBQ he loved hot sauce on most everything. His addiction to food also lead to him to stop in SW Little Rock at a Captain D's for dinner one night.
As he was leaving he was robbed at gunpoint by 4 suspected gang members, of course his wallet was 3" thick and only had $30.00 in it, but apparently that wasn't enough so they shot him 8-10 times, it is my opinion that they intended on killing Jimmy. To this day I'm not sure they ever caught them, and I suspect that the police may not have spent a lot of time trying to catch some one who is not afraid to take a life. Most suspected killers of that sort are caught by accident or through some other charges not related.
He didn't condemn me for my occasional use of marijuana that so many people seem to have a problem with, even though he didn't consume it. I believe he did mention once that he had tried it, and found out that marijuana was not for him, but it was probably suitable for others. In our time working together we had a lot of helpers on our jobs, we had to contend with alcoholics and drug addicts. Both didn't have enough common sense or intelligence to know when to stop or when the right time to indulge in recreational products.

Jimmy left this world at the young age of 40 on May 9 2009.
I apologize for missing both your viewing and your funeral.

Jimmy Prince, a friend, a brother not like my own, a family man, and a true Christian, May You Rest In Peace.


Thursday, January 14, 2010

How I got here and why I'm here. (A little about me and my work in progress)

Last week or so I started using my facebook account that I have had for 2-3 years, I was able to actually connect with my 2 best friends from high school and find out that there are people with some of the same interest as me.
What I discovered was that even though we change we are still the same in some ways. 1 of them is I believe is in a management position, which even in school I thought he would be successful at. The other is a truck driver and I believe that suits him well. I on the other hand chose to be an independent contractor, now I may not make a lot of money, but I do enjoy meeting new people all the time and especially enjoy the variety of work I do and am proud when I can do quality work.
I have to admit that if I had not started following links I found on facebook I would never have made it here for my own blogspot. I do look forward to seeing what becomes of this. What is neat about facebook is the ability the add so many things to it like this blog can be accessed by my friends through my links.
I'm an independent contractor, specializing in residential cabling and wiring, primarily communications (cable tv, satellite tv, phone, surround sound, etc.)
I also do an occassional remodeling and home repair. This past year has been kind of difficult financially for me (with work being as slow as it is), but I try to have faith that this will pass. To make my own matters worse (even though they aren't) this time of year is always depressing for me some call it winter time blues but medically it's called seasonal depression. I hate being this way, so I thought to keep my mind occupied. I would come rant and rave about the things I believe to be wrong and express my thought on ideas to consider on making them right.
I am pro-marijuana, and intend to voice my opinions as to why I believe the law prohibiting cannabis use is wrong.