Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The Green Revolution

I slapped myself on the forehead at the end of the president's speech tonight, when Barack Obama said America should pray. Velvet reminded me that Religion has been a successful political tool in the past.

I continue to be reminded of Cat's Cradle. I'm just to the part where John the Narrator becomes President of San Lorenzo but "Papa" hasn't slid into the ocean with a sliver of Ice Nine consequently turning the world into a swirling shit storm. The current situation has similar existential absurdity because a president inherits an environmental disaster of global proportions which is caused by military greed and insensitivity to humanity. And as in San Lorenzo, there is a symbiotic relationship between Church and State.

Now that we are officially going green, I'm turning my attention away from mineral rights around the world to legalization of marijuana for recreational use. I figure with this much shit going on, We The People might as well be able to get high without threat of arrest - especially since it apparently reeks of weed down my hallway all the way to the elevator.

When Cupcake came over this evening, I ushered her conspiratorially into the apartment asking if it smelled like weed in the hall. She acknowledged that it did, and visibly relaxed at my moderate show of affection. I don't want the girl to feel awkward. She slept in Velvet's room last night while Velvet slept on the couch. Since I have extensive experience with awkward domestic situations, I felt it was incumbent upon me to set her at ease.

The immediate task at hand was the reeking hallway. I fell to work sauteing onions in olive oil and herbs de provence. I learned from Granny the Ho that when you saute onions it smells like you've been cooking all day even though maybe you were out playing golf. Onions and Herbs adequately covered the smell of weed in the hall, and I threw the leftover rice from yesterday's Chinese food into the pan with some frozen green beans from Trader Joe's. But it sucks that I shouldn't be allowed to smoke weed in my own home. It also sucks that kids who can vote and go into the military can't drink beer.

If religion is being overtly handed to us as an opiate, then the prohibition regarding weed for recreational use and hemp for industrial use must be lifted. Hemp deserves equal time with the church, and in my mind, it's a better opiate anyway. I'll smoke weed; I won't go to church. Although I'm skeptical at best about the power of prayer, it beats being instructed to shop for America. Further, you never know -- focusing our collective positivity onto the Gulf could benefit the planet. Lifting the prohibition on recreational and industrial hemp is a more concrete form of action, and as a rule, I'm a lot more positive when I'm high.

For the moment, I'm most interested in legalizing recreational marijuana because I don't want Velvet to get busted. I wouldn't want to get busted myself. While recreational use is still illegal, it's important to maintain an atmosphere of plausible deniability, and crucial to avoid giving police an opportunity to declare "Probable Cause." I'm modeling these behaviors for Velvet as I prepare him for living in the world.

The Green Revolution is incomplete without ending the prohibition on marijuana.

15 Comments:

Blogger Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

Even though I don't smoke anymore, I completely agree. We need both industrial and recreational hemp legalized. Think of the taxes we could get off it. And of course we should tax all churches too.

June 16, 2010 at 12:55 AM  
Blogger Cali said...

I agree with taxing churches, too. Why should their income be tax-free when they tell their members how to vote and some even demand donations for specific causes and politicians like the Mormons did with CA's Prop H8? They'll probably band together this summer trying to fight our proposition to legalize marijuana. Currently the polls show a slight lead on the side to legalize it. I just hope the lead holds, or even strengthens. If we win, maybe you and Velvet both should move here. As a bonus, you couldn't get him farther away from Vagina Dentata and Buzz Kill and still live in the continental US. We'd be happy to have you! :-D

June 16, 2010 at 1:46 AM  
Blogger PENolan said...

Cali, my cousins and my uncle live in Tahoe. I have a fantasy of buying my uncle's property from him (So. Lake Tahoe, near a library and trailer park, a few blocks from the lake) and making an Herbal Spa.

Dr., I was trying to work taxing the Church into this post but had too many paragraphs even for me.

No representation without taxation.

June 16, 2010 at 7:12 AM  
Blogger Gail said...

He Texas -

Save me a trailer, double wide so my rollator can roll about.
Great post.

Love you
Gail
peace andhope.....

June 16, 2010 at 10:17 AM  
Blogger Commander Zaius said...

The current situation has similar existential absurdity because a president inherits an environmental disaster of global proportions which is caused by military greed and insensitivity to humanity.

I absolutely freaking agree, I find it surreal that even now it ain't hard to find some suburban fool who will argue that its their God-given right to be able to drive some gigantic SUV which gets about 500 feet to the gallon in city driving.

I'm all for legalization of marijuana in part because of the stories I hear of these same suburbanites popping Big Pharmaceuticals happy pills like they are M&Ms to convince themselves that they are living the American Dream. Reefer is far cheaper and I could grow my own if I didn't have to worry about drug stormtroopers descending from helicopters when they spot it from above.

June 16, 2010 at 2:03 PM  
Blogger PENolan said...

Exactly, Beach
those helicopters are a massive buzz kill

Gail, there will always be room for your rollator where ever I go

June 16, 2010 at 2:50 PM  
Blogger Jaliya said...

... just wondering if you've seen this ... When are you moving?

June 16, 2010 at 4:43 PM  
Blogger PENolan said...

Jaliya, that is exactly the spot. When I lived there years ago (78-86) we knew that all roads lead to Austin. Now it looks like somebody proved it with graphics!

It's very different these days, but I'm glad to be going home - and frankly if it hadn't grown I doubt it would be as attractive to me since I've been in NYC for 22 years. Now it's big enough, but still small enough.

Assuming the IRS doesn't make life so difficult for Buzz Kill that his shit trickles down hill onto me - I'll be moving when school lets out in 2011. June or July, I guess.

June 16, 2010 at 9:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am with you sister in green, read my blog, it is dedicated to you.

June 17, 2010 at 9:02 AM  
Blogger PENolan said...

Muffy, I stumbled over there this morning because somebody in my stats from Hawaii had come over here from your blog.

I am honored and more convinced than ever that we are closely connected somehow.

June 17, 2010 at 10:55 AM  
Blogger Leslie Parsley said...

When I lived in Houston the "fuzz" would have your water turned off before paying a social call. I too would like to see it legalized for recreational use even though I no longer recreate.

Thumbs up to taxing churches but I have to always ask myself if this desire is based on an honest assessment or because we disagree with these people. Remember the Berrigan Brothers - if you're old enough!

June 17, 2010 at 12:46 PM  
Blogger VV said...

Coming from a family full of addictions, I've never gotten high. I've never tried pot or "illegal" drugs. Of course, I've taken prescription meds when prescribed and mostly unwillingly. I also don't drink alcohol. I know I have depression, used to be fairly manic in my 20s, I know I am obsessive by nature, and I know it's hard for me to stop bad habits, so I figured I likely would fall into the family addictive pattern if I ever touched mind altering substances. Not to mention, daddy was a sweetheart until he drank, then he was a mean drunk. I've always feared I'd be a mean-ass drunk myself. Although, I have discovered it is quite enjoyable to be sober and watch the antics and partake in the philosophical ramblings of those who are high.

June 18, 2010 at 7:28 AM  
Blogger PENolan said...

V.V. There is a long line of drunken disorderly folks on both sides of my family. So I totally get where you're coming from. My mom's position is pretty much the same as yours, although she drinks wine. She says somebody needs to stay sober to make sure all us drunks don't hurt ourselves ;)

tnlib, good question re: taxing the church. For me, it's not a matter of disagreeing with them. It's that many of these megachurches do not seem like Non-Profit organizations at all. I'm pretty sure the King of England and The Church of England had this same argument for generations. I will bow to Dr. Monkerstein's superior knowledge of Tax Structures, and I'll also have to look up the Berrigan Brothers. I'm old enough to remember, but I don't. Could be the weed . . .

June 18, 2010 at 9:23 AM  
Blogger Veronica Stetter said...

ABSOLUTELY love this, and the rest of your blog. I'm working on the prop 19 campaign in California as a college rep and the whole movement is really exciting over here. When it passes I'm sure other states will follow as well!

June 29, 2010 at 1:07 PM  
Blogger PENolan said...

Welcome, Veronica!
Good luck with prop 19, and may it go Nationwide.

Cool blog you've got there.

June 29, 2010 at 1:42 PM  

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