 |
|
|
 Editorials | June 2005 
Proud to be an Expatriate
 Kato Yhcrana
Today the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against the use of medical marijuana [see article] and I have now become another person that would need it to get through my day only to keep from being too pissed off to function under government oppression, which has become the lifeblood of what was once the "Land of opportunity and freedom."
I'm not a pothead, I have a job, a good one at that, and I don't really care whether or not I have a governmental seal of approval on my leisure time activities. I will say, however that where my mind, body and spirit are concerned I am a strong advocate of freedom. It was a 6 to 3 decision, the Bush regime stated that the use of Marijuana for medical purposes has "broader social and financial implications." I feel that the gutting out of the Bill of Rights has some pretty significant social and financial implications.
Please keep in mind that the Bush people are the same people that are working towards overturning Roe v. Wade, thus making abortion illegal even when the woman has been a victim of rape or incest. I'm pretty sure that if one of the Bush daughters got accidentally pregnant after Roe v. Wade is overturned that she would still be able to find her way to a discreet physician and get things taken care of, but your niece might have to resort to more primitive methods.
National security in the US is a joke. We are more vulnerable to terrorist threats than we ever have been, due largely to the fact that we've got everyone in the world is pissed off at us, allies included. We are barely a nation at this point and have precious little security. Our intelligence assets abroad have been compromised by years of neglect and confusion over who's in control and what the objectives are. Many clearly defined objectives have been obfuscated by the lack of willingness by administrations to do away with problems like Al Qi'eda, let's face it, Bush and his pals have profitted greatly in the wake of 9/11.
It would take both hands to count the number of times that Bin Laden and others of his stripe have been in the crosshairs, destined for 72 virgins and the dispatch was called off, I wonder if maybe it makes sense to allow a threat or perceived threat to exist. I have to ask myself why there hasn't been another attack of any kind on US soil. We're not any more secure, is it because it would be politically devastating to an administration that touts their ability to keep us all safe? Wait, who was at the wheel during the biggest attack on US soil since 1941, the same asshole that told us that the war in Iraq was over more than a year ago.
During my time in Special Operations I saw firsthand the threats that existed abroad, they were and are very real, I kicked down doors and executed or detained terrorists in faraway places, we were, at that point, hitting them where they lived so they couldn't strike at us. It's difficult to route out the bad guys and keep the world safe from terrorism, but consider the base concept of terrorism, it has to do with striking fear in the hearts of the enemy. There has been more fear and terror placed in the hearts of Americans by the non-specific terror alerts and trumped up spin than by any one act or set of acts carried out by a terrorist organization. Are we going to bleed out another two or three thousand US soldiers to prove a point...then what?
We as citizens have become complacent while our leaders have stomped on civil liberties in the name of national security. It is officially illegal in the US to put forth any message dissuading someone from joining the military, and that's the least of our collective worries. No draft, bullshit! I received a letter from the Department of Defense last year compelling me to rejoin the Army after my tour of duty was long expired, I was honorably discharged in 1998 and my Inactive Ready Reserve expired in 2001. it took a lot of effort to keep me from going to Iraq to fight a WAR that I feel is being carried out in all the wrong ways. I did my duty, protected and defended the constitution, but alas I have gotten the short end of the stick and so have you.
The Bush regime controls every aspect of the American lifestyle. The air you breathe is continually being polluted by fossil fuels but you can't smoke in public places. Your tax dollars are going towards education but soon your kid will be learning the ten commandments, even if you're not christian. Illegal immigrants are being given ID's while US citizens are being arrested for not presenting ID to law enforcement. Our economy sucks, and even though we effectively have control of a majority of the oil reserves in the world our gas prices are higher than ever. Did I mention that we also have the world's highest per capita rate of incarceration and that Amnesty International has the US in the highest spot on their list of offenders? How about the 8,000 or so people being held without charges in our prison system, when does due process of law take effect for them. Now your uncle that is dying of cancer can't use marijuana to improve his appetite and extend his life. I'm sure that wasn't a consideration in the Terri Schaivo case, her suffering was just more political meat to scrape off the bone of civil liberties.
I know that this sounds like a rant, and it is. I now live in a free country, I get to rant. If my sister is raped she won't be forced to have the baby. If I want to tell my son not to join the army, it's okay. If someone is jailed over something unjust 1.2 million people can show up and create a political hailstorm to make change. If a politician were to bring Mexico into a war that was unwarranted there would be people in the streets tossing molotov cocktails through windows. And if someone's mother needs a couple of joints to ease her suffering from glaucoma no one's going to get too upset. Wake up, voting is no longer the way to make change, the last two elections were a farce. What sort of legacy are we leaving for the lives of our children? You don't have to vote with a bullet like people have in other countries have done, but isn't it time we started standing up and telling our government that we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it any more?! |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us