Smoke It if You Got It
An appeal to Prohibitionists: Most of us are aware by now that individuals who use illegal drugs are going to get high “no matter what” [“Ohio’s Ganja Gauntlet,” November 9, 2011]. So why do you not prefer they acquire them in stores that check IDs and pay taxes?
Gifting the market in narcotics to ruthless criminals, foreign terrorists, and corrupt law-enforcement officials is seriously compromising our future. If you believe that people will one day quit using any of these “at present” illegal drugs, then you are exhibiting a degree of naivete parallel only with those poor wretches who voluntarily drank the poisoned Kool-Aid in Jonestown.
Even if you cannot stand the thought of people using drugs, there is absolutely nothing you or any government can do to stop them. We have spent 40 years and more than a trillion dollars on this dangerous farce. Practically everybody is now aware that prohibition will not suddenly and miraculously start showing different results. So why do you wish to continue with it? Do you actually think you may have something to lose if we were to start basing drug policy on science and logic instead of ignorance, hate, and lies?
Malcolm Kyle
For the Animals’ Sake
While I appreciate your interest in SAFE and the animals in domestic violence situations it protects, I am disappointed in some very important inaccuracies you presented in the piece [“Bad News for Fido,” November 9, 2011]. Most important: SAFE is not closed or out of existence. Although SAFE has been dormant for the last year or so, we are now actively in the process of reorganization.
Second: SAFE’s mission is to temporarily foster animals while their families reestablish themselves in safe situations that can accommodate animals. Anyone interested in assisting can call SAFE at 216-970-3050 or visit SafeAnimalsandFamilies@yahoo.com.
Leslie Gentile
This article appears in Nov 30 – Dec 6, 2011.
Marijuana is still thought to create violent behavior which results in murders, rapes and making men angry and violent…like alcohol does..or crystal meth or crack or PCP. The idea of medical huutch has made the idea of making people crazy and violent when somking a fat boy not as commonly believed, but the hangers on who will insist that the devil weed will only serve as a gateway to other addictions still dominates much thinking. What people don’t realize is that if it were not for pot mellowing out some of the violent alcohol driven tempers, or coke driven tempers or meth and others which really make people pissed off and violent, there would be more violent crime than there is. Tax and legalize it and understand that it is the least likely of all drugs to make people violent and thus criminals.
Now I am getting reckless and I will need to reel my ego back into control. I test this to see if I am going to loose anything to censorship.
I went on the other cleveland news site and commented on the Humane Society article. I was censored again and I think I know why.
I am in an interesting fight with the republican party and the censorship laws of social media which they are trying to put into place with the controled congress.
I will make short entries as was suggested to me by the only one at the PD who has responded to me where censorship concerns were made..K.O. of all reporters has been the only one who has helped me with my censorship problems where the PD is concerned.
I am not without powerful lawyers where this censorship of the internet is concerned and they are just as out-spoken as I am where the abuse of power where the media is concerned and in particular where the republican party is concerned in central Ohio and the republican owned Dispatch.
We all know that corporations and their investigators use the social media to find out darn near anything they want..right? There are no real secrets where social communication is concerned and we should all expect to stand by and be held accountable for anything which we say over the public communication systems.
We are all on a party line! That simple. But this is good for the freedom of speech unless we allow the control-freaked out lawyers and corporations high-jack this also as they have high-jacked all other aspects of freedom of speech.
I have to go to my favorite hospital, Metro on 25th Street. They take care of people who have no insurance and no income and no help from anyone but the state food stamp program, the hunger networks, the Salvation Army, Goodwill and dozens more of truly helpful organizations in the greater Cleaveland area. To those who are hurting like I am, there are some great helpers in the area…especially now with the Christmas Holidays….There are still some gifts which slip through the cracks of the retail powers of Wall Mart and gang. God Bless Cleveland!