This is a citizen opinion or daily commentary page. No specfic topic is to inane or weird. This is a place of free expression. Just know that commentary will be edited from to time. This page is a vehicle for all those in the know and those who do know. I call this page One Paradise View. So vent away your frustrations and desires....
Would you please take one minute to call your congressperson and ask him or her to vote for the medical marijuana amendment that the U.S. House of Representatives will be voting on as soon as the evening of Tuesday, June the 27th?
It's easy: Just call the Capitol switchboard operator at (202) 224-3121. Give the operator your zip code and ask to be connected to your U.S. House member; you don't even need to know your U.S. representative's name to do this.
When the receptionist for the congressperson - not the Capitol switchboard operator - answers, say something like: "Hi, this is [name]. I live in [city], and I'm calling to ask that my representative vote for Congressman Maurice Hinchey's (pronounced Hinchee) medical marijuana amendment to the Justice Department's spending bill, which I understand will be considered on the House floor in a few days. The amendment would prohibit the Justice Department from spending taxpayer money to arrest medical marijuana patients in the 11 states where medical marijuana is legal."
Please call now: (202) 224-3121
More Information Responding to the growing conflict between the states and the federal government over the issue of medical marijuana, Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) will offer an amendment to the Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations bill that would prohibit the U.S. Justice Department from undermining state efforts to provide terminally ill and chronic pain patients access to doctor-recommended medical marijuana. The amendment would prohibit the Justice Department from spending any money on arresting or prosecuting medical marijuana patients in states where medical marijuana is legal. 161 members of Congress voted for a similar amendment last year.
11 states have enacted effective medical marijuana laws - Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. The U.S. Justice Department, however, continues to spend millions of dollars arresting medical marijuana patients and their caregivers - even in states where medical marijuana is legal. At a time when violent drug cartels remain at large and threats of terrorism continue to emerge, it is irresponsible for the Justice Department to jeopardize public safety by wasting scarce law enforcement resources conducting raids on hospice centers and medical marijuana patients.
The Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment would not prevent the Justice Department from arresting people using, growing, or selling marijuana for recreational use. Nor would it prevent the Justice Department from arresting medical marijuana patients in the states that have not approved the drug for this use. It simply prevents the federal government from arresting cancer, AIDS and MS patients that use marijuana for medical reasons in states that have adopted medical marijuana laws.
Substantial majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents support medical marijuana. A 2001 PewResearchCenter poll found that 73% of Americans support medical marijuana. A 2002 Time/CNN poll found that 80% of Americans support it. The Institute of Medicine has determined that nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety "all can be mitigated by marijuana." Allowing cancer, AIDS, and MS patients legal access to medical marijuana is supported by the American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, American Bar Association, the Whitman-Walker Clinic, and Kaiser Permanente, among other groups.
Please urge your U.S. Representative to support the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment to the Justice Department spending bill by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Thank you, Noelle Davis Executive Director Texans for Medical Marijuana
www.TexansforMedicalMarijuana.org
========================== Please repost this important public service notice.
It has been a while. Quite awhile, actually, well--since last fall, but before that, it had been awhile. In case you havent guessed, hiking. Last fall, my friend Brian and I set out to reach the summit of Greyrock, not sure of the height, but it sits 20 minutes outside Fort Collins, Colorado in Poudre (Poo der) Valley.
This trip we had planned for more than a week, he had to get permission from the wife. Hmph! Unfortunately, when we set out it was late in the day and we did not get a chance to finish it. Simply, it was late fall and we had failed to anticipate the 6.5 mile round trek to and from the summit might suffer the fate of darkness.
Forward June 18th 2006, my friend Brian and I returned to conquer Greyrock, this time we went earlier, and this time we conquered. Yes! We were men! Arrrrgh! On our way up and on our way down we solved the problems of the planet, including that peace thing that seems to pop up every generation. Heck, we even solved the Middle East quandary. And, no it was not nuke the place until it glowed. No, we felt that there would be eventual peace, if only we could catch Saddam Hussein. Oh yeah, we did that. There would be eventual peace, if only the Iraqi people would elect a government. Oh yeah, they did that. Yes, we thought that there would be eventual peace, if we dropped a 500 pound on where Al Zagawi lived with his fellow conspirators. Oh yeah, we did that too. Hmm? Well did solve it though. We figured we let the "the undocumented workers," Mexican Nationals, overrun their borders for awhile--certainly that might bring about peace (tongue inserted firmly in cheek here). However, the political discourse and rancor that resides within the country was a bit more difficult to resolve. We figured that "civil" discourse was no longer viable, in that, it has been transformed, obscured, and blunted into submission. As we hiked, we debated on the civility of Americans on days gone by, we were convinced that every generation felt that morals of the following generation were in decline. We met several people along the trail, some with their dogs, some with their kids. They all outpaced us both up and down the mountain. But we traveled at a leisured pace soaking in the ambience of nature. The trail ahead may have looked ominous, but not all things appear what they seem. This is a message that has been a theme in my life. I have regretted much, and not always empathized enough. Some of my life's indiscretions and indecisions had not always brought me much joy or happiness, but they had brought perspectives unexpected. The question had always been, what is next?
Forward motion. Each step is placed in front of the other. For me waging that eternal chaos of Eros and Thanatos: the battle of living life and letting life decay by erosion to inevitable death. Yes, my friend and I pondered the mysteries of life. But the everyday doldrums, the living of life taking the shorter route, the steeper path, the dips and ascension powers our certainty forward. I listened to my friend's angsts, resentments, both professional and personal, and I listened to mine. Our frustrations can be painted in pastels, so they can brightened, and fruitful. Yes, the may seem to multiply, but it is the journey, in which, the travails and experiences shone us a new perception. Yes, each ripple, each step, each moment become more precious than the last. Nature renews. Nature provide the vehicle of transformation and connection. The mountain air soothes the spirit and energizes the heart. Nature brings love and incarnation. Nature brings life....
I thought I needed a funny moment to relax; and since, I have not wrote a post lately, I thought I needed a mental time out. Oh, I wish I could say its writers block, but its posting block. Funny! I have four postings to type up, and yet they sit on my computer desk. (Heavy sigh) Too much brain damage from school this Spring semester. I need to relax. Here is one way, I tried to do this. Now we joinYouTube.com in progress!
There's a very odd feeling of melancholy that seems to seep in whenever I'm leaving a familiarity behind. Even if I'm leaving for the better... it seeps in. It kind of overtakes me at times, makes me question my decisions, think about them twice.
I'm sitting underneath the crab apple tree, in front of my door. Maybe for the last time, who knows….It's not really my door anymore. There is so much in those walls, so very much. It was the first physical piece of individuality that I snagged. I held it and I ran with it. Sometimes I tripped and fell. Sometimes I didn't feel like getting up. But I held onto it nonetheless, I held onto my box…. It echoes now, every step and every movement it hears it echoes back at me. And as empty as it is, it is ten times as full.
I'm going to click "Post". Then I will click "Post" again. Then I will close my laptop. I'm gonna put it in the case, then I will carry the case, my cigarettes and keys to my car. I have a new box now. But I'm deathly afraid that I won't be able to fill it the way I filled this one.
I'll be back later just to empty the storage. I won't sit underneath the crab apple tree and listen to the echo of the song that the screen door number two and the Pearl Street wind are playing. I really don't think I can. So I will say my goodbyes now: Goodbye Ellie & Fiona, Subaru of America, Christopher Robert Simon Stoop, and Fathers’ Day Catastrophe. Goodbye to tears and laughs. More tears than laughs; until, the next time around.
Please re-post!!!
And, no it was not nuke the place until it glowed. No, we felt that there would be eventual peace, if only we could catch Saddam Hussein. Oh yeah, we did that. There would be eventual peace, if only the Iraqi people would elect a government. Oh yeah, they did that. Yes, we thought that there would be eventual peace, if we dropped a 500 pound on where Al Zagawi lived with his fellow conspirators. Oh yeah, we did that too. Hmm? Well did solve it though. We figured we let the "the undocumented workers," Mexican Nationals, overrun their borders for awhile--certainly that might bring about peace (tongue inserted firmly in cheek here).
