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Greetings, Quotaholics:
My wife and I were discussing the strange case of Jaycee
Lee Dugard, the young lady who was kidnaped at the age of 11 and
held for 18 years in the backyard of a known sex offender.
I
mentioned that a neighbor had called police to report children living
in tents in the backyard some 3 years ago. At the time, it appears,
police showed up at the front door, asked a few questions, and left
without even bothering to look in the yard.
My wife remarked “If the neighbor had said there was marijuana
growing in the back yard the police would have busted down the door
and searched every inch of the house and yard!”
The sad thing is, it’s true. Our prolonged “war on drugs”
has turned into military style raids on homes across the country when
the crime might be as little as growing a few pot plants for personal
use.
According to a Los
Angeles Times article “General marijuana use is, of course,
illegal. Under federal law, marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance
(in the same category as LSD, heroin and peyote) and possession of it
is punishable by up to one year in jail and a minimum fine of $1,000
for a first conviction. According to the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime
Report, in 2007 there were 872,721 arrests in the U.S. for marijuana
violations.”
But times are slowly changing. The Times article concerns the higher
profile of marijuana these days. From movies, to television, actors,
to politicians pot or it’s use doesn’t have the stigma it
once had.
“Smoking pot used to be the kind of personal conduct that could
sink a U.S. Supreme Court nomination (Douglas H. Ginsburg in 1987) and
embarrass a presidential candidate (Bill Clinton in 1992). Today, it
seems to be a non-issue for the current inhabitant of the Oval Office;
Barack Obama issued his marijuana mea culpa in a 1995 memoir.”
“The so-called marijuana movement has attracted some surprising
names. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has spoken out about decreasing penalties
for possession and protecting medical marijuana users. Earlier this
year, Glenn Beck of Fox News announced on the air: ‘Look, I’m
a libertarian. You want to legalize marijuana; you want to legalize
drugs — that’s fine.’”
According to Rassmussen
Reports, 51% of people polled think that alcohol is more dangerous
than marijuana. “Just 19% disagree and say pot is worse.”
“Nationally, 41% of likely voters think the United States should
legalize and tax marijuana, but 49% are opposed.”
“President Obama’s new drug czar Gil Kerlikowske has signaled
a shift away from the decades-old war on drugs toward more emphasis
on health treatment for drug users. However, 54% of voters say illegal
drug use is primarily a criminal justice issue rather than a matter
of public health.”
With the current state of our economy, locking up 872,721 people for
violating marijuana laws just seems insane to me. The overcrowding in
the prison system would be helped a great deal just by letting these
people out and not prosecuting any more.
Taxing pot has been talked about for decades now. It seems that cash
strapped local and state governments could find a ready revenue source
there. Taxes, coupled with the savings from not arresting and prosecuting
violations, would go a long way toward balancing budgets.
Plus law enforcement could spend their time looking a little more closely
into reports of children living in the backyards of sex offenders!
Enough of my ranting though. Do you think marijuana should be legalized?
Do you think alcohol is more dangerous? Should it be taxed? Or should
it just be decriminalized and people allowed to grow it and use it without
government sanction?
Now, where did I put those Cheetos?
Hungrily,
Comment
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“To be stupid, selfish and have good health are three requirements for
happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost.” - Gustave Flaubert
“Accordion, n.: A bagpipe with pleats.” - unknown
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The Candle
[Thanks Sied]
Mrs. O’Donovan was
walking down O’Connell Street in Dublin, and coming in the opposite
direction was Father O’Rafferty.
“Hello,” said the Father, “And how is Mrs. O’Donovan? Didn’t I marry
you two years ago?”
She replied “Aye, that you did, Father.”
“And be there any little ones yet?”
“No, not yet, Father,” said she.
“Well, now, I’m going to Rome next week, and I’ll light a candle for
you.”
“Oh, thank you, Father.” And away she went.
Some years later they met again.
“Well, now, Mrs. O’Donovan,” said the Father, “How are you?”
“Oh, very well,” said she.
“And tell me,” he said, “Have you any little ones yet?”
“Oh yes, Father. I’ve had three sets of twins, and four singles -
ten in all.”
“Now isn’t that wonderful,” he said. “And how is your lovely husband?”
“Oh,” she said, “e’s gone to Rome to blow out yer fookin candle.”
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“I know how I like to be treated, so I always start by saying, ‘Could
you give me a moment of your time, I know you’re very busy,’ and usually,
they will.”
“I really believe in myself. I’m the hardest worker I know, and one of
the best songwriters. There’s a craft to it, and it takes a long time
to hone it, and I work really hard at it.”
“I’m proud to pay taxes in the United States; the only thing is, I could
be just as proud for half the money.” - all from Arthur Godfrey, born
on this day in 1903
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Speak
right up!
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Trails
It seems that any park or greenspace large enough has been endowed with
hiking or biking trails. Some have been created by individuals on motorbikes
looking for somewhere to ride. Some were created by individuals looking
for exercise. Some are adopted animal trails.
Geocaching has brought me to a good many of these places. Offering ample
hiding places in the underbrush and forests, these places are magnets
to some geocaching enthusiasts. One such person has made it a goal to
place at least one geocache in every park around Cincinnati, and has
even named them as such. Each one is named, "A Cache In Every Park
- (Park Name Here)".
Some of the larger ones have a myriad of trails within. Looping and
intersecting in a variety of ways, they become mazes of sorts as they
lead to the far reaches of the area. Since none of them are simply straight
lines in & out, the intersecting curves often appear to lead back
out, but eventually lead deeper instead. This can be disorienting for
someone unaccustomed to it, or ill equipped. Many of the larger parks
& greenspaces have trail maps available, on-site, or on-line. One
can download a PDF map of the trails if you know you are going there.
Geocachers are better equipped than most. Having hand-held GPS (Global
Positioning System) receivers, they know exactly the longitude and latitude
of where they are. That does not necessarily equate to knowing the way
back out. Most newer GPS units have the ability to mark the point where
the user is at that moment. It called a "waypoint". If the
user creates such a waypoint before entering a large
forested area, it can be very helpful in finding one’s way back out.
Most of us forget this simple procedure. On one such excursion, I entered
an area where 4-wheelers and dirt bikes had blazed trails through a
watershed area. I knew this due to the large number of deep ruts filled
with water, and the unmistakable tread impressions. Someone decided
this was a good place to place some caches. Some dirt riders had already
decided to make a maze of the woods. Going from one cache to another,
then another served to disorient me. Out was somewhere I had no clue
as to it’s whereabouts. So, I followed the trails and guesstimated where
the exit might be. I was somewhat correct. I came out of the woods ok,
but I was 1/2 mile north of where I parked on the other side of a housing
area. Somewhat daunted, I simply followed the sidewalks back to my car,
now almost a mile away because people’s yards were making me go around.
One would think this would make me make better use of the waymarking
feature, right? WRONG! It wasn’t a couple weeks later the almost exact
same thing occurred in traipsing around in a metropolitan park. Although
the trails were better, where they ended isn’t nearly close to where
they began. Since I didn’t mark my starting point, I relied on the trails
once again, only to find myself on the opposite end of the open area
used for 14 soccer fields and 9 softball diamonds. Between them were
5 shelters for picnicking. It was a long hike back.
Here’s your quiz:
Do you go out hiking or biking only to find you were further from your
goal than what you expected?
Do you use a GPS unit when out in open areas?
Do you curse trail makers for their apparent sadistic tendencies?
Trails - A Good Place To Use A Billion Dollar Satellite Network To Find
Happy Meal Toys
Cliff (the High-Tech
Redneck who doesn’t rate a fancy ’signature pic’) 
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Kirsten
is on vacation. Here’s an article from the archive.
Email
Kirsten
"If I hadn’t
eaten so many Brussels sprouts as a kid, I’d be taller, I’d be stronger,
and I probably wouldn’t be gay."
~ Kirsten’s brother ~
When I was a kid growing up in South Africa, you never saw interracial
couples. It just didn’t happen. For one thing, in the South Africa
of the 70’s and 80’s, people were a little fearful of ethnic groups
other than their own. For another thing, marrying across racial lines
was illegal, so people engaged in such relationships went to great
pains to keep them secret. When the Apartheid laws were dismantled
and people were allowed to marry whoever they liked, critics were
vehement in their opposition to this change. They brought all sorts
of things into their arguments, like respect for cultural differences,
and social acceptability, and of course, the what-about-the-children
card. What was really bugging them, though, is that interracial marriage
represented a huge cultural change, and we humans don’t generally
cope well with that kind of thing. Now that everyone’s used to it,
no-one really minds anymore.
We (and by "we" I mean society as a whole) have not necessarily
achieved a higher form of social enlightenment. We have merely found
something new to grouse about. The current target of the "this
person shouldn’t marry that person" discussion is gay (or, as
the Politically Correct would have me say, same-sex) couples. Many
of the arguments against gay marriage are a re-hash of what I used
to hear with the interracial marriage debate. Same-sex couples don’t
have the same understanding as "regular" couples, what will
our posh neighbours think, and of course, the what-about-the-children
card. There are also some new arguments, mostly about how the fabric
of society is disintegrating and how gay marriage undermines the sanctity
of marriage. All I can say is that gay marriage has been legal in
Canada for a few years now. The fabric of society seems to be doing
OK, and the sanctity-ness of marriage is still intact. For what my
opinion is worth, I honestly don’t care who marries who, as long as
I get to keep my husband.
The concept of choice is an inevitable part of any discussion about
homosexuality. I could direct you to any number of websites –
with supporting studies and statistics - claiming that sexuality is
already determined by the time a baby is born. I could then direct
you to an equal number of websites – with supporting studies
and statistics – claiming that everyone is inherently heterosexual,
and that gay people become gay by making a conscious choice to "swing
the other way".
When I was in my twenties, while I was driving my brother home from
our parents’ house one evening, he told me that he was in a serious
relationship with a man. My eyes nearly fell out of my head and I
narrowly avoided driving into a tree. You see, as a teenager and young
adult, my brother had been a proverbial ladies’ man. A constant stream
of beauties would come in and out of his life as if it were a revolving
door. A woman would be his girlfriend for a few weeks, and then move
on to make way for whoever was next. Some of them would come back
for a second round. In the end, everyone got sent away. My brother
was not callous about it. He was not trying to conquer the world,
he was just trying to find fulfilment. At the end of each encounter,
he would be as disappointed as the girl that it hadn’t worked out.
Some time after my brother’s revelation to me, after the storms surrounding
his subsequent "coming out" had subsided, I asked him why,
after having had so many girlfriends, he had "become gay".
He pointed out that people become doctors or lawyers or teachers –
they don’t become gay. He didn’t wake up one morning and say to himself,
"Hey, you know what? I think I’ll go after men from now on."
He merely went through a long process of self-discovery that led him
to recognise an element of himself that had always been there.
There is an increasing body of evidence lending credence to the theory
that hetero- or homosexuality is influenced by genetics. Some areas
of genetics are very clear-cut. For instance, two blue-eyed parents
are always going to produce a blue-eyed child. The "gay gene"
theory is not quite as simple as that. That wouldn’t make any sense,
when you think about it. A gay man and a gay woman are hardly likely
to hook up and have a child – at least, not in the traditional
sense. The theory is that a certain arrangement of chromosomes may
make some people more prone to being gay than others, just as some
people, based on their genetic makeup, may be more likely to be left-handed.
Another theory making the rounds is that genetic mutation may have
something to do with it. Our genes mutate all the time – most
of the time, we don’t even notice it. But occasionally, those mutations
have noticeable effects.
Whether homosexuality is predetermined by genetics or not is not really
the point. Same-sex couples are part of the society we live in. It’s
nothing new, really. There have always been gay people – they
just tended to stay in the closet before. I don’t see any problem
with people embracing their sexuality – whether they are hetero-
or homosexual – as long as they are not hurting anyone, forcing
anyone to do anything against their will, or doing the deed on park
benches in full view of the public.
Just as the whole interracial marriage debate ran out of steam, I
believe the gay marriage issue will cease to be an issue in due course.
Either people will realize that it’s really not a big deal, or everyone
will simply find something new to get all het up about.
Kaleidoscopically yours,
Kirsten
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Charlis said: “Just want to give Tim a great big public thank you…
I’ve paid big $$$ for tech support, but never gotten better help.”
You are quite welcome, Charlis. But did you think to ask for the
“Better Help” department before you paid the money? 
Charlis continutes, “He stuck with me through several e-mails.“
That’s probably going to be true for most people that E-mail
Dear Tim. In order to help you, he has to know what your
problem is, but also needs to know things like what version of Windows
you are running. I’m going to use this message as an example.
hey tim, i’m sure you probably have told us how to do this already
, but i must have missed it. how do i uninstall avg (free version)
from an old computer when it doesn’t want to uninstall ? thanx
Of course, the proper answer is to beat the old computer with a newspaper
like you would a puppy that won’t let go of your steak. But that’s
probably not the answer they were looking for. Perhaps they were looking
for the uninstall under Programs -> AVG. Or they could do it through
Control Panel -> Add/Remove programs. I don’t know if they tried that,
and I wasn’t told of any error message. I don’t know what version
of Windows they are running, if the “old computer” is worth saving,
I know nothing. Of course you’re going to get an e-mail from me. I
need to know these things to be able to help you.
With the possible exception of Pat, who doesn’t know how to use the
Shift key. pat, you have to be connected to the internet to uninstall
avg.
Tim a’Musing
[Wow Tim, if you
keep getting compliments like this I’ll have to give you a raise!
Good job.]
Going to a Ball with his Raise
E-mail
Dear Tim
Comment
on this article
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Household Tips
To clean copper bottoms on pots and pans, simply open a can of tomato
soup paste, rub it on and scrub then rinse. If you do this weekly,
your pots and pans stay shiny clean. This is a very inexpensive way
to clean copper and brass items!
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Pretty good turnout this time. Where did Anne Onimous go?
Next opening line…
There once was a most dreadful Snob…
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
There
once was a man with a yearning
Kept trying to get it, not learning
Always to no avail
He would try and then fail
To acquire but never earning!
Maria in Illinois |
There
once was a man with a yearning
In fact, you could call it a deep burning
He desired to know
Just how far he could go
The last I heard, he was still learning. - Bonnie |
A nasty
young man name of Kelly—
Just ate peanut butter and jelly—
he roamed and he roamed
because he had no home
in fact he was godawful smelly. - Cassandra in New York |
There once
was a man with a yearning…….
Who was continually learning……….
‘Bout the facts of life………
From his pretty young wife………
‘Cause his head was often turning. - Skeeter |
There once
was a man with a yearning…….
Whose silly young heart was burning………
For the girl next door……….
But she was a bore…….
Though she had lots of "book learning". - Skeeter |
There once
was a man with a yearning……
Who really lacked discerning…….
Though one day he might……..
Be brought to the "Light"……..
And his life will take a new turning. - Skeeter |
There once
was a man with a yearning,
So he came to me looking for learning,
But I set his head right,
Said, "Write only at night,"
For you’ll need your day job to keep earning." - Author Unknown |
A nasty
young man name of Kelly
Was rumored to be quite smelly
When traced to its source
They found it, of course
It emanated from the lint in his belly. - Bonnie |
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Re: Smoking
Oh for Pete’s sake, being banned from smoking in ones own home? I think
this is more than political correctness gone wrong, which it may well
be. I have a sneaking suspicion that there is more to that particular
story.
Something tells me there may well have been an ongoing feud between
the two people for a while there. I’ve seen this type of thing during
my own lifetiime. Neighbors bicker over the most bullsh*t stuff and
when one party feels they have been sufficiently traumatized and think
that they have no other recourse, they have an almost maniacal "lightbulb"
moment when they realize there just may be a legal way to get back at
the opposing party. It’s too bad people can’t just be nice and polite
and talk things out. It works wonders, tho most people are afraid of
confrontation. People seem to think that politelty asking someone for
accomodation or help may result in an ugly scene and as a result they
just let things fester in their minds until things end up worse, like
going to court.
This is not to say that I don’t sympathize the tiniest little bit with
the complainer in this item. I live in a mobile home park (NOT TRAILER
PARK!) where the manufactured homes (NOT TRAILERS!) are very close together.
My neighbors directly behind my bedroom window sit out in the yard and
smoke and depending on the direction of the wind, their smoke ofttimes
flows directly into said bedroom window. Sure it pisses me off but I
just get up and close my window. I’m not going to ask them to not smoke
in their own yard. I mean for sure they’re mishuggenah goyim, but even
they have their rights. Btw, I used to smoke in my youth and I was careful
to be considerate and not blow smoke in anyones direction and I would
move or put out the cigarette if I found it was doing so. - GrammieSammie
I am not joking when I tell
you that I can usually smell someone smoking 100 feet away. I also enjoy
the smell of cigarette smoke as much as burning hair, an electrical
fire or brussel sprout flatulence. As much as I detest the smell of
smoking, I recognize someone’s right to indulge. My attitude about getting
it on ME, however, is the same as if someone had bulimia or masturbated
habitually. I simply do not want it on ME. If someone wants to smoke
Tasmanian Devils, (they smell worse than skunks), that’s fine, just
don’t make me an unwilling recipient of your stench. I have found that
typical smokers want to be considerate of my aversion to them. Occasionally
there is a smoker that has no smoking decorum and seems to beg that
a non-smoker turn their cigarette into an 1100° suppository, (that’s
how hot the tip is), but that is the exception.
I recognize
that if I want to limit a thing by law, that is simply distasteful to
me, it won’t be long before something I do will be the newest target.
- Bruce in Colorado Springs
SMOKE all u want
2 but do i have to breathe it 2 - dEE
Re: Cliff and Friends
Heck, I was alienated from
my parents before I was old enough for school. I made one friend there,
and then we moved to the country. I was always the fifth wheel there,
but managed to make three friends in High School. I left for a summer
job and never came back, but at the time, I found that by not getting
haircuts, I was easily accepted by other long-hairs. I joined an intentional
community that sent me to one of their other sites, and after two years,
I noticed that I didn’t feel like the new guy any more. Then, I realized
I’d been in that house longer than anyone else.
Leaving that group after it changed, I was really lost, but found a
co-op house and a few people who accepted me into their card games.
I went to a lot of meetings and did volunteer work without much social
success. Eventually, I got married, and my wife got busy severing my
other relationships of all kinds. When my one remaining male friend
provided an escape from that, his wife wouldn’t let him visit me even
though we were now next door, and then he suddenly got sick and died.
My social life then went on-line. For several years, my goal was to
have a guest at least once during the Christmas season, and only managed
it half the time. Eventually, I started to feel a part of the physical
community, but then was startled awake by a threatening noise and became
completely disoriented for two weeks. In trying to prevent a recurrence,
I got no support, and discovered that I was the victim of a lot of prejudice
as well, in a supposedly progressive group. I moved to a very alien
cultural area where I could at least afford a secure place to sleep.
I’m told that I’ll be "the new guy" here forever, but am starting
to meet people by looking for work. I hope to make friends with some
other refugees, some day. Those are just the highlights. My sister is
the social butterfly of the family, but neither of us have kids. - Bob,
Nerd of the North
I am sixty-four years
young. I have two friends that I have known for sixty-two years, another
two friends that I have known for fifty-six years. Many others that
I have had for thirty years. How did this happen? Though distance has
separated us, we maintained contact, by letters, by phone, by visiting
each other. We kept the connection because it became important. I have
buried two best friends. But I can say with a clear conscience I was
there the last week of their passing and said good-bye. They knew me
and were grateful I was there. Friendship to me, an only child, seems
more important than family. You choose your friends, but you cannot
choose your family. My friends and I have a bond that carries until
death. - BJ in Guthrie
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Disclaimer- All quotes printed in this publication are believed to be
accurately attributed, but no guarantees are made that some incorrectly
attributed, or even outright false quotes won’t get in here from time
to time. I assure readers that I will do my best to weed out incorrect
quotes, and will print a retraction as soon as I become aware of any errors.
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