The Best of the Past Year

Take Me Serious as a Pot Smoker, Seriously

(August 24, 2010)

As I’ve mentioned before, I almost change my opinion daily whether Proposition 19 is going to pass in November. Today I read that Facebook is blocking Pro-Legalization ads. I guess Facebook does fear user generated content. Apparently the theory, ‘by the People, for the People,’ only goes so far.  

One of the other negatives that has me slightly worried is the traditional Big Buck Pothead supporters like the legendary Giver of All Causes Liberal, George Soros, is conspicuously absent, as is his money. Also other backroom backers that have always seem to be behind Pro-Pot activities are missing, but I can’t guarantee that, if you know what I mean…Maybe the usual suspects will pony-up around Rocktober when we’re nearing the finish line.

But I have one question today, ‘How does Change happen?

Let’s just say Prop. 19 passes. Okay for the next week, it’s a Pot-O-Thon in the Malden Streets of San Francisco. Then when one of the Stoners will be reminded that the law really doesn’t take effect until the end of January, ought Eleven.

But then what? Are we then like little Munchkins in our bright, new Emperor’s clothing unafraid to come out of hiding and blaze up? How will that work?

For some of us oldsters, we’re still going to be nervous smoking in public, forgetting that we can’t get busted now. It will take some getting used to that WEED is now really legal. See, change is hard if you’re used to looking over your shoulder or in rear-views all the time for the ubiquitous Man. But if Legalization passes in November, that all changes. We will be free to be ourselves.

But how does change happen?

Here in San Francisco, the Proposition 8 is kind of a big deal. I don’t want to make a huge deal out of this but…I kinda live in a gay town, shhh.

I’ve lived among people who have been trying to come out as themselves for as long as I can remember. After the recent change in the legislative battle for the Right for Gays to marry, it’s getting close. But I assume, as with the Legalization of Marijuana, the Same-Sex amendment will eventually be brought to the Supreme Court.

I see many similarities between the wishes of these two groups of people on their pursuits of Happiness. Everyone just wants to do their own thing without fear of being bother or held up to ridicule for their beliefs. Or worse, being thrown in jail for what society is afraid of looking at.

So when do we come out?

I’m not talking about smoking a joint at a concert or sitting in the park blowing a bowl, having strangers walk through your blue haze. I’m talking about letting your boss, parents, school teacher, Aunt, baby-sitter, neighborhood cop, and anyone else you would fear that they know that you get high. To bring it all home, what my Girlfriend’s Dad thinks of me, does really matter to me. He knows I’m a competent, producing kind of guy. I hate to think that could all change when he sees me getting high.

We don’t have that problem with alcohol. In fact, sometimes you can get into many car accidents or have a few incidents at Thanksgiving while drinking, and you’re still given a few more chances. It’s ‘cause we’re cool with booze. Not so with WEED.

I came out to my family over ten years ago. I was visiting my parents and I lit up in the backyard. Why hide who you are? If you can’t be yourself around your family, when can you be yourself?

Besides, let’s face facts. When you’re high, you’re not fooling anyone. The World knows you’re high, but no one is talking about it.

“I don’t mind if some gays come out, just don’t jam that Gay Agenda down my throat.”  That is always one of my favorite sayings of the Non-Gay Front.

The Girlfriend and I was at her parent’s for a barbeque a couple of weeks ago in their big backyard. Perfect San Francisco day, wind around thirty knots. Spray pelting us from the Bay. Devil’s Towers are forming and spinning on the streets, molding swirling debris and medical samples from the homeless into small moving columns that dance down Chestnut Street. I say to the Girlfriend, “Do you mind if I light up?” Knowing full well what the answer would be.

“No way, we’re at my parents.”

        I have to say, the Girlfriend’s parents are as cool as people can be who don’t smoke Pot. Both of her parents grew up here in the City and are not strangers to the issues that happen here. Her parents know I write a Dope column and that I’m a Marijuana activist. But for me to pull out a spliff and give it power to burn, that would be pushing things.

        And I understand what she is talking about. It would make her parents, and her, uncomfortable to see me hit on a hooner. The Girlfriend sees it as me trying to rock the boat. These feelings are all very understandable.

        But when will that happen? When it is finally legal, is that when the all clear sign happens.

        Red Rover, Red Rover, send some major Bud over. I am stoking this joint and I don’t care who sees me.

 Right?

No way, even if it’s legal, there’s no way the Girlfriend is going to let me smoke in front of her parents and make everyone uncomfortable.

What is the difference between now and when WEED becomes Legal? Isn’t it just a state of mind? If you know what I’m mean…

        Is it just going to be a big party in the streets because now someone said it is okay for us to be who we want to be?

        Or is it up to us?

        When it comes to WEED, I always defer to the side of responsibility. I’m not talking about blazing up in front of kids, but as adults, what are we waiting for?

        Is it are fear of not wanting to rock the boat? Or is it deeper and more insidious?

        Is it our fear that we don’t want to be seen as your average Cheech and Chong stoned out of your minds Potheads? That when someone sees us smoking Dope, we somehow also have to explain that we can still do our jobs or drive on the stuff, if we have to. Or to be more honest, sometimes I drive and work better when I’m stoned. There, I said it. I actually can do some of Life’s tasks better, if I’m stoned.

        I’ll tell you two things that are better when I am stoned, parties and boring times. If I’m bored, getting stoned can motivate me and make me do something I might not normally do. But to be honest also, it can make me sit on the couch watching ‘L.A. Confidential,’ for like the billionth time.

At parties, once I’m stoned, the people I didn’t like or were judgmental about, those immature thoughts melt away like waking up from a bad dream.

        Living in San Francisco, I’ve marched with my Gay and Lesbian friends. I was there the night the cop cars burned after the Dan White verdict. I brought coffee and warm clothes to my old roommate who was stopping traffic on one of the bridges for Act-Up while that group of activists were doing their best to bring attention to HIV and Aids to a World that didn’t want to hear it or see it.      

        I learned long ago, we’re all in this together. How one segment of the population is treated, has a direct effect on the rest.

        We’re familiar with the saying, ‘A high tide raises all boats.’ I’ve learned that the opposite can be true too. With what is going on in the news with Anti-Muslim and Arab sentiment and the Tea Party almost reaching their boiling points every day; I can see how a low tide brings us all down too.

        I tell you what real change is. It’s when you look over and see normal, regular folks with jobs and families, smoking joints like its nothing. As soon as more of us start to light up at ballgames, on the street and in the Avenues, the sooner the rest of the population is going to think that this is common behavior.

        I need to light up at my girlfriend’s parent’s house, to show that I’m not Charley Manson or that somehow I morph into Jeff Spicoli at the first hit of some Blue Cheese. That I’m just me, only slightly goofy and I might laugh at the odd moment that others might not find as funny as I do. That could be the worst that could happen.    

        Really, what is wrong with that?

        I’m all for your Hempfests and smoke-outs. I do my walk on 4/20 to Hippie Hill to see the kids at twenty after four in the afternoon enjoying a freedom that only happens when you and your closest fifteen thousand other dudes and dudettes decide it’s safe to light up.

        But what about standing alone like some thirteen-year-old in Milwaukee who realizes that they don’t like the opposite sex, they like their own. How brave is that?

        If we want Legalization to happen, we shouldn’t wait until someone hands it to us. We should take it. We should own it.

        All us Potheads, we need to come out and let the World know that they don’t have to fear us. Let’s give them the images of the Carl Sagans, the Michael Phelps, the John Lennons of our World, our winners. Let the public see you can be productive and a valued member of society and still bang the gong. Let’s bring them in on our pursuit of Happiness. Let’s be real. Show them how we get lost and laugh and return to the same spot we were just in, but now, we’re a little happier and realize, Life’s not that bad when you’re high.

        What’s wrong with that?





Merry Christmas and Happy Holidaze

The Top of the Pot’s 2010™

 

Here are the stories, tidbits and bong-thoughts of 2010 that caught my attention.

Veterans and Weed

In July, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs changed its stance from ‘Attention’ to ‘At Ease’ by allowing the use of Medical Marijuana for G.I.’s in the states where M.M. is legal.

Maybe one of the biggest underreported stories of the year was the acceptance by the United States government to allow marijuana as a possible medical treatment. Maybe the silence is because it is working. Under the repressive climate that still persists, despite success that has been achieved, some of the medical establishment is still fighting the results.

According to an article in the LA Times, around twenty-five percent of the returning Vets from Iraq and Afghanistan are experiencing effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.) Using Cannabis as a treatment for PTSD has proven to be an effective alternative to the drugs that leave soldiers dependent and ‘depressed and out of it.’ Many of the Vets complain that the drugs dispensed by the VA have not helped and they have become estranged from family and friends due to the addictive nature of the treatment being offered.

“I ran the limit with V.A. drugs,” returning Vet Paul Culkin states. “Once I turned to Medical Marijuana, my life improved.”

But that doesn’t matter to Dr. Andrea Barthwell. “Even if we have some success, there’s no data to examine. There hasn’t been a standard of care set. We can’t tell how many people are being harmed by it.”

What year are we in again?

Nevada and Medical Marijuana

“Yes, we have no dispensaries.”

In the year 2000, the voters of Nevada overwhelmingly passed a Medical Marijuana bill. Since that time, dispensaries sit as vacant as Lindsey Lohan during a script read while advocates and activists try to work with an industry-fixated town that is losing more money than a drunken Keno player. Regular folks and hopeful Green Rush operators work on getting the medicine to the people, but mostly it’s just a big financial sinkhole for anyone who, at this time, tries to get involved at the distribution level.

Imagine all those ten-gallon jars, on counters and in display cases, remaining empty while town leaders ponder ways to revitalize a town with eighteen percent unemployment.

Two words to all you Strip Daddies: The Munchies. You allow Medical Marijuana - you’ll see Food and Beverage tabs that would make Bugsy smile.

The town’s depressed the way it is…And you guys think Weed would be bad for your image.

Really?

Proposition 19

To 2010, this was the eight hundred pound Bud in the room. Not one of the politicians running for office would comment on the bill for fear of alienating some unknown voting force. The polls fluctuated like Oprah’s scale. But it opened doors of perception not seen since Tim Leary told us to, “Tune in and Drop out.”

Prop 19 showed the weaknesses and strengths of the movement. Heroes and villains were made and crucified. And now as the blue smoke settles, the verdict is still out. We all know one thing, there’s no going back now.

Hash

Hash is the new black. The demand for Hash with connoisseurs, especially down in Hollyweed, blazed like a hot-knife fire in Ought 10. New and different methods for making hash are being developed that solve the bubble out and melt issues, leaving us with a smooth burn like it did in the day.

The High Times Cup in San Francisco had a few party-goers doing the taser-dance on the floor because of the unexpected high quality of the Hash being smoked at the event. A few stretchers had to be called.

Unexpected Bonus: While many of the old-skool types still do throw away their trim and larf in the dumps and down secluded ravines in plastic garbage bags, the smart growers are selling it for a decent profit. A tertiary business was created by some enterprising Hippies who search the countryside for discarded leaf to make their own Hash or sell it to other Hash-makers.

San Jose Busts

All I can say is…I don’t get it. Sixty miles away, it’s like another country. Everyday another dispensary or delivery service is being busted in San Jose and the area. Just last week the City Council made some rules to limit the harassment the dispensary owners down there are facing.

To be fair, according to some people I interviewed in San Jose, this was another case of SOME dispensaries getting too big for their britches. They start small and in no time, they have like five-hundred thousand members. The rules state you can’t have that many, but the rules remain fuzzy at best.

Because of the disorganization surrounding the Medical Marijuana practices in the South Bay, many SJ growers are sitting on their crop until the smoke…clears? Starts up again?

The Union Label

It was this year that United Food Commercial Workers Local 5, reached out to the Budtenders of the Bay Area for unionization.

“There are thousands of new workers ripe for unionization,” Dan Rush (really), Local 5 organizer, manifests. “There will be good union jobs with middle-class incomes.”

Too bad for Mr. Rush that Budtenders make pretty good money (around seventeen dollars an hour plus bennys) and for the most part, love what they do.

Good luck there, Norman Rae, I don’t think the Budtenders are going to need any representin’ any time soon.

San Francisco Marijuana Task Force

All I’m going to say is that, San Francisco, with all of her good intentions, becomes too political and too sensitive for her own good.

The San Francisco Marijuana Task Force (SFMTF) is no different. Less than a year old and infighting is prevalent with the fear that SOME less than scrupulous dispensary owners are trying to get a piece of the pie for themselves at the expense of patient’s rights.

We’ll see. Remember, all eyes are San Francisco to see how the whole Green Rush thing is going to work out. Other states that have passed Medical Marijuana Laws look to us to see how we do it, warts and all. That is until Colorado surpasses us because their dispensaries are allowed to be for-profit.

Mom, are these brownies for me?

San Francisco Department of Health has established some of America’s first regulations concerning magic baked goods. After some kids and grandparents got into mom and dad’s cannabis-infused brownies, San Francisco demanded new packaging for all baked good. No longer can they have brands that mimic candy wrappers that look like ‘Snickers’ but say, ‘Snockers.’  Packages have to be individually wrapped and clearly identifiable as Cannabis-infused baked goods. And children and grandparents are not allowed in the kitchen where funny goods are being baked. I made up the part about the grandparents.

Also if you want to make hot or cold food on the premises like ice-cream or milkshakes, you have to take a class and there will be a test.

Put the lime in:

A)Your ear.

B)     Out the window.

C)     In the Coconut.

Killer Bears guard Grow

Need I say anymore? When Royal Mountie Dan Moskaluk (truly a Canadian name) came upon 2,300 grow in British Columbia, he was surprised by a few Black bears that were trained to guard their master’s crop.

        At first skeptical and little afraid, the police soon realized the bears were quite docile and very mellow.

Maybe the Jimi Hendrix headband and the blunt hanging from Yogi’s mouth should have been the first give-away.

The Green Rush

The rumor mill was spinning like a hamster on Red Bull the closer it came to voting time. There was talk of R.J. Reynolds and Monsanto buying land throughout Mendocino and Humboldt counties in preparation for the passage of Prop 19.

Land sales did go boom with investors coming in from Europe, Israel and Russia. Billboards sprung up along the highways advertising the cheapest Turkey bags and the Wal-Mart in Ukiah at the end of the harvest has a wall displaying all sorts of different Fiskers scissors for any one of your various trimming needs.    

But to say that Big Business got involved where we could see it, I don’t think so.

I did hear that McDonald’s was going to put out a new ‘Happy, happy, happy Meal™,’ but that was it.

No Hemp for Old Men

Ron Paul tried to get the American Hemp industry off its feet again with the introduction of a bill that would allow for the cultivation of the Hemp plant. As any stoner will tell you, the Declaration of Independence was written on Hemp. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew it. 

For many centuries, hemp was the bomb. It made the sails that discovered the world. All our clothes were made from it. And it was cheap. You didn’t have to kill trees. Did I mention it was cheap?

And like the water-fuel engine, it was too practical and there was more money to be made from lumber and cotton.

        There’s no THC in it, so what’s the deal? It’s too bad we’re not in some economic slump where quality, inexpensive, building materials could help us change our image from a non-productive country to one that does stuff.

Barack Obama Inhaled

In a direct response to the vague answers of the previous two presidents concerning their Marijuana use, (“Ah didn’t inhale.” And “Made a bong once in shop, hee, hee, hee.”) it was very refreshing to have a president say, “I inhaled, that was the point.”

        That’s also why it is disheartening to have a cool president who was still pressing the illegalities of Marijuana, even in 2010.

Busts are up

        Everyone tells me that weed is almost legal in San Francisco, yet in Frissy and New York City, the arrests for Marijuana are up. This does have a lot to do with the fact that heads are smoking more freely and forgetting to look up and see if a cop is around before sparking up that joint.

        The Minneapolis Five-O busts four stoners a day for weed.

        Last year, New York wrote up better than 47,000 stoners for Weed infractions.

        California has to let go of about 40,000 prisoners from our prisons due to the lack of funds and overcrowding. Lucky that they still have room for the Tommy Chongs of the world.

Eric Holder spoils the Party

A few weeks before the historic vote was to take place concerning the possible legalization of Marijuana in California, attorney General Eric Holder announced that even if Prop 19 was passed, he’d still arrest marijuana users.

        “Marijuana is illegal under Federal Law. Drug agents will vigorously enforce against anyone carrying, growing or selling marijuana.” That, along with the Rand Corporation’s  supposed findings that Legalization would have little effect on Mexican Drug related crimes, and worse, maybe the price wouldn’t come down on the cost of weed as dramatically as some were predicting, all possibly led to the failure of the bill.

        This one-two-three punch sent many who were on the fence voting-wise, straight down for a no vote.     

Head of the Class

        Schedule I is the only category of controlled substances that may not be prescribed by a physician. Under 21 U.S.C. § 812b, drugs must meet three criteria in order to be placed in Schedule I:

• The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.
• The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
• There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

Here it is in a nutshell. The fight over Marijuana right now is whether Marijuana possibly could be a medicine? Fourteen states have said yes. According to the feds, however, there is no data proving that Marijuana has any medicinal benefits.

        That is because as long as Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug, no research can be done. There is only one university in the United States that is allowed to explore the virtues and possible long-term benefits of Marijuana, and they cannot get what they need for research because of the classification of the drug.   

        The attorney generals of the world can continue to scare the straights with misinformation and fear that their children will be locked up, even if a state passes a bill for legalization. As long as Pot is demonized along with the likes of Heroin and PCP (Coke and Speed are Schedule II’s) pot smokers can and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and at the whim of the current political climate until this classification is changed.

        Besides for general misinformation, this is the basis for all the madness surrounding the demon weed.

Amsterdam hash bars off limits to tourists

As the political tides change so does everything we take for granted. The new conservative Dutch government announced in an astonishing decision that the coffee houses that have sold Hash and Marijuana to stony tourists for over thirty-five years, is coming to an end. This is mostly because of a lot of uncool Belgian neighbors are coming through the bridge and tunnels over the border, getting hammered, and ruining it for the rest of us.

The Dutch government says they no longer want to be known as a loosey-goosey country and is hoping the make-over will help.

In a move that is sure to ensure the legacy of black markets for decades, only locals with ‘coffee house passes’ will be allowed in.

The heart of the problem is the crime and disturbances surrounding the sale," said Ivo Opstelten, the Dutch minister for security and justice. "We have to go back to what it was meant for: local use for those who would like it."

In three years there’s going to be a sad day in parliament when some white-wigged dude is going to have to stand up and say humbly, ‘Ve vant our Hash money back now. Oops, ve made a little mistake.’

CBD’s

Yet another big story of the year that the straight press has stayed away from. Here’s something I cut and pasted from http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/mj028.htm explaining just what CBD’s are.

CBD (CannaBiDiol) increases some of the effects of THC and decreases other effects of THC. Larger amounts of CBD tend to relax both mind and body, and decrease feelings like anxiety, nervousness, and paranoia.

Cannabis that has a high level of THC and low level of CBD will produce a very strong cerebral high. The body may feel more physically energetic when compared to ingesting cannabis with larger levels of CBD.

Cannabis that has a high level of both THC and CBD will produce a fairly strong cerebral high. The body will feel somewhat relaxed and heavy. At lower doses, physical activity is possible (with effort).

Cannabis that has low levels of THC and high levels of CBD will produce more of a stoned feeling. The mind feels relaxed and dull, the body feels relaxed and heavy, most people do not like to engage in physical activity.

But here’s the real dealio…CBD’s are the future of cannabis. I personally know individuals who are treating themselves with the leaves of certain strains of weed and are beating Hepatitis C and Cancer. I am not making this up. In England they’ve been doing research for many years and are of course are light years ahead of the States in this field.

The bad news…IF, if, the proper strain was isolated and all medicinal benefits from the plant could come from CBD’s, which doesn’t get you high, you could actually have dispensaries dispensing Medical Marijuana with very little THC. Another reason legalization needs to happen.

Weed, Misdemeanor to an Infraction in Cali

If you get busted with less than an ounce in San Francisco, the police will give you a ticket and you no longer have to face a jury.

If you’re familiar with the people of San Francisco and their unique ways, I bet when push comes to shove, when in doubt, if it came down to it I’d vie for a jury trial opposed to facing Judge Judy.

It’s going to be like “Let’s Make a Pot Deal.” Would you like to try to plead your case in front of twelve jurists who believe that San Francisco is already too conservative, or would you like to take your chances with a judge who’s bored and wants to get a hooker and go fishing…Hmmm.

For the Kid in all of Us

In the summer just when it looked like Proposition 19 might have a chance, horror stories started to rise like just like the old days when the public nemesis was comic books, rock and roll, and video games. The cries began, “What about the children?” Marijuana will stop the kids from learning and they’ll quit school and become pot smoking hobos. Is that what you want?”

Studies have shown that while tobacco and alcohol use is down with teens, marijuana usage is up, slightly, but up.

I see it around me. Most of the parents I know hide their pot use from their kids until they are old enough to have a conversation regarding drug use. 

At the same time, I see more and more parents bringing their kids to shows and events where they know Marijuana is going to be prevalent, like anywhere in this City.

So I can see why Marijuana use is rising with our youth, it is becoming more and more socially accepted.

This data can be interpreted anyway you want.

In the weeks preceding voting day, the opposition was hot with the rhetoric when it came to kids and Pot use. Rightfully so, we do need to be responsible if we want to bring Marijuana into the mainstream.  

Here’s my point…

The papers and the Net are full of scary stories with kids eating magic brownies and pictures with two-year olds hitting on a bong.

But there is another side to new users turning on that no one is reporting. The number of the elderly who have never smoked Marijuana or ever had any intention of doing it, who have found medicinal benefits, and yes, recreational benefits, from getting high.

I know so many friends who have given a joint to a family member who was either in pain from the treatment they were receiving, or needed some alternative medicine to what their local doc was recommending.

Marijuana works. It takes away pain, changes your mood and makes you eat when don’t think you’re hungry. You don’t have to be House to know that. But our parents and grandparents don’t.

They, like many, have been fed a line of bull and just like that high-school student who gets stoned in a backseat of a buddy’s car for the first time in the parking lot after school, they find after the fear subsides, this marijuana thing is pretty nice. In fact, I feel good. Now I’m laughing. Geeze, I haven’t laughed like that for months. Holy Cow, I don’t even want to do Heroin. Everything I hear about this is wrong. I’m really enjoying myself. Now, only if my legs could move.

I know of so many stories from the past year where grandparents have reached out to Cousin Maynard or some other cool cat in the family, wondering if the effects of Marijuana might work for them.

  I know from the interviews that I’ve done over the past year with patients in dispensaries who never thought they’d be where they are, and maybe they wouldn’t, if it wasn’t for an external condition that made them seek out some relief.

Maybe this is what it takes but it doesn’t have to be.

Here’s an idea, how about being extra nice to Grandpa and Nana for Christmas this year and give them a vaporizer stuffed with some exotic purple Kush. I know they’ll thank you even if they don’t know how.

Peace



Net Neutrality, Why it is Good for the Rich and hence, bad for America

Why are we even playing games dancing around the issue of the Rich versus the poor? We are in hard economic times. Most people are afraid to say it, but some of us have to go. We cannot sustain our lifestyles with this constant reminder that we’re all not born equal. I get it! Now can you just make them go away.

Before we start rounding up the demographics that smell and bother our other senses as we have to maneuver through their unfortunate bedrooms that we call sidewalks, there’s another way of taking out the poor, but it is more insidious and will require a tad more patience.

As you know it is legal to wiretap or tape the American people. Homeland Security has removed any law or freedom that would stop another government bureau from listening to any of our private conversations whether on phone or Internet. The only time the big communication providers stopped is when the American government couldn’t pay their bills. That’s when Comcast, AT&T and Verizon said enough, “It is against the American Way to tap someone’s phone and not be paid for it. We refuse to comply with the unpatriotic stance of whoever is responsible for Accounts Payable. We will have to cease and desist from our monitoring activities until the American people can find the courage to rally their politicians. It is incumbent that we find the needed resources so we can continue our vigilance on the communication of our peoples.”

I made that up but it is close…

 Back to my original point, we dropped the ball when the cash for wiretapping dried. So the question is how can our telecommunication giants retain their power and at the same time, try to crush the poor?

The answer is so easy, get rid of Net Neutrality.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is supposed to regulate the Internet fairly. There’s this pipedream that the Internet just like Life, is supposed to be fair. So if you’re on the Internet and you type a keyword, you’re supposed to be directed to any website that may come up first, mostly because of the keywords you’ve used. But what the big Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) want is to relocate your search to the business that pays the most, and hence, be redirected to their website first.

Net Neutrality is the biggest issue facing America today that you’ve never heard of. There is a chance if we don’t act quickly; the poor and the weak may gain a leg up in society if we don’t take action now.

One of the aces in our back pocket is King of Presidents, George the 43^rd. Under George II, the FCC reclassified broadband as an ‘Information Service’ instead of the more highly regulated, ‘Communication Service.’ With the Communication Service, there are a lot of rules you have to follow. By changing the rules a little and calling it an Information Service, they're more open for, let’s just say some finacial backdoor maneuvering.

So basically what we need to do is gut the Internet and make it more cash-friendly. It is so easy; just take a look at digital TV. For a while there it was almost free. In the day, a wire coathanger was all you needed to watch Gilligan.

Once it was ‘tiered,’ then different plans could be concocted based on the size of your wallet. A better way of saying it might be because of the lack of the bulge in your wallet. Why do we want poor people to get stuff for free?

 If we get rid of Net Neutrality, Internet Service Providers will have the freedom to choose which information moves quickly or not. Can imagine some innocent soul wondering what Net Neutrality means? Will it not be comforting that more than likely, Fox News will be their first responder of ‘better’ information? That’s control we can live with.

We are headed towards a feudal society. It is just a matter of time before we elect a King and Queen, and the poor become serfs and slaves to us Rich, the way it is supposed to be.

The Internet could be used as a weapon of Truth if we sit on our collective hands and let this Internet freedom thing win. This whole Wikileaks thing is forcing us to almost look at information that is supposed to be secret and we’re not supposed to know. If the Net was totally open and free, think of the multiple opinions and dialogue that could be created. To control society, we need to control the media, otherwise what do we have? Little Tommy Paines walking around posting blogs and articles filled with common sense and lies?  That means freedom for anyone who can write and post to the Internet? That’s un-American if you ask me.

In the next few days, the Senate will be voting on Net Neutrality. Here’s our chance to put a huge divide between the Have’s and those who were too stupid to trust their leaders.



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