I Told You The Emperor's Naked
I didn't even know Parade magazine still existed until I noticed it in the Sunday editions of the paper where I work. I never much liked that magazine, but this week's cover story almost makes up for all those years inflicting "Howard Huge" on America:
Ironic anecdote: one reason I moved from Virginia to Connecticut all those years ago was because I had some vague idea that New England was "smarter" and "more intellectual" than the South. So it's karmic justice that, on the same day I read of a Virginia Senator's wisdom, I also read that Connecticut's governor opposes a proposed marijuana decriminalization bill because:
America imprisons 756 inmates per 100,000 residents, a rate nearly five times the world's average. About one in every 31 adults in this country is in jail or on supervised release. Either we are the most evil people on earth or we are doing something very wrong.That's from Virginia Senator Jim Webb's magnificent piece admitting that the Emperor has no clothes and the War on Drugs is a colossal failure. Of course, I expect he'll be ignored or dismissed as a soft-on-crime crank by his congressional colleagues, but I'll bask in a glowy feeling of hope for awhile. An hour, say.
Ironic anecdote: one reason I moved from Virginia to Connecticut all those years ago was because I had some vague idea that New England was "smarter" and "more intellectual" than the South. So it's karmic justice that, on the same day I read of a Virginia Senator's wisdom, I also read that Connecticut's governor opposes a proposed marijuana decriminalization bill because:
"The governor opposes illegal drug use and possession,'' said spokesman Rich Harris. "Whether it's a little or a lot, marijuana is an illegal drug.''So it needs to stay illegal because it's wrong to use it since it's illegal. The governor must've been stoned when she came up with that one.
posted by Jennifer Abel at 7:00 PM
5 Comments:
I had some vague idea that New England was "smarter" and "more intellectual" than the South
Obviously, you didn't read the "States rights" part of the US War Betwixt the States ;)
I had some vague idea that New England was "smarter" and "more intellectual" than the South
I don't know about that, but they do probably have better antique festivals down south. There's one semi-annual one going on right now along Highway 237 in Texas. I must have walked ten miles shopping this last Monday - leastways my legs felt like it. But I'll probably go back this weekend. ;-)
Er, sorry for going off topic.
The War on Drugs has never been about stopping drug use. It's always been about having plenty of excuses for new laws limiting liberty.
From the earliest excuses to lock up black men for possession of marijuana to the latest lame excuse of "American guns are fueling the Mexican Drug Wars" it's always been a way of getting idiot conservatives on board with more big government.
Take my boss for example. He's slightly to the right of Genghis Khan but when it comes to more cops and more big government tax money to lock them druggies up he's all for it. Hell, he thinks we should empower cops to summarily execute the "wrong" people.
They will never end the War on Drugs because it's doing exactly what the people in power want it to do.
The hidden message of The Emperor's New Clothes is that the truth is hidden.
Hmm. Common misconception, there -- it's not "'smarter' and 'more intellectual,'" it's cynical and more ironic.
Which makes it all the more fitting that we're not being smarter or more intellectual about this, when you think about it.
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