The Republican Reversion

There is one simple truth the modern Republican Party cannot fathom. The Constitution of the United States of America is not a business plan. The United States of America is not a business and cannot be run like a business. The United States is a nation of many peoples, a nation of ideas and ideals and still a nation of great hope for the rest of the world. The Republicans attempt to reduce the founder's vision down to the plebeian polemic of a tradesman is pathetic. Listen to the arguments forwarded by traditional Republican supplicants. Do they speak of America's proven resilience? Do they speak about the urgent need for alternative energy? Do they offer a plan for investments to rebuild our national infrastructure and provide quality education for the next generation? Do they have a definitive approach to an affordable health care system? They don't. What seems to terrify them today is a looming deficit in the trillions for which they see no solution. They cannot see beyond the confines of a quarterly report. For them it's a"bottom line" world. The solution is in the American gut and spirit. The solution is in the innovation and industry of our people. The solution is in the imagination and determination that spawns new business and commerce that will yield the revenue streams to replenish our national coffers. By the time 2012 rolls around, today's doubters and naysayers will be rendered silent and the United States of America will recover its place of leadership in the world.

Addiction

We are all addicts to one thing or another. Most addictions are harmless such as my addiction to football or adamantly following news and current events on television. Think of those baseball fanatics who actually keep play-by-play records of games long past and collect those useless baseball cards commemorating players long forgotten. But, don't tell them their pastime is useless.
Others are addicted to work and become agitated when they are not busy doing something they perceive as useful. One of my pet peeves has to do with anyone who cannot sit still or remain silent for an extended period of time. That has a lot to do with my avoiding youngsters who cannot contain their energy for even the briefest moment.
Cleanliness, anal organization, chocolate or food in general, bulimia, saving string or rubber bands, jogging and a host of "addictions" are common and at times bemusing aspects of the human condition.
There are, however, addictions that our society has deemed immoral, dangerous and illegal. Alcoholism and illegal drugs (substances) are the addictions that are viewed as a plague in the United States. No doubt that alcoholics have caused emotional and physical trauma among friends and family and killed countless thousands on the road. Prohibition was tried and utterly failed as people sought out the relaxing elixir at some speak-easy or in the privacy of their own homes.
The apparent solution was to legalize alcohol, control its manufacture and tax it heavily benefiting public coffers and devoting a small percentage of those revenues toward treating alcoholism. Yet, we persist in our "War on Drugs" without facing the fact that we will never win that "war." A recent article in the Economist points out how after nearly a century of effort and at great expense, drugs flourish throughout the world and human beings in pain or for pleasure will seek out their drug or hallucinogen of choice at any cost. Cocaine and heroine are insidious and ultimately devastating to the human condition. They take over the senses and cement addictions that are most difficult to expel. Those drugs and their derivatives should be put in a class with morphine and strictly controlled.
Marijuana, "magic" mushrooms and other herbal hallucinogens are far more benign and not necessarily addictive. They are recreational substances; not drugs. There is no record of anyone dying because of marijuana. However, like alcohol, I would favor of going beyond decriminalizing Cannabis and legalize the harvesting of hemp for all its commercial benefits and it flowering marijuana buds for recreational use. Marijuana, like alcohol, would be closely controlled, regulated and heavily taxed and as is alcohol, prohibited from use for those under the age of 18.
Hemp or Cannabis, has been so useful in our history that farmers who did not cultivate hemp in 1765 were breaking the law. The first and second drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper. The best rope for seafarers was made of hemp. Hemp is a superior fiber that resists mold and mildew, is easy to grow needing very little water and has a resistance to natural pests. Sturdy burlap and long lasting linen are made from hemp. All those virtues and in addition the plant blossoms with marijuana. Better that tobacco farmers switch to growing hemp instead of their deadly nicotine bearing leaves.
This proposal will come up to challenge the logic of Congress in the near future and to be sure arouse spirited debate. Eventually, the general use of marijuana and other herbal hallucinogens will become accepted and a large tooth will have been pulled from the jaws of drug dealers and drug lords now creating havoc with law enforcement and reaping the wealth of nations.