Up in Smoke

I have worked in a school system and have dealt with all sorts of criminal types, from our clients to others associated with the teaching profession and beyond, so I don’t frighten that easily.

But lately there have been some things that have been frightening related to our ongoing war on drugs.  I listen to the radio.  I am on Facebook, so I have some idea as to what’s going on (except when it comes to sports where my knowledge is that of the average tomato’s), and I know that drugs have been considered cool, hip and chic, except, of course, to recovering addicts.  To them they are like poison.

I also know that the US of A is one of the biggest consumers of drugs.  Even though I was a child of the seventies, I never was that enamored by the stuff.  And at the ripe old age of seventeen, I knew that it would only mask any problems caused by boredom, pimples and the pain of a love gone south temporarily.  So even then I knew it wasn’t worth the bother.

The one time I tried smoking dope was at the beach at night with two guys, one of the school potheads and his friend.  We pulled up to the beach.  They pulled out a joint and passed it around.  I didn’t inhale because I don’t smoke to begin with.  We got back in the car and passed the police who were there checking on law and order and probably teenagers like us.

It was my first and last encounter with street drugs because I swore off them after that.  I never was that much into booze, either, and about the only wine I drink is Mogen David or Manischewitz because they are extra sweet and tasty.

So I am a teetotaler.  I like organic sheets and things and people that aren’t toxic.  Yet even I, a person with a background in educational institutions, found the news so shocking.

The online news source reported not only on the drug epidemic in our country but about how our country has been invaded by the Mexican drug cartels.  Coming in on the tail of the illegal immigrants, who are also allowed to roam freely around here, they have been forcing others to grow and harvest the stuff on our land before packaging and selling it back to our brilliant ones.  They are so well armed that even the feds are afraid of them, though they are often armed with weapons made in the good old US of A.

Their tactics to get others to comply is straight out of the annals of the Marquis de Sade and include beheadings, shootings and torture, the usual things for them.

The question is what to do about it before our whole country goes up in smoke after being turned into one giant barrio or burrito, depending on how you look at it.

We need to stop making so nicety-nice to the Mexican drug cartels like Sinaloa.  I know the overly liberal don’t believe in capitol punishment.  But what else are we supposed to do with those who make Gaddhafi look like the Tooth Fairy?  If they want to take care of them and support them in our jails, let them only on their own dime.  But there are other things I want to do with my money, like use it to build roads, hospitals and libraries, supporting food banks and go shopping.

For if we aren’t careful, our next president is going to be someone like Bob Marley and our new flag is going to be the same as Mexico’s only with marijuana leaves sewn into the center.