The 12 Steps

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America Has Lost a Prophet: Gil Scott-Heron RIP

Sad news indeed: I've just learned that jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron has passed on at the age of 62. The above video is a not-so-famous later-day performance of one of his well-known songs from the 1970s, "Winter in America." His most famous songs are probably "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," "The Bottle" and "Home Is Where the Hatred Is." He had a hard life frequently struggling to deal with uncontrolled substance abuse, but he was an absolutely brilliant prophet of the American condition. He pilloried all the problems of American society, and with them a succession of politicians, holding Ronald Reagan up to the light of brutal excoriation. He was a singer and a poet; indeed many people call him the originator of rap music, as his first records in the very early 1970s consisted largely of spoken-word rants over spare jazz arrangements or percussion.

I can't believe he's now gone: I'll try to come back with a greater appreciation of his work later.

(I previously presented one of his songs here.)

Legalize It!

For all the awful choices in the upcoming elections, one good thing may happen in California. Marijuana, reefer, ganja, cheeba, weed, pot, hemp, molta, is finally up for legalization with Ballot Proposition 19. Prop 19 seeks to legalize pot, recommending turning it into a profit center for the government through taxes and legal control. While I believe pot should be legal for the simple reason that it is an entertaining herb arguably less toxic than alcohol or tobacco, if this economic approach works then so be it. Fascinatingly and tellingly, the greatest special interest behind efforts to oppose Prop 19 has been the alcohol industry, not eager for possibly cheaper and less centralized mind-altering entertainment. I'm sure ultimately business will find a way to coopt and commercialize pot, and that will be sad; but better that than the dangerous and utterly hypocritical status weed has today.

The illegality of recreational drugs has been the gift that keeps on giving for the international narco-terrorist empire, corrupt police, and the forces of repression. The so-called war on drugs has been an utterly stupid waste of money, life and civil liberties. While there are chemical drugs that should probably remain controlled just like health-giving presciption chemical drugs are, marijuana is widely recognized to have therapeutic qualities. And not that I am admitting to any illegal activity, but smoking weed is -- reputed to be -- good clean wholesome fun, making everything from social interaction, bad television, complicated music, sexual encounters, and junk food a hell of a lot more fun. Legalizing pot and narcotics would undercut many of the world's most dangerous criminals, sure, but it would also help stressed out people across this stressed out country lighten up a little.

While pot has been widely decriminalized in recent years, it's time to just legalize it. California is hopefully leading the way with this upcoming referendum. While predictably--and stupidly--the Obama justice department is suggesting it will continue to persecute federal drug laws in California, our nation's politicians, who smoke weed behind closed doors just like everybody else does, need to listen to their heads and stop their foolishness.

Again I'm quoting the immortal Grace Slick: "Feed your head."

Yes on 19 in California; legalize it nationwide!

one giant prison

So last month or so it was announced that ONE PERCENT of the American population is behind bars. Yes, one in every hundred people. Today it was announced that the absolute number of people behind bars in the US is the highest in the world. Yes, higher than the number of people in prison in China, which has a population well over one billion people.

Statistics show that over 50 percent of the people in prison are there for drug-related offenses, which is complete madness.

Hey, it's a free country!