Nobody 735

Sunday, March 9, 2008
Nobody # 735

Nobody Asked Me But:

The time is out of joint: Oh, cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right! Hamlet 1.5.193-198

ON THE WAR AGAINST DRUGS

About two weeks ago, Dan Rather had an excellent documentary on InSite, Vancouver’s experimental answer to drug abuse.

InSite is North America’s only supervised injection facility. In this pilot program, the city offers its (mostly) street people a safe haven where they can do their drugs in a supervised facility with clean needles. They also offer free, non- mandated support and counseling to those who want to break the habit. The program has not ended the city’s drug problem, but many feel it has made a dent into it. And it has, most certainly, saved lives.

And yet, the program is in danger. Like those of the United States, Canada’s drug laws are national, and Vancouver had to receive permission from Parliament in Ottawa to suspend the criminalization laws within the city. Now that the Conservatives have regained control of the government, there is a real chance that the dispensation will be terminated.

Many, including Mayor Sam Sullivan, hope for the opposite. They would like to provide free drugs, which they think would greatly reduce on-the-street market value for their illegal counterparts and dry up profits for the pushers. It would also reduce the danger of people harming or killing themselves with impure drugs.

If I were a betting man, I would bet that Ottawa says no to expanding the program and even to its continuation. Conservatives in Canada, like their American cousins, aren’t big on humanizing the drug problem. They would rather make war, not love.

I could even agree if there was any evidence that the drug war accomplishes anything other than filling prisons. You make war on enemies. Most users are not enemies. They are sick. We don’t put drinkers in prison for being alcoholics. We don’t even lock up their suppliers.

In the case of narcotics, I am all for locking up the suppliers, although, with a large share of their markets gone, many will be out of business anyway. But, by all means, catch those who remain, and then throw away the key.

At the same time, reach out to the users. Show that we can be compassionate society. Decriminalize use. Try a few InSite-like experiments. The war on drugs has two strikes against it. It was a bad idea and it doesn’t work. It is time for a called third strike. It is time to return to our better selves.<<<

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK’S QUESTIONS

In what part of our country can you not even imagine having to live?

I would HATE to live in the Great Plains, Kansas specifically, where the wind sweeps coldly cross the plains, and seldom is heard an evolutionary word and immaculate creationism reigns supreme.

Hugh – “I suppose that Buffalo, NY would be the place that I could NEVER want to live in. Very nasty in the winter!”

Barb: “I would never want to live more than an hour, an hour-and-a-half at most, away from the ocean or a large body of water.”

If you were a songwriter drawing from recent experiences in your life as material for your next big hit, what would be the song’s title?

There is no Quee in K’bec

There is no Quee in K’bec
No T in Mon-real
And if you take French from French Fry
Then buddy, you’ve got Gaul.<<<

ON BASKETBALL

“The Bruins started poorly and got worse.” LA Times. How true! And it just made the overtime win Thursday over Stanford (77-67) that much sweeter. The victory, which came in one of the most exciting games I have seen in a very long time, clinched their third straight PAC-10 championship. These Bruins, on occasion, lose their offense, but rarely do they lose their toughness at game’s end.

Unbelievable! Yesterday, against California, the Bruins repeated their thrilling Thursday and actually upped the ante. Their 81-80 victory came on an off-balance 3 by Kevin Love, a steal and a behind the backboard floater by Josh Shipp with 1.5 seconds left.

And to show you what a difficult ticket UCLA has become, Jack Nicholson could not afford the type of courtside seat that he buys for Laker games. He had to settle for 5th row, directly across from us. He did look like he was getting his money’s worth in fun. (How about a donation, Jack, to redo Pauley?)

And here’s a huge salute to Bruin senior Lorenzo Mata-Real (picture)who played his last game at Pauley yesterday. He never stepped on the court without giving his best, and he is the epitome of a team player. This summer he will be the first person from his family to graduate from college. And now, on to the PAC-10 Tourney!!!<<<

On April 12th, in Portland, Oregon the ten-player high school U. S. Select Team will play the World Select team. Of the 10 players, 4 will be playing for the Bruins next year. Here are their pictures.

(Note: The other picture is of a center who was ready to sign a letter of intent but was rejected by the Bruins as being too political.)<<<

ON TUESDAY’S PRIMARIES

Make no mistake. The Texas and Ohio wins for Hillary were big. Much to my disappointment, she is right back in the race. I think Barack’s tactics in the weeks between his last win and Tuesday were all wrong. He placed too much emphasis on the Superdelegates, while letting Clinton to set the elections agenda. He allowed her to become the aggressor. To use a basketball analogy, Obama played not to lose rather than to win. In politics, as in other sports, she who sets the agenda has a large edge.

If Barack is going to win, he needs to take over the race again – to get his team into Pennsylvania and once more become the hungry candidate and not the contented one.

And, as Hugh points out, isn’t it strange that Hillary scored big in Ohio by opposing NAFTA, which she helped Bill create? That’s back to the old bit about fooling some of the voters all of the time and all of the voters some of the time.

What concerns me is that she could get the nomination just as I have learned to not like her much. She needs to lose, or I need to change.<<<

LA TIMES HEADLINE: Boy, 6, shot in head in Harbor Gateway area

I have written this before, but it is worth writing again. We don’t need the war in Iraq (or on drugs). We need one on gangs. We need to take back our cities and stop the drive-bys.<<<

Has anyone else noticed that the press has been more on Barack’s case the past few days? Could this have anything to do with Hillary’s charges that they favor Obama?

Of course not. To believe that is to believe that reporters are easily manipulated. That all you have to do is call them unfair and, true or not, you’ve got them.

That’s not our media……………………………..is it?<<<

I did something unusual – for me – last week. I stopped reading a book after 100 pages. (“Hunter’s Moon” by Randy Wayne White) I just didn’t like it much. Usually I am selective enough that this doesn’t happen, but when it does I stubbornly force myself to finish and then regret the wasted time.

Out of curiosity, I looked for a review of the book on Google to see if I was alone in my feelings and this is what I found:

“Unless you enjoy books with ridiculous plots, characters that are undefined and absurd, and a story that doesn't begin to do what little it does until well into the book, don't buy this book. I'm not familiar with other books by the author, and given my opinions of this one, I cannot imagine finding out. Boy, is this a bad book.”

I think I told you that I collect distinctive one-liners (sometimes two) out of all types of reviews. Here are a few of them.

Movie: “The Bucket List.”
“A travelogue of triteness.” Kevin Crust, LA Times.

Best Seller: “Liberal Fascism” by Jonah Goldberg.
“By the time I made it to the final pages, I was wishing that I had been invited instead to review a multi-volume history of farm subsidies. Michael Tomasky, The New Republic.”

Restaurant: Paperfish, a new Los Angeles seafood restaurant.
“served with braised winter greens and a lima bean purée that should have stayed in the kitchen.” S. Irene Virbila, LA Times.

One more review. An LA Times staffer wrote about the new DVD release of Sidney Lumet’s great courtroom drama, “12 Angry Men:”

“For one thing, its tidy, idealized depiction of the American justice system seems like a product of a more naïve time.”

Uh, buddy, it was a more naïve time.<<<

JOHN MCCAIN FLUNKED HIS HIGH SCHOOL MATH CLASS

At least I think he did. What else can explain his claim last Monday that a recent USA Today/Gallup poll shows that “the majority of Americans believe the surge is succeeding,” when, in fact, only 43% responded that it was?

And more bad news, John: 60% still call the war a mistake.<<<

ECO TERRORISTS BURN SEATTLE HOUSES

Terrorists are terrorists. They all claim “Holy” causes to justify their violence. They all deserve to go down.

AND DID YOU KNOW:

That employers take a $1.2B dollar loss each year while employees fill out their NCAA brackets?

NEXT WEEK’S QUESTIONS

What is something that you always used to love to do, that during the last few years you feel like you have “outgrown” or simply lost interest in?

What song has the power to bring you to tears faster than any other?