A Laborious Day's Work

Comments on the little dingleberries of absurdity that land on my daily paper, like new-fallen snow:

1. We Don't Need Your Drugucation

Venezuela has given the cold shoulder to Amerika in re: the War on Drugs, by refusing to "resume cooperation", which is another way of saying they refused to subject their country and its people to the psychotic Puritanism of America's ongoing obsession with "drugs". Of course, it's also just possible that the drug trade is netting big bucks (or whatever their medium of exchange is) for the powers that be down there. But in any case, they're to be commended for their gutsy stand against our drug warriors, which contrasts so vividly with the abject capitulation of most other Latin American countries, who let themselves be bribed and coerced into cooperating with the delusional and hugely wasteful -- not to mention ineffective -- crusade.

2. And Speaking of Drugs...

An appeals court in California has ruled that federal law does not pre-empt state law vis-a-vis licensing of marijuana. Further, they said that the use of identification cards by "eligible users" "does not pose a significant impediment" to the federal Controlled Substances Act (you remember, that act which is the high water mark of Puritanism in this country). So it appears that "medical marijuana" is on firmer ground now, and that states' rights, at least in this one respect, have been given a new lease on life. Of course, it's a far cry from what should be the case -- namely, the elimination of _all_ drug legislation and the exile of "drug warriors" to Devil's Island -- but it's a start. The utter cruelty of denying people with a legitimate medical need access to marijuana has, for years, exposed the real agenda -- and inhumanity -- of the anti-drug bureaucracy. This ruling constitutes a significant crack in the facade. We can only hope that it will be honored by all states and that eventually the insanity of the "War on Drugs" will be generally recognized.

3. The Nigerian Connection

No, it's not about the spam mail we've all received concerning millions of dollars stuck in some bank in Nigeria, which could be freed up if only "you" would help. This is about the Nigerian cops confiscating money that was raised to support Obama's campaign -- raised at a "gala dinner", no less, and I imagine that _any_ dinner in Nigeria has to be considered "gala", since dinner is such a rare event over there. Well, frankly, I don't see what all the fuss is about. After all, the Chinese bankrolled both of Bill Clinton's presidential campaigns, and Hillary's as well, I'm sure. And they have much deeper pockets than the Nigerians. Plus, it's touching to find that the Africans have finally found an American presidential candidate they can believe in; shouldn't we be reinforcing that idea rather than sitting idly by while it's quashed by the local authorities?

4. Check Hags Here

An elderly woman in Sweden placed herself on a baggage belt in "the nation's main airport", apparently misunderstanding the instructions. Wonder if she got a warm feeling going through that X-ray machine? But actually, I'm not so sure she wasn't simply trying to avoid the humiliation of being poked, prodded, and strip-searched. We know the airlines treat your baggage much better, and more gently, than they treat you; maybe she was just trying to take advantage of that fact.

5. Hold That Tiger

President for Life, er, "Prime Minister" Putin of Russia shot a Siberian tiger with a tranquilizer gun when it started threatening a TV crew. I suppose Obama could be expected to defend the media with equal zeal. And it's a lot more impressive than Carter's encounter with the "killer rabbit" or Cheney's use of his lawyer friend for target practice. The idea that Russia is ruled by a guy who isn't afraid of tigers ought to give our home-grown globalists considerable pause. (No pun intended!)

6. Air Those Grievances

Why can't America be more like China? -- at least in dealing with complaints by airline passengers. Chinese authorities will now, when "passengers misbehave or refuse to disembark in protest over problems like delayed flights", punish the _airlines_ rather than the passengers. Passengers in China have tried to "storm grounded aircraft" on occasion! Would that American passengers were as gutsy, or as assertive as to their rights.

7. ZimBob Squarebucks

In a move that is sure to win the admiration of the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury, Zimbabwean authorities have recalibrated their currency by cutting 10 zeros off all denominations. So, e.g., a ten billion "zimdollar" note will now be worth merely one dollar -- quite a disappointment to those who considered themselves rich, but look on the bright side -- their tax bracket will go down precipitously as well. Now, please note, this move has actually been advertised as a bid to curb inflation. In other words, you take a worthless currency and subtract 10 zeroes, and that's supposed to make it worth something again? The economic sophistication of the Zimbabweans rivals that of American Democrats. The news item dryly stated that "the revaluation is likely to prove only a temporary fix for the national currency problem". No shit, Sherlock! But hey, it's all kinds of fun for everyone who _doesn't_ live in Zimbabwe, the way the hyperinflation in Hungary after World War I was. Everyone rolled in the aisles over those newsreels of Hungarians going to the grocery store with wheelbarrows of paper money. What we don't realize is the exact same thing is happening here, with the full knowledge and cooperation of the government. The fact that's it's "soft", i.e. low, subliminal in impact, by and large, doesn't change the fact.