Cognitive Liberty

There is an implied principle in our constitution. That principle is cognitive liberty. In order to be truly free one must not only be free in body, but also free in mind. The last thing the elite in America want is for middle and lower class citizens to have is free minds. This is why the elite sit by and do nothing while alcohol producers run amok. When you compare alcohol and cannabis effects on the mind you find one glaring difference. Cannabis enhances the mind while alcohol dulls it.

Patriotism and being a good citizen

There is so much fear mongering in this country today. You may remember what Bush talked about as he stood in the ruins of 9/11. He spoke of not allowing terrorists to change our way of life. Terrorists have not been the real ones to instill fear. Our government has taken care of that almost entirely. Many people are being led to believe that many attacks on American soil have been prevented. If you think this might be true, ask yourself how many attacks were prevented between 1993 and 2001. Are we really suppose to believe that in the 8 years after the first WTC bombing, everything was calm on our soil, but in the nearly 5 years since 9/11 that they haven't stopped coming. This doesn't fit with what is known about terrorism. The government says that the 9/11 hijackers were here for a relatively long time. Some speak of a 10-12 year track. The clear evidence that overseas targets were in terrorist's site after 9/11 is the Madrid bombing. There is one thing that is always interesting about terrorism. If a potential terrorist is caught before completing their mission, it is not a necessarily a conspiracy. When they do complete their mission, it is always a conspiracy. It is clear from this logic, that they are simply looking to enforce politically expedient "justice". I don't know what alleged "shoe bomber" Richard Reed really did, but imagine what would have happened if that plane had exploded. You can bet someone would have been on trial.

The government relies on indifference and outright ignorance, to get its most extreme work done. For those who aren't ready to led by a leash, massive propaganda is used. The best recent example, was the information presented to the country and U.N. before the Iraq war. The images presented, supposedly of of biological weapons facilities and such, were nothing more than pictures of buildings.

A true patriot is someone who follows the policies they believe are right and challenges those they believe are wrong, nothing more, nothing less.

The Uselessness of Fining any Large Corporation, Drug Companies in Particular.

Most upper Fortune 500 companies consider fines a part of doing business. This is clearly evident of in the practice of toxic waste dumping. Companies consider the resulting fine an acceptable business expense and continue their actions.

There is a single line between street drug dealers and pharmaceutical company execs. The regulatory structure. If allowed to act without impediment, the drug companies would focus their attention on making drugs that are not only ineffective but also severely addictive, because this would be the path to pure profit. The regulatory structure is suppose to be in place to protect people from the most heinous and predatory natures of true capitalism. I sincerely doubt such a regulatory structure would be necessary if Southern California Railroad v. Santa Clara County was not decided in favor of the plaintiff. When corporate person hood was established, true consumerism died. Companies lead people to believe they are competitors when they are nothing of the sort.

Until corporations are forced to pay the same penalty for betraying public trust as they are for betraying their fiduciary responsibility, this issue will only become more devastating. The regulatory structure has been bought and paid for by sums of money that were never intended or could be imagined by our nations Founders.

Personal responsibility, a notion at the heart of the democratic philosophy, cannot be exercised, when the most powerful natural substances are banned, While more dangerous large molecule pharmaceuticals are stuffed down the consumer's throat.