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The Forces
Oct. 6th, 2009 10:32 pmI've spent a good deal of time the past few days reading Bakunin. I really enjoy his thoughts, philosophy and aims. I find it hard to believe other people would find his ideas unnerving, unless of course they are in a position to lose from both the abolishing of centralized government and from redistribution of wealth. The same goes for Chomsky and Marx, and others. Really, truly, there is no logical reasoning to deny the absolute, unequivocal truth of virtuous anarchy, and yet, here we stand, with a top-heavy government that wastes our precious resources on perpetuating themselves eternally.
Another interesting point was brought up today as I was discussing marijuana. In the end, it breaks down to two reasons it is still illegal, as we know 100% empirically it is less harmful than alcohol (in both its immediate physical side-effects and long-term, as well as addiction plausibility.)
The first is that we do not have a method of detecting present intoxication from marijuana.
The second is that we have Insurance companies that effectively make it illegal anyway.
The second is more interesting, because there was a plasma-based test about a decade ago that was discovered and could be used to detect ACTIVE metabolites from a blood test. For some reason, this test has not made the market or the news. Alternatively, there are also machines available currently that test intoxication based on motor-skill reflexes, which is FAR LESS INTRUSIVE and FAR MORE FAIR to individual human beings, as one man might drink a beer and be just as good as a sober driver, whereas another might drink a beer - still be under the legal limit - and kill themselves or someone else behind the wheel. Oh, and we also have swab tests, and while claimed to be able to test for marijuana up to a week prior, I've known people who smoked a few hours before taking one and passed it. This means it likely only detects metabolites that are active and recent smoking.
The second is the first sign of our future, if we do not take steps to circumvent it. Coporations, as they are the only force which actually produces anything, will inevitably become our future masters. This is the cause of the world of Shadowrun, for those who are familiar. And we grow ever closer to this, as the power of coporate money in lobbying government will only continue to increase as the years go on. Not to mention the power of the technology and future technologies they alone hold the power to create and distribute.
It's not just marijuana, and that's the thing. Marijuana is a great tool for combatting government policy because it is draconic and mostly kept around because it's from the old days. How many of our laws haven't been reconsidered in modern time? Can we trust the motives of our government if they keep drugs that are safer for consumption illegal and ones that are known to be unsafe legal?
Another interesting point was brought up today as I was discussing marijuana. In the end, it breaks down to two reasons it is still illegal, as we know 100% empirically it is less harmful than alcohol (in both its immediate physical side-effects and long-term, as well as addiction plausibility.)
The first is that we do not have a method of detecting present intoxication from marijuana.
The second is that we have Insurance companies that effectively make it illegal anyway.
The second is more interesting, because there was a plasma-based test about a decade ago that was discovered and could be used to detect ACTIVE metabolites from a blood test. For some reason, this test has not made the market or the news. Alternatively, there are also machines available currently that test intoxication based on motor-skill reflexes, which is FAR LESS INTRUSIVE and FAR MORE FAIR to individual human beings, as one man might drink a beer and be just as good as a sober driver, whereas another might drink a beer - still be under the legal limit - and kill themselves or someone else behind the wheel. Oh, and we also have swab tests, and while claimed to be able to test for marijuana up to a week prior, I've known people who smoked a few hours before taking one and passed it. This means it likely only detects metabolites that are active and recent smoking.
The second is the first sign of our future, if we do not take steps to circumvent it. Coporations, as they are the only force which actually produces anything, will inevitably become our future masters. This is the cause of the world of Shadowrun, for those who are familiar. And we grow ever closer to this, as the power of coporate money in lobbying government will only continue to increase as the years go on. Not to mention the power of the technology and future technologies they alone hold the power to create and distribute.
It's not just marijuana, and that's the thing. Marijuana is a great tool for combatting government policy because it is draconic and mostly kept around because it's from the old days. How many of our laws haven't been reconsidered in modern time? Can we trust the motives of our government if they keep drugs that are safer for consumption illegal and ones that are known to be unsafe legal?
