9/11: Personal Reflections

[uberreiniger]

Has it already been two years? It feels like it's been a long time, but it doesn't feel like it's been two years. Does that make any sense. But the date got me thinking and that's always a dangerous thing. So here is my open letter to America about all the things it hasn't learned since the day the towers fell. *RANT WARNING*

1) To drug users: Marijuana and Ecstasy are bad for you. You know it and I know it, so please cut the BS. They are not illegal because the Mean Ol' Government wants to ruin your good time. They are illegal because these drugs make you stupid and there are enough stupid people born into the world as it is without you artificially making more.

2) To atheists: When you deny the existence of something you forfeit the right to be offended by it. So please, kindly shut up and let the rest of us enjoy Christmas/high school graduation/whatever. You are not being oppressed. You will KNOW when you are being oppressed. As a demonstration, please take a vacation in Iran or just about any nation in Africa or the Balkans so you can find out what being oppressed by a religion really is.

3) To Fundamentalist Christians: You are loud, rude, cruel, un-Christlike, and nobody likes you. Not even other Christians. Especially other Christians.

4) To a very tiny minority of black America: Nobody owes you reparations.

5) To illegal aliens: You are going the wrong way. Thanks to the crooked corporations who run our government making deals with the petty dictators who run yours, all our best jobs have been moved wherever it was you tried to leave from. Sorry. Joke's on you. I'm not happy about it either.

6) To pro-abortionists: I respect your point of view, but given it's nature, please stop being surprised when other people disagree with it.

7) To anti-abortionists: Remember all those children you told these girls to put up for adoption? Adopt one. It goes a looong way toward giving your argument weight. And lighten up on birth control, too. If it's that or a dead baby which would you rather pick?

8) To men: Contrary to what you may have read in HUSTLER, most women don't enjoy or even want to think about anal sex or sex with other women, so if your girlfriend says no, please just stop asking. However, if she says yes, (and more importantly, afterward says "again!") don't brag about it to your male friends. Cause dude, if you two break up, they're so totally calling her.

9) To women: We don't care how fat you are. Beauty comes from within and ugly knows no weight class.

10) To the Politically Correct: You are right, jokes about one's race/sexuallity/ethnicity/religion are not funny. What they are is FUCKING HILARIOUS! So step off the soap box, get over here, and start laughing your sick asses off with the rest of us.

Comments

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

I think the fact that you would need to research a substance to find the safest way to take it says a great deal right there.

I cmpletely agree that prison space should not be wasted on drug users - people caught in possession or whatever, not people who committed crimes under the influence. Rehabilitation is definately the best way. Besides, the way our prisons are, trying to punish a drug user by putting him in one is like trying to punish a child by locking him in a candy store.

As for doing what the drug war has "taught me to do," I don't feel that's the case. I haven't known as many drug users as a lot of people I know, but I've known enough personally to stand by my statement that the drugs I mentioned have an effect on your brain chemistry which lasts beyond the initial high and stymies your mental functions. Alchohol might do that to your liver, but not your brain, (unless you're drinking enough in a binge to damn near kill yourself anyway.) Ditto for nicotine and your lungs. Show me that McDonald's does that and I'll stop eating there.

I don't think you can simply say "all drug users are stupid

Unfortunately, I can, I just did, and will probably continue to do so.

It's simply not a black and white issue.

Maybe not, but that's just it: I tend to see things in black and white, which is what's led us to so many disagreements in the past. You're right. This is probably something we just shouldn't talk about. We know each other's opinion and probably aren't going to change each other's, so perhaps a moritorium on the topic is for the best.

[meggmoon.livejournal.com]

Wow. Tyree, you just called me stupid. I didn't think you'd let a discussion like this lead to that, at least not without any sort of softening of the stupid calling, which I guess I should take to mean that you meant not to soften it. Which I think is sad.

By taking any sort of drug I am accepting the responsibility of my actions. That includes any wholes in my brain that may occur as a result. For me, the risk is worth the reward and as an adult I feel capable of making that decision. I don't run around putting anything I can find into my body. I don't get high every weekend. I am a responsible drug user. You may not understand it and that's fine. However, I don't think blanket statements like the one you made can ever be good. Only ends up offending people, including your friends. I can look past what I see in you and don't understand (your religion) and I don't call you stupid for it. In fact, I admire you for it.

I think it's definitely time for any further disucssions about drugs to be off limits. I do also acknowledge that I sort of started this whole discussion - I could have just let your comment go. To be honest, though, I was offended by it and thought it was closed minded and wanted to talk about it with you.

So, how's the weather?

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

You're right. I could've worded that a lot better. Even if I believed all drug users were stupid people I could never defend it. People like Timothy Leary, William S. Burroughs, Jim Morrison and a lot of others were all bona fide geniuses who've done many things I admire and I like and admire you too. What I should've said was that I feel it is a stupid choice, and smart people can make stupid choices as much as anyone else. (Just look at our president with Iraq.) It's just more tragic when they do it. That's probably not the kind of apology you want, but it's the best I can give and still be true to my beliefs, just as you must be true to yours.

The weather's great. It's autumn. If you were here I'd suggest we go jump in some leaves and forget all about unpleasant discussions. Another really great thing about autumn? Candy's cheap. Cheap candy, cheap gas. This is America the way it should be.