Referendum Shmeferendum

I'm sitting at my office on the Albion Headlands gazing at the great blue Pacific ocean. The Albion river runs east as I look over my right shoulder. The sun is shining, after a weekend of nurturing rain. I am eating delicious Indian samosas and parmesan stuffed mushrooms from the Albion Store and a cup chai of tea, From the Mendocino Tea company with whom I share the office space. Blessed doesn't' really describe my position in life. It is truly a treasure and I am fully aware of my privilege to be here. I am a free woman in paradise.

I daily exercise and fight for my rights and for those less fortunate than I, because With privilege comes responsibility to make the world a better place. At least that's my moral imperative.

I was, as you know, optimistic about the elections, thinking that the progressives were laying in wait to jump out of the election day cake and yell "Surprise! We are here, we are sane, we are patient and we are voting". But alas, I was wrong. Really wrong. I wanted to wake up Wednesday and say "Good morning, Marijuana and hemp legalized in California" But no. I know it wasn't a perfect proposition, but I truly believed it was a step forward.I thought it was for the good of all and the idea that we would pay taxes, no one would go to jail for reasonable cultivation and transportation and the cops couldn't touch seed, nor stalk was exciting to me.

The only county the majority voted for prop 19 was San Francisco, Here in Mendocino county only 47% wow. San Francisco is more progressive than we are. What's happening just doesn't makes sense to me. And all the election hoopla! The unprecedented spending of $four billion dollars on mean and nasty campaign ads. Glad that's over. They called it a referendum on the Obama Presidency, but I can pretty much guarantee that much of America's electorate wouldn't be able to define referendum. Here, let me. referendum is "a vote" Yes indeed that surely was a referendum.

I wanted to see a positive change from this election. sensical, logical, progressive solutions. Nothing much changed in terms of going forward, but a whole hell of a lot happened in reverse.

Am I alone in this? Well I may not be alone, but I am certainly in the minority. Yes, and as far as minorities are concerned this was a devastating election. Minorities who are the majority didn't turn out in large numbers to vote. And the new bosses are not concerned with the general welfare of this nation. So sad, so sad, The Democrats lost because they had no respect for the people who brought President Obama to the White House. They and He remained a staunch ally of the Banks, Corporations and the people felt disposable. If President Obama had just listened to me, when I told him to bail out the homeowners and not the banks, we could have stabilized the entire economy. If he had been more vocal and active on withdrawing troops and making those accountable who went to war under false circumstances. I say there would have been a groundswell of support and reelection, but most people I know, felt abandoned and apparently have answered in kind.

Oh well, republicans are already gloating, mouths watering at the opportunity to dismantle the health care reform, terrorize immigrant workers, take away a women's right to choose, destroy Same sex, marriage. Yes, it's all on the chopping block. A giant step backwards. The country has turned a disturbing shade of red with the republican sweep of the election I have an eerie chill running down my spine. I hear the sinister laugh of Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell in my ear. Mwa ha ha. It's the The culmination of, racism, colonialism, despotism, nepotism and capitalism, ism, ism, ism. It's a corporate capitalistic coup.

We hear that the major issue in this election is jobs and the economy and the failure of the Obama admin to do something about it. Like he could pull jobs out of a hat. Yet the republican agenda, like that of Rand Paul, elected in Kentucky, supports the tea party's major initiative to cut the federal workforce and it's wages by %10 and freeze hiring. That sounds counter productive to me as opposed to Obama's job stimulus bill and tax cuts for new small businesses, which I myself will take advantage of.

You know what would really stimulate the economy? Ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and making 2/3 of American Corps who don't pay taxes, like Exxon and Citibank, do so. Think of the net savings from both and then reinvesting in Alternative energy, conservation and education. Then we'd legalize marijuana and hemp and voila! A fat and happy economy for all! To me, that would be logical, sensical and responsible. Gosh, maybe by 2012 we'll get the progressive agenda together just in time for a happy ending.

A Declaration of Dependence

The US war on Drugs has cost our country a trillion dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives, north and south of the border. California Governor Schwarzneggers' decision last Thursday to decriminalize possession of up to an ounce of pot is a deliberate step toward a truce in that war. It lightens the burden on the criminal justice system that gets constipated with these petty battles, drains the economy and wastes law enforcement time that cold be spent dealing with serious crime. Interesting timing. Isn't it? Proposition 19, the regulation and taxation of Cannabis for adults, is on the electoral horizon and Schwarznegger opposes it. This brings up an interesting dilemma.

If one can legally possess cannabis in California, don't we have to legalize and regulate the growing of it? Where are people supposed to get their marijuana? From Mexico? Ah, there's the rub.

The turf war we are witnessing now on the border with Mexico has very much to do with the illegal trafficking of Marijuana. It's time to realize that continued prohibition is a national security threat and it is foolish to think we are not complicit in the violence there. Pot comes this way, weapons go that way. (Check out the grassroots action of Justsaynow.com founder Daniel Pacheco interrupting a speech of US Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske and delivering a petition of 52,000 signatures in favor of legalizing Marijuana). We really have to get smarter about our relationship with Mexico whether it concerns Marijuana or the hot button issue of immigration, especially when it comes to electing someone new to the office of Governor in California.

Billionaire Meg Whitman is adamant about secure borders, deportation and outright rejects the Dream Act which would provide a path for legalization and higher education for the children of undocumented workers who have lived in America for most of their lives. She forbids them to realize their dreams while she is free to live hers by any means necessary. Her pre-Ebay roots, as far as I could trace them, go back to the wealthy enclaves of Boston, maybe she's related to the original tea party gang. The original immigrants.

We discovered last week that Ms. Whitman employed an undocumented worker named Nicky Diaz Santallan for nine years. While Meg ruled her empire, Nicky cleaned up after her and her children. Whitman claimed ignorance about her employees legal status. These politics are increasingly familiar. When someone is outspoken and or obsessed about illegal immigrants they've usually have one in their own backyard. Same deal if some congressman or evangelical is outraged about the Gay agenda, they are soon caught with their pants down in the men's room, Why not confess, tell it like it is and refresh our legislature with laws that reflect our real world? Come out of the closet and get real about our relationships, especially with Mexico.

Less than two hundred years ago, California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico all belonged to Mexico. President John Tyler wanted to annex Texas and Mexico said "no". So, the next President, James Polk, offered to buy New Mexico for five million and California for 40 million dollars. Mexico said, "No gracias". They had just freed themselves from Spanish colonialization and then these gringos wanted their land. So they fought for it and lost. By signing the treaty of Guadlupe de Hidalgo Mexico surrendered the lands and those who remained in the relinquished territories were guaranteed safety and protection of existing property rights. But alas, as was the fate of treaties with indigenous people in North America, this was not honored. And now we have this hysterical border mania.

You know the difference between European immigration to North America and Central American immigration to the US is that the Europeans used relentless force and violence to overthrow and murder the native population while the immigrants from the south risk their lives to come here, work for us, make our lives easier, and have become the backbone of our economy. The truth is; borders are made up. They are lines in the sand, and laws are simply words on a page. Either can be erased and replaced with something that serves us all, the higher good.

Let's make peace with drugs. Let's make peace with Mexico. Let's Open and regulate borders, engage in rational realistic drug policies. Let's let a little sunlight in. Think of the productivity and rich cultural diversity if we join forces with Mexico and evolve into Americo! Then we can all smoke a big fatty and celebrate our mutual dependence on each other. Yeah, a new paradigm that would end the war on drugs. But this time, instead of a a treaty, we'll sign a declaration of dependence.