Following The Yellow Brick Road

This month has flown by and what a full one it has been for me on personal levels. First, a friend dying from severe, chronic, alcohol abuse reminds me that marijuana has never been documented to have killed one person, and yet alcohol has killed millions, fact! Yet, we freely pour the liquor in this country and create alcohol dependancy while raking in the revenue. I used to tell my friend Bob, the one in a coma right now, that if he'd just switch to marijuana, he could stay functional and happier. But, "We all have to choose our poisons", he would say, then a quick toast to, "Eat, Drink & Be Merry". It's true, we really do all choose our "poisons". In a sense they're all around us. Even the air we breathe can be poison. By being born, we choose to arrive whole with the agreement that when our body wears out, we leave, and continue our experiences elsewhere. And, throughout time, humanity has looked for ways to ease the pain of life, both physically and emotionally. To seek a spiritual understanding of who we are and what is our place in this mysterious universe. Seekers have used marijuana for spirtual insight and comfort for at least 5,000 years and most likely closer to 10,000 years ago. In it's whole, unadulterated state, it is a "gift of the gods". And yet, here we are, in a modern, intelligent society, keeping bars of repression around the enslaved god out of fear and ignorance.

I am currently visiting relatives in Kansas and Oklahoma for the holiday season. 4 days before leaving for the very long car trip I got some very wierd health news. I have brain lesions consistent with MS, which explains the terrible migraines I've been getting for 8 months, which is why I had the MRI in the first place. I have many of the symtpoms as well and my neurologist is pretty certain we're looking at a form of MS. He said it so casually, as if he says it a hundred times a day. But the MRI is just the first step in diagnosis other than symptoms. Next is a lovely spinal tap the next time I have a bad "flare-up" so for now, we wait until I have more symptoms. But, all of a sudden, the medical marijuana debate gains even more interest for me as I continue my research on all of the many benefits of Cannabis Sativa by using both the male and female plants. It's fascinating to me that creation would choose to gift us with this plant that was useful to humanity in ancient days and knowing its possibilities are still being explored with positive potentials for commercial, medicinal purposes. All of a sudden, each aspect is equally important to me.

The reason we have not approved hemp production is the fear of the lightening of the dark, black line of demarcation that we've erected around this useful plant. I say it's time to erase the line, once and for all.

As I drove through the small Oklahoma and Kansas towns of my youth, my heart felt so heavy for the plight of the old agricultural community. Blackwell, Oklahoma, a place 15 minutes from my hometown of Ponca City, was once an oil boom town, like Ponca City and many of the oklahoma and kansas towns. The land is also good for agricultural purposes so there are many farms. Yet, in those fields are oil derricks that don't move anymore and have fallen into total disrepair. The small towns have become smaller and at a funeral I attended there on Wednesday I learned, many of the people in the area are big hunters out of necessity and they take great pride in hunting for their own meat and saving their families money. They take pride in knowing that their families will never be hungry as long as they can hunt. I gained a new appreciation for the cruel sport.

Wouldn't it be great if these small towns could be revitalized by the growing of hemp? It could be done, and soon. Much sooner than the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana at the state and federal levels.
I've commented on this subject in most of my posts so I won't rehash since I'm a bit tired from all the Tryptophan in the Turkey tonight but there are some great links to the right if you choose to review.

On this Thanksgiving day, I am thankful to the Spirit of America, the enduring spirit that always finds a way to survive and be fruitful and I am thankful for that Spirit that survives within me, aching to break the barriers of illusion so that my country can become one of true civil freedom and opportunity.

The yellow road to Kansas yearns to be lined with green but the silence in the fields reminds, "You're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy". A few windmills both a reminder of early technology and new technology converging . Next to the old, rusted ones, that sit next to an old turn of the century barn , now sit for those that can afford it, a new, shiny, quiet wind turbine, selling energy back to the local electric co-op.

The new energy economy is waiting here, and there, and everywhere! But it will require we re-examine everything we think we know. Maybe with the new energy and infrastructure will come the common sense that we left at the church door of our ancestors and we"ll dare to breach the traditions that keep us enslaved to ourselves.

I am thankful for that vision.
Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Kim

Political Inspiration

Well, we have finally made it to "D-Day". Election day is here and what a whirlwind it has been. For the first time in American history, a black man could become president of this United States. And, not only is he a black man, but a liberally minded black man at that! Is this really the same America?! Some thought it would never happen but here we are and the future is looking bright. For those of us that support hemp legislation and marijuana legalization, we can't help but wonder if this new wave in American politics might be indicative of the possibilities that still await recognition and understanding by the American people and its leaders. Many democrats have supported hemp and marijuana decriminalization efforts in recent years, even a few conservatives, like Ron Paul. And we may have a democratic dominant house and senate in the very near future. So, what does this mean to the pro-hemp agenda? Well, it means that if people will collectively, and loudly voice their desires to see the changes we need in the hemp/marijuana debate, that we just might accomplish this. However, anybody waiting for a politician to risk their reputation or a possible re-election might be seriously disappointed unless the voice of the mass collective demands it from them.
The call for change will continue but we must demand the change that we seek!
Over 20 million americans smoke marijuana on a regular basis, and we are sending atleast $150 million per year to Canada to produce our Hemp for us while American farmers are living in poverty, and foreclosing on valuable, fertile land.
The big buzz word this election campaign has been "Energy Independance" and everyone, both conservative and liberal agree that this must be a top goal of the American machine.
Hemp offers us the energy independance we seek!
We don't have time to keep waiting for change. It's time for us to become politically active about all of the changes we seek as Americans, the time is now!
I hope that everyone will feel inspired enough by this current election to continue being active and that we will no longer sit around waiting for change to happen.
Last night I attended a Tennessee NORML rally here in Nashville. Though it was slightly unorganized and there were only a small handful of people attending, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if that small handful of people felt inspired enough to help create the changes they seek? What could it mean for the state of Tennessee and the entire country?
We've all seen what a grassroots movement is capable of accomplishing. We are watching it unfold right now.
As I said in a previous post, we are sitting collectively on a precipace of great change and the wind is blowing our direction if only we will work to create the needed changes that will move America into the future.
I encourage everyone to start working on the local/regional level. Contact your congressmen/women. Write your senators. Attend rally's, talk about it with your friends, family and co-workers and help remove the stigmas that remain and prevent us from moving forward. Donate to organizations like the Marijuana Policy Project (www.mpp.org) , Vote Hemp (www.votehemp.com) and NORML (www.norml.org) and keep the momentum going.
Read-up on the issues and stay informed. And, show that the demand for hemp products is high, by purchasing hemp products.
I believe that soon, we could watch our farm lands become "fields of green". North Dakota will be one of the first, if the federal government doesn't over-ride the State's decision. Make sure they don't, by becoming politically active as an individual and joining the collective voice of reason. The time is now and for the first time in years, I truly believe that, "Yes, We Can!"