David Paterson

He once protested George Pataki's enforcement of the Rockefeller drug laws. He was arrested for his efforts. David Paterson is now the governor of New York State.

I rarely drink. I do not smoke tobacco. My only experience with marijuana is when I once got a contact high and then made an omelet in a George Foreman grill. I freaked the fuck out at the suggestion of ecstasy use.

Kim wants me to trip on acid with Cassie and watch "Zardoz". Look it up. I think that would be a very bad idea.

Any way, to be fair, I am not what you would call a "substance enthusiast". So, with that in mind...

The drug war is an epic failure. Mexico is on the brink of collapse due to its failure, Colombia is in fact two countries: a narco-state and a puppet government propped up by American tax dollars, and Afghanistan is the world leader in opium production, and its profits fund the warlords that are killing American GIs and our NATO allies.

We are fighting a war on a military tactic and a war on commercial products. Think about that for a second.

Any way, that's my rant for today.

Thomas Jefferson

He was a Viginian, and he once said "From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots."

Virginia Tech and the nation as a whole has suffered a terrible loss. Details are still sketchy, but more than thirty people are dead from a school massacre. This is without a doubt, an unmitigated wound that will never fully heal. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims, as well as those close to the gunman or gunmen.

Guns kill. I've posted on this subject several times already. Even in the face of this horrible event, my convictions are unswayed. The fact is, America is the most armed nation on earth, ever. We have guns, guns, and more guns. Because of this, postal offices and facilities are sometimes shot up, schools sometimes become bloodbaths, and even malls are not safe.

Yet, I still feel that the right to bear arms, be it in a well regulated militia or a private armory, should not be infringed. It might sound silly in this modern age of tear gas, helicopter gunships, and atom bombs, but private arms are a vital check on government tyranny.

Nothing is perfect. Every choice has its consequences, good or bad. Quite frankly, if there were a better way for people to ensure that tyranny cannot take hold, I would advocate for it. However, I have yet to see such an option.

A nation of sovereign people requires that their government can be cowed, preferrably at the ballot box, and if need be, at gunpoint. With this necessity, comes a terrible cost.

TANSTAAFL, baby.