SSDP Conference Photos

Best. Weekend. Ever.

VH1 & End The Drug War!

Are you kidding me VH1? Kid Rock on Storytellers? I'm pretty sure Kid's Rock story consists of nothing but white trash misery and talentlessness of the highest degree.

Today was a long day. We woke up at 8 a.m. after about four hours of sleep, dragged ourselves downstairs and forced ourselves to eat breakfast. We hiked over to the University of Maryland Stamp Student Union for a day of speeches by people that have long been waging a war on unfair drug policy.

We got to see a great debate between Kevin Sabet, founder of Students Taking Action Not Drugs, and Kris Krane, executive director of SSDP.  Needless to say Kevin wasn't eye-to-eye with us on everything, but Kris presented his arguments very well and with a lot of respect. We played the top game, as some say, and it just goes to show that this thing we're fighting is unjust. Valid arguments based on sound and reason cannot be argued against, and if so only from a purely perspective standpoint. 

We listened to experts speak on the topic of religion and its role in the fight against the drug war, SSDP going global and its effect in the UK and Canada, in which Mr. Tree presented compelling evidence for the argument that the United States' presence and eradication of the major cocaine cartels in South America is only making the problem worse. The way he explained it is that if you were to smash a cockroach, or in this case two, it would splinter into one hundred little cockroaches. An uncountable number of smaller distributors have picked up the clients of the major drug cartels taken down by the U.S. Drug War. 

We also heard about the mayor of a smaller town outside of College Park in which just several months ago the mayor of the town was a firsthand victim of the Drug War. His house wasturned upside down by a SWAT team, he was forced to stay kneeling with his hands bound behind him in his underwear, and the entering SWAT was "startled" by the presence of his two dogs so they shot them. Innocent animals with no malicious thought, only instinct, got between the state and their desire to present a crack-down-on-drugs image and take the easy way out in enforcing drug law. Unfortunately, this is the world in which we live.

Lunch was free and delicious and vegetarian. I bought an SSDP shirt and picked up lots of great literature on medicinal marijuana and drug reform and some cool stickers. We spent some time in the hot tub and chilled real low key tonight.

Like I said yesterday, it's great to see the incredible potential of what everyone here can do. None of us have any excuses that could get in the way of pushing our chapter to its maximum potential. 

End the Drug War!

I'm goin' down to Washington, D.C.

So here we are, in the capital of our nation, walking the halls of Congress, lobbying our congressional representatives to change drug policies that are outdated, unfair, and biased...and it feels so good.

It's incredible to be here with so many people that have the same passions and same view points about changing the same things as you do. It's incredible to see the effect that just one day has had on so many people. Washington, D.C. is a wonderful place, and it would be even more incredible if it wasn't overrun by greedy, lying, seething rats that have only money on their mind.

We walked by some official Capitol Police blockades that were in place for the Presidential Inauguration. I wonder what the future holds. It is indeed exciting to be alive and witness history being made, but we cannot let that blindfold us and forget about our struggles of the past. Our struggle for justice on all fronts for all people cannot be forgotten because we have reached a milestone in race relations in America. Our struggle for the end of all kinds of bigotry and ignorance cannot be forgotten simply because we have been promised change.

I've taken a lot of great pictures with the new camera. I've got some of the Capitol, Union Station, and various other D.C. eye candy.

Also, while waiting for the train today, I saw some really bad ass freights.

Oh and quick shameless plug, this Saturday is a show at The Nervous Dog in Akron with Hayden Calling and Blast Shields Up! Good stuff. Dec. 17th is going to be one hell of a show at the Grog Shop with the same two bands from above and (hopefully) a pretty cool band called Saint Ohio.

Things are looking up, you see? Things aren't going to be so bad.

Canon Digital Rebel XSi

Our backyard.

Happy Thanksgiving

Nov. 29/Prof. Greenhouse/Hayden Calling/Blast Shields Up!

Check it.

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

J.R.R. Tolkien


Found here.

Listen to Nick Drake.

History

Our President. (The scanner made it look all smushed.)

OBEY

The Rux

Thanks for everything dudes. See you soon.

Jeff Tweedy just called me

Jeff Tweedy from Wilco just called me to remind me to vote! Man, what a nice guy. How did he know that I've been riding a Wilco wave recently?