Pubdate: Fri, 22 May 2015
Source: Trentonian, The (NJ)
Column: NJ Weedman's Passing the Joint
Copyright: 2015 The Trentonian
Contact:  http://www.trentonian.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1006
Author: Ed Forchion, NJWeedman.com For The Trentonian

DESPERATION OF THE DISENFRANCHISED WILL HIT A PEAK THIS SUMMER

I woke up today feeling extremely good  (more on that in next week's 
major announcement). While that may not be news to some  it is to 
those close to me. I've been miserable for the last couple years; I 
admit, I fake happiness all the time. I exhibit cheesy smiles, 
fraudulent greetings, and I hold back on foul thoughts. I'm not happy 
with what happened with my life. It just isn't where I thought it 
would be, my relationships with my kids aren't where I thought they 
would be  maybe I've been too obsessed with destroying the MJ laws, 
but they destroyed me first: I attribute most of my misery to the 
asinine marijuana laws and the idiotic enforcement of them, which 
everyone also knows I've fallen victim to a few times but I have 
everyday issues that affect my persona to the core as well. In my 
Nov. 6, 2014, column I even wrote "Suicide Is Not a Crazy Option."

Writing this column, Passing The Joint, for the The Trentonian for 
the last 10 months has probably helped me and my depression more than 
any Spliff, Blunt, or Bongi, all of which are also good for 
depression. This column has empowered me, despite being broker than a 
13-year-old. I have a voice that is being heard nationwide; people 
read me, it makes me feel relevant, like my life is worth something 
again. Thanks again to John Berry and Joe D'Aquilla. (It was their 
idea to have me as a Trentonian Columnist.)

This is my 44th Column and I probably have 44 more in my head, but 
the one thing I don't have in my head anymore, to those who have 
followed my column and asked when they see me on the streets of 
Trenton, is suicide. Fk Suicide. BTW  Kevin Hayes, I did call this 
number, if anyone feels like talking to somebody please call 1 (800) 
273-8255 (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline).

I did have one setback in April.

I saved money, everything I had in February and March, to buy my son, 
King, his first car. His 17th birthday was on March 25; to my delight 
he got his license on the first try on March 26, and I had a car 
ready to drive. That was pure fatherly happiness. I don't know how 
many other divorced parents feel they've been short-changed on their 
kid's everyday life but it's weighed heavily on my mind, and despite 
being broke, just attaining that goal made me extremely happy.

I had worked out a great deal with used car salesman, Pete from the 
Chambers Ave., Used Car Sales. Unbelievably, 33 days after I bought 
the car the engine made a few rattling noises and blew  WTF. My son 
was disappointed; I was distraught  for the first time in months. I 
wanted to hang it up right then because I didn't have the loot to fix 
it or replace it. It was outside the 30-day sales warrantee so Pete 
wasn't obligated to do anything. I again personally felt like a 
failure to my son, for picking a car that died so soon.

But guess what? Pete and his secretary, Patti, came through and made 
it right; they helped me make arrangements for a different car (a 
Mercury Cougar), worked out a different agreement, and saved me from 
learning how to tie a proper hanging noose. In my book, used car 
salesmen are slightly higher on the dirty bong water list than 
lawyers, politicians, or DEA agents, but Pete, a father himself, felt 
something for me with my son's dilemma and worked it out  that was 
extremely uplifting. A stranger showed me some love and he knew 
nothing of my head issues.

A long, hot summer is coming.

Joblessness and no jobs available are so prevalent in many U.S. 
cities because of today's money-changers. I fear it's going to be a 
long hot summer reminiscent of the hot summers in the late 1960's - 
it's ripe - even here in Trenton.

I understand many people have lack of opportunity issues based on 
personal failures in life, deliberate Government destruction of their 
lives (my case), and the politics/economics of the 1-percenters. I've 
talked about this before. The 1-percenters have shipped jobs overseas 
& used the drug war to label persons as undesirables; I'm one of 
those convicted of a drug crime who is undesirable  I couldn't get a 
job at Wal-Mart due to my use of and numerous arrests for marijuana, 
which is absurd. Marijuana is one of the greatest therapeutic 
substances on the planet. Wal-Mart has hired far more foreigners to 
produce its products overseas than Americans, the Waltons should be 
ashamed of themselves; instead they proliferate at the top of The 
Forbes list of richest Americans, while paying slave wages.

This summer Ferguson and Baltimore will be joined by the 
disenfranchised of a few other cities deprived of the American dream 
by the 1-percenters. You know my feelings on that  the "war on drugs" 
has ruined millions more than any drug, and I don't consider 
marijuana a drug but our government and the fools who make the laws 
have used these laws to target and ruin millions.

While I totally understand these policies of Globalization, Nafta, 
etc., etc., have been supported by Democrats as well, I blame the 
Republicans for these un-American citizen-destructive policies. This 
summer, as the riots erupt and discontent is expressed, the 
Republicans (FoxNewers) will blame it on broken black families - 
families they conveniently don't mention were broken by their 
Republican policies. Not liberal policies as they claim.

Republicans condescend and trivialize nonviolent protests performed 
by citizens of our country  (Bill O' Reilly)  but what do Republicans 
say when violent protest is performed by citizens of a country they 
(Bush) sent 5,000 Americans to die over?

When Iraqis rioted Donald Rumsfeld said, "While no one condones 
looting, on the other hand, one can understand the pent-up feelings 
that may result from decades of repression and people who have had 
members of their family killed by that regime, for them to be taking 
their feelings out on that regime. And I don't think there's anyone 
in any of those pictures ... (who wouldn't) accept it as part of the 
price of getting from a repressed regime to freedom."

Consider our four-decade "war on drugs" and enforcement by police who 
mainly target brown faces and brown neighborhoods - shouldn't America 
reap what it sows, shouldn't we expect this? Brown America has plenty 
of pent-up feelings, being the overwhelming victims of America's four 
decades of drug war repression, our loved ones killed by our regime's 
authorities in their constant quest to enforce these racist drug laws.

End the war on drugs for all Americans - #legalizeNJ
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom