I’m a lover of whiskey and well brewed beer, but both turn me into either a sluggish beast or a talkative fool depending on the moon. In the span of a lifetime, let’s take mine for instance, it’s hard to imagine something making me sick or sorry as many times as has alcohol. Albeit the frequency has been reduced by parenthood, though along with it also the feeling that I’ve been fooled all along into believing it is better than it actually is.

That’s where I’m at now. Kind of nervous when I’m not sober, as opposed to the years prior when the opposite was true. Green transcends all of this. And there being no bile to taste once in a while from it is just another good to add to the scales already tipped completely to that side.

As for the thunder… yes it is legendary. I was deckhand to a skipper who used to grow it. He said it actually came from the University of Washington.

I must tell you that shitty mj just doesn’t exist up here. If there is a seed in the bag most folk will turn their nose up. I think a lot of it is due to the history of Alaska and mj. It was legal to possess up to 4 ounces in your home at one time. The last governor (Republican) threw us all a curve ball and tied some anti-mj legislation to some anti-meth legislation. He really backdoored it. Anyway, I think there’s a case in court right now over the issue. There is a law on the books that provides privacy in the home (which overrules drug laws), and the governor’s legislation is at odds with the privacy law. Guess we’ll see which way the wind blows.

Whatever. A tightassed Republican governor isn’t likely to change the mood of Alaskans regarding their favorite indoor winter activity. If anything he’s just made those who commercialize on it a bit better off… risk/reward. I always say if you want to deal a crushing blow to drug dealers, then legalize their product.

If you want to have a real good time, go to Amsterdam the last week or two of November (during Thanksgiving week). The annual Cannabis Cup is held then. Unbelievable. I could describe it to you but you wouldn’t believe it. The friendliest folks you’ll ever meet… and everyone with the same interest

I’ve heard about the legend of the thunderfuck for years now…then it dawned on me one day that I knew someone from Alaska. Not too often have I ever met anyone from up there. One sergeant I served with was stationed up there for a spell…his claim to fame was having met Ian Zhering and his wife, hit it off and had dinner with them. He had a thunderfuck story or two.

Like a bush version of babe and the blue ox or some such storybook bullshit you talk about when you’re drunk. I figured he was overestimating, but what the hell did I know being 19 or 20? Confirmation was something like…well, tent city outside of Deer Creek Ampitheatre in Indiana, peddling my wares and happen upon some folks from north dakota, and we exchange some hiya’s and talk about the vegitation, then they get on about this and that which they brought down…I asked them what the best ever happened to be and they all agree, (ACDC voice)…”you been, THUNDA*******”…

Of course they didn’t say it like that, but I felt like I had gained confirmation of the sergeant’s story from way back.

…I start to identify with Tim McVeigh all of a sudden. What drives someone to the point where they decide it’s time to deliver a wake up call?

I actually have to credit McVeigh with the real beginning of my own personal skepticism. When he pulled that deadly stunt, I remember the coverage of the event and later the man. I remember saying to my Dad, “I don’t condone what he did, but why isn’t anyone asking what would make someone so angry at their own country that they would decide to do something like that?”

As far as I can tell, that question has never been seriously asked. What makes 9/11 so pathetic is that it was another perfect example of our complete lack of introspection: people don’t grow up desiring to be suicide bombers. What would make someone decide to do that? What would piss them off so badly that they would volunteer for certain death?

Until we become sincere about those questions, we’ll keep making the same stupid mistakes.

I was going to blog about it. But I just don’t have much to add. This is what you get when you go to war, and if my fellow citizens who voted for these asshats can’t bear to look war literally in the face, then I think they should all go straight to hell.

I’ll see what I can do about the legendary thunderfuck. The origins of the strain are shrouded in secrecy. Some say it came from a college laboratory in Washington state. Others refuse to speak about it at all. For my part, I’ll continue with my thorough investigation.

I haven’t been blogging much. I took on too much work and am completely stressed out. Will be better after the beginning of April.

This was part of a photo series that won the photographer awards if I’m not mistaken. A lot of the photos I’ve got in waiting, filed away, are award winning photos. Ever since you linked to that painting a while back, I’ve taken an interest in visual art, sometimes browsing just for images.

I thought about whether or not this was disrespectful, and my internal ethicist decided it was in honor of the man’s sacrifice. Regardless of either of our politics, that is his condition, and at this point it’s difficult to pin down exactly what his honest service represented in terms of the level of honesty in regards to the actual mission. The Libby trial transcripts have renewed something in me, a tremendous amount of resentment towards the idea that lies are truth as long as those telling the lies are in charge. It’s all falling apart, the back story…Cheney especially, when you take in his Meet The Press appearances in context with what is revealed in the courtroom…these guys just flat out made it up.

They leveraged the legitimacy of our institutions, corrupted them not only to be able to go on television and pump up shaky intelligence, but to also have a scapegoat when the shaky intelligence proved to be false. Use the CIA as a puppet, and then throw the puppet in front of the onslaught when it begins.

Cowardly on a level I’ve rarely seen outside of the movies…and this guy’s face resembles the way I feel inside about my country.