I didn’t set out to sound as bleeding heart liberal as I do this fine morning.

It just so happens the news was full of stories ready to support my thoughts on legalizing marijuana, outlawing guns, keeping beaches public, and eating locally grown food. I stand by all I say, but concede before the opening paragraph ends how ridiculously stereotypical my subject matter may seem today.

It's common sense. | pic: gigposters.com

Make Love Not War.

Tune In Turn On Drop Out.

Peace.

Legalize It

Earlier this week, police found $1.5 million worth of mary jane in Fincastle, VA (it’s near Roanoke.) I’ve been following the comments section of this story since it came out Sunday. Overwhelmingly, people are throwing their support to decriminalize marijuana. In a forum where our local citizenry often loudly, and without regard to couth or grammar, explain why guns and art (and tattoos and Norfolk and trains and black people and recycling and dreadlocks and general whimsy) are very, very bad, I see this unification towards common sense a nice step towards victory.

While the pot may not actually be worth $1.5 million (as many a commenter thinks), it’s still worth a lot and that lot can be taxed with proceeds going to save NPR or Head Start or any number of things on precarious footing in today’s economy.

Furthering my point, a mere three days after the Fincastle bust, a Duck, NC operation was also discovered, with a measly $70,000 in merchandise. No criminal charges have yet been filed, but the same logic (legalize and tax it) is making its rounds in the comments section.

Income generating? Yes.

More harmful than alcohol or legal synthetic week? No.

Feasible to spend more time behind bars for pot than killing someone? Yes.

Community support to legalize? Yes.

Elected official support to legalize? Yes.

Community or elected official support to legalize on the record? No way. We’re a decent, Southern, Christian community. Blah.

Guns Are Bad, Part 646,462

My heart is really going out to the Norfolk Police Department lately. First Victor Decker, and then John Kohn, and now William Mackenzie. Mackenzie and his wife Patricia were found dead in their home yesterday and it appears he shot her and then himself. Friends and colleagues of both Mackenzie’s were interviewed and no one seems to have seen this one coming.

I can’t speculate on what went wrong, but it’s pretty obvious it was something mental. Did Mackenzie have a temper problem? PTSD? Whatever the case, it makes the case for why guns and homes don’t mix. Self-defense is cool, no doubt, but my tv is not worth more than someone’s life. If Mackenzie had it to do over a few days from now, after taking a deep breath or a Xanax or something, odds are two more seemingly productive, involved citizens would still be around making Hampton Roads a better place.

One More Reason to Eat Local

In the wake of Japan’s devastating earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown, the United States has stopped importing food products from an area surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The FDA specifically mentions fruit, vegetables, and milk.

Um, why are we buying fruit from rural Japan? Isn’t Pungo, like, thirty minutes from here? Of course, with Newport News “mothballing” their Farmer’s Market, perhaps this will effect those residents more seriously.

To Hip or to Hop?

Chad Hugo speaks tonight. | pic: neptunes.com

Sam McDonald’s got the right idea when he says he’s splitting the difference. Tonight is definitely a night to remember for local hip-hop fans. The Chrysler’s got an AltDaily sponsored symposium on hip-hop in Virginia, complete with greats like Malice, Chad Hugo, DJ Bee, and DJ Cornbread. Hampton Coliseum’s got Lil Wayne and Nicki Manaj. Now if someone could just teach me how to Dougie…

Cranky, Old, Rich. Definitely White. Denied.

Just following up on last week’s story about North Ender Raymond Gottlieb’s attempt to triple the size of his driveway at the detriment to public beach goers–to the extent that he compared his predicament to those who suffered through the civil rights movement. Gottlieb was denied by a unanimous City Council vote (thank goodness) and is not pleased.

Deputy city manager Dave Hansen is quoted as saying, “It’s unfortunate that we’ve had to expend such an extraordinary amount of staff time to validate our position of upholding the public access to the beach.”

No doubt. I got some Facebook feedback last week that my headline for Gottlieb may be a tad judgmental. I apologize. I totally see how one doesn’t have to be white to be cranky, old, or rich. This guy’s a total anomaly and not at all a stereotype for the detrimental way other social groups could classify people of similar means (excuse me guys, I gotta go check the trash, I think I smell a bad apple…)