I Loved The 60s and 70s, But Oh You Kid

That's the main buildings at the time, I can't find photos of the dorm.

So I graduated from Wright State University in 1975 in no particular class. That is I kind of stumbled on graduation after having completed the necessary credit hours in my major: History, American. It seemed easy enough and no real competence in a foreign language was actually required.

I wasn't really in a class as I said, and didn't attend any graduation ceremony, although I guess they thought I was (PTSD: too much alcohol and too many whores in Thailand). They mailed me my diploma which is on the wall of my office where I had to go and look in order to see what year I really graduated. See I moved into the co-ed dormitory (at that time the only dormitory) after my second year at a branch campus. I was one of about 300 students who lived on campus in a college of about 4000 at the time. We were a little different. Ok, there were an incredible amount of great drugs in that dormitory and you could go from one room to another and enter different drug experiences all without leaving the building. Most people's grades dropped by about one point on a four point scale, mine went up one point.

Today, I opened Community, The Magazine of Wright State University and turned to the Almnotes and the first thing I see are notes about someone from my graduation year and then from two years latter from a couple of Jesus freaks who are clearly religious nuts attacking the Daily show and another church of god guy.

I remember being there (no I really do) the group I hung with were major drug users and dealers and we thought that we were the college representatives. I guess not. Or perhaps we were at the time, but the Christians have actually survived.

UPDATE:




OK, here is a photo of the front door and part of the outside looking in at the rooms. It is now called Hamilton Hall, when I was there it was called The Dorm. Just like the team is now called the Timberwolves and when I was there they were called the Raiders, I think.

So anyway about six hours later. If you look to your right, no your right that would be the women's wing the men's wing was at a 90 degree angle back from the door and on the third floor of the men's wing lived the WSU men's basket ball team. That was as close as I got to a game, but I was a good friend of several of the players and also an even better friend of the team dealer. Well ok, he wasn't the only team dealer, but he was the dealer for most of the team. No drug dogs, no drug tests, just drugs. They were all more or less up for all the games.

The first two quarters the dorm was open at 10:00 p.m. men had to leave the women's side and women had to leave the men's side of the dorm (interestingly enough most did). What that meant in practice was that we would meet in the lounge and continue the many private parties as a public one until 1:00 or 2:00 unless it was the weekend when we would not stop until sometime Monday. I don't remember many (ok any) of us stopping to go to church.

Dirty Fucking Hippies

So I got this email from a friend who works for a college and wonders why students can't live on the money they get from the school, especially when the money is about five times the amount of tuition.

It caused me to think back to my college days in the late 60s and early 70s of the last century. Let's see I got a Pell grant, I worked about fifteen hours a week at a job on campus subsidized by the government and I received money from the GI Bill (such as it was at that time). It was less in actual money than my father received for his WWII work[?], but more than the people who served after me got in real money. My girl friend (with whom I lived, nudge nudge wink wink) got everything I got, but instead of GI money she got Social Security money for her dead father. Incidentally, I think that it is about time I linked to General Smedley, as I haven't done that for awhile.

So we spent the Pell money on books and tuition (and we always had a little left over), the SS and GI money on food and rent and etc. (and we always had a little left over). The student work money (and the little left over), we spent on dope (and booze) and records and concerts. My god what at time we had.

But, you know, these kids now a days are so wasteful, and their music, it's just noise.

My Line of Work

So I'd meant to write a little about this yesterday as it is about my line of work really. The report says among other things that:

• One in 31 adults in America is in prison or jail, or on probation or parole. Twenty-five years ago, the rate was 1 in 77.
• Overall, two-thirds of offenders are in the community, not behind bars. 1 in 45 adults is on probation or parole and 1 in 100 is in prison or jail.

What that really means for those in the community in small towns, at least, is that they are subject to being hassled and bothered by the cops and their P.O.s whenever the P.O.s feel like it. They are forced to pee into a cup at the direction of the authorities (of course many Americans, who still have jobs in the Land of the Free are required to pee into a cup to just keep their jobs). So maybe that is just another little thing (privacy) in the long list of things that people are willing to give up for a little security (Ben Franklin where are you now?). People constantly looking over their shoulders to make sure they are not breaking some rule that ..... well is just there for our own good, don't ya know?

Still, I watch clients being brought back into court again on what are often very minot violations. Smoking dope! So easy to catch them, it remains in their system for ever and is a clear violation. Even though in Ohio possession is a minor misdameanor, but it can get you put in jail if your on parol or prbation. Or as a juvenile into detention or the Department of Youth Services.

Michael Phelps

Yeah, everybody else is talking about it. Or maybe I just like the poster. So today the sheriff of the county he apparently smoked dope in had to say he wouldn't prosecute him. So we look at the penalties for possession of marijuana in South Carolina and what do we see. Something really surprising: a maximum of 30 days and a maximum $200.00 fine. Essentially, what you could get for a speeding ticket.

Hell Phelps had a previous DUI charge, but that didn't have anything like the negative effect of the marijuana. Good old booze.

The fact that marijuana is probably the least harmful drug you can put into your body for fun doesn't seem to interest those in the media or the people who are our rulers at all.

I Really Don't Remember You No Matter How Unusual You Are

I saw a midget in the Law Director's office today. Or perhaps she was a little person, I'm not sure. I think I know her. I believe she was a client or the girl friend of a client. Yeah I think that's it. The client was full sized or a big person.

Perhaps I'm not remembering this quite right. I mean that she was in the Law Director's office and I do know her, I think. But there was a period in my life spanning several decades which for want of a better word could best be called hazy for chemical reasons. So that I often see people who I am pretty sure I know, but I can't be sure. I also can't be sure how I know them. So it's best not to be too friendly, since they could become hostile if I got too close, some of them. This is particularly true of people who were on the other side in divorces and custody cases. Those seem to bring out eternal enmity toward opposing counsel. She could have been on the other side in a divorce case. Or on the same side I can't really remember.

Of course I could also have known her from one of the foggier high times. Therefore, given all these posibilities I find it is just better to go on and not try to get too friendly in cases like this. I find it better for all concerned in the end.

A Couple of Short Thoughts

Our Current Rulers Having a Snack On Our Body Politic Before They Go

I think that this is just peachy. I do so love irony (which I truly think this is as opposed to mere coincidence). It does provide a warm after glow to see the fall out from our "War On Drugs" actually hit one of the people who make a good living from our war on drugs. I've read elsewhere that Mexico is moving closer and closer to anarchy as a result of the Mexican government's (should that ' be removed given the disintegration of the central government?).

The second thing I'm now seeing is the beltway praying for the traditional quad/octo-end of the presidency pardons given to those who committed serious crimes at the request of whoever happened to be president. Sooner or later one of these out going elected criminals will pardon themselves and people will be shocked. Shocked and appalled, I tell you.

And then go on as though this is the way things have always been. It always kinds of surprises me that the rulers have gotten away with so much more during my life time than they did before. I suspect that we are really fucked and we are just really close to our end as something resembling a democracy. And there is nothing that we can do about it. Waves of history don't cha know.

Woodstock

Well I was in the library yesterday and saw the DVD of Woodstock. So I picked it up and we started to watch it tonight.

Where were you 39 years ago today? That is of course assuming that you were at all that long ago.

I myself was not doing much. Having shortly before gotten back from Thailand where I was introduced to the pleasures the colonial experience (without actually having to shoot or be shot at). One of the pleasures was Thai Stick, the local home grown. Well the one I could and did bring back with me. I served in medical supply. We were our own customs inspectors.

I was just starting to get the feeling that maybe I had not been doing what for want of a better word we might call the "right thing" as a good colonial soldier. That is to say a colonial soldier never does the right thing, can't do the right thing. A colonial soldier is by definition the wrong thing. I was just starting to realize that.

Well I attended many concerts over the next few years, did a lot more and more interesting drugs along the way.

But to get back to Woodstock, I didn't go and at the time I probably would not have gone had I known about it before it happened. By the next year I had completely changed and was going and going to concerts and doing and doing drugs.

Part of that course was turning "left" for want of a better term, then straightening out and bulling on in that direction for the rest of my life.

Oh well, becoming kind maudlin in my old age.

Marijuana

Funkcuntshitpissassholesdicks, as far as the last post was concerned, I didn't originally catch that the cops had delivered the package. Then broke in with no warrant, no warning. Marijuana, Christ.

How big a deal do you think this would have been if it had been just a lower middle class working family?

How long do you think it will be on the news cycle anyway? As long as a missing blond?

Feel safer now?

War on Terra, No War on Drugs

Well let's see we first piggy back the war on terror on the war on drugs and then the war on drugs on the war on terror.

On the other hand our Supreme Court decides that police are so much more professional now. So basically cops can kick in your door and shoot your dog and they haven't violated the Fourth Amendment. I mean let's face it if you haven't broken a law what do you have to worry about? Right Mr. Madison?

On the other hand other parts of the original Constitution [3/5ths any one?] Appear to be in full force and effect in Ohio at least. So the question: "Who do you have to lynch to be called a racist?" Is apparently a fair one as it applies to cops when they raid a house where the residents are black. Although, to be fair to the jury poor white trash would probably have gotten the same kind of justice.

Its just us good middle class white old line Americans that get the special deal. Slide along the edge of respectability just a little and you deserve to be punished. On the other hand you are more likely to be considered to have slid if you are poor or of a darker hue. And a a lot more if you are both poor and of a darker hue.

I did not see if the drug raid in Lima was one where a warrant was obtained before the raid or if it was a knock and kick in the door kind, like the one on the Mayor. The shootings would be, I suspect, much more likely if it was a raid without a warrant. I also suspect that there wasn't a lot of dope in the house, since the last story merely states that the cops found crack and marijuana, but doesn't mention the amounts. If there was r a lot you can bet your ass they would have told you to the cent the value.

Wait for the PO or somebody like him

Well one of my clients was arrested by his Probation Officer a couple of minutes ago. I have no idea why since I wasn't there so I have to wait until the PO gets back or my guy calls me from the jail.

Normally, I wouldn't have cared, but this guy has just gotten out of the hospital after being kind of electrocuted. Interesting in a kind of ghoulish way. He slipped and leaned into an open connection. He hand touched the live wire, but it was his leg and back that were damaged.

He got out of the hospital two days ago and said that they had given him morphine in the hospital. So I assumed that he tested positive for drugs. On the other hand if he tested positive I would think that the medication would have excused that. Well, we will see.