Gods Gift a Medicinal Herb - Marijuana - Drives Montanans Crazy

Many of us have known for decades that the US governments position on Marijuana was morally and scientifically wrong, but it seems that those in power are desperately clinging to the War On Cannabis consumers. The truth seems to be disregarded, and total lies are used to create FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt), to fill the minds of those that have not educated themselves on Marijuana with the sad concept that it is the devils weed.
Todays Marijuana is more potent than pot used to be, true but also a non truth, before prohibition the US had very powerful pot, in the 70's we had very powerful pot coming from Asia, but Mexican pot flooded into the US and that was lower in quality and potency. If high THC is so dangerous then why is 100% THC legal and sold every day in the US under the name of Marinol? Just more FUD our government has been using to fool voters!
I read that Montana Highway Patrol is wasting its taxpayers money to harass Medical Marijuana users who drive while under the influence of Cannabis, how disgusting!


BUTTE — Montana law enforcement is focusing its training on detecting drugged drivers with the increase in people obtaining medical marijuana cards. Sager said officers are being trained to detect possible drug impairment through a test called Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE). The ARIDE tests adds an exercise that has the motorist stand with feet together, arms at the sides and leaning the head back with eyes closed. Sager said if the officer observes swaying that could be a sign of drug influence.

A second exercise has the subject follow the officer’s finger in an attempt to make the subject go cross-eyed. Sager explained that some drugs make it impossible to go cross-eyed.

Samm Cox, Butte-Silver Bow chief deputy assistant county attorney, said the more training police have in drug detection, the better chance they will have getting DUI convictions.

LINK

So are the Montana Highway Patrol making their roads safer or is this harassment of the Medical Marijuana Patients? Our next article might suggest harassment.

Marijuana Smoking Associated With Minimal Changes In Driving Performance, Study Finds

Hartford, CT—(ENEWSPF)—May 28, 2010 Subjects exhibit virtually identical psychomotor skills on a battery of driving simulator tests prior to and shortly after smoking marijuana, according to clinical trial data published in the March issue of the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

Investigators reported that volunteers performed virtually the same after smoking cannabis as they did sober and/or after consuming a placebo. "No differences were found during the baseline driving segment (and the) collision avoidance scenarios," authors reported.

Investigators did note, "Participants receiving active marijuana decreased their speed more so than those receiving placebo cigarette during (the) distracted section of the drive." Authors hypothesized that subjects' reduction in speed on this task suggested that they may have been compensating for perceived impairment. "[N]o other changes in driving performance were found," researchers concluded.

LINK

Montana has many officials unhappy that its voters voted for Medical Marijuana and the harassments seem to hit everyone in the Pro Medical Marijuana camp.

A Whitefish doctor spoke to Montana's News Station for the first time since the Montana Board of Medical Examiners fined her $2,000 for prescribing medical marijuana.

Dr. Pat Cole found out about the decision two weeks ago, when the Board determined that she broke Montana guidelines by seeing more than 150 patients within a 14 hour time period.

Cole told us the time period for which she received the fine was during a series of medical marijuana clinics, which are legal in Montana.

LINK

Now if Montana's Government agencies are not causing enough trouble for Medical Marijuana patients, the local loonies are getting worked up and violence is being used in attempts to shut down dispensaries! This article from the AP seems to condone the violence as it advocates altering the law that was voted in, to make it harder for the sick to get their needed meds.

HELENA, Mont. — The vandals struck in the middle of the night, hurling Molotov cocktails through the windows of two medical marijuana businesses and spray-painting "NOT IN OUR TOWN" just before the Billings City Council was supposed to take up a ban on any new pot shops.

Montana and other states that have legalized medical marijuana are seeing a backlash, with public anger rising and politicians passing laws to slow the proliferation of pot shops and bring order to what has become a wide-open, Wild West sort of industry.

LINK

The people are voting for Medical Marijuana and the Media and Government are aggressively harassing Doctors, Patients, Drivers and Dispensaries as they try to help the sick. Now some believe the Governments stand, that these people just want to get high and there is no proof that Marijuana has medical benefits, but then there is this little fact.

Marijuana is classified as a schedule I substance by the feds. This classification designates that the drug has “no current use for medical treatment in the United States.” Besides a slew of scientific studies controverting this assertion, it seems the Department of Health and Human Services didn't get the "pot-has-no-medicinal-value" memo when they applied for a patent on the preventive and curative properties of cannabis in 1999.

Patent (#6,630,507), was awarded to the agency based on research carried out by the National Institute of Health. What scientists discovered in those studies was evidence that cannabinoids – the active ingredients in the marijuana plant – are antioxidants, neuroprotectants and anti-inflammatory agents, useful in the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, HIV dementia, stroke, trauma and auto-immune disorders. The government is currently licensing its cannabinoid patent.

LINK

These things are happening in many other states too, Montana just got my attention as they are really spreading the FUD thick and resorting to so many dirty tricks to repress the use of Medical Marijuana.

I knew 4 young men who got life sentences for growing outdoors in Montana, so I have a vested interest in their legal systems handling Marijuana!

Emailed My Senator

I recently sent my Senator Mark Begich an Email through Change.org, only to get a reply that I needed to send him one using the above form. I sent him the following message:

To the honorable Senator Mark Begich,
1) We do not support the racial profiling of Arizona's state government.
2) Legalize Marijuana, it is a safer recreational drug and it is God's gift as a medicinal herb.
3) This Email form is to invasive to your constituents privacy.
sincerely,
Alaskan Activism

I hope more people will follow suit and Email their senators!
Please Email your senator and voice your opinion!

Monsanto and Destruction

Monsanto and Destruction, this tittle may seem harsh, but as we will see this Fortune 500 company is worse than a STD. They allow their dirty nasty Genetics to spread like STD's, then they use our courts and patent laws to destroy farmers Heirloom seeds and crops! Well enough of my opinions lets take a tour of the web and see what info we can Digg up on Monsanto.

For our first read in our quest for knowledge, we will see what Wikipedia has to say about Monsanto.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a U.S.-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed as "Roundup". Monsanto is also the leading producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed; it sells 90% of the US's GE seeds.[1] It is headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri.[2] Agracetus, owned by Monsanto, exclusively produces Roundup Ready soybean seed for the commercial market. In 2005, it finalized purchase of Seminis Inc, making it the world's largest conventional seed company. Monsanto's development and marketing of genetically engineered seed and bovine growth hormone, as well as its aggressive litigation and political lobbying practices, have made the company controversial around the world and a primary target of the alter-globalization movement and environmental activists.
LINK


I would suggest reading the entire Wikipedia page as the above synapses barely scratches the surface of interesting facts at Wikipedia on Monsato.
Next we will present some Pro Monsanto information from a Fortune 500 article. You should read the article as even Fortune 500 has questions, about the Ethics of Monsanto.

(Fortune) -- "It's fascinatin' because we're in uncharted terri-tree," says the genial, Scottish, entertainingly named Hugh Grant, 52. He is the CEO of Monsanto, possibly America's most feared corporation. Monsanto dominates the agricultural biotechnology industry, whose audacious mission is to transform the genetic composition of the world's food supply. More than 80% of the soybeans and cotton harvested in this country now have at least one patented Monsanto gene in them, as does more than 70% of the field corn.

Those who don't vilify Monsanto tend to rhapsodize about it, or at least about its mission. In a world on pace to spawn 9.1 billion mouths to feed by 2050, the black magic of ag-biotech offers the only apparent prospect of salvation: crops that will be, it is promised, ever more resistant to insects, disease, and climatic stress; that will require ever less water, fertilizer, and pesticide; and that will bring forth ever more abundant, hardy, and nutritious harvests.

Many farmers regard the Roundup Ready trait as so crucial that they will not buy other genetically engineered traits unless those are stacked in seeds that already contain Roundup Ready, a gene that makes crops immune to the most widely used weed killer. Trait developers and seed breeders, in turn, can't stack a trait on top of Roundup Ready unless Monsanto gives them permission to do so in a patent license.
LINK



So far we have found that Wikipedia nor Fortune 500 were 100% pro for Monsanto and both sources were somewhat hostile. Lets look a little deeper into Monsanto and try to find some recent articles on them.
First I came across this press release from, Monsanto.

Monsanto Donates Corn and Vegetable Seeds to Haiti

On Jan. 12, 2010, a massive earthquake hit Haiti, impacting millions of residents and changing the nation forever. Following the disaster, Monsanto donated money to the recovery, but it was clear a donation of our products – quality corn and vegetable seeds – could really make a difference in the lives of Haitians.

We believe agriculture is key in the long-term recovery of Haiti. That’s why we’ve donated more than $4 million worth of conventional corn and vegetable seeds to be made over the next 12 months in support of reconstruction efforts. The donated seeds include corn, cabbage, carrot, eggplant, melon, onion, tomato, spinach and watermelon.

The Haitian Ministry of Agriculture approved our donation and ensured the seed selected was appropriate for the growing conditions and farmer practices in Haiti.

LINK


After Monsanto's press release this story comes out from Wired Haiti.


Do Haitians know that these GM seeds have been declared dangerous by many countries? They often come in kits along with a Monsanto herbicide called "Roundup," which contains glyphosate. In my native Brittany, it has already polluted the water table. But Monsanto insists its product is biodegradable. It is being sued for this by anti-frauid officials in Lyon.
A former employee of Monsanto, Linda Fischer, has just been named to head the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which monitors environmental issues. It's like giving a cat the job of looking after a mouse's welfare.
The Monsanto representative in Haiti is Jean-Robert Estimé, who served as foreign minister under the Duvalier family's 29-year dictatorship.
LINK



A week and a day later we get this news from Haiti.


"A new earthquake" is what peasant farmer leader Chavannes Jean-Baptiste of the Peasant Movement of Papay (MPP) called the news that Monsanto will be donating 60,000 seed sacks (475 tons) of hybrid corn seeds and vegetable seeds, some of them treated with highly toxic pesticides. The MPP has committed to burning Monsanto's seeds, and has called for a march to protest the corporation's presence in Haiti on June 4, for World Environment Day.
Haitian social movements' concern is not just about the dangers of the chemicals and the possibility of future GMOs imports. They claim that the future of Haiti depends on local production with local food for local consumption, in what is called food sovereignty. Monsanto's arrival in Haiti, they say, is a further threat to this.
LINK

The poorest country in the world has the common sense no to become dependent on GMO Monsanto seed, refreshing is it not?

At this point we will end Monsanto and destruction, check back if this interests you as I plan a Monsanto series of stories in the next few weeks.

Thanks,
Alaskan Dad

Could you live on $2.50 a day?

My last post talked of the lavish price of Marijuana seed up to $3990 for ten seeds a stark contrast to people who live off $2.50 a day, yes that is right two dollars and fifty cents a day and some even less! Now we will discuss poverty and what can be done to improve on these conditions.

Maass opens The Case for Socialism with a simple declaration: “Capitalism isn’t working.” Not in the US and not in other parts of the world. In fact, virtually anywhere one goes, suffering is pervasive. “Almost half the world’s population - more than three billion people, the equivalent of the population of ten United States - live on less than $2.50 a day. A billion people are undernourished and go to bed hungry each night. Two in five people around the world lack access to clean water, and one in four lacks basic electricity,” Maass reports.

Here in the US, whole communities are being decimated by evictions and foreclosures, healthcare is a shambles, and hunger and homelessness are at near-record levels. Twenty percent of children are born into poverty, and illnesses correlating with inadequate nutrition are epidemic. At the same time, Maass reports that in 2009, the world’s 793 billionaires had a combined worth of $2.4 trillion. This translates into “twice the combined gross domestic product of all the countries in sub-Saharan Africa.”

LINK

Now one must ask does Capitalism work and for what percentage of the population?

From the article linked above: Yes, three billion human beings have fewer resources than 793 others.

In the US the Corpse's (nickname for corporations) have taken over every cottage industry they could, leaving us with almost no Mom & Pop businesses. Diners, corner grocers, and even farming is being taken over for the profit of the elite, things need to change. We must voice our opinions and make a better world for everyone!

Welfare for Wall Street drained the US of Trillions of Dollars and has left the United States with a crippled (devalued) Dollar. Estimates vary from $2.4 upward to $8.5 trillion being a total analysis of this disaster.

8.5 trillion estimate:

Link .......It's the second Article on the page ;)

While a few eat caviar in luxury, others are eating rat and happy to have any food!

10 Marijuana seeds $3,990.00CND !

Purple Kush Bud pictured above is not from the $3,990 seed in the article.



I know that smoking good pot is all the rage these days and I realize some people really need potent pot to help them with their ailments, but $399 a seed! You might think I'm pulling your leg but the truth is a website has them listed, at ten seed for $3,990.00CND.
This is the most expensive seeds I have ever seen and to think, that is to buy a hybrid weed seed! If you have never Googled about Marijuana or Cannabis seed I suggest you take a look at the thriving legal / black market industry. Most seeds average from $40 to $250 for anywhere from 3 to 12 seeds, and there are hundreds of breeders and sellers!
The sad thing is they truly should not be more expensive than spinach or tomato seed, their actually easier to grow and harvest and handle than many vegetable seeds.
The high price on marijuana seed is because the black market adds value, but the extreme high price is more about bragging rights and product quality.

Here is a quote from the site:
She forms a huge massive cola, pack with THC, 49% THC I might add. The first generation came in at only 43.5%, but we managed to tweek her up nice using some fine selections.
LINK

Well now you know, Marijuana seed is one of the most valuable substances on earth by weight, with a cost that is tens of thousand times higher than the price of gold!
If we don't legalize Marijuana soon the drug cartels will be selling seeds and getting even richer, while they laugh at us and our laws that keep making them profits!

Is Rand Paul a Libertarian?

Rand Paul and the Libertarian Party




Todays topic, Rand Paul and the Libertarian Party, is to enlighten us on libertarian views and those of Rand Paul.
Our first stop was Wikipedia for a quick read;

Libertarianism is a political theory that advocates the maximization of individual liberty in thought and action and the minimization or even abolition of the state. Libertarians embrace viewpoints ranging from a minimal state (minarchists) to anarchists. Libertarians have a variety of views on natural resources and property rights to which the terms "left" and "right" often are applied. Some libertarians reject being described as "left" or "right."
LINK

So did that Wiki quote seem slightly confusing, the whole page is is vague and confusing. Then just to add to our confusion there are eight types of Libertarians all similar, yet differing.

I thought at this point it might be interesting to give Rand Paul the acid test, in this case that means does his views hold up to the Libertarian point of view?
Since Sarah Palin jumped right in there to defend him from Rachel Maddow, my first question, what are Rand Pauls opinions on abortion?
From Rand Pauls web page:

I am 100% pro life. I believe abortion is taking the life of an innocent human being.,
I believe life begins at conception and it is the duty of our government to protect this life.
I will always vote for any and all legislation that would end abortion or lead us in the direction of ending abortion.
I believe in a Human Life Amendment and a Life at Conception Act as federal solutions to the abortion issue. I also believe that while we are working toward this goal, there are many other things we can accomplish in the near term.
LINK


This seems a little contradictory to the individual freedoms that Libertarians represent, so lets look further into Libertarians and abortion.

On The Issues has this to say about the Libertarian Party on abortion:

Government should be kept out of the matter of abortion

Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.

Abortion is a woman’s choice and does not concern the state

Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that libertarians can hold good-faith views on both sides, we believe the government should be kept out of the question. We condemn state-funded abortions. It is particularly harsh to force someone who believes that abortion is murder to pay for another’s abortion. It is the right of the woman, not the state, to decide the desirability of prenatal testing, Caesarean births, fetal surgery, and/or home births.
LINK

The next website we will visit is simply tittled Libertarianism, and here is their say on abortion:

Abortion is a difficult issue upon which reasonable, ethical people can disagree. Until society can come to consensus about the status of the fetus, libertarians can reasonably be divided on their policy prescriptions. While libertarians still struggle to define when life begins, we all can agree that no government has a legitimate function to spend public funds either providing or prohibiting abortion.

LINK

Harry Browne tells Libertarians not to use the term, Pro Choice,

The terms "pro-choice" and "pro-life" should be eliminated from any Libertarian's vocabulary. They give the wrong impression of what Libertarians believe.
In my view, an uncompromising Libertarian position on abortion doesn't have to offend anyone. Whatever we believe abortion is, we know one thing: government doesn't work, and it is as incapable of eliminating abortions as it is of eliminating poverty or drugs.
This position allows us to offer hope to either side of the debate.

To one side we say: we will not let the government impose its way upon you.

To the other side we say: if you want to reduce abortions, there are much better ways than by depending on the government — because it will only disappoint you. Every day you spend trying to get the government to do something to reduce abortions is a day wasted, a day that could have been spent doing something effective about abortion — such as working for less-restrictive adoption laws, encouraging private educational efforts to show young women the alternatives to abortion, repealing the income tax so that parents can afford to spend time teaching their children the values that will minimize teenage pregnancies. Given the results of the government's War on Poverty and the War on Drugs, we can assume that a War on Abortion will lead within five years to men having abortions.

LINK




At this point we have learned that, Rand Paul is Pro Life and the Libertarian view on the subject of abortion differs from it is a womans right, to lets just avoid it and avoid the term of Pro Life.

Now that was awfully confusing wasn't it? Lets look at gun rights and see how Rand Paul and Libertarians feel about this issue. Sarah Palin waived her usual speakers fee for the NRA, does Dr Paul agree with her views?

I am a gun owner and defender of Second Amendment rights. I’m an outspoken opponent of gun control, will fight all attempts at gun control in the U.S. Senate, and my candidacy has been endorsed by the Gun Owners of America.

Many candidates only pay lip service to our , but I pledge to the people of Kentucky to truly fight for them.

Dr. Rand Paul

LINK

The Libertarianism website has this to say on Gun Rights

The American Founders understood that the right to keep and bear arms was essential for a free, democratic society. Guns are essential for private citizens to protect themselves, their family, and their property from dangerous citizens, or more importantly, a tyrannical government.

Guns are private property, and should not be placed into a specific, regulated class. Like any other type of property, guns can be used to harm another person. Those people that use guns to damage someone else or their property should be punished to the full extent of the law, but they should not be subject to prior restraint.

LINK


Here is website, asking what kind of Libertarian are you, they list 10 different types of Libertarians to choose from!

What Kind of Libertarian Are You?

LINK

While reading about the Libertarian Party I found descriptions from Shangri La to that of Anarchy, and one or two sites that wanted to avoid the issues. We do see that the Tea Bagger Queen Sarah Palin and DR Rand Paul share the same point of view on abortion and gun rights.
The one ultimate problem I see is money would be the controlling force as to who gets liberty and those that become oppressed by poverty. Our Government has it's flaws, but even I would hate to live in a totally unregulated society. I wish we the people could force a end to corporate welfare, and have our Government place the welfare of our citizens over that of wall street and the banksters!

Cannabis a Cure for Cancer

Today, the first article will be on marijuana, as a activist and civil rights advocate this is a subject that really needs a lot of attention from alternative news sources as the main stream media is conveying a lot of FUD to the general public.
Cannabis prohibition is one of the ugliest civil rights violations of the 20th Century. As the 21st century begins we are still living with prohibition.
I say that Pot Prohibition is one of the ugliest civil rights violations because the laws are incredibly harsh and the use of SWAT teams too often leads to unneeded deaths.
There are lots of things that need advocacy, but most do not involve death for choosing a safer, healthier recreational drug. That and it is also one of the most incredible medicinal herbs known to mankind, and its seeds were a famous source of food in Ancient China, today Chinese have hybrid hemps that have extremely large seeds to be eaten as a food.
Enough of my thoughts on the subject and on todays Article of interest:

Our Government Knew 36yrs ago that Cannabis Kills Cancer!

QUOTE

Usually, any story that even suggests the possibility of a new treatment for cancer is greeted with headlines about a “cancer cure” – however remote in the future and improbable in fact it might be. But if marijuana is involved, don’t expect any coverage from mainstream media, especially since mainstream editors have been quietly killing this story for the past thirty years…

That’s right, news about the abilility of pot to shrink tumors first surfaced, way back in 1974. Researchers at the Medical College of Virginia, who had been funded by the National Institutes of Health to find evidence that marijuana damages the immune system, found instead that THC slowed the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice — lung and breast cancer, and a virus-induced leukemia.

LINK


Now lets take a look at Rick Simpson and his website Phoenix Tears, there is a lot of good information on how to use Cannabis as a cancer cure, and he tells of his misadventures with the RCMP.

My name is Rick Simpson.

Throughout man's history hemp has always been known as the most medicinal plant in the world. Even with this knowledge hemp has always been used as a political and religious football.

The results of the cases can be readily replicated by any practitioner, medical or otherwise, anywhere, to cure malignant melanomas and more importantly, save lives. The topical application of hemp oil salves or balms helps to control or cure various skin conditions. Taken orally, the oil tends to seek out and destroy cancer cells in the body, but as with any drug, too much can cause side effects; most notable with hemp oil is drowsiness. Unlike opiates and their derivatives, hemp oil is not addictive.
LINK


I think everyone has heard of MRSA the staff infection that defies antibiotics. There have been a lot of MSM stories about this vile disease, but here is something msm has been awfully quiet about.

Technology Review
Substances harvested from cannabis plants could soon outshine conventional antibiotics in the escalating battle against drug-resistant bacteria. The compounds, called cannabinoids, appear to be unaffected by the mechanism that superbugs like MRSA use to evade existing antibiotics. Scientists from Italy and the United Kingdom, who published their research in the Journal of Natural Products last month, say that cannabis-based creams could also be developed to treat persistent skin infections.
LINK


Stay well!

Alaskan Dad

US Politicians tied to Big Oil

US Politicians tied to Big Oil

Today while reading my one favorite sites The Immoral Minority, I was shocked Sarah Palin was quoted and I agreed with her! OK.


Quote Sarah Palin

"I don't know why the question isn't asked by the mainstream media and by others if there is any connection with the contributions made to President Obama and his administration, and the support by the oil companies to the administration," Palin added, "If there is any connection there to President Obama taking so dog-gone long to get in there and dive in there and grasp the complexity and the potential tragedy that we are seeing here in the Gulf of Mexico."


One must agree with her, but we must take that farther and take time to see how much money Big Oil puts in to politics in the US, we know that besides influencing our politicians that Big Oil actually has put Oilmen in government.


Oil: The Bushes' ties to John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil go back 100 years, when Rockefeller made Buckeye Steel Castings wildly successful by convincing railroads that carried their oil to buy heavy equipment from Buckeye. George H. Walker helped refurbish the Soviet oil industry in the 1920s, and Prescott Bush acquired experience in the international oil business as a 22-year director of Dresser Industries. George H.W. Bush, in turn, worked for Dresser and ran his own offshore oil-drilling business, Zapata Offshore. George W. Bush mostly raised money from investors for oil businesses that failed. Currently, the family's oil focus is principally in the Middle East.
LINK


A quick look at the history of Rockefeller's Standard oil from Wikipedia,

Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational corporations until it was broken up by the United States Supreme Court in 1911. John D. Rockefeller was a founder, chairman and major shareholder, and the company made him the richest man in modern history.
LINK


Sarah Palin would like MSM to look into Obama's campaign contributions, lets take a quick peek to see if her concerns are warranted.

Barack Obama (D)

Has received $898,251 in oil contributions during the 2008 election campaign. $0 of those dollars were from industry PACS.

Sarah Palin pointed us toward the truth, but a closer look makes her look bad and shows she is lying through omission, just look at the following fact:

John S. McCain
Has received $2,402,937 in oil contributions during the 2008 election campaign. $52,200 of those dollars were from industry PACS.
LINK

Yes! her running mate in the 2008 presidential election campaign got nearly three times the Big Oil campaign contributions as Barrack Obama. But the far darker side of this is you can see that BIG Oil hedged their bet by making sure they had influence by contributing to both Party candidates!

Blogging & Netiquette Guide

Today I advocate for a better web as I learn to blog with proper netiquette!

Having a blog, I have a responsibility to everyone on the web to learn the proper netiquette of blogging. The other day I made my first mistake by commenting to a off topic comment and then shamelessly adding my blogs URL. Today while Googling, I learned that was comment or blog spam, a very unsavory act.
After I left that comment, I checked back and upon seeing it had not posted I knew that I had wronged, my comments had always posted before. The only thing that came to mind was the Blog Owner considered the comment spam. I sent him an apology email, and stated, I'm a newbie blogger, he must have accepted it, as my other comments since then have all posted.
One thing as bloggers we want people to see our blog, for those with family blogs it's a easier task, just email your invite.
But how does one draw traffic from the web in general to their blog, without being rude, inconsiderate, or breaking netiquette? As I look for the answers to proper netiquette and blogging, I will actively blog about it and add links that I find really helpful, to make a quick guide how to blog with proper netiquette.

The first site to link is about the general rules of netiquette, is simply a great guide.
LINK


I copied this quote from Kindly stop bleeding on your fellow students - blogging Netiquette Lessons from Brazilian Jui Jitsu because it says so much!

Oh well, if people choose to disagree with you…view it as:

• Hmmmm, perhaps I can learn something new if I put my ego outside the door.

You might, you might not. Variety is what makes the world go ’round (that, and 23 cups of luxury coffee!). Keep an open mind and when people disgree with you, remember - it takes two to fight. Refuse to engage, admit to yourself that everyone has the right to their own opinions, as misguided, inaccurate, erroneous, flawed and faulty they might be. Pity them and hope they’ll gain enlightenment soon.
LINK


Our next site is a quick read "10 way's to hurt your blogs branding by commenting on other blogs" a guide on how to comment properly. responsible blogging
LINK


Here we we have 21 tactics to increase blog traffic, simple tips that follow the ideals of netiquette, heres a quote from one of the many great tips from the site.
"Write Title Tags with Two Audiences in Mind
First and foremost, you're writing a title tag for the people who will visit your site or have a subscription to your feed. Title tags that are short, snappy, on-topic and catchy are imperative. You also want to think about search engines when you title your posts, since the engines can help to drive traffic to your blog."
LINK


Here we take a look at using Digg to boost traffic:

How do you build a ‘Digg Culture’ on your blog
Many don’t believe that getting on Digg is worth much because the traffic is so fleeting however I think there is much more value for smart publishers than just the initial burst of traffic.
LINK

Edit: Do Not use open office and expect to be able to copy and paste to Blogger!
It can be done with a work around but it is a PITA.

Hope this help others with their blogging!
Alaska Dad

Linux is where you find it

Who would use 1700 Playstation 3's loaded with Linux?
The Air Force is one example. The Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York picked up 336 PS3 systems in 2009 and built itself a 53 teraFLOP processing cluster. Once completed as a proof of concept, Air Force researchers then scaled up by a factor of six and went in search of 2,200 more consoles (later scaled back to 1,700). The $663,000 contract was awarded on January 6, 2010, to a small company called Fixstars that could provide 1,700 160GB PS3 systems to the government.

LINK

I have been using Linux for desktop computing for a decade and I can say that you do not have to be a geek to use it. There is really one thing that stands out as the major difference between running MS and Linux all the software apps are free and easy to install from safe software repositories. Linux apps are free not freeware, shareware or spyware, no DLing software to find the free trial version has been disabled to the point it is worthless, no flashing banner adds in your software prodding you to purchase the non free version.
If you decide to try Linux, I suggest you get to the Linux Mint site and DL the latest KDE community edition, its great for beginners as well as advanced Linux users. Mint has great GUI's and good multimedia support.
While Linux might seem a little out of place on a political activism blog it is about freedom, the freedom to see the code, use, alter code to fit your needs. It is also very economical to run, not paying for anti virus, and other security tools or any other software, now that is a freedom.

Are America's Police Addicted to Marijuana?

Norml posted a really interesting article asking if law enforcement was addicted to marijuana arrests, this is serious question that needs some real scrutiny. Now at this point both local and federal law enforcement are going to tell you crime and danger would follow legalization of marijuana. That is just plain and simple FUD, Fear Uncertainty, and Doubt just part of the way leaders keep the herd going their direction. Now if you believe that our Government would not lie Google Drug Czar Must Lie a little reading and you will find out that the office of the Drug Czar is required to lie by congress.

From wikipedia:

Anti-legalization Policy

By law, the drug czar must oppose any attempt to legalize the use (in any form) of illicit drugs.^[11]. According to the "Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998"^[12] the director of the ONDCP

(12) shall ensure that no Federal funds appropriated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy shall be expended for any study or contract relating to the legalization (for a medical use or any other use) of a substance listed in schedule I of section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812) and take such actions as necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize the use of a substance (in any form) that-- 1. is listed in schedule I of section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812); and 2. has not been approved for use for medical purposes by the Food and Drug Administration;

Application of Anti-Lobbying Laws to the Office of National Drug Control Policy's Open Letter to State Level Prosecutors, B-301022, March 10, 2004

Link

Ok that trip to Wikipedia was fun but lets get back on track with the NORML

Article:

by George Rorbacher,

In America since 1965, there have been 21 million arrests for marijuana, 9 out of 10 for quantities of an ounce or less. Over 800,000 were arrested for pot last year, with people of color and the young being arrested and incarcerated in hugely disproportionate numbers.

Through my own recreational use, I discovered marijuana the all-natural non-toxic pain medicine with far less severe side-effects than the prescription alternatives. I believe cannabis should be legal for medical, recreational, food and fiber uses. Cannabis should be legal for American farmers to grow. If cannabis is legal for all, sick people will be able to get it. Ending this prohibition, America must also wean law enforcement from its 70-year-old marijuana arrest addiction. Cannabis use didn’t turn either Michael Phelps or Barack Obama into a couch potato or a loser. It’s time to legalize it. Tax and regulate marijuana…Now.

George Rohrbacher is a retired cattle rancher, former WA state senator (R), former Commissioner of Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, currently serving on the NORML Board of Directors

LINK

Update on the Alaskan Blogger who is a "Benevolent Dictator"

Today I was rereading her faq's and realized that although she had not returned my email explaining my feeling on censorship, she did change her faq's to further justify her use of censorship. At first one might tend to agree with her point of view but when I took time to rationalize her statement I became clear it is fatally flawed.

Differing opinions are welcome, but play nice, or don’t play at all. I am all for free speech, but the Mudflats is a benevolent dictatorship and I make the final call. What free speech really means in the cyberworld is that everyone is free to create their own blog and say whatever they want. Just because you can stand on a public street corner with your sign, doesn’t mean your welcome in someone’s living room with it.

The comparison of a blog to "your living room" is not even close, your home has a door and walls and is a place of privacy. A blog is on the web and is open to the public and specifically a place to post your opinions and hear the opinions of others, much more like a town hall meeting. And while yes anyone can create their own blog censoring ones blog to reflect your ideals and opinions and stifling those the opinions of others is still censorship.
Freedom of speech is not just the freedom of one person to tell you their opinion but the right of others to express their opinions as well. Political activism and civil rights advocacy is not something you just write about, it must be your true beliefs and you must try to live it and accept that everyone needs their right as much as you want yours!
There are two other bloggers on the offending website one who has political aspirations, here in my state Alaska, if she is elected will she consider our state her living room and deny any Alaskan who disagrees with her the right to their opinion, one must wonder about this. Would these bloggers also go further and attempt to make Alaska a dictatorship?
The fact is if you do not stick up for the free speech for all then you do not deserve Free Speech yourself.
I feel if someone has commented and they are wrong fight them with the facts and the truth, do not just go into a frenzy and delete their comments!
After all we as bloggers have the power of posting articles that express our opinions.
I will add, I have been reading mudflats since before Jeanne was outed. I have a lot of respect for the things she is doing to make Alaska a better place and I have told her so repeatedly. She has some beliefs that are not exactly my own but I respect her rights and realize she to should be able to express her opinions.
But when it comes to your right to blatantly censor others because of they have a different opinion, that is a dangerous policy.

William Orville Douglas (October 16, 1898 – January 19, 1980) was a United States Supreme Court Associate Justice. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days!

It is our attitude toward free thought and free expression that will determine our fate. There must be no limit on the range of temperate discussion, no limits on thought. No subject must be taboo. No censor must preside at our assemblies.
William O. Douglas

Today a new blog was born

Well today I got fed up with one of my favorite Blogs as its owner was very much into censoring the comments in her blog. After a comment of mine did not make it through moderation a series of emails went back and forth, all of which were polite and of a kind nature, Then it became apparent to me that what was being done by the Benevolent Dictator (her phrase) of of the blog site was a blatant form of censorship!

I tried making some comments quoting a dozen famous people including two supreme court justices on the dangers of censorship, these too were removed through moderation. At this point I received an email asking "what was up with all the comments" I replied expressing that while I respected her, but someone who was running a civil rights and political awareness blog should not be censoring other peoples opinions. My email was not returned I was shocked as this was a blog I had a lot of respect for, so I emailed one last time and asked nicely if my email was received, and again no reply. At this point I realized I should make my own blog and present ideals I believe in.
I feel that a blogger has control of their site by the articles they publish and that they should not censor their readers comments other than spam.
Well here goes my adventure into blogging, it should be fun!
Alaskan Dad,

Drug Task Forcre Siezes Signed Pro Marijuana Petitons

Today I ran across this article at Sensible Washington that was just another sign that things are very wrong in the good old USA.
Quoted From the article;
Sensible Washington has learned that one dozen signed copies of I-1068, the marijuana legalization initiative for Washington State of which Sensible Washington is the sponsor, were seized last week by the federally-funded WestNet drug task force. Our estimate is that 200 signatures are sitting in WestNet’s offices in Port Orchard, apparently seized as evidence during a series of raids against the North End Club 420 in Tacoma. The club is operating as a medical marijuana dispensary.
Please go HERE and read the rest!