Phil Rudd fined

Does that include the laws that mandate the fitting of safety catches on cigarette lighters but regards the compulsory fitting of safety catches on guns as "unconstitutional"?

lol, I don't really know. I rank this under another type of law I'm not very fond of, which I refer to as the "protect us from ourselves because we're too stupid to operate things correctly and too irresponsible to keep them away from children" laws. Because some dimwit can't keep his lighter or gun away from kids or is too ignorant to know how to operate them, everyone is limited.

I think I should be free to buy a lighter or a gun without a safety catch if I desire.

The funny thing is, I'm actually quite a law abiding citizen. I don't smoke - anything! I'm generally well behaved. I just happen to think that many laws are unnecessarily restrictive. By nature, there is always going to be a struggle between individual freedom and the good of the community. I just tend to lean more toward the individual liberty side of the struggle.

Getting back to the original post, I know too many high-functioning people who smoke marijuana to believe it is the evil thing it's made out to be. People who have problems with drugs generally have problems, one aspect of which manifests as drug abuse.

I respect daredrummer's opinion, and I think it's better to CARE about stuff than to not give a crap. But my experience has lead to different beliefs.

I have to say, I love how respectful and open this forum is. Good discussion.
 
The whole fine and conviction thing is totally crap.

The law should have just left the fella alone.

Alcohol and cigarettes have killed more people...

...yet the law fusses about what you do in your spare time.

Ian...it seems you have an interest towards issues involving Australians...your location tag says you're in Venezuela...have you been to Australia or are you a traveller?
 
Agree with PFOG, of course you have every right to hold your opinion, Dare. Just that - as you might have guessed - I exerted my right to vehemently disagree :) ... and said why.

ID, I agree. I'd like to see laws that treat people as adults. Who knows? Maybe we could even get used to taking responsibility for running our lives and grow up a bit?
 
Just for interest.

USA figures for consumption at sometime over a 12 month period

Marijuana 25.77 million 10.3% of population.

The Netherlands figures for consumption at sometime over a 12 month period

Marijuana 5.4% of population.

Interesting that the country that operates an open supply policy (registered coffee shops, but still illegal drug status), takes it out of the hands of criminals, yet seeks to educate, has half the consumption in terms of percentage of population. Just in case you believe in the gateway theory, the Dutch have half the percentage users of coke too.
 
It's good to have some real life stats, Andy. Thing is, without prohibition, some people who wouldn't have smoked will, and some who would have smoked, wouldn't. But without hard figures you can't work out how many would be in each group. That clarifies the issue more than any, even given the different social situation in each country.

Thing is, the forbidden fruit is sweetest. It's common for kids given responsibility young to grow up to be responsible adults. It's also well known how many kids who are kept tightly controlled to go ape once the shackles come off.

I wish they'd give us the responsibility. Sure, there would be a spike at first while the taste of "forbidden fruit" is still lingering but after not too long the novelty would wear off and people will become a little more mature, less shallow and more responsible.

As with kids, it's a fine line between too much and too little discipline and control. Whoever has the power needs to be alert enough to provide steering controls if needed, not to run on rigid ideologies.

You can't run your life on ideology - things change too quickly and if you're not moving forward, you go backwards (hence 10% vs 5%) ... it's impossible to stay put for very long - not in drumming, either. Life just isn't like that.
 
I want to live in a country where the governments don't try and micromanage my life. My government breaks every law ever made everyday, and they expect ME to not break an unconstitutional law? I look on my government as my enemy. Sad but true. I hate to say that but more than anyone, they have the power to screw me royally, for life. They would like nothing better than to toss me in jail, ruin my life, and break my spirit for breaking the most unjust law ever penned. Meanwhile my government buys hard drugs, sells hard drugs, and then turns around and arrests those who use those drugs. It's all about them getting every penny you earned and sucking you dry. My government is not my friend, they are the ones I need to protect myself against. They are my enemys, disguised as my ally.

I don't break any MORAL laws, more than I can say for my government. I will break any law I feel is an unjust law, and not feel bad about it, as long as it is not morally wrong to break that law.

I will probably leave my country at some point and go to Sweden. I am too disgusted with America. It's all about greed. People are thought of as cattle. Look at how much wasn't done for New Orleans after the Katrina disaster. If that would have happened in Boston.....you get the picture.
 
BassDriver:

Mate - I'm Venezuelan and used to travel to other countries long time ago. I have worked overseas but never had the chance to go to Australia, keeping the hope and faith though to visit your country!

Regarding Australian issues: I had been around, lived and worked with Australian ex-pats, listening to AC/DC since I was a toddler...so you know the close feeling and relationship with you mates!

I appreciate your question, Thanks!

Ian...it seems you have an interest towards issues involving Australians...your location tag says you're in Venezuela...have you been to Australia or are you a traveller?
 
Last edited:
Maybe we could even get used to taking responsibility for running our lives and grow up a bit?

That's a nice concept, but a certain percentage of the population is going to resist that, regardless if the means to self-destruction are legal or illegal. Government disability programs, for example, are basically a de-facto retirement program for drug addicts. People who are legitimately disabled usually have other programs to help, so government disability is a politer way of saying "I screwed up my health too much on drugs/alcohol/cigarettes so now I can't work, although I never did work much so I never paid into Social Security or health insurance, so now everyone else has to take care of me whether they want to or not." I say that knowing there there are some exceptions out there.

If someone's disability is due to self-abuse, I think they should at least be regularly tested for any kind of drug use and thrown off the program if they so much as smoke a cigarette.

Phil Rudd is a productive member of society using weed in the privacy of his own home. I am willing to look the other way in cases like this, even as I think these things should remain illegal.
 
When organizing my life to match some of this country's most upright and intelligent, righteous and caring leaders, I choose to follow in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson. He was the most intelligent and productive President of the US, and he grew marijuana at Monticello.

One day, after realizing that our country need some direction of its own and didn't need help from the tax-hungering Brits, he rolled up a big fat blunt from his private stash, inhaled some of that tasty smoke and then proceeded to write the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper.

If smoking weed makes me stupid and a burnout like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington (who also grew it on his land), then so be it.

As a side-note. THC not only helps cancer patients with side-effects of the drugs they take, the THC actually helps kill cancerous cells. Our glorious and esteemed scientific community realized this statistically in 1977 but the powers-that-be chose to push more expensive and less effective pharmaceuticals on us instead. Now why would they do that?

I am afraid that our government does not like us so why should I believe anything that they tell us?
 
Very good, well done Larry!

You have spoken your mind honestly on this statement, you never allowed the government and local news media to put a blindfold and ear plugs to control you...I'm tipping my hat on you!

I want to live in a country where the governments don't try and micromanage my life. My government breaks every law ever made everyday, and they expect ME to not break an unconstitutional law? I look on my government as my enemy. Sad but true. I hate to say that but more than anyone, they have the power to screw me royally, for life. They would like nothing better than to toss me in jail, ruin my life, and break my spirit for breaking the most unjust law ever penned. Meanwhile my government buys hard drugs, sells hard drugs, and then turns around and arrests those who use those drugs. It's all about them getting every penny you earned and sucking you dry. My government is not my friend, they are the ones I need to protect myself against. They are my enemys, disguised as my ally.

I don't break any MORAL laws, more than I can say for my government. I will break any law I feel is an unjust law, and not feel bad about it, as long as it is not morally wrong to break that law.

I will probably leave my country at some point and go to Sweden. I am too disgusted with America. It's all about greed. People are thought of as cattle. Look at how much wasn't done for New Orleans after the Katrina disaster. If that would have happened in Boston.....you get the picture.
 
Next time, I will be fined and thrown in jail due to smoking Cuban, Honduran, Dominican and Venezuelan Cigars. Are they illegal? Hey, who's got a cigar?
 
When organizing my life to match some of this country's most upright and intelligent, righteous and caring leaders, I choose to follow in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson. He was the most intelligent and productive President of the US, and he grew marijuana at Monticello.

One day, after realizing that our country need some direction of its own and didn't need help from the tax-hungering Brits, he rolled up a big fat blunt from his private stash, inhaled some of that tasty smoke and then proceeded to write the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper.

If smoking weed makes me stupid and a burnout like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington (who also grew it on his land), then so be it.

As a side-note. THC not only helps cancer patients with side-effects of the drugs they take, the THC actually helps kill cancerous cells. Our glorious and esteemed scientific community realized this statistically in 1977 but the powers-that-be chose to push more expensive and less effective pharmaceuticals on us instead. Now why would they do that?

I am afraid that our government does not like us so why should I believe anything that they tell us?

Sigmund Freud also wrote many of his theories on psychology when he was high out of his mind mainlining cocaine, which was legal. Consider his idea that when you are potty trained affects your personality profoundly. If you're potty trained too early (anally retentive), you become obsessed with organization and money for the rest of your life. If you're potty trained too late (anally expulsive), you are disorganized and careless with money for the rest of your life.

You'd have to be high out of your gourd to come up with something crazy like that!

Unfortunately, Freud was highly influential and set back the treatment of mental illness for 50 years or more, contending, ironically, that drugs have no use in treating mental illness and that his psychotherapy could cure everything.
 
Sigmund Freud also wrote many of his theories on psychology when he was high out of his mind mainlining cocaine, which was legal. Consider his idea that when you are potty trained affects your personality profoundly. If you're potty trained too early (anally retentive), you become obsessed with organization and money for the rest of your life. If you're potty trained too late (anally expulsive), you are disorganized and careless with money for the rest of your life.

You'd have to be high out of your gourd to come up with something crazy like that!

Unfortunately, Freud was highly influential and set back the treatment of mental illness for 50 years or more, contending, ironically, that drugs have no use in treating mental illness and that his psychotherapy could cure everything.

Are you confusing THC use with a cocained out, egomaniacal motherhumper?

Be it known that not once in my entire history of THC indulgence did I ever even think about getting it on with my mom.

Cocaine was but a small part of that freaks problems. Everybody should have known not to listen to him.

While the Bible may not explicitly tell us not to get freaky with our parents, it does tell us that using seed-bearing plants is well within our "Biblical" rights. It even tells us on the very first page of the good book! The very first page, very first column, just after the Universe got made, God tells us that Cannibis is just fine for us.

"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." - Genesis 1:29

If and when I ever get taken to trial for marijuana use and they ask me to place my right hand on the Good Book and swear to tell the truth, I will verify that this book they ask me to put my hand on is legit by asking the bailiff to read from the very first page of it.

Why is it that my honesty in court is judged against a specific book that the court itself doesn't adhere to?
 
I don't break any MORAL laws, more than I can say for my government. I will break any law I feel is an unjust law, and not feel bad about it, as long as it is not morally wrong to break that law.

Do you feel smoking pot, something that increases your chances of mental illness and is in general bad for your health, morally correct?

It's true smoking and alcohol are very bad as well, and they are legal, but I feel they should be outlawed as well.
 
Do you feel smoking pot, something that increases your chances of mental illness and is in general bad for your health, morally correct?


There is absolutely no scientifically valid 'evidence' that Cannibis use is harmful to the human physical self or mental health.

Every single one of these supposed detrimental effects of THC use have been fabrications of the propaganda machine that is your government.

You probably want to stay away from operating heavy machinery while on it though. Save it for after work.
 
A little off topic, but I feel this is important info and should be spread about....I just found out recently that the Federal Reserve Bank of the US, the bank that dictates the flow of money (read, the bank who has the power to make or break this country) is, get this....

A PRIVATE CORPORATION! A Freakin PRIVATE CORPORATION! They are no more Federal than Federal Express.

I can't tell you how many levels of wrong that is..
Furthermore, the main stockholder of the US Federal Reserve Bank is, get this, the Rothchilds of London! Not even an American!

The US Constitution states that ONLY CONGRESS has the power to issue currency. ONLY CONGRESS! That is a fact. The Fed is not Congress. They aren't even part of the government. The Fed is immune to audits also. They have no higher authority to answer to. The Federal Reserve Bank of the US is by it's very existance, unconstitutional, plain and simple.

When the US needs more currency, the order goes to the Federal Reserve, and they just print the money, (with no gold backing it up) and issue it to the US Treasury, as a loan! Then the best part (for the Fed) the Fed has to be paid back that money with interest! I hope everyone who isn't aware of these facts is seeing red.

This info has been around awhile, I just became aware in the last month or so, and I was hopping mad when I found this out. Woodrow Wilson (The President who signed the Federal Reserve Act) was quoted as saying (a few years after he signed the Bill) "I have unwittingly ruined my country".

Give me the control of a nations money supply (like the Fed has) and it matters not who makes the laws.

That is a quote from one of the Rothchilds.

The whole thing just sickens me.
 
Next time, I will be fined and thrown in jail due to smoking Cuban, Honduran, Dominican and Venezuelan Cigars. Are they illegal? Hey, who's got a cigar?

Here in the US, Cuban cigars are indeed still illegal. In 1962, the political genius that is our government decided to punish the Cubans for trying to impose Communism on its own people by ceasing their ability to sell their primary export to the US.

Of course this is a long and drawn out story, but it does have a very exciting crescendo. At the height of this Capitalist pig-dog versus Communist heretic story is how our whole entire world almost came to a swift and fiery end via nuclear devastation.

We are willing to destroy all humanity to prove how righteous and wholesome and morally proper we are.
 
Do you feel smoking pot, something that increases your chances of mental illness and is in general bad for your health, morally correct?

It's true smoking and alcohol are very bad as well, and they are legal, but I feel they should be outlawed as well.

Yet another victim of the government propoganda machine.

The only problem with cannabis is the pain and suffering caused by its prohibition.

It's the government and the legal system that ruins your life, not cannabis.
 
Back
Top