NOTE: SEE END OF ARTICLE FOR THE CRYPTO CONTEST WINNERS AND CRYPTOGRAM SOLUTIONS.

People, get ready. There's a storm a brewin' and it might just get ugly. It

is happening primarily over 4 issues. The one that started it all is that family-

destroying, ambition-killing, violence and crazed-sex inducing, moral-

corrupting scourge of the earth: marijuana.

According to more than a few experts, National marijuana

legalization is coming to a state near you¹. Maybe sooner than you

think².

The most recent move against federal power really began with medical

marijuana. "In 1966, California voters passed Proposition 215, making the

Golden State the first in the nation to allow for the medical use of marijuana³."

The arguments then moved on to immigration, gay rights and the biggie.

Of the 4 main issues being so hotly debated, the whole issue of personal

freedom and state's rights will probably (in my humble opinion) be decided by

the outcome of the fourth, and arguably the most divisive issue: gun-rights.

Lets face it. He who has the guns wins. But that's a story for another time.*

Let's talk about pot.

For over a century there has been a conspiracy by the federal government

to keep marijuana illegal. According to WORLD-MYSTERIES.com⁴: "Pot is

NOT harmful to the human body or mind. Marijuana does NOT pose a threat

to the general public. Marijuana is very much a danger to the oil companies,

alcohol, tobacco industries and a large number of chemical corporations.

Various big businesses, with plenty of dollars and influence, have suppressed

the truth from the people.…POT IS ILLEGAL BECAUSE BILLIONAIRES

WANT TO REMAIN BILLIONAIRES!"

Some people think that the social weed was illegalized primarily for

public health reasons. The truth is that pot was first illegalized for economic

and racial reasons ^5,3. Since then it has been, in my opinion, kept illegal only

because our glorious government refuses to admit when it screws up. And, of

course, our elected officials are viciously addicted to the money those

billionaires donate to their campaigns.

So what comes next? That depends on how far the people and their

elected state representatives are willing to push the issue. Up until the 2012

election, a few states had legalized medical marijuana and the federal

government mainly looked the other way. Now, however, our federal coffers

are worse than empty and the treasure chest of almost all of the states are in

dire need of contributions. Suddenly the concept of fully legalizing - and

taxing - marijuana is beginning to look very appealing to a lot of state

legislators as a way to generate massive amounts of much-needed revenue.

The federal powers-that-be still seem to vehemently oppose the move.

Colorado and Washington state have, through popular referendum

directlychallenged federal authority by fully legalizing pot just like booze.

The resultant showdown has yet to play out.

Not so very long ago, Arizona decided to enforce federal

immigration laws that the federal government chose to ignore. In case

you haven't heard, that didn't turn out very well for Arizona.

Several states have legalized gay marriage and others found

compromises to give gays equal rights. This one at least has

President Obama's support.

Now, with Obama and some very liberal congress people trying to

completely dismantle the second amendment, some states have decided

that they are not only going to refuse to enforce any new federal

anti-gun laws, but a couple have gone so far as to declare that any

federal agents attempting to enforce new gun restrictions within

those states face possible arrest for interfering with state

sovereignty⁶.

I believe that all four of these issues are inextricably tied

together and will be decided as a single issue: ie. states rights and the 10^th

amendment⁷. Hopefully, it will all get resolved at the ballot box or on the

floors of congress, but somehow I doubt it. I think there will be another war

and this time it will truly be a civil war**. I believe that it will be bloody and,

as with all wars, there will be no winner; only a side that loses less than the

other.

I'm glad that I'm old and don't have a whole lot longer to live. With any

luck, when the war does come, it will be after I'm dead and gone. God help

the children!

At least that's my opinion. What's yours?

UPDATE:

January of 2012 I published a post titled" LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ONE

WE LOST". In it I proposed the total legalization of all drugs. Now a

new documentary is coming out, produced by Richard Branson's son Sam

Branson. It is called "Breaking The Taboo" and basically proposes the

same thing. No; it's not full of a bunch of whacked-out dope heads.

The film features never-before-seen interviews with former

presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, narration by Morgan Freeman

and a trailer starring Kate Winslet. Watch the trailer here:

Breaking the Taboo

The video is supposed to air on television sometime in 2013.

And as for last month's crypto contest

^{CONGRATULATIONS}

^TO

Jessie S from Ohio and Bryon from Colorado

Jessie cracked the first challenge and Bryon got the first 2

See the plain text of cryptograms 1 & 2, along with their

individual cyphers here: CYPHER #1 CYPHER #2

Since nobody got the last two, I'll wait until next month to publish their solutions. That'll give everyone another month to work on them. Of course, you're still welcome to try your hand at solving any of them. Or all four.

Citations

¹Who will be next?

² As many as 13 states could follow

³ WORLD-MYSTERIES.com on marijuana

⁴Who was first to get a little sanity?

⁵Why is cannibis illegal?

⁶States vs Feds

Feds going to jail?

State resistance to Federal gun restrictions

Resistance to federal gun laws growing

⁷ http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment10/amendment.html

*For more on the gun-rights debate, see these previous posts from