More Pot Politics

I picture my laid-back detective PI Tony Lowell hanging on the dock with his Native American pal Perry Garwood sharing some really good Panama Red, and also some really good Jamaican Red Stripe. Life is good. But Perry is bugged, as usual. "Tony," he says, "have you read about this situation in Washington State? Here we are in the middle of an eco-meltdown, eco-as in economy plus eco-as in ecology, a serious meltdown, and there's no money except in those banks getting all those bailouts."

"Bail is important," notes Tony, deeply inhaling the still almost pristine Manatee River mist. "Innocent until proven guilty, remember? Plus, a lot of our clients depend on that. What's liberty without bail?"

"Yeah, sure, OK, but here's the point. America's got 1/4 of all the prison inmates in the whole world."

"Maybe it's because we have a lot of bad guys," suggests Lowell, reasonably.

"Sure, but it's like, look at possibly the most progressive Blue State. Washington State. Did you know they just laid off 3500 teachers, for budgetary reasons? That's a huge number, considering they already got 28 kids in every classroom."

"How about Florida?"

"Don't even talk about Florida."

"OK," agrees Lowell. "I won't talk about Florida. Except to mention that's where we are."

"Doesn't matter. Florida, Washington, it's all the same. The U.S. of A.," Perry reminds him. "It's an eco-disaster."

"But we need those jails, to protect the Land of the Free. What's your point?"

"My point is, in that same article, they mention King's County. That's, like, Seattle. And King County wants to build this big new jail. A hundred million dollar state of the art new jail. They fire all those teachers, but they got money for a new jail."

"That's for all those kids who smoke pot," tokes Tony. "You gotta put them somewhere."

"Bullshit. They shouda arrested Confucius, when they had the chance. And Satchmo. Big potheads, both of 'em. Not to mention Mohommed, and those Rabbis and monks and shamans who used all that incense."

"It's better not to mention them."

"Sorry. Anyway, I'm wondering what's up with a state that will spend another 100 mil or so, when they claim to be flat broke, to lock up more kids caught with weed, when they are laying off all those teachers."

"Good question," notes Lowell. "But I'm sure they know what they are doing. Plus, they're better than most states, right?"

"Very funny," grumbles Perry.

"Anyway," concludes Lowell. "Do we have any more Red Stripe in the cooler, or what?"

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