Posted on 01/14/2005 12:57:25 PM PST by george wythe
The lone undercover agent in a sting that sent dozens of black people to prison on bogus drug charges was convicted Friday of one of two perjury counts.
Tom Coleman was acquitted of testifying falsely in a 2003 hearing that as a sheriff's deputy he never stole gas from county pumps, but he was found guilty of saying that he didn't learn about the theft charge against him until August 1998.
Jurors were to begin hearing evidence in the penalty phase of the trial later Friday. The perjury charge carries a maximum 10-year sentence and $10,000 fine.
Coleman arrested 46 people, most of them black, in the small, mostly white farming community of Tulia. He worked alone and used no audio or video surveillance, and no drugs were ever found, but 38 defendants were convicted or reached plea deals
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
I too smoked MJ ...daily (chronic) for about 10 years.
I did not mean to infer that you meant anything other than the fact that I was making the statement that folks who smoke weed off and on all day for most of their lives have eneded up stymied in my view. They seem stuck where they started and watch life and all the good stuff roll by them.
There are exceptions to this and I'm sure someone will come along and point that out to me.
I think weed enhances delusiuonal perceptions of the reality of how one's life is going. The ability to rationalize procrastination or lack of effort is enhanced for starters.
Again, this applies to folks who smoke a lot and usually those who started young and stuck with it.
Btw....you seem very defensive.
I agree that weed is not physically addictive. It is somewhat psychologically addictive or habitually attractive. I have seen folks go thru a lot of frenzied effort (more than they would normally expend on anything) to get more herb when they are running low. Nothing like a tweaker or crackhead but they wanted to find some herb pretty bad nonetheless.
Nicotine is addictive. It does not create the psychological problems inherent in drug abuse. It is very hard to quit...and it can and probably will....kill the user if they never stop.
However, comparative analysis between marijuana and nicotine does not detract from my observation that anything more than quite casual marijauana use inhibits life.
Yet there are those who continue to claim otherwise, because it serves their agenda to do so.
Does that apply to selling the addictive drugs alcohol and tobacco?
Thank you. The five principles seem to outline a sensible way of handling mind altering substances within a safe environment. The question arises as to what is the need that drives people to alter their consciousness whether with MJ or alcohol? Does one think great thoughts with MJ?
I know I do with scotch.
Sorry if I sounded defensive, I never intended to be angry or anything like that. I reckon my having to use CAPS rather than italics when trying to make a point seemed like I was shouting. My prob is that I dunno how to do HTML of whatever it's called...I wish I could italicize, use bold letters, & add graphics to some of my posts like everyone else can, but I'm "none too swuft" when it comes to cmptrs. Sorry!
You and me both...I scored a 3 on that Nerd Test the other day.
Type like <i>this</i> to italicize and like <b>this</b> for bold.
I don't drink, due to alcohol's extremely bitter taste. I can't tell one type of alcohol from another, to tell u the truth. It makes folks turn violent, & that just isn't my style.
On the other hand, before I became disabled (I'm legally blind), I'd luv to kick back after getting home from work & smoke about half a joint while watching the evening news or listening to some mellow music. Ahhhhhh......what a smoooooooth way to relax!
Also see here: http://www.freerepublic.com/help.htm#html
I've tried that before, but I guess I didn't do it perfect, because all I got were those addnt'l characters w/o the changes I wanted. Where do I go to learn this stuff?
I'm staunch middle aged now...(47) and have all sorts of spinal arthritis and had open heart surgery a year ago so I have become familiar with narcotics again....something I had little familiarity with since I used them on occasion recreationally as a kid.
I understand how Rush must have felt although he appears to have taken much much larger doses. Narcotics (in mild doses for me) work great when I need them and I can carry out all functions quite well and my mind...a bit more relaxed actually feels more fluid and cogent than otherwise. I realize this may be paradoxical or delusional but it sure feels that way.
When I take them...it's normally up to 10mg of hydrododone at night or maybe half that during the day. Or perhaps one to two Percocets over the course of the day. They do not wipe me out and I function fine and jog and feel mood improvement because of the release of pain and the drug itself. Now if I take Soma as well (carisprodal) then I am less alert and functional to be sure.
It's just odd. I realize these are almost minimal doses and I only take them for 2-6 days at a time but the effects at age 47 are much different than say smoking opium tar at age 17.
Prior to open heart surgery, the morphine-scopalamine cocktail was a Godsend anxiety wise. Now...as for weed...my life is too busy...and I have never enjoyed being drunk.....even a little tipsy is not good for sex past 35 in my experience as a man and I would much rather knock boots than drink. Drink on the other hand, is sort of good for women in that regard.
Just musing....best drug ever made kids.....Quaaludes...no question. Just dont drive and put your daughters in chastity belts.
I don't understand much about narcorics, & I never thought marijuana was in that category. I take phenobarbitol & dilantin 'buz I have epilepsy, but that's as close to the hard stuff that I get.
As far as thinking great thoughts are concerned, yeah, it happens. My friends & I laugh a lot, & the LAST thing on our minds are getting violent & arguing.
Oh...no...I do not think of weed like opiates. Opiates are much stronger and can kill you.
Weed is to me less harmful than alcohol. It's effects are more insidious if abused....subtle.
"Just dont drive and put your daughters in chastity belts."
????
I must be slow on the up-take.
Quaaludes also sold as Sopor was a very bad drug. A real killer. Puts your mind in another space (and your body at 6 feet).
The only time I've tried opiates was when I was in the hospital for gall bladder surgery back in the late '80s. I think Demerol was what I was given--a shot on ea side of my rear end. OUCH!!!
I eventually developed cramps on both butt cheeks that seemed like they would never go away, lol....the great thing about it was how much I looked forward to 10 PM every night: after getting the shot, I felt like I was levitating about 2 feet above the bed, & I could see the sheets hanging down from me on either side & noticed they diddn't even reach the side of the bed! My parents walked into the room & I automatically busted out laughing the moment I saw them...it still cracks me up just thinkin about it, & that was pert near 20 yrs ago!
My remembrances with Methaqualone...sold as Oquaalude, Parest, and Sopor were quite dofferent than you describe.
More like a lot of alcohol wih no side effects.
Bigtime inhibtion looseners.
That was over a quarter century ago, my perception today would be different I imagine.
Yes...like any hard drug...they could be quite dangerous. That's a given.
And type like this, "Does that apply to selling the addictive drugs alcohol and tobacco?" when you have nothing to add to the thread and would rather change the subject to anything but marijuana.
What percent of your income comes from the WOD?
Not familiar with the case, are you?
Why were they awarded the money? Let's put it this way. If the defendants were white, this wouldn't have even been a story.
Get current and read my post #59.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.