Stupid Is As Stupid Does

There are many iconic phrases given to us by the novel/movie Forrest Gump, e.g. "Run Forrest, run!" or "Life is like a box of chocolates."  The one that I've been pondering the past few days is, "Stupid is as stupid does."

I've never been quite sure what that phrase means, but I can think of at least one recent instance where it fits perfectly.  That is, in the case of last month's fake 'debate' in the Iowa legislature over medical marijuana.  (Yep, this in another blog post on the topic of pot.  Only the enlightened should continue reading.)

A legislative subcommittee just held a hearing on the topic of medical marijuana, which a new Des Moines Register Iowa Poll revealed is supported by a majority of Iowans.  That didn't stop the old white man who chaired the meeting from starting the hearing by saying, "Doing any bill.....that would legalize marijuana would be one of the stupidest bills that's ever been passed by this organization.  There is no reason to legalize medical marijuana."

Stupid is as stupid does, sir.

Before the hearing, I wonder how many legislators or their family members got their day started by taking an anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, or anti-pain medication, or some other kind of mind altering drug?  And after the hearing, I wonder how many legislators went to one of the nightly lobbyist-sponsored receptions and had an alcoholic drink or two?

I'll bet the answer is, "Lots of them."  But please ignore the man behind the curtain, we have an intellectually dishonest argument to make.  Society has determined that legalizing those other mind-altering substances is perfectly fine, even though they may be addictive, routinely abused, and lead to dire consequences for other people.

Stupid is as stupid does, for sure.

So we won't even have a real debate about controlling and legalizing medical marijuana.  We will merrily go along another year in Iowa, not only ignoring the incontrovertible organic health benefits of marijuana for some, but also spending millions on anti-pot enforcement and criminal incarceration for others.  Iowa allows gambling, Iowa allows gay marriage, but somehow the social conservatives here continue to beat back progressives on medical marijuana.

Maybe Forrest Gump's mom can explain this to me, because he also once said, "Mama always had a way of explaining things so I could understand them."

"And that's all I have to say about that."

Smart Phones, Dumb Users

Back when cells phones evolved into a device that one could easily carry around, I would shake my head at the self-important people I worked with who deemed it necessary to answer their phone no matter the situation. I worked at a trade association, for God's sake - I'm pretty sure there was no regulatory or lobbying emergency that couldn't wait.

With the advent of smart phones, things have not gotten better. Smart phones have now allowed people to show everyone in the room how important and busy they are, without even receiving a call. People are texting, emailing, checking social media sites, and attending to all sorts of other unnecessary tasks during meetings.

Some people use the excuse of "multi-tasking" to explain away their behavior. Gimme a break. The truth is, smart phones are a drug for self-important people addicted to making themselves appear they must be available 24/7.

Earth-to-all-self-important-people: There is a time and a place for using personal devices, and meetings are NOT one of those times. So, if you're one of those people who just must play with your smart phone (or iPad) while you're supposed to be listening, get over yourself and get back to work, you obnoxious technology jerk.

Alcohol Defeats Marijuana Again (Sigh)

The following is from an article published on November 1, 2010:

"London, England (CNN) -- Alcohol ranks "most harmful" among a list of 20 drugs -- beating out crack and heroin -- according to study results released by a British medical journal, The Lancet. A panel of experts weighed the physical, psychological and social problems caused by the drugs and determined that alcohol was the most harmful overall. Using a new scale to evaluate harms to individual users and others, alcohol received a score of 72 on a scale of 1 to 100, the study says. That makes it almost three times as harmful as cocaine or tobacco, according to the article."

I bring this up as a precursor to one of my bigger disappointments from Election 2010. While some good things happened, such as Iowa replacing its pitiful governor, at least two states failed in attempts to pass laws that would have eased restrictions on marijuana use. South Dakota rejected medicinal marijuana (they obviously didn't pass along enough copies of my blog post on the topic at http://streffblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/medicine-and-marijuana.html), and California rejected a proposal that would have essentially decriminalized (at the state level) possession of very small amounts of MJ.

So to recap, people continue to use -and via advertising are encouraged to use - alcohol, but are severly restricted from not only using, but just possessing MJ. This is despite the fact that alcohol is just as addicting and mind altering, and based on the story above, far more harmful. (There was no mention in the article where exactly marijuana placed on the list of harmful drugs, but it obviously was less so than alcohol.)

Who knew it would be this difficult, well into the 21st century, to get Americans to understand how screwed up they are when it comes to using alcohol versus MJ. We have once again proven that we are, hands down, the most repressed free society in the world.

Best Song Lyrics (Part I)

Like most people my age, I miss the good old days when song lyrics meant something. There are still plenty of good songwriters out there, but they are mostly being drowned out by the commercialization of today's music industry.

I didn't always feel that way. When I was in my teens and 20s, all I cared about was the beat and popularity of a song. Not much has changed for today's youth, except that now it's hip-hop and rap music with empty (or stolen) lyrics, instead of disco.

But eventually you mature, and realize that music without meaning is pointless. So I've decided to begin a recurring blog entry about what I consider to be great song lyrics. Note that I am the sole arbiter of what's considered great, but I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Let's start with these lyrics from the Eagles and their song about addiction, Hotel California.

Mirrors on the ceiling
The pink champagne on ice
And she said,
"We are all just prisoners here, of our own device."
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
"Relax," said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave!"