Random Rant – Just Another Day

Since last post, the Calhoun Underground has gone into “observation mode”. Feet on the ground, hands in the dirt, listening, watching.

Shortly after writing the last post, Roane County saw yet another drug overdose.

The severity and stupidity of this event sent waves of anger and CONSCIENCE thru a community that is small enough that an enormous amount of people knew the victim. This one death had a far greater impact on the general population than any police officer or drug law or threat of jail.

It appears that being told what to do and not do all our lives causes us to reach a point where we cannot think for ourselves. Every manner of rule and law must be created (with threat of jail of course) in order to protect ourselves from BEING HUMAN. But this plan FAILS MISERABLY. Not once in all of this have we ever tried the one experiment that could possibly fix things – The concept of taking personal responsibility for what we do. In other words, you do or don’t do things, not because you might get in trouble with the law, but because you KNOW you’re doing the right things. Because you are actually given the opportunity to make the choices for yourself. What a novel concept.

Bottom line observation: “LAW” should not even enter into the issue of “drug problems”. Suppose there were no drug laws having to do with the police and the court system. The people would go hog wild? Maybe for a minute, until a couple more had to die of overdoses. But those deaths, along with the knowledge that it is UP TO YOU to decide whether to do the killing drugs or not, would most likely create an environment more conducive to actual THOUGHT AND REASON  than the current “big brother” environment where we are not allowed to make our own choices. And, the doctors would ultimately have to shoulder much more of the responsibility for what they do and how they do it. And that is AS IT SHOULD BE. But we will never know the outcome of such an experiment, because we cannot be allowed to think for ourselves.

Observation number 2:

We had a double murder in Calhoun County recently, with the police apparently unable to solve the case. It would seem like this incident would be top of the list of things to get done on the State Police bulletin board. That and keeping the public informed. It’s not often a murder hits Calhoun County, where the biggest news is the Mayor slapping some idiot in the Dollar Store, or the cops losing all the evidence… So one would think the police would be more forthcoming with information. But instead we get rumors which, quite frankly, could be interpreted in a less than pleasant light in regards to the investigating individuals.  (see – http://calpattypress.wordpress.com/2009/05/03/danny-nub-marks-flanagan-murder-suspect-named-by-ss-of-central-wv-being-looked-as-well-as-other-criminals-and-cult-members/)

How does this make the police look bad you might ask? If the story about the growing operation as told by trooper STARCHER (red flag anyone?) has any truth to it, and knowing already the type of people we have in the local State Police Barracks, one might wonder if the police themselves might be involved more deeply than anyone guesses. Perhaps this is why they can not find the  “perps”. Should they be looking within ranks? If this is not the case, surely the police should at very least give some type of REAL statement as to the status of their investigation.

Calhoun County deserves to know if there is a murderer among us. We want the police to come clean as to what they know. Was there, in fact, a grow room? Were there any plants or were they missing? Or is this just a far fetched story? Was there a robbery connected and if so what was stolen?

It’s high time for some honesty; all the way ’round. Nobody is interested in a police state. Nobody wants “Big Brother”. Nobody WANTS to die of drug overdoses. People are beginning to see thru the little games the police play. Their entire job demands that they be FALSE. Every action, every statement. It’s ultimately all about gathering revenue for the town/county/state, and all about wasting taxpayers money on wild goose chases while making themselves look important for their job security. And getting a little on the side…

Now, we just want facts. Truth. Reality.

Does anyone know what that is?

Back to the dirt.

The New American Way, Welcome To WV.

Sometimes I think it would be much wiser and saner to simply move into a cave in the woods. Because there is very little wisdom or sanity in this world. Even in Calhoun County WV where the crime rate is so low as to be nearly non-existent but the jails are still full, the ignorance and apathy level is thru the roof. (Is it something in the water?) Oh, but actually, there have been NUMEROUS thefts in the county lately. Huh, wonder why the POLICE are so SECRETIVE about it? Don’t they want people to know so they can be on the alert? Or maybe the police are the ones doing some of the stealing… Rumor has it that there is a cabin along the river where the cops go to divvy up the spoils… (Didn’t think I knew about that, did you boys?)

Welcome to our little piece of almost hell. The smoking ban is now in effect. Soon the remaining bar in Calhoun County will go belly up. They may be able to pull off a cig smoking ban in Charleston or Parkersburg, maybe. For a while. Until the bar owners figure out a way to fight back. But in good old Calhoun? Where the good old boys see their beer bottles in the same light as their male members? Where the spirit of the hills is still alive and well, even if the hills are slowly losing their tops just down the road a piece?

Cigarettes and beer. They go together just like soup and sandwich. I just can’t imagine a bunch of confirmed beer drinkers headed out for a night on the town without their cigarettes. If I were a drinker and a cig smoker, I’d just go to Speedymart for my fix and then head to a buddys house, get pickled and drive home drunk later. Oh yea, but be sure to toss out those empties along the roadside so the public menace-in-a-uniform does not toss you, too, into jail. After all, those empty beer cans lying along side the road will give the poor folks something to do to make a little cigarette money.

So, cigarette smokers, how does it feel to be in the same category as pot smokers? We’re all criminals now. About time someone had to share in the wealth of stupidity.

Now, as to THE ROAD.

The road, which is bad enough that it resembles a creek bed and rattles every “unnecessary” piece of equipment right off your car from driving on it, is, well, still the same as ever. By winter this road should be just about impassible. But somehow, the highway department can still find the time and money to run a brush hog along the roadside, AFTER summer is done and the weeds are dying back, anyhow. So, just like always, they come down the road and I stand there and watch. They all see me standing there. They studiously avoid hogging down the bamboo patch, same as they always did in years past, and wave as they go by.

Yes, I said BAMBOO. The bamboo patch which is annually cut back BY HAND from the roadside so that the poles can be used … The patch that was obviously roped off and taken care of. The patch which houses one of the biggest and most astounding migrations of birds in Calhoun county every year. No problem, right? Wrong.

Two days later, it’s 8:00am. Everyone in the neighborhood is still asleep. Suddenly a LOUD chopping/scraping sound wakes everyone up. The brush hog is back. The bamboo patch is attacked with a vengance. Quickly, before anyone can show up to complain. The highway department takes their half out of the middle so to speak. No warning. 15 foot right of way my ass.

I rush to stop the destruction, but it is too late. Then I am told that they “tried” to get a hold of us first, and it was “bosses orders”. But wait, I was standing right there just two days before. Did no one know how to talk that day? And last year, same thing. I was standing right there. But not one single person let me know of their intentions.

Let me get this straight. Even tho something seems to be just fine for years and no one communicates otherwise, suddenly everything changes, a special trip is made with brush hog and trucks (at extra cost to taxpayers) to do something that could and should have been taken care of by hand by the owners with highway department blessing. And the way it was done was just plain SNEAKY. Ah, but I’m told, (after the fact of course) it’s SO important to do, just in case someone comes thru there and somehow wrecks and the highway dept might get sued??? Give me a break!!!! This road is so bad that everyone who lives on it cringes every time they have to get in their cars and go anywhere, and the highway dept is worried about 5 extra feet of right of way??? But only in front of my house. SURE. Well, I figure the highway department owes a nice piece of change for the ruined bamboo poles, and the length of good rope that it was roped off with, which is now chopped into so many million pieces that I can’t even find the remains. They will get a bill. Destroying the natural habitat of about a half million migrating birds is another matter, which, I suppose, will only be judged by KARMA in the end, because nobody gives a rats ass about a bunch of birds, right? Oh yea, and you might now need to move those twenty-something year old fences too, for the sake of this extremely important 15 foot right of way, or “they might get tangled up in the brush hog…” I’ll remember that this winter when I slide off the road or bury my car in the thing that was supposed to be a ditch before it became part of the creek bed…

But the stupid buck does not stop there. A LARGE group of citizens, all the way from the Virginia border thru PA are trying to bring some sanity to the coal/electric power industry and let them know that we want CLEAN and renewable energy and all the new jobs that would come with that, and not more destruction of the state thru mountaintop removal, more blue haze belching coal plants, or huge high voltage power lines strung thru an area that can’t even get reliable LOCAL electric service, in order to serve out of state cities and keep places like NJ and MD clean and green…

Noble cause right? You would THINK so. But, no matter HOW noble the cause, already flyers informing folks of a public meeting about these issues are being TORN DOWN by the flyer nazis.

In other news, while following up on the Narcotics Anonymous fraud scandal in Roane county in which victims of the court system are ordered to attend Seventh Day Adventist Bible study being sold as a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, it is discovered that the victims just don’t care. Even tho they know it’s wrong, even tho they feel insulted and their time and gas money is being wasted, even tho it’s actual FRAUD being committed by the court system and against everyone’s constitutional rights, even tho the court system could be sued in a class action lawsuit and most likely LOSE. All the victims really care about is sleeping thru it until it’s over and not pissing off the probation officer… Score one for the enemy.

Sometimes one would think that the devil himself has been recruiting in Calhoun County. Because the order of the day is DESTRUCTION. Anything less is unacceptable. Allow the thieves to steal. Allow the corrupt cops to keep on doing their thing. Destroy the local economy, the local landscape, create distrust between the citizens and authorities. Lie, cover up, be secretive. Use and abuse. And most of all DON’T GIVE A DAMN. It’s the new American way.

West Virginia Day

Ok, so I’m a day late and a dollar short, but I DO live in Wild and Wonderful, after all. The project seems to be for all WV Bloggers to “set the record straight” by helping to change our “bad” WV stereotype. So, I’m off to a bad start, as most West Virginians I know are ALSO usually a day late and a dollar short…

My take on the whole stereotype thing is that we should STOP being so damned worried about being just like every one else! That “bad” stereotype just happens to be one of the things that makes this state DIFFERENT and therefore APPEALING as a vacation get-away. Oh yea, I forgot, we are not about being a TOURIST state, we are about being a coal mining, oil and gas, and a police state. According to Governor Manchin that is.

Yes, I think the worst things about this state are that the general opinion of those in power is that we ARE nothing but illiterate hillbillys who can be railroaded and manipulated and lied to at our expense.

Anyone who keeps up on WV news in the mainstream media would think all us citizens are just dummies, except of course the “leaders” who would appear to the outside world as if they were all corrupt. West Virginia has gotten very infamous for it’s troubles, from the ridiculous antics of Jack Whittaker to the obvious corruption of the Supreme Court, from coal mining fatalities to the improprieties of the scandalous coal king/coal mafia, from local state police criminality to WV University falsifying records so the Governor’s daughter can have a high paying job in pharmaceuticals.

Wait a minute. It seems as if those who would bring WV into the 21st century are the ones who are causing the most bad press…

So, eliminate all THAT, and we have one of the most beautiful (even if it IS the most polluted) states going. The entire state reminds me of huge state parks I have been thru, minus the roadside trash of course.

WV heritage, that horrid thing that makes outsiders think we are all illiterate and inbred, is actually the most appealing thing about the state. The old time flavor of true hospitality, the endless bluegrass festivals, yes even the “hillbillys” and their ways, are the true treasures of WV. Why does everyone think it’s better to be just like every one else? Why is it that we can not embrace this old-fashioned heritage rather than try to “live it down”? Why are all our real historical landmarks being allowed to fall to the ground and rot? Why are our “leaders” so determined to turn this magnificently beautiful state with all it’s good old boys (and girls) into a commercialized strip mine/landfill? Why does the mainstream media only offer BAD stories about the mainstream politicians and the seriously disturbed?

These things are our greatest enemies. The real people who actually live here and work the land which was passed down from their ancestors, the natural beauty, yes, even the image of a “poor” redneck hillbilly, THESE are the things of beauty that give this state it’s true charm.

WV was not supposed to be just like the rest! It CAN NOT be, due to it’s geography and history. Those who are presently “in charge” are the biggest offenders as far as the ruination of this mountainous state. Without them, we could all be happy and honest and REAL. And in this day and age those things are PRICELESS.

Just Another Day In The Land Of The Free

These kinds of stories are growing repetitive, told over and over again across the land, from one coast to another, from big cities to small towns JUST LIKE YOURS. I’m sure any regular readers out there already have figured out what MY opinions would be on this, and I grow weary of talking about it, so I will just leave you with something to “chaw” on for a spell.

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STATE POLICE DRUG DOGS SWEEP CALHOUN MIDDLE-HIGH SCHOOL

(02/29/2008)
Drug dogs from the WV State Police reportedly did a search at Calhoun Middle-High School yesterday, with students being “locked-down” in classrooms for the sweep.

It was the second time in the past three months a sweep has happened at the school.

The earlier sweep was performed by the Calhoun Sheriff’s Department.

Unofficially, no drugs have been found at the facility during either visit.

School officials have said the drug dogs come to the school unannounced to make the search, which appears to include school lockers and other public areas while students are held inside classrooms.

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And the purpose of this last drug search was? How many of you parents like the idea of having your kids basically under arrest in their classroom for no particular reason? And this is happening regularly? Even tho no drugs seem to be being found? I assume no probable cause then? This sounds mighty unconstitutional to me. Perhaps they are simply preparing your kids for the following…

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Report: 1 in every 100 Americans behind bars
Associated Press
Published: Thursday February 28, 2008

Report: 1 in every 100 Americans behind bars Total is far more than any other country in the world

By DAVID CRARY Associated Press

NEW YORK — For the first time in history, more than one in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report tracking the surge in inmate population and urging states to rein in corrections costs with alternative sentencing programs.

The report, released today by the Pew Center on the States, said the 50 states spent more than $49 billion on corrections last year, up from less than $11 billion 20 years earlier. The rate of increase for prison costs was six times greater than for higher education spending, the report said.

Using updated state-by-state data, the report said 2,319,258 adults were held in U.S. prisons or jails at the start of 2008 — one out of every 99.1 adults, and more than any other country in the world.

The steadily growing inmate population “is saddling cash-strapped states with soaring costs they can ill afford and failing to have a clear impact either on recidivism or overall crime,” said the report.

Susan Urahn, managing director of the Pew Center on the States, said budget woes are prompting officials in many states to consider new, cost-saving corrections policies that might have been shunned in the recent past for fear of appearing soft on crime.

“We’re seeing more and more states being creative because of tight budgets,” she said in an interview. “They want to be tough on crime, they want to be a law-and-order state — but they also want to save money, and they want to be effective.”

The report cited Kansas and Texas as states which have acted decisively to slow the growth of their inmate population. Their actions include greater use of community supervision for low-risk offenders and employing sanctions other than reimprisonment for ex-offenders who commit technical violations of parole and probation rules.

“The new approach, born of bipartisan leadership, is allowing the two states to ensure they have enough prison beds for violent offenders while helping less dangerous lawbreakers become productive, taxpaying citizens,” the report said.

While many state governments have shown bipartisan interest in curbing prison growth, there also are persistent calls to proceed cautiously.

“We need to be smarter,” said David Muhlhausen, a criminal justice expert with the conservative Heritage Foundation. “We’re not incarcerating all the people who commit serious crimes — but we’re also probably incarcerating people who don’t need to be.”

According to the report, the inmate population increased last year in 36 states and the federal prison system.

The largest percentage increase — 12 percent — was in Kentucky, where Gov. Steve Beshear highlighted the cost of corrections in his budget speech last month. He noted that the state’s crime rate had increased only about 3 percent in the past 30 years, while the state’s inmate population has increased by 600 percent.

The Pew report was compiled by the Center on the State’s Public Safety Performance Project, which is working directly with 13 states on developing programs to divert offenders from prison without jeopardizing public safety.

“For all the money spent on corrections today, there hasn’t been a clear and convincing return for public safety,” said the project’s director, Adam Gelb. “More and more states are beginning to rethink their reliance on prisons for lower-level offenders and finding strategies that are tough on crime without being so tough on taxpayers.”

The report said prison growth and higher incarceration rates do not reflect a parallel increase in crime or in the nation’s overall population. Instead, it said, more people are behind bars mainly because of tough sentencing measures, such as “three-strikes” laws, that result in longer prison stays.

“For some groups, the incarceration numbers are especially startling,” the report said. “While one in 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars, for black males in that age group the figure is one in nine.”

The nationwide figures, as of Jan. 1, include 1,596,127 people in state and federal prisons and 723,131 in local jails — a total 2,319,258 out of almost 230 million American adults.

The report said the United States is the world’s incarceration leader, far ahead of more populous China with 1.5 million people behind bars. It said the U.S. also is the leader in inmates per capita (750 per 100,000 people), ahead of Russia (628 per 100,000) and other former Soviet bloc nations which make up the rest of the Top 10.

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OK, so those odds are getting even worse. Last year about this time it was 1 in 135….

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“We, the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution.” Abraham Lincoln

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Now, while your mind is well greased, sit back, get yourself some snacks (sugar and genetically modified garbage-free), put up your feet, and prepare for 5 HOURS worth of the history lesson you never got in school. This is probably the BEST and most informative documentary I have ever seen that covers basically EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know (and some stuff you didn’t) about how things have gotten this way.

The Empire of the City Part 1

The Empire of the City Part 2

We’re All Indians Now

I am posting a link to a statement made recently by RUSSELL MEANS, a very intelligent, dedicated, and brave man. His message gives one some very timely food for thought. This message is important to all of us if we choose to listen. Because if you study history, and you look at how things are in the present times, it seems to boil down to one thing. We’re all Indians now.

The Lakotah are working on taking back their lives, their land, and their heritage. The treaties with the “white man’s” government were broken many times over and in the REAL world, if you break a contract, it’s null and void. So the Lakotah Indians are once more determined to become their own nation. I wish them all the luck in the world. And I hope many more follow.
Russell Means

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