Penn Jillette, who is basically everyone at this blog’s idea of a golden god (except he doesn’t believe there are any, but we’re super not sure he’d really object to us calling him one), had a widely disseminated rant a few days ago about how, if Barack Obama who talks nostalgically about doing pot – “and a little blow” – in his formative years, had been arrested for his activities under America’s current, archaic drug laws, he probably never would have been President. And I say “probably never” because some dude who extorted money and is currently in jail got 40% of the vote in a Democratic primary last month. Its hard to predict American voter attitudes with this sort of thing.
But back to the point, Barack did a lot of weed in high school, and so did a lot of other Americans, and so do a lot of other Americans, but states rights aren’t really up his alley on this particular issue because, I suppose, stoners don’t write a lot of checks to political campaigns (or, really, checks period. Most of the ones I know are debit card people). People in favor of gay marriage – an issue in which Barack is heavily invested and on which he is firm believer in “states rights” – throw million dollar fundraisers. So that.
But it doesn’t change the fact that you totally knew Barack Obama in high school, and he was totally the kid who was always stealing extra hits off your joint.
Barry also had a knack for interceptions. When a joint was making the rounds, he often elbowed his way in, out of turn, shouted “Intercepted!,” and took an extra hit. No one seemed to mind.
Right. No one seemed to mind. Says the guy stealing the joint. I bet he never forced his friends to listen to sh*tty seventies rock, either. Because they liked it.
Anywhoo, the only difference between Barack and the dude you knew in high school who also did this (along with Barack’s favorite drug-use strategies, “total absorption” and licking the marijuana smoke off the ceiling of the car after the joint was gone), Barack Obama didn’t get arrested at the tail end of his senior year and has been in and out of jail six times for various drug-related offenses, can’t hold a full-time job because of his criminal record, and lives in the same VW van Barack had, which he keeps nestled next to an abandoned warehouse until he needs it to get to a Phish concert in Wisconsin.
Of course, there is the comfort in knowing that at least some people who spent those four years wasted grew up to be stodgy, center-left Democrats who wear Mom jeans, have a tough time with math and take vacations to “teach” their children things. That there’s probably enough to get any high-schooler off the ganj.
Most of the stoners I met didn’t use debit cards – they were cash only. Of course, most of the stoners I met were also dealers and it didn’t do good to have a bank involved in their “bidness”…