Antigen, you seem to be either a "liberal" or a "libertarian", but probably more of a libertarian. I tend to be conservative, but like yourself, I don't agree with the drug war and what it has produced. I also lean toward libertarian thought because I think they are way too many laws. If people want to put booze in their body, or smoke some pot, I don't care. I don't see why marijuana specifically is a problem, but most conservatives lump it in with the harder stuff, like crack or heroin which is an entirely different ballgame in my view. I've come to this view over time. Certain drugs (mostly alcohol, only rarely hard drugs) were proven to be problematic for me over time. But I can't recall a negative experience from marijuana, not one. Hell, even the paranoia was fun!
Amongst conservatives (and liberals) are a whole wide range of ideaologies that often conflict with each other. I hear that there are as many as 28,000 Christian denominations and most of these think that they alone have "all the truth". I have views. We all do. But pride in one's "superior" views doesn't produce good results. Love does.
Conservatives villainize the left and the left villainizes the right. It's easy to get caught up in the opinions, strong feelings, and the controversies. But I've come to see "truth" in views that are both "right" and "left".
On any given subject, there are a plethora of pinatas bursting with unique perspectives as we pound away at the pinata (topic). Not one of the perspectives is "all the truth" neither is each of the perspectives "equally true". Not even our own perspectives are equal, but vary in power and purity. So, we often have to "peel away" UNTIL we get to substantial truth.
The same is true for this forum. Nobody here has "all the truth" about solving the problems that abusive treatment programs present, but contribute their partial perspectives and, more importantly, their experiences here. And that's all that is needed. It feels good to connect with others about Straight, despite all of our differing opinions about stuff. It's 4:18 AM. Bye.
