A STORY WORTH THE TELLIN'

 

A STORY WORTH THE TELLIN’ 

I disagreed with a principal who used his authority to walk into my classroom and jerk up a boy and expel him from school because his hair was too long or his sideburns were below his earlobes or because he was wearing scandals without socks or because he his pants were designed with flowers or bright colors. 

In the mean time, while I had to literally part the cigarette smoke to even walk into the teacher’s lounge; at this American High School there was a designated “Smoking Area” for high school students and faculty members.  Even though they deny it until this day, it happened.   While the tobacco smoking faculty members hated me for requesting a “Smoke Free Teachers Lounge” the principle was scheming ways to get rid of me.  He couldn’t fire me because I had a perfect teaching record. 

When the occasion arose the principle had the opportunity to get rid of me, embarrass me, and subject me with the highest form of injustice; so he shipped me off to teach in an all black high school. Even though it was rough being a white teacher in a black school, I was determined to remain in the teaching profession. I used the experiences I learned from African American students to become a successful teacher in an Integrated Public School System. Those lessons could not be learned in the best educational classes of any university or college; they could only be learned in on the job training.   

In the mean time, while some members of my family were smoking cigarettes like they were going out of style and some were dying, I was called the “Black Sheep” of the family because I smoked marijuana. Since the early nineteen sixties, I have been an advocate for the legalization of both recreational and medical marijuana. Nevertheless, I have encouraged citizens to abide by the law.   

When I was offered a highly respected position in a Magnet School in Little Rock Arkansas; Father Time came to my rescue. Time revealed the benefits of the “Miracle Weed,” and the truth was revealed about the death trap of smoking tobacco. It is funny how time changes things. 

Now back to those students who were kicked out of school. They realized they had done nothing wrong and that they were victims of “foolish authority.” They became adults and had children, and now they have taught their children to disrespect foolish authority. To those other students were jerked up, handcuffed, sent to jail, and sometimes to prison, for smoking a joint, they too realized that they were victims of a foolish law.  They also become adults and now have children and have taught their children to disrespect foolish authority. 

While jails and prisons were overflowing with “Pot Smokers” lawmaking authorities were busy using tax payer’s dollars hiring “NARC SQUADS.” Their purpose was to bust what the authorities called the “devil’s pot smokers.”  What they failed to realize that a large number of the “NARCS” were also pot smokers and avid cocaine users who were using the legal system to protect their drug addictions. 

Meantime, while America was going to hell in a hand basket, the authorities were taking it upon themselves to make sure that Americans were law abiding citizens.  There is a great deal of difference between “foolish authority” and “real authority.” When a teenager is stopped and arrested for “jay walking” and it ends up in an altercation where the policeman shoots and kills the teenager; there is no doubt that foolish authority was involved.  When a mother is stopped by the police for a broken tail light and it ends up with the policeman shooting and killing the mother in front of her children, it is another sad case of foolish authority. When a nine year old girl is sprayed in the face with pepper spray by a policeman, it is a horrible case of foolish authority. When a policeman shoots and kills a six year old child for playing with a wooden pistol, foolish authority has reached its highest point. When a policeman puts his knee on the neck of a subdued citizen and prevents the citizen from breathing for seven minutes, while the policeman is busy smiling for the camera, foolish authority is out of control. 

Today, the American government is experiencing, “the chickens coming home to roost.” The United States has become the perfect example of “reaping what you have sown.” Starting back in the sixties, authorities have been making foolish mistakes and governments have lacked the knowledge of making the right decisions. The terrible aspect of all of this is the fact that government officials deny making mistakes and thus citizen carnage continues. Jails and prisons are still overflowing with innocent victims. Respected citizens have lost their jobs, their homes, and their children, over this “misguided marijuana” issue.  Even when the truth has been revealed very few prisoners have been released for none violent crimes while white collar criminals walk around as free as a bird. There is a price to be paid for all of this, and that price will be paid by the hardships that will fall on the backs of future generations. 

Today, the students of Hong Kong are fighting a hardcore Communist authoritative rule in an attempt to establish a democracy. The people of the world are looking on but doing nothing.  North Korean citizens are captured by an evil dictator who has killed thousands of his own people and thousands of others are starving. But yet the United States President, at the time, announced to the world that he had a love affair going on between himself and the most evil dictator on the planet.  While the people of the world are fighting to be free, Americans are casting their freedom at the feet of a wannabe dictator who is willing to destroy a democracy in order to satisfy his selfish need for praise and power.