# America is having some technical difficulties... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 13, 2002, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433 "2002-12-13T04:35:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/61 "2002-12-14T05:55:14Z")
I wrote to the guy who did the site to express my appreciation and I got an interesting response. He claims to be descended from Presidents Adams (John and John Quincy) along with some other interesting folk. He also promises to regularly update it, and “On the final frame I’ll be inserting URL’s to the issues raised in the movie. I’m deliberately used only used mainstream and “respected” news outlets in compiling the references. That’s not because I believe the Independent Media is somehow less reliable or accurate – quite the opposite. It’s only because some of the more recalcitrant people I’m trying to reach won’t be able to dismiss this information immediately out-of-hand.” I guess I’ll have to keep going back… ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/62 "2002-12-14T13:33:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\* > Needless to say, I giggled at it and went on. 🙂 \*\* It’s so hard to have an argument with someone who’s in a good mood. Merry Christmas… and you’re very lucky I didn’t pull out the Pokethulu. Seriously, I posted it as a mild expression of frustration as to your utterly non-sarcastic replies. Personally, I think trying to figure out how society would have changed with no War on Drugs is mildly interesting. I suspect the “Masters of the Universe” types would be doing more… And pot use would be more frequent… But I don’t see _much_ more in the way of change. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/63 "2002-12-14T13:47:14Z")
I’m just wondering if there exists any thread that cannot be hijacked into a call for drug legalization. Thread: _That time of month, possibly TMI_ Post: Once a month, 300,000 non-violent drug offenders are sent to prison. Thread: _What should I name my new puppy_ Post: Name him pot. I like pot. Pot should be legal. Thread: _I like Cinderella the movie_ Post: Yeah, but those ugly stepsisters are supporters for the War on Drugs, a huge waste of money that takes people’s liberties. Frankly, I’m sick of it. I’m also sick of brainless, non-cited, Flash driven attacks that offer nothing to debate except how clever we all are to make the flag different colors, but that’s another story. Oh, no, wait, that’s what the OP was about. Huh? Who woulda guessed. ---
**Author:** ![CLedet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b487fb/32.png) [@CLedet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CLedet)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/64 "2002-12-14T14:25:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stoid \* > **He also promises to regularly update it, and "On the final frame I’ll be inserting URL’s to the issues raised in the movie."** Talk about putting the carriage in front of the horse. But that doesn’t matter, why let the truth get in the way of a little good flash animation. > [@](#): > > I guess I’ll have to keep going back… When you turn Microsoft screen of death blue, please post a picture. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/65 "2002-12-14T18:16:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hamlet \* > \*\* > I’m also sick of brainless, non-cited, Flash driven attacks that offer nothing to debate except how clever we all are to make the flag different colors, but that’s another story. Oh, no, wait, that’s what the OP was about. Huh? Who woulda guessed. \*\* What exactly is your grief, Ham? Is that I posted the link, or that the thing even exists? Because if it is A, you will note that we are in the Pit, not Great Debates. If it is B, are you sick of people doing political cartoons? Are you sick of people making jokes? Are you sick of people expressing any public disagreement with the political situation that is not framed as a long, drawn out essay with bibliography and supporting research? I think some chilling is in order. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/66 "2002-12-14T19:06:52Z")
Hey, no worries **Stoid** , it’s your thread and I was just remarking on the drug legalization hijack. Feel completely free to post or link to whatever trite, contrived, and appalling boring crap you want to. It ain’t up my alley, but knock yourself out. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/67 "2002-12-14T20:35:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hamlet \* > \*\*Hey, no worries **Stoid** , it’s your thread and I was just remarking on the drug legalization hijack. \*\* Really? > [@](#): > > \*\* > I’m also sick of brainless, non-cited, Flash driven attacks that offer nothing to debate except how clever we all are to make the flag different colors, but that’s another story. Oh, no, wait, that’s what the OP was about. Huh? Who woulda guessed. > > \*\* Coulda fooled me. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/68 "2002-12-14T21:03:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stoid \* > \*\* > Coulda fooled me. \*\* Must…not…too…easy… ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/69 "2002-12-14T22:22:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by E-Sabbath \* > \*\*It’s so hard to have an argument with someone who’s in a good mood. Merry Christmas… and you’re very lucky I didn’t pull out the Pokethulu. > > Seriously, I posted it as a mild expression of frustration as to your utterly non-sarcastic replies. Personally, I think trying to figure out how society would have changed with no War on Drugs is mildly interesting. I suspect the “Masters of the Universe” types would be doing more… And pot use would be more frequent… But I don’t see _much_ more in the way of change. \*\* In all seriousness, I agree with you completely. There will _always_ be people who will get hooked to whatever’s around, legal or not, and legislation hasn’t been able to change that. Similarly, there will always be people who feel they are best served by being intoxicated by something every so often, legally or not, and, again, legislation hasn’t been able to change that. Maybe some people of the first and second groups who now use tobacco or alcohol would use marijuana or cocaine or heroin if those were legal, but I don’t think we’re looking at huge numbers of `conversions,' especially whe you look at places like Holland, where using `illegal’ drugs is acceptable and mostly non-prosecuted. But most people, in my experience and through history, simply don’t want to take large amounts of drugs, or use anything to excess. I fall into this camp more firmly than most: I refuse to do any drug more potent than caffeine, no matter what has been legalized. So some people would kill themselves, some people would zone out, and most of us would keep on the same path. IOW, no change. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/70 "2002-12-15T04:21:16Z")
Hamlet: Notice that this is not, and in fact, has not, been a call for legalization of drugs. This has been a theoretical discussion on the “War On Drugs” with the stiffer sentences, erosion of individual rights, and higher budgeted police departments pertaining to it. Actually, one side-effect has been the societal crackdown on alcohol, and the consequential decrease in drunk driving, which has been really quite impressive in NY, which is a clearly positive thing. ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/71 "2002-12-15T06:07:28Z")
> [@](#): > > I heard similar arguments with our Afghanistan campaign and haven’t seen any evidence of it there. How would a war with Iraq increase US companies profits? Doesn’t OPEC set the price per barrel? Can’t we currently purchase oil from Iraq via the Oil for Food program? If the entire middle eastern world shut off its oil the US oil companies would make a tidy profit because they could increase the price for their oil. After the war is over and the US lets them get first crack at Iraq’s oil they will have a much larger market share. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/72 "2002-12-15T20:38:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \* > \*\*… Because people who can make Flash animations are ALWAYS right… \*\* I don’t know , but I liked a lot the concept of the flag they can’t get right. I found it very funny. ---
**Author:** ![Xploder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a183cd/32.png) [@Xploder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xploder)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433/73 "2002-12-17T00:26:54Z")
Since I posted a link to a conservative viewpoint, I thought that it would be the least I could do to post one from the liberal front…hence, [http://www.yellowtimes.org/article.php?sid=930](http://www.yellowtimes.org/article.php?sid=930) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-is-having-some-technical-difficulties/142433.md?page=3)