The Great "420" Marijuana Holiday Report.

Today, April 20th (4/20) is the unofficial "High Holiday" of marijuana freedom fighters across America. The number, "420" is code for marijuana among cannabis aficionados. Thus, here in the grove we are doing our part to use this day not simply to celebrate the miracle pot plant, but raise awareness to push marijuana legalization over the finish line. So, while I puff on my pipe, I wanted to write up a post on the festivities.

Let's start in my home state of Colorado. The University of Colorado-Boulder has been the epicenter for protests against marijuana prohibition and celebrations of the sweetly scented herb. On this day, April 20th, marijuana lovers gather on a sprawling open area on campus to have a massive smoke-out. This year, however, the C.U. campus has decided to crack down on the harmless tradition. It's really rather amusing considering Boulder is one of the most marijuana friendly cities in America, and the epicenter for Colorado's marijuana legalization movement. So, the cops have simply pushed people indoors where they will celebrate well into the night tonight.

If you stand for marijuana legalization then please consider donating $10 to the Colorado campaign to legalize in 2012. Donate at this website: "Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol." It's a legitimate organization fighting for marijuana sanity in Colorado. I have donated to them every month this year. So, you can be sure that it's legitimate. You might ask, "Why should I give my money to legalize marijuana in another state than where I live?" Well, the reason is that once one state legalizes marijuana, progress in other states will pick up momentum. We have to start somewhere!!

In Denver, a former Obama fundraiser has opened a very successful medical marijuana dispensary. I found the following quote from the Obama fundraiser. It is a great summation to the point that marijuana legalization does not transform a state into a drug den. "Colorado now has had two years of a very active medical marijuana program and the sky hasn’t fallen here. There aren’t people passed out in the streets holding joints; there aren’t drug cartels taking over Denver…There aren’t all those things that people thought would happen."

Next, we have an informative article on the 8 myths surrounding marijuana (click here for article).

In other news, the Congress of the United States seems to be more agreeable to marijuana legalization than the White House. That's not too surprising considering the president has to look to be "tough on crime" despite the truth that marijuana legalization would reduce crime as it did when alcohol prohibition was repealed (Click here for article).

And, for those Howard Stern fans out there, he too supports marijuana legalization. Check out his opinions in this video:





And, that's it for the round-up!! If you are currently using marijuana, have an enjoyable "420!!" And if you do not use marijuana, but stand for sensible drug policy then thank-you for supporting sanity and common sense. If you drink instead, give a toast to the freedom fighters working to end the wasteful war on marijuana. 
~The Green Man Has Spoken~

The Rites of Spring in the High Rocky Mountains.

The sunny birds have stirred me from my winter hibernation to embrace the fertility of Spring. Immediately my eyes lift heavenward to the Rocky Mountains towering above. My heart is like a magnet, as it yearns to be reunited with the wilds of my youth. As soon as I could walk on my own, I was introduced to the near-by mountains and have gone back again and again for the rest of my life. I feel such a strong and peaceful bond with all of nature. It ignited a life-long passion for nature that burns brighter with each passing year. Soon, it will be time to perform my "Consecration of Spring" ritual.

It involves finding a secluded woods far away from camp sites to strip naked. Nudity is our natural form--it is what Mother Nature intended us to wear in our natural habitat. But, since we can't walk around naked all the time, I like to incorporate it into many of my Neo-Pagan rituals. In those hidden woods, I dig a small hole with my hands. I don't use a man-made object because it lacks the personal connection to the fertile dirt that feeds us and gives us resources for shelter and fuel.

I like to raise a scoop of dirt in my hands to my nose and smell of its richness. It is a gesture of respect to the soil's power. At the same time, it's soft yet rich scent relaxes my body and mind, allowing the chaotic stress of modernity to melt away quicker. It's a ritual that shakes the grime of city life off my mind so I can get into spiritual state worthy of Mother Nature's beauty. It's a ritual that reminds me I don't have to carry the baggage of my daily life out in nature. It disintegrates the knots of stress, so that I can fully embrace the experience of nature. I don't believe in rituals without preparing your spirit first because otherwise you rush through it and miss the messages Mother Nature has for you because you weren't in the right frame of mind.

This is where I will be adding some new rituals to my "Consecration of Spring" ceremony. I like to bath in mountain streams when I go backpacking far away from human contact. So, I was thinking that before I strip naked in a secluded grove, and dig the hole that I'll bath in a mountain stream to ritualistically cleanse the grime of materialism from my body. Then when I'm naked I am pure for the rituals to come. Finally, upon completion of the bathing and digging, I drop some wildflower seeds in the hole. Then, I begin to masturbate.

I really loose myself in it, without drawing too much attention. I thank Mother Nature for giving me such a beautiful tool, as my aroused phallus to spread fertility. I thank her for making me a man and with it the enjoyment a sexually horny male can enjoy. I dedicate myself to supporting all ideas that further the birth of revolutionary changes that improve life for humans and animals. Then, when I've extended my masturbating for as long as I can, I unload my streaming man seed (cum) into the hole (womb) as a symbolic ritual of rebirth.

A dedication to a Springtime of renewal and stewardship of nature. It is a ritual where I symbolically impregnate nature and thus feel a deeper bond to the land--and to protect it like I would my own family. It represents a renewed hope and dedication to give birth to new and positive changes in my life. It helps me feel like I am re-connecting with my "natural man" instincts, too. Then I fill in the hole with the soil dug out and cover the sacrificial area with leaves, in a nod to the environmentalists creed, "Leave nature as pristine as you found it." Leave no trace of human activity behind. Feel free to adopt anything that calls to from my "Consecration of Spring" ritual...I believe in communal co-operation and sharing of spiritual expression. That's all for now...

~The Green Man Has Spoken~

Billy Graham's Daughter, Ann Graham, Says it's O.K. To Discriminate Against Atheists.

The daughter of televangelist Rev. Billy Graham, Ann Graham says that it’s important to discriminate against candidates who are atheists because politicians “should have a fear for almighty God.”

Green Man: I heard her say this live, and my jaw dropped wide open. This bigoted comment came just seconds after she said people who are considering whether to vote for a Mormon or not should look at the candidates "policies" rather than their religious beliefs. I guess that only applies to believers in "God." The constitution states that no religious testshould be given as a criteria for public office. Yet that is exactly what Ms. Graham and others like her do every election toward non-Christians.

She was way out of line and not engendering the spirit of brotherhood that Jesus taught about. How are we supposed to work together if Christians dismiss atheists out of hand? As an atheist, I have voted for no one butChristians, and it never kept me from voting based on their policies. Christians dismiss atheists and non-Christians as untrustworthy and evil but then Christians wonder why non-believers feel so discriminated against??? Wake up America -- this is supposed to be a religious free country!! Freedom of religion and freedom from religion. Can you imagine the outrage if President Obama was an atheist and said he wouldn't vote for a Christian?!! And the outrage would be justified. What she said was extremely irresponsible and bitterly divisive.

Speaking of President Obama, it seems that plenty of religious conservatives (thought not all, thankfully) want to have it both ways. They want to be able to falsely label President Obama as a "Muslim" (as if there is anything wrong with being Muslim in the first place). However, when a Democrat or Liberal dares question their insertion of religion into politics, they cry like a baby that their first amendment rights of freedom of religion are being attacked!! They have rigged the system where they are right when they are right, and right when they are wrong. No wonder they don't want the status quo to change, they have a very effective scam going on.

The silence from Christians after Ms. Graham's ugly statements speak volumes toward their hypocrisy on freedom of religious expression. If they truly stood for religious freedom in America then they would be demanding that Ms. Graham apologize for such polarizing, disrespectful remarks. The irony is that most atheists would love to not have to talk religion, but Christians refuse to acknowledge the secular nature of American government. So, to not defend oneself is such an environment is akin to dropping your weapons in the midst of a battle.

I don't have a problem with people voting against atheist candidates based on their policies, but not based on their atheistic beliefs. Being an ex-Mormon, I have plenty of disagreements with that religion, but I would never not vote for Mitt Romney because of his religion. I don't even need to consider such a factor because his policies are plenty enough information for me not vote for him. I really am concerned about the level of religious discrimination toward non-believers and believers of non Judeo-Christians beliefs. I'm even more concerned about how much religion has been inserted into politics over the past 20-30 years. Let's keep our elections based on policies, please.

~The Green Man has Spoken~