Not everyone agrees or accepts that marijuana is still illegal in the States. In fact, if it were up to most people I know, it'd be legal but taxed and regulated. Just like alcohol and tabacco products are. I'm one of those people. Do I agree with using marijuana, legal or not? No, not necessarily.
*Full disclosure: I tried it once. I took 2 hits off a joint. And I hated how it made me feel. I thrive on chaos and insanity, and I do not like moving in slow motion. I didn't get the big deal and I'd never do it again. My choice. I know other people who do like to be slowed down and relaxed. Their choice. Am I better than them? No, because I knew what I was doing was illegal. But I tried it anyways. Had I been caught and arrested, I'd have accepted the consequences. Because, that's the person I am. (When I've gotten nailed for speeding, I pay the fine. Why? Because I knew I was speeding, no sense in fighting it. Points on my license? Comes with the territory when knowingly breaking the law)
I have friends who are viewing this ^^ piece of shit as a hero, for fighting against "the man", sort-to-speak. His photo is on a page about Civil Disobedience & Non Cooperation on facebook. The photo tells a cribsheet version of his "heroic act" against authority figures.
And now, I'll tell you how I see it:
This fucking asshole got caught smoking weed. Instead of owning his actions, like a grown up, he threw a very expensive, potentially harmful and utterly unacceptable tantrum. He put lives at risk, destroyed tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of emergency vehicles and added more crimes to a "simple" charge.
Why? Because he felt the arrest was unfair.
He chose to smoke the pot and was arrested. Weather the arrest was justified or not, fact is he WAS smoke an illegal substance. In his home or not, illegal is illegal.
Here's the biggest issue I have: destroying government/state/county property is NOT civil disobedience. It is a crime! It is, however, most truly non-cooperation.
Read some of the comments posted under his photo. People are applauding this man! As the wife of a law enforcement agent, I'm disgusted. People have such a bad view on cops, because they can't accept that there are laws we, as a society, have to follow and there are people who have to enforce them.
*Story time, pt2: I was pulled over in Georgia, shortly after moving there. I was pulled over by a SWAT officer doing traffic duty. I was pulled over because I had NY plates on my Celica and was driving at 1030pm. I was accused of having drugs in the car (he "smelled" them on me). I had smoked a Camel Turkish Silver cigg before getting into my car. I was asked to get out of my car and let him search it. Which I allowed, because I knew there was nothing illegal in my car. I stood on the side of the highway, while he opened my glove compartment, center console and looked through my doors. He was obviously upset that he found nothing, because he told me he knew it was there and he'd call the dog in, I'm assuming he thought it'd scare me. Instead, I asked him if I could use my cellphone to call my boss and let her know I'd be late, waiting for the dog to arrive. He dropped the dog, but wrote me 3 tickets (invalid registration, no insurance and driving without a license), then let me go on my merry way. Because he let me go, all 3 tickets were dismissed in court. I had a valid NY registration and plates, my insurance was current and I had a NY license I hadn't switched to GA even though I'd lived there for 45 days at that point.
Should I have fought with the officer? NO. Why? because I knew I had done nothing illegal. The judge saw the same thing and apologized on behalf of the court when I was there.
I don't understand, if you know it's illegal, why would you be upset for getting caught? What do you prove by destroying property and putting lives at risk? Not to mention, costing tax payers an ass-ton of money to replace the property *you* damaged? How can anyone justify this kind of bullshit?!?!
I'm all for standing up when you see an injustice being done. But when you're in the wrong, you are in the wrong!
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