From: slider@anashram.com   
      
   the idea that 'dope' is nothing special and is just another drug, one the   
   establishment maintains is very bad for us and thus people shouldn't be   
   allowed to use it, is really only the result of years of ignorance and   
   black propaganda specifically designed to demonise it 'Reefer-Madness'   
   style, and because, in reality, 'dope' has NEVER just been something   
   common, rather the complete opposite in that imho it's probably one of the   
   last of the nice things LEFT on this god-forsaken, fucked-up backwards   
   planet! :)   
      
   for instance, i can remember a time in the uk when there were only 3 tv   
   stations (i even remember there only being 1 station and bbc2 coming along   
   as well hah, but that's besides the point) and when channel 4 was launched   
   it was launched with a fanfare of how 'different' it was all going to be   
    from the establishment channels; they were going to be young, innovative   
   and controversial and did indeed make attempts in that direction, a lot of   
   it indeed creating debate, controversy + a whole bunch of complaints too   
   hah, i remember it well...   
      
   channel 4 perforce did (and tried) many things to keep this all going, and   
   one time just as the great indian super-mela for holy men was coming-up (a   
   big gala version only happening once every 33 years for instance, so   
   really quite a huge + famous event) and so they have the idea to send this   
   young indian investigative reporter to cover the big story live and to   
   reveal what it's really all about, 1000's upon 1000's of so-called holy   
   men from all-over india and beyond coming to this mega-mela event, the   
   public in their millions coming to see them and even take part over   
   several days, everyone bathing in the river Ganges, 1000's of tents   
   everywhere, a really massive frenetic scene that's been going-on for   
   millenia!   
      
   buddha, for example, was known to have taken part in a very famous   
   gala-mela during his own time, he already being very famous all over india   
   by that time, crowds of holy men and the public too flocked to hear him   
   knowing that whatever he said would be worth hearing/enlightening, a   
   really HUGE onetime event! he becoming even MORE famous after that due to   
   getting up to speak after a long day of all the other less famous holy men   
   making great speeches, and when finally it's buddha's turn to speak, he   
   gets up there and looks at the audience for an inordinately long time and   
   until people in that audience begin to fidget and wonder wtf is going on   
   and when is he gonna say something?   
      
   the tension gradually mounts and he still doesn't say anything, he just   
   looks around the room staring at them all with a slight smile on his face   
   as the minutes pass... the background hubbub growing, someone calls out   
   when is he going to speak! and is shushed/waved back down as no one wants   
   to miss anything he might say, then someone else chimes in: say something   
   buddha! speak! the noise in the room gradually growing coz everyone's   
   scratching their heads by now and wondering when is he going to speak???   
      
   but he never does, and it eventually slowly dawns on everyone that this IS   
   his speech??   
      
   a SILENT message that is ultimately saying MORE than all those other   
   famous holy men had said put together! pandemonium breaks out! fights   
   start in the audience and spreads out into the surrounding streets! the   
   buddha's silent speech! the buddha's silent speech! they literally all go   
   fucking crazy! haha! (true story) :)))   
      
   so anyway hehe, here's channel 4, 2600 years later trying to maintain   
   still being the controversial 'alternative' station of choice heh, sending   
   out one of their very own young reporters (hey he's indian innit? so let's   
   send him! kinda thing) to investigate this 'kumbh-mela-festival', and   
   there he is going around neatly dressed in his black suit, shirt & tie, a   
   very english accent and big glasses, sticking his big microphone in the   
   faces of all these different holy men, many of them covered in some kinda   
   white chalk (which turns out to be the ashes of dead people) - one dude   
   with his arm permanently raised in the air for the last 30 years wearing   
   only some kinda big diaper for instance among 1000's of others - and he's   
   stopping them and asking them what's it all about mate haha...   
      
   it's a live event so channel 4 keeps cutting back to him whenever   
   something interesting seems to be happening, and where one time he goes   
   into this big tent at night, lights & cameras rolling, his big microphone   
   at the ready, and then notices that everyone in THIS tent is smoking all   
   these big pipes? (chillums) clouds of smoke filling the air making our   
   reporter cough, everyone in there doing it with a seeming will!   
      
   he investigates a bit more only to discover that it's HASH they're all   
   smoking?? and this young channel 4 reporter is surprised if not appalled,   
   and he grabs one of these holy men dudes and asks him WHY is everyone in   
   here taking DRUGS when they're supposed to be holy men??? this indeed   
   being a turn-up for the books and certainly controversial enough for   
   channel 4! - wtf are they all smoking hash at such a supposedly holy   
   festival for??? (what? they're all smoking hash?? people giggling in the   
   studio) this probably suddenly appearing to the reporter and channel 4 as   
   being like everyone in st. peter's square in rome secretly discovered   
   taking drugs en-mass during the popes easter message lol, they're all   
   completely bemused & amused by it!   
      
   so anyway, inexplicably annoyed/disconcerted he sticks his big mic in one   
   dudes face who's sucking noisily on a huge chillum, and asks him outright:   
   WHY, if you're all supposed to be 'holy men' are you all smoking hash?   
   isn't this a bit hypocritical considering it's such an important religious   
   festival?? and this holy man dude takes this all in and slowly looks up at   
   him like like he's a fucking cretin and laughs, saying: you have certainly   
   got a lot to learn my young friend, don't you realise that it was smoking   
   hasheeeesh that TURNED me INTO a holy man in the first place!?! DUH!!!   
      
   and our very english young reporter friend basically staggers outta there,   
   his mind completely 'blown' at this unexpected + very embarrassing turn of   
   events and revelation, the clouds of hashish fumes he'd been inhaling not   
   exactly helping, or maybe it did help coz he looked like a changed person   
   lol...   
      
   the POINT being that 'dope' has NEVER just been dope thang! you (like many   
   others) might choose to SEE it in that incredibly mundane fashion but   
   that's your mistake, and is only because your education is/was lacking   
   overall, thus you've TURNED it INTO a big nothing and are complacent about   
   it when, in reality, it's really something rather special, and HAS been   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)